The magical prison released a small purple light, not letting Diodora close his eyes comfortably because it always looked clear no matter the time of the day. It stung more because he still had some things to pull off his sleeve, but didn't get to, than the actual outcome of the meeting. Diodora had brainstormed for a bit and decided on two pieces of information that could, theoretically, hook the leaders into playing nice with him. But instead, Azazel got the better of him and made him… Cry.

Embarrassing didn't even begin to describe how things looked to Diodora. So much so that he had to clear his face with his clothes and take some time to calm down while he got escorted to this room. Where he stayed for an indefinite amount of time until he managed to calm down.

"Heh…" And then…

Diodora smirked, shaking in place as he checked to see if anyone stood close to his cage. The refreshing feeling of having thrown out everything washed over him; like his worries had melted off and he was left with only a sense of cold indifference. Only for something a lot hotter to overtake him with each passing second.

"Heh… Heheh…" Diodora's lips parted into a smirk that stretched all the way to his ears. It hurt a bit, because some of his injuries climbed up his neck and onto his face, but the warmth inside felt suffocating enough that he couldn't just suppress it for long "Haha… Hahaha!"

Diodora cackled. Timidly at first, but with such increasing strength that his injuries on his chest started hurting. Still, he didn't stop. And before he knew, the room that held his magical prison vibrated with the booming voice of his cheerfulness.

"HA HA HA HA HA!" Diodora doubled over, feeling his eyes moistening again. But this time without the oppressive sensation of a knot in the throat, or the need to bawl until his vocal chords got destroyed. Instead, an euphoric sensation, almost manic in nature, took hold within him. And for the first time in a long, long time, Diodora cheered on for real "I'M ALIVE! I DID IT! I DID IT!"

Diodora smacked his fists against the barrier containing him, sending a painful shock through his limbs, but he couldn't help himself.

"SUCK IT SHALBA, YOU FUCKING BASTARD! I'M ALIVE! GO TO HELL, FATE WEAVER! YOU COULDN'T FUCKING KILL ME YOU CRAZY BASTARD!" Diodora laughed, and laughed. He did it until his ribs hurt, until his face burned and his injuries hurt so much he started coughing.

He doubled over again, but he just felt so glad. So free in spite of being confined to a 3 by 3 room. He coughed a bit of blood, felt his limbs shake. But he couldn't let it ruin his mood. So, when he couldn't laugh anymore, he tried to dance. Or at least to vibe, to let it all out like he did with his bottled up worries. He reached out for the ceiling, moved his waist, hummed while regaining his breath.

The first waking moments as Diodora Astaroth were spent fleeing from death. When he woke up, he had been in the exact moment where Diodora and Asia met for the first time. He had been injured, a last 'fuck you' gift from the original Diodora, in a way. And because of his confusion and bewilderment, he had to flee the attack from the exorcists that shared headquarters with the blonde nun.

And, when he understood his predicament, he had spent days on end trying to learn as much as he could to pass for a real pure-blooded devil. He sent Olivia away, he traced a plan. He was pulled back to the Khaos Brigade and manhandled. He had learned it the hard way, that his destiny would not change unless he did his very best. And so he thought and thought, he made plans that didn't always work. He brainstormed which were the most dangerous enemies he'd have to face, the most decisive times that he'd need to take advantage of… All of it, from the months he spent studying, to the weeks in Kuoh, to the freedom given to Stain… All of this so, when the time came, Diodora could present himself to the Three Factions as an asset and not a liability.

All of that so the moment after the meeting, Diodora wouldn't be executed like the disgusting existence the original Diodora was. All so he would see past the time of the peace meeting. So he'd live.

"I'M! FUCKING! ALIVE~!"

And now, after all this time… Finally, Diodora survived. It felt better than finishing a game in its hardest difficulty, better than eating the most delicious food after the most moan-inducing massage to later sleep in the most comfortable bed. People often said that hard work was its own reward, and while anyone from Diodora's family would scoff at that without a second thought, in this very moment he got it. He understood. The sheer euphoric gladness of things being over, of his head no longer having a sword hanging by a thread above it. Of having sold the information that Stain gave him to prove that he didn't want to be with them any longer, to prove that he wasn't the enemy.

Finally, finally…

"Seems like you went completely insane already."

"Ah! Miyuzuin!" Diodora beamed, turning to face the silver haired beauty walking toward him with caution "Am I being released already? I thought I'd get no visitors while I stayed here."

"I was sort of there when you confessed and stuff, so there's not a lot of reason why I can't visit." Miyuzuin shrugged, giving Diodora a good look over and frowned "What's with you? I wasn't serious, but you look… Different."

"I'm just very happy right now." Diodora's cheeks almost hurt from being stretched like they were, but he couldn't make a normal face at the moment "It's a very important day. Today, I won. I did my best, and it all worked out. And it's all thanks to you, Miyuzuin. I'd have never pulled it off without you holding the fort this while year."

Miyuzuin frowned.

"A year? You do realize you've been gone for almost 3 years, right?"

Diodora's expression shattered.

"What?"

"Gen was in his first year of high school when we met. And classes end this month… He's in his third year." Miyuzuin tilted her head "Seriously, you haven't gone insane, right? I don't know why you're so happy, but you're clearly acting out right now."

Diodora shook his head.

"That's… Huh." He caressed his chin "Damn."

"Really? That's all you have to say?"

"Well, can you blame me? The single most important moment of my life just turned out okay." Diodora shrugged, taking note of the lack of shock on his part but not acting on it. Or more like, he couldn't worry at the moment. Which would've worried him if that wouldn't be redundant.

"I wouldn't call any of this okay." Miyuzuin insisted "You're imprisoned. This is not what I asked of you."

Diodora smirked.

"You worry too much, girl. Didn't I tell you? Trust the process."

"What process?" She scoffed "You're imprisoned, remember? What can you do from here?"

"My job's done, actually." Diodora relaxed his expression, leaving only a confident smile as he fondled his cheeks "Didn't I tell you? I'd show you the importance of keeping Stain on our side. My part was keeping Serafall, Michael, and Azazel from switching their views of us from 'problem children' to 'targets'."

Diodora stretched his arms to either side, as if to show Miyuzuin proof of his words.

"And here we are. You're free to visit me, and they said they'd review the information I gave them. I wasn't labeled a traitor, I wasn't killed. And I'm definitely not in the Cocytus. So all in all, I did my job pretty well." Diodora nodded to himself, crossing his arms with self-satisfaction written all over his face "Man, am I not amazing? If I was a little less humble, I'd even go as far as to say I'm a genius."

"You cried your eyes out back there."

"That's… Yes." Diodora frowned "I… I've been dreading this moment for a long time now. Even without taking into account the fake date Stain gave me—."

"Stain lied to you?" Miyuzuin looked panicked, more than Diodora had ever seen her.

"Not the point." He shrugged it off "The point is that, right now, I can do whatever I want. The hardest part is done, closed, terminado. It's… So liberating…"

"Hey, hey. Liberated man." Miyuzuin snapped her fingers several times, ignoring what Diodora was saying "Earth to you. What did you mean Stain lied to you? It shouldn't do that. It is supposed to be loyal to you."

"Are you the Stain expert now? Three years sounds like a lot, but I assure you I understood the Oblex very well."

"Listen to me, you stupid man!" Miyuzuin slammed her arms against the barrier "That abomination is dangerous! What do you mean it lied to you?!"

Diodora covered his ears.

"Don't scream, I can hear you just fine."

Miyuzuin pointed a finger at him.

"If that thing rampages, this will be on you! Why don't you care?! I know you were just as scared of it as anyone else, what's gotten to you?! I remembered you so much more! I used to think you knew what you were doing, and for the longest time that creature proved me right! But look at you! You said all that shit, acted like hot stuff, and now you'll do nothing?! What if it comes to try to eat you?!"

"Well, it can try." Diodora replied neutrally "It is out there. What can it do? I am here, in this prison. Made by the leaders of the Three Factions."

Diodora returned her stare, eye to eye contact that did not break while Miyuzuin thought. He saw her realize that, no matter how smart it got, Stain wouldn't be able to reach him. His captors were just too powerful. And the subsequent realizations, and the breaking of her heart.

"You don't care." She said breathlessly "I… Gen waited for you. He wanted to repay you for saving his life, he kept us with him. I… You used me."

Diodora didn't say anything, but made sure to keep his eyes locked onto hers. Not even blinking as her expression shifted into one of pain.

"I wanted to believe. I… I thought Gen was right. I thought we'd…"

"That we would change the world?" Diodora offered, given how Miyuzuin seemed unable to speak.

"Shut it." She hissed, eyes narrowing so much that veins popped on her forehead from the strain "I thought…"

"You thought right."

"Lies! All you care is about yourself! You didn't care when your Queen died! You didn't care for…!"

"Olivia almost killed me." Diodora gritted his teeth, feeling his good mood vanish.

To her credit, she didn't try to spin his words again. Instead, she seemed ready to punch him in the face. Almost oozing the intent as she glared daggers at him. It made sense, she was a warrior after all. She'd be used to channeling her emotions through action.

"Miyuzuin, my dear Miyuzuin. I think you're mistaking a very important point." Diodora spoke slowly, feeling the aftertaste of charcoal in his mouth upon the mentioning of Olivia "I've not, not even once, lied to you."

Miyuzuin scoffed, giving him a pained smirk but still listening.

Diodora lowered his head.

"I really couldn't have done this without you. In this moment, after taking care of my things for me, I'd never dream of hurting you in any way. And I wish to prove it. Please stay with me."

Her expression turned to confusion, her body language still disturbingly vocal about wanting to harm Diodora. But he couldn't help it, he had been too happy. And now felt way too bad about making Miyuzuin almost-cry in front of him. Perhaps the meeting affected him more deeply than he thought, but even when he wondered if he should use Autosuggestion, he didn't let his words falter.

"Make me company. Don't go. The job is done, and you can reap the benefits with me." Diodora got to one knee, painfully aware of how weak his body was after his little victory session. But, because he was just celebrating, he couldn't let this go. He wouldn't let the one most important victory of this life go sour because he made Miyuzuin feel like he had never cared about her.

"Miyuzuin Yaegaki-Belial. You're the smartest, most amazing girl I've ever met. You did things I couldn't, soldiered on for years in exchange of a vague promise that I could get you closer to your dreams. Let me prove that your faith was not misplaced. Stay with me. I sent Stain out, because this really is the most important victory of all time. Because all I had to do was survive, and everything would go well. Please, although my body is still weak I'll place my head on the floor if I must: Stay by my side. Give me one last chance, and you'll never regret your decision."

"Don't…" Miyuzuin stopped herself, closing her eyes for a moment before swallowing "Don't do this. I can't…"

"Please."

Miyuzuin screwed her eyes shut, almost physically in pain.

"Don't use my name like that. It's… Embarrassing."

Diodora smiled weakly.

"You won't regret this." He assured her.

"I'll kill you right here if you're full of shit." Miyuzuin crouched and sat on the floor cross-legged, placing her hands on her thighs as she stared at Diodora with a very tired expression.

"You have yourself a deal."

"I don't care what you think."

Diodora chuckled. More to lighten the mood than because he found it funny or cute. Olivia came back to mind, how suddenly she turned against him. How wrathful her betrayal had been. Seeing Miyuzuin like this made Diodora aware of his print on this world. How, in spite of the small time he spent interacting with the people in here, he had managed to carve himself a space to call his own. How, contrary to what he expected, his presence had made people different.

He thought back to Genshirou, always tired but ready to heed his call. He thought back to Rias' group, who he always kept at arms' length for fear of the original timeline. He thought about Sona's group, who he didn't even bother getting to know at all. All this time, all the fear, all the things he messed up.

Even if he didn't throw roses at himself, Diodora couldn't just ignore these changes. He couldn't let the thing with Olivia repeat, no matter how once-sided the effect was. He had doubted Miyuzuin, he had feared her, and he had wanted to discard her. But now, after looking at things objectively… He'd be the biggest idiot to let her go.

A thought came to his mind, a girl from the other world who he met on the street. Someone who got kicked out, someone he exchanged favors with and had treated poorly… And yet, when he paid her to chaperone his sister so she wouldn't get lost while drinking, when he offered to buy her something of her groceries or even give her a listening ear… Diodora realized how much deeper their relationship had been, compared to what he thought of it.

Alexis Cassedey… The girl that found his brother before the whole legal fiasco. The girl that asked how Diodora was faring after his father died, and who stayed in touch even after his brother disappeared with his prize. Diodora had thought that she was simply being nice, that she was hoping that things would remain the same.

Diodora had never, not even once, realized that she genuinely cared for him. That, unlike him, she had never thought about their relationship as simple good business.

His father would've scoffed at the notion. He got married to Diodora's mother because she was just as devilish as him. And for the longest time, Diodora thought that was just perfect. That he too should strive to find himself a partner that shared his ideals first, and had a common objective second. And yet, seeing Miyuzuin so vulnerable, remembering how excited Genshirou was of seeing him again…

Diodora didn't know what he wanted anymore. He still desired to take, he still felt the greed that his parents taught him. But… Well, maybe it just wasn't enough to have things.

It wasn't love, because Diodora had the suspicion that people didn't weigh love in terms of taking. But now Diodora realized that he wanted them too. He thought it'd be alright if Genshirou remained with Rias, he'd offer it to her, things would go well. It'd be a sign of peace, of things being settled. And yet… He didn't want to give up Genshirou. He didn't want to let Miyuzuin leave. Hell, even Kuroka… He didn't want her to just be pardoned and let her go.

He wanted them for himself. He wanted them with him. Their happiness, he wanted it. He wanted them to smile and cheer in his presence, he wanted their good days to be because of him. He wanted to hold them in the sad days so they would give him happiness in return when things were tough.

At that moment, Diodora felt acutely devil-like.

He wanted it all for himself. He'd make them happy, he'd make it so his absence would make them sad. Maybe he had misunderstood something along the way, maybe his family's mindset had made him forget something important about being human, or maybe it warped his senses until he couldn't see things in any other light. And yet… He didn't feel like it was wrong. Making people happy, after all, is good.

"You won't regret this." Diodora repeated after some time in silence, some of his good mood had returned "You'll love me for this."

"Shut up." Miyuzuin closed her eyes.

Diodora waited.

When Diodora opened his eyes again, Miyuzuin was gone. He blinked in confusion at first, but quickly realized that he had fallen asleep while sitting down. Almost in a meditative position, and the pain in his back and ribs was due to the way his injuries had been carved in his skin and his back holding it all for an extended period of time.

He stretched, acutely aware that he lost some mobility while sleeping like this. And looked around to see if the barrier still stood.

Someone was looking at him on one side of it.

"Took you long enough… Report." Diodora spoke coldly, feeling creeping terror climb up his chest but not due to the creature outside the barrier.

"This one did as instructed." Stain replied, wearing the face of one of the old amazons it had devoured during its time as their 'Gate to the Beyond', still looking as apathetic as always "Miyuzuin Belial is talking with Diehauser Belial outside."

Diodora smiled to himself, pleased.

"I see, thank you."

"Your will is my command." Stain replied emotionlessly.

"By the way, I heard you lied to me. Care to explain?" Diodora stayed lying on the ground, without worrying too much since the barrier stood between them. If this was their farewell, Diodora at least knew that the people that were in charge of him would be able to annihilate Stain without problems.

He didn't care that much at the moment, he felt giddy like that. Like a kid getting his christmas toys, like a soldier coming back home.

Stain didn't visibly react, but it took some time to answer.

"When?"

"Nothing too important, it's about time."

"Time?" Stain still didn't react, but the way it pressed for answers made Diodora give the creature more attention.

"You said I was in a coma for a year and a half, but you missed how long it actually was."

Stain frowned, and that single action made Diodora's heart jump a bit.

He sat back up.

"What year is it?"

"Huh?" Diodora scoffed "How should I know? You were here, not me."

Stain shook its feminine head.

"This one does not remember."

"Huh? Don't give me that crap." Diodora sneered "You're basically immune to mental spells, you have the knowledge of who-knows-how-many people stored in that core of yours. Give me a straight answer or I'll have you obliterated this very instant."

"This one does not know." Stain insisted.

"Screw this, I'm forcing the security system then." Diodora called Ophis' snake forward, preparing for the strain.

Stain didn't retreat, instead it kept stoically trying to think about something.

"Invader." Stain stated.

Diodora stopped.

"What?"

"Invader." Stain repeated "That is all."

"Where did you take that from?"

"This one does not know."

"Why are you calling me that?" Diodora dropped his spell.

"This one does not know."

"What is the last thing you can associate with that nickname?" Diodora pressed his face against the barrier.

"It is a nickname?" Stain didn't sound confused, but it might as well have tilted its head for all to see.

"Answer me, Stain." Diodora didn't know how he knew, or why it felt like Stain was referring to him specifically. But… It fit. One way or another, it fit.

"...The Tepes Manor." The slime replied dutifully.

Diodora blinked, letting himself go back to the floor as he chewed the information in his mind.

"I see."

"What does that mean?" Stain inquired, still not looking confused or worried. But that it took the initiative to ask clued Diodora enough that he considered his answer carefully.

"It seems like a part of your mind has been carved out." Diodora placed a hand on his chin "How long have you… No, stupid question. You said a year and a half, yes?"

Stain nodded.

Diodora clicked his tongue.

"It's the Holy Grail, yes?" Stain asked.

"Seems like that." Diodora sighed "Pull back from the vampires' territory for now. Be careful on the Brigade too, since we don't know if Valerie Tepes kept her Sacred Gear or not."

His mind started spinning again, forming ideas, possible reasons as to how or why.

Damn it, so soon after he escaped certain death. Now he had to deal with…

Wait, no he didn't. It didn't have to be Diodora.

"Spin a good story about this, make it Fate Weaver's problem." Diodora ordered, feeling the laid back state of mind come back to him slowly.

"Understood." Stain nodded "If he gets too close to Valerie Tepes, this one will intervene."

"You got it." Diodora gave the slime a thumbs up. After all, Diodora wasn't the only 'invader' in this world. And he couldn't do anything while still imprisoned, so he might as well delegate the heavy lifting to someone who actually could.

After all, Fate Weaver had been utterly incapable of doing the easiest thing in the whole world: Getting Diodora killed. He might be strong, but that guy didn't have such a good head on his shoulders.

As long as they didn't fight, Diodora felt confident in being able to get away with using him for a bit.

He smirked at the idea. It wasn't revenge, but it'd have to do. For now.

"Stain. Be a darling and tell Miyuzuin to come back once she's done, I want to see her face." Diodora ordered in a sing-song voice.

"This one heeds and obeys." Stain left his presence.

The invader within the magical cell hummed a happy tune while waiting.