Immediately, Yamikuro tried to deny that. He was alive right now, talking to Honor.
"What? Died- No... That can't be..." Yamikuro stood up, but then it hit him.
The memories of his encounter with Sphairos came back, along with Isabella's screams, and the last thing he saw flash before his eyes, his dead parents.
"That's right. I remember now... I was blown up. I'm really dead... I assume this is the afterlife?"
Honor tilted his head slightly, then smirked.
"...That's what I would say if you didn't possess the darkness."
He leaned forward on his chair.
"I can resurrect you and help you stand against that god; his orbs of oblivion are merely toys for a true darkness wielder."
Yamikuro looked down to the ground to avoid eye contact.
"I don't get this Darkness thing that Isabella, that god, and now you keep mentioning."
A tear almost escaped Yamikuro's eyes.
"I thought I understood, but when I tried to use them... I failed, and died..."
Honor nodded slightly, dropping his back against the chair.
"The Darkness... It calls itself hatred, a curse for humanity. The wielder of this power can single-handedly wipe out the entire universe..."
Honor stopped in the middle of his sentence, inspecting Yamikuro with his eyes moving up and down.
"...But looking at you, I doubt you'd go that far."
Yamikuro ignored that last line; his mind stopped at the curse part.
"It's a curse...? But why do I have it?!" Yamikuro asked, looking into Honor's eyes, "How did I get it?"
Honor was unfazed at Yamikuro's yelling; he only shook his head slightly.
"That I'm not so sure of, perhaps it was fate. I do hope you'll remember how you got it."
"What I do know is that you'll be the one to use the Darkness to take down the god that killed you."
Honor started searching for something in the drawers under the desk.
"I'm not a god that can control you, I only exist in this dream world after all, but I can guide you down the right path, that is, if you'll listen to me."
Honor took out a piece of paper and placed it on the ground, sliding it with a pen towards Yamikuro.
"But before I grant you the ability to use the Darkness freely, let us form a pact."
Yamikuro stared at the paper filled with text.
"A pact?"
"With this, you'll promise to use the Darkness for good. I know I said you don't look like someone who'll destroy mankind, but the Darkness itself will. So, unless you sign a contract, confirming you will not submit to it, I'll grant you the powers of it."
Yamikuro's eyes dropped to the ground once again.
"How do I know I'm using it for good...? Or that I won't submit to it...?"
The tone of Honor's voice slightly changed; it became more sympathetic.
"None of us are perfect, and the Darkness does have a tendency to make people psychotic, and eventually lose control of themselves. If you keep your head up and don't let things depress you, you should be fine. It's a difficult task, but I can only ask this of you, Asaki. You are the only Darkness wielder currently alive."
Yamikuro started thinking.
Forming this pact meant he could get power.
He could fight a god.
And he could protect Isabella, the same way she protected him.
But it also meant no more sinking.
No more drowning in depression.
If he broke, the Darkness would devour him.
He took the pen.
His hand trembled slightly, but he forced his name onto the page.
"...I'll form the pact."
Honor smiled slightly, having hope in Yamikuro.
"Incredible. Just sign your name here."
After signing his name, Honor stood up, being taller than Yamikuro expected.
His long hair dragged across the floor as he made his way to Yamikuro.
Honor raised his hand and placed it on Yamikuro's head.
"Be aware, the first time using the Darkness' power may not go smoothly."
Suddenly, everything started spinning, and Yamikuro's vision slowly turned dark.
Yamikuro could only hear a faint whisper.
"I'm sure we'll see each other again, Asaki."
Yamikuro's eyes shot open.
His heartbeat was as loud as a drum, his breath turned foggy, and his body quavered.
His body was completely healed.
But the hatred inside of him grew, the pain that he went through, Isabella screaming for his name, the god laughing.
He could hear all of it.
And that fueled him.
Three purple lines grew out of each eye, covering his cheeks.
When his eyes turned purple, a raspy voice spoke in his ear.
"Kill him."
"Kill all of them."
Yamikuro didn't resist; he got up on his feet, his hands trembling.
They didn't tremble from pain; he was excited, he wanted to kill Sphairos. He wanted to see Sphairos struggle, beg for forgiveness.
Just then, Sphairos jumped down to Yamikuro.
The collision with the ground sent the asphalt and concrete flying all around. The chunks that flew towards Yamikuro were stopped by what seemed to be an invisible barrier.
Startled by Yamikuro standing, Sphairos didn't know what to say. He had no orbs flying around him, most likely because they hadn't had time to regenerate.
Yamikuro wasn't sure how long he had been out for.
Sphairos felt confused and frustrated that he wasn't able to kill a human.
"How is it possible? You should be dead!"
Yamikuro didn't know how it worked either. But he was definitely now alive after meeting Honor.
Meanwhile, on top of a roof, two buildings away, Isabella struggled to raise her head.
But once she did, she saw Yamikuro alive, and not a single scratch was visible from where she was.
'How...?'
The coldness and the rage coming from the Darkness' power also reached Isabella.
That's when she realized that person wasn't Yamikuro anymore.
A deep raspy voice talked in Yamikuro's ear once again.
"Use... Ascension."
"Deadly sin... Gluttony... Call forth my power."
Yamikuro clapped his hands together.
"Ascension: Gluttonous Realm!"