10 - Now What?!

MEANWHILE, ON THE BORDERS OF THE DEMONIC REALM...

"Haaah... Well, that was a bust," Van muttered as he leaned against the trunk of a tree just beyond the borders of the demonic realm.

"I actually thought she was going to say yes at some point... Guess I was just too repugnant in her eyes," he said with a sigh, pulling up his status window.

Passive: Dark Soul

Description: Your soul is tainted, cursed to wander the mortal realm eternally. This curse shields your soul from the Goddess's divine grace, preventing her blessings. Upon death, your body and possessions vanish, reappearing at the last safe location you visited.

Passive: Untrusted

Description: The curse of your Dark Soul renders you suspicious in the eyes of your kin. Please exercise caution in whom you trust, as your inherent aura of distrust affects all interactions within your species. The effects may lessen, or even not be present when interacting with someone who knows of your true character.

"Oh...? I know I haven't looked at it in a while... But It's slightly different than I remember. Can't really put my finger on it... Oh well." Van called with a sigh as he looked away from the status window.

"Dark Soul... Untrusted... Do these passives even extend to demons, after all...?" he wondered aloud. "Or maybe it's just who I am...?"

He muttered heavily as he lowered his head.

"After all, it was that Goddess who burdened me with these skills, so I must have been pretty vile in her eyes to begin with."

"Still... I could've lived my eternal life without seeing that," he muttered, his face twitching slightly in disgust as he recalled the image of the Demon Lord in another's embrace.

"I know for a fact she wasn't taken... Perhaps it was merely a ruse to keep me at bay... Or, maybe it was genuine, and she found someone during the times I wasn't storming the castle..." he mused, lying on the grass beneath a tree, the memory of Alicia's laughter echoing in his mind.

"...Either way, it was effective. I won't return there anymore, so she should be pleased..." he added, his fist clenching with a mix of frustration and anger as he remembered the scene, and inexplicably, Amoria's apology for going with Magus behind his back.

Van then lifted his gaze to the sky, fixing on a lone cloud drifting across an otherwise clear expanse.

"Is this happening to me a second time your way of saying that even a demon will never accept me, Goddess? That solitude is my fate? Or is this a punishment for befriending demons and attempting to wed the Demon Lord?"

"...Or do you just despise me so much that you even orchestrated this?" Van spoke softly, watching the cloud gradually disappear from view.

A cold breeze stirred against his heated armor in the sweltering heat of the day, providing a welcome sense of relief and relaxation.

"Well, maybe it was for the best..." he reasoned.

"After all, while the Demon Lord is around my age currently, and will live for a long time, over 30,000 years to be precise... Eventually, I'll outlive her. I'll outlive everything and everyone."

He paused, the weight of a silent, eternal future settling upon him.

"Maybe when there's nothing left... The Goddess might change her mind about me, and we'll end up together?" He mused aloud, gazing into the blank blue sky as if searching for the goddess's face.

"Nah, no way. Especially not after how she rigged those skills against me," he scoffed, dismissing the fleeting hope with a bitter chuckle. "Guess I'm destined to roam alone forever."

Resigned to his fate, he turned to his side and closed his eyes, embracing the solitude that seemed his only constant companion.

As he contemplated his solitude, memories of Magus flashed through his mind, along with his parting words, inviting him to visit anytime.

"...I've got nothing else on my plate." He started as he opened his eyes, "It's been sixteen years since I left in search of a partner... During that time, I traveled the whole world. Might as well head back and see how Magus is doing. He's probably fathered a bunch of kids by now with his harem, which has likely only expanded," Van chuckled to himself, a sense of purpose slowly returning.

He stretched his body, "Amoria was, what, 19 when I saved her... 20 by the end of our journey back then..? Right now, she'd be around 37.. She'd be a MILF by now, hah," he cackled.

"The other ones would only be slightly above her age. I'd look like a kid before them. Damn, I'd look like a kid before Magus. I can already see that bastard acting like my wise father."

With a new resolve, he pushed himself off the tree and started walking back towards the human territory, curious about what had transpired in his absence and somewhat eager to reconnect with his best friend.