demon (4/4)

''Then I shall bid you farewell'' The bishop left Nirl together with his apprentice and the demoness.

'A good village' he thought 'though too weak to change anything' His face showed a depressing look as he wondered about this world.

If it was possible… no. Time was what he lacked the most. Even if they were kind and a bit naive, he couldn't bear to do it.

''ahh…' he let out a sigh. This was why he didn't like to move from Cleppe.

Soon they arrived at Cleppe's church.

''You may leave now''

Seeing his apprentice leave, he freed the demoness. She couldn't even hope to escape at her peak, not to mention with a broken energy center.

''What do you want ?'' She barked in my ears. As tough as she may seem, I could sense a bit of sadness in her voice. She was probably indoctrinated from birth.

''I'm here to hear your last words.'' I didn't want to think about this so I hurried myself to perform the ceremony.

''…'' She seems to be thinking about something before saying ''demons shall win''

Sadly, she didn't even let herself a way to survive.

''I will then begin''

- - -

'Did I have made the right choice ?' the demoness wondered as the priest began spelling some weird sentences – surely another stupid humans language.

I stayed here silently as I knew I couldn't escape. Plus, my pride wouldn't allow it. I may have gotten carried by Jeanne, but showing weakness against a human and a demon wasn't quite the same thing.

At last… I let it go. I was sure from the depth of my mind that I would return to this world – no matter how much time would pass. It may seem stupid, a conviction created by my brain to help me accept death, but even if all of this was fake, I didn't mind it. As long as I lived the way I wanted, I could accept everything.

A small laugh comes out of my mouth as I thought about him. Weren't we similar? Of course not. If I had to compare him to someone, it would definitely be my family. But I wasn't a coward.

I still remember my older brother's words.

'Whatever happens, you need to live'

'humans and demons aren't irreconcilable'

Well, to say the truth, these were more my family's words than my brother's.

To think that these cowards had wings… fate truly didn't exist. Even a hundredth of my older brother's talent was fine. I don't know why he had changed his mind. He was someone I admired, someone who wanted the demons to win!

Maybe my younger brother was right after all. Should I have abandoned the warrior's path to concentrate on life and its beauty? At least he didn't want to run. As he knew he didn't have any fighting capabilities, he developed his slyness.

Ahhh … I still don't know

I have always been free, thinking that no one would ever control me. That's why I didn't hesitate to run away from home, discarding all of my past identity.

Making peace with humans... I would never accept so.

It was the choice of the weak, of those who still hoped we could make peace with these invaders.

But I was different.

That's what I thought...

But in the end, I'm just a demoness. I can't take on everyone on my own. And more than that, I understand it now.

This feeling, this overbearing fear. Was that why they had all given up?

Are my ideas worth my life? I wasn't sure anymore

The priest's sighing look seemed to mock me.

I... I don't know.

'Everything only makes sense if you live, doesn't it?'

No, that's ain't true!

The demons must live in the best way so that the next generation will be proud of us!

I'm not saying that we shouldn't enjoy life, but we must act because that's what proves that we are alive!

Yet in front of this power, she could only swallow her ideals.

She was afraid

The power in front of her was more than anything she had ever known. Heck ! even her grandfather who was known for his strength couldn't compare.

She shivered at this thought. This force could kill her in less than a second.

Her hands became clammy and her hands trembled. Nobody could really accept death when it comes slowly as it was the most unknown thing of all.

And then...

she felt it.

The malice of this indescribable entity.

She had never felt anything like it before.

No... it wasn't really malevolence... no death aura could be seen, or any negative aura. This was caused by her body, like a primal instinct that would panic and force her to run away!

Suddenly, she got up and ran away at full speed despite her injuries not hesitating to hurt herself to free herself.

But she soon notices that her disillusion has never happened. She still found herself in front of this power, unbound but tetanized by its strength.

It was as if she was frozen in place, her body no longer obeying her. Only strange spasms and sweat warmed her body that seemed so cold - seemingly giving it back its status as life.

In an instant, all of her thought disappeared replaced by only certitude. Then, her sight turned black only to see this certitude appearing worded before her.

'Kill yourself.'

To run away had always been cowardice for her and she didn't intend to execute it! How could she run away from her enemies, being such a coward to give her life?

But soon every moment of her life was replaced by this word. It seems as if her freedom had always been nothing but a joke.

As if the mind was nothing compared to the body.

It was at this point that she decided - a little late - to commit suicide.

In an instant, she used her energy to stab her heart. Being close, the energy center would have no trouble killing her in less than 5 seconds.

But it doesn't even give her the prospect of hope.

Her energy flew away as if sucked in by this presence.

Then she finally understood. She hadn't had a chance and she would have been better off revealing her identity directly.

Her pride was gone and replaced by her desire to live.

She begged the priest

''Save me! I am a member of the Cruger house!''

The priest only looked at her without emotion.

Soon she understood. Every part of her body was frightened and couldn't be controlled effectively, or rather, her mind was no longer working properly and couldn't function normally, so her body took over.

For the soul had never known death. It had always survived in the cycles of reincarnations, but they... They wouldn't hesitate to even steal her soul. Yet, as usual, the body was controlled. He was bruised, trampled, and immobilized.

Once again... it had to die for someone who never cared for him.

It was then that it asked for help

''Help me! Please!''

it continued to beg the priest.

The priest made a strange expression before getting a grip on himself.

From the beginning only a few seconds had passed and yet he had been so impacted, seeing her slowly being destroyed.

''It's all for the 6 primordial families, and all of the other species''

Was he telling it to make her feel better? No. It was to make himself feel less guilty.

Those eyes... she recognized them very well, they were the eyes of a person whose own ideals interfered.

In the end, she hadn't died in battle, neither after a lifetime of achievement, nor by a great opponent, but by a pitiful human who fought his cowardice and actions with words.

- - - -

System's point of view

I saw her being killed before my eyes. It wasn't just her body or her mind but also her soul.

But I wouldn't interfere as no rules were being broken. They were just bypassing it, causing the karma's punishments to be reduced to an almost inexistent stage.

I saw her, I heard her suffering and an ounce of pity comes over me. Yet I still didn't act.

Who could decide which life was worth saving and which wasn't?

She was a warrior who had killed many lives.

Why should I care?

That's why I did nothing.

Her death... at least she could have had someone watching her death. Although it wouldn't have made it feel any better at all, it thought that if she knew, she might feel a little better.

Finally... it put the thought right out of its mind. She no longer existed. we couldn't even mention 'her'. This thing didn't exist anymore and wouldn't be worth remembering.

This world may have been beautiful, but it was also cruel.

[Anna Cruger Von Zalis

Strength: Veteran (intermediate) - Her numerous injuries handicap her. Furthermore, she has lost her energy center.

Occupation: Demoness in training, prisoner, a descendant of one of the 8 great Demon families.

Skill :

- Concentration

- Willpower]