In the distance, not even a few miles from the burning facility, he was greeted by a forest painted white with snow. It was winter now and the temperature was well below 0, but that didn't bother him. Following behind him was a trail of blood...
...A trail that led straight back to the burning facility.
He kept walking, even when his legs buckled underneath him. He still continued.
After all, he had made a promise to someone precious to him that he would live for the both of them. A sacrifice was made so that he would be free...
...A sacrifice...A life for a life...
But as he continued walking, the blood dripping from the wounds on his body was starting to take a toll on him. His vision began to blur and he stumbled with each step until he fell. Face first he landed in the snow, but there was no feeling of ice or pain.
He still had adrenaline pumping through his veins after fighting his way out. With what little strength he had left in his small frame of a body, he rolled over onto his back and looked at the sky above him.
He wished to the stars above him hopefully before the last time...
...But he couldn't.
The large trees that surrounded him shielded the stars from him. He couldn't help but chuckle. The young boy cursed God for everything that has happened to him.
"First you took my family away from me...Then you cursed me...When I finally found people that cared for me, you took them away from me..."
Slowly, his eyes began to lose their light and they began to close...
Just as they were about to close, his eyes opened when he felt a presence not far from him. Turning his head slightly to the side, there he saw a small shadow approaching him. As if she was unaffected by the cold, she walked calmly toward the boy.
She looked to be the same age as him if not older. Her black hair was cut into a bob-syle and her pink-rimmed glasses gleamed in what little light there was.
"Do you want to live? Do you want a second chance?"
The boy stared at the girl who spoke without missing a beat as if she had been preparing for this conversation. He thought about her words.
'A second chance...'
He remembered her words, her sacrifice that gave him a chance to fight...to escape...
To Live...
She was dear to him, they all were...
But what could he do now?
He was alone.
They were all gone.
What would be the point if they weren't with him anymore?
The girl must've noticed what his answer would be, so she spoke as he closed his eyes once more.
"Then...If you do not want to live for yourself...then live for the sake of others. Live for my sake. If you don't have your own desires, I will help you find them."
The boy couldn't help but chuckle softly as a small smile spread across his face.
(Video: Hiroyuki Sawano; Bubble ost)
"Hey, you...You're not some kind of angel, are ya?"
"Angel...?" This time she couldn't help but smile to herself. From her back appeared two bat-like wings. "I'm no angel...I am...A devil."
The boy took a deep breath in before his eyes fully opened.
"A deal with the Devil, huh? Hehehe...Haha!"
As if he had gotten a newfound strength to live once more, the boy's laugh echoed throughout the forest.
"Your name? What is it?" The boy turned to look at the girl who adjusted her glasses.
With her violet-colored eyes on his golden brown ones she spoke with a proud tone,
"Sona Sitri, heir to the Sitri household!"
"I guess I'll be in your care, Sona-ojousama. The name's...Shinganji Akio."
Sona then took out a glowing red chess piece and held it in front of her.
"Then...From this day forth, you will be mine, Shiganji Akio!"
Those words spoke that...
Would clearly be used for teasing material for the young heiress in the days to come.
10 Years Later
(Video: Hiroyuki Sawano; Battlekour)
Somewhere in India in the abandoned city of Dhanushkodi. Although most of the city was engulfed in sand thanks to a cyclone, some of the buildings were unearthed and were kept in good condition thanks to the new tenants who moved in nearly ten years ago...
Their names?
"Gah!"
A robbed man gasped as a fist flew into his stomach, sending him flying at blinding speeds into a wall. Multiple robbed men came running into the half-destroyed building. Some parts of the roof were destroyed thanks to the cyclone and most of the pillars had begun to crack as time passed. The large hall was lit by small candles lining the walls on the floor. A red mat was laid out from the entrance of the building to what looked like an altar at the other end of the room.
"Avaṉaippiṭi!" One of the robbed men yelled but was quickly silenced when a hand wrapped around his face.
"That's it...Keep on coming you sons of bitches! I'll massacre you all!"
Grabbing the robbed man's head was a tall male with bleached brown hair and golden brown eyes. He grinned widely, revealing his unusually sharp teeth. His school shirt had the two top buttons undone and the tie around his neck hung loose.
Thanks to becoming a Devil, translating other languages had never been easier. Not only did the robbed men speak in the language he knew, but if he spoke in his own tongue, it would automatically be translated into the language they knew.
Shinganji Akio raised the robbed man by his head into the air and glanced around him still keeping the grin on his face even though he was outnumbered.
"How dare you enter this sacred place, Devil! The Gods of this land do not take kindly to outsiders!" A robbed man unsheathed a sword and pointed it at Akio.
"Haaah? Why the fuck should I care what your Gods think, Huh?!" A scowl appeared on Akio's face as he spoke as if he was a yakuza. "Do you know who the fuck I am?!"
The robbed man then realized who Akio truly was and his hand began to shake.
"It can't be...We had received word from all over the world that a Devil had begun to attack our organization! That couldn't have been you!"
"Bing bong! Correct!" Akio then through the man he was holding into the crowd and got into a low stance. "Now...Come at me!"
The robbed men all roared and then charged toward the lone devil brandishing their weapons. With gasps and screaming echoing throughout the ghost city, all went silent five minutes later. The room now was dyed red with blood and corpses. One robbed man whimpered while crawling away through the bodies.
"S-Someone...Anyone...He has come...He has come..." The man made the mistake of looking back to where Akio stood only to turn pale. "You will not defeat us...foul Asura...The sons of Parva Maha will never yield to the host of Vri-"
"Oi, Teme. You're talking too much for a deadman."
In Akio's hand appeared a sharp-pointed Vajra and he pierced the robbed man's heart with a cold expression. Looking around, only seeing death and destruction, he couldn't help but click his tongue in annoyance before looking at the altar. The altar had a golden eye with four sharp eyelashes on the top part of it.
That symbol was forever burned into his memories and he would never forget it. After all, that symbol was the source of his pain, and all of his anger was directed toward it. He began to walk out of the building as the memories of his past began to play in his head. Once Akio was outside, he stared at the clear sky and marveled at the stars above.
He turned to face the building and in his hand appeared a flame-colored purple with blue embers. He threw the ball of fire into the building and then suddenly, the entire city caught fire. The fire was hot and extremely so. So much so, that not even the structure could hold out any longer. Before the sun would rise, not even a trace of this forgotten city would be left remaining.
(Video: Hiroyuki Sawano; Ne-sama)
Akio raised one hand resembling a one-handed prayer and began to mutter words to himself.
"Rani...Leo...Grice...Saji...Nee-san...I'm almost there. I've nearly brought down the entire cult...Just a little bit more..."
Water dripped down from his eyes as his hands balled into fists. He cursed God for his misfortune...but if it wasn't for 'God' and the sacrifices of those dear to him, he wouldn't have gotten to where he was today. A magic circle appeared below him and with a flash of light, he was gone.
A shadow appeared above one of the dunes and stared at the burning city with a smile on his face.
"Hmm...That Kozo is definitely the one. Why couldn't you just stay dead, huh? You annoying Asura."
"You're late!!"
The first thing Akio heard as soon as he arrived at the gates of Kuoh academy. Standing in front of him was none other than his King, Sona Sitri, the heiress of house Sitri. She clearly was not happy.
"I'm late?" Akio raised an eyebrow before looking at the clock that was just outside of the gates. "Oh, I am late."
A vein appeared on Sona's head at the nonchalant response she received. She grabbed Akio's ear and began to drag him toward the school building.
"Eetetete! Kaichou-sama! You're gonna pull my ear off!"