The whisper of the wind fades.
Thoughts vanish like mist chased away by the sun.
Everything returns to reality.
Bakuzan is there.
Standing.
Silent.
Eyes fixed on the ground, as if carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Around him, the earth softly cracks under the heat of his restrained aura.
Yuhida watches him, heart tight.
Her breath trembles, and her voice rises, soft but charged with emotion.
— That day… when you left me near that village…
Her words break.
She swallows a rush of memories.
— I was desperate. I wanted to hate you, Bakuzan. I tried… but I couldn't.
She lowers her eyes, fingers clenched on the fabric of her tunic.
— I knew you were suffering. And I think it's partly my fault too…
Her tone grows more fragile, more human.
— I should have asked what was eating you alive, why you were always so distant, so… absorbed. But I said nothing. I didn't want to bother you. I feared my questions… would push you away from me.
A long silence.
The wind whistles between the stones.
Then Yuhida slowly raises her head.
Her eyes shine with a melancholic glow, a warm tear slipping down her marked cheek.
A soft but painful smile stretches on her lips.
— Bakuzan… I did everything to find you.
Her voice flames with fierce determination.
— In the name of Sylthéra, I gave it all up. I became a Deviant.
She places her hand on her chest, gaze burning.
— I want to help you. Even if you intend to turn against the universe, even if your path condemns you… I want to walk by your side. To the end.
The tension becomes almost physical.
The air thickens.
Bakuzan still doesn't respond.
Behind them, Satan, impassive, watches the scene with a barely visible smirk.
Raiku and Nihlorgue exchange a look heavy with meaning—also waiting for the decision.
Then, slowly, Bakuzan raises his eyes.
A bright, almost divine glow crosses his gaze.
His pupils become yellow, vibrant, then shift hue—a golden gleam blends with deep black, spiraled like a cosmic abyss.
It was Isissis' gaze.
The eyes of the absorbed god had anchored within him.
Bakuzan now sees beyond appearances.
The world around Yuhida changes.
Threads of mana, translucent, ripple around her like living spider webs.
They lose themselves into the darkness—linked to a presence lurking in a corner of reality, invisible but infinitely aware.
His heart freezes.
He understands.
Yuhida… had not become a Deviant by her own will.
Someone—or something—had offered her a shortcut.
An alien essence had mingled with her being.
She had become the apostle of a transcendent entity, a fragment of its power now flowing through her veins.
And that was not all.
The auras of those who accompanied her—those strange allies, those shadows of Sylthéra—vibrated with the same seal.
They all served… the same being.
Bakuzan felt his jaw clench.
He wanted to ask, to know who hid behind these divine threads.
But he had no time.
An urgency burned within him, older, heavier: find Lilith, find a way to free Samaël.
His gaze softens nonetheless.
He advances toward Yuhida, slowly.
The ground grumbles lightly with each of his steps.
Yuhida, on guard, steps back.
Her fists clench.
Her voice, trembling but firm, breaks the silence:
— What do you see, Bakuzan?
He stops a few meters away from her.
The wind rushes between them like an invisible border.
Then he whispers her name.
— Yuhida…
Bakuzan advances slowly toward Yuhida.
Light flickers on his serious face.
The wind gently lifts his black hair, and in his eyes, one can still guess the gleam of Isissis, a cold, almost divine gleam.
He stops just in front of her.
His right hand gently rests on her shoulder.
The touch is heavy with meaning—like a blessing, like a farewell.
His voice rises, calm and deep, resonating like an echo in the silent forest.
— I am truly grateful, Yuhida… for all you have done.
A brief silence.
— But you should know something…
Yuhida stares at him, frozen, drinking in every word.
The wind seems to halt, suspended in the air between them.
Bakuzan resumes, even more serious:
— You shouldn't put yourself in danger for me. I never forgot you, but I protected you once because you had reached out to someone dying… You are a good person, Yuhida. That kind of soul is rare these days.
His eyes darken.
— But don't lose yourself for me. Don't weave bonds with entities that will demand more than you can give. Take your time. Evolve at your own pace. And above all… live for yourself.
A shiver runs through Yuhida.
She clenches her fists, throat tight.
— But… but I want to live with you! she cries, voice trembling. I can no longer imagine a life without you, Bakuzan… I—
— Yuhida!
The sharp tone freezes her instantly.
The silence that follows is almost painful.
She lowers her eyes, ashamed, as if the ground would swallow her.
Bakuzan inhales deeply, and his gaze softens.
His voice becomes softer, almost tender.
— If one day I reach my goal…
He stops, as if words cost him.
— I will be happy to come back to you. And to introduce you to my family.
These words hit Yuhida like a blow.
Her heart tightens—a pain mixed with joy.
Tears rise she cannot hold back.
She weeps, not knowing if it is of happiness… or despair.
Bakuzan lowers his head slightly.
His golden eyes shine in the dusk.
— I will break the ties that bind you to that entity you have become the apostle of.
Around his hand, a black and blue glow lights up.
Mana snakes through the air like filaments of shadow and light.
— I will link you to my dragon, Nihlorgue.
He closes his eyes for a moment, focused.
— Thus, no matter the distance… we will stay connected. Your being will always hear my call, and mine will answer yours.
Yuhida bursts into sobs, voice torn:
— But why?!
She raises her head, her reddened eyes shining with a pleading gleam.
— Why can't we be together? Why can't I help you in your quest? Tell me, Bakuzan! Tell me why!!!
A long silence.
Bakuzan averts his gaze.
Then, in a grave and resigned tone:
— Because what I am trying to do is beyond reason…
He closes his eyes for a moment.
— It's dangerous, Yuhida. Too dangerous. And I refuse to expose you to it.
He gently removes his hand from her shoulder, then, in a gesture filled with gentleness, slides a finger under her chin to raise her face.
Their eyes meet.
An eternal silence seems to settle between them.
Bakuzan then sketches a smile—a true, rare, almost luminous one.
A smile that contrasts with all the darkness he carries within him.
— Thank you for everything… Yuhida.
His words vibrate with heartbreaking sincerity.
Then, without warning, Bakuzan's eyes light up with a deep golden gleam—the eyes of Isissis.
An ancient power activates there, silent.
A slight breath of energy passes through Yuhida, gentle as a caress.
She blinks, confused.
Her eyelids grow heavy.
The world blurs.
— Baku…zan… she murmurs before collapsing against him, unconscious.
Bakuzan catches her delicately, holding her in his arms as one would carry a precious memory.
He looks at her long and silently.
Then murmurs almost to himself:
— Forgive me… but I must still walk alone in the darkness.
The wind blows, raising dust and dead leaves.
Nihlorgue, in the distance, lifts his head to the sky and roars softly—a cry of oath, of eternity.