Everything was pitch black.
Opening his eyes, June was met with a familiar scene, an overarching blackness that instilled one with curiosity.
A space resemblance of the void belongs only to him. The place where his very first memory started.
"Huh..."
Something was surging up from within him, welling up his eyes with fluid.
Emotions were no stranger to him, and yet it felt more genuine than ever.
This agonizing bitterness...Was it ever this painful?
As if millions of needles pricked his heart non-stop, he couldn't help but squirm like a fish out of water, clutching onto the nonexistent air.
Why was it so surreal? He couldn't figure out why at all.
The only thing he wanted to do was to rip his own heart out and squash it into oblivion, as he believed it would end this suffering.
While losing a heart is certainly not fatal to all, the same couldn't be said for humans.
It was a naive thought, and it might certainly kill him right then and there, no matter how special he is.
After all, he was still a "human", through and through.
But does that matter at all?
"Indeed. Why does it even matter?"
Should he just end it all?
That's right. With a body as fragile as this, he could finally reunited with "them"...
These hands that couldn't even protect anything precious...They should at least repent for their sins like this.
"Finally...I'm going to see you all soon..."
As if to answer his wish, a streak of pure white flung and stabbed his heart, sending a sharp pain throughout his body. A stream of explosive energy coursed through him, turning his insides into mush.
"Koff...What volatile power...yet so saintly..."
"Of course. It was always meant to kill you, Sinner."
Emerging from his sides was a familiar face - a girl he had saved not long ago. The frilly brown hair that once cascaded down her back was now white, coated in the same saintly energy that covered her entire body.
Her eyes were cold, filled with hatred to the brim as she looked down on him disgusted.
"The reincarnator...I see."
It was a huge change in demeanor, even compared to the profile he glanced at to grasp her structure. It was probably the result of reincarnation, something about lost memories getting restored or 2 "selves" inhabiting a soul.
'A persona...probably?'
But that wasn't the point here.
"It's strong...but not enough. You ought to be more extreme."
With his bare hands enveloped in Ether so thick it startled the girl, he dug into himself. Though somewhat painful, it was nothing when compared to the pain that had been torturing him.
In a matter of seconds, what he took out was a grotesque piece of flesh, dripping in fresh red blood. Nonetheless, instead of a resolute grip, there was a moment of hesitation.
Alas, it wasn't because he clung to life, but rather...
"Wait...who were 'they' again?"
SLASH!
June's hand was promptly cut off, dropping his heart onto the ground...or so it was supposed to. Someone had managed to catch it in the nick of time, and it was not the girl.
"What a disgrace. To think you have fallen so far...Hero."
This time, the voice was monotonous, but one could sense the disappointment and contempt mixed into it. Even if one could not see their appearance, it was clear they weren't on June's side either.
"O my gullible master, take a look at this pathetic excuse of a cunt. Delegating our world's fate to a fuckery of a "Hero" like you was indeed a mistake."
"What...are you talking about?"
"Still running away I see. Do you not have a single bone of shame within your body?"
Those words confused June.
While he did indeed have somewhat of a "heroic past", was there ever a time when he took over a duty rather than began one himself? What did he run away from?
It was then he realized there were serious gaps in his defective memories.
While it is true that many moments sink into oblivion as time passes, there should always be ones that stay no matter what.
They were those that defined one's existence and journey, in a way.
The day he woke up in this void-like world, led by a voice toward a source of light into a new world, it was still all too clear.
He was a "hero" destined to save worlds he drifted to, used to at least.
The voice said that he had gone into a deep slumber after ending his supposed last mission due to serious injury, and was now free to do whatever he wanted.
It sounded all too convenient, to say the least, but he never doubted it.
All because his memory perfectly confirmed them back then.
But now...it was a whole different story.
He could only feel inherent sadness toward those words as if confirming their truthfulness.
"Apologies but you'd have to hand that to me, demon." The girl fearlessly pointed her invisible edge toward the voice, illuminating their scarlet figure. "I don't know what he did to you nor do I care. A painful death may ensue depending on your choice, so don't act foolishly."
"Confidence is a good thing to have. However, when it is in tandem with delusions, that's no good."
Slightly irritated at the remark, the girl retorted.
"Think I can't kill the likes of you? Maybe you're the one entertaining nonsense."
Her aura grew even more intense as she drew closer, each step heavier than last. The brighter she got, the more the heat rose.
She was like a mini-sun, especially to those like demons. And she was determined to "fight for his heart", much to the demon's displeasure.
"A damn shame this body isn't up to par yet, but that's not what I'm here for."
A glowing red sparked, crushing June's heart mercilessly.
"Agh!"
"I told you, didn't I? That the day I got out, you'd be the first to die.
The price for her mercy was never cheap, especially not for a failed 'Hero' like you!"
"No...!"
The girl was caught by surprise, but that didn't stop her.
Ever since back then, she has sworn to find and kill him, no matter how long it took. Traversing through countless worldlines, cultivating her soul strength, planning how to kill him, it was all for the day that was today - a miraculous encounter.
It was akin to finding needle in a haystack, but she finally did it... and she was witnessing it slipping out of her hand.
There was no way she could just let that be.
"Phew-"
Channeling all her holy energy in an instant, she accelerated herself to the maximum and made a gamble.
It was either the demon in two or the Sinner's heart in two.
As long as she could secure her hit on the heart - the life of the Sinner, nothing else matters, not even this current feeble life of hers.
WHOOSH-
The formless edge was promptly stopped with ease. By bare hands, no less.
"You...!"
Before her was none other than Sinner, who was just squirming in pain moments ago. And yet, glaring into his eyes, she could only sense an immaculate selfish compassion.
It was a memory she wanted to forget.
"Sleep for a little bit. Letting your hatred get the better of you like that is no good at all."
The girl soon fell to the ground, her aura dispersed. It was clear her body was just seconds away from breaking apart, evident from crystalized bits spread all over her exposed skin.
"Still keeping up that hypocrite facade until the end, hm? Were you not running away just a bit ago?"
The demon, unsurprised, snorted at June's ridiculous mood swing.
"Sorry, but there are still kids I need to save. Mind handing that over...Dominatum?"
"Tch. Here."
The demon frustratedly tossed June's heart at him, which bounced off before dropping to the ground.
Despite being crushed with such sharp pressure, the piece of flesh looked relatively intact.
"I couldn't even crush the damn thing anyway."
"Thanks-"
"Don't be mistaken. Once this child is strong enough, I shall come to judge you again. Until then-"
As the demon spoke, it slashed a circle around its feet, forming a sinkhole.
That was the last he saw its face.
"...I'll be eagerly waiting,...darn, what was their name again?"
That aside, there was something else he needed to attend to.
CRACK!
The children's misfortunate cries...Hopefully, he won't need to see them anymore.