"PLEAAAASE! I DON’T WANNA DIE! NOT LIKE THIS! FATHER SAID THIS WAS THE ONLY WAY! PLEASE SPARE ME!"

There was a forgotten story – a forgotten individual amidst all the chaos caused by Fulgardt and Actuass. He was buried under their schemes, his resolve, intentions, and will ignored.

...Until now.

Rias was the second son of Rearren and Milissa EverSword, the heads of one of the six prestigious Houses of Pelian. Easily leagues beyond his older brother, Reon, in terms of talent, he inherited the ambitions of his father, or rather, he became their vessel. In truth, Rearren hadn’t really cared that his oldest son had decided to leave the family and join the Ideal Ark, a Guild in Inhone City, to masquerade as some hero.

No. As long as he had Rias, all was well. Rias spent all the necessary years in isolation, enduring the strict regimen required for one to bring out the full potential of the Imagining technique. Rias remained faithful, loyal, and duty-bound. Rearren trusted him with his plans and his secrets – his alliance with Actuass and the Green Neolists. He must have seen Rias the way Rias saw Aimon – as a tool.

But Rias did have a will. He simply chose not to reveal it in front of his father. Over time, he grew to believe that he was wholly committed to his father and his ambitions. He wouldn’t have known if he’d even wanted the same thing now.

He rejected the angst and sorrow he felt when Reon left. He committed to a character that didn’t care. Why should he choose to be a normal younger brother and hate Reon for leaving him behind?

Rias rejected the sickening feeling that always plagued him whenever he was in the presence of Actuass. He bore it for his father’s sake, pretending that he too respected Actuass and his power. Why should he admit to being normal and be disgusted by the presence of Undeath like any other living being?

In the end, if Actuass fulfilled his father’s ambitions, that was all that mattered, right? If the EverSword family became the first mortal collection since Fulgardt to leave Aigas for the stars...

Wouldn’t that be valor beyond things as insignificant as pride, dignity, and happiness?

...But that hadn’t happened. Actuass had died.

Of course, there was a backup plan, but Rearren hadn’t shared what it meant for his son; he’d failed to explain that in the end, Rias was a sacrifice, and that there was a great risk to becoming a conduit for Actuass’ backup plan. It was a risk Rearren was willing to take, though.

The book Actuass left behind was a false promise. Rearren must have imagined it simply gave Actuass a second chance at life inside Rias’ body, should things go awry while keeping Rias intact. Well, a part of him must have hoped for it.

(A/N: Refer to Ch.1106.)

What was born from the book was a new being that was neither Rias nor Actuass. It didn’t really have a name. Perhaps that was why it continued to wear a mask to obscure its face.

"PLEASE! I DON’T WANNA DIE LIKE THIS! DON’T KILL ME! SPARE ME! SPARE...ME!"

Rearren and Milissa, Rias’ parents, had perished alongside Cyne and Fulina, Actuass’ most loyal partners. They had all been used as vessels to project Rias into Divinity by Fulgardt. At the time, Rias couldn’t have cared. He was not himself.

Now that Vali had extracted him using Aimon, everything that had happened raced into his consciousness and made him realize how miserable his life was. It was no better than his assured death. His Broader Existence wouldn’t last much longer.

"What exactly did you do?" Kintar asked Vali. She couldn’t help keeping the ugly look on her face as she watched Suzamete hover over Rias.

"I was able to find the core of Rias’ Imagining technique and wrestle him for control over it. His technique and mine are one and the same," explained Vali. "Instead of trying to summon something new with his technique conduit, though, I figured bringing to the surface something that already existed would be easier, given the limited time I had to control it each time. I didn’t really know if it would work, and there were probably a lot of factors that helped but, here we are."

Vali had wanted to pay Rias back for the way her battle with him went during the Premium Age Royale, but as the previously elapsed battle went on, she quickly realized it wasn’t the same person. Suddenly, instead of trying to resolve her grudge with hostility, she chose a kinder option. It wasn’t because she was a good person, though.

She frowned, and Rias’ breathing quickened. Tears were falling from his eyes, and he was slobbering all over his face. His expression was haunting. Was this what it looked like when a powerful Divine being was passing on?

Pherdanta squinted to get a good last look at Rias while he was still breathing. Her expression was unreadable.

Grim would have loved to mock Rias for being the one to succumb to impermanence in the end, despite calling himself a true student of death, but he thought it would feel distasteful now. Besides, he imagined Yuyui wouldn’t approve of that. He turned to watch her as she worked on Elita and Aurolio.

Savast had a series of complex emotions as he regarded Rias. He kept glancing at Kintar.

"Cooled off yet?" Baddan said to him. When Savast didn’t answer, he continued. "I bet Grim gave you a little lesson in emotions. It’s quite complex, living on this side. I think Kintar will be flattered to hear that you went crazy on her behalf."

Savast merely clicked his tongue in annoyance. Baddan thought even that was distinctly Kintar-like.

Kenno and the Apostles didn’t have anything to say. Kenno sighed. He considered his own mortality, which had almost been fulfilled a few minutes ago.

Suzamete appreciated that the Unlimited Stars observed silence in Rias’ last moments.

<It’s okay...> she told the boy as his breath grew weaker and weaker. He continued crying to be spared, even though he himself must have known he was beyond saving.

Suzamete felt pity for him and perhaps even more for herself.

She had known that Actuass would perish at the hands of Skullius long before it happened, and that what came after would be nothing of her son. Yet still...

Rias was a product of her insistence on being a Deity rather than a mother. If she’d taken responsibility for Actuass the instant he reincarnated on Aigas, sure, she might have missed the opportunity to remedy some of the problems that would rise in the future, but she would nipped a lot of chaos in the bud as well. Rias might not have suffered such a tragic fate.

<Would he hate me if he knew?> Suzamete wondered as Rias’ eyes began drooping, losing the color and glow within them.

She could sense his dying wishes floating behind those eyes. She held his hand tight.

<Tell me. Say it.>

Rias struggled to open his lips. When he finally managed, he said the words.

"I...I wish Reon had taken me with him."