In the endless ocean of the subconscious, the first person Sosei found was Tomoe Takamatsu.
Of course it was her. She was the only demon-hunting girl who hadn't completely severed ties with Sosei. Stepping into the dreamscape, Sosei reined in the dark mist swirling around them, barely managing to shape their original form before appearing in front of Tomoe.
"…Sosei?"
"That's me, little Tomoe."
Thanks to Hatsuha's power, Tomoe and the others were lucid in their dreamworlds. But when she saw Sosei, Tomoe figured this was just a figment of her dream. After all, the real Sosei had betrayed them. Why the hell would they show up now? The thought hit her hard, and Tomoe's head dipped, her expression crumbling.
But Sosei grabbed her hand with purpose, voice steady. "Listen up, Tomoe."
Tomoe's eyes widened, caught off guard, as Sosei pressed on. "The 'Sorrow' that dragged you all into this dream? It's gone. I'm here to get you out."
"I'm waiting for Nero to come back. I can't leave."
Tomoe's reply was blunt, her brain still catching up to Sosei's words.
It clicked for Sosei in that moment—why Tomoe, Aine, and the others were all stuck in these dreams. But that didn't change the mission. Sosei crouched down, locking eyes with the downcast Tomoe, and said, "Please, Tomoe. Without 'Sorrow,' you guys staying here won't bring Nero back. Come with me. We'll find the others and figure this out together."
Their voice was raw, sincere, and it hit Tomoe deep. But something felt… off. Like she shouldn't just say yes.
A beat later, she snapped out of it, her voice sharp. "Is it really you, Sosei?"
Sosei didn't hesitate. "Yeah, it's me."
"Then why'd you do it?" Tomoe shot back.
Sosei sighed inwardly. Knew this was coming. They'd prepared for this, though. Whatever Tomoe threw at them—questions, curses, or even a fist—they'd take it. It was their screw-up, after all.
"I'm sorry," Sosei said, bowing their head low. "I'm so damn sorry for everything. But there's something you need to know."
Lifting their gaze to meet Tomoe's confused stare, Sosei continued, "Little Ace tricked me. Hell, it tricked all of us."
"Huh?"
"I know, sounds crazy, right? But trust me—Ace fed me a line about saving Shoko and the others if I did what it said. It was all a lie."
Tomoe's mouth hung open slightly, her eyes blinking like she couldn't process it.
"Please, Tomoe," Sosei said, voice heavy with conviction. "Ace is just using us to get what it wants. I'm the only one who can get everyone out of this dream. Come with me!"
Tomoe stood there, mouth still half-open, stunned for a few seconds. Then she shook her head slowly. "Sorry, Sosei."
She pulled her hand free from Sosei's grip. "I can't buy what you're saying."
The rejection hit like a gut punch. Sosei's world spun, and they nearly collapsed right there. But they held it together, stumbling back a couple steps, hand to their forehead. They weren't giving up. "I'm sorry for putting you on the spot like that," they said, forcing a breath—though their current form didn't even need to breathe. "But it's cool. I'll talk to the others first. If they believe me, will you at least trust them?"
Tomoe glanced at the notebook clutched in her hand, then gave a slow, hesitant nod.
"Thanks."
Dark demonic energy coiled around Sosei, their figure melting into the dreamscape as they followed a thread tied to Tomoe, leading them to the next person.
---
"Whoa, hold up."
After listening to Sosei's explanation—barely keeping her temper in check—Rikishi let out a sharp, "You trying to play the victim here?"
Her words were laced with venom, but Sosei caught a spark of relief. Rikishi, the coldest of the crew, actually believed them. "No, that's not it," Sosei said, a faint smile breaking through. "But Rikishi, thanks for hearing me out."
Rikishi crossed her arms, her glare icy. "Don't get it twisted. I don't trust you. Mutsu and Kairin said something similar, so yeah, Ace being shady checks out. But what's that got to do with you?"
Sosei leaned in, urgency creeping into their voice. "Rikishi, we've gotta band together. It's the only way to take on—"
"Nope. Hard pass."
Rikishi cut them off, her patience gone. "You say you were tricked, but does that give you a free pass to screw over your friends? Nero's been busting her ass for us this whole time, and you didn't feel anything?"
Sosei's outstretched hand froze mid-air.
"I'm waiting for Nero," Rikishi said, turning away. "She's worth trusting. You? Not so much."
With that, Rikishi shut them out, leaving Sosei no choice but to move on to the third person.
---
The toughest nut to crack. The one whose opinion swayed everyone else: Aine.
She was tightest with Nero, which meant she was hurt the deepest. Facing her now scared Sosei more than any demon ever could. But Tomoe and Rikishi had already shot them down. If Sosei could convince Aine, maybe—just maybe—the others would come around.
In a dreamscape mimicking a European church school, Sosei found her.
Aine's eyes widened at the sight of them, a mix of shock, hesitation, and defiance flickering across her face. But as Sosei lowered their stance, apologizing over and over, begging for a chance, Aine didn't kick them out. Instead, she decided to hear them out.
"Thanks for not shutting me down," Sosei said, exhaling in relief.
"I'm sorry for what I did. I know it hurt you bad, Aine. You've got every right not to forgive me, but please, just hear me out."
Sosei's voice was steady but raw. "I messed up big time, and I'm not here to make excuses. I did what I did because Ace played me. And not just me—it played you, Tomoe, all of us."
"Is that so?" Aine's tone was flat, unsurprised. She already suspected Sosei hadn't acted out of malice. There weren't many who could've manipulated her like that, and Ace was definitely one of them.
Sosei, thinking Aine doubted them, rushed on. "I'm telling the truth, I swear! You've gotta believe me!"
"I believe you," Aine said. Then, with a tilt of her head, "So what?"
Sosei faltered. "So… I need you to come with me. I'll take you to Tomoe and Rikishi, and we can figure out how to deal with this mess together."
Aine's response was exactly what Sosei feared. "I'm staying here. I'm waiting for her."
"But no one's coming to—"
Aine shook her head, cutting Sosei off mid-sentence. Their words choked in their throat.
Her gaze, unreadable yet piercing, locked onto Sosei. "I said I'm waiting for her."
To Sosei, it was clear—Aine wasn't ready to forgive them.
Desperate, Sosei grabbed Aine's hand, dropping to their knees, voice breaking as they pleaded, "Please!"