Chapter 11: A different perspective

AN: I tried writing on Emi's POV including her thoughts, this is my first time doing it on 1st Person POV, so its kind of meh. Emi also has similar(but not really) thoughts and troubles in the original, and I took those as reference.....

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A few minutes earlier...

Emi's POV

After we looked around Kyoto, we decided to finally head back to the hotel.

We said our farewells to Sagiri, Yuuna, and Suzuno who went inside their rooms as we—Alice and Alexander, went to ours.

Almost immediately, Alex leaped towards the bed and rolled around. I couldn't help but scoff at his childish behavior. Is he really Satan? If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that he's just an ordinary human.

"Ahh~ High thread count, how I've missed you, I should change my bed in my mansion. Remind me when we return Emi."

"Who do you think I am? Ordering me like that." I scoffed while glaring at him. Though I guess it wouldn't hurt to remind him later.

After all, I would sleep there too, it would be better for it to be more comfortable.....Oh gods, what did I just thought?! Emi snap out of it! This man is Satan!

No matter how he looked! Remember the gifts he gave to your daughter! Those things shouldn't be given to a child! They are a mechanized disaster waiting to be unleashed!

"Mama~"

I looked at Alice in my arms and smiled softly. Looks like she's already sleepy, I better put her to bed.

"Let's tuck you in for bed."

"Un...sleep together, with mama, and papa.."

I paused. Sleep together? That's impossible.

I felt a gaze on me, I looked up and stared at Alex. I sighed, looks like I'll end up sleeping together with him again.

I smiled at Alice, "Yes, now sleep, I'll tell you a story."

I saw Alex smiling as he went towards the balcony. I didn't mind, and just put Alice to bed.

I spent a few minutes telling her a story before she finally fell asleep. I smiled, before I went towards the Balcony.

There, I saw Alex sitting on a chair with his eyes closed, holding a glass of wine. I stood beside him and crossed my arms, and stared at the setting sun.

"How's Alice?"

"Asleep," I answered, I took a deep breath and stared at him with a serious look, as he just raised a brow, "Tell me, why?"

".....'Why' What?"

"Why are you being so kind? During these weeks we spent together with everyone in the Inn, I have been observing. I thought that all of those acts of kindness are just that, acts. But...."

I remembered the times I spent with him and Alice, though short, is definitely something I will never forget.

When we bicker, as I gave an annoyed look in which he responded by giving me an amused smirk. The times where I'll scold him for letting Alice play with dangerous stuff such as that Pikachu, and those Godzilla and Birds too, to which he'll just give a proud look and say that Alice is following his footsteps.

I remember the time I spent with everyone in the inn. All those laughs, all those arguments, all those embarrassing moments,

Is all of that a lie? Are all of those just an act? I want to know.

"If you are so capable of this kindness, then why? You pushed Humanity to the brink of extinction, conquered the continents we lived and only left us a small space to live."

My father, our village, all those people I met in the village, why did they have to die? If you are so kind, then why did you do all of those?

I never wanted to be a hero, I never wanted to fight, I never wanted to go to war. All I wanted is to have a normal life, living with a normal family.

And possibly, find someone whom I love, and have a normal but happy family. I never wanted any of this!

"Have you heard of the saying "desperate times calls for desperate measure"?...."

I stared at him, my clenched fist relax as I waited for him to continue.

"Tell me Emi, what would the leaders of your world do, once they discovered that in the next ten years, their resources will dry up and the people will start dying until they went extinct."

I blinked, before furrowing my brows. What will they do? Honestly, I don't know. Rika has given me the talk about humans, on how their minds and hearts are complicated.

They are capable being a Saint and a Demon in a blink of an eye.

"There are three things they can do. First is a peaceful method, just find some solutions and help each other. Second is war, take those resources of other nations for themselves, and third...."

Alex took a deep breath, "...the third is by invading another world, where resources are rich. But as expected, the third option can only be done if the world is unified."

My eyes widened. Don't tell me...No! No! If that's true then...

"You know, your mother has told me interesting things, human nations, kingdoms, empires, human society as a whole. I was fascinated by it, and then I also began to desire to unite my own kind like the humans did in the past. Unknown number of years later, I became a leader of a Demon Faction and started to conquer the demon world, eventually hailing me as the Great Demon King. I brought peace to the wartorn Demon World...."

He brought peace? But that's....if he brought peace to his world, if the Demon World is already peaceful place, why would he invade Ente—

—Lack of resources....Is it..because of that?

Alex sighed, "Demons fed on the Demonic force, which came from intense negative emotions. These negative emotions came from the everlasting conflicts inside the Demon World, which caused the world to be filled with said Demonic Force. Because I turned the Demon World into a peaceful place, I cut the source of demonic energy from my world, thus facing the problem of starvation for the entire demon race."

I froze.

"The only method I thought of, was to conquer to Ente Isla. I wanted to make a situation in which the humans would hold grudges and several other negative emotions towards the demon race, thus producing enough demonic energy to sustain the Demon World population."

My breathing became rapid, if what he said is true. Then....am I wrong? The Demons just wanted to survive, and I slaughtered them.

No, I don't think I'm wrong, they invaded our world....but, is it really right to slaughter them when they are just trying to survive?

My dream, is to make a peaceful world where everyone can smile. That was the reason I became a hero aside from avenging my father.

I killed demons, I became the hero so that I could make that dream come true...but, do I still the right to call myself a hero?

I didn't try to understand the motives of demons for invading, all I did was slaughter them thoughtlessly.

They just wanted to survive. If it was us who faced extinction, we would've also done the same.

This man, Alex, was faced with such situation that caused him to make a decision that cost him countless lives of his kind.

I... I...

I really...I really shouldn't have done those things...I..

"Do not pity me. Clear your head and heart. Perspective can be easily lost as it can be found."

"Huh?"

"You are not in the wrong to protect your kind, and I also do not think that I am in the wrong for wanting my kind to survive. Its just a matter of perspective."

I remained silent and just stared at him.

He sighed and walked inside the room, "I do not regret my actions, even if I were to go back in time, as a king, I would do it over and over again. It is a decision I made, regretting it would feel like I just spit on the corpses of my fallen kind who followed me."

I stared at his back, I don't know what to feel. What he said was right, he is not wrong for wanting his kind to survive, and I'm also not wrong for protecting my kind.

But...I wanted a world where everyone can smile. Not a world where I kill the one in front of me just for the one behind me to smile.

I don't want a world like that, and I don't think I can make sacrifices for that world either.

But...I did just that. I sacrificed the demons for the happiness of humans, and it might eventually lead to their demise.

Something like that, there's no way I won't regret my actions.

If, I could go back in time, surely, I will definitely think of a way, where both races don't have to kill each other.

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Later that night...

Sagiri was standing at the top of a building, overlooking the entire Gion District. She was wearing the artifact that Alex gifted to her, and she is currently invisible.

It was the middle of the night, and only a few people can be seen walking around in groups.

She looked towards the Yasaka shrine, as she felt a very powerful Spirit Energy coming from there.

'.....What a powerful Spirit Power...a member of Hexagram perhaps?'

When she thought of those, she quickly retracted her gaze. She doesn't want to attract the attention of a member of the Hexagram.

"What are you doing?"

Her eyes widened as she gripped her katana and slashed behind her. She showed a look of surprised when her blade was caught quite easily.

"Feisty, I like that."

Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the person who grabbed her sword. Her face showed her shock as the person, a man, who grabbed it has some similarities to certain oni she knew.

Short pink hair, green eyes, and a mark on the forehead.

'Yoinozaka?!' She thought in shock.

She tried to pull away her sword, but she couldn't, the man was holding it with a tight grip.

The man smiled as he observed her, "Hmm, now that I took a closer look at you, I remember, aren't you the one who was assigned to watch over my sister?"

"Let go." She ordered with a cold voice.

The man just smirked at her, "Ahh, that voice. I really, really like a girl like you. You know why? Because I enjoyed breaking them, I enjoyed dominating them, turning them into my—"

"I said! Let! Go!" With a shout, her sword rapidly vibrated as she pulled it away, cutting a skin of the man's palm.

She then retreated and glared at him.

"Hm?" The man just raised an eyebrow before looking at his bleeding palm, though it only lasted for a few seconds before it closes.

"Interesting...Now, I'm really liking you more and more." The man took a step forward, as Sagiri gripped her sword tightly.

However, they both paused before looking at the Yasaka shrine, they felt a very powerful Spirit Power there. The man sighed before looking back at Sagiri.

"Oh well, let's just play again next time. My opponent has arrived, you see." With that, the man gave her a wink before disappearing.

Sagiri remained on guard for a few minutes before she relaxed and glanced at the Yasaka shrine.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't nervous earlier. She might be strong, and has gotten even stronger, but she's still far cry from fighting anyone from the Main House of the Yoinozaka and Tenko.

Those from the main house are specially much stronger than the branch house. All members of the Three Great Families from the main house are born with a minimum 10thousand spirit power.

'That man...he said sister, is he Nonko's brother?'

However, she shook her head as the war seems to get more problematic from now on. Previously, the war is only fought between the factions behind the Tenko and Yoinozaka, but now, the main houses are finally making a move.

'After I hunt down some Kuchisake-onna, I need to inform everyone about this.' she sighed, 'Looks like we won't be able to enjoy this trip.'

If the main house are involved, then several Transcendental would be involved too. And there's a reason why a fight between Transcendentals, especially a group of them, are prohibited.

She stared at the Yasaka Shrine for a moment before leaving to continue patrolling the streets.