I Hate Them

I stood in the ritual circle, an eerie silence pressing down on me. The demon stood before me, its eyes fixed on mine with intensity.

The heartstone felt cold and alien in my hand, a grotesque trophy won through betrayal and bloodshed. I had taken a life for the first time.

And it will not be the last.

"You are the wisest amongst your group," the demon rasped, its voice an echo in the ruins. "The forsaken one. Bring me my heart, and let us travel to the Eternal Crucible."

I walked towards the creature, the heartstone heavy in my grasp. But before I could place it within its mangled chest, a question burned in my mind.

"Why did you deceive us?" I asked, not expecting an answer. But the demon surprised me.

"Because our ruler is the lord of Deception," it croaked. "What do you expect? This is our realm, and you humans are the invaders. How we treat you is entirely up to us."

Confusion clouded my thoughts.

"But you are the ones who broke through the surface of Vorth and opened the portal connecting our two worlds. Was it not the demons that invaded us first?"

The demon's skeletal face contorted into a grotesque mockery of laughter.

"Yes," it cackled, "I'm sure your rulers have told you many things, young demon boy. Give me my heart, and let us head to the Third Layer."

Its words sent a shiver down my spine, but I knew there was no more time to waste. Still, one more question lingered.

"Faye and Ado—no, Yoseph," I asked, my voice indifferent. "Did they pass the ritual?"

A cruel smirk twisted the demon's lips.

"You will see once we enter the Crucible. Enough stalling now, place it in."

I pushed aside the thoughts of Faye and Yoseph, the memories of their faces fading into the darkness. I felt a strange detachment, a numbness to the betrayal and bloodshed.

Perhaps it was the lingering shock, or maybe Hell had already begun to taint my soul. Regardless, it did not bother me.

My body ached, the pain from my wounds throbbing intensely. I was covered in blood, and the stench of death clung to me.

But I didn't hesitate any longer. I stepped forward and placed the heartstone within the demon's chest, feeling the sickening squelch as it settled into the gorey cavity.

The creature's eyes glowed with satisfaction. It placed a skeletal hand on my shoulder, its touch sending a chill down my spine.

"Let us go now, demon boy," it rasped, "to the Third Layer."

And then, the world dissolved into darkness.

---

I floated through an abyss, the sensation eerily familiar. An endless void stretched in every direction, a suffocating darkness that swallowed me whole.

The decision you made during the ritual was impressive. You are truly set apart.

A voice echoed in my mind, a whisper that seemed to come from the darkness itself. It was the same voice I had heard before, the voice that had spoken to me before wings had sprouted from my back.

However, all memories of this realm seemed to vanish once I returned to my normal state.

Who are you? I tried to ask, but the words could not leave my mouth.

The ritual was merely a test, the voice continued, one of many. What awaits you is far grander. Do you look forward to it, or do you simply do what you must?

The questions hung unanswered, my voice becoming lost in my own head.

Strengthen yourself, hybrid, in preparation for what comes next. Your curse is one of the strongest that have been given, though I'm sure you're aware of that.

I strained to speak, to ask about the nature of my power and how to strengthen it. I even wanted to ask why I was born with horns, as if this entity would know, but the words wouldn't come.

Who am I kidding? I thought, despair creeping into my mind. I am simply unfavored.

As the thought faded, so did my consciousness, sinking into the oblivion of the abyss.

---

I awoke with a gasp, my body stiff and sore. My right eye was bandaged, the world a blur. I sat up, taking in my surroundings.

A large room, lined with rows of rough beds on the floor, stretched before me. The walls were built from the some sort crimson stone, and were adorned with murals that were too blurry to decipher.

A heavy wooden door stood at the far end of the room.

Then I noticed something terrifying.

My wings were gone.

For a fleeting moment, I wondered if it had all been a dream, a horrific nightmare born from the trauma of my parents' death. But the lingering pain in my body and the emptiness where my wings once were confirmed the reality.

I pushed myself to my feet, my legs shaky and weak, and stumbled towards the door, determined to find answers.

But before I could reach it, the door swung open, revealing a figure that made me instinctively go on defence.

He stood in the doorway, wearing black and red samurai armor, a katana strapped to his hip. His skin was pale, almost translucent, and his eyes glowed red.

But instead of attacking, the demon dropped to one knee, bowing its head with respect.

"It is an honor, human," it said, its voice surprisingly gentle. "Gavalis the Broken awaits you."

Gavalis the Broken? The name meant nothing to me. Questions swirled in my mind.

Where was the demon with the heartstone? Was this the Eternal Crucible? And why do I feel like a crucial encounter, a conversation in the abyss, is slipping from my memory?

The demon waited patiently as I stepped through the doorway, emerging into what seemed to be the mighty halls of a palace. I was near its centre, and at each ends of the hall were grand staircases leading to a second floor. Ahead of us was also a large set of double doors that seemed to be the entrance.

But most importantly, I was not the only one there. I noticed many more of the samurai demons lined around the room, all standing guard, though I was not sure of what they were guarding.

Then, I spotted a human standing at the centre of the palace hall. I knew that they were human due to the white robes they had worn, and from the fact that I had recognised them from our time in Vorth, before our descent into hell.

They were one of the Taken.