[84.6] Moni's POV: 1000 Years Too Late

[Author's note: This chapter is from Moni's perspective.]

So…

Tired…

"Darling pup. Can't you give up already? I'm getting so bored. It's been 1000 years."

I was lying in tall grass, listening to the sound of wind delicately blowing across the field.

"Come on. Let's go kill more people. Indulge me, won't you?"

My eyes gradually opened to watch the slow-moving clouds above.

For 1000 years, I tried finding Zephyr.

For 1000 years, I dealt with the constant screaming in my head.

For 1000 years, I listened to my father talk relentlessly.

"Darling pup. Darling pup. Darling pup. Are you ignoring me?"

I sat up with a heavy sigh and stared ahead listlessly.

Why can't I find Zephyr? I should have at least found his body if there was one…

How can I be so strong yet so weak?

"Darling pup. You are ignoring me?! How mean… You're hurting your father's feelings."

I rubbed my temples and stood up, "...Shut up."

His voice sounded elated, "Oho! I like it when you speak like that. Such a mean pup you are~ I taught you well."

I ignored him and looked around, spreading my power out to feel every inch of the prairie land.

"Darling pup. Just give up already. You've searched every piece of land. Every city to ever exist and disappear. He's dead and gone already. There's nowhere left to go."

"..There's one last place."

I disappeared into the shadows and reappeared under a rock. I stepped out and into the dunes, where the sun was blaring hot and there was no shade to retreat to.

It was the one place I hesitated to go.

"If I can't find him here… I will finally give up."

"Hmph. Finally. Well, go on. Quickly search and give up already."

I let out another sigh and stepped forward into the sand. I didn't hide my face from the sun, nor did I take any precautions against the elements. Even if my skin blistered, it would immediately heal. The only uncomfortable part was that every time the sand shifted under my feet, my wound would ache.

Upon searching for days, I finally found a caravan parked in an area by a small watering hole. I approached without fear and saw a handful of men who were standing in front of people stored in cages. I glanced at their sunburnt faces and dehydrated appearances without empathy. There were many children and teenagers inside, but not many adults.

"Who are you?!"

I glanced back at the men and held out a portrait, "Have you seen this person?"

They looked at it and waved me off, "We don't have that slave."

I glanced back at the cages and didn't feel the slightest disappointment.

I already knew he wasn't here…

So why did I still ask?

"Say… Are you trying to buy a slave? We usually sell at the market, but if you have money-"

"-No money." I stated in a bored voice as I continued to stare at the sad state of the humans, "I have no money."

As I looked back at the men, I scowled when I noticed swords in their hands.

"Looks like you'll be coming with us then. If you don't fight, we won't hurt you."

I smiled at them and tilted my head, "You just saw a man appear from the desert and think you had a chance at kidnapping him?"

They all suddenly hesitated.

Orphelio shouted at me, "Darling pup!!! Kill them slowly this time!!! I want to enjoy it!"

I ignored him and transformed into a shadow monster. As they screamed and ran from me, I hunted each down and ripped them apart, making sure to absorb every possible mana.

From the cages, there were startled cries, but only among the healthy.

Once I finished, I clicked my tongue, "They barely had any mana…"

I turned back to the cages and ripped open the bars, using my shadow men to do it. They were always obedient to my control after I fed them.

"...I will send you somewhere else." A shadow archway opened up and I pointed to it, "Go on."

They all followed my order, strangely without any complaint.

I guess that's the life of a slave.

I watched with apathetic eyes as they all were sent to a city where they would be taken care of. When the last one entered, I realized someone was next to me. I looked over and saw a boy at the height of my waist staring at me with dark eyes.

"...You're not going?"

"You're my Master now." He spoke in a parched voice, "I follow you."

"...."

I held out my hand as a canteen of water landed in it. I handed it over to him which he took. I watched him drink and grimaced at the sound of the chains dangling on his wrists. With a snap of my fingers, the chains disappeared. The boy was startled to find them gone but didn't ask.

I started walking and heard him shuffle after me, "...What's your name?"

"Slaves don't have names."

"...."

"Does Master want to give me one?"

I pondered for a moment and answered, "...Hank. Your name will be Hank."

After walking for a few more days, we were in another trading camp. This time, the slaves were in a worse state of mentality than the others. After killing and feeding on the ones imprisoning them, I realized most of them had already lost their minds due to the forcible mana withdrawal process.

To give them mercy, I absorbed the last of their mana to end their suffering. 

Laughter suddenly echoed behind me as I finished taking care of them. I went to the last woman who stared at me with idolization in her eyes, "KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!"

It was uncomfortable to be stared at like that, but I ignored it. "You… Are you mad?"

Does she want to be killed too?

She suddenly grabbed my feet, "Kill them… Kill them! Please! Kill them all!"

"Aren't I already doing that?"

"I will do anything… Just please… Please let me watch you eradicate them all!

From her gaze, I felt a strong power emanating out.

"...Follow me if you dare."

Each camp I went to, none of them held Zephyr. Along the way, I somehow managed to amass a handful of people to follow me. There were still more camps left, but I knew there was no point.

Zephyr wasn't here.

…But Atta was.

She always managed to find me.

I brought everyone back to the field I had been prior and turned to look at the small group who were all staring at me with loyal eyes. I shifted uncomfortably, "You realize I'm a demon, right?"

The expression on all their faces showed they didn't care.

Hank spoke on behalf of the group, "Master. Is there anything we can do for you?"

Orphelio spoke in my ear, "You didn't find your little brother. You promised you would give up."

"I am giving up." I answered him without a care if the others heard, "But now what do I do with them?"

"Oh! Oh! I know! I know!" He answered me in excitement, "They all seem useful. Why not start a rebellion and take over the land? There's a lot of death and torture that take place during war."

My eyes widened slightly, "That's not a bad idea."

"It-It's not?! Ah, my darling pup. You surprise me even now. I thought for sure you would tell me to shut up."

I ignored him and looked at everyone, "Do any of you like this world?"

They all glanced at each other and then shook their heads. Sure enough, none of them did.

"You see, I don't like it either…" I propped my head up and stared at them with an apathetic gaze, "I hate this world more than anyone else. In a thousand years, all I've seen is hypocritical behavior from humans and demons alike. They kill. They torture… Yet, I remain the bad guy and they are the good guys. This world needs a drastic change."

-So that my siblings can live in peace.

"So let's just destroy it." I stared past them, watching the trees dance in the breeze, "Let's create a world that unites humans and demons against us."

"Master." Hank stepped forward, "What exactly do you mean?"

I glanced back at him, "I am already considered a villain, so why shouldn't I start acting like it? I have nothing left to live for. I might as well kill every hypocrite in this land."

"But how can we succeed in that, Master?" Red piped up, "I want to kill the sinners who didn't try to help us when we needed it, but there's not many of us."

"Don't worry about that." I watched the birds fly from tree branch to tree branch, "Just follow me."

That next day, a new crime organization came to a Kingdom that was no longer the same as it was 1000 years ago. It started small, but soon became a major thorn in the Royal's side.

Before anyone realized it, their poison already spread and they were impossible to uproot. To ensure loyalty, they all took an oath that forbade telling the truth about the inner workings of the group.

Within a year, everyone came to fear the name: 'The Demon Sympathizers'

In my office, I sat back in my seat, staring at the ceiling with a blank look.

Orphelio chattered in my ear, "You can't possibly think this will ever work. You can kill everyone and unite both demons and humans against you, but Vira will never allow it. Vira hates demons more than anything. I don't even understand how you can go this long without her interfering."

I answered, "She has interfered. I simply chased her away."

"Hmph. Vira is tenacious. I don't know why she can't enter the inner city anymore, but that will never stop her."

"It's fine. As long as she's busy with arrivers, she'll be out of my hair."

"Hehe. Having that crazy lady kidnap the prophets was a great idea, but it won't work forever. There's a reason why Vira and I got along so well."

I heard someone enter my office and stopped conversing with the man only I could hear. I turned to look at the woman who entered, "Did something happen to my sisters?"

She shook her head, "No, Master. They are still safe in our care. They keep asking me to see you, do you want to visit them?"

A sudden fear gripped my heart, "No."

I'm not ready to have them hate me yet.

"But Master-" She gave me a saddened look, "They haven't seen you all this time and want to-"

I cut her off, "-Did you have something to report? Why are you here?"

"Ah… Yes. I have this Master." She held out a vial, "Someone came to me to make a deal using this. Would you like to try it?"

I took it from her and opened up the vial. After absorbing the mana, my body suddenly felt lighter. My exhaustion left and my wound hurt a little less. I looked at my disgusting grey skin and noticed a healthier hue upon it.

Not only did the mana rejuvenate me and shut those annoying voices up, but it felt like…

Master's embrace.

I felt myself choking up, "Who… Who gave you this?"

"Some girl from the slums."

My eyes lit up with hope, "Did it come from her?"

She shook her head, "No. She must have stolen it from somewhere."

I felt a wave of disappointment, "Make the deal with her."

"It involves… One of Shafer's men."

I instantly felt disgusted, "Shafer?"

"It seems he has been silently starting a rebellion against Master."

I gave her a look, "What do you mean?"

"The girl said one of his men killed her Uncle while he was protecting a caravan. They absorbed everyone's mana and said it was the Demon Sympathizers."

My fist trembled, "I never ordered that."

"I'm aware, Master… There's also claims he's been kidnapping children to use in Mana farms."

"Tell Hank to figure out what happened."

"Yes, Master… But who will watch over your sisters?"

"I will… Just… Just have him uncover what's going on quickly."

"And what are my orders, Master?"

"Make the deal with the girl. I want as many vials as possible." I added after some thought, "And try to get her to join us. Whether these vials came from her or someone else, I have the feeling she's very capable and would make a nice addition to our group."

"Yes, sir."

After she left to carry out my orders, I appeared outside the house my sisters were staying in. I watched from the shadows as Rose sang to Astra and entertained Lene with a story.

Orphelio chuckled, "Looks like they don't need your help. You should give your sisters more credit."

The corner of my lips raised in a smile, but my chest felt like it was plunged underwater.

"...You're right."

"I'm always right, my darling pup." His tone suddenly changed, "So… Let's kill them?"

I ignored him and kept watching, waiting for the right moment. After Lene and Astra had fallen asleep, I appeared.

Rose jumped and looked at me as if she thought she was hallucinating. She trembled as she stepped over to me, "B-Big Brother… Is that… Is that really you?"

I gave a weak nod as I continued to smile, "It's me."

She ran to me and hugged me tightly. As I hugged her back, I felt her sobbing into my chest. 

"I missed you! I missed you so much! How could you not visit?! Do you realize how much we wanted you here?!" She pulled away and started hitting my chest as she cried, "Our family is already broken! Atta is a stranger now, Zephyr and Master are gone! We needed you!"

I let her get her anger out, and offered a faint smile, "You didn't need me. You did really well on your own."

She wiped away her tears, "Only because you were protecting us."

"Oh… I didn't do much."

"Moni…" She sniffed, "I don't understand you at all…. First, you hide from us for almost a thousand years, then you suddenly have all these unhinged people working under you. They were all illiterate and forced me to teach them how to read. Now Hank talks nonstop about novels and Red is always sharing stories that only Lene can enjoy…"

I felt myself smile, "I'm proud of you for getting over your fear of humans."

She blushed, "These people are all very strange!"

I chuckled, "I know, but they are loyal to us."

She let out a heavy sigh, "But Big Brother… I don't quite understand your goal in all this. Everything points one way but then you do something to contradict it. What is your desire? I don't get it."

My smile didn't quite reach my eyes, "It doesn't matter… I just… Want you all to be safe."

"We will be safe." She reached out to hold my arm, "With you here with us."

"No, Rose." I gave a light chuckle and peered through her, "You're safer when I'm not here. I see that now… You never needed me this entire time."

"What are you talking about?"

"Goodbye, Rose."

"Moni?" She looked at me with concern, "Why are you talking like that?"

I retreated to the shadows, "I'm glad I got to meet you all in this life."

"MONI!" She shouted at me through the shadows, "DON'T GO!"

I ignored her and appeared in my house, a mansion at the top of the hills that had become notorious for being haunted. I strolled inside and went to the basement where I pulled out a toy from my coat pocket. I smiled at it as tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Lovi… Koale…" My voice broke, "I couldn't find Zephyr… Is he… Is he with you?"

Orphelio suddenly spoke with an odd sense of anxiety, "Darling pup… What are you going to do?"

I ignored him and spoke to the air, "This entire time, I've been coming up with excuses as to why I should keep on living… First, it was to make sure Master wouldn't be sad… Then when she died, it was to find Zephyr… After I'd given up, I said it was to make a world that my siblings could be safe living in… Now I realize how delusional I've been."

"Darling pup-"

I appeared inside a hidden room and placed the toy down, "-Your disappointment of a brother is coming to meet you now."