Chapter 47

Sitting down across from his betrothed Damian appeared no more nervous than a rock despite his pounding chest. He couldn't tell exactly why it was pounding so badly but considering how much it hurt, it was most likely deep regret. After all, this choice wasn't one he made easily.

"Rias… have you met anyone?" Damian asked slowly. He didn't really care if it was Issei Hyoudou or even Saji Genshiro, all that mattered was if she had somebody who could fill in the gaps his absence would bring.

"Met anyone? I've met quite a few people." Rias replied simply, missing the underlying question though it was hardly her fault. Nobody would hear that question and think that she was being questioned for infidelity.

"That's good." Damian replied simply. While it wasn't quite the same, quantity was no different than quality at times. Of course, pain would be inevitable. Unfortunately, he would be stabbing a knife into her heart for his own selfish desires.

"Damian, don't do it." Rias requested solemnly, understanding from his actions alone that he would discard her again. Luckily, however, this time she could see that she wasn't the only one hurt by it.

"Rias, we should annul our marriage." Damian declared coldly, ignoring her request despite the pang of guilt in his chest. He cared deeply for Rias, he had figured that out clearly after eight years of separation, but the burden he carried needed to end with him.

"Why?" Rias asked, shockingly calm. If Damian could muster it, he might have been proud of how mature she had gotten. "If you don't give me a reason I won't accept it." She declared resolutely without a shred of nervousness.

"Rias, I've joined the Shinto faction. This is nothing more than a formality." Damian spoke coldly, his golden eyes seemingly staring into her soul. It was a shocking revelation but not a surprising one, everybody knew he had a connection to them due to his peerage.

Their contract dictates that they need confirmation from both sides to break their connection however that was a contract between devils and the laws of devil society applied. In simpler terms, by joining the Shinto faction he had betrayed the Devils and the contract had been annulled automatically. 

"Act 129, Clause 5. Allying with another pantheon automatically brands you as a traitor UNLESS there is support between two or more Satans. That's a bit of a moot point isn't it?" Rias rebutted with an amused grin on her face.

Nobody, not even her and Sona, had more connections to the Four Satans than Damian Thaumiel. Student of both Lucifer and Beelzebub, friend of Leviathan, and occasional assistant of Asmodeus. Although the connection with Asmodeus was weak, the other three were unbreakable. 

"Where did the Rias I know go?" Damian muttered to himself blandly as he rested his head on his palm. Breaking this contract, in truth, was not a requirement. It was merely Damian resolving himself to the fate his family had endured for centuries.

Their role was over, their burden could end with him. There was no need for this cycle of hatred to continue. The Thaumiel clan's millennia long goal would end with him, why extend it meaninglessly?

"She disappeared when you did." Rias retorted with a scoff. Back in the day, she was weak. She couldn't break free from Riser with intelligence like Sona had nor could she overpower him like Damian did. She was trapped.

When Damian defeated Riser, he broke her free from her cage. For the first time, she had felt the freedom of choice and it was all due to him. She felt unbelievable relief and expectation for the future.

The one who had saved her from her cage, the one who had destroyed her destiny at the cost of his own blood, and the one who had encouraged her to strive for a better future was now her future husband. It was like the happy ending to a fairy tale.

But happy endings don't last long. Her white knight lost his parents, he lost his ability to express emotions, and he lost the very same freedom that he had used to save her. His sacrificial nature was strengthened and his will to live was nothing more than a memory.

He single mindedly chased a dream, ignoring everything else along the way. Maybe that's how he wanted to live but that wasn't what Rias Gremory wanted. She wouldn't be satisfied with him living like a robot, he needed to be a human.

"Looks like I underestimated you." Damian murmured with a sigh before rising to his feet. For the first time in eight years, Rias saw an emotion in his eyes. Regret. Overwhelming regret was in his eyes.

Pure dread washed over her as he slowly extended his hand to her. It felt like the time she had seen her brother fight seriously for the first time. Like that time, the very world was turned crimson, the pressure of the heavens falling onto her shoulder.

"Find a better partner next time." Damian wished coldly as his hand inched its way closer to her face. She couldn't move no matter how much her instincts demanded it and her mind shouted out in anger at his actions.

Cold sweat covered her body as his hand finally made contact with her. She felt something cold enter her body before her mind emptied. It was as though her brain simply shut off entirely despite her being aware of everything around her.

Her consciousness quickly dimmed as the same cold feeling spread all throughout her body despite her earnest pleas. Her senses slowly vanished as her mind felt as though it was submitted deep underwater.

"Did you know, your clan trait was my favorite?" A cold and amused voice, distorted beyond belief yet recognizable at the same time. It sounded like an amalgamation of all the voices she had ever heard in her life yet oddly enough it was extremely familiar. 

"S-Save… him…" Rias spoke slowly, her consciousness barely awoken by the voice yet it would not last for long. She didn't know who the voice was nor what he was saying however she had no choice but to place her hopes into him.

"Save him? I'm afraid I can't young one. That is your role alone." The voices declared, a flash of crimson rousing her from her forced slumber.

*****

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