It was a dark place—stuck inside someone's mind.
"The moment I opened my eyes in this world... the only thing I craved was chaos. I wanted more strength... more power... control—over everything."
The demon's voice broke the silence like shattered glass—splintered, cold, precise. Though hoarse and ragged, each sentence landed with terrible weight. He inhaled slowly, savoring the memory.
"I hunted anything that breathed. Birds. Mammals. Fish. Survivors. I drained them. Emptied them. Their final screams became my lullabies."
A grin stretched across his face, distant and fevered with delight.
"That night... the cries from that plane—the despair—it fed something deeper. It wasn't just power. It was pleasure. Pure, raw, intoxicating. I wanted it to go on forever."
His voice fell to a hush.
"But then... I saw them. The woman. And the child."
The forest seemed to hold its breath. Even the wind stilled.
"Huh... That's interesting."
Ryujin's voice cut in—low, unreadable. He stood like a statue above the demon, spear tip gleaming in the fractured moonlight, poised just inches from the creature's chest. Judgment hung between them like a blade.
The demon let loose a dry, wind-blown chuckle—like stone scraping bone.
"Then?"
Ryujin prompted.
Itoshi, not far off, tilted his head, brows knitted in confused attention. Ayro lay nearby, eyes closed, breathing slow—his hand still faintly glowing from the earlier clash.
The demon turned his head slightly, staring past Ryujin into the dark sky.
"She ran. Screaming. Bleeding. Crying out for her mother. It was beautiful. That agony—so raw. I could've ended her then. I had the chance. But... something held me back. Something I hadn't felt before."
He paused, searching for the word. A cruel smile split his face.
"Curiosity."
"I watched her crawl through fire. Fight through grief. Her sobs... they didn't sound like weakness. They sounded like evolution. The birth of something new. I wanted to see where that pain would take her."
~~~The Demon's POV~~~
[April 7, 2169 - 1:44am]
"Running without looking ahead, huh? Hahaha! That's gonna get you into trouble, kid."
His cracked lips twisted into a faint, eerie smile. His fading eyes caught the dark outline of a ditch yawning ahead.
Jayu sprinted blindly—feet quick, heart pounding—toward the abyss waiting below. The demon watched in silence, a grim spectator to her unwitting dance with death.
"Tsk, tsk... You're going to fall. Already breaking your mama's promise?"
He waited, patient as the moment stretched thin—then, suddenly, Jayu's foot slipped on the cliff's edge.
"AHHHHHHH!"
"I'm going to die, Mama! Sorry! I... I can't go back..."
Jayu thought to herself. Her eyes squeezed shut. Instinct overtook thought.
Then—swift and sure—the demon's legs shot out. His rough hands caught her just in time. For a heartbeat, surprise flickered in his weary, broken eyes. Then, with a slow breath, he eased her down gently onto the forest floor.
No words were spoken.
Without another glance, the demon melted back into the shadows, leaving only the wind to carry whispers of his mercy.
Jayu did not see, did not feel his saving touch. When her eyes opened, she was already lowered safely, seated on the soft grass beneath the trees.
"I—I'm alive...?"
Confusion mixed with relief, but she didn't pause. She scrambled to her feet and ran again, tracking her path carefully through the forest's tangled maze.
~~~Kaba Island~~~
"At first, I didn't know the answer myself... But the more I watched her, the more I... got satisfied."
His voice dropped to a low rumble—cracked, but strangely sincere.
"Hoh?"
Ryujin hushed, eyes narrowing.
"Eh?"
Itoshi blinked, tilting his head.
The demon's eyes darkened as he gazed into the night, faint memories flickering in their depths like dying embers.
"I watched her until the sun rose..."
He paused, his tone softening—almost wistful.
"That little spark in her... it's... different."
He muttered, almost to himself.
~~~The Demon's POV~~~
[April 7, 2169. 9:01am]
She fell asleep beneath a tiny cave... waking only when the first rays of sunlight touched her eyes.
I watched silently as dawn kissed Jayu's skin—a shadow lingering between sleep and wakefulness.
"You're awake now, huh? What are you going to do?"
I told myself I only wanted to watch her—to see how desperate a child could become. How intoxicating that feeling would be. But I was wrong.
Jayu sprinted back toward the crash site, finding a way around the towering cliff she had fallen from. Her limbs ached, but she climbed onward.
"What a strong kid."
I slipped through the shadows of the trees, following her as she reached the wreckage.
"Mama!! Mama!! I came back!"
Her voice cracked through the smoke and ruin.
"That's useless, kid. She's already dead."
I muttered to himself, amused.
"Mama?"
"You're getting closer to her body... just a little more. Let me savor your despair."
I whispered, eyes gleaming.
Jayu approached the mangled section where her mother lay—a massive shard of twisted metal crushed her chest. Horror blossomed in Jayu's wide eyes.
I watched with wicked delight, a cruel smile curling on my cracked lips.
"Here it is... the despair."
Jayu dropped to her knees, trembling as sobs tore from her throat—slow at first, then relentless. Her scream shattered the silence, echoing through the burning forest.
"Mama!!!!!!"
She cried until her lungs burned, until the ache in her chest felt worse than death. But the demon's smile began to fade. Confusion flickered in his eyes.
"Wha—"
When Jayu cried her lungs out... I felt her despair... but I didn't enjoy it. More than that... I felt bad. I pitied the damn child.
"What... what the hell...?"
I covered his mouth, my twisted grin slipping away. Without a sound, I melted back into the shadows, leaving Jayu alone with her grief.
I retreated to a quiet corner of the island, swallowed by silence and confusion. The strange feeling churned inside me—unfamiliar, unwelcome. A demon doesn't pity. Yet something about Jayu's sorrow unsettled me deeply.
I gripped my head, frustration twisting my face.
"Damn it! What the hell!? I... I felt... I felt—?! W-What is happening?!"
I slammed his fist into the ground, teeth bared. The rage burned, but beneath it—something else. Something fragile.
"That's right!"
An idea sparked. For days, I tormented the child unseen—setting traps, inflicting pain to feed on her suffering. Yet every time, that same strange feeling flickered again.
After a week and a half, I gave up. I sat beneath a tree near where Jayu slept on the cold ground.
"There's just nothing I can do... about... these... em... things, huh?"
I muttered softly.
I glanced at Jayu once more.
"What a strong kid."
I still couldn't understand why I felt this way about the child. But I accepted I couldn't change it. My greed for power... it wasn't the same anymore.
Days passed, and the I began leaving food for Jayu—fruit hidden carefully near her shelter in the ruined town. From the shadows, I watched her cling to survival, never knowing who kept her alive.
Jayu was puzzled by the mysterious offerings. She searched for a giver but found none. Eventually, hunger silenced her doubts, and she accepted the fruit with quiet gratitude.
I smiled from afar, watching her delight as she ate.
"Ouhmm! Yum! Oho!"
Convinced she had a guardian angel, Jayu whispered into the night,
"Mister or... Miss Guardian Angel! Are you there?! Thank you for giving me food every day!"
I listened in disbelief. Tossing an apple up and down, I took a slow bite, exhaling a long, deep sigh.
~~~Kaba Island~~~
"A demon getting attached to a child, huh? Never heard of that before."
Ryujin hushed, his tone steady, unconvinced.
But Itoshi, standing beside him, saw it differently.
"What a touching story..."
The demon's cracked lips curled into a faint smile, though his eyes carried a strange sadness.
"Everything went that way... until your chopper crashed here. I tried to block her from getting in, but I guess she's more persistent than I thought."
"Ah-huh... Well, I'm sorry to tell you this, but we can't just leave you alone here."
Ryujin paused, studying the creature.
"Is that all?"
The demon chuckled darkly.
"I know what you're going to do."
He inhaled sharply, the grin fading.
"Yes... that's basically all. I've got nothing else to say."
Ryujin gave a slow nod.
"You sure you want to leave it all this way?"
The demon laughed—a low, broken sound.
"There's nothing left for me, Ryujin."
Ryujin took a deep breath, his eyes closing briefly.
"Be something greater... by becoming part of me."
He slid his spear onto his back and extended his right hand toward the demon. The demon's eyes widened as the inevitable fate closed in around him.
Slowly, his body was pulled in—a swirl of shadow and ash. Ryujin's hand began to change, morphing into the fierce, armored form of Ashura.
"I... I wish I could've seen her in person... Jayu..."
The demon whispered, voice fading with the wind.
He turned his dimming gaze toward Itoshi, tears trailing down his cracked face.
"Don't disappoint us."
Itoshi's brow furrowed. The words hit deep—part warning, part plea. Before he could ask more, the demon vanished completely, swallowed by merging power.
Suddenly, Ryujin's form flickered—his body trembling before he collapsed to the ground.
"What the—!? R-Ryujin-san!"
Itoshi shouted, panic rising.
~~~To be Continued~~~