“Sigh. I got too excited there for a minute.”

Said Augustus.

He stood in his subconsciousness and wore a wry smile.

He turned back around and looked at Miko who was still chained and gagged.

“See? That’s how you handle them. You beat them with the stick and then hand them a carrot. Of course, you gotta keep the stick behind you while you treat them.”

He said.

“……..”

Miko didn’t reply, or rather, he couldn’t reply.

His mouth was still gagged after all.

“Oh. I forgot.”

Augustus snapped his fingers and the chains binding Miko disappeared, as well as his mouth gag.

“Thanks.”

“Oh, you’re thanking me for tying up and gagging you. I never knew that you were a masochist. No, when I think about the fact that you always allow yourself to get beat up, it makes sense.”

Augustus then muttered “You learn something new about yourself everyday”, with a serious expression.

“That’s not what I’m thanking you for, idiot.”

Miko didn’t get mad and spoke calmly.

“If you hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve done something truly stupid. For that I’ll like to show my gratitude.”

“……..”

Augustus looked at him in silence for a while before flicking his forehead.

“Stop that. It’s seriously creepy getting thanked by myself.”

He then began walking away.

“If you truly want to thank me, then try harder next time to not be devoured by our darkness. Every time I’m forced to come out increases the chances of me getting discovered by some troublesome people.”

Miko turned and looked as he disappeared in the distance.

“Hmph. You don’t need to tell me twice.”

He turned his back on Augustus.

“I was going to do so in the first place.”

He then resumed control of his body.

When he reopened his eyes, he and Tia was alone in the meeting room.

“Are you alright?”

She asked with some concern in her voice, while he laid down and was using her lap as a pillow.

This was natural as she believed that Miko had drawn out too much of Augustus’ power and personality, and thus destroying himself.

She still didn’t know that it was actually Augustus, himself acting just now.

This wasn’t all that odd, because Miko has displayed some of Augustus’ habits and behavior without him even realizing on numerous occasions.

There was also the fact that she once scanned Miko’s soul while reincarnating him, but didn’t find a trace of Augustus anywhere. This made her certain that he had been reset as Miko.

“Yea. Just a little light headed.”

“I’m not surprised after all the power you just released. You even fainted after stating that you had your own plans to create the empire.”

She replied.

“Did you send everyone out so that I could rest?”

Tia nodded.

“Everyone has returned to their respective worlds for the time being until you call for them again.”

“I see. They’re being quite obedient now.”

“It’s because you’ve shown them that you’re qualified to be my Proxy and lead the clan. They all act stubborn sometimes, but they still respect those with strength.”

“But they'll turn and bite me if I show my weak side to them, right?”

Tia nodded.

“Did you just feel like the burden you’re carrying increased?”

Miko shook his head.

“It’s just the same old, same old. Me against the world.”

He then shook his head.

“I guess it’s not just me anymore. I have a lot of people around me who I can rely on.”

“Am I one of those people?”

Tia asked with a smile.

“Of course. You’re my goddess after all.”

“Your goddess, huh?”

When Tia said, that Rias’ face flashed in her mind for a second.

‘If she had heard him say that, how would she react?’

She thought to herself.

‘To Augustus, she was always #1, but that’s not the case with Miko. However, that might change in the future.’

“What’s wrong?”

Miko interrupted her thoughts.

“I’m sensing melancholy from you.”

He asked.

She looked at him for a while, before lowering her head and kissing him.

Miko was surprised, but he didn’t reject her and kissed her back.

The two locked lips for a while and the sounds of them passionately kissing resounded in the room.

After a while Tia finally parted her lips from Miko’s.

She looked at him with a flushed face, before kissing him again.

This time Miko rose his body and separated his lips from hers.

He twisted his body and gently pushed her down.

He climbed on top of her and started to kiss her passionately while holding her tightly.

He then started kissing on her neck.

Tia started panting excitedly, before squeezing Miko’s body onto hers as if she wanted him to fuse with her.

“I love you.”

She whispered in his ear.

When Miko heard that, he froze.

He then parted his body from hers and looked at her.

“That was a lie just now.”

He said with a serious face.

This shocked Tia.

“I wasn’t lying!”

She quickly said.

However, Miko shook his head.

“Did you forget that we were linked? I can feel your every desire and deepest emotions. While you do “love” me, it’s not in the same way you love Augustus.”

He stood up.

“Just now, what you desired wasn’t me but my other self. Namely, Augustus.”

“…….”

Tia didn’t answer because when she kissed him earlier, she did it with the intention of stealing Augustus completely away from Rias.

Miko sensed that something wasn’t right from the start, but couldn’t go through with it in the end.

If it was someone else, he would’ve gladly taken advantage of their moment of weakness to sleep with them.

However, Tia wasn’t just anyone. She was the woman he wished to marry in the future. If he had taken advantage of her, he would feel empty rather than feeling like he accomplished anything.

“You don’t love me as myself, but as Augustus’ replacement.”

“That’s…..not true.”

Tia hesitantly replied.

“Ah, its fine. I was already prepared for at least this much.”

He smiled.

“After all, nothing comes easy for me in life. I’m used to disappointments and heartbreaks after all.”

His words, paired with the smile on his face, pierced Tia’s heart.

“I…I….”

She tried to speak, but no words came out of her mouth.

Miko lifted his hand and stopped her.

“It’s okay, really. You don’t need to force yourself. It’s not your fault. We can’t help who we love after all.”

He then turned his back on her.

“But please remember this. I, Logan Cross, Gamiko Dragna, or whatever my name is, swear to make you love me for myself and not as a proxy for Augustus.”

After he said that, he left the room with Tiamat still sitting on the ground.

She sat in silence for a while, before tears started flowing down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

She muttered while she laid on the ground and cried.

Her body, then started to turn into light.

“Please forgive me. I’m so so sorry.”

She continued to say while disappearing.

Just as she disappeared, she spoke once again.

“Forgive me, Miko.”

“……..”

After he left the room, Miko realized that his connection with Tiamat was cut.

He immediately knew that she probably cut it to prevent him from feeling her emotions.

He deemed that she was trying to be considerate in her own way.

He knew that it was only temporarily cut, so he didn’t panic.

“It’s been a long time since our connection was last cut.”

He said while having his hand on his chest.

“I thought that I would be more upset than this. But I’m feeling strangely normal.”

What he said was the truth.

Miko didn’t feel an ounce of sadness. In fact, he felt nothing at all.

“I see. It’s like the time my mother hung herself.”

He then displayed a weird smile.

“It seems I’ve died a bit inside.”

He sighed and continued to walk down the hall.

“This isn’t a good sign. I’m relapsing.”

He then sped up the pace he was walking.

“I need to hurry up and create the empire and leave this place. For good.”

Elsewhere, Ishma was in the kitchen eating sweets when she suddenly heard a plate break.

When she looked around she saw Regis stooping down on the ground holding her shoulders.

In front of her was a shattered plate and cup with coffee and cake spilled on the ground.

“Hey, you’re wasting perfectly good food!”

Ishma shouted and approached.

“?!”

That’s when she noticed that Regis was trembling like a wet puppy.

She quickly circled to her front.

“Hey, re-?!”

She was shocked to see Regis crying with a pained expression.

It was her first time seeing her like this.

“Regis, what’s wrong?!”

Ishma stooped down and grabbed Regis by the shoulders.

“S-Stop it.”

She muttered.

“Stop sending me all this sadness!”

Regis shouted and fell on the ground while clenching her chest.

“It hurts….My heart hurts so much…”

She mumbled while tears flowed down her cheeks.

“Somebody….Anybody….please help them.”

“Regis!”

Ishma shouted at her and shook her but it didn’t work.

As a being born between the bond of Tia and Miko, Regis was deeply connected to the two. Which meant that she felt their emotions.

However, when Tia cut her connection with Miko, all of her sadness flowed into Regis alone. Which meant that she was now receiving twice the amount of feelings that she would normally receive from Tia.

But, that wasn’t the only thing.

Miko didn’t know this, but he subconsciously pushed away all of his emotions, so that he wouldn’t feel depressed.

This was a habit he had since he was Logan Cross; only this time was different.

Instead of bottling it up inside his heart, he pushed all of it into Regis, who he still had an emotional connection with.

As a result, Regis was now feeling the accumulation of two persons’ sadness all at the same time.

Of course, this was too much to bare and she immediately broke down.

She laid down crying on the floor while muttering over and over again.

“Someone….Please…..help them.”

“Help them before it’s too late.”