The former heroine lay half-naked, still clinging tightly to her savior, holding on to him as if he were the last bastion of sanity in a world that had consumed her for years. The city wielded a corrupting power, and that false elixir had worked as a perverse placebo, dulling not only her pain but also the memories of what had once been worse—without her realizing it until that very moment, and at a devastating cost: her own dignity and control.

  She could no longer remember how many times she had taken refuge in it, how many times she had stained her pride as a heroine by suppressing the past and the memory of her friends with that bitter liquid.

  Devyus, with a gentleness that clashed brutally with the recent violence, carefully freed himself from her grasp and turned to face her, never losing his composure despite the girl's nearly naked state. His gaze remained fixed on her eyes—respectful, restrained.

  He extended one hand toward the wall in front of them, where something emerged from the shadows—something he handed to Himika with an almost religious solemnity. To the dancer's surprise, it was the same bright, sunny yellow dress she had previously refused to wear.

  "I hope you don't mind," Devyus said, offering her the garment. "Before we left, I took it without really thinking and kept it. I thought it might… make you look even better than you already did in the clothes you chose." He gave a faint smile and began to turn away, keeping watch on the alley entrance. "Don't worry. I won't look."

  Still covering her chest with one arm, she took the dress with her free hand. A short laugh—filled with disbelief and a touch of relief—escaped her lips. Devyus, his back still turned, did his best not to look.

  Curiosity gnawed at him—he was an incubus, after all, and his most basic nature demanded that he turn around and admire the young woman's naked body—but he crushed those instincts with a determination he didn't even know he possessed. This time, he didn't bleed. This time, he only felt the need to protect.

  "I'm sorry," she murmured once more behind him as she changed quickly, trusting his word without hesitation. "I truly am. I've been cruel to you. This world… it consumed me. I took refuge in that liquid without realizing it was consuming something more than my health." Her voice trembled slightly. "I want to believe I've found something that vice falsely gave me—now that I've met you."

  "Hope," Devyus finished for her, remembering their earlier conversation under the moonlight.

  "Yes," the former heroine replied, adjusting the dress. "Though also… safety, and…" She couldn't finish the sentence. A deep blush flooded her cheeks, and she fell silent, swallowing a single word her heart was screaming for her to say.

  "What?" the incubus asked innocently, unaware of the color blooming on her face.

  "Maybe I'll tell you later." She silenced her heart along with that word. "I'm ready! I'm done."

  Devyus turned around.

  And there, amid the garbage and decay of the alley, stood Himika Toshi, wrapped in a yellow dress that seemed to capture all the gray light of Daten City and return it as a golden glow.

  He hadn't been wrong. That simple garment made her look divine. The design—simple yet elegant—highlighted her figure and the innocence that city had stolen from her. The color contrasted beautifully and tragically with her purple skin.

  "You look good," Devyus said, lowering his gaze to the ground, suddenly embarrassed by the intensity of his own thoughts.

  "You really think so?" Mina asked, rubbing one arm nervously. "This is… completely new territory for me."

  Since she was very young, she had read countless romance novels, and in the innocence of her youth, she had dreamed of the day someone might see beyond her color. She had never imagined that magical moment would come in an alley, after a fight, wearing the very clothes she had rejected out of fear.

  They looked at each other tenderly, just like on that rooftop. Himika once again adjusted her hair so he could clearly see her amethyst eyes—and vice versa. They drew closer and closer, and to no one's surprise, it was he who took the initiative, gently holding her by the shoulders with a softness that contrasted sharply with what he was capable of.

  The harsh sound of a police patrol speeding toward them snapped them out of their trance. The vehicle stopped abruptly, and two figures stepped out, wearing opaque helmets and tactical uniforms. Fully conscious now, Himika froze in horror at the sight of them, all color draining from her face.

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  "We have to go," she whispered, urgently pulling Devyus by the arm toward the alley entrance. "Now!"

  But the former lord, still confused, didn't move. He didn't know what the girl's history with the so-called "forces of order" was, but the aura of pure terror radiating from her—and his brief time in the city—gave him a clue.

  "Stay where you are!" the male officer barked, aiming his weapon at them as his partner did the same.

  "Easy, officers," the demon said calmly, raising his hands, though his body was tense as a coiled spring. "There's been a misunderstanding."

  "You have violated the rules. Violence is prohibited," the woman declared, approaching Devyus with measured steps. "We will proceed to scan you to verify your biometric data and establish your current status. Do not attempt anything."

  "Oh, no," Himika thought, paralyzed. That was exactly what she wanted to avoid. If they scanned her, her identity as a former heroine would surface—and she would end up in a cell, or worse.

  The officer stepped closer to her and roughly turned her around, slamming her against the wall.

  "Relax, doll," he said mockingly through the helmet. "If you behave nicely with me, I might be gentle—assuming your test comes out clean. So you'd better cooperate."

  Suddenly, the officer froze at the sensation of touch. His partner had placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

  "What is it?" he snapped irritably, loosening his grip on the girl, who remained pressed against the wall, utterly terrified. "Did you finish checking the guy?"

  The female officer gestured that, with the helmet on, she couldn't hear him properly. Annoyed, he removed his helmet. She did the same.

  "I asked if you had alrea—" he began, but never finished.

  Taking advantage of the distraction, the demon moved with supernatural speed. A dry, precise strike to the base of the officer's skull knocked him unconscious instantly, his body collapsing like a sack of potatoes.

  Himika was horrified.

  "What did you do?!" she shouted at the former lord, eyes wide with shock.

  "Apparently, I enforced the law of this city," Devyus replied with terrifying calm. "And taught a lesson in basic manners, it seems." His gaze turned icy as he recalled how the officer had touched Himika.

  He gave the purple-skinned girl a brief, reassuring smile before turning to the female officer, who watched the scene without reacting.

  "Wait here," he ordered Himika, then addressed the woman. "Excuse me, officer. Would you be so kind as to help me put the trash where it belongs?" Devyus asked, his voice taking on a strangely musical, persuasive tone.

  "Of course, sir," the officer replied immediately, her voice flat and empty, as if in a trance.

  Mina noticed something strange in the woman's eyes: they were glassy, her pupils unnaturally contracted. She was almost certain she saw a faint pink glow—and that her pupils had taken on a strange, heart-shaped pattern. The scene felt surreal.

  Together, the incubus and the officer loaded the unconscious man into the back of the patrol car. Devyus leaned in and whispered something into the woman's ear—too softly for Mika to hear—then handed her something small and gleaming, something like a fragment of polished obsidian that seemed to absorb what little light remained.

  The officer nodded, put her helmet back on, climbed into the patrol car, and drove off with unsettling normalcy, as if nothing unusual had occurred.

  "Let's get out of here before more pseudo-protectors arrive," the demon said, taking Mika's hand. She followed him, staring at him with a mix of awe, gratitude, and a completely new kind of fear.

  "Who are you, Devyus?" the former heroine asked, her voice trembling as they ran through the street, leaving the alley behind.

  He only smiled—a smile that didn't quite reach his amethyst eyes, yet carried a spark of genuine warmth.

  "You said it yourself," he replied, squeezing her hand gently, with a strength that conveyed almost divine reassurance. "I am hope."

  And for the first time, Himika Toshi felt that those words might actually be true.

  ? 2025 D.S.V.

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