"Hey…tell me...answer my question," He begged. "Please…"
Enver never imagined he would be confronted; at least not so quickly. "…" He was an adult, he had to face it, however much it hurt him to confess the truth.
The truth about July 14.
_
Exorcists don't dream.
But the time Yumiko Enver dreamed, was when he was able to discover the reason.
Dreams are not real, at least not in a world far removed from the world of dreams. Dreaming is simply entering another world, and for an exorcist with high energy sensitivity, it's easy to recognize that it's a different world.
So, it was in this way that, through dreaming, Enver was able to travel to other worlds.
And it was on those trips to those worlds that he met them.
Halley Kite, Rei Jiyun, Lan Se De, and Inther.
"Get away right now, you infernal creature!" Inther said ironically that he was an incubus. Also a 'infernal creature'.
"…" And, if he thought about it more, those people were similar to what Anser's sect is now.
But perhaps it was just his imagination.
And that's when he began to investigate this world from the shadows.
He didn't understand why they were looking at him strangely if he kept his tentacles well hidden.
However, he should mention that; unlike him, the humans who looked at him strangely also wore...strange clothes. The look was unreal, nothing like what his family used to wear or what he had seen before.
"…Weirdos."
And it was there, through a pane of glass, that he saw even stranger clothes. He had to get closer to find out if even that could be used for clothing.
Very, very extravagant clothes.
"…?"
And it was then that he heard the shop door open, and subsequently a man come out; he looked young, perhaps in his twenties.
But, seeing the man dressed in the same clothes as the counter, he didn't know they could look so good.
"…"
Perhaps he could consider bringing some of those clothes to his world...
Enver felt a pang of shame, remembering how unkempt he looked; from his long hair and unshaven beard to his dirty clothes. Perhaps that was also a reason why the others stared at him so much…
"Do you need guidance?" The young man said.
Even he could see how bad he looked...huh?
"…No," But the young man looked like he wasn't taking his words seriously, and instead, he was guided by what he could see.
«Maybe...he's a homeless person.»
Even Enver could see that thought on the boy's face.
"And no, I'm not a homeless person." Not even in his world would anyone dare call him that. So...what a relief it wasn't in his world, otherwise, that boy would be very dead by now.
"Illusionis Perdita," And the boy stretched out his hand, "That's my name, you can just call me Ilu."
"Ilu? It's a very rare name," Although he said it rudely, he still took his hand. "…Yumiko Enver." He said, to end the introductions once and for all.
"Are you looking for a job?"
"Uh? N-N—"
"You're hired! You'll be our model from now on."
"W-What?! What the hell is a model?! What are you talking about?!"
But he was simply dragged into the business by Ilu, forced to bathe, shave, and get a decent haircut. And not only that, but he was also dressed in several garments and made to walk around the store dressed like that.
"What the hell is wrong with this thing on my eye…?" He murmured, while several photos were being taken of him, that by the way, the photographer was Ilu.
"Yumi…don't take it off! It's a patch, it won't do anything to you, besides, it makes you look goth~" He said, taking another picture of him.
"What is 'Goth'?"
Ah, yes, Ilu forgot how new Enver was in the fashion world.
"Nevermind…Just pose, okay? And don't take off the eye patch!" He said, taking photo after photo of him.
He really didn't understand what was happening; the camera lights were blinding him. And it was among all those lights that he took a step back, and slipped on the cloak of his clothing.
"Ah—"
"Gotcha!" Just as he was about to fall backward, friendly green flames lifted him up from behind. "Be careful not to tear the clothes, okay?"
Enver seemed surprised for a moment to see the flames helping him to his feet again. "Are you more worried about the damn clothes than about me?!" Even so, he was surprised; just like those boys, Ilu also had...powers? And if so, what was she doing working in a place like this instead of using her powers like those guys? "Those flames...uh…"
"Fear not, my flames are harmless when I use them sparingly," Ilu smiled. "Even so, I don't like using them too often...you know, they're hard to control~"
"Hard?"
Ilu nodded. "I use small amounts of fire; if I increase the amount, the fire spreads on its own, and then it becomes difficult to deal with."
Now, Enver seemed to understand the reason. If he used them on the battlefield...he might not be able to control them and could also injure his allies.
"I see…"
"Besides, my true passion is photography! And as long as I can do what I love, I don't care where I am," Ilu's happiness was comforting, no matter how much Enver wanted to deny it. "That's a good smile, don't move!"
And a photo.
Enver didn't even notice that he had smiled. "O-Oi!" No one was supposed to know about his gentle heart, much less that he found relief in Ilu's positivity despite the troublesome nature of his power.
And although he would deny it...of all the worlds he had traveled to, this one was not as...tense as he thought.
So he was happy staying to work there.
At least during his first week in this place.
"Ilu."
But when he came out of the dressing room, the photographer wasn't there; waiting for him as always to shower him with photos.
Something strange.
Furthermore, the store was closed, even though it was supposed to open very early. Still, he checked the calendar just in case. It was July 14th. Yes, they were working that day! Anyway, it was marked as a 'discount day', so why was everything closed?
He had a bad feeling, a very bad one.
Especially with the strange smell inside the store, which, when inhaled, made his nose itch.
"…"
That's when he heard strange noises coming from the warehouse behind the store.
He quickly went there, and upon opening the door—
Plaff!
Something soft and creamy against his face; cake.
"…?"
But he had never seen a cake before.
"Hahaha!" But the laughter and the sound of the camera reassured him; it was Ilu. "I thought for a moment you wouldn't fall for it! Haha!"
"…" Well, he was so worried about Ilu that he really didn't expect that. "What is this disgusting stuff?"
"Huh? It's cake! Haven't you ever seen one…?" He said that last part worried, so...Ilu, someone who's been eating cake since childhood... how can someone not know what one is?
And Enver just shook his head.
"No."
And for some reason, it made Ilu feel somewhat guilty, especially since it wasted a cake they could have shared together on Enver's face. "Oh…"
But Ilu always solved his problems!
"Don't worry, it's food, and very tasty and sweet at that!" Ilu grabbed some cake from Enver's face, and then held it up to him. "Eat it, it's safe."
Enver gave a doubtful look to the now cake-like mass he was holding. "…Gross."
"G-Gross?!" He sighed, then had an idea. "Well...today is my birthday, and birthday people always get cake."
Cake? Well, normally, in their world, when someone had a birthday, it was celebrated with banquets or by going to take offerings to the ghosts of Yomi so that they would protect them.
Ilu took a candle out of a drawer, placing it on top of what was left of the cake in his hand. It was the candle they used during blackouts, but only for that moment. "And then, you have to sing to me...happy birthday to you~"
Enver looked at him, confused, then sighed, and simply played along. "Happy…birthday to…you."
And Ilu brought his finger close to the candle, and when the green flame appeared—
Boom.
Enver's tentacles managed to emerge in time to protect himself from the explosion; instinctively, he had grabbed Iluboara's wrist to protect him, but, In his hand, there was only Ilu's arm, but not him.
"…" Shock, accompanied by the smoke coming out of the store, as well as the screams of frightened people—made him get lost. "…" He never thought something like this could happen—who, why? How could someone win against them? Why does this happen to him just when he was beginning to forget what happened to his clan? "ILLUSIONIS PERDITA!"
His shouts drew people closer to him, worried.
"E-Excuse me…are you—"
"ILLUSIONIS!" He hit the ground as he stood up, staring at the fire in front of him. "WHY?!"
Perhaps he was his first friend in a long time.
Long, long, time.
The emptiness in his heart was now becoming heavier.
Losing everything, the memories, of his clan, of his friend...it was painful, very, very painful.
But perhaps that was his destiny?
_
"Demon blood?" Marco repeated, incredulous for a moment.
In hell there were magics similar to those of the earthly world; if in their world they still called it 'magic'.
"Yes," In that way, the new Ilu would never die, and would also be his friend again; and he would help him put all of Ilu's memories into that 'new' Ilu. "Yanshan, seek the blood of a demon with green flames."
"…" The green flames were a very specific request, and although he knew they would be difficult to find...he couldn't let his boss down. "Yes, boss." And he disappeared into the shadows.
"…"
"Sending Yanshan to hell like they're just running errands, isn't that cruel? Don't you know that being in the third world for so long with cursed energy drives you crazy? Oh, no…you should know that, anyway, you're living proof, aren't you?"Marco's words echoed in his head, but it didn't matter, he wasn't interested in that.
"Yanshan is not a demon like me; he is a ghost, two very different things," He turned to look at him, and slammed a sack on the desk in front of Marco. "If he were to go mad, thanks to his existence as a ghost, that wouldn't affect him at all…" And besides, Marco said something...incorrect. "The time I went crazy was because a demon caused it, not because of the stay there...the stay there only gives you amnesia. So, even there your 'hypothesis' is wrong."
Marco remained silent, and then he smiled.
"Oh my bad~" And he took the sack, and went back to work.
In any case, creating a human being—no, a demon from its organs was difficult. But he would do it to be the main collaborator of such a creature.
"Boss, don't worry, I'll take care of finding a soul for him." Amina said, who was in the corner.
"I'll take care of the clothes~" Ballerina said, leaning against the doorframe.
Hyung was leaning to the opposite side from Ballerina. "…" He looked at Enver, and then looked away. "I still think it's a bad idea."
"Shh!"
Everyone silenced Hyung in unison.
Yes, everyone knew it was a bad idea. However, they couldn't pass up the opportunity to please their boss.
"Oi…" However, Hyung, the most direct of them all, wouldn't let him be the one to tell them; they still wanted to live. Although, they knew Enver wasn't that kind of savage.
Ballerina cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention. "While Marco works, I will be the one to initiate our plan, and when I die; you will be able to follow my example and achieve our victory, for ourselves and for this reality…"
"Sister...don't talk about your death...please!" Amina whimpered, hugging her.
Ballerina smiled, then patted her on the head. "I am not from this reality, Amina," And for the first time, Enver looked at his companions; at Ballerina. She seemed calm, but he knew how much she must have gone through to be able to resign herself to dying in a reality unknown to her own. "I have to do it, right? I don't want to make your situation worse…"
Hyung simply looked away, wanting to appear uninterested; anyway, he barely got along with his bandmates. They were united by the same goal, but they didn't appreciate each other…right?
"Then die with as little pain as possible~" Marco motivated.
Of course, what he got was just a slap from Hyung.
"Ha…haha!" But Ballerina simply smiled. "I'd like to die here, with you all...if everything goes well, I'll die here, instead of out there, how does that sound?"
How does that sound? Depressing.
"…"
But it was to be expected; they lived in such an irregular world that they had to secretly cleanse the rulers of this world.
"…"
And Ballerina knows it well.
Although in her reality magic is not used to fight. She will still fight.
For her new family.
"Oh! And what will the new baby's name be?" She change the subject intelligently.
Everyone looked at Enver.
"…" He really wasn't sure if everything would turn out alright... so, just in case the creation of the new Illusionis Perdita doesn't go well… "July 14."
"Huh?" They all looked at each other, then forced a smile.
All except Ballerina.
"A special date? Hahaha."
"Shut up."
Perhaps it was the first time Enver had sounded embarrassed.
"Aww…so cute our boss~"
"…"
_
And now, with the same essence, with the same lost piece of soul from Illusionis Perdita, the same 'magic', the same...
Same what?
This July 14 was not his Illusionis Perdita, it was not the one he felt was his friend, the one he was with in that reality.
It was just...a flaw.
And he feels guilty for having tried to erase him from his memories; from his work, to see him leave, and now, to see him live...
It hurt more.
"…" And after hearing the whole story, July 14 swallowed hard. "…Are you disappointed…" He looked to one side, and then looked back at Enver. "…Boss?"
«No, I don't want to be your boss anymore...I just wanted you to go back to how you were before.»
"Yeah. Quite." He maintained his cruel and intimidating tone once again. Hiding behind that hard shell.
And July 14, however, did not seem offended.
"…"
And it reminded him of Ilu.
«Ah. That's right.»
"Can I apologize?"
«He's still himself, deep down inside.»
Does an apology fix everything? "No, at least not in that way…" It doesn't fix shit. "…live without thinking of me. And that will be your apology."
"…"
If Enver knows that July 14, no, this new version of Illusionis Perdita, can live freely without being bound by the responsibility of being someone he ceased to be, and that his soul now denies being...
That would be best for Enver.
He doesn't want to be the reason for any pressure July 14 might feel. It was cruel enough sending him into battle and abandoning him to die there.
He didn't want to hurt him even more.
"But...I don't feel good being in a place I don't know...not knowing what to do there...with the boys…" He fidgeted nervously with his fingers, like a child, trying to excuse himself after a prank. "Especially knowing that I was created...as a demon."
Enver can feel empathy.
"…"
Perhaps his excuse for traveling to all those worlds, to all those realities, was to look for a place where he belonged, when in reality, he was welcome everywhere. Even if it wasn't because of the main characters of those worlds, it was because of other people, even animals.
"But you don't belong anywhere, July," And, he allowed himself to smile. "You belong with yourself; don't look for a place where someone will accept you for being someone you're not. If you're with yourself now, now that you know who you are...you are capable of anything. With me, or without me, I believe you will learn to live for yourself."
The words reached July 14. Loud and clear.
"…" But...even so— "But I'm scared..."
"Fear is normal. Don't let fear hold you back. Live. I know it's scary not knowing what the future holds," He sighed, noticing that perhaps it wasn't very kind of him to have exploited Amina so much to get her to reveal their future. "But if you're afraid...you're free to come see me, and together, we'll fix it."
And that was enough to bring tears to his eyes on July 14.
He was always afraid of Enver, without knowing why he acted that way. He never knew that despite being a demon, he had a heart as soft as cotton.
"Thank you...thank you so much for not leaving me alone..."
And Enver didn't know how fragile the strong soul of the carefree Illusionis Perdita really was.
"...You are welcome."
Because deep in their hearts, they both knew they had to help each other. Or at least, that's what the soul fragment inside July 14 of Illusionis Perdita told him.
«Listen to him.»
And perhaps this story isn't really about the problem of demons.
Perhaps it's just an excuse for everyone to live with the thought that they will die soon, and that they have to do whatever it takes before their end.
And honestly? July 14 is starting to long for a normal life.
Just like everyone else in this world.
***
Anser's Identifier started ringing; someone was trying to contact him.
Carrying poisonous herbs on his shoulders, he looked at Ji Noo, who, unlike him, was not carrying anything. "I know, I'll answer…" He smiled at him, and then pulled out the Identifier. "Huh?"
It was Joakim Hans. Was it surprising? Yes. Joakim had never called Anser before.
He listened to him immediately; "Where the hell are you?!"
"H-Huh? We went out to investigate some things, why are you saying this so suddenly?"
A snort was heard from the other end, accompanied by another soft male voice saying, 'Calm down a little, Joakim, please,' which was Renato's. "Because of course, we're done with our shit and we've come to inform you what happened, it's a fucking emergency, are you going to deign to drag your asses back to your damn base or do you want me to come get you?!"
Anser and Ji Noo looked at each other, they knew that such an angry voice, besides being Joakim's...was not something to be taken lightly.
"Were going right now—oh, isn't Frederick there? Can't you tell him while we're on our way?"
"…" And on the other side, Joakim glared angrily at Frederick, who was sitting on the floor. "Yeah, but he was so weak that he couldn't stand my presence when I questioned him about where you were."
Renato tugged slightly at the wings on his head, nervous.
"Oh…" Ji Noo's voice said. "S-So…we'll be there in a moment!"
Joakim saved his Identifier, and then, he looked at Frederick.
"…"
"…"
An awkward silence...
"So, you're not going to let us into your fucking base, you bastard?"
"Please come in, Mr. Joakim, and Renat—" He immediately opened the door behind him.
"Call him 'Mr. Renato', that's an order." And Joakim went in first, followed by Renato.
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, young Leighton..." Renato apologized, then hurried to follow Joakim.
Frederick just snorted, then went inside with them and closed the door.
"…What a great day, huh?"
Next time, Frederick would volunteer to do all the missions and errands instead of staying behind to guard the base...
"And serve us tea!"
"I'm coming! God, wait a second! Oh, h-hey—! Don't touch that, Mr. Joakim! That belongs to Witch Gene!"