The Cursed Well: Where the Demon Resides

Five years had passed since I had been binded to the well.

"Ah, Kyuros, the great demon king of the shadows. Hehehe, so what might be your story? Why are you at the bottom of this cursed well?" asked the thousand whispers from a being of light.

"All the people call it cursed because of an old tale," I scoffed.

"Ah, yes, but have you actually heard the tale?" it asked.

"Who cares," I sighed at the wall next to me.

The spirit displayed pictures of light in the air and began to say, "When all of light-"

"I said I don't care!" I snapped.

It continued," ...and all of shadow were two halves-"

"Ugh!" I grunted miserably.

The spirit giggled amongst itself.

"Okay! Stop with the evil, ugly laughter and just get on with it!" I replied grumpily.

"A man had come to fetch water. He had committed a crime and had been on the run from the imperial knights. But the well belonged to a noble woman. It is a crime to steal from a noble, his crime being, stealing water from her well."

"Isn't that obvious?" I moaned sarcastically.

"But instead of reporting him, the woman kindly allowed him to stay."

"Are you ignoring me!?" I growled.

"She was fond of toying with the rules of society. So the man stayed by her side as a manservant, but when his true lineage was revealed, an outsider nobleman, he had pushed her into a well to contain his secret until she grabbed him to fall along with her. Since then, whoever came to the well, either died falling in or disappeared. Many believe it is the revenge and cunningness of the noble woman," it said.

"That's it?" I asked.

There was a long pause.

"Hello?" I hollered out.

"It was supposedly used to collect the tears of sad souls, and when the well filled up, it gave a wish to those it chose," it finally said.

"Ah, okay. Now can you leave? I'm trying to take a nap here," I said.

"Hmmm, but wouldn't it be more fun? What if you had a second chance? The chance to take your revenge?" it whispered at my neck.

"Hehe, if I did, I'd use that chance to kill you a thousand times!" I burned up the fire in my hands as an example.

"Woah now, don't be so hasty. What if I can give you that chance?" it asked.

"Hah? Aren't there strings attached to everything your kind does?" I rhetorically asked.

"Ah, but for you, I'm willing to give you a discount. Maybe about five percent less strings attached," it said.

"Does that even make a difference?" I asked.

"Hmm... Nope I guess not?" it said.

"Then what's the point?!" I yelled out.

It giggled again," Um, you can have the opportunity to serve your God again and kill your beloved-"

"And that's important because?!" I interrupted.

"Because," it whispered into my ear," he betrayed your trust."

The earth rumbled with my anger as the spirit felt my glares daggering into its skull.

"My God has fallen by the hands of my enemy. You're provoking me. Leave or I will consume you, you lower spirit," I growled.

"Hehehe, but you see, your God is very much alive," it teased.

"What do you mean by that?!" I yelled.

"If you ever change your mind," it marked my arm with a seal.

"Who gave you permission to touch me!" I yelled.

"Ask the simple question to a fallen prisoner if they want a second chance then make a blood contract reciting this spell,' By the redwine flowers, I will grant your wish and you shall grant mine.' Disclaimer, beware that this does not work on souls, only mortals," it said gibberishly fast, fading into the daylight above.

It did pique my interest.

And I did try to make a contract with the prisoners that fell down.

But everytime I did...

"If you had a second chance, would you take it?" I would ask.

"No! Don't come near me! You can't have my soul, you beast! You devil!" they would squeal and scurry away from me or already be dead, leaving me asking questions senselessly at a stone wall.

But then, there was this strange woman with scarlet red hair. She smelled like the flowers on the verge of death, and she had been branded with the imperial court's mark of the sun.

I didn't want to risk making a contract with a dead mortal, so I never asked.

"Mom..If only you were alive," she'd whisper," If only.."

And this had continued for a week. Her silence later drawn out her liveliness.

I didn't think I would ask the 'question' until that night.

"Augh! Would you quit crying and laughing?!" I yelled at her.

"Hm? Ahahaha a puppy! Are you my puppy?" she asked playfully.

"No!" I'd snap angrily," If you're going to die then just die already!"

She sniffled and whined," But I.. I don't want to die. I miss you, Mom, Dad, Elice. I'm so sorry... If only I could have did something right. If only-"

"What if, you had a second chance?" I asked her.

"Hm? What was that little puppy? What'd you say?" she asked.

"Augh, do you have to be a crazy wench?!" I yelled.

She started to sniffle and cry out to the moon sadly," Oowoo..."

I sighed," This is annoying."

She sniffled and stared at the floor.

"Then I'll ask again, would you like a second chance?" I asked.

Tears ran down her cheek as she finally said,"Yes, I do."

I walked closer towards her and bit my lip as I recited the spell. Her eyes grew wide as I morphed into my human form.

"My puppy," she said smiling.

"This wasn't a reaction I was expecting. I'm not your puppy," I growled and she snuggled her nose against mine," Now hold still, it's time to wake up from your cursed fate."

Ugh..a woman. The thought and sight brought back a ball of disgust in the pit of my stomache, but her lips...

I unexpectedly found myself endulging in her touch. It's been so long since I had felt another.

I heard her moan and partially giggle that was muffled from our lips.

Hmm..?

I released my lips from hers and said

"I am Kyuro, the demonic were beast of Amaya. We are now binded by contract. For as long as this contract binds us, I will forever be by your side just as you will be by mine."

"No way..." I heard her as I opened my eyes.

HMM?!!

It had been an hour since she passed out.

"Huh? Wha- what did you do to me?! What happened to the brand?" she watched her glowing tattoo and shackles dissolve into the air.

I massaged my furrowed brows," Don't tell me you forgot everything."

"You, you were a puppy!" she said.

"No, I was NOT and I am NOT!" I snapped.

"And then you turned into a handsome guy!" she said.

"Yes, yes, I am handsome." I blushed.

"And you kept yelling at me and making me cry!" she said.

"What?! You just cried on your own!" I yelled.

"See?," she said sniffling.

"Why are you such a crybaby? Anyways we're binded by contract now-" I paused, looking at our bodies glowing and dissolving into flickering lights.

"Hey! Don't forget about me! I'll look for you and I'll find you! So just keep living your life! Or change what you think should change! You only have this last chance!" I yelled out to her as she disappeared from my sight.

"Wait! What's going on?! What's happening to us?" the red head said.

"There isn't much time left! We're reliving the past. We're going to take our second chance! To make things right!" I said as our bodies turned into a thousand lights.

I'm glad her brand is gone. It would've been troublesome if she had it on her as we relived the past.