42 Dark desires of the damned deviant, part 3

The last minute of Ara Jun's life lasted exactly sixty seconds; but if seconds were grains of sand in an hourglass, those would've had the weight of lead anvils.

That weight didn't diminish at all, even when the experience of being Jun slipped away, and Koto found himself dreaming again.

He wasn't on a street anymore, but in the sitting room in his own house—except there was another person sitting on his old couch. Aratanawaru pretending to be Shin.

Just now, he experienced the last minute of Jun's life like it was his own. Her pain, her fear, her hatred and her last act of desperation… Those were the worst experiences Koto ever had. He would remember the sadistic look in the eyes of her killer forever.

He was panting for breath and sweating, even though it felt strange to do so in a dream.

Did Jun really feel all that as she died? Would he, Koto, end this way, too? Now it all felt much more real and terrifying than before.

"What you experienced was Jun's memory," Aratanawaru explained. "Thanks to her last sacrifice, it is now mine, and wasn't devoured by Shin's demon. Now you DO believe you are in danger?"

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I should get involved in this," Koto's voice shook, but he still tried to appear composed. He even smirked, though it was bitter. "What can I do, anyway? Jun was stronger than me, and Shin is stronger than her. How many Verses does his demon have? Three? Maybe even four, hm? Marble only has one!"

"There are other ways to fight and become stronger, Tanabe-san. I will help you as much as I can. We are in this together, after all," Aratanawaru assured. "Despite his power, Shin is still just a human… Terribly arrogant. He thinks that he's unstoppable, but this just means that you will easily outsmart him."

Koto listened intently. "Outsmart?.. Make a trap for him?"

Suddenly, the scene around changed. From Koto's house, it turned to a view of a tall cliff jutting out from the sea. On top of it stood an old lighthouse. That was such a strange sight—why would a lighthouse stand in a place without a safe bay? It would only lure ships to their doom.

Aratanawaru pointed at the lighthouse. "Shin will come to this place. It's a place where you were supposed to be in his stories, but because you didn't come with the group that asked, Shin won't expect you there. So. Make a trap. You can do that much, can you?"

Koto narrowed his eyes. "Isn't there supposed to be some warlock? Won't he be my enemy?"

"Don't worry. Say my name to anyone, and they will join your side. This is how I will help you out there. Recruit more people—as many as you like, even." Aratanawaru smiled. "My name had been a secret for long enough. And after Shin will die, you will finally be able to return to your world."

Koto nodded. Fear that the vision of Jun's death instilled into him stepped back as a plan appeared in Koto's head. The loan sharks that pestered him likely knew people with actual weapons. Were there yakuza in this world? They'd make good allies.

He knew he couldn't just live peacefully anymore, but…

Prison was an absolute shithole, but it was still better than dying.

***

PRESENT DAY

"That's right! You might be a killer, but you wouldn't kill a classmate, would you?"

Shin stared at the man in front of him. Tanabe Koto tried to appear self-assured, but he was pale and there was cold sweat on his forehead.

"We barely ever spoke with each other," Shin said dryly. "I only remember you because you were a creep. And you attacked me first, so killing you won't be hard."

If Shin felt any uneasiness about this, he shoved it away. He remembered the way Koto watched him from the side when Shin was mercilessly bullied by his classmates… That sick fascination made Shin's gut churn back then.

But Koto never actually acted on his feelings, and Shin had other problems to deal with rather than interact with that guy.

Shin turned to Tetsu, who understood his intention with a single glance. She grinned broadly and stepped into Shin's body.

'Let's do it, my friend,' she whispered gently from inside. 'Let's make this wretched man a part of something bigger.'

They began merging. As flesh and bones twisted in Shin's body, Koto's eyes grew wide. Shin thought it was impossible, but he grew even paler, and his body shook so hard that his teeth clattered.

"N-no! You b-bastard… You really are heartless! I should've known—you are just like me! It's pointless to even ask for mercy, because you have none!"

Shaking off the discomfort of merging, Shin looked down at the pathetic man. If he had any reservations about killing him earlier, now he was mostly just impatient to taste his soul.

Ignoring the man's whining, Shin reached to tear out his heart—but a familiar name stopped him in his tracks.

"If you k-kill me now, Aratanawaru's name will spread over the entire country! Everyone will be under his control, like the guys who helped me here! They will bring the police… no, the army! They will kill you!"

"What?!" Shin grabbed Koto's shoulder, piercing his flesh with his claws. "Did you just tell it to someone so they could spread it like plague?"

To Shin's even greater ire, Koto actually smirked.

"B-better. I went to a radio station. Today, in just a couple of hours, Aratanawaru's name will be heard by half the town. You can stop it, probably… If you know which station that is. But I won't tell you. Because you will kill me as soon as you find out!"

Shin's claws broke bone, and Koto cried out as his smirk turned into a grimace of pain. Furious, Shin was about to kill him there and then; but forced himself to step back.

"So that's how it is? What a pathetic attempt."