Sophia clutched her chest and continued to breathe heavily. Her face was as pale as a ghost as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I can't do it, I just can't!"
She shoved me aside and burst out of the bar. Throughout the chaos of the bar, no one seemed to have noticed what happened. They were all too captivated by the bartender to pay any mind to us.
With a sigh, I turned around and went after Sophia. I found her in the alleyway beside the bar. She had broken down in tears on the ground. I suppose this was the part where the hero would comfort the heroine and solve all her problems for her, making her fall madly in love with him.
I had no such fantasies or any intention of doing that. A lot has changed since I became a demon. One of such things is my emotions or lack thereof. I didn't care for the weeping girl in front of me. My warm mother, my gentle father, none of them meant anything to me. They were all just tools for me to fulfill my role as a demon.
I walked over to Sophia, crying pathetically on the ground. The rain drenching her clothes and mixing with her tears. The pitter patter drowned out the sound of her crying. Her head was in her lap as she hunched over on the ground crying. She looked less like a girl and more like a discarded doll.
Seeing this, I grabbed her by her wrist and forced her to her feet.
"Aww, you're hurting me!"
[Sin Points +2. 5/20]
I shoved her up against the wall and forced her to look into my eyes.
"What are you doing?!"
"How long do you intend to continue being pathetic?"
Her eyes widened as if she couldn't believe that those words came from me.
"Please stop. Why are you saying this?"
"Do you intend to spend the rest of your life mourning your parents' death?"
"You don't understand."
"I do actually. Demons are despicable creatures. What vile things did they do to your parents while you were watching? You have experienced pain far greater than most people could fathom."
More tears began to flow down her face. This was the thing with trained helplessness. She still saw herself as that scared little girl who watched her parents die. Even now, when she had the power to fight back against me, but she was still allowing me to hold her down.
Her personality was that of a chihuahua that keeps barking to keep people away all because it's are afraid of getting hurt. She knew the world was much bigger than her and more dangerous things lurked out there so she wanted to protect herself.
This is the reason why she became the protagonist's pet leech. He was there to protect her from all the dark and twisted things in this world so she latched onto him instead of forging her own path.
In the game, the protagonist was the one who killed the demon who murdered her parents.
Sophia began to tremble as she recalled what happened that night. Even if she didn't want to reveal this pathetic part of herself, the scars left behind were too deep; it was impossible to hide her pain.
"I can't do it! I'm not brave enough to protect anyone. That night, my mother and I hid inside the closet. When she heard my father's screams, she couldn't take it anymore and ran out. She was brave and…"
"Your mother was a fool."
[Sin Points +2. 7/20]
"No, stop, you're wrong!"
This time she actually tried to fight back. She swung the hand that wasn't restrained, but I easily restrained her.
She stared at me with piercing eyes that held nothing but darkness.
"No, you're wrong!"
"Am I? I hear you crying in your room at night. Even the many times you woke up screaming because you had a nightmare. And I'm not the only one. My parents hear you too, and yet they do nothing. All they can do is feel pity for the girl who was unfortunate enough to lose her parents. That's all anyone can do, feel pity for the girl who was unfortunate enough to lose her parents in such a tragic way."
Our eyes met; it was like we were being sucked into each other. My darkness was slowly consuming hers. People who held darkness within them were naturally attracted to one another. It was inevitable, even if she didn't want to, she couldn't stop herself from feeling drawn to me.
[Charm: F]
She knew that I was the only one who understood. I watched her breath stop as she forgot to breathe.
"But I don't have the strength," she said, turning away her head as if to escape my gaze, but I grabbed her chin and forced her to look at me.
"Yes, you do. You're not the girl who has to hide in the closet because she is too weak anymore. The demon who ruined your life is inside that bar, living his life as if nothing happened. As long as he's still alive, you'll never find peace. You will forever be tormented for as long as you live."
"I… But…"
I observed her as she stammered over her words. No matter how I tried to force her; her fear was too deeply rooted. She needed a guiding hand to show her the way.
I had already broken her spirit and dug up the darkness that haunted her. Now it was time for me to offer her a helping hand.
[Sin Points +4. 11/20]
"I'll help you," I said before she could get the words out.
"Y-You will? You would do that for me? Even though it is dangerous and you could be killed?"
"Didn't I tell you? You're no longer alone. You're no longer the scared little girl who is forced to hide in the closet alone. You have me by your side."
I reached and wiped the tears from her eyes. At that moment, she looked at me as if I was a different person and slowly nodded her head as if in a trance.
Revealing myself like that was risky. Her image of me had changed. I was no longer the meek, annoying little brother who seemed to never leave her alone.
I slowly released my hold on her and took a step back. When I stepped away she finally let out a shaky breath.
"The bar should be closing soon; we will wait until then to ambush him." I said.
"How do you know?" She asked as she adjusted her dress which had rode up a bit.
"I saw the closing time when I entered the bar." I explained.
I then picked up the umbrella which I dropped and held it over both of our heads. Both of us were drenched by the rain.
"Thanks," she whispered softly.
The two of us stood under the umbrella for quite some time. For some reason, it didn't feel awkward. Sophia shot me a few glances every once in a while, but every time I looked back, she quickly averted her eyes.
Soon, the person we were waiting for exited the bar, ready to go home for the day.
"It's time."