[3rd person Pov]
Watching the lonely back complemented by the long-blue hair walking away, Lucy still felt the same way about Levi as always.
"So boring..."
Lucy had known Levi for a long time now since they had been forced by their parents to attend a lot of dinner parties and events since they were young but she couldn't help but think of Levi as a boring person nowadays.
Because these last couple of years, she had changed.
So, knowing about the incident between her and Aarick, Lucy had thought it might be a way to see the real Levi for once, to see her showing some of her inner emotions if she was caught up guard. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. She was still wearing the same iron mask of an expression, not allowing anyone in.
"Lucy, please don't go out of your way to poke the bear."
Coming from behind her, Astor suddenly showed up out of nowhere, and though he wore a smile, she could tell that he didn't appreciate how she had approached Levi.
"Sorry, sorry! I just couldn't help it, ya know? Also, if you're so determined to recruit that boy, wouldn't it be good to know more about their relationship?"
"It might be, but I want to respect Aarick's wishes. If he doesn't want to disclose what kind of relationship they had in the past, or what their relationship looks like now, then it's none of our business."
Putting her hands up in the air, Lucy knew that when Astor became like this, there was no use trying to argue with him.
"Alright, my bad. Come to think of it, shouldn't ya be busy getting closer to him instead of talking to me? Or did ya already give up?"
"He didn't come to the academy today, and it turns out that he might not be present for a couple of days due to some ranking-up complications."
A bit of shock entered Lucy's face as she quickly realized what he was saying.
"Ranking-up? Already? I know that ya said ya thought he would be fast, but it's only been two weeks. Are ya sure?"
"I'm not. But we will just have to wait and see when he returns. Even if it only puts him at [E]-rank, he is at least getting to a point where he can start to compete with everyone."
"Haha, you mean with most, right? Cause there ain't no way he could compete with us or Matthew. Not to mention Will or Levi."
In reality, even though Will and Levi were at the forefront of the freshmen, as they had already broken through to [D]-rank, Matthew, Lucy, and Astor weren't that far behind, all three of them sitting on the cusp of breaking through.
Yet, Astor didn't quite share her view on the matter.
"I'm not sure. Even if he will only now start advancing from [E-]-rank, he has already won against someone a rank higher than him once."
"Whatcha mean? Hugo? Didn't we all see that he won because Hugo was acting like an idiot?"
"Then, let me ask you this. In that sort of situation, do you think you could keep your head cool enough to find an opening as he did? And would you be able to launch an attack right into the guts of your opponent without hesitation?"
Taking a moment to think about it, Lucy started seeing what he was getting at. There was no doubt that Aarick hadn't been trained much at all before coming to the academy, and yet he didn't hesitate for a second to gouge Hugo's stomach without a care in the world.
That could only mean...
"You are saying that he is naturally suited for fighting?"
Shaking his head, he made sure to dispel whatever faulty conceptions she currently had about what he was trying to tell her.
"No, I'm saying that he is crazy, borderline insane even. And if there is something I have learned about this world, then it would be that the ones that seem to be insane are the ones to grow the strongest."
****
[Aarick's Pov]
'How long has it been...?'
Drifting in and out of the dark world of my inner mind, waking up every now and then only to lose myself when smelling the deliciousness that was Daniel's circulatory system, I had completely lost track of time.
'I'm scared..'
Even with the small glimpses I had every now and then of Dona's comforting face and Daniel's face of... excitement(?)… it was not enough for me to not be frightened by the thought of losing myself completely, being stuck in the dark forever.
'Lucifer, please....please come back! I need you. I need you a lot. Please, please...'
Then, the light started to return once again, and knowing that I had no choice but to keep trying, I gritted my teeth. Because I didn't want to go back anymore.
Opening my eyes, I was met with Dona's face, this time hovering above me. Having for some reason put my head in her lap, she was looking down at me with a gentle smile.
"Good morning."
"..."
Turning my head, I got to see the man that was the cause of my current situation, closing the book he was reading and meeting my gaze.
"Oh, good morning Aarick!"
'What a strange human...'
Though I had no idea why this sort of thought appeared in my mind, I didn't mean it in a bad way. Daniel was, in my eyes, truly a strange human, as he was still sticking around after what I could only assume was days of me trying to kill him.
Something that was natural for me to do. Because inside his body was the supple and sweet...
*Slap!*
"Focus, Aarick."
Having given me a light slap on my cheek, Dona dragged me back to reality once again, and though it took a moment for me to realize it, this time it had somehow worked. Although I still felt the insane urge to lunge at the man sitting on the other couch, I wasn't sinking back into the dark.
Sitting up on the couch, I could finally talk to the man who had come to help me for the very first time. Or rather, he was talking to me. Or rather, about me.
"Ho? It doesn't look like you are about to lose yourself again. Interesting! Is this what you were talking about Dona? How demons can acclimate themselves?"
"Yes. Although we still have a long way to go, it is starting to work. So with that, we will be moving on to the next stage."
"I see. Then, I will go get ready."
Suddenly, Daniel stood up and walked into the training room. Confused, I could only look at Dona hoping for an explanation.
"Hm?"
Stroking my head a bit, there was no doubt that Dona was starting to treat me more and more like a child, but at the same time, I didn't particularly mind it. It felt good to feel the warm touch of someone who sincerely cared about me. Even if I knew that she was hiding the demonic dill sergeant beneath her gentleness.
"You can take it easy for a bit. First of all, you need a meal to make sure... Hey!"
"Sorry..."
As soon as she started talking about a meal, I couldn't help but flare my fangs a bit in excitement.
"Haa... Anyway, after that, you will start sparring with Daniel. Naturally, there is no way that you could ever win, but it's important that you can keep yourself together during fighting as well."
A shiver went down my back as I realized what she was saying, a shiver that unconsciously was followed by me flinching a bit.
"I don't want to..."
"Aarick?"
"I said I don't want to! Because that would make me go back there! And I don't want to! I don't want to go back!"
It was almost like I could see myself from a third-person point of view, seeing a very immature young man acting like a child. But I couldn't help it. At this point, I almost felt like it would be better to just give up my life than be forced to go back to a state of never-ending loneliness.
"No matter what, I'm not..."
Two warm arms quickly embraced me as she pulled me close, making the sweet fragrance of her body fill my nostrils.
"The sooner you go through this, the sooner you can go back to living a normal life. I'm sorry, Aarick, but... there is no other way."
"But..."
"I know it hurts, and I know it's scary, but please trust me. And I will be here when you wake up. Every time you open your eyes, I will be here."
Somehow, I imagined myself that I could hear a certain fallen god speaking inside me, her haughty tone echoing with cockiness as always.
What would the one who was deep in slumber have said if she saw how pathetic I was acting right now? Just the thought of that made me realize that there was no use trying to run away. Because at some point, she would wake up, and with that, the meaning behind our bond would once again be ressurected.
"I understand... I will do it..."