Zero was walking across the glamorant hallways, their tail wagging as each hit to the ground sent small shockwaves that pulsated throughout the air– their eyes glimmered as their teeth began to sharpen. Where were they walking? Unknown, just a path only they knew.
– The Geek chuckled, "Someone with your infamy shouldn't just be casually strolling around."
– The Stoic rebutted, "Listen, we are a capable unit. We can fight anyone around!"
"That's true…" Zero giggled as they began to jump around on the spot, tremors flying past with each pounce until they felt something cold and solid press against the back of their head. "Is that you, Ilya?" The Imp began to turn until they felt a sharper tug.
"This is indeed Ilya's gun." A familiar voice spoke, and Zero's eyes widened as sweat actually began to form.
"Yes. It is me, your number one." Nil's voice was raspy– she held Ilya's gun, pushing it further into Zero's temple.
–The Girl squealed, "What the fuck? Doesn't she like us!"
"I don't know myself!" Zero blabbered, flinging their arms around in panic.
"It is true that you talk to yourself. Fascinating, I didn't know the Savior of Invalia was delusional." The mermaid coldly spoke. Nil pressed the barrel harder, guiding Zero into the bloodstained restroom.
The mirror gleamed brighter than the walls, reflecting two figures — a demon twitching in ropes, and an angel hovering with serene madness.
"I love the idea of you," Nil whispered, her reflection grinning wider than her lips. "The Invalia Mutilator — savior and butcher. The weakness I saw in you… it was beautiful. But the more I stayed, the more I realized — you're fake."
Humans are selfish. No one sacrifices themselves — not really. We only ever care for ourselves.
Zero thrashed against the bindings, claws scraping porcelain. Their tail spiraled, gouging the air. "I'm real enough to kill you."
Nil only laughed. "A person such as yourself knows no love– no idea, no semblance of it. Whoever loved you in the past– must have betrayed you. I can see your heart– it's bleak, it's black. You are Zero! Zero the Killer! Zero the Invalia Mutilator! You killed– I saw, you've been doing these stunts for decades. Kids grew up whispering your name, you gained infamy with the likes of Jack the Ripper, you are that evil. It fascinated me. Evil such as yourself, unable to be caught– known details of its appearance and yet nobody caught it. Artwork, fan mail– everything I dedicated to the Mutilator. I even made forums– blogs, entire archives for the Mutilator– it was evil, no care, no love, no anything. It was chaos– a spiral that consumed everything in its way– with no remorse because it was nature. It was the vengeance of Invalia's citizens waging war against God. It was beautiful, beautiful I say.
"I heard the rumors: the Ripper, the Mutilator, the Imp will join the Reprisal. My hormones swelled and erupted as I darted– I cleared the necessary trials in a heartbeat, I was confused though– the Ripper kills in the trials, yet here I was alive. Pathetic and disappointing, it's why I hate Zero. It's evil, I joined the Reprisal, sitting down– next to me is fucking Felix Nightingale, the bastard bloating about a brand new business deal. I do not care of course– I walk into the left light– it looks just like the Angel's Light. The Angel's Light changed me– it made me willing to find you. So I completed my challenge– the past, it was the massacre. I saw my family die again– I don't care, it affected the old me. Not the me that was ready for the Invalian Mutilator. So I leave– I saw silhouettes leaving, not yours so I ignored them. Then I see your cocoon– bubbling. I came, both in the sexual and literal sense– I went to your cage, I held it and I felt such love and lust. It was really you.
"So then I waited until you got out. Screaming another girl's name– Samiel, disgusting. I felt repulse– the Ripper felt love? How dare it. It was supposed to be unrequited, and each time you saved me or made an approach– I felt sick. This was not chaos, this was some poor lover finding a new flame– disgusting. When you worried for me? Would the rumored Invalian Mutilator do so? Of course not. So I felt anger. I joined for you– and this is how you repay me. Disgusting! When you saved my life? You are a killer not a savior! IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY! So…"
She turned to the mirror, eyes rolling, tongue unfurling. Her tail split scale by scale, each rip birthing clear liquid as she shrieked in blissful agony. With her other hand, she dragged the stolen water from the harpy's corpse, drenching it with her fluids, desecrating the body.
The mirror spiderwebbed with cracks, splintering their reflections — Zero's face shattered into jagged fragments, Nil's grin distorted into a thousand warped copies. Each shard seemed to whisper its own accusation.
"Zero of Invalia," she moaned, facing him again, cheeks flushed, eyes unfocused. "You are blessed to be near me."
What is going on? Is this real? Who is this demon?
–The Geek stuttered, "What the fuck is her issue?"
–The Girl groaned, "WHAT THE FUCK IS SHE DOING?"
–The Stoic laughed as Zero began to lose consciousness fast.
"I'll love you forever, Zero of Invalia."