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What I found when reading through the lyrics, is that the story being told could be Reiji’s thoughts and perspective - the song may act as his inner thoughts and him trying to articulate them in a metaphorical way. The song itself is quite beautiful to listen to but I wanted to address the lyrics and their hidden meanings in relation to Reiji’s character. We know that Reiji likes to use his intellect to his advantage; so it can be argued that he wouldn’t outright admit his state of mind within this song, naturally, he’d create a more elaborate way to let his ‘story’ unfold, and I think this is what we see here.
So, shall we begin ?
Note: I wanted to post the song separately too since I know my HDB analysis is long, and posting it separately would also be convenient if you just want to read the song analysis on its own.
Word Count: 7,492 words
In the dense black forest of Schwarzwald, In doting adoration of a virgin, riding on a unicorn’s back
First of all, Schwarzwald simply means 'Black Forest' in German; it relates to a forest so dense that almost no sun ever reaches the forest floor - those who enter are surrounded by darkness -. This can create quite dark imagery, not just physically but also metaphorically as the darkness contrasts with the imagery of light - "a virgin, riding on a unicorn's back" - and this can be implied to relate to the story of Faust as well as the character of Yui.
Within the story, we’re introduced to two virgins, one being named Gretchen and the other is the Virgin Mary herself - both contain imagery of purity and religion, Gretchen prays to God for her soul to be cleansed and Mary carried the son of God. What I wanted to draw parallels on is how that imagery applies to Yui, she was raised in a church - showing that she’s a child of God, and we know that her religion plays a rather big part in her life; she prays to God quite frequently, and - in the literal term - she is also virginal. Virginity can connotate to a multitude of things, such as physical virginity (the hymen is intact) but also religious virginity - purity - and not being ‘tainted’ by darker forces at play. If we take the “virgin” to mean Yui - someone pure of heart and spirit, someone who’s not been corrupted by the dark side of humanity and holds truth in her beliefs - then what does the unicorn signify ?
Unicorns can often be linked to purity, freedom, gentleness, virginity, innocence, divinity, and magic. Christians believe that the unicorn symbol is that of Christ and Mother Mary themselves - both being devoted children of God -. By posing the imagery of “a virgin, riding a unicorn’s back”, it could be implied to symbolise Yui and her many virtuous traits - or, to put it simply, Yui is riding on the back of her virtues -. Additionally, symbols such as unicorns and virginity can also be implied to carry imagery of light - the concept of unicorns are more often than not depicted as being pure white and flying up to the Heavens - past the white clouds and into paradise, a place that is also depicted as white or ‘pure’ -. Virginity can also contain those same ‘white’ qualities as white lilies are typically the symbol of virginity. The reason I’m honing in on the colour white is due to it’s connotations of purity, innocence and light. To put it plainly, purity represents light, and Yui (in this context) represents that purity.
That being said, if Yui is the second part of that phrase, it’s likely to imply that the first relates to Reiji himself. “Dense black forest”, let’s unpack that: both “dense” and “black” contain connotations of darkness and something impenetrable; it contrasts the imagery of light and purity we’ve just discussed. Themes of light are often representative of religion and themes of darkness represent those of hellish qualities; if Yui represents ‘light’ in this case, then Reiji must consequently represent the “dark”. The “forest” could connote to Reiji’s emotional state as traditionally, the forest has come to represent being lost, exploration and potential danger as well as mystery and ‘other worldliness’ - all traits we see within Reiji -. Due to Reiji being the narrator (since he’s singing) it can be implied that he’s metaphorically describing his internal struggles, he’s stuck within his own turmoil - and emotions such as this are often referred to as a ‘dark place’, which links us to the symbolic imagery of the “black forest”. It not only symbolises his Vampiric nature - something not of God nor Heaven but the darker depths of Hell itself; hence why they originate from the Demon World within the Diabolik Lovers canon - but it also symbolises his emotional distress and his inner darkness that he oppresses Yui with. The light and dark imagery reflect Yui and Reiji as well as their religious counterparts - Yui represents light, and Heaven, whereas Reiji represents the dark and therefore Hell.
The noun “adoration” could imply that Reiji desires to be ‘free’ of his traumatic ties while Yui rests atop her kindness. However, it could also imply that Reiji wishes to drag Yui down into the “dark forest” with him and corrupt her pure nature.
The brightly shining moon, a stirring breeze, With the fairies’ boisterous rituals, driving pounding hearts ever faster
The adverbial phrase “brightly shining moon” could posses connotations of light - referring to Yui as we’ve previously implied - however, the word “moon” could imply that the ‘light’ is pale, and it’s cold as opposed to the warm light associated with the sun - they both can also be associated with God as he created both the sun and the moon; they both produce Heaven’s light however, one is pale and cold in comparison to the other, leading darker forces to claim the night -. Within the Bible, night represents a lack of faith in God. With this symbolism in mind, it can be implied that once the cover of daylight has faded, Yui is vulnerable, and the “dark forest” would consequently grow ‘stronger’ - which is something we see within the route as Vampires are canonically weaker within daylight.
Conversely, the phases of the moon can symbolise immortality, eternity, enlightenment and the dark side of nature itself. Something that clearly applies to the character of Reiji - Vampires are immortal and spend their eternity feeding into their trials and tribulations, their ‘enlightenment’ in this case, is to be killed and be set ‘free’. It could be implied that as the moon shines, not only is Yui vulnerable in her faith, but Reiji is biding his time to strike her down into his ‘eternity’.
Fairies are often associated with plants and springtime, depicted as pure figures who possess magical powers. However, in the tales of fairies, they are, more often than not, mischievous creatures with dark and evil intentions. The Latin root word for fairy is ‘fay’ meaning fate; this could signify the purpose of fairies within myths, fairies in stories are constantly messing with the fates of humans. Fairies in these myths may be of the more cartoonish variety and signify simply love, magic and springtime, but most signify things like death, sexual depravity, abduction and general immorality. I wanted to draw attention to the imagery of fairies and their ‘rituals’ as their connotations can vary from divinity to Satanism.
It can be implied that this section refers to Yui, as within the first interpretation of fairies, they symbolise purity and life - and given Yui’s age at the beginning of the story, her youth displays the life her body has and the life it can give, she’s pure, untainted and brimming with life. However, ‘fairies’ could also relate to the brothers. With the interpretation that fairies can also derive from a darker ilk, and like to cause mischief, it could represent the brothers - they each have dark intentions for Yui no matter who’s route you play, and they do it for their own entertainment and their own benefit. Reiji purposely dehumanises Yui and turns her into a loyal pet. Reiji’s “ritual” is to strip Yui of her virtues so that she’ll play into his incessant need for control, driving her pounding heart even faster - what I mean by this is fear, throughout the beginning of Reiji’s route, Yui was undoubtedly afraid of Reiji and the threat he posed to her; he implemented fear into Yui in order to break her.
Conversely, this line can also be interpreted to contain sexual connotations. We’ve dived into how fairies can also be symbols of sexual intimacy and depravity; if we take into account that sadism can also occur within intimate situations like this, it could link back to Reiji. By him essentially breaking Yui, it can be implied that he gains gratification from doing so; “driving pounding hearts ever faster”, Yui’s heart could be inferred to be beating from fear whilst Reiji’s could be implied to be pounding from the pleasure his sadism grants him.
While unknowing that the contracted “Devil” follows after—
This line could serve the implication that while Yui’s vulnerable in the night, she still holds that naivety; she hasn’t figured out the situation she’s in and Reiji’s closing in on her. I’ve interpreted the “contracted ‘Devil’” to relate to Reiji - a narrative self-reference, if you will -, he’s referring to himself while posing the situation that Yui is unaware of his darker intentions for her. She holds firm to her beliefs in God yet she is ignorant to her state of vulnerability.
Ah, such a foolish thing you are, little girl (Falling to ruin) That glass mask of yours is (beginning to crack) Decide, without looking back at the promises shredded by your sins
Firstly, I’d like to point out that Yui is referred to as a “foolish thing”. This noun phrase could insinuate that Reiji’s chastising her naivety, and the fact that she was blissfully unaware and ignorant to the position she was in. To add to this, the noun “thing” also displays the difference in power as it’s established early on in Reiji’s route that ‘sacrificial brides’ are merely nothing more than blood bags - right from the get-go Yui is beneath Reiji -. However, from a psychological standpoint, it’s clear to say that when one person intends to ruin another’s life in some way, shape or form, they tend to distance themselves - either physically, emotionally or both - as it’s easier to hurt someone when you barely view them as a person at all; and I think this is what that line means, Reiji’s pushing Yui into “falling to ruin” - she’s falling to her (spiritual) ‘death’, she’s losing herself and who she is.
The second line strikes me as ironic as the phrase “glass mask” can predominantly refer to a person’s façade. In the context that Reiji is implying Yui’s innate kindness to be a façade of some form, he could be posing the implication that those who are kind often ‘hide away’ their darker counterparts; their ‘sinful’ side. Throughout most of Reiji’s route, Yui has been posed with the question that she should let her dark and carnal self prevail - proving to Reiji that in all her humanity, Yui is nothing more than a pet, an animal who thrives on her carnal instincts, and we see this within the second ending, when Yui poses herself as Cordelia - enslaving Reiji - and essentially living at the ‘top of the food chain’. In that ending, Yui lets her darker side prevail and - in the context of this particular phrase - it therefore poses the implication that her ‘kindness’ was simply a façade, her “glass mask”. The noun “glass” can have connotations of fragility; that the ‘face’ she ‘prefers’ to show is not how she actually feels. The overall implication that Reiji is giving us, is that Yui expresses feelings that are not her own; and the ‘mask’ she wears is as fragile as glass, and once she’s distracted or vulnerable, that mask will break and her ‘true’ self will show.
This is obviously very ironic since Reiji is the one to hide away his true feelings - he plays the role of a ‘polite butler’ yet we know he is anything but that - he uses abuse and manipulation to cover up his own insecurities and turmoil. If anything, he is the one who wears a mask of glass. Glass is fragile, much like his ego and self-esteem, and that mask beings to crack as his route develops - indulging in Yui’s naïve compassion.
The third line could be implied to mean that Yui must make her decision to stay with him - commit to Reiji without hesitation, without the desire to run and give in to her carnal sins with him. He’s asking Yui to take the plunge into sin with him, revoke her religion and commit to him.
“You still do to that extent, even though I’ve told you so firmly.”
This dialogue strikes me as odd, it doesn’t refer to much within the song, however, it could pair with the second piece of dialogue, implying that Yui is still trying to run from her situation; she’s not ready to fully commit from God to the “Devil” - the “Devil” in this case being Reiji, and quite obviously, “Devil” has quite sinister connotations; given that Yui was raised by the church, her commitment to something demonic (and vampiric) is not going to be an easy or nice feat for her.
It can also be implied that this is taking place throughout the beginning of her ‘training’ as it can be inferred that she’s still resisting him even though he’s “told [her] so firmly”, further insinuating that she still has her willpower at this point. She’s not fully succumbed to Reiji’s abuse yet.
A single enraged horn, able to thrust its way up to the heavens Like a chaotically blooming rose, it’s splattered across your face
This first line could posses many different interpretations, the first could relate back to Faust, a man who sold his soul to the Devil yet still tried to force himself into Heaven, only to fail. However, it could also relate back to the relationship between Reiji and Yui, and insinuate something of a sexual nature. Not only are horns associated with devils and demons, but the noun “horn” can posses connotations of a phallic symbol and sexual imagery. Within Greek mythology, strength, power and supremacy are a part of the symbolism of horns. The other connotation is virility - procreative vigour. Within the story of the ‘Plough’, even the use of the oxen to pull the plough had its sexual connotation. The plough drew its furrow in the soil, and was pulled by reins attached to the oxen's horns. The horns were the force behind the plough’s coitus with the earth; therefore, horns grew a sexual connotation. Alongside the noun “horn” the verb “thrust” also contains sexual connotations; with this semantic field in mind, it could imply that “heavens” relates to Yui’s purity and virginity. Additionally, the imagery of roses also feeds into this interpretation as white flowers are a common symbol of virginity; the imagery of a flower blooming can often be associated to metaphorically represent becoming a woman (losing your virginity) and the flower turns from white to red as the blood pours - and roses are often red or at least associated with the colour red as opposed to white.
Conversely, it could also refer to Yui and Reiji’s emotional relationship, and the dark and light imagery could be a metaphysical representation of that. It could imply that Reiji’s abuse is starting to infect Yui - a child of God being corrupted by something demonic -. It can also link back to her “glass mask” as the corruption allows Yui’s kind nature to drop and her weak and vulnerable state to be “splattered across [her] face”. It could insinuate that the “blooming rose” is Yui’s corruption starting to grow and infest her; yet she’s still trying to fight it - she’s infected by Reiji, and the rose imagery could represent that. Roses are often associated with love and throughout Reiji’s route, we see Yui start to fall into the categories of Stockholm Syndrome and co-dependency, that ‘love’ is starting to bloom yet it is a twisted form of love.
This deep crimson curse is our family’s fate A damned soul, never again to…
The imagery of a “deep crimson” can connote to blood, and not necessarily just Yui’s. the notion that it’s referred to as a “curse” and “family’s fate” offers the interpretation that Reiji views his heritage as a source of evil and misfortune and that tribulations are inevitable and unavoidable for him. It not only relates to each brother’s misery and the misery they force upon Yui, but it also relates back to their mothers and Karlheinz himself as Christa dealt with severe mental illnesses, Cordelia suffered from a multitude of issues and Beatrix was severely bullied by Cordelia - and Karlheinz foresaw all of this and made it his personal experiment to cause each one misery and make sure that instability was passed down onto each brother; with that information in mind, it would be natural for Reiji to interpret this recurring theme to be something akin to a family curse, a terrible privilege that each of them share. In addition to this, “A damned soul, never again to...” could be a self-reference from Reiji, if he views his heritage as a “curse”, then it’s likely that he appoints himself as a “damned soul” - with “damned” giving connotations of misery and turmoil -. I’d like to bring attention to the aposiopesis found within this line as what Reiji aims for is left ambiguous, however, what I interpret this unfinished phrase to mean, is that he’s a “damned soul, never again to” reach the ‘light’ and achieve happiness and genuine love and affection. If Reiji interprets himself as a cursed child, it would be natural for him to crave the love and stability he was never given, he wants what he can’t have and he can’t have it because he’s “damned” to be awarded nothing but tribulations, turmoil and misery.
“You know you can never escape!!”
I’ve interpreted this section of dialogue to link to the other - it uses the passive voice. The passive voice is used to show interest in the person or object that experiences an action rather than the person or object that performs the action. In other words, the most important thing or person becomes the subject of the sentence, for example: ‘the plate was dropped by Yui’ rather than ‘Yui dropped the plate’. The most important part of this sentence is that “[Yui] can never escape”, yet it comes secondary to “I’ve told you so firmly” - which is the least important part of the phase, yet it is spoken first; further implying that Reiji is using the passive voice to ‘chastise’ Yui into submission.
The phrase itself could pose a few interpretations, one being that she can never escape from Reiji - Yui’s his prey and he’s not going to let her go idly by -. The second is that she can never escape her fate; I think this is the overall theme of Reiji’s song. Reiji is fated to live out a torturous, Vampiric existence, and Yui is damned to be tied to Reiji’s fate due to her father’s involvement. Yui’s fate was decided once Cordelia’s heart was instilled in her; she was damned from the beginning and I believe Reiji knows this - he’s trying to drag her into damnation with him.
A dying science,
Your impressions destroyed, at the hand of a shameless fist
The first line here could be interpreted as an oxymoron, as science is often connected to discovering something new or creating something new - discovering a new ‘life’ so to speak - and this connotation would naturally contrast with “dying”. Science can relate to a multitude of things, biology, chemistry, physics and psychology to name a few. this phrase could link to both Reiji and Yui if we take the psychological approach - the phrase itself could be metaphorical of Reiji breaking Yui’s self-worth. Throughout his route, Reiji has undoubtedly used Yui as an ‘experiment’ of sorts, a ‘science’ to explore and break down into its basic fundamentals; her “impressions” - impressions of herself, those around her and trying to help them as best as she can - are “destroyed”, her self-worth and confidence are decimated by Reiji’s cruelty, by the “hand of a shameless fist”.
However, it could be interpreted in a more literal sense and instead link back to when Cordelia inhabited Yui’s body and chose to destroy Reiji’s laboratory; and in turn, destroy the potion he was devoting himself to that would resurrect Beatrix, devoting himself to a “dying science” if you will. In that moment, Reiji’s impressions of coming to terms with his CEN were destroyed by Cordelia’s self-importance - her “shameless fist” destroyed the very thing (aside from Yui) that was pivotal to him.
As these sins pile up like the falling snow, there is no hope of redemption Their height surpassing even your castle walls, it’s far too late to even pray to God
This section here could be implied to be metaphorical and represent Yui’s inner self and her emotional walls and boundaries. First of all, comparing sins to snow alongside with the sibilance in both can be implied to connote to something light and cunning; the ‘s’ sound can also give off snake-like imagery - which takes us back to the religious themes threaded throughout the game and this song. The snake that bit Eve (the Devil) and ‘awakened’ her can make quite a nice parallel to Reiji and Yui. Throughout this song, it can be inferred that Reiji references himself to be the “Devil” - he’s not the Devil but he is demonic - and Yui (throughout the games) is named Eve in relation to her ‘awakening’; both the Adam and Eve theme threaded throughout More Blood, and the other games hold quite Biblical references and imagery.
Snow also continues this religious imagery as it often symbolises purity, which could mean that this contrast is posing the implication that Yui’s sins are pure (as in [something] is pure envy or [insert sin here]’. However, snow tends to fall slowly and lightly, which could imply that Yui’s submission into Reiji’s abuse is slow and light at the beginning but like snow, it culminates over time. We could even go as far as to compare her submission to the sin of sloth. Sloth has been defined as a failure to do things that one should do; in this case - or rather, in Yui’s case - that failure is the failure to overpower her abuser.
The second part to the first line - “there is no hope of redemption” - could apply to both Reiji and Yui. Yui has no hope for redemption once she submits to Reiji - to submit to Reiji, a vampire, a demon, she is effectively turning her back on her faith; she’s made peace with her fate and therefore, there is no redemption for her in Yui’s own eyes. As for Reiji, he has no hope for redemption due to the abhorrent cruelty he bestows on Yui; his treatment of not only her, but Shuu, Beatrix and Edgar too. Reiji cannot achieve redemption because he cannot accept when he is at fault. His behaviour towards others and his sadism prevent him from becoming better; therefore, for him, there is no redemption. At least, redemption cannot take place just yet, remember, this is a story being told by Reiji about Yui - his perception of her is going to be vastly different from ours as the audience; therefore, he cannot see ‘redemption’ for her, and in his own way of thinking, he poses the question that maybe she cannot see redemption for herself either.
The imagery of Yui’s sins growing higher than her “castle walls” could be implied to be metaphorical. When a person hides away their feelings, we often use the phrase ‘putting up walls’ to describe their emotional cut off. I believe this can be referential to Yui as throughout the beginning of Reiji’s route, we often see Yui hide away her deeper affections; she keeps her larger thoughts and feelings to herself most of the time - her distaste, longing, uncertainty is wrapped away in her mind (we as the audience see those thoughts and feelings, but Reiji doesn’t). In order to keep herself from facing Reiji’s uglier tendencies, she’ll sometimes lock her emotions away (not all of them, but quite a few). Overall, it could be implied that Reiji’s influence is starting to take a hold of her internally and she can’t block it out or subdue it, and because it’s festering in her mind, it’s already in her subconscious; therefore, it’s “too late” for her to pray to God to help her. Reiji’s wormed himself into Yui’s mind and her faith in God cannot overpower that.
Unable to grasp that ‘nothingness,’ that eternal price—
The noun “nothingness” can connote to the state of being nothing, something that is non-existent, lack of being, unconsciousness or death and I think the latter is the main connotation for this noun within the context of the song and Reiji as a character. We know that Vampires within the DL universe crave death, and being killed is the ultimate way for someone to confess their ‘love’ - to die is something that all Vampires crave. This line, to me, could imply that Reiji longs for death, to have the misery end and finally rest for eternity; we know from following Kanato’s route that he [Kanato] is jealous of humans since we can die quite easily whereas he cannot - he can’t grasp that “nothingness” that is death - and I think this can apply here. It can not only be implied that Reiji wants to - in some capacity - die, but that he’s almost chastising Yui for the fact that she can reach death easier than him. The dash (or hyphen) at the end of this sentence poses the inference that he’s being ‘cut off’ or ‘cut short’, not by his brothers or Yui, but by himself; he’s purposely cutting his sentence short and I think this links back to his internal struggle of opening up and lowering his front. Throughout Reiji’s route, his character has always been to-and-fro with his emotions - he’s reserved yet malicious - however, I think this line in particular allows us to see into his head more and could even pose the theory that Reiji’s suffering from depression just like his brother(s). Neglect, abuse, perfectionism, paranoia (of being ‘outed’ for his feelings and of Yui leaving him - this is seen throughout Cordelia’s interference), they all add up one on top of another and paired with his need to impress his father and prove his worth, it all culminates to him possibly wanting to be the “nothing” that he feels - that his childhood made him feel -. He’s giving us insight into his mind yet at the same time, it could be implied that he’s scolding Yui for how easily she can die and fade into that “nothingness” yet he is unable to do so himself.
Aah, the punishment you dreamed of (Why did I see it?) This spiral labyrinth is (never-ending) In conclusion, unless I suck you dry, the rules of logic won’t survive
Linking back to the previous line, the “punishment” Reiji’s mentioning could be death. Again, this is a story from Reiji’s point of view and we know for a fact that he implements his own views and beliefs onto Yui; it would be no different how he would force his views of death onto her too. Consequently, it could then be implied that he also believes Yui to crave death as much as he does - which would then make sense as to why he says “the punishment you dreamed of”. As the audience, we know that Yui doesn’t want to die, but Reiji can’t accept that and instead views it as her denying her ‘true feelings’ - he needs to have that corrupt control over her mind in order to relax around her -.
Ironically, the very word “labyrinth” is often used to illustrate confusion and complexity. As such, the symbol of the labyrinth can represent an enigma, a puzzle and confusion. Some view the labyrinth as a metaphor for a spiritual journey, with the entrance representing birth and the centre symbolising God, knowing or enlightenment. Getting to the centre requires a long, arduous journey of growth. First of all, the spiral is a symbol of change, as all things in this world must change over time. Nothing can live and be stagnant, and as scary as change is, it is also wonderful, because that means that everyday we have a new chance, a new choice, to change ourselves. I think this overall line is Reiji speaking out about his subconscious, he as a person is constantly changing and conflicting with himself - and this is mainly brought about by Yui -. He’s trapped pondering the same path and as he walks on, he delves deeper into his own psyche; however, this “spiral labyrinth” is “never-ending” because he can’t come to terms with who he is - who he is underneath his trauma, his privileges, his race and status - because, in my interpretation, that person is something Reiji would see as weak and powerless, which is the same thing he loathes in Yui - which brings us back to the interpretation that in some ways, Yui subconsciously represents Reiji’s inner self, and his childhood. Due to Yui possibly representing these things, the spiral never ends because Yui’s representation is something Reiji wants to run away from, but no one can run from their past, and until he learns to accept the better things about himself and the things he’s done out of spite and hatred, he can never fully leave that labyrinth.
The third line links more to what we see during the route, which is him biting Yui. However, in this subliminal context, this line could be implied to implement the power dynamic - and the importance of said dynamic -. Overall, this phrase basically states that if Reiji doesn’t drink Yui’s blood, then logic won’t survive; this could imply that Reiji has to drink from Yui in order to continue the power dynamic between them, he needs to be the one in control, the predator, and Yui needs to stay in the position of weak prey. By furthering this interpretation, it could imply that in regards to their races, predator and prey is the only logical dynamic to establish and for that to be disturbed would imply that logic no longer exists; it would mean that Yui has the upper hand, and not Reiji, he would no longer hold the control he desires. If we compare this interpretation to the Manservant Ending, we see that power dynamic flip. Instead of Reiji instigating the blood sucking, this time it’s Yui - she’s in control and she does as she pleases, he can’t drink the amount he wants (he can’t suck her dry) - and therefore, all logic has disappeared, the prey has become the predator and logic has died, Reiji’s control has died, and his self-worth has died.
Following Reiji’s route, we quickly learn that Reiji is a man who values intelligent and logic - his intellect fuels his self-esteem - and unless he has Yui at his mercy (with the threat of draining all her blood) the logic of the Vampire/Human dynamic won’t survive, it’ll die along with his frail ego.
“Kukuku…Or rather, would you like to die right now?”
This piece of dialogue links to the previous ones we’ve seen throughout the song; it’s a string of dialogue weaved into the story, a cross between Reiji’s ‘fantasy’ and reality. He’s told Yui that she can never escape and now he’s giving her the ‘option’ of dying - in reality, there is no option, it’s reverse psychology of giving her the choice of doing something that he knows she would protest against (that being death). It acts as Reiji essentially keeping Yui under his control.
Additionally, the fact that Reiji laughs when saying this could imply that he doesn’t take Yui seriously enough to consider her a threat; furthermore, it could be implied that he’s choosing to mock her in her time of distress - Yui wants to leave but she can’t and Reiji’s taking this opportunity to laugh at her misfortune.
In a storm driven mad with desire, my mind calms, all thoughts cut off Like a vanishing rose, cutting across my mind
When you think about a storm, you probably don’t have many pleasant meanings to connect to it. It’s a symbol of chaos, negativity, trauma, difficulty, weakness, and even depression. Storm symbolism also signifies change and transition since storms are only temporary. However, in literature, storms play a completely different role. They’re used as elements of foreshadowing, which is the act of predicting the future in the story. It’s a very frequently used symbol that can be used in almost any setting. Normally, it predicts something unpleasant, tragic, or even scary.
The storm itself could be implied to represent Reiji’s inner turmoil; how by focusing on that one specific thing can in fact calm him, his mind is steady - it could be interpreted as ‘ordered chaos’, which refers to a complex situation or process that appears chaotic while still having enough order to achieve progress or goals. The idea of “organised chaos” is more than saying you know where everything is in your messy bedroom or office, even if no one else can make sense of it. It’s also the idea of a looser set of rules and giving yourself a little more freedom to find your own success. it can be inferred that the “storm” is Reiji’s subconscious, or at least his mental state, yet his mind is able to be calm due to him being able to navigate that chaos - it’s something only he can understand, both giving him the satisfaction of surpassing everyone else’s psychological skills but also the satisfaction of being able to hide the mess that is his mind so well.
The last line of this phrase could be implied to mean that Reiji’s mind has become blank, his usual thoughts of resentment and jealousy have ceased, they’ve vanished and so, his mind has become blank. Additionally, ‘blank’ can have connotations of calmness - since the mind has become devoid of thoughts and emotions, it becomes oddly calm in its emptiness. Here we also see the noun “rose” make another appearance, however, roses not only symbolise love and purity, but it also has other connotations too. In the Middle Ages, roses were hung from the ceilings of meeting rooms; it was understood that everyone under the roses was sworn to secrecy. With this in mind, it could be implied that the noun “rose” symbolises secrecy, Reiji’s desires and detriments are to remain a secret - a secret that he and Yui will later share but a ‘secret’ nonetheless -. However, the notion that the rose is “vanishing” could imply that his unchecked mind is starting to dissipate; the thoughts that haunt him so much are ‘disappearing’ from his conscious mind. However, the verb “cutting” gives off the interpretation that his vanishing thoughts are quite abrupt, as though Reiji’s trying to forcefully forget the chaos in his brain - implying that Reiji’s trying to forget his turmoil in order to calm his mind.
This memory is our family’s fate A damned soul, never again to…
Memory can often connote to both remembrance and forgetfulness however, it can be interpreted that “memory” relates to the previous line, of Reiji trying to forget his tribulations. Each person that holds a substantial relationship with Karlheinz is dealt with nothing but despair - whether that relationship is founded from genetics or courtship is of no relevance, as each person is given their own cruel hand by “fate” -. Therefore, it’s possible to assume that Reiji’s memories of pain is shared throughout the family; each brother is wallowing in their own trauma, yet they cannot talk about it or cope in a healthy way, they each let their emotions fester and try to forget their memories, and because that mechanism of trauma is passed through the family, it has therefore become their “fate”.
Here we also see the repetition of the line “A damned soul, never again to…”. The adjective “damned” can have connotations of being condemned or doomed, especially to eternal punishment - which is quite similar to how the brothers view their long-lasting lives. With this in mind, we can again imply that Reiji is ‘doomed’ to suffer the consequences of ‘fate’s’ cruel hand; he can never again revert to the past, before his trauma was dealt to him, and that is his family’s fate.
“…─I will never let you go”
Once more, we are presented with Reiji’s dialogue, however, this phrase has both sorrowful and threatening connotations. The phrase “…─I will never let you go” has obvious menacing implications, since Reiji’s holding Yui hostage in this overall situation - if Yui tries to leave, then he’ll punish her, or he’ll kill her. This threat enables Reiji to carry on implementing his control over Yui and bending her to his will - breaking her in the process -. Conversely, this threat can also possess quite sorrowful and forlorn connotations. Following Reiji’s route, it can be implied that Yui’s inadvertently and subconsciously helping Reiji come to terms with the type of person he is; without Yui, his bitterness will only fester to a higher capacity, and his abuse tactics and sadism will only grow - thus, it could be implied that Reiji can’t let Yui go because of this, and when you think about it that way, it’s quite melancholic.
“Kukuku… You should understand by now, right?”
“It is your fate to continue to have your blood sucked by me.”
Reiji yet again insults Yui’s intelligence by condescending to her that she should be able to understand the situation she’s in, and how it’s her “fate”. Throughout the entirety of Reiji’s route, his use of language towards Yui is typically demeaning, and here is no exception.
The noun “blood” can have many different connotations and symbolisms, one of which is that it represents life - this is mainly derived from the fact that blood is the very substance that flows through our veins in order to keep us alive; with this connotation, it could be implied that Yui’s “fate” is to have her life drained by Reiji for his own satisfaction. However, blood can also be seen as something that’s a person’s ‘essence’. If there’s something that is so core to your sense of identity or your beliefs, you could say that “it’s in my blood”. This interpretation could imply that Reiji intends to finish ‘training’ Yui until every last part of her has been taken away, her ‘core’ has been “sucked” out by Reiji in his attempts to perfect her - all her aspirations, hope, pain and suffering have been removed by Reiji, as blood can also connotate to pain and suffering; something that can be implied to be Reiji’s fate - his fate is to suffer, and he will inflict that same punishment upon Yui, since her fate is to become broken and damned along with him.
“…─This prediction is absolute.” “……So, wake up…”
Firstly, the line “This prediction is absolute.” could imply that both Reiji and Yui’s fates are “absolute”, they’re established and universally decided upon that this is the path they must both follow. The noun “prediction” carries connotations of both science and philosophy. The first comes from the fact that during an experiment, predictions are made in relation to the outcome - the experiment at hand however, can range from physical chemicals to the inside of someone’s mind. Additionally, “prediction” can also connote to something being prophesied. The inference that I’m trying to make, is that both connotations are linked; though this insinuation is mainly derived from More Blood and Dark Fate due to us learning more about Karlheinz and how he’s monopolised his bloodline. Both Reiji and Yui’s fates have already been decided due to Karlheinz effectively using his sons as ‘experiments’ - therefore, the life that Reiji and Yui are to live, has already been prophesied and predicted; thus, it is “absolute”.
The phrase “wake up” is honestly quite a strange line to include in this song however, it could imply that Yui needs to wake up from the dainty person she was, and accept her fate - a ‘wake up’ call if you will -. Conversely, it also reminds me of a darker theme within dreams, that to ‘die’ (in a dream) is to “wake up”; with that in mind, it could infer that Yui’s past self needs to ‘die’ in order for her to “wake up” and accept who she is now, who she is presently while being under Reiji’s control. No longer is Yui pure and untainted, and so from Reiji’s perspective, she needs to “wake up” from that ‘act’.
“Awaken and become a part of our family.” “In the darkness, unable to see anything, with you…” “…─I want to feel it!”
Following my interpretation that Yui needs to let her past self die in order to “wake up” could link to this section here, and it could imply that Reiji believes that Yui needs to let herself go, let her religion, beliefs and self-worth diminish and die in order for her ‘true’ self to “awaken” - let Reiji remould her to his desire and welcome her ‘retrained’ self into his arms.
We’re brought back to this imagery of darkness, and this imagery could link back to the “dense, black forest” we saw in the beginning, showing the song’s cyclical structure. Much like the beginning, the theme of darkness could infer that Reiji desires Yui to fall from her ‘heavenly grace’ and join him in his misery - “unable to see anything” but despair and longing -. Throughout Reiji’s route, it’s been made clear that Reiji wishes to shatter Yui as a person, and rebuild her to his design; therefore, Reiji wants Yui to fall into despair with him, so that he’s no longer alone in his turmoil. The last line of “…─I want to feel it!” could reinforce this implication, that Reiji wishes to have company in his damnation and he wants to know and feel that every part of Yui belongs to him - from her determination to her compassion, he wants to feel ‘loved’ by her, yet he wants to break her in that process so that she can never escape from his abuse.
A single enraged horn, able to thrust its way up to the heavens Like a chaotically blooming rose, it’s splattered across your face
Here the cyclicity of the song is made clear with the repetition of the chorus - it reinforces Reiji’s desire to corrupt Yui and drag her down to ‘Hell’ with him. Conversely, it may simply be the poetic voice (Reiji) attempting to reiterate a certain point, reflecting the continuing nature of time, entrapment through repetition and re-living events - re-living Yui’s downfall and her entrapment in Reiji’s cruel schemes.
This deep crimson curse is our family’s fate A damned soul, never again to… A damned soul, never again to…
Again, this section is repeated, implying that it’s significant, that Reiji’s “fate” and turmoil is significant - and it is, it’s significant to Karlheinz. Each brother’s fate is significant in one way or another as it all ties into Karlheinz’s ‘plan’, their fates have been preordained; therefore, they’re all “damned souls”, they have been from the beginning and Yui is no exception to this, and I think Reiji knows this. The last line is repeated twice, and contains the same wording and grammar; this gives the impression that the ending is inevitable and nothing can be done to stop it. The sense of repetition created through this element of the structure also creates a sense of hopelessness, reflecting the lack of choices that Yui has in this position and how Reiji will inevitable dictate her entire existence.
“…─Have you understood? Very well, in that case, become mine for all eternity.”
This first line is in fact a rhetoric, Reiji’s not asking a genuine question to Yui, he’s establishing their power dynamic and that she should already know to obey his every whim. He’s patronising her intelligence just like how he does throughout his route - it infers that overall, nothing has changed and Yui is still hopeless and Reiji is still bitter and resentful towards others and towards himself.
The very last line however, displays that even though Reiji is as heinous as they come, he still wishes for Yui’s company while he waits for his “fate” to consume him. The pronoun “mine” shows Reiji’s possessiveness and how he wants Yui’s compassion to himself - implying that she gives him the comfort and ‘love’ he’s so desperately wanted throughout his life. He’s dragged Yui down into the pits of despair and she’s had no choice in whether she wanted that or not, that is her “fate”. Though Reiji’s bitterness may not have changed, and his abuse may not have corroded, this line implies that he wishes to have Yui’s company throughout his misery; to not be completely alone.
To conclude, this song is overall, quite sad and it gives us insight into Reiji’s mind; how he wants to corrupt Yui for his own gain, yet he doesn’t want to lose her company because he doesn’t want to be alone. The song doesn’t justify any of Reiji’s actions towards Yui - instead it shows how cruel he can be - but it also shows just how alone he feels, and by the end of this story’s analysis, the overall feeling that comes to mind, is pity.