Chapter 23 - Tales of the Wanderer

"Ho ho. You possess such delectable darkness within you, wretched maggot. It has been ages since my interest was piqued. Ages since I have been summoned to this fertile world, ripe for my harvesting. I await your queries, pitiful maggots."

Neither human nor beast. But something otherworldly and diabolical. That was the only way to describe the entity before Reve.

Taking the form of a lion with sinister horns that had the sharpest of tips, its eyes were a haunting shade of crimson, as if forged from the essence of blood itself.

Reve struggled to get on his feet amidst his horrible pain, but he fought them off.

Standing resolute, He addressed the devil in the mirror with a firm tone, "Greetings, Duke of Secrets, Barbas. We shall make this swift. As per the ordained agreement, this is a questioning pact and we have three questions."

He boldly stated as he asserted his role, "Therefore, I will impose a few rules to this pact. Firstly, you only answer questions we highlight, not arbitrary inquiries. Secondly, you shall not inflict harm upon us during the questioning. Lastly, you shall not deceive us. If you are unable to answer a question, then do not answer it. Is that clear, devil?"

Barbas cackled at Reve's words, "Hahaha, how intriguing. Such audacious bravery you possess. Or perhaps the folly of humans rubbed off on you, Reve Amethyst."

"You know my name," Reve frowned, shocked by the unexpected revelation.

Once he looked at the mirror again, he noticed Barbas' form had changed. Now resembling a colossal serpent with a thousand worlds dwelling in its belly.

Barbas hissed and words slithered into Reve's ear. "The False Titan. My kind may not know you, but there is no secret in every world that my eyes have not laid. I know who you are, Reve Amethyst. I know what troubles you at night. I know what is yet to afflict you. I have seen it all—your past and your future."

Reve's eyes flickered for a second.

How did a devil come to know about him? There was nothing he had that the devil should covet, except his flesh, maybe. Yet, it knew about him!

Barbas assumed the form of an old man, nearing the end of his mortal coil.

Whispers dripped from his lips as he leaned in close to Reve's ears, "I can reveal everything to you. All for a meagre price. You have gathered quite the assembly, Reve Amethyst. You have the son of my accursed brethren in your midst. I wonder how his blood tastes. Don't you?"

Reactively, Reve's gaze fixated on Calen.

He thought as he examined the cambion, 'It wants me to kill Calen because he is a related individual. Does that mean Calen's father is a renowned devil? Does Calen know of this?'

Barbas whispered more, "It is what you want, isn't it? To rid yourself of the cursed cambion once and for all. I have seen his fate, and if you fail to end him, he will slay you for chaos and unspeakable atrocities are his sole purpose. He is a blade you cannot wield. He is the dog that bites back. Bring him to me and rid yourself of this burden."

Unbeknownst to Reve, a red hue latched onto his eyes. The more he listened to Barbas, the more the hue intensified, eroding his rationality.

He began to regard Calen with the gaze of a hunter. Even as Calen locked eyes with him, curious and bewildered by Reve's erratic behaviour.

Realization struck Reve. 'He can't hear Barbas. I'm the only one that can hear the devil. The devil's whispers…'

'The devil's temptation…'

Reve's surroundings warped and twisted, contorting ethereal wisps before his eyes. In an act of desperation, he dug his fingers into his own flesh, focusing on the pain it brought him. It was the only genuine sensation amidst the machination of the devil.

'Damn it, Barbas was manipulating me from the start. He had no intention to play by my rules. Deceitful snake!'

Ren asked him, full of concern, "Reve, are you okay? What happened to you? You suddenly injured yourself."

Being the more experienced one, Calen said with a scrutinous eyebrow, "The devil got to you, didn't it?"

"I'm alright. It's just… never mind." Reve trailed off.

Reve turned to the mirror and said with a grim expression, "You are good, Barbas"

Now assuming the appearance of a demonic goat, Barbas' mouth widened to form a derisive smile as blood ominously dripped from the tips of his teeth.

A sinister grin crept on his face as he spoke, "Why, thank you, Reve Amethyst. You were nearly too easy to manipulate. I only had to speak what you had thought. It is a shame you broke free too soon. We could have had such delightful fun together."

His focus resolute, Reve ignored his words and raised three fingers and pointed them at the devil. "Three questions. Let us begin!"

He realized the sooner he got to the point, the less dangerous the devil became.

"The First question" Reve spoke, "Does my life meet a sudden and untimely end?"

Barbas fell silent until Reve produced a liver from the nearby bucket and presented it to Barbas. The liver traversed the reflective surface and materialized in Barbas' hand.

As Barbas gnawed on the organ, blood staining his lips, he finally spoke with a chilling certainty, "Yes. I have seen it countless times. Your death has been written, Reve Amethyst."

A shiver coursed through his spine as he absorbed Barbas' words. He had his suspicions about Barbas' claim, but this was not the first time he had heard such a strong claim.

He didn't know how to feel about it.

Undoubtedly, death came for everyone, but not him, not so soon!

He always assumed he had thousands of years left till the end of his lifespan. To hear his demise was imminent was an unwelcome revelation.

Reve glanced at his hands. They were trembling, unable to bear the weight of the newfound knowledge.

"Will I die in this world?" Reve hurriedly asked.

Now in the form of a young seducer draped in scanty attire, Barbas grinned provocatively, "Is that your second question?"

Reve frowned. 'What am I doing? I have a plan for my three questions, but… I want to know where this ends.'

"Yes," Reve reluctantly said.

Barbas gravely told, "You will meet your demise in this realm, Reve Amethyst. You cannot leave. There is no escape for you. This world shall become your eternal resting place."

Following the rules of the ritual, Reve attempted to feed Barbas the second organ, but it slipped from his quaking hands.

He rushed to pick it up and hurled it at the mirror in sheer anger. The kidney passed through the mirror, landing in Barbas' waiting hands.

If Barbas was telling the truth, he would die before seeing his friends. He would die, lost in another world.

It couldn't be true.

His death couldn't be so soon.

"You tell lies, Barbas. I almost fell for it, but I know your nature. You are a snake!" Reve hissed.

Barbas maintained a calm demeanour, his voice steady and haunting, "There is a prophecy regarding your death. My brethren remain oblivious to its intended recipient, but I know it's you. Would you care to hear it? Consider it my final answer to you."

Reve shakily smiled as he responded, "You are a bastard, alright."

Though his mind was on the edge of instability, Reve recognized the allure and bait of the truth when it stared him in the face. Barbas had ensnared him with the revelation of his own impending fate, slyly diverting his inquiries. The worst part of it all was that, even if he was aware of it, he couldn't stop it.

If he was going to die, he had to know how and why!

Barbas chuckled, taunting Reve with his words, "Ah, you are correct. I am a spawn of the Infernal, a product of chaos and illegitimacy. I have no predecessor. A true bastard. Nevertheless, would you not desire to uncover this ancient prophecy?"

Reve released a defeated sigh. "Yes, it will be the third answer."