"Hey...Jax. Have you ever wanted to see what's above?"
A red-skinned young girl with 2 small horns on her head stared up at the rocky roof of what could only be described as a hellscape. Bubbling magma flowed from red hills like rivers, and tall columns of lava spewed from the lakes.
A white maid's dress clung to her small frame, its crisp fabric and frilly edges stark against the jagged, infernal rocks around her.
Munch... Munch... Munch
The slow, annoying chewing came from a young boy with short black hair; his skin was light brown, and he wore regal clothes that didn't match his dumb expression. Large black draconic-like wings were folded tightly on his back.
"What are you talking about?" He spoke, mid-bite into a humanoid arm. "The underworld is way cooler than anything those dumb humans have going on up there."
The girl wrinkled her nose. "That's disgusting, Jax."
He looked down at the chewed-up arm, then back at her with a blank stare. "What? It's protein."
She sighed, plopping onto the ground beside him. "One day, you're going to choke on a femur and I'm not saving you...Either way, you can't tell me you haven't thought of what's up there."
Suddenly feeling insecure about his dinner, he'd throw the remnants of the arm into a bubbling magma lake with a pout on his face. "I don't know why you care so much about the surface." He responded indignantly.
"My old man says that all humans are weak. Fragile. Both physically and emotionally, just like real animals." He stated, matter-of-factly.
Looking down sadly, the horned girl looked deep into the lava. "Sometimes I forget that you're his son. I wonder what he'd do if he found out you were hanging around little old me."
Sensing her darkened mood, the young demon would sigh and mutter under his breath before giving her a tight hug.
"I don't care what the old man's got to say." A cocky grin spread across his face, this cocky shine in his eyes. "If he tries to separate us...I'll kick his ass!"
The red-skinned girl looked at the tan boy with a blank expression before breaking out into laughter.
"H-Huh, what's so funny?!" Jax would point an accusatory finger, his eyebrows furrowed.
She'd sniff for a few seconds before wiping her tears with the sleeve of her maid's dress, her tears evaporating in just a few seconds. Looking up, she'd give him a large smile that made him feel weird.
"I would've never thought that you, of all the people living here, would be this kind....thank you." She dusted herself off as she stood up from her sitting position, a smile still present on her face.
"Come on, young master. Your father is expecting you." She continued with a teasing edge as she began walking on the red gravel road.
Grunting, Jax got up from his crouching position and followed her, his eyes locked on the back of her head.
I feel bad for Arii. How sad she must feel, how pathetic she is. Being born and raised to be nothing more than a slave at the end of the day.
Shaking his head, Jax silently continued following her, getting rid of the dark thoughts in his mind.I need to find something better to think about.
*
*
*
The walk to the demon king's castle was filled with the screams and suffering of sinners, thousands of souls held in cages and being slaughtered like livestock.
Their suffering never truly ended, being prolonged by their immortal lives. This was the market district, the place where most of demon kind got their food…keyword most.
For the sinners, it was pure hell. The moment they died and came through the portal, their lives had become forfeit. They were granted immortality, but oh, they wish they hadn't
The butchers would assign a body part to be taken away from them to either be used as sustenance or fertilization to grow crops in the only part of the underworld that could.
They would be held in place, bound by melting chains, and that body part would be removed from them, often uncleanly.
It was pure torture, but Jax seemed unbothered.
The maid's steps were light, almost careful, while Jax trudged forward with a distracted scowl.
"Hey, Arii?"
The demon maid stalled in her stride and gave the boy an inquisitive look, "What is it, young master?"
His scowl grew. "...You don't have to call me that." He hesitated before he resumed his speech. "I think I have a real answer to your question."
He lifted his gaze toward the unseen ceiling of the underworld. "I want to go to the surface."
For a heartbeat, her expression was unreadable. Then, slowly, her lips curved into a smile, soft, genuine, out of place among the damned. "Then maybe… maybe we can go together one day."
His chest twisted for he knew the truth...people like them could never be free.
No...I shouldn't feel this way.
He shook his head violently, forcing his face into a mask of cold detachment. Wordless now, he brushed past her, wings twitching against his back.
"…We should just keep moving," he muttered, though his voice carried the faintest tremor.
Arii watched him carefully, a small smile adorning her face.
That was the first time she'd seen such a vulnerable look on his face. The thought of him opening up like that again made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside…she liked it.
*
*
*
Clank Clank Clank
Large metal doors were pulled open by two large, identical knights. Both wore black metallic armor and carried a great sword across their backs. Their helms let no light through, the structures of their face darkened by shadows.
"Hello, twins," Jax spoke in a chipper voice, like he was seeing two old friends for the first time in years.
The two brothers simply gave him a curt nod and closed the large gate behind the two children as they entered into a large courtyard, a large castle looming overhead.
The castle was huge, its towers seemingly scraping the underworld's rocky ceiling. In a way, it truly was beautiful. Black bricks were its base with lava lanterns hanging from the sides, illuminating it with an ethereal red glow.
As the large doors closed behind the pair, a booming voice echoed through their ears, as if coming from their mind itself. Jax braced himself as Arii looked at him in fear.
"So… this is where you've been," the voice rumbled, thick with disdain. "I warned you to stop associating with those beneath you. It seems… I must teach you another lesson."