Chapter 1: 1 Buckle Up

Guilt.

That was all that the young boy felt during his suffering. The punishment for his sins.

He thought he would be free after the end but what followed only made him despair further.

...Maybe that is why he pulled that bucket over his head.

To hide his shameful existence from the world.

Lowering his eyes, he stared at his reflection in the small rain puddle through two holes in the worn plastic cover.

His short arms exposed chunks of scarred, burned flesh that were barely hidden by a pair of dirty, old bandages.

He wore a set of plain rags with many holes to hide his upper and lower body while his bare feet were coated in a crust of dried blood. The inverted grey bucket with two holes for the eyes completed the young boy’s look who looked like a creature straight out of hell.

Ironically, that’s exactly what he was.

A creature from hell.

A demon, to be precise.

However, unlike the perception of an omnipotent evil being, the current him was nothing but a pitiful soul, wandering in the deepest part of the Underworld.

After a long time, he stopped at a small village where he found this rain puddle in the middle of the road.

The buildings were made of rotten wood and dried mud while the sky was covered in a dark, poisonous fog. Truth be told, it wasn’t really the hotspot of society. Calling it ‘slum’ would be an overstatement.

The side alleys were filled with mad, vagrant demons and disgusting insects hurried over the walls. Numerous sharp, thorny vines sprouted from the ground, creating cracks over every surface.

It was a place at the end of the abyss.

A fitting place for him. Most likely, it would be his final destination.

His lips curved into a sad smile as he became lost in his thoughts. The boy didn’t even notice the sudden shift in the atmosphere.

It was vague at first but soon, the entire area was frozen in place. Every single being forcefully stopped, unable to even look at the source of the pressure that took their freedom.

That was when an otherwordly woman appeared down the street. She possessed an ethereal appearance that would make everyone lose their mind if they even dared to take a glance.

Luckily, the beauty didn’t even spare them a single thought.

There was no reason for her to waste time on such lowly beings as it was the same wherever she went. They were already beyond help.

Still, her crimson eyes flashed after spotting a dirty-looking young boy standing motionlessly in the middle of the road. His head was lowered and covered by an old bucket, hiding his expression.

‘What is this?’

The woman was annoyed but also intrigued at the same time.

At first, she thought the young boy was affected by her overwhelming aura like everyone else but that was clearly not the case.

No.

On the contrary, he didn’t even put her in his eyes!

Despite not being able to see his face, the woman felt his pitiful gaze as he looked blankly at the clear rain puddle.

It may have been a sudden whim but after a long moment of consideration, the beautiful woman raised her bittersweet voice, making the boy shiver.

“Say, little bug…what is your name?”

Turning around, he took a look at the owner of the voice that made his mind feel like being squashed by cotton.

She looked almost unreal with her impeccable looks, but the boy’s thoughts were conflicted. Yet, he opened his mouth and began to talk before even being able to think.

“...I am Milo.”

………………..

Years later, Atlas City.

Henry Oswald.

Heir of Oswald Pharmaceuticals, a giant in the medical field and business industry for generations.

After he started helping out in the company at the age of seventeen, his authority spread by storm. His innovative ideas and concepts nearly doubled their sales and influence overnight.

Coupled with the looks of a handsome young bachelor in his prime, he rose to the position of a role model and icon.

This unfathomable young man was currently staring at a grinning youth sitting in his office, causing his blank expression to turn into a distorted grimace.

“...Milo!!”

“Hello, old pal.” The youth replied, ignoring the other’s agitation.

Looking at the demon who looked like a snotty teenager fresh out of puberty, Henry shook his head and asked, “What the hell are you doing here?!”.

“Well, I just thought we could have a nice chat. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Henry didn’t buy his weird suggestion and raised an eyebrow.

“How come you’re even here? I thought you were stuck in heaven these days?”

That’s when Milo’s mouth scrunched up and let out a disgusted snort.

“Urgh, those winged bastards are simply too much. Keeping me there for what felt like an eternity! Seriously, it was pure torture! Still, I waited until the time was right and escaped.”

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“You escaped?” Henry was in doubt. Stupid Milo escaped from heaven all by himself?

“Yes, it was so easy, I’m telling you. I just walked out of the front door.” Milo pushed out his chest with pride, though, Henry knew better.

Bullshit.

The Milo he knew was generally unable to lie. His face was simply like an open book. It’s pathetic for an evil creature like him but far from a surprise considering all his other defects. Surely, this didn’t change.

But how did he escape then?

While Henrik was still thinking about a possible answer, the demon decided to get serious.

“...Anyway, I need your help.”

“That much was obvious.” Henry’s cold voice was filled with contempt. What else would he be here for?

“This time it's different, really, so could you listen, please?” Milo’s voice became softer. Seeing this, Henry shook his head, followed by a curt nod.

“Alright, but first, be so friendly and take your garbage shoes off my desk, got it?”

Surprised, Milo looked at his sloppy shoes laying casually on the desk before putting them down with an embarrassed smile.

“Right. I forgot about these mysophobic tendencies of yours.”

Henry’s face hardened. “No, that’s something everyone would be bothered about.”

“Whatever,” Milo exclaimed and began exploring the room. Meanwhile, Henry took out some disinfection spray and wipes before starting to rub them all over his desk and chair.

At this ridiculous scene, Milo almost spewed blood.

“Hey hey, I’m not even that dirty, okay? I just showered two or three days ago”

“Don’t give me that! You’re a demon of sloth, the type I despise the most. Better eliminate the germs before they settle!”

“Urghhh.”

‘This creep! Demons don’t even secrete useless bodily fluids like sweat and they don’t have any particular scent. What is his damn problem?’ Milo thought as he looked at the blonde man.

Henry Oswald wasn’t just a successful businessman. In fact, helping out in the company was merely a hobby for him. His true identity was that of a powerful druid and alchemist.

The first time they met, it was actually Henry’s fiance, a friend, who introduced both of them to each other.

Coincidentally, they hit it off from the start. Well, at least that’s what he likes to imagine had happened. Henry probably would have broken off contact long ago if not for her.

Yet, he somehow ended up helping this failure of a demon to clean up his mess.

Every. Single. Time.

After he finished cleaning the place, Henry finally sat down in his chair and looked over at Milo who observed some artistic paintings on the wall. He appeared like an impatient little child full of curiosity.

“Alright, enlighten me. What made you come here instead of going into hiding after escaping from heaven?”

Henry asked and looked at Milo who remained strangely quiet. After a while, the young demon finally made up his mind and opened his mouth.

“Do you know about the Counterpart Myth?”

Henrik pondered for a moment, crossing his legs in the process. “...I’ve heard of it before.”

“Right. As you surely know, demons are said to represent all the sinful, evil aspects of all lifeforms in the world. They are like shadows of humans and beasts but also distinctly different - generally worse. That’s why there have been stories going around for millennia about certain demons meeting humans who are perfect copies of themselves. The similarity is not only in appearance but also in thoughts, behavior, and even particular habits. Like-...”

“-they possess the same soul.” Before Milo could finish, Henry took the words out of his mouth, making the demon break out into a cold smile.

“Exactly!”

“Well, it’s a nice story. But why are you telling me this?”

Henry started to get impatient. This wasn’t like Milo’s usual antics. Normally, he would plan to do some miscellaneous evil deed or prank, fail miserably, and then come to him to cry his heart out.

Coming here to talk about urban myths was a first. That’s why he was left utterly speechless by what he heard next.

“I’m telling you this because I found mine.”

“...”

Looking at his friend’s doubtful expression, Milo waved his hand.

“I know, it’s hard to believe. After all, it was merely supposed to be an old myth. But, there is more. Due to our connection, I started getting something similar to prophetic dreams, telling me bits of my human version’s existence.”

“...Prophetic dreams?” Henry was skeptical. Could this become any more absurd? But just as he thought of this, he already regretted it when the demon opened his mouth again.

“Yes, those dreams show me vague clues about his past, present, and future, giving me one particular advantage!” Milo exclaimed enthusiastically. Caught in his momentum, Henry could only urge him to continue with twitching eyebrows.

“And what would that be?”

“Well, as you are aware, my past misdeeds and evil plans all ended up in failure. By now, even the younger demons treat me as a laughingstock. However, with the knowledge I possess now through those dreams, my next plan is almost guaranteed to succeed!”

Henry remained silent and simply waited for the other to continue. He already gave up on understanding the whole situation and decided to just go with it.

“So, Henry Oswald, you better buckle up because we are going to take him down, whatever it takes!”

Milo spoke loudly and raised his thumb. As for Henry, he was completely frozen in place.

‘Did he just say “we”?’

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