Issei and Mephisto were walking through the quiet alleyways of Kuoh City. Day was slowly giving way to night, and the city was beginning to come alive under the glow of neon lights. Mephisto walked beside Issei, calm and unbothered, but Issei was clearly not at ease. The echo of their last confrontation still rang in his mind.
"Wait!" Issei turned to him. "You… you knew everything! About the devils, about Rias… about all of them!" His voice was agitated, bordering on upset. "So why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you say anything?"
Mephisto looked at him, as if sizing him up. "Issei, your problem is that you're too focused on what's happening around you. If you want the truth, you need to be ready to accept that your world is just a small part of a much bigger picture."
"So… what are you really? You're not a devil? Are you a fallen angel or something?" Issei couldn't hide his frustration from Mephisto's ever-calm tone.
Mephisto merely smiled slightly, but his eyes remained cold. "No, I'm not a devil. And I'm not a fallen angel either. I'm… something else. Something that can teach you to see the world from a different angle."
Issei froze as Mephisto looked at him. There was something ancient and unexplainable in his eyes. Something that stirred even more confusion inside Issei.
"So you think you understand it all?" Mephisto asked, his voice carrying a quiet challenge. "But how can you understand what you don't even know? How can you see what lies beneath the surface when you're still trapped inside these tiny borders?"
Issei was angry, but that anger faded under the weight of his mixed feelings. Something about Mephisto's calmness told him this man knew more than he should.
"What are you trying to say?" Issei finally asked.
Mephisto looked at him, and his answer came quietly. "That you're just beginning to understand what this all means. And yes, your journey hasn't even truly started. As for Rias and the others… they each have their own fate. And now, you're a part of it."
Issei didn't reply. Instead, he kept walking, trying to make sense of what he had just heard. Mephisto had his reasons for knowing all this. And Issei had a feeling he'd find out more soon. But for now, something else was occupying his thoughts.
Shortly after, they arrived at a park where Issei was supposed to meet someone he'd never seen before. Before he could get too lost in thought, he noticed a girl with a suitcase, dressed in a nun's habit. She had blonde hair, vulnerable eyes, and a quiet, thoughtful expression. And yet, something about her caught his attention. There was a fragility in her that stirred something protective within him.
"Who's that?" Issei asked when he noticed her.
"That's Asia," Mephisto replied, though his tone didn't suggest the need for explanation. "It's no coincidence she's here."
Issei frowned. "Why are you talking like you know her?"
Mephisto only looked at him, not answering directly. Instead, he walked toward where the girl was sitting.
"Hi," Mephisto said with a gentle smile as he approached the bench. "Are you lost?"
Asia turned her head and looked at him with a soft but kind gaze. Her first words were calm and quiet.
"Yes. My name is Asia Argento. I'm looking for the church here. Could you help me?"
"My name is Mephistopheles Darkess. Just call me Mephisto," he replied. "And this is Issei..." He motioned toward him, and Issei stepped forward.
"Hi…"
"Hello…" she said simply, her eyes drifting over to him.
"Would you like us to show you the way?" I asked her, to which she nodded.
"Yes, I'd appreciate that."
And so we set off, walking Asia to her destination. The walk reminded me of old memories—of watching the anime for the first time. I really miss those times, even though I know I can't go back. The more I think about it, the more I realize I probably shouldn't. Rachel once told me that looking back could disrupt the very balance of my world.
My old world… it was like a seed. A seed from which the laws that shaped other worlds grew. But in that seed, there was no predetermined fate. It wasn't a world meant to dictate what would happen—just a foundation that allowed everything else to exist.
And now… I'm no longer human. My essence has changed. I've become something that no longer belongs in that world. It was an ordinary world, where I had a place when I was still just human. But now, it's only an empty shell. It was a world where fate wasn't the defining force—where everyone chose their own path.
I no longer belong there. I'm not just an observer anymore. I'm part of something much bigger. I'm a being no longer bound by the laws of the ordinary world. A world that doesn't evolve… isn't meant for me. I have to find a new reason to exist—a new meaning in this new life. I'm now part of something not tied to the past. That's why I must find my path in this new world—where I can shape fate, where I can truly exist.
It all hit me as we walked. The path wasn't long, but everything that happened along it was identical to the anime. That's probably why the memories came flooding back... After parting ways with Asia, we headed to the club.
As for what happens next—I already had a clear idea of what was coming. But for Issei and Asia, it was only the beginning.
At that moment, Issei still had no idea how important that encounter would be for his future… or how deeply their paths would become entwined.