(Narration)
Before Haruto became what he is now…
Before the Crimson Devil chose him…
There was only rain.
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The Day Everything Was Taken
It was raining.
Not the kind that soothes…
but the kind that drowns screams.
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Inside the Exorcist Headquarters—
Alarms tore through the halls.
"Emergency alert. Unezugawa District is under attack.
A horde of devils has breached the perimeter."
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And in that same moment…
A boy was running.
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Seventeen-year-old Haruto.
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His shoes slammed against broken asphalt—
water splashing…
Not just rain.
Blood.
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His chest burned.
His lungs screamed.
But he didn't stop.
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Because minutes ago…
He had lost everything.
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Moments Before
His mother's hand reached toward him.
Not to save herself.
But to push him away.
"Run…"
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His father stood between him and the monster.
A trembling blade in his grip.
"Don't look back, Haruto!"
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He looked back.
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And saw his father disappear…
Into claws born from something deeper than death.
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The Abandonment Devil
A being shaped from one fear—
Being left alone.
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And now…
It was chasing him.
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Its body dragged across the road…
Twisted. Incomplete.
Voices leaking from it—broken, overlapping…
"You're alone…"
"You've always been alone…"
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Haruto kept running.
Until—
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His legs gave out.
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He fell.
Right in the middle of the empty street.
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Silence.
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Then—
It appeared before him.
---
Blocking his path.
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Its hollow face bent downward.
Watching.
Waiting.
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For fear.
For screams.
For desperation.
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Haruto gave it nothing.
---
His eyes were empty.
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Rain slid down his face.
But there were no tears.
---
Because there was nothing left to lose.
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The devil… paused.
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Confused.
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To force fear—
It reached into the shadows.
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A small girl.
Dragged out from hiding.
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Her scream cut through the storm.
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And then—
Silence.
---
Crushed.
---
Right in front of him.
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Still…
Haruto didn't move.
---
Didn't flinch.
Didn't scream.
---
The voices inside the devil became unstable.
"Fear me."
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It lunged.
---
Nothing.
---
"What… are you?"
---
Its voice cracked.
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"Then die… without fear!"
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It raised its claws—
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And then—
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A Flash
Crimson.
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The rain split.
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And in a single instant—
The Abandonment Devil…
Was gone.
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No scream.
No struggle.
---
Just—
Erased.
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Silence followed.
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But something else took its place.
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Something heavier.
Older.
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A presence that made the air feel… wrong.
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"Well… do not kill the brave."
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Haruto slowly looked up.
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And saw it.
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The Crimson Devil
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Floating above what remained—
A skeletal figure.
Skin stretched thin.
Black veins crawling like they were alive.
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And eyes—
Crimson.
Burning like dying stars.
---
A name buried in history.
A devil that once brought humanity to its knees.
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And now…
Standing right before him.
---
It studied him.
Closely.
---
"Most humans tremble at my presence…"
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"Yet you do not."
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"I am… amazed."
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"Tell me… what do you feel?"
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Haruto's voice came out dry.
Broken.
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"You just want me to fear you… right?"
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A soft chuckle escaped the devil.
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"Do not be angry, child."
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"I simply wish… to lend you a hand."
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"In the coming battles."
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Haruto's eyes sharpened.
For the first time—
Emotion.
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"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP."
"YOU MONSTER!"
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The Crimson Devil's gaze narrowed.
---
"You want to survive?"
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A pause.
---
Haruto hesitated.
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Then—
He nodded.
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The Covenant
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A contract formed in the air.
Ink swirling…
Like blood refusing to settle.
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"Spill your blood."
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"In exchange for my power…"
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"You will lose one precious memory… each time you use it."
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Haruto stared at it.
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His mother's smile.
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His father's voice.
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A home that no longer existed.
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"I have to move on…"
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"Forgetting them…"
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"I'll do it."
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He bit his finger.
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And let the blood fall.
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The contract accepted.
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And just like that—
Something inside him changed.
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But…
He didn't know—
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Which memory would disappear first.
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Or worse…
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What would remain of him…
After everything was gone.