Black Solstice-Chapter 13: Three Simple Words [2]

"I’m human."

"Huh!?" Seraphis immediately grew stiff and rigid at those words.

She thought she had misheard. Didn’t he claim to be an incubus earlier? Was he pulling her leg? No. It was probably her imagination.

However, his next words completely shattered that hope.

"I am human."

Then he said it again, as if forcing her to face it.

"I am human."

Followed with...

"I am human, goddamn it!"

Seraphis flinched.

Gritting his teeth, Cassius spat the words bitterly, carrying a resentment that had clearly been boiling for a long time.

"I shouldn’t go there? Where should I go then? Should I stay here? Of course not! Why would I?!? I’m not like you demons, devils, monsters or w-w-whatever name you choose to call yourselves. I can’t shoot fireballs from my fingertips. I can’t control objects with my mind. I don’t possess supernatural strength. I am nothing like any of you! I am a completely normal person who somehow ended up in this place because of some unknown, cruel twist of fate!"

’W-What... What... What...’

Seraphis, overwhelmed by the torrent of resentment, could not form a proper response. She was still trying to process the revelation that he was human.

It was nothing short of a crisis.

The person she had started taking interest in turned out to be from the species she despised the most.

Did this mean everything he said had been a lie?

She had already known he lied about being an incubus, but she had assumed it was because he did not want to reveal his True Form. In the end, she had been correct, but not in the way she imagined.

From the beginning, the words "If I told you I’m one of the humans you dislike so much, would you still stop me?" had been suspicious.

This entire time... had he thought of her as a fool?

Disregarding her inner turmoil, Cassius continued to pour his heart out.

"Everything in my life has been going well. I have been doing well by myself too. Like you said, humans are a pain to deal with. I also have my own struggles and experiences. Honestly, it was only because of my parents and their stubborn insistence on sending me to college that I even ended up in this forsaken place. If not for that, you and I would never have met and we would have lived our lives separately. Our meeting was a complete coincidence. It should have never happened. I should have never stepped into this place. And yet, I am here and my life is constantly at risk because of what? And now you tell me I shouldn’t leave? Who do you think you are? Are you also after my life? Aren’t you too selfish? Now that you know who I really am, aren’t you looking at me differently?"

Seraphis did not answer.

She could not.

Her mind blank and scrambled at the same time. The Outer Self, the calm and composed façade, faltered like a glass mask struck with a hammer. A hairline crack ran through her expression. Her fingers trembled.

Human.

The word echoed like a curse inside her skull.

Her Inner Self recoiled with instinctive hatred, while the Outer Self struggled to maintain coherence.

For the first time since she had met him, she felt truly cornered.

Cassius stared at her with an expression that was part angry and exhausted. His breathing was unsteady, his shoulders rising and falling as he tried to hold himself together.

He almost looked like he might break.

Then, upon looking at her, his eyes suddenly went dim. A dark recognition had flashed through those eyes.

Lowering his head from eye level, Cassius let out a low, dark chuckle.

"I see. Guess I was right. That look in your eyes already confirms you now see me as your enemy, right? Fine. I suppose I can’t blame you. Don’t worry, I’ll disappear from your sight and never show up again."

He turned away.

To Seraphis, the simple act of turning around was quite devastating.

It felt like she was going to be abandoned just like that time.

Panicking, she shouted:

"No... no, that is not it. That is not what I... Cassius, wait!"

However,

"..."

Her outstretched hand never reached hus back. The distance between them was too great.

But he didn’t stop. He didn’t even slow down.

Each step he took felt like another thread snapping inside her — delicate, fragile pieces of her carefully constructed self coming undone.

She had never chased anyone.

She had never needed to chase anyone.

Yet, watching him walk away at this moment while carrying the suitcases containing his belongings, Seraphis realized something with startling clarity:

For the first time in her life, she was afraid of losing someone who wasn’t even hers to lose.

And for some reason she couldn’t fully explain or understand, she felt scared of that possibility.

She had a feeling that if he crossed that gate, she would never see him again.

Because of that, and for that reason alone, Seraphis tried to stop him, even though it was selfish, and continuously called out to him.

However, it seemed her words were only pushing him further away.

Just like that, he crossed the gate.

She paused.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to chase after him. Honestly, if she had wanted, she could have captured him before he took a single step.

The real reason she stopped was because of another set of footsteps.

Thud–! Thud–!

From the sound alone, she already knew who was approaching.

Seraphis swiftly turned her head in that direction.

A male was standing there.

Despite his delinquent-like appearance, he was quite handsome, his skin smooth and porcelain. His "blonde" hair was a very dirty shade, almost rotten white, which contrasted sharply with his mostly black uniform.

His eyes were more frightening than his two-meter height.

The male’s presence was so vivid that he would stand out in any crowd. He wasn’t doing anything in particular. The exceptional devil really wasn’t doing much of anything.

Yet the mere fact that he was standing there felt abnormal.

He was the Devil, Dagon.

Then, a growing smile spreading across his face, he asked politely, "Can I talk with you for a moment?"

Of course, she was not deceived. His chaotic heartbeat betrayed his true intentions.

† †

Following a brief moment of walking, I eventually reached the bus station.

A familiar yellow bus was already parked there.

There was no passengers on the bus. Only th driver could be seen through glass window.

As if expecting my presence, he swung his head this way and smiled, the cigarette in his mouth wriggling as he spoke.

"Hehe... so this is the choice you’ve made. I had a feeling you would run away."

I smiled weakly.

"If you already know, then why expect something different?"

The driver chuckled.

"I suppose your words aren’t necessarily wrong. You should be familiar with the concept of betting, correct? There’s a fifty percent chance you’ll lose and a fifty percent chance you’ll win. However, depending on how you play your hand, the outcome can shift. Despite this, people still decide to bet."

I remained silent.

The strange fellow continued from there, the smoke from his cigarette curling lazily.

"Humans are truly strange creatures. I don’t really understand them. They make choices that defy logic, yet they cling to hope. They make irrational choices despite knowing it’s no good and some of them even run toward danger despite the risks. It is impossible to know which definite choice they could make on a whim. Yet that’s what makes them so interesting."

He sighed and flicked the cigarette away, as if it had suddenly turned bitter on his tongue. The ember dimmed on the pavement. When he spoke again, a faint disappointment clung to his voice.

"Well, I guess that’s fine. If you have no regrets, then come aboard."

Come aboard, huh?

If I stepped into that bus, I would be able to return to Earth.

I would return home. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

I would return to safety.

I would return to mediocrity.

I would be able to slip out of this story without consequence, vanish from the Demon Realm like a misplaced character stepping off the stage before the plot ever began.

And yet...

Why did my chest feel tight?

Did I feel... conflicted?

I already knew the answer. Deep down, the truth had already taken root. But knowing it didn’t change anything.

That person already knew who I really was. My identity was no longer a secret. Returning back there was just impossible. The moment that knowledge had been uncovered, my fate had already shifted course.

Even if I tried to flee, they would find me. Demons did not simply let go of loose ends.

I exhaled shakily and turned around, allowing my gaze to drift toward Solstice Academy in the distance. The grand silhouette stood tall against the horizon, its spires gleaming faintly like a giant statue of omen.

For a brief moment, I wondered what would have happened if I had never crossed paths with her.

She said she had lived in the Human World before returning to the Demon Realm.

If I had simply lived a normal life, would her have met her?

But that was just a grain of salt among the myriad of possibilities.

"...Alright."

I tightened my grip on my bag, swallowed the unease curling in my stomach, and stepped onto the bus.