Vyers said nothing at first, save for a short "Mm," to show he had heard. He gazed distantly at the floor, a hand shakily gripping the couch, though whether it was to keep himself steady, to see if it all was real, or even just to hold onto something, not even he was sure.

Slowly, the demon's eyes shut and his expression briefly changed to one of disgust. "I should have been there," he whispered. It was meant to be kept to himself, a thought only to remain in his head. That it had escaped, he didn't know.

Even so, as he said it, it became obvious that that was what hurt the most.

Vyers glanced up at Laharl, only to look away again. That pain... It must have been similar to the pain Laharl had felt when...

And here it was again. He knew he needed to be more attentive, he wanted to be more attentive, but...