Cooled Passions Chapter 80: The One Who Sees Through Deception

Chapter 80: The One Who Sees Through Deception

“Oh?” She spoke slowly, voice heavy, “You want to make a deal with me? When someone offers such a thing, they usually have something the other party wants. What do you know of my desires, hmm?”

The mysterious man smiled knowingly, a crooked grin that was almost unfair on his features. She was used to dealing with beautiful people, but they were almost all women. This was the first time she had ever seen a man like him, one who seemed to be crafted rather than naturally born.

“You are a powerful and important woman, Lady Satori.” He spoke, tone leading, “I would not dare waste your time with offering something of low importance to you, especially considering what I wish in return. No, what I am offering you is the answer to your two deepest desires.”

She bristled at the arrogance, “Who are you to speak about my deepest desires? Such arrogance is dangerous.”

“This arrogance is deserved, for I know without a doubt I am correct.” He responded, not seeming at all worried about her threatening words. He extended a hand, palm facing up, “I offer you your most closely held wishes. The ability to control your power, to only read the minds of those you wish to do so.”

Her breath caught in her throat, before he continued, extending the other hand, “Additionally, I offer the ability to grant sight back to your sister’s third eye, as well as granting her the same control over her power.”

Her heart started hammering in her ears. The confidence, the surety with which he spoke… She found herself wishing to believe his words, despite how horrifically impossible they seemed. She desperately, desperately wanted them to be truthful, something that she had completely discarded appearing before her suddenly like this was incredibly disorienting.

She wanted to believe him. But she could not. Not without proof.

“You lie.” She spoke, voice wavering despite herself, “Such a thing is not possible.”

“You are correct. It is truly impossible. Or at least, difficult or rare enough to make no difference.” He held up a finger, his other hand being pulled back to rest behind his back, “At least, it is in this world.”

As he finished his sentence, inhuman features faded into existence on his form. Behind his back, spread out majestically, were six bat-like wings. On his head, fearsome curved horns pointed towards the roof. Swaying behind him, drawing her eyes to the motion, was a thin tail with a spaded tip.

“You are not a Yokai.” She accused, although the statement felt pretty redundant at this point.

“I am not, no.” He shook his head, unperturbed, “I am a Devil.”

She felt as if she was floundering, unsure about what to do. In truth, although she was sat upon a throne, she was rather inexperienced when it came to diplomacy and discussion. Her position was more a matter of circumstance more than anything she was particularly suited for. Normally, this would not be an issue due to her power, but the Devil in front of her was completely immune to it.

The silence of his mind revealed just how much she had been relying on her curse as a crutch. Still, she would not beg him to relax his shield from her third eye, if he even could do such a thing. After all, she had her own pride.

“Well then, if I accept your words as fact, what could you want in return for such ‘generous’ gifts?” She hid her apprehension, straightening her back and projecting herself as strong and confident.

His hand moved, a single finger extended unerringly in her direction.

“You.” Before she could process that absurd statement, he continued, “I travelled all this way not for riches, not for glory, but for you and whoever you wish to bring with you. Your powers are called a curse, hated and feared by all. However, they are special, unique and powerful. Rather than fear you, I wish to bring you up to your full potential, to bring you with me as I aim to stand at the top of it all.”

Ah, she understood now. He was insane. She was far from the most powerful person in Gensokyo, if that what he was after. From that perspective, his choice of approaching her was foolish in the extreme. She could read minds, it’s true, but as his own obscured thoughts proved, such a thing was far more limited than it might appear.

The fact that his words and baseless compliments caused a heat to rise to her cheeks and her heart to beat faster was irrelevant.

“Bold words and even bolder promises. However, they ring hollow.” She spoke, pointing to the one flaw in his whole speech, “You say you do not fear my power, yet you only feel confident in doing so due to them not working on you. I fail to find that convincing.”

This was the most simple form of attack she could use to get rid of the addled man. Either he refused to indulge her implicit request, in which case she could dismiss him for lying, or he accepted and she could prove that he was being dishonest with his own thoughts.

“I stopped you from seeing into my mind not for my own sake, but for yours.” His smile took on a victorious edge, “If you truly wish to peer into my depths, however, be my guest.”

She was in the process of calling him out for the evasion he had led with when the walls that surrounded his thoughts came crashing down without warning, immersing her in his consciousness with a suddenness that left her reeling. She was swept away by the tide of his thoughts and memories, the immersion deeper than she typically allowed for, having not been controlling her power as such as she usually did.

She soon regained control, her third eye focusing its sight and peering through his deceptions, perceiving the truth of his words.

He did want her, but not quite in the way he had explained. Rather than shame, it seemed like politeness is what stopped him from revealing that his desires were far more carnal in nature. He did want her for her power and the aid she could provide him for his goals, but more than that, he desired deeply to possess her.

That desire was linked to others, leading her to his feeling for several other ladies, women who he had approached with similar deals. She expected the same degree of darkly possessive lust, which was exactly what she found. But, that was not all she saw. The depth of his feelings toward the women he had ensnared were like a deep, complex tapestry. The one feeling that shone strongly, through all the swirling desire and sinful avarice, was a surprisingly tender care.

He truly cared for the women, a thin, pale imitation even stretched towards her, surprising her. The fact that he felt so strongly for someone he had just met was disconcerting, but even more surprising was that there was a complete absence of the sick note of fear. He was not at all concerned about what she was seeing, in fact rather eagerly inviting her to look wherever she wished, never for once thinking that what she was observing would cause her to decline his offer.

Peering deeper still, she found out why. He truly was insane, but so was she. Apparently, he could pick a specific version of her, from more than could be counted, all identical except for small differences, yet still containing all that made her, her. So why, then, would he choose her out of all those versions to approach?

She was broken. The worst part is that he was correct on betting on that fact.

If she accepted his deal, she would become his forever, just like all the others he tricked into doing so. He didn’t lie once to her, his pieces truly could fix her sister and the blessings he received from the God would allow her to control her power if they didn’t work on her. She could see it, the deep, boiling sea of his fury and pride, deep beneath the surface. Any who dared to strike at her, even in the smallest ways, he would gladly destroy. No matter who or what, he would go against the entire world to protect who and what he considered his.

It appealed to her. To be able to give up her unwanted authority, to put her full faith in another, to be protected for once instead of being the protector. To trust in someone else, someone to take control of her and allow her to stop worrying. Such a thing was a fantasy of hers, built up from her indulgence of literature themed in that direction, but it was an unobtainable fantasy.

Until he had appeared, offering her all she wanted and more. All she had to give up was her freedom, in return for her deepest desires and an eternal, fiercely protective love. She truly was the perfect target, as his possessiveness was appealing in this light, rather than repellent.

“Yukari failed to account for this.” He grinned, allowing her to freely review the discussion he was alluding to, causing her lips to quirk slightly in spite of herself, “I only needed a single attempt.”

---XXX---

“Rather presumptive of you to claim victory.” Satori spoke, her presence in my mind like a buzz, a strange sensation allowing me to determine what she was peering at in any given moment, “I am quite fond of my independence.”

“To do what?” I questioned, “A duty you never asked for? Answer me this, Satori. You are content here, but are you truly happy?”

“Happiness is a luxury, that more often than not comes with terrible cost.” She countered, eyes narrowing, “Is the price that you are asking me to pay worth that cost?”

“It does not matter whether I think it is.” I responded, “It matters if you do.”

“And if I refuse? What then?” She queried, third eye flicking as my mind instantly supplied the answer, “Truly, you would leave?”

“Why would I force my affection on someone who is unwilling?” I questioned, “There are lines that I will not cross.”

“Can you truly call them willing, when you stack the deck so heavily in your favour?” Was the instant response, her eye seeing my train of thought faster than my mouth could move.

Rather than speak, I decided to just think the answer at her, deciding to let her see the answer for herself.

The choice was always there, even if no one would reasonably expect anyone to take it with the knowledge that I had. However, should someone decide that they wanted to leave, I would argue, try to convince them to stay, but ultimately I would let them.

“Really? With as possessive as you are, I find that hard to believe.” She pressed.

If they left, they were no longer mine, by their own decision.

It was a moot point in the end, as it was highly unlikely to ever happen and I worked very hard to ensure it didn’t.

“With the marks as insurance, I can see why you are so confident. You would let me take Koishi and my pets? What if I refused to let you mark them?” The eye jumped between thoughts, calling the answers from my mind.

Then I would not do so. I came here for her, after all. She was the prize. The one that I named to Catharsis, so long ago.

“Truly? You hold no interest in the temptation they provide?” She was not satisfied, continuing to prod, “I can remember the disgusting thoughts of many others. You would truly pass up on them?”

Her words instantly brought to mind the thought of having her and Koishi together, but I was not embarrassed at the image. Desires are natural, more so when directly prompted like this. It mattered far more how one acted on them and if Satori was truly opposed to the idea, then it would not happen. Temporary pleasure was not enough to jeopardise what I was attempting to build with her.

“You are twisted.” She declared, causing me to huff in amusement, “You truly think a loving relationship can be built like this.”

“Why can it not?” I questioned, “Neither of us are normal. Should we be bound to follow the usual path that others do, or should we find our own way together?”

She frowned, slightly blushing, “You are skilled at making your base desires sound so romantic.”

“All relationships are based on desire and mutual understanding. I am approaching you as honestly as I can, far more than I could be. All that is left is to see whether it is enough to convince you. Whether you desire what I am offering.” I smiled at her.

There was a chance she declined, that she told me to get lost. However…

“You are impossible.” She spoke, standing from the throne.

“I’ve been told.”

---XXX---

His confidence was something that she found rather annoying. More importantly, it was something that seemed rather fragile to her. She must admit to herself, he was very, very skilled in tailoring his offer to his target. It was tempting, especially considering that she could allow Koishi the ability to unseal her eye while retaining control of her power, allowing her sister to end her long punishment. He was earnest in that he worked to keep those he cared for happy, should she accept and bring along those she cared for, they would want for nothing. He would do so because it would make her happy with him, a manipulative but refreshingly upfront motive.

However.

She was used to people lying to themselves. Her eye did not just see one’s innermost thoughts, it saw that which people hid from even themselves. The issue with her power, one that she had come to recognise from hard lessons, was that she could only see that which others knew.

So, her answer was clear.

“I refuse.”

The devil in front of her paused, his smile freezing in place as she focused on the shock pervading his mind.

“Excuse me?” His voice, for the first time since she met him, wavered.

“You heard me, I refuse. Your deal asks for more than I am willing to pay. Please leave.” She reiterated, carefully measuring his response.

The deal was truly tempting. It was as if someone had read her deepest desires like she had so many others and built it specifically to appeal to her. Which is exactly what had happened. To be honest, she had more reasons to accept than to reject the deal. Especially considering that right in front of her, was someone who knew about her power, let her use it on him freely, yet didn’t recoil from her.

But just what kind of person was he?

His mind whirled, quickly establishing and tearing down justifications and ideas for the possible reasons for her refusal. One of them was even correct, but ultimately, as he himself had opined, what mattered was his actions.

He had told himself so often that when someone he was ensnaring wanted to leave, he would let them. He had even come to believe it. However, it had never happened, would never happen. Or so he thought. So, now, faced with that impossibility, what would his reaction be?

As it turned out, it would be anger.

It was familiar to her, but its target was not. He didn’t blame her, didn’t rage at her, even in his own thoughts. No, he turned the anger inward, picking apart his thoughts and actions, believing that he had failed in his approach, that her denial was solely up to him, either not being persuasive enough or choosing someone who it wouldn’t work on.

Towards her, there was no hatred. No resentment. There was hurt, wounded pride and bitterness, but in the end…

“I see.” He sighed, his hands curling into fists as he took a deep breath, “I wish I could change your mind, put to rest any doubts that caused you to answer this way, but I made a promise. I am sorry that it ended this way, truly.”

That was true, he was experiencing quite the feeling of loss. Yet, even with the strong cocktail of emotions filling him, he was still resolved to stay true to his word.

“I wish you all the best, Satori.” He smiled sadly, before he turned, fully intent on respecting her wishes.

Before he could take the step to disappear, she called out.

“Damocles. Wait.” He paused, tensing, before her next words reached him, “I accept.”

It was a rare thing, to find someone so truthful.