Palinopsia illusiora

Issei and I flew back together to the castle of my brother. All around us, a scenery of destruction and ashes made itself known.

I turned to look at Issei. He was also sending looks to the destroyed Earth under us, to the results of the destruction we had brought on this layer of hell "Don't feel guilty," I told him.

"We burnt so many things. I burnt so many things. I know that some people were consumed by my flames," he spoke.

"And? Issei, this is hell. Those people have been here suffering for aeons. Their concept and notion of time were changed so that they could feel more pain. Don't feel guilty."

"If they were in hell, doesn't that mean that they deserve it?" he asked me.

"If Asia hadn't been reincarnated, she would have been here or in a similar place Issei." He reacted as if I had slapped him.

I pushed down the guilt I felt looking at his hurt expression. He needed to crush, destroy the guilt in his heart I knew wanted to drown him, a guilt that was searching for any excuse.

"Asia? Here?!" he spoke in disbelief. "There is no one more kind than her."

"Asia healed a devil Issei," I reminded him.

"She didn't know he was a devil. She only healed him because it is in her nature to care about people!"

"The laws of heaven are strict Issei. It didn't matter she didn't know. Before the heavens, she sinned, before the heavens, by healing him she entered into a pact with a devil."

"It's not fair," he whispered.

"No, it is not," I agreed with him. "Things aren't as black and white as they seem at first look. I was able to reincarnate Asia but imagine Issei, how many were not lucky enough to be reincarnated? Even then, how many were sentenced here for all eternity for finite crimes?"

"Bishamonten, the god I fought against. He didn't care that the people of the city were innocent. For him, they were tainted. He didn't care that he took their lives. He didn't care that he butchered them. He did all of this because we were living amongst them. He was a god yet I never saw something as monstrous, as demonic than him."

"Gods, monsters, demons, dragons, in the end, we're all the same thing. We think we're better than the others when we're all monsters," I told him.

"You're wrong Rias. You're not like that."

A chuckle escaped me. He didn't know how I literally chose to eat the flesh of a living god and cannibalize Kagutsuchi without caring about the morality of it. He didn't know that I hadn't cared about Kuoh and him when I began fighting.

Maybe if I hadn't lost myself in my fight against Kagutsuchi. Maybe If I hadn't let myself bask in the dark feelings buried deep in my chest, maybe Issei would still have his parents right now.

"I am just like them Issei." I watched as he opened his mouth to try to make a rebuttal in defence of my character. "I would have done the same thing or even worse if it meant that you and the others, that my family would thrive."

I wouldn't say that I had accepted this fact but I had recognized it. This was me, the real me. I could try to act more virtuous than I was but my core was the one of an uncaring and greedy monster who only cared about what she saw as hers.

Maybe I would never truly accept it but this is not something I felt I could deny anymore but even then "You're partially right. I most likely would not do the things they have done. Do you know why?" I asked him as we landed before the castle.

"Why?"

"Because I have all of you." I felt the demonic energy of the other members of my peerage coming closer to me. It seemed my little bout with Issei was enough to wake them all up.

I turned to look at the dumbfounded face of Issei "I know that in the deepest darkness, you would be there to guide me to the light. Am I wrong?"

A smile bloomed on his face "No Rias, you can count on us."

A blur of yellow crushed against Issei. The surprise etched on his face as he fell on the ground made me want to laugh "Asia?!" he whispered.

It was indeed the ex-nun that was in his arms. Fat ugly tears ran from her eyes on his prone form. I decided to walk away from them, to the doors of the castle.

They needed some time together. I think that they deserved it. They would worry about the world and everything wrong in it later. Right now, the important was for me to leave the two of them to be together.

As I walked closer to the entrance, I felt myself being dragged into a hug. I knew this touch. I knew this smell. "Hi Akeno," I told her softly while leaning into her arms.

"I already know what you're thinking. It wasn't your fault. My grandfather, Issei, this wasn't your fault Akeno."

"You must know how I feel about your words Rias."

"Yeah. I know how you feel, I know that even with my words, you still feel guilty. My brother and I lost against this monster. There is no point in blaming yourself."

"I know that yet it still is enraging. He turned me into a weakness. I want to tear him into a thousand pieces with my bare hands."

"You're not The only one. You're not the only one," I whispered to her.

"What did he take?" she asked me.

"What made you think he took anything?" I asked her stalling more than anything else.

"For multiple reasons. First, there's the fact he's an Archdaemon and monsters like him don't act unless they gain something from it. Secondly, I can see your soul Rias, not as much as I do with others but I can see it and something's different. I can see a thread, a chain connected to your essence, a chain that feels like him."

"He gave me a choice I desperately needed. He gave me the possibility to make sure none of you would fight."

"The moment you accepted his terms was the moment he already won Rias. The question is if what he's truly planning will be bad for you."

"Does it change anything?" I asked her softly.

"Not it doesn't. In the end, I'll be at your side like promised."

"You know the love you have for me could be the cause of your demise, right?"

"If I die because of love, if I die because of you, then, it would be a worthwhile death."

"Loving me would mean staying at my side forever Akeno. There is no point if you leave me."

"Understood Rias. It is Understood. I'll grow stronger so that I'll never leave you," she told me.

"We would all grow stronger, stronger than our forefathers, stronger than the Endless themselves. Akeno, love you."

I felt her take a deep breath and her heart began to beat faster "I love you too Rias."

"PRESIDENT!" I heard the voice of Gasper yell.

Relulunclty, I retreated away from her embrace. I wished I wouldn't have to. That was fine. I'll do it again later.

My gaze travelled to the approaching forms of Yuto, Gasper and Koneko. I took a step phasing through space and time to reappear before them.

With one move, I engulfed both Gasper and Koneko in my arms. They clung to me immediately as if they had been lost in the desert for a long time and finally found an oasis.

"I am there now. I am there. Nothing wrong will happen again. You're safe, we're safe," I spoke softly.

Softly, I directed my demonic energy and made it touch their skin quickly and softly, so they wouldn't be able to feel it. A demonic seal appeared and disappeared in an instant sinking into their souls. No matter how far away they were, I should now normally be able to teleport to them.

It could be said that I had turned them into beacons, my beacons. I would die before letting anything like what previously happened to them be repeated. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. I won't let myself be caught off-guard a second time.

My gaze travelled to my knight. Already he looked better than before. He looked more ale, more healthy. He looked as if he wouldn't die at any minute of exhaustion anymore.

I know that there'll be consequences. I know that I created to myself even more enemies but it was alright. This happiness I was feeling right now. This warmth that made me feel as if everything was okay. I will crush anyone trying to remove it from me.

*scene*

The land of Yomi was a desolate place, one full of darkness and horrors. It was a warping place that turned good into evil, beauty into ugliness and corrupted the souls of its inhabitants.

Yomi was a realm that was alive, as alive as Earth was, as Yggdrasil was, as alive as Indra himself was. Yomi had been there before the birth of Izanagi and Izanami and would probably still be there even after the death of the sun.

Indra was only wearing a black short, a green Hawaiian-themed shirt. A barrier made of pure divinity surrounded Indra. He walked fearlessly as if he were taking a stroll in a park as monsters attacked him and died by coming too close to the celestial being that he was.

Such a place wasn't one that was worthy of his presence but sometimes, you had to walk into literally shit to gain diamonds.

He was hungry. He hoped the servants had cooked something new, something exciting that he hadn't tested yet. He made sure to obstruct his future vision so that he would not see what they were cooking.

He had known before even the thought entered the mind of Kagutsuchi that the god would attack Kuoh.

He had known it decades before the god en came back from the aether. Something that troubled him and still did. At some point, his perfect vision became less than perfect, clouded, obscured and it infuriated him to no end.

Plans meticulously prepared, plans that took centuries to be put into motion were all suddenly destroyed and it was because of Rias Gremory.

He had seen a different future once where the only thing that made her worthwhile was the fact that she gave herself to the current red dragon emperor.

This pathetic being shouldn't have been able to go against what was supposed to be, to go against Fate and win.

Indra couldn't directly see her future and the future of those she was closely involved with but he could still see the rest of the tapestry, the threads of fate of others.

He would have killed the parents of the girl before she was conceived if it wasn't for the New Lucifer and the new Beelzebub.

This is why when the Beelzebub helped the United States, Indra made sure to give let's say a little boost. A little boost that was enough to enrage Kagutsuchi, a little boost that was enough to kill Ebisu, something that had assured Daikokuten would be more receptive to the words of the son of Izanami and like everything Indra did, he succeeded.

He couldn't directly plan around, or see the future of Rias Gremory but he could assess her, poke her indirectly to see what made her tick. He already knew the Shinto gods would fail but you couldn't make an omelet without breaking some eggs.

She only proved to him that he was right. She was too dangerous. He had thought about maybe using her but wildcards that could explode in your own hands weren't fun.

Indra hated the Abrahamic faction, how barbaric they were, how they thought themselves superior when through heaven and Earth, he only, was the honoured one.

They were strong, something he couldn't deny but it didn't mean that they were unbeatable. A little nudge there, A little nudge here and things that would have turned inconsequential or wouldn't exist became sources of discord.

He would let the Abrahamic pantheon bleed itself dry, help make things worse if needed and when a weakened winner would emerge, Indra would smile at them and behead them.

This was why he was actually in Yomi. He finally arrived at the place he had wanted to reach. Before him, a woman sobbed, her face against the Earth. Poor poor poor Izanami, losing a child twice.

Indra took a loud step on purpose and the primordial Japanese goddess turned toward him. Yikes, he understood why Izanagi had run away from her.

He could see remnants of a once transcendental beauty but now, what was clearly left, could clearly be seen as the ugliness.

Raw black flesh that seemed to be in an endless necrosis. Sticking protruding bones and cartilage. Maggots and centipedes that crawled into her flesh. Indra hid his disgust behind a smile "Ô honoured mother of the land of the rising sun. I have heard of your loss and came here to present my respects."

"Y̸o̸u̶ ̴s̵m̴e̴l̷l̴ ̵o̷f̷Dy̶e̶u̵s̷ ̸a̴n̶d̴ ̶P̷r̸t̴h̴v̸i̴.̷ ̸W̶h̸a̵t̴ ̸D̵o̷ ̷y̸o̷u̴ ̵w̴a̴n̷t̷ ̵f̵r̵o̶m̷ ̴m̵e̶ ̷D̷a̶e̴v̵a̶?̶" the goddess rasped.

"The loss of a child is something that can never truly be replaced but even then, I think it's a shame you were robbed by the devil of your child."

A bubble materialized over the prone form of the primordial goddess. The bubble twisted, changed until when it fell into the hands of the goddess, what lay there was the form of a baby, a dead one with crimson hair and purple eyes.

"T̸h̴e̵ ̵c̶h̴i̴l̴d̴ ̸i̵s̸ ̷d̸e̶a̴d̴. Ț̶̢͉̤̙̋̇͠H̷̛̞̦͕̪͔̣͕͋̚È̴̢̫̯̮̥̝͚ ̸̛̠͓̀̎̀̌̀̃̚Ċ̴̡̧̣̌̇́͘H̸̨̧̛̞̀͑̄̅͘̚Ī̷̱͒͂̇͘͜L̴̢̛̩̪̯̽̀͗͆͐D̶̡͎͊̃̉̌̀͋ ̷̧͓̮͇̳̅̌́͌̿͊I̴̟̳̬̼͎͝S̷̼̣̹̪̼̟͇͑̍̀̅̐ ̶̡͈͚̭̻̩͇̐̿́͝D̷̯̲̩́̍Ė̶̹̄̈́̄̒̕̚À̸̦̉̌D̸̡͔̲͈̯͉́̎̓̇͊̂!̵͖͛ ̴͙̮̭́͌͐͂̑͝Y̷͖͙͔̹͋̿̅́̅Ō̷̡͍͖͚̄Ǘ̸̜̋ ̷̬̦̞̯̱̥̙̣́̾̇͐̾̄̌̂Ḓ̵̀̐̎Ą̷̣̰̝̥̺̅͛̊̂̕͠R̶̢̪̹͇̉̐̂̏̈́͝E̷̮͓̊̊͗̉̽̔͑̈́ ̸̛̘̰̈̾̾͆̌̓̚M̵̛͍̙͖͓̝͐͛̽͜O̷̧̡̗͍͓̠͋̽͝C̴̡̟̈͗̍K̵̺̱̤͈͖̋̿̌̆ ̶̖̠͍̹̬̲͇̲̀̄̉̑̉M̵̀͑͛ͅÉ̴̛̩͖̘̭̞͒̾͜ ̶̨̛̪̭̲̬̥̀̄̈́̈́̌͛I̴̛͇̓̋Ǹ̶͇̹̥̓̌̇ ̵̪͘M̸͖̪͕͉̓͋Y̴̟̯̞̑̍͒̓̔̋ ̴̢͚̗̤̆̂̈́̅̏̓̋̽R̶̠̩͓̤̺͆̈́̎̽͜Ḛ̷́̉̾̈́A̶̢͗͆͂̂̊̆̂̋L̸̮̲͕̥̳̻͋̅̎̔M̵̙͚̌͜?̵̧̛͕̩̱̗̹̬̋̆̋̔͑̑͝"

the goddess's voice boomed in the caverns of Yomi.

From the walls, they arrived. Dead heroes, dead emperors, dead gods summoned to to the bidding of Izanami. Even with all his might, Indra knew it would be a bad idea to choose to fight Izanami in Yomi. It is a good thing he wasn't there to fight.

"Death doesn't always mean an end. It could also mean a beginning my lady. This child may live on if you share your essence with his if you let it become yours. A mother without a child, a child without a mother."

The gaze of the deity went back to the corpse she was holding. A black miasma appeared and came out of her eyes and sank into the corpse of the dead child.

Indra watched how the black essence of Izanami reached the heart of the baby and made it beat again. In Yomi, for the first time since the beginning of time, a new life was born.

"My child, my baby," the dead goddess whispered almost drunkenly, almost in reverence "My Takehito."

Slowly, Indra retreated, fading out and leaving the Japanese afterlife to reappear before the door of Svarga. Indra felt a smile bloom on his face. He had played his card. He just had to wait to see if he reached the jackpot.