Chapter 3-1: An Unexpected Turn of Events

"Ra... Rahab?"

I stared at the black cat before me, my mouth agape in astonishment.

"Yes, Rahab. It looks like you've never heard of me before. Heh, my name used to strike fear into people hundreds of years ago," Rahab sighed, frowning.

"Hundreds of years ago!" I exclaimed in disbelief.

Looking at Rahab, who seemed no different from an ordinary kitten, I could hardly believe he was an ancient being.

But then, considering he could speak human language, living for centuries didn't seem that bizarre.

"Don't look so shocked. Haven't you humans always said that cats have nine lives?" Rahab sneered, "I am the origin of that legend."

"The origin? Does that mean you've lived for thousands of years?" I asked, incredulous.

"Thousands of years? Heh, much more than that! Enough about my age," Rahab smiled, then suddenly turned serious, "Kid, your name is... Bi Yongnuo, right?"

"Yes," I nodded.

"Actually, you and I are the same kind of being," Rahab said, swaying his long tail.

"The same kind of being... You mean, we are both demons?" I asked.

"Yes, demons, or fallen angels," Rahab said.

At that moment, Rahab turned his head to the sky, his eyes reflecting a faint sense of helplessness and melancholy, as if lost in thought.

I didn't disturb his thoughts because, at that moment, I seemed to feel his sadness and regret.

The silence lingered for a while, and I decided to break it.

"Rahab, you said you are a demon. Do you also have a demon eye?" I asked.

I had always been reticent, but today, after meeting two strangers, I found myself talking more.

Somehow, talking to Rahab felt very natural. Perhaps it was because neither of us truly belonged to this world; we were both demons, creating a sense of fallen kinship.

Hearing my question, Rahab turned back to me, his melancholy expression gone.

He didn't say anything, just blinked his left eye at me.

Before blinking, his pupils were green. When he opened his eyes again, one was red and the other was green.

The vibrant left eye immediately exuded a strong demonic aura.

When his gaze fell on me, I had the illusion that it was an independent eye-shaped demon.

"You are indeed a demon," I murmured.

If it were another boy, he would have been scared stiff by the strange black cat in front of him. But I knew I had become like him, with my left eye turning red, so I wasn't too surprised.

"All demons have at least one demon eye," Rahab explained, "However, even if you were once a demon, if your demon eye is destroyed or removed, and you have no more demon eyes, you can no longer be considered a demon."

I nodded to show my understanding and then asked, "So, can you also enter other people's thoughts and create illusions?"

In various myths, demons are said to love tempting humans. I guessed it was because their demon eyes could make people see illusions that catered to their desires. But Rahab's answer was different from what I expected.

"Wrong. Each demon eye has its own unique abilities, and no two abilities are the same!" Rahab explained, "Every demon needs to use the abilities of their demon eyes to make deals with humans, living by consuming their souls, desires, or negative emotions. The abilities of demon eyes are varied, and demons need to follow their abilities to devise different schemes."

"Consuming souls to live! So, I also need to consume human souls in the future?" I asked in surprise. I had originally thought that demons could call the shots in the human world, but I didn't expect such restrictions.

"Of course, this is a restriction set by God to punish the fallen angels. You have become a true demon, so naturally, you have to follow the rules."

As he said this, Rahab suddenly looked towards the door and said, "A man is coming up here."

"A man? It should be my dad, right?" I looked at the clock on the wall and said, "Yes, he usually comes back at this time."

"Heh, if it's your dad, that's the best." Rahab smiled nonchalantly and said, "Kid, let me tell you, you only have three days left to live."

"Th... three days?" I exclaimed in shock, "Why do I only have three days left to live?"

"Every time you open your demon eye, it consumes the demonic power within you, and using the abilities of the demon eye consumes even more demonic power," Rahab yawned and explained slowly, "This morning, you used a lot of demonic power to create illusions, so now you have very little left. Within three days, if you don't absorb souls or desires, you will die from 'Heaven's Tribulation' due to the depletion of demonic power."

"'Heaven's Tribulation'? That sounds terrifying," I said with a frown, not daring to imagine it.

"'Heaven's Tribulation' is another punishment from God for demons. As soon as the demonic energy is exhausted, 'Heaven's Tribulation' will appear immediately. And each demon's 'Heaven's Tribulation' is different," Rahab said, scratching his head.

"Then... what if I gouge out my demon eye?" I thought for a moment and asked, "Without the demon eye, I wouldn't be a demon anymore, and I shouldn't be subject to Heaven's Tribulation, right?"

"Once a demon, always a demon," Rahab looked at me and sneered, "Even if you gouge out your demon eye now, once your life ends in three days, you will still die from 'Heaven's Tribulation.'"

Rahab's words made me frown even more, but seeing his calm demeanor, I knew he wouldn't just sit by and do nothing.

Sure enough, after staring at me for a while, Rahab suddenly said, "Instead of constantly thinking about how you will die, why not find a way to extend your life?"

"So what should I do..." I asked cautiously.

"Your dad has a strong desire."

Rahab suddenly interrupted me, jumped to the ground, sniffed around, and said, "This is the scent of longing. He seems to be deeply missing someone."

"Well, actually, he is not my biological father; he is my stepfather. After my mother passed away, he has been taking care of me," I got out of bed and squatted next to Rahab, "My mom has been gone for almost ten years, but my dad has never sought new love or brought any women home."

"It seems he was deeply in love with your mom."

"Yes, this house was bought when they were newlyweds. Even now, my dad insists on keeping everything the same, from the furniture to the decorations," I paused and continued, "My dad still often reminisces in my mom's study. Sometimes, he stays there so late that he just sleeps there."

Rahab listened without responding, only making a sound of acknowledgment, his black tail swaying back and forth as if in deep thought.

Seeing no reaction from him, I changed the topic, "Rahab, can I also smell other people's desires like you?"

Saying this, I bent down and sniffed the floor but didn't notice anything special.

"Fool, of course, you can, but you have to open your demon eye first," Rahab couldn't help but mock me when he saw my actions.

"How do I open my demon eye?" I blinked my left eye, but it felt normal.

"The demon eye needs some negative emotions to awaken, like fear, hatred, or even evil thoughts or desires. For instance, when you were beaten up this morning and felt extremely angry, wanting to kill the bully, that's when the demon eye would appear. Of course, after a period of training, you can open and close the demon eye at will."

After saying this, Rahab demonstrated what it meant to do it at will in front of me.

I saw him blinking his left eye continuously, with the pupil color alternating between red and green.

"Try to recall some things that make you feel angry or sad. When you feel your left eye vibrating, it means the demon eye has awakened," Rahab stopped blinking, and his pupil returned to its original green color.

I rarely talked to others, and when I did, it was usually brief, so there weren't many things that left a deep impression on me. For now, only the beating I took this morning could make me angry.

So, I focused, trying to recall the situation of being beaten today, but I felt that the bully had already gotten what he deserved, and I couldn't get angry.

"It's not working, Rahab," I said helplessly.

"Useless... Alright, now relax your mind, and relax your body as well..." Rahab's voice suddenly changed, becoming highly magnetic, making it impossible not to obey him.

Listening to him, I couldn't help but relax, my body naturally lying down on the cold floor.

The chill from the floor further eased my mind.

"That's right, just like that... Now close your eyes... and take a deep breath," Rahab's voice continued to guide.

Following Rahab's instructions, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

The surroundings were incredibly quiet, with only the chirping of birds, the buzzing of cicadas, and my own heavy breathing filling the air.

Suddenly.

"Hee."

My mother's laughter suddenly echoed in my ear!

Startled, I sat up abruptly, my back drenched in cold sweat.

My heart was pounding wildly, my breathing rapid, but at the same time, I felt my left eye vibrating.

"You need to train your control over the demon eye in the future," Rahab said, jumping down from my shoulder, "Come on, open your eye, the demon eye has already appeared."

I immediately realized that Rahab had mimicked my mother's voice, but I couldn't fathom how he knew what she sounded like.

"Were you the one messing with me just now?"

As I spoke, I looked in the mirror and saw that my left pupil was indeed blood-red. However, compared to Rahab's demon eye, mine felt much weaker and less vibrant.

"Heh, that's right. It's one of my demon eye's abilities. Sorry for scaring you, but without that, you wouldn't have been able to open your demon eye," Rahab said with an evil grin.

"Alright, now that the demon eye is awakened, what's the next step?" I waved my hand, feeling more agile than usual.

"The next step is, of course, to hunt," Rahab squinted his eyes and pointed his tail towards the door.

"You want me to absorb my dad's longing for my mom?" I asked, "But if I absorb it, won't it harm him?"

to be continued…