56 Soul Stones

The moment he answered Ivar, in a blink of an eye, he disappeared in front of his personal servant, leaving him alone in front of the hospital.

"Ah!"

Slightly taken aback, Ivar instinctively raised his hand as if trying to reach him, but Devin was already gone.

The Dominion sighed, as he furrowed his brows.

He had never seen their master this emotional before. He had stayed here for a lot of years and had taken a lot of souls.

Ivar thought that their master was immune to these feelings—these feelings of sadness and pity.

He had always been beside Devin every time he consumed souls. He thought he was only being picky when it comes to eating souls... but little did Ivar know that he avoided eating them because he didn't want to see their memories, he didn't want to feel their emotions.

Most especially, he didn't want to see those saddening and depressing moments between the mortals.

Only now that Ivar realized that their master's aloof facade was just his defense mechanism to hide what he truly felt.

Ivar looked at the sky, as if looking beyond to their world, the Kingdom of Elysion.

Now he wondered if their master really deserved this curse. Knowing him, Devin couldn't possibly kill his brother without a valid reason that led him to do it.

Devin had never actually told him as to why he did such action... but knowing him and being with him for so many years, Ivar knew that all of Devin's actions were reasonable. He never doubted him even for a second.

Ever since Devin was banished, Ivar promised himself that he would always trust Devin and that he would always obey him, even if his best friend is against their Almighty Seraphim and their world's principles.

Without Devin, he would've been dead centuries ago.

***

Devin appeared in his room. The moment he knew he was alone, and knowing Ivar will give him his personal space, he fell to his knees, feeling vulnerable as ever.

Tears started escaping from his eyes. It had been so long since he cried.

The last time he did was when he was a child, and also the experience he had when he was calmed down by Angeal.

But compared to those two moments, him crying now felt sincere and emotional.

He felt static in his head—the side effect of this constant fear, constant stress he lived with being inflicted with this grave curse.

His eyes had continuous rivulets of tears. The walls that held him up—the walls that made him strong, collapsed by the second making him weak and vulnerable to his emotions. Moment by moment they fell, making Devin succumb to his feelings of grief.

The pain must have come in waves, minutes of sobbing broken apart by short pauses for recovering breaths, before hurling him back into the outstretched arms of his forlornness.

Weakly, Devin traipsed towards his bed and the moment he laid on the bed, his cries continued. Feeling like a child, he pulled his pillow closer to him, as if embracing his favorite stuffed toy.

Seeing the moment between the old man and his granddaughter a while ago, it made him think of Gladios and Angeal and he realized that it was the same for them.

What if it was time for him to take Gladios' soul?

How would Angeal feel, knowing that Gladios is the only family she got left?

Her mother, Claudia, died the moment Angeal was born. She never got to meet her father because he left Claudia when he learned that she was pregnant.

If Angeal were to be left alone, how would she feel, knowing that her beloved grandfather had gone?

How would she feel, how would she react... if she saw that Gladios' soul was eaten by him?

What would she do if ever she'd know about her soul that was already sold to him?

If he were the same person centuries ago, he would not care about it. But after spending time here and being apart from them for 18 years, especially living with them, even just coming back home recently, his perceptions have changed.

He realized that he actually cared and felt sorry for Gladios and Angeal.

Feeling weak, Devin opened up his palm then spoke, as if mumbling to himself.

"Anima lapides."

On his palm revealed two Soul Stones.

These Soul Stones symbolize the mortals selling their souls to the Soul Eater. Once the deal is done, it turns into a Soul Stone, making the pact irreversible.

Back in his early years of being a Soul Eater, he had made pacts with other mortals. They traded their souls for wealth, for power... he was usually asked for wretched reasons.

As they did this during the early years of being a Soul Eater, Ivar and Devin realized that it also weakens his life span since he was helping the humans for wicked rationales. Since then, they haven't made a deal with humans.

But what made Gladios and Angeal different?

Devin didn't know... but for some reason, he wanted to help the both of them the first time he saw them and he would only ask their service from them... as well as their souls.

He also promised to himself that they would be the last people he'd have the Soul Stone of.

If only he were powerful, he wouldn't have to make this pact to make saving Angeal possible. He is not as powerful as the Almighty Seraphim for him to bestow upon her a miracle of a second chance in life.

Angeal was meant to die that day.

Devin could only do this much. Saving them by making them work for him, leaving them with no choice but to sell their souls to him.

Devin looked at the Soul Stones in his hands. It still looked white and bright—still brimming with life energy.

Once these turn black and turns to dust, it would mean that the pact has been fulfilled and that he had successfully eaten their souls.

Feeling dejected, he magically hid the Soul Stones then closed his eyes. Before he knew it, he was pulled into a slumber.