To Tempt A Saint

The cavern was dimly lit, the flickering candlelight casting long shadows against the towering Buddha statue. Dust clung to the air, disturbed only by the shallow rise and fall of breath.

Honu stood across from Nine, arms tucked into his robes, expression unreadable.

"Why me?" Nine's voice was edged with restrained frustration.

Honu, ever the infuriating monk, merely exhaled. "I don't know."

Nine's jaw clenched. "You never know."

All the important questions—the ones that determined life and death, fate and survival—were always met with Honu's maddeningly vague answers.

"So, you're saying I can control this Lust, huh?" Nine's voice turned sharp, laced with bitterness. "Then tell me, monk. Since you hinted that my 'desire' was her…" His grip on his sword tightened. "You mean to say I should use her?"

Honu met his gaze without flinching.

And then, without hesitation—

He nodded.

Nine barked out a sharp laugh, one filled with incredulity and anger. "Bullshit." His voice echoed through the cavern. He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. "No matter how I look at it, there's nothing in this for me. This isn't power—it's a straight path to destruction."

Honu remained impassive. "The essence has already chosen." His voice was calm, as if he were discussing the weather. "I am only the messenger."

Nine's fists clenched at his sides. "The problem is her. She has nothing to do with any of this." His voice dropped, heavy with something unreadable. "I wanted to create a better world for her—not for her to be dragged into this mess just so the world could be 'better.'"

Honu clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "Gah. What the heck, man? Are all men in love like you?"

Nine didn't respond. Not with words.

Instead, he raised his fist and punched Honu square in the face.

The impact sent the monk staggering back, but before he could recover, Nine grabbed his bald head and slammed it downward.

Honu reacted immediately, striking for Nine's throat—his fingers like iron, aiming for the soft vulnerability of his Adam's apple.

Nine's reflexes kicked in, catching the attack just in time. They crashed to the ground, rolling violently, fists swinging wildly.

The ancient Buddha statue stood in solemn silence, an indifferent witness to their childish brawl.

"You shithead, you think I haven't noticed?" Nine snarled, elbowing Honu in the ribs. "You've been tricking me—acting like I'm some damn chosen one!"

Honu gritted his teeth, his muscles tensing as he absorbed the hit. Then, using the force of Nine's own attack, he drove his knee up, aiming for Nine's jaw.

Nine tilted his head at the last second, lessening the impact, but the force still sent a sharp jolt through his skull.

"Then don't believe me!" Honu snapped. And then, with a voice filled with absolute certainty, he spat, "Your lover will die."

Nine froze.

And in that moment of hesitation—

Honu's fist slammed into his face.

Nine barely reacted. His mind wasn't in the fight anymore.

It was elsewhere.

The words sank deep, as if they had reached something inside him that not even he had fully acknowledged.

Honu rubbed his knuckles, wincing. "Damn. Your bones are way too hard."

Nine's breath was ragged. He clutched his hair, fingers tightening. "Fuck." The word came out as a low, guttural curse. His mind reeled.

Too much. It was too much.

And the worst part?

It was all bound to happen.

He had barely stepped onto the battlefield, yet he already felt devastated.

Aya.

She was everything. His anchor, his reason for returning. He had spent his whole life as a rogue, a shadow in the dark, but with her, he had found something close to peace.

And now, this?

She was going to be dragged into this?

What the hell did Lucifer want?

Why them?

What was happening?

"Aya," he muttered. His heart pounded. He had to see her.

Nine turned abruptly. He didn't say another word. He simply ran.

Honu blinked before scrambling after him. "Oi! Where the hell are you going?"

No response.

Nine leapt forward, his movements fueled by raw urgency. Honu followed close behind, his expression unreadable.

"So her name's Aya?" he murmured, mostly to himself.

Still, Nine didn't answer.

The distant battlefield was already erupting into chaos. Shouts rang through the air, metal clashing against metal. Shadows moved between the trees, tracking them.

Nine ignored them all.

Then—

BOOM!

An explosion shattered the air. The force sent shockwaves through the ground, followed by a chain of smaller detonations.

Nine barely flinched. He dodged the blast effortlessly, his focus unshaken.

Honu, however, hesitated for a split second before sighing and following suit.

"Would it kill you to acknowledge the explosions?"

Nine didn't respond.

Honu opened his mouth to speak again—

And then, without warning—

A sharp thunk.

Something struck Nine.

His body was violently thrown back, crashing into a thick tree trunk. The impact shattered the bark, splinters flying as he slumped to the ground.

For a moment, he didn't move.

Blood dripped down his arm. An arrow had embedded itself deep into his flesh.

Honu's face twisted in horror. "YOW! YOU CAN'T DIE, MAN!" He rushed forward—then stopped.

Because something was wrong.

The air around Nine had changed.

A presence unfurled, dark and suffocating.

Slowly, Nine's head lifted. His bloodshot eyes gleamed under the flickering light, and a slow, almost unhinged grin stretched across his face.

"I…" His voice was a low rasp.

His fingers wrapped around the arrow, yanking it out without hesitation. Blood splattered onto the ground.

"…am pissed."

He pulled himself up effortlessly, his body moving with a slow, deliberate grace. His sword dragged against the ground as he took a step forward.

The shadows in the trees hesitated.

Even they felt it.

The shift.

The change.

Honu swallowed, watching the scene unfold. His voice was barely a whisper when he spoke.

"You've made up your mind?"

Nine turned his head slightly, his grin widening.

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

His grip on his sword tightened. The blade gleamed as he flexed it at his side, eyes locking onto the enemies that lurked in the trees.

Then, in a single bound, he leapt.

Steel met steel. The battlefield erupted once more.

Honu sighed, rubbing his temples. "I will pray for your soul," he muttered, clasping his hands together before launching himself into the fight.

A battlefield where everyone was an opponent.

Where morals meant nothing.

Where survival was a gamble.

It was pure madness.

It was nonsensical.

But that was the nature of war.

Humans—

The most terrifying beings of all.

Creatures of contrast. Of paradoxes.

And yet, within that contradiction—

Lay the potential for something far greater.

And in the heart of the battlefield, where chaos reigned supreme—

Nine would carve his path.

With his will.

With his choice.

With her.