"Skyler..."
Alice turned toward him, alert to any movement.
"What is this diary? Is all of this true?"
"Of course."
Skyler moved closer, unafraid.
"I know you wanted to know about me, you desired the truth. So why not let me be a fool just this once?"
As he approached, Alice tried to kick him, but he easily caught her leg.
"You're a real idiot, aren't you? You've got a son, a job, and still you try to meddle in what's none of your business."
He threw her against the wall. Unable to react, Alice felt her body paralyzed by Skyler's power.
"What do you want to know about me, woman?"
"I just... want the truth about what you really are."
"What I am... you shouldn't know. No one should."
Without thinking, the knife in Alice's hand struck the man's chest, he let it pierce him on purpose, tearing through his own shirt and leaving a deep mark in his flesh.
"And that's a mistake... another mistake I've made."
"Stop it, Skyler!"
She tried to pull the weapon back, but couldn't.
"Why are you doing this to yourself? This is madness!"
"Of course it is. But for me, it's necessary. Every mistake I make must be paid for with my pain. I deserve it. Everything I've done is horrible... I see no other path than this one."
"You don't deserve that! You're a good man, Skyler!"
"Haha... you really don't know me at all."
He slowly stepped back, releasing her. He tore the rest of his shirt, exposing a severe mark on his chest: a dark, living scar that covered half of his body, mostly around his heart.
Alice stood frozen before the sight. She swallowed hard.
"What... is that?"
"It's the divine punishment I've suffered. The price for being a coward who refused his own fate. It's the punishment of Zyrionq."
"Our god did this to you? How can you even think that? He's described as good... the very concept of goodness!"
"You're not wrong. Zyrionq created our world, gave us consciousness. But he also never punished his own brother, Krythos.
Did you know that soulmates can't lose their other half? That's the real issue. In a non-romantic sense, Zyrionq and Krythos are two halves of the same coin, they can't live apart, or the other dies. Our god is so 'good' that he made his brother use my body as a vessel. We are nothing to the divine... mere puppets, simple creations."
The truth struck Alice like a knife to the chest. She tried to breathe, but the revelation somehow... suffocated her.
"So... the devil himself is inside your body?"
"Exactly."
Skyler took a deep breath.
"My vengeance isn't for satisfaction. It's not just justice for my comrades, it's my only way to be saved. It's the only hope I have to live without being a slave to a twisted god."
Alice lowered her head. Now she understood everything.
But there was still one question she couldn't grasp.
"Why are you telling me all this?"
"Because I no longer care about the truth. When someone stops feeling anything, not even the most catastrophic event can reach them. You could try to tell anyone, try to hurt me, or use the truth against me... I simply wouldn't care."
"... I would never do that."
Skyler raised an eyebrow, curious.
"Why not?"
"Because... you helped me find what I was searching for the most. And you also taught me that I could finally live without pain, without fear. If, for you, continuing to hunt these killers is what keeps you alive, then I'll help you until you're finally free. Skyler, you've done more for me in a few days than anyone else ever has. And I want you to be able to call me your friend. Truly."
She walked toward him slowly, arms open. It seemed too good to be true, but even so, her need outweighed her reason.
'Even knowing what I am, she still wants to get close. I don't know if she's insane or incredibly brave, but if I allow myself to be honest... I can't refuse her.'
His arms felt heavy with burden. Alice placed them over her shoulders and wrapped him in her own embrace, tight, unyielding.
"Skyler Fogue, will you accept me as your friend?"
"I..."
He hesitated. His lips parted for a brief moment, then finally replied:
"I accept."
The embrace felt so... warm. It wasn't romantic or excessive, it was purely sincere, like that between siblings.
It was wonderful.
The warmth was so comforting that Alice didn't notice her body losing strength, her consciousness fading as she fell into Skyler's arms.
He laid her down gently, supporting her between his mechanical and human arm, looking at her with cold yet meaningful eyes.
"Thank you. But your daughter still needs her mother."
***
"This is so... liberating."
Atop the great structure of Used Renkata, feeling the air and cold drops of water running down his exposed chest, the "skirt" of his pants fluttering in the wind, Skyler breathed deeply, relieved.
"Trust is something I've always longed for... but finally being able to trust someone is truly... gratifying."
Standing at the edge of the building, Skyler hesitated, but the temptation was strong.
"Maybe... a little freedom won't hurt."
He jumped. The fall was free, deadly, but incredible. From his back, claws emerged, gripping the structures and launching him upward.
His mechanical limbs latched onto a frame and hurled him toward the skies of Inférius. As he ascended, he was swallowed by a Renkai Creature, which soon tried to fly, only to be sliced open from within by his claws.
The demon fell into the human world, Skyler catching his cane midair as he descended. With a swift motion, the staff glowed brightly, slicing the creature into countless pieces.
Landing amidst the remains, which quickly evaporated, Skyler took a deep breath, feeling the Renkai Energy surge through his body. His mouth bled briefly, but the mark on his chest glowed, as if satisfied by the meal.
"Enjoy it while you can, Krythos. I'll make your children pay, for every soul, for every pain inflicted..."
He extended his mechanical hand toward the sphere in the sky.
"And then... I'll take my life back."