Deoh opened his eyes.
A familiar sky, a familiar world.
Same air, same light.
But this was not the same place.
"...This is going to be a real pain to fix, isnât it..."
He was talking to himselfâor maybe not. His voice lingered in the air, waiting for a response.
But the woman across from him said nothing.
She just stared. Silent. Serene.
Deohâs brow twitched. He pushed himself up.
âSo? Why did you bring me here again?â
The silence stretchedâuntil it didnât.
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â...Kill that child.â
He froze.
The words cut through the still air like a blade, their cruelty a grotesque contrast to the speaker's beauty. The woman with emerald hairâradiant, divineâspoke the sentence with the calm of a spring breeze.
"...AreâARE YOU out of your mind?! WHY?!"
Deoh staggered back, utterly blindsided.
âThat girlâ¦â the goddess whispered. âThat thingâArâcenâcan destroy the world.â
He blinked. âYou want me to kill her because of what, exactly? A hunch? A vague vision?â
Instead of answering, she raised her hand.
A shimmer of light unfolded before his eyes. A vision. A battlefield.
He saw her.
A girl, hair once golden, now stained silverâand drenched in blood.
One golden eye. One crimson.
A smile.
Wild. Unhinged.
She stood amidst broken bodiesâhuman, demon, beastkin. Slaughtered.
Anyone who approached⦠was hunted.
Deohâs throat dried.
"...What... was that?"
âA future,â she replied, flatly.
"...Then it's not fate?" he muttered. "You told meâa future is a possibility. Fate is what's destined."
The goddess looked away. Her voice softened.
"...Most of the futures are like that."
He clenched his fists.
âThen Iâll make sure that one doesnât happen.â
He stood straighter, fire burning in his eyes.
âIâll stop her. Iâll keep her from becoming that monster. Iâllâ"
âYouâll have to make up with her first.â
That sentence hit harder than all the rest.
It was like someone had dumped ice water over his head.
He blinked, deflated. â...Oh.â