Identity

The words are resonating through her mind, further steeling her resolve. Anger boils within her but quickly dies down as guilt and regret replaces that feeling.

"Why am I doing this, the whole world is against me now! Did I make a mistake?"

Soon, her tears and cries would flood the alley she found herself in, the suffocating feeling of loneliness soon drowning her. The joy she experienced just a few hours prior was no more, all returned to grey.

[Get yourself together, this is no time to regret your actions. Done is done, feeling guilty and regretting won't change anything.]

Being startled from the voice echoing through her mind, she crawled against a wall, looking around to see if anyone was there.

"W-WHO IS THERE!!" Akira would ask loudly.

[Forgotten me already? Not many forget their contractor as soon as they form a bond, I congratulate you for most likely being the first.]

'Contractor? Wait, the voice from earlier, the one that helped me escape from the guards!'

[Oh good, you finally remember me, I was worried you might have been overdosed with arcana and suffered brain damage for a moment.]

"How did you hear that?! I never said anything, could it have been. Can you read minds?"

[Bravo, you deduced the answer, although what you thought isn't quite the case. I can peer into the minds of the uncontracted, I can more easily communicate with my bonded.]

"Then.. how did you talk to me then? I'm pretty sure I never contracted anyone.. are you perhaps a God?" She would carefully stand up, quickly removing some of the dust and pebbles from her pants.

[First of all, aM i a gOd, your stupidity knows no bounds. Of course I am a God, how do you think you could summon fire from nothing? Second, you have always been contracted, as for how.. you'll find out later, it was your yearning for life, to live, that awakened me from my slumber deep within you.]

"..What?"

[Do you need me to repeat that? As I said, YOUR STUPIDIT-]

"NO, no I heard you, it's just.. I don't believe I've ever signed a contract with a deity before?"

[Well it's not like I care how the contract happened, at the end of the day, you are my contractee and my responsibility.]

The silence grew louder as she walked through the dark alleyway she found herself in, pondering as to how this contract came to in the first place. She was grateful for this divine intervention that lead her to be freed from the traitors but her mind was still flooded with confusion and doubt.

There was a light at the end of the alley, bright lights lit every corner, drowning the streets with colour. She ventured further, through the bustling streets, the vendor's street and narrow passageways. When she saw what was ahead of her she stoppped, taking a rest.

Before her was a bar, seemingly abandoned but still filled with lights. On entering the ruined building, lively music began to play. Laughter filled the room and the atmosphere completely changed from dread to joy.

'What is this place?'

[It seems like this is one of those ta-] before she could finish the sentence, a voice came from behind Akira.

"You new here? Welcome to the Jaded Dragon, the greatest pub and tavern in the world!"

She heard the annoyence of the God as she grumbled and muttered something about 'also knowing the answer'.

The voice behind her belonged to a woman, dawning a server's outfit, she was carrying multiple drinks and a plate of food. The woman was moving quickly from table to table, skillfully placing the plate and multiple drinks down at the right tables before returning to Akira.

"Aren't taverns and bars the same thing?" 

"HAHAHAH, you're right, they are but doesn't it sound better if I say both than just one?" She would have to agree with that statement. "Anyway, what brings you here, aren't you rather young to be drinking your life away?" The waitress said teasingly.

The moment of silence between them would be deafening and very awkward, the woman, now before her, noticing the situation quickly gave an outstreched hand.

"Apologies for my rudeness, I'm Ruth!"

"Ah, I see. I am Ak-, actually, you can just call me K." She answered, swiftly answering the outstreched hand with her own.

Ruth seized this opportunity and dragged Akira with her as she walked towards the bar at the back.

"Soooo,  K, what do you want? We offer multitudes of beverages and delicious dishes!" Ruth would mention gleefully, still dragging Akira in tow.

[Ask them if they offer special jobs.] The silence within her mind was tossed aside as the God's voice echoed through her mind.

"Why?" Upon speaking, she would immediatly regret it.

The server in front of her began staring at her with questioning eyes, wondering if she was some lunatic that loves muttering words to themselves.

"Why what?" She would ask.

"Uhhh, well. Why..-" She quickly looked around the tavern, looking for something to point out. "Why do you have posters on that wall over there?"

'She's definitely questioning me now.'

[No shot, you're really weird.]

"Those posters over there are.. uhm.. for our business partners.."

'Why is she acting so weird all of the sudden, are the posters really that big of a deal?'

[You gonna ask for the job or do I have to keep nagging you?]

'I'll do it, I'll do it. Relax, I'm on it.'

"Is that the special job I've been hearing about?"

Ruth's eyes lit up as Akira mentioned the 'special' job but at the same time, they grew with fear. Akira could tell, after all, it had been those stares she had been seeing everyday since the moment she could open her eyes.

"So you're here for that, I should guess you have the skills to support your ambition then or are you simply seeking death?"

Those words sent shivers down her spine, 'seeking death, why would Ruth mention something like that?' Those were her only thoughts in that moment and the waitress in front of her could tell, as she saw Akira's face grow pale, she tried her best to calm her down.

"Well, we all have our circumstances. I won't push too much but you will have to sign a few wavers to be able to partake in the jobs we offer here."

As they got to the front desk at the back of the tavern, by the wall of papers, Ruth handed her some papers. Akira began to stare down at the sheets of paper in front of her and something caught her attention.

"Alias?" She mumbled to herself.

"Why of course!" Ruth's smile widened as she looked towards Akira, "the Alias is what everyone else will refer to you as, it will be your identity, your persona, your everything."

'Something I will be known as..'

'I, who had no one by my side. I am hated by the world, whilst I only wished for love and freedom, they wished for my death and fall.'

'A hideous and hated creature as myself could only be known as a nightmare.'

[You will also be their doom, their mistake. Now you will avenge your past and take back your freedom. A being with such pure intentions could only be known as-]

As the pen reached the parchment below, ink flowed forth leaving a dark trail of liquid behind. The paper before her, now signed, seemed to radiate an energy. It began to glow, albeit just slightly.

The young server picked up the piece of paper and looked at it for a moment, nodded to herself and stored it in a folder. She turned to the woman before her before she began to speak.

"Welcome to the family, Abaddon."

Whilst the name was being confirmed, a rush of adrenaline ran through her veins. The exitement if this new identity made her feel new, whole, true. All of these feelings rushed up at once and the once timid girl could not help but smirk, a devious and evil smile as she could see the despair on the traitors faces while she ripped away all that they have ever cared about.

For the only name that could be fitting for a wicked being such as herself is guaranteed be a devils name.