“It’s… true… ...Unbelievable, the interface… it’s all controls for elements in the world.”

“To control so much information like a game… Is she for real… ...a genuine... god... A goddess, huh.”

“Siesta… Lubella… Syenfald… Karnes… Mailus… Tilixa… Raiou… Hiomi… This continent is… huge… All of these tabs… there’s even automatic weather controls here… just like a gigantic sandbox… Ah! I just activated something! T-there’s a heavy rain suddenly?!”

White stared at the screen that displayed the scene of a village being flooded mildly from his accidental command input. He was in disbelief.

System User. Unauthorized access. Capping Rain - 70% to 10%.

”! Wh-”

A lock in the System triggered once it had realized that the user was not Ruler, and it automatically locked White out from further interaction with the windows through a light static shock.

It also quickly prevented the creation of an accidental flood by lowering the degree of rainfall.

White rubbed his stung fingers, and looked helplessly at all of the control Ruler held.

“...Are... our lives… just part of the game too…?”

“...”

There was a long and heavy silence, until Ruler broke it with a long yawn.

“Fuuaaahhh~ ...Hey, hey… don’t have an existential crisis just from that… Say, aren’t you too weak-willed for a prospective Demon King? I was thinking from the very beginning…”

She suddenly got up on her feet.

“...Why are you tagging along with this guy to the Soul Forest? ...I’m here for him, but you’re displayed in my records as a registered 'human' entity; White Shigaraki…

...Say, if the Demon King Candidate isn’t the main host of this body..., then what exactly is this situation right now? It is a proper time to ask right? Since this place registers one soul as one person here. By that rule, are you two perhaps… separate souls…?”

“...Call me Kuro.”

White widened his eyes. It was the first time he’d heard this nickname. He’d always referred to Kuro as ‘the other him’ or ‘other White’.

In addition, the true identity of his other half... being identified as a separate soul by someone who’d revealed her access to the world through a game-like control console, there was no doubt that the information that Ruler had shared now held even more credibility than a few moments ago when they had just met.

A self-proclaimed goddess, with a powerful web of control over a world like one should have.

She was referring to his other personality as another soul.

This startled White greatly, who began to question himself about the existence and appearance of Kuro throughout his life.

Was I perhaps wrong about the identity of Kuro all these while? But… this was impossible…?! Or was it not…? ...His origins… were vague… He just... appeared one day... when my mental stress was at its peak.

… ...

Meanwhile, Ruler continued to size up Kuro.

“...I really can't after all... ...I can’t read you. You don’t have a Status Window. But you do… possess latent… no… you’ve already awakened a portion of your potential for Demon King Candidacy… I don't get it...”

Kuro ignored Ruler's doubts, as she held her chin up as if thinking about the inconsistency with the identity issue with the both of them. He feigned ignorance with a flat expression, replying with a straight and unchanging face.

“...Well… not that I know what you're talking about. So? What now? What’s the deal now, Goddess?”

"..."

Ruler narrowed her eyes as if sniffing out traces of suspicion, but she ultimately let go of that line of thought as if she felt like it was too troublesome to go on.

She didn't seem like the thinking type after all.

“...Well, that’s not really important now.”

She clapped once, and the numerous windows slowly faded away.

“Now that I’ve successfully caught your attention, ...and some hard-earned credibility, I would like to move on already. It’s dragging on for too long than I'd like to admit.”

Snapping her fingers, a sigil suspended in mid-air appeared in front of White.

“?!”

“Okay. Since I don’t know what’s going on, I’ll just have you two go through this process. Uh… White Shigaraki? Ack, confusing…

You, the weak one, please step forward and raise the back of your dominant hand towards that sigil to undertake the test for your Origin.”

“Ori...gin?”

White took that light jab towards him, but he was more interested in the new term Ruler had coined out again. He had been gaining mountains of knowledge ever since stepping foot into the Soul Forest, and it wouldn't hurt to know more even though he might be seen as ignorant or annoying from all of his questions.

He did not care in the slightest about the dissenting opinions of others, just like when he'd attended school a few years ago when people began to shun away from him because of his eyes. If it means gleaning information that could ensure his own survival, he would not hesitate to ask questions.

Fortunately, it seemed that Ruler was still in her 'good mood'. She didn't particularly feel too annoyed by White and just answered him in light of this. But maybe, Ruler was the weird one here. Perhaps goddesses originally answered all questions and queries benevolently, and the sloppy attitude of Ruler was instead unbefitting of the proper and dignified stature found among other goddesses.

“Yes, anyone who becomes a candidate for Godhood receives the knowledge of their own Origin. A Demon King is a class that strives towards Godhood after all.

The essence of your soul. What you’ve been burdened with, cursed with… none of those matter before the Sigil of Soulforgers. Your true self will be revealed in its entirety before the Divine Device, and it can determine the Origin of any sentient, living creature.

This Origin will grant you an Aspect and abilities that branch out from it. That is how I know if you have the actual qualities of a Demon King.”

“My… soul… that means, the Origin is… ...But, to become a Demon King...”

White held a firm grip on his heart.

Just then, he heard a heavy scoff coming from the little girl.

“Hah, what are you even worried about? You’re definitely not good enough for that. I’m just going through the process just in case it messes up if I didn’t do it for both of you. You’re just in the way, honestly. Really... more work for me in the end... sigh...”

White narrowed his eyes at that snarky remark, and looked down at his feet with slumped shoulders.

I’m… I’m in the way… after all...

My Origin... do I really have what it takes...?

“Please go ahead already, what are you spacing out for...?"

...It’s frustrating but she’s right...

...I’ve always been short-sighted. Hiding. Running away from the truth.

Is it too late after all? Now that I've just begun at the starting line... there's no one around anymore...

I guess, this is the result. The result of always pushing the weight onto someone else.

Because I was cursed. A cursed and mentally ill boy.

Nothing of that matters?

I'm... just in the way... you say…?

…Without an excuse to become special myself, then what do I have left?

Besides my superficial ideals and corrupted beliefs.

I have… nothing…

That’s… right… I don’t… I don’t have a purpose. I don’t have...

An Origin...

The Divine Device, Sigil of Soulforgers, began to lose its cyan shine, as if responding to White's dejection.

Ruler stared right down at White, who had fallen down to the ground as he lost his strength in his legs.

Did he give up already?

...Well… that was what I expected anyway...

"Well, you've used up your chance for Origin Appraisal... How unintere-"

Just as Ruler turned to look towards the new applicant for the Sigil, she heard a voice coming from White again.

“-No.”

“...? No…?”

Ruler turned his head back to look at White, pressing his hands against the white surface on the floor.

“I am a boring person, a useless person. I have no qualities at all. I don’t know anything important, yet I pretend to know everything. I am messed up in the head. I drag people around me in constant misery.

Every single day that I realize that I’m still alive is a curse that lives on eternally within me.”

"... ..."

“But still… Even still…!!! I still have to do something! I must do something!"

White began to desperately grab hold of the hems of Ruler's nightdress sprawled on the floor, much to her astonishment.

"?! Wh-what are you doing?! Are you tired of... living?!!! L-let go!!!"

"N-no... give... give me another chance... It might be for a stupid reason, a selfish, senseless whim of mine...!!!

But please...!!! It's all I have! I know, there are... there are people waiting for me..."

Tears and snot continued filling White's face ceaselessly, displaying a very unsightly appearance in front of Ruler. She became extremely annoyed.

In White's memories, he recalled someone close to him in his childhood. He recalled the times where he felt powerless to do anything. Even though he was that close to her.

And now...

M...Master...?

"So please!!! Please!!! I don't want... I don't want to be powerless!!! I want to protect... I want to see them againnn-!!!"

At this point, it was unclear whether or not White was trying to plead for a chance to appraise his Origin again, or just releasing his pent-up emotions to someone he'd just met. His words became increasingly incoherent.

"Khh!!! Persistent!!! Get of-"

"-That girl huh... she reminds you of her, doesn't she?

Kukuku... Looks like you broke down again, huh White. Really, all the workload always finds its way to me without fail..."

"H-huh?! What are you-"

"-Let's make a bargain, goddess."

"A... bargain...? You, do you know who you're-"

"No, I'm talking about this."

Kuro whipped out an object from his wrist, in front of Ruler and very much to her surprise.

White was still clutching onto Ruler's prosthetic leg, begging without rest. The little girl felt the itch to delete him immediately from existence for his defiant attitude towards a legitimate goddess, but Kuro realized her intentions extremely quickly and caught her attention with that object.

"Where did you-?!"

"That's not the important thing. If you want to know where I got this, then you'll agree to accept one simple condition of mine."

"... ...Are you threatening me...?"

"It is a bargain."

"... ...Tch, alright...! I'll let you retake it! Happy?"

Ruler became extremely frustrated from this turn of events.

She immediately moved herself away from White once his grip became looser.

"Strength... Power... Must... save... U... Utaha..."

White continued spewing out unintelligible words as he curled up into a ball.

"...Now tell me, how you got that?"

"Heehhh~ So serious... I haven't told you my condition yet though?" Kuro grinned playfully.

"But I agreed for him to retake...!!! ...You... you're playing around with a goddess... you're definitely going to regret this...!"

Kuro took a quick glance at White who was crouching on the floor weakly, and returned his gaze towards the little girl dressed sloppily in front of him.

"Hm, hm~ We'll see about that~ How about listening in on my terms, now that I've gotten your undivided attention...?"