As the light took the soul away, Chronos spoke to Lucille
"My lord...are you sure about this, making him your final...and only remaining choice?"
"..." The devil remained silent
"Should he fail...that'll be the end of our ambition...and ...your..." Chronos' words trailed; he knew better than to voice them out. "
"A choice even time cannot undo, that is the choice I have made. There is no use pondering what might've been now," said the devil as he started slowly fading away himself
"The council's attempt at universal control can not be allowed to stand. If I do nothing, all that we're fighting for is lost. They cannot be allowed to win Chronos."
The devil let out a malign smile, one vested in grim and anxiety
"If we must sow the seeds of chaos to stop them, then my darkness shall see to its fruition."
His voice resonated with pure evil, but a hint of hope slipped through the cracks, hope that Chronos could recognize.
"If I don't come back...Then I leave everything to you, Chronos."
Chronos bent a knee as a sign of respect
"I shall await your return, my lord. Unfailingly!"
The devil nodded and vanished completely, saying nothing else
5 years later
Ampha Town
"Come on, Naki! We have to check out the noodle shop before they run out!" A young girl dragged Naki through the buzzing crowd of the town
"Geez, Maya, you know during market days they'll have plenty in store. There's no need to rush."
Naki was the reincarnated soul, the devil's vessel whom at this time, was out with a childhood friend in their hometown Ampha.
It was market day, and like many of the kids around, they were eager to eat some of the famous dango from abroad.
"Urhhh, hold on tight, Naki, we're almost there."
Still holding Naki's hand, Maya attempted to squeeze through a congested area.
Their tiny bodies made for a semi-convenient passage as pushed through successfully to the counter
"Hehe, we made it!! Hey mister! We'll have 5 dangos over here!!!"
The girl was jumpy as she ordered loudly.
"Coming right up!" said the stall owner as he carried on tending to his long line of customers
"Hiiiiiii, Naki! we're going to get Dangos!!!"
Maya was all giddy at the prospect of sweet succulence as she swung Naki's poor arm relentlessly.
"Huhhh, honestly, she really likes these sweets," Naki sighed
Later - Market Streets
Naki and Maya walked hand in hand, as she savored her treat
"Mmmmmm, Naki, these are the best dangos I've ever had in my life!!!" she announced, hands on cheeks
"Yeah, they're really good," he indulged his last piece and wanted to grab one of the 2 left Maya was holding
But instead of meeting a dango stick, his backhand suffered a slap from Maya.
"Ouch! What was that for?" Naki hastily pulled it away
"Ah ah, these are for our dad's remember?"
"Hey, no fair! You had 2 already, why do I only get 1?" he pleaded his case with facts.
"Because I'm adorable?" A playful grin formed on her face
"Huhh," sighed Naki, "Why do I even bother?"
"hehehe" Maya celebrated her not-so-hard-earned victory
Then her eyes met with suspicious movements in the market alleyways
"!? What's going on over there?" Maya pointed at the ensuing incident,
"huh?" Naki stared in the direction and found a group of young boys harassing a fat kid
He had in hand 4 dangos, and 3 young boys were ganging up on him
Then one of the boys pushed the kid down, and his carry dropped
"Oh no, they didn't."
For Maya, that was fighting words as she left Naki behind, running towards the crime scene.
"Wha! Maya, wait! We can't!" Naki tried holding her back, but all his stretched hand could catch was thin air.
"Tsk...(Why is she always so impulsive?)" Naki gave chase, worried about her recklessness
The Market Alleys
The boys had taken 3 of his dango already when Maya arrived
"Hey! Let him go!"
"Huhh? And who are you, little shrimp!" The leader turned his attention immediately to Maya.
"I am Maya, and I will not let you hurt this poor boy anymore. Leave him alone or-"
"Or what?" the boy laughed as his partners were flanking Maya from behind already.
She found herself in a tough spot, 3 v 1, the numbers were not in her favor.
The fat boy was crying as he stared at Maya
"Oh no, oh no," he muttered
"My-my father is the mayor, you know, if you harm me, you're going to be punished." Maya's voice stuttered.
Even as a child, she could tell the odds were against her.
The boys stared at each other for a brief second, then suddenly burst into mocking laughter.
"Hahahaha, if you're the mayor's kid, then I'm the king's son. Nice try little lassie, but you don't butt in our business and expect to leave free"
The leader's hands clenched into a fist as he approached Maya
"I see you're holding 2 more. Why don't we take those off your hands, eh?"
Maya held the sticks close to her chest, "No! These aren't for you. Why don't you go get it from the stall?"
"Too much hassle, lassie. Now hand it over, or I'll make you"
The leader raised his fist and frowned, all Maya could do was coil herself and close her eyes
It'll hurt less if she didn't see it coming
"You asked for it! Hah!"
The leader went for the punch and connected.
"...huh?" Maya opened her eyes once more and found Naki had taken the punch on the face for her
"Na-Naki!" she cried out
"urgh...tha-that hurts"
"Hurgh! Who are you!!?" the leader asked, annoyed as he pulled away his fist and stepped back.
"*cough* ", Naki coughed and cleaned his bleeding nose, "I'm sorry, please can you just let us go?"
"ha-hahahah let you go? fat chance!"
The leader ordered his partners, "Boys, rough 'em up before a crowd gets here!"
"You got it, boss!"
"Naki, what are we going to do?"
She said, clutching Naki's cloth by the arm. Naki stretched out his hand and stood in front of her for cover.
"(Tsk, should've think of that before rushing in Maya)"
Naki looked around, "(I can't take these guys, I...I don't even know magic yet)"
One of the boys rubbed his fists together
"Here I come!"
He dashed and went for a kick.
"Look out!" Naki pushed Maya, and the kick got him on the gut. he coughed out spit mixed with blood and fell down, holding his stomach and twitching in pain.
"NAKI!!!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA How pitiful!!!" the leader laughed and walked to Naki
"You thought you could play hero!? You should've bailed when you had the chance."
The leader proceeded to kick Naki on the stomach 4 more times
"Naki!! let him go!!!" Maya ran to the leader and grabbed his leg
"Arrghh! Shut up! Can't you see I'm busy, Bu-buzz off!!"
Using the force of his leg, he wiggled and kicked Maya on the chin, She fell on the ground, dango scattered on the floor.
"Tsk, now you've made a mess of things. Boys, you know what to do."
The leader ordered as the boys were approaching the defenseless Maya
Naki, still struggling, stretched out an arm to hold them back
"D-don't...touch her..."
"Heh, I see you've still got some fight left in you!"
The leader smashed his hand.
"Hate to break it to you, freak, but without power, you can't change anything. We're going to get what we want, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."
The boys got to Maya, who was visibly shaking in her boots, her legs wobbly.
"Ma-Maya,"
"(Tsk, come on stupid do something, Lionel's life ended up a mess from bullying, don't let this one start the same way too!)"
Naki sought power; he fervently wished for it.
"Hmph! Take it away, boys."
The boys raised their fists as Maya shut her eyes once again
"Naki! I'm scared!!" Maya cried, tears in her eyes
Naki's heart was throbbing, his blood boiling as his fist, which was pressed by the leader, was vibrating under the tension
"(move damn it!)" he cursed his weakness
"huh? What the!"
But his weakness soon led to a revelation, as the devil's sigil on his right hand manifested for the first time in his new life.
Following that, was disaster.
An outburst of flames and combustion in the atmosphere burned random buildings and sheds around the area.
Widespread panic in the vicinity as no one could tell what the firestarter was, but the young boys.
"Wha wha! What did you just do!!!!"
The boys were shaken, attempting to move away from the area
The buildings started crumbling around them as they ran, leaving just Maya and the fat kid behind
"I-I gotta get out of here, you keep the dango, eeek!!" Some of the fire burned and bruised the boys as they evacuated the area.
Naki's eyes turned deep crimson as he stood up.
Maya could tell he was not himself, and was terrified by the person in front of her right.
"Na-Naki! Naki snapped out of it!" she yelled and cried, to get his attention once again.
But Naki did not respond, the sigil grew, and 7 circles formed around it
A figure of a diabolical, fiery, horned beast appeared behind Naki
Its gaze petrified and rendered her unconscious immediately.
Then the fires intensified, and suddenly, blood clotted one of the circles, followed by a loud growl from Naki.
"GRRAAAAARRGHHHHHHHH!!!!"
"Time to awaken, my vessel," the devil's voice whispered