Blood.
Blood was dripping between my fingers.
The dagger stuck in my stomach was responsible.
However, there was no more pain.
Enough time had passed for only two things to remain:
the cold and the darkness.
Like a rag doll, my back was leaning against a wall.
A dark and dirty alley.
The smell of crimson liquid and garbage marked my sense of smell.
Cold chills ran through my body.
My body no longer had the strength to move.
All the colors of the world seemed to turn dull.
There were only two predominant colors:
the red of the blood and the black dots that gathered in my vision.
A familiar sensation.
I was dying.
Again.
It had been a waste.
The miraculous second chance I had received, I threw it away.
I was an idiot.
I threw myself into a problem that wasn't mine.
It was already night. I was heading home when I saw something strange at a certain distance.
There were about six men following a girl.
She was young, still a student.
She was scared, and because of that, she entered a dead-end alley.
This same alley in which, now, my body was dying.
The girl had made a mistake by entering this alley.
a stupid act, driven by naivety and terror.
The men followed her.
That wasn't my problem.
It wasn't my pain.
I should have kept walking.
As I had done for the last eighteen years of this life.
Continued my monotonous life.
Wake up, go to school, and work.
Eventually, I would graduate from high school, go to college, and get a decent job.
Maybe I'd find a woman to love and spend the rest of my life with.
Have children and watch them grow until eventually dying of some illness or old age.
It wasn't much, but it would be a decent life.
I just needed to walk away, ignore human degeneration.
But I didn't.
I couldn't remember what I was thinking at that moment,but I crossed the street and entered the alley.
The girl was crying on the ground, her clothes partially torn, but still intact.
But not for long. The men were approaching, knives in hand.
At that moment I didn't hesitate
I punched the nearest man and got into a fight.
At some point, the girl managed to escape in the middle of the confusion.
I wasn't able to do the same.
I fought the best I could.
But they were armed and outnumbered me.
The result was the current reality: several stab wounds and being left to die.
Strangely, I couldn't feel anger.
It seemed natural. What right did the rabbit have to complain about the wolf's bites?
The weak have no right to complain.
It was a stupid thought to have at the end.
But it was an undeniable truth.
Despite the erratic thoughts, there was something spreading through my body.
A growing feeling at the same speed as my numbed senses.
I could call that feeling envy.
I wanted to be like a certain demon obsessed with strength.
We shared the same name, but only that.
I wanted to be more like him.
I want power.
— You're already dying. Seems I arrived too late.
Suddenly, a soft, feminine voice appeared.
A woman stood before me.
However, I couldn't see her completely.
My head was no longer movable.
My vision was severely impaired; black and blurry dots mixed together.
Yet something was still visible:
beautiful, long, silky, and wild hair,a strong color the same that ran from my wounds.
The most beautiful crimson I had ever witnessed in two lives.
— I'm sorry. I can't heal you in this state. Do you wish for one last thing?
Guilt dripped from the girl's voice.
Probably a teenager.
Young enough to blame herself for the death of a random dying man.
I wanted to comfort her, assure the redhead that my death had nothing to do with her.
However, I probably didn't have the strength for that.
I had strength for only a few words.
But if I was going to die, it would be fine to be a little selfish.
I didn't want to hold back this desire anymore.
— Power...
I murmured.
My voice came out like a mosquito's buzz.
— I want power.
This time, my voice came out with its usual strength.
The last strength.
Everything seemed to fade quickly.
My senses were vanishing.
I could no longer smell the blood.
The chill was disappearing too.
Eventually, I would disappear as well.
Suddenly, something soft and warm touched my face, dispelling the remaining cold.
Gently, my face was lifted.
I found myself staring into a pair of gentle eyes.
The same color as a blue sapphire.
The wild crimson hair fell like a cascade over the girl's face.
Even through a blurred vision, one thing was clear:
she was very beautiful.
— I like your eyes. I've already decided.
Her voice sounded like a whisper.
My eyelids were getting heavy.
The warmth of her hand seemed to fade quickly.
— You will be one of my servants!
One last distant whisper echoed in my ears.
My vision darkened and my eyelids closed.
---
A familiar ceiling was in front of me.
Light entered through one of the windows, illuminating the room.
I was still alive.
How?
Had it all been a dream?
A vivid nightmare?
Absentmindedly, I brought one of my hands to my abdomen.
There wasn't a single scar left.
Everything seemed to indicate it was a dream.
But that couldn't be true.
I had definitely died.
The feeling of dying.
I knew it better than anyone.
Maybe that redhead was involved?
A headache was starting to form.
However, I knew the headache was just beginning.
Suddenly, letters appeared in my vision.
Interesting.
First I die and mysteriously wake up alive in my room.
Now, floating letters in my vision.
I've gone insane.
Definitely reached insanity.
A psychologist would be necessary.
With my current funds, that wouldn't be hard.
Still, it would be better to check what the letters said.
Maybe it was a warning from my subconscious.
---
[Congratulations!]
[You have finally awakened your demon side.]
[You can now fully enjoy your abilities and grow powerful with your demonic system!]
[Remember: be stylish!]
[Good luck!]
---
I brought my hand between my eyebrows.
Eighteen years.
Eighteen years of mediocrity, living an ordinary life.
Now I find out I have a system.
How could I have known that!?
How did I become a demon?
— This doesn't make any sense...
I murmured while rubbing my glabella.
— Mmmmnh!
My body froze.
A soft, feminine moan came from my side.
A somewhat familiar voice.
I looked to the side.
A woman was under my blanket.
Curious eyes stared at me.
A pair of familiar blue eyes.
— Good morning.
She whispered as she got up.
The blanket slipped from her shoulders as she rose.
The sunlight from the window illuminated her body, giving me a full view of the masterpiece before me.
She was naked.
Just as on the day she was born.
Her skin, white as pearl, stood out under the sunlight.
But not as much as one singular thing about her.
Like two centers of gravity, my gaze was drawn to two enormous mounds.
Her breasts were large even if I wrapped my hand around them, I wouldn't be able to hold them.
The pink nipples were slightly exposed, barely covered by her messy crimson hair.
Her entire body was perfect,waist, chest, abdomen.
All the curves in the right places.
In two lives, I had never seen a woman come so close to perfection.
If I could sum up the redhead before me, it would be something like a forbidden fruit.
red and juicy, that fed the appetite and made you want to bite.
— Did you like what you saw? If you want, you can touch them.
The redhead smiled provocatively as she cradled her breasts in her arm.
I sighed and stretched out my arm.
Her gaze filled with confusion.
she certainly hadn't expected me to accept the offer.
Before she could react, I grabbed the blanket and threw it over her shoulders,thus covering the divine sight.
Her confusion deepened even more.
— Don't expose yourself like that, especially in front of a stranger,i don't even know who you are.
She gave a gentle smile.
— We're not strangers. I'm Rias Gremory and you're my servant!