Author's Note: After some very insightful reviews and a quick retake of this chapter, I decided to do a little revision. Hopefully this version will be a little better than the last.

( ) = Miraak telepathic speech

[ ] = Alex telepathic speech

{ } = Ddraig telepathic speech

"I lay across one of the thwarts for I know not how long, thinking that if I had the strength I would drink seawater and madden myself to die quickly."

-H.G. Wells, "The Island of Doctor Moreau"

Chapter Fourteen: Becoming What You Are Not

"Now just what the hell am I supposed to do with you?"

He had to admit that bringing an unconscious girl, who had just been knocking on Death's doorstep while in the process of almost being violently molested, back to his house was not on the list of things he been planning to do today. Especially since he supposed to be taking a calm and relaxing evening stroll through the neighborhood in order to get his mind off of the recent events he had been the unfortunate recipient of. Granted, he had been the recipient of a lot of so called "unfortunate events" ever since he was a kid but after the encounter with the great Daemon Sultan inside of his mindscape he was pretty sure that one particular event had taken the cake above all others.

Hoping to somewhat calm down his frantic mind, he figured that maybe a breath of fresh air and some light exercise might have been enough to get his scrambled thoughts into check. With all of the recent going-ons along with the pile of school work he had to make up, he couldn't remember the last time he got some peace and quiet to himself. Hell, even something as simple as sleeping was more of a hassle these days, especially when you have a literal living virus, a dragon big enough to level entire mountains, and a goddamned alien space knight all living inside your head at once. Sometimes life just couldn't learn when to stop kicking him in the balls.

But hey, he at least got some kickass super powers on the side so he could learn to deal with it.

However, what was supposed to be a relaxing stroll soon turned into another damned headache of annoyance as he arrived at the local neighborhood park to witness some blue-haired chick in a Kuoh Academy uniform getting her ass handed to her by some batshit insane psychopath in a bowler hat with some kind of light sword. The fucker had been laughing his ass off the entire time as he beat her to the ground before delivering a swift punch to her nose and stomach. After that, well…he pretty much had the idea in his head before the man had started unbuttoning his coat.

Unbelievable. Was his peaceful walk really interrupted by a rape attempt?

Deciding to simply kill the guy before he annoyed him any further, he swiftly delivered his transformed blade arm through the guy's head as he was in the process of unzipping his pants before impaling his entire corpse on a nearby tree branch. He didn't even bother consuming the remains because frankly he wasn't interested in looking back at all the previous women he had raped and killed if the foul smell of his blood and personal hygiene gave off any indications. With all said and done he transformed his arm backed to normal and focused his attention back towards the girl who had just fallen unconscious and also groaned at the sheer amount bullshittery he suddenly found himself in.

Of course the girl just had to be a Devil. A Devil from his school no less.

"Imagine that. Finding you nearly dead while I'm on a nice evening walk through my neighborhood was either a coincidence of monumental proportions or the universe just really loves screwing with me."

[Hey, kid.] A familiar gruff voice said that nearly scared Issei out of his wits. [What the fuck is going on here?]

"Alex?!" Issei almost screamed as his heart rate slowed down. "Where the fuck did you come from? Miraak, how the hell is Alex still here? Didn't Azathoth blast his ass into the Great Beyond or something like that?"

Indeed, the last time Issei had seen the rampant Virus, the great Daemon Sultan, himself, had wiped Mercer clean out of existence as if he were nothing but a mere fly being swatted away. To say that the experience almost made Issei shit his pants in fear would be an understatement of the century.

(You would do well to remember, Issei, that Alex Mercer was already dead to begin with. Though if he truly wanted to, my Lord could have most definitely erased Mercer's entire existence off the face of reality. It simply took a little more time than usual for Mercer to revive fully. One does not simply come back instantaneously after being completely vaporized, after all. Especially if it is done by the Blind Idiot God, himself.) Miraak then addressed the Virus with a slight scolding tone. (You are extremely lucky, Mr. Mercer. The reason you are even still here is only because my master wills it to be. I suggest you take this a lesson to not annoy further in the future. He has killed billions of others for far less.)

Alex growled with anger. Inside Issei's mindscape, tendrils rippled his body with barely restrained fury. [I couldn't give less of a fuck about you're so called 'God'. If something pisses me off, you can bet your ass that I'm going to murder the fuck out of it. But that's neither here nor there.] He said before turning his attention back towards Issei. [What I want to know is why the fuck there's a devil laying on your bed and why you haven't consumed her or dumped her body in a ditch somewhere? Don't tell you started having a change of heart, kid. 'Cause all of this shit about training to get stronger is going to be entirely pointless if you did.]

"Keep your panties on, you nihilistic emo." Issei rolled his eyes. "To answer your question, Alex: no, I didn't have a change of heart. I still hate devils as much as the next bible humping priest and in case you failed to notice, devils aren't the only things out there that are going to try and kill us. And to answer your other question: the reason why I brought her back to my room was so I could try something out."

[If it's anything along the lines of 'raping her corpse' or some shit like that, kindly do it where I don't have to see it.]

"Really? The virus who murdered millions of people by turning them into infected, flesh eating zombies on crystal meth is disgusted by something as small as raping a corpse? Didn't know you were that skittish."

[I'm not.] Alex responded with another growl. [But your parents might be a little concerned if they suddenly walked in on you fucking a dead devil.]

Issei face twisted into a look of disgust. "Relax, dude. The thought never once crossed my mind. I may hate devils but…" A grin suddenly formed on his lips. "I'm not nearly insane enough in the membrane to do something as sick as that."

[…Did you just make a fucking pun out of song devoted entirely to potheads?]

"Hey, I may be Japanese but that doesn't mean I can't listen to some good old-fashioned American music. I mean have you even listened to the kind of so-called 'music' they play in this country? I swear every female singer sounds like a human chew toy."

{Remind me to be thankful that I was never born human. Why so many of them waste trying to mimic the voices of the Angels is beyond me.} Ddraig responded in a dry tone.

Issei stifled a laugh at that. "Now that is something that I wouldn't mind paying money to see. A giant all-powerful dragon trying to sing. Hey Ddraig, you ever think about starting an all-dragon band? You could name it something like-"

[Kid…]

"-Imagine Dragons!"

[…]

{…}

"No, no, wait! How about Dragonforce?!"

[Kid, if I hear one more fucking pun-]

"Oh! I got it! The Red Dragon Emperor's New Clothes!"

Issei bit his tongue in order to stop himself from laughing at the fact that could've sworn he heard the faintest sound of Alex face palming.

[Goddammit, of all the heads I could've gotten stuck in, it just had to be yours?]

(As amusing as this conversation is, I believe that you were about to address the situation that is currently laying on your bed?)

"Hmph, always gotta be the square at the party don't you, Miraak?" Though as much as he would've loved to continue messing with Alex, Miraak was right. Issei sighed as he sat down on the chair near his desk before removing his beanie and staring at the nearly dead blue haired girl lying on his bed. Truth be told, he didn't really have any idea as to why he decided to bring her back to his house, much less his bedroom, when what he really should have done was give the girl a quick death. Alex was correct when he said he hated Devils. Like most humans they were nothing but greedy and selfish creatures who only cared about their own self-interests and usually did whatever they could to get what they wanted. Any deal or bargain that they made with humans always ended up in their favor no matter what it was. Such as if anyone wanted something such as money, power, or fame they would usually have to give something back in equal or greater value. Miraak had even told him of some instances where people had to give up their souls or devote their lives to eternal servitude for the things that they wanted. It honestly made it Issei want to throw up at the sheer stupidity of it all. Who in their right mind would want to trade their mortal soul for something as stupid as a bigger house or a new car? No wonder Devils were able to tempt humans so easily.

"So hear am I with an unconscious dying girl lying on my bed with her clothes torn to shreds and no one else around but me, a young, hot-blooded teenage boy with the abilities of an ancient space primordial about the size of an entire galaxy. You know, I'm pretty sure this was the main plot point of a corny hentai I saw awhile back."

[How exciting.] Alex said in an extremely dry tone. [Because that's exactly what we need to be hearing about right now.]

Issei shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I'm just saying that this is the type of stuff that usually happens in some corny harem anime. Can't blame a guy for having a wide variety of choices. Not my fault that these shitty writers can't ever come up with any original content."

[I'd be more inclined to agree with you if I actually gave a shit.]

"Well nobody fucking asked you now, did they?"

Before a fight could break out, Ddraig quickly intervened. {Can we please get back to the task at hand before you two waste any more time with all of this pointless bickering?}

A laugh escaped Issei's lips. "Ddraig's right. As fun as this is, we need to focus here. So by now I'm sure you're all wondering why I've brought a half-naked Devil into my room. Well at first I was planning on just making her death a quick one by maybe cutting off her head or consuming her. But then I got an idea for something that I wanted to test out. An experiment of sort. Now this next question if for you, Miraak. By now I know about more than a few dozen ways of killing someone or leaving them in bloody and mangled pieces but because of my incredibly short attention span I didn't bother asking for any ways to bring someone back to life. Or more specifically, bringing them back in a way that's different to how they died. In short, is it possible to change someone into a different species? Specifically from a Devil into something else for example?"

Before Miraak had a chance to answer, Alex's voice once again cut in. [You gotta be shitting me. You mean you actually want to turn this chick back into a human? And all for an experiment? You know it would save you a hell of a lot more time if you just killed her right now and be done with it, right? Who knows, you might be able to get a ton of useful information regarding these devils everyone keeps blabbering about. Maybe you'll finally be able to get in some more live target practice while you're at it.]

Issei snorted. "As fun as that sounds, last time was just a practice run for testing out my new powers. Though I wish I could've at least kept that badass looking sword. No telling what I'd be able to do with all of this power plus a holy sword of all things. I'd be un-fucking-stoppable."

At this, Alex let out a slight chuckle, though it contained a slight mocking tone. [Give the kid a little power and suddenly he thinks he's a God. You may be strong, kid, but there's no way in hell you'd be able to beat me even at your full strength. Definitely not as you are now.] Issei was about to retort before Alex beat him to it. [And like I said before, why the fuck are you even bothering with this chick? Even I know that turning someone into a different species isn't something you can do with just a flick of your fingers. Just consume her and let bygones be bygones. She doesn't concern us. She would be more useful to you dead than alive.]

{As loathe as I am to agree with anything Mercer says,} Ddraig announced while pointedly ignoring the heated death glare the living virus was giving him.{I'm afraid he does have a point, partner. I have lived on this earth for more than a millennia, and while there are many different kinds of magic for turning humans into other lifeforms, I'm afraid that there are little to none when it comes to restoring their humanity, especially if it involves them regaining their humanity fully.}

However the dragon's statement only made Issei grin. "And that is where you are wrong, Ddraig. Besides, when did I ever say that I wanted to turn her back into a human?"

His response made the dragon, and surprisingly Alex, silent.

It was only about a minute later that Alex finally asked. [Just what the hell are you planning kid?]

Issei's grin did not falter. "I believe that our good friend Miraak was about to explain before you so rudely interrupted him, Mercer." He could almost physically see the bird that Alex flipped him within his mind.

(Like the universe itself, the magic of the Elder Gods is near limitless so long as one knows how to use it. There are many ways that one might bring a soul back from the realm of the dead. However, Devils are one of many beings who do not possess souls due to their bodies being made entirely out of demonic energy rather than astral energy being housed within a vessel like humans are. Therefore when Devils are killed their energetic bodies merely evaporate into the air before disappearing. Much like water when it's exposed to high concentrations of heat. It is because of this that Devils cannot be brought back from the dead but rather have to have their energy restored. Though it is also because of this that they are also able to live extremely long lifespans. Their bodies are basically batteries that never run out of energy unless it is forcibly taken from an outside source. Unfortunately this girl has little-to-no demonic left to replenish.)

Issei raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Miraak's explanation while looking Tsubasa's unconscious form. Though her body was still in bad shape, it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been when he'd first found her. What little energy her body had left was able to heal the small concentration of cuts and bruises but the overwhelming amount of Holy energy was slowly killing her on the inside more than the demonic energy could heal her. If he had to guess he would say that she would probably be dead within the next few minutes.

Suddenly a wild idea made its way into Issei's head. "Say Miraak, what if I were to 'recharge' her batteries by replacing them with new ones?"

{Partner…} Ddraig's voice was eerily calm. {Are you suggesting that you want to try to replace her body with a new one?}

"It's worth a shot," Issei said as he got up and made his way over to the side of the bed before placing both of his hands on top of Tsubasa's abdomen. He pointedly ignored the fact that his hands were dangerously close to the girl's well developed yet almost uncovered breasts. "And besides, I did say that this was an experiment after all. Worst case scenario, she dies and evaporates into thin air. At least then there won't be any mess I'll have to clean up."

The dragon within his mind shuttered. {The fact that you're not at all concerned with a girl possibly dying on your bed mildly disturbs me.}

"And the fact that I have the powers of an ancient alien god capable of wiping out all traces of life on a galactic level while also sharing my mind with an alien knight, a human turned into a world-ending virus, and a dragon capable of doubling its power every ten seconds to the point where it could even kill gods doesn't disturb you?"

…

…

…

{You know what, partner? You're right. At this point I shouldn't even be the least bit surprised by how you even act anymore.}

"Glad to see we could come to an understanding, buddy. So Miraak, any tips on replacing a person's body with something else. Preferably to something as similar to a human as physically possible?"

(There is one method that could work. It is a type of magic known as Transmutation.)

Issei raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Transmutation? You mean that freaky magic with the circle drawing, clasping your hands together and chanting, while also at risk of losing your limbs if you don't do the spell right? That kind of magic?"

[First off, what the fuck kind of magic do you think you're talking about? And second, I'm not even from this world and even I know that is no way close to what real Transmutation is. Just how the fuck did you even come up with that kind of retarded explanation?]

Issei rolled his eyes. "First off, eat a dick. Second, I watched a lot of Fullmetal Alchemist as a kid. Almost all of the kind of magic they did required some kind of Transmutation circle of some kind. I was thinking that I would have to try something similar if I wanted to get the spell to work."

Issei didn't know for sure but he could have sworn that he heard Alex snicker. [Well now I definitely know that you're retarded. Newsflash, kid: not everything you see from your little kiddie cartoons is real.]

The virus' sarcastic tone started to grate on Issei's nerves. Growling, Issei smacked himself on the head in a flawed attempt to shut Alex up. "I know that jackass, what I was trying to say was-"

(Thankfully you will not need to use a circle for conjuring the spell, Issei.) Miraak interrupted before an ensuing fight could break out. (While it is true that the use of transmutation circles were used as magical catalysts by wizards and mages during the Dark Ages, there are many other ways that one can perform a transmutation spell without the need of a circle. If one has strong enough magical reserves, all it would take for them is but a simple wave of their hands. With enough steady concentration, you'll be able to do the same.)

With a grin full of glee, Issei pumped his fist into the air. "Sweet! So how do we get this started?"

(First you must place both of your hands just above the center of the girl's chest.)

Issei did as instructed though he couldn't help the small blush that came across his face when his hands once again came within an inch of the girl's well developed yet partially exposed breasts. Why is it that most of the hot chicks at his schools had to be Devils?

[This might go a lot faster if you didn't waste more time staring at her tits, kid. In case you haven't noticed, we can pretty much see everything you're seeing even if we are locked up in this dark and empty abyss you call a head.]

"Asshole." Issei grumbled before a serious expression soon donned his face. "Alright, playtime's over. Miraak, tell me what to do."

(As I've said, place your hands directly over the center of the girl's chest. The next step requires absolute concentration. Now close your eyes.) Issei did so. (Now, clear your mind of everything of distractions and focus solely on what I'm about to tell you.)

She was seeing Infinity.

All around her in every inch of every direction were millions upon billions of bright, white spots and swirls of every color. Stars littered the great black void like glitter in the moonlight while also surrounding the thousands of swirling galaxies of every shape and size. Huge gaseous nebula clouds also floated throughout the void like frozen clouds, their bright greenish colors were only emphasized by some of the brighter stars that were illuminating through the thin sheets of gas and dust. The sight was breathtaking for her to say the least. Just looking at it reminded her of the sun shining through the parting rain clouds after a heavy rain. However even that sight couldn't even hold a candle to what she was seeing right now. It was as if the entire universe was at the tip of her fingers and she was free to explore it all. And that was exactly what she wanted to do.

It had always been her dream to see the world. To travel to far and distant lands, meet exotic new people, marvel at the different kinds of architecture, learn new languages, witness the history of other countries, she wanted to experience it all. At least, it was what she had planned to do at first. She would finish school, get into a good college, earn her degree, and find a suitable career where she would save up a ton of money before spending the rest of her life seeing the world.

All of that changed as soon as she was 'recruited' into Sona Sitri's peerage. No longer was she free to do whatever she wanted but was instead a chained dog who wasn't even allowed to sleep without her master's permission. No longer was she able to just relax at home, watch movies, and pig out on as much junk food as she could stomach like she used to before she was put into a collar. No longer could she hang out with friends after school or spend the weekends having sleepovers or pulling all-nighters. Now all she ever did anymore was spend those nights tirelessly working on the various assignments that were given to her by the student council, the unending amounts of homework she got from school, or studying the hundreds of books about devil society given to her by Sona. Every day was a never ending cycle of the same shit: wake up, go to school, get scolded by Sona, receive ten times the amount of work any full-time adult would receive, get scolded by Sona again for not completing all of said work, go home and get a minimum of four to five hours of sleep. That would be her life until the day she died or until she attained the rank of a High Class devil.

Or, at least, that would have been her life has she not been killed, again. And honestly, she didn't exactly know how to feel about that. On one hand, she would no longer have to be kept on Sona's leash, but on the other hand, she was dead. She would never get to live out her dream of seeing the world or exploring its pleasures. She would never again go to school, graduate, or live out her life a normal teenager. But worst of all, she didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to her parents. Her beautiful yet stern mother who would scold her for her language, or her hard working yet kind father who prided himself on raising a girl who would grow up to be like her "awesome dad" as he would so enthusiastically put it.

She sighed and didn't pay attention to the lone tear that slid its way down her cheek in a rare moment of weakness. She hated crying because she thought it always made her look ridiculous. But since there was obviously nobody around she figured it wouldn't hurt to let her mask down just this one last time.

At least she could spend the rest of eternity amongst this exotic and infinite cosmos. Though she had to admit that being alone with nothing but millions of distant stars and galaxies might get boring after awhile.

At least there weren't any devils to boss her around anymore.

Beautiful is it not?

Tsubasa didn't think it was possible for someone to get whiplash from spinning around so fast but she swore she could've felt a muscle being pulled after instantly swiveling around to try to locate the source of that otherworldly voice. However no matter where she looked, all she could see were the stars spanning infinitely in every direction.

"Now I'm hearing voices out of nowhere," she muttered to herself before letting out a tired sigh. "I really hope this isn't some sort of messed up side effect of being dead 'cause I really don't feel like spending the rest of eternity going insane."

I can assure you that you are not going insane. I am as real as the stars you see around you. However, you are also not as 'dead' as you believe yourself to be. Not yet, anyway.

"Oh, really?" Tsubasa raised her eyebrow. "Because last time I checked, a devil getting cut with a sword like cheese through a grater on top of almost being raped by a batshit insane exorcist is a call for being dead." She shrugged. "Don't get me wrong though, that kind of shit tends to happen when a devil wanders off without her master."

You seem awfully calm for someone who is hearing voices, let alone almost being dead.

Tsubasa let out derisive snort. "What? Were you expecting me to scream and flail about like some sort of stereotypical straight jacket looney? Or ball my eyes out and make a cheesy speech about how I had 'so much to live for' or how it 'wasn't my time yet'? Save that shit for those trashy romance tragedy novels," her eyes became downcast before she spoke in a bitter tone. "Wasn't like I had much to live for anyway. I mean, besides the lifetime of eternal servitude to a cold bitch whose only life goal is to be the perfect little devil, both literally and figuratively."

But did this girl not save your life? Wasn't she the reason why you were given the chance to see your family again?

Her eyes narrowed. "I won't even bother asking how you know that, but yes. Only at the cost of serving the rest of my life as her Rook, though to me it was more of like a slave. She was my King and like to good little subject I was forced to be, I was expected to follow her every order down to the letter no matter how much I didn't want to," she said with a tint of anger. "Any reincarnated devil who doesn't follow their master's orders are punished. Even though Sona never gave out any real kind of punishment, it still sucked knowing I couldn't do anything on my own without her permission. My entire life and free will were stripped away just because she saved my life one time."

Did you not become a devil willingly? Wasn't the entire reason for becoming a devil and joining this girl's peerage was so you could fulfill your own ambitions? Surely you must have known that becoming a devil under her care also involved following her orders.

Tsubasa growled. "Of course I knew that! I'm not a fucking idiot! I knew that I would have to do whatever she told me no matter how much I hated it. So long as I still got to do what I wanted in the end, who cares if I had to be the chore girl of some snobby bitch? But no matter how much I did there was always more. More work, more training, more meetings with other High class devils, more formal parties, more everything! There was always so much to do that I never had any time to myself! It was driving me fucking crazy! All I wanted was to see the world and spend the rest of my life in peace and she wouldn't let me!"

Her chest heaved with the rapid intake of oxygen. She grit her teeth and gave herself a few moments to calm down but before she could continue with another rant, the voice interrupted her.

What if I told you that you could be free of all that?

Her eyes widened a fraction before narrowing in suspicion. "What the hell are you talking about?"

It is exactly as I said. What if I told you that you could finally be free of the authority that has so unfairly held you down for most of your life? To finally break the shackles of oppression that your former master so unfairly clasped around you? What if I told you that you could be truly free to do things you have always wanted to do without fear of being reprimanded by those who so callously used you for their own gain?

The warm assurance in the voice made it sound as though it were the offer or a lifetime, but to Tsubasa, who was experienced in making deals with actual devils, it sounded too good to be true. "Even if I decided to believe you, which I obviously don't, what the hell could you even do about it? In case you've forgotten, I'm dead. Kind of hard to live a life when there's no more life to live in the first place."

She could've sworn she heard the voice give off a faint chuckle before it continued.

I believe you are the one who has forgotten. As I have said before, you are not as 'dead' as you believe you are. Though you were well on your way before somebody decided to interfere on your behalf.

Tsubasa's eyes widened in shock. "What? What do you mean 'somebody intervened'? Who the hell would-"

Then it hit her. She remembered the last person she had seen before she blacked out. And suddenly she felt as though she might pass out again from the sheer incredulity of it all.

"You mean Hyoudou? As in Issei Hyoudou? He's the one who stopped me from dying? How the hell is that even possible?"

Ah, now that it a name that I have not heard in a long time. I wonder how the boy is doing after all these years. I regrettably have not been able to see him since he was just a mere babe fresh out of his mother's womb.

Ignoring that disturbing image, yet at the same time intrigued at how this disembodied voice seemed to know Issei Hyoudou of all people, Tsubasa tried to press on for answers. "Wait just a damn second! How the hell do you know Hyoudou and just what the fuck do you mean by him being the one who stopped me from dying?! Answer me, dammit!"

Calm yourself, child. All will be answered in due time. For now my question to you still remains: Do you want to continue living without fear of becoming a slave once more? Or do you wish to welcome eternity right here and now?

Red faced from shock and anger at being dismissed, Tsubasa was about to retort with another angry rant but decided against it in favor of biting her lips in order to keep herself calm before pondering over the voice's question.

In all seriousness the answer was kind of obvious from her point of view. Of course she wanted to continue living. What sane person wouldn't? And not only that, she was going to possibly be given the chance to life her life the way she wanted to: as a free person. No longer would she have to answer to Sona's beck-and-call like some dog to its master's command. No longer would she have to get herself mixed in with pointless rating games or those useless extravagant parties that she was forced to attend almost every month. Finally she could simply focus on her own life instead of someone else's. Sure she'll be interrogated by Sona and practically everyone else from the peerage on how she miraculously survived and why she wasn't a devil anymore, but Tsubasa was confident that she could simply bullshit any explanation to Sona incessant questions.

Sadly once again, this offer seemed way too good to be true.

"What's the catch here, buddy?" she asked with her arms crossed. "I have enough experience to know that people don't do this kind of shit out of the goodness of their hearts. What exactly are you expecting outta me? 'Cause if it involves me becoming yours or Hyoudou's sex slave or something like that than you can just go ahead and let me die right now. I've already served my time as someone's slave and I'll be damned to the lowest pits of hell if I ever even think of becoming something like that again."

I can assure you, Tsubasa Yura, that such a thought never once crossed my mind. And even if I were such a type of person, I would prefer a female less foul mouthed than you.

Tsubasa mouth practically fell open at that comment. She honestly didn't know if she should've felt relieved or insulted. But one thing suddenly stuck out to her.

"How the hell do you know my name, anyway?" she asked in suspicion. "I don't exactly remember introducing myself to you."

The voice's ominous chuckle came back once again.

Let's just say that, like with Issei Hyoudou, someone very powerful has taken an interest in you.

"…That's totally not vague or creepy at all."

I can also assure you that Issei Hyoudou is also not that type or person. Despite what he may seem like on the outside, one of the things he loathes more than anything is the denial of free will, whether it is voluntary or otherwise. It is one of the reasons why he despises devils as much as he does. Something you two seem to have in common.

"First of all," she said as she held up a finger. "I don't hate all devils, just Sona because she drives me insane and the ones who force their servants to do deplorable things simply because they can. Hyoudou should know firsthand that not all devils treat their servants like slaves. Some actually treat their servants as their own family members, and while I do hate Sona for constantly treating as a mundane pencil pusher, she never made me do anything deplorable or violating."

And yet, you still despise her all the same. You wish to be free of the binds she has tied you in.

Tsubasa was starting to get fed up with all the incessant questions. "What I want is to be able to go through my life day by day without her hounding me every five minutes. That shouldn't be too much to ask, should it?"

Not at all, which once again brings me back to my previous question: do you wish to be reborn as a new and free person? Or do you simply wish to great death and end here once and for all?

Tsubasa bit her lip in contemplation, once again at a momentary crossroad with herself. On one hand, she'll be able to see her parents again and live her life that way she chose for herself, no longer shackled by someone else. On the other, there's no way of knowing what exactly might happen to her the moment she was revived. What Hyoudou expect her to be his slave? The voice's reassurance that Hyoudou wasn't that type of person did nothing to quell the anxiety she felt for such a prospect. She had absolutely no way of knowing what would happen once she awoke. Then again, she didn't really feel like dying anytime soon.

Only one way to find out.

"Fine." She conceded with a sign. "Just get it over with before I drive myself with insane with suspense."

Though she had no way of seeing it, she could sense a pleased smile forming on the voice's nonexistent lips.

Excellent.

"So what exactly do I need to do?" she asked as she put a hand on her hip. "As fun as floating around in the middle of space is, it's getting a little boring out here. And having only a disembodied voice as company is a little creepy. No offence."

No offence taken. And I suppose the only thing you need to do is to deliver a message when you wake up.

"And what would that be?"

Tell Issei Hyoudou that Xul says "Hello".

Before she could say anything, all of the surrounding stars and galaxies suddenly warped and twisted in on themselves. It was as if all of reality was being crumpled like a thin sheet of paper, and before she could even fathom what was happening, everything around her suddenly spiraled forward like water through a drain before she, too, was seemingly sucked into oblivion before disappearing into nothingness.

The first thing she saw was a blur of dull light.

However it was enough to cause her eyelids to suddenly snap shut in order for her to readjust after being exposed to so much darkness for what seemed like a lifetime. Once she felt her eyes were perfectly adjusted, she slowly opened them to reveal what appeared to be a white ceiling before taking a moment to lift her head and examine the rest of her surroundings.

From what she could tell, she appeared to be in a bedroom, though she knew instantly that it wasn't her own. Though it was surprisingly bland and Spartan for someone's bedroom. Besides a simple desk and chair parallel to the bed, there were only a single dresser next to the room's entrance along with a closet door. The dull light that had nearly blinded her was shining through a nearby window with the shades pulled down, and from what she could see from the bed, she had to guess that it was late in the afternoon. She wondered if she had been lying here for a mere few hours or maybe even a few days, though she desperately hoped it wasn't the latter. Either way, there was no telling how deathly worried her parents might be in light of her long absence. She just hoped that they assumed she was staying late at a friend's house and had not organized a search party from the police. After her whole floating in space ordeal, the last thing she needed was more drama. However, she had no doubt that she would get a very stern talking to from her mother as soon as she got home.

If she ever got to go home that is.

Speaking of home, she needed to find out where the hell she was and get out fast before something bad happened to her. For all she knew, she was in some pervert's house who was just waiting for the opportunity to molest her in her sleep.

However, before she had the chance to move, the knob to the bedroom's main entrance suddenly turned before the door was pushed open.

Tsubasa jumped like a lion on the prowl and got herself into a fighting stance, ready to kick the shit out of whoever was about to enter. However, that moment of battle readiness suddenly turned into absolute shock.

"Oh, you're up already? Weird. I didn't expect you to wake up for a few more hours, at least."

It was at that exact moment where she noticed three things.

1. The person who had just entered was none other than Issei Hyoudou, who was clad in the same outfit he was wearing when he had saved her.

2. Said person was currently holding onto an assortment of women's clothes. All of which seemed to be in her size. Which brought her to her third observation.

Slowly, she looked down at herself, her face growing paler with each passing second until it blew up into a full blown red like an erupting volcano. She was in such a hurry to defend herself from a possible incoming threat that she never once noticed that she currently wasn't wearing any clothes, meaning that recently discarded bed covers were her only means of protecting decency. A protection that she no longer had.

Meaning that Issei Hyoudou was now looking her as naked as the day she was born.

She instantly regretted being brought back to life.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore." Hyoudou said with a shrug before nonchalantly walking over to his desk and placing the clothing on top of it. He seemed completely unfazed by naked girl that standing only a foot away from him. "Your clothes were all ripped to shreds so I had to go and get you some more. I didn't know your exact size so I kinda just winged it. Hope they fit alright because there's no way in hell I'm ever shopping for women's clothes by myself ever again."

Her breathing became labored and her blush deepened even further until it looked as though she were on fire.

"Anyway you're probably wondering why you're here, how you're alive and all of that bullshit."

Her entire body was shaking as her teeth grinded against each other.

Hyoudou paid no attention to her as he sat down at his desk. "Well to be honest it's a really long and fucked up story so you'll probably want to get dressed before I start explaining."

Her vision blurred as her hands balled into fists so tight that her nails pierced flesh. Tiny specs of blood flowed between her fingers as her knuckles turned bone white.

It was only then that Hyoudou had turned around and had finally taken notice of her distressed state. He raised an eyebrow in confusion, still not perturbed by the fact that he was blatantly staring at a naked girl. "Hey…you alright? You're shaking and redder than hell. You need a glass of water or something?"

That did it.

With snap of her neck, her sight was directly on him and Issei almost stumbled out of his chair in fear of her gaze that was filled to the brim the nothing but pure, murderous rage.

Before he could react, the entire room shook from what could only be described as the hellish scream of the Devil himself.

"FUCKING PERVERT!"

And the next thing he knew, his entire body was thrown through the door with a fist-sized print covering the left half of his face.