"You really are him. But how?"
Caliste didn't answer her question as he was still fixated on the memory he had just relived.
He hadn't remembered that moment until just now. Before, most of the things that happened close to his death had been totally blank, as if trauma had gotten the best of him.
'Did Diana really tell me that at the end?' Caliste shook his head as it confirmed it.
Diana clearly knew what would happen the moment they entered that room. However, for some strange reason, she hadn't said anything to Caliste. In a way, she had indirectly participated in his death.
'Why did I only remember now... after all this time?' Caliste closed his eyes as he tried to remember more things, but... as usual... it was blank.
There was pretty much nothing of importance apart from his death, which he could clearly still see in detail as Alek plunged his sword through his heart in cold blood.
'That son of a bitch. If I ever lay my eyes on you...'
Diana waved her ghostly hands before Caliste's eyes, trying to bring him back.
"Hello~! I'm still here!"
Caliste almost jumped back in fear as he opened his eyes again.
"Sorry... just old memories surfacing."
"Right..." Diana frowned. "So, how are you here? How did you come back to life?"
"The heavens decided to bring me back, from the looks of it. As for why they chose me, I guess it's because they believed that I was the best at killing the Demon King. After all, I'm the one who was closest to doing that. Well, before..."
"Before you were betrayed by your closest allies?" Diana's ghost smiled. "Yeah, a pity really. You got so close and worked so hard, just for all that effort to vanish into thin air. It's a miracle that you are back in front of me, still obsessed with the same goal as before."
Caliste shook his head. "I don't care about the Demon King now. I only want revenge on those who wronged me. That's all."
Diana frowned. "Mhm... interesting. So you want to take your revenge on my master? Is that why you asked for her location?"
Caliste didn't say anything. After all, before trying to kill her, he would try to talk to her a little. But it was true that if he realized she was also one of the traitors, he would also try to kill her, no matter what kind of feelings he had for her in the past.
"In a way, I did. But that's not the main reason."
"Mhm... I see. Well, just so you know, she never betrayed you like the others. There's a reason why she's disappeared and not the others."
Caliste nodded. He actually believed her. Still, he had some questions that needed answering from his end.
"Can you tell me what happened after my death? What did Diana do?"
"After your death, the world celebrated... strangely enough. The 'heroes' spread so many lies about your death that you were deemed as evil, and the Demon King was quickly promoted as the hero of this world. The one who had brought peace to it."
"Everyone in your party agreed about this spreading around. Well, everyone except Diana, the only person who despised the actions they took that day."
"She had been neutral through this whole ordeal. She knew that if she opposed them, she would also die a dog's death like yours. So, she kept her mouth shut, neither confirming nor denying those things being spread about you."
Diana's ghost took a deep breath.
"Five years then quickly passed where Diana disappeared from the world. During that period of time, she researched a way to bring you back to life. That's all she did. Day and night. And then, one day, she created me and sent me to the Demonic Academy."
"That's about it. That's what happened, and that's as far as I can remember."
Caliste frowned. "Did she find a way to bring me back to life?"
The ghost shook her head. "No. It's impossible to bring the dead to life. She never found anything and gave up... at least, that's what I know from the memories I received."
"As for the others, quickly after your death, they became kings and queens, taking control of the world. However, a hierarchy appeared. Within years, the demons became more and more important. They became superior to humans and other races. They were the ones at the top, and everyone had to respect them."
"Then, things turned for the worse. Demons now became 'allies' of the humans. They were now living in the same society. Demons, evil creatures, now lived with humans, and on top of that, they were superior to them. Diana thought for a long time that this was a problem. Demons were the enemies; it's only a question of time before they turn their back on humanity and that the deal falls apart."
Caliste frowned. "That deal... what the hell was it? Why did they all agree to it? I understand that they gained power, but that couldn't be the only reason."
"Diana never saw the deal herself as they were directly made with the Demon King, and since she refused to help kill you, she never got a taste of what the deal could be like. Only the others did back then."
"And you really have no idea of where your master disappeared?" Caliste asked.
"Meh. Who knows? All I know is that once she left, she said her goodbyes. She clearly wasn't planning on coming back. Wherever she is... Diana doesn't want to be found."
Caliste rubbed his forehead.
All of this was a lot to take in.
He was happy to learn that Diana wasn't a traitor. But things just got even more complicated.
"That deal... do you know if there was a duration for how long it would stay valid?"
Diana frowned. "An expiration date? That's possible. After all, demons will never be able to change their nature. They will always be evil beings who crave power."
"Diana never mentioned it?"
The ghost frowned as she began rubbing her head.
"Ugh... it's been so long. I do remember her saying that time was of the essence... but that's it. I don't know anything else."
"I see..."