Should Burn In Hell

--AN) This is a slow-release novel. Enjoy. --

The sounds of anguish. The smell of blood. The fires that burn off in the distance billow smoke up into the air. The pain. The feeling of losing an eye, a leg, even my arms, I can feel it all. But even now, I still laugh. I laugh at the fact that it took millions of them to take me down. It took millions of them to rip my heart out. 

They shout chants of victory, but what victory did they get? Half the world chased me down. Half the world tried to kill me, but in the end…. A few hundred are left? Maybe less? I lost count long ago. And for what? My blood? My blood that can not be used for anything? 

They see me as a demon. They see me as the villain. They treated me as if I was some kind of disease. When they needed me, I was there. I killed. I saved lives. I protected everyone. But now…. I lay in the mud under a cloudy sky. Raindrops stab my cheeks. These people who killed my loved ones. The ones I treasured the most. All of them…

SHOULD BURN IN HELL!

Destruction. This is all I want. If I had a second chance… This world… I would let it rot in hell. Save the princess? No…. I would never do such a thing. I will no longer be the hero. I will be the angel of death who only wishes to reap the lives of those who tormented me. Chased me. Pushed me into a corner until I had no choice but to fight back. 

I once tried. I tried to be a good person. When the world had changed, and the power of fana circulated the globe, the people within began to form powers. I, too, gained powers. I did what I could to protect the weak. The cities and towns were ravaged by monsters that no modern weapon could harm. I stood in their paths and raised my sword. I killed…. And killed…. And killed until I was soaked in the blood of monsters.

But in the end, what did I get? I was treated as some kind of monster myself. When humans once more gained control of the land, I was seen as the enemy. People thought by drinking the blood of my heart, they could gain my powers. And here…. As my life slowly slips away, I watch as the idiots who had just ripped my heart from my chest laugh and drink the blood that drips from my still-beating heart. 

 "Nothing but idiots…." I managed to speak only these words before coughing up a mouth full of blood. What they do not seem to realize is that with so much blood, the blood that I spilled in order to gain revenge and in order to try to live a little longer will cause the monsters hidden deep in the forests to come. Monsters these fools could never fight against.

Those that lie dormant will wake, and then what? Who will protect them then? Who will fight against the monsters that will surface? They will be cursing one another, especially now that their forces have all been slain.

I let out a low chuckle. As my lips slowly curl up into a smile. Just the thought of what is to come makes me happy. To know that these idiots will never be able to deal with the aftermath makes me know I can die in peace. 

- - -

*Beep!* *Beep!* *Beep!* *Beep!* 

The sound of a familiar alarm sounds off in my ear. An alarm I have not heard in over a few hundred years. Fana made it so people lived much longer. Some even gained new traits. Like me…. I had horns, dragon-like wings, and a thick-scaled tail. Some had fluffy tails and ears. It reminded me of the beastkin from manga and novels that I used to read when I was a kid.

But more importantly… This beeping won't stop…

I slowly open my eyes to see a sight I have not seen since I was sixteen. A room with white walls and purple curtains. A king-size bed that was against the left side of the room with a window on the right and another near the head of my bed. A wardrobe stood tall in between, kitty-cornered. On the far wall at the foot of my bed, a thirty-inch TV was mounted on the wall. And in the last open space sat a desk with a laptop sitting on top of it. 

"This… Room… Why am I not dead?" I looked down at my hands to see them without any scars. No scales either. Just young, snow-white skin that seemed flawless. "I know I died. I felt the pain. I felt them dig my heart out. I…."

Tears began to drip down from my eyes. I, Serenity Dawson, should have died…. But…. Now… "I was reborn? No…. More like I went back to when I was sixteen? Is this because of fana?" 

Fana was not like what people could call magic. It was more like the spiritual qi a cultivator from a chinses novel would take in. One had to build their fana up slowly. Each level would bring about new power. And I…. I was someone whose ability to break through each level was unlike anyone else. Fana came in levels. I was a level 99 before I died. At least, I think I died. I am not really sure. I have vivid memories. A dream could not make hundreds of years of memories. At least, I think, anyway.

By the calendar on the wall, it says it's still October 2023. I had just turned sixteen this year. And in another month, November 14th, 2023, the world will change. Strange black pillars will appear all over the world, and the sky will turn purple. Fana will spread, and people will start to develop powers. Guns, rockets, bombs. No matter what kind of weapon you use, it will all become useless when fana appears. But the thing that dropped humanity to a quick change was the monsters. Your household cat, Fluffy, will turn into a monster that will attack you on sight. Its once beautiful white fluffy fur will turn a reddish color. The snuggly little cat that you loved so much will eat your eyes out of your head without a second thought. 

Fana turned all animals into monsters. Even the insects in the air will grow in size and become a huge threat. Humans were by no means ready for such a sudden change. But that was just the beginning. I still remember clearly the pain I went through the very night it all happened. The feeling of all your bones breaking and being merged back together. The feeling of having new appendages growing out of my body. Tail…. Horns…. Wings…. Luckily, I was inside since my clothes were torn to shreds, as it made room for my new body parts. But at that time, I almost died from just the pain alone.

Looking into the mirror that hung above my desk, I could see that I was indeed back in my younger body. Sixteen, slender, long, soft black hair that will soon turn purple. My brown eyes, which will match my hair, looked a little puffy from my tears just now. But to be honest, I couldn't care less. My modest breasts that will…. Never grow…

As I stood there staring at my body in a bit of a daze, my phone rang. I looked down at the name appearing on my screen and almost broke down. With shaky hands, I picked it up and took a deep breath. "Mom?"

"Little girl, if I do not call you, will you ever call your mother? We might be on two different shores, but we can still stay in touch. Wait, why does it sound like you are crying?" My mother's voice was slightly stern yet full of worry. The voice of a woman I longed to hear. I never did get to say goodbye to her when the world changed. When I finally was able to get to the West Coast, I found my parents' apartment covered in old dried blood. But it took a year to even get there, so it could have been anyone's.

"Mom… next month… before the 14th…. Can you and Dad come back for a few days? Just until the 17th?" I asked. If I could save them…. If everything was truly real. I wanted them to come back here. I wanted them to come home for a short time. Just in case….

"Baby, I would love to…. But your father and I are not able to leave just yet. We are still trying to get the company going. We will be back in December, this I can promise." Her words made the tears in my eyes fall. I bit my lip and tried to stifle my emotions before saying. "Then I will come see you on the 13th. I will come, so make sure you clean up."

"Okay? You are always welcome to come, honey, but make sure you take proper time off from school. Do not leave without notifying them." My mom was always willing to let me fly out to her if I wanted to. My parents were quite rich. They owned a few multi-million dollar companies. Which meant I had a black card I could use for whatever I pleased. 

"Then I will be there. Mom, I love you. I need to head to school." I did not wait for her to answer as I hung up. I looked at my puffy eyes in the mirror and took a deep breath. "I will go to school for today since she will be there. I need to respond to her this time. I need to let her know I will accept all of her." 

This time, I will not let my loved ones come to harm. I will not let those who loved me die either. I will become a demon. I will show the world that messing with an angel of Death is the last thing they will want to do. My first task is Chloe. Then I will drag her with me to get a sword. If everything is truly real, then my skills from before should be there, even if my strength is not the same.

This time, everything will be different. The angel on the battlefield, the title I once had, will become the angel of death….