The Shadows Within

Am I dead?! Is this…actually… hell?

A sharp pain came from my hand when I dug my nails into my skin, prompting me to wince. However, my eyes soon flew open, realizing…

Should I be feeling anything at all?! If this is hell, then I guess? Are these devils?

Beasts of every kind, some of whom I had seen in games and others in books, surrounded me. The one closest to me was a weird thing I had seen. Its skin was dark green, with bright red eyes and large pointy ears.

A goblin?!

It was like one of those things I had seen in games or cartoons.

Or what was that called in Japan? Anime? Cartoons? Fuck! I don’t know!

I never had time for those things; working two jobs and attending school dwindled all my free time. However, I enjoyed reading any book whenever I had a break, though those usually comprised my studies.

My college scholarships wouldn’t stay if I lowered my GPA, but that was all in the past. No, all that faced me in the present were these things. Surely, I was in a hell-like place. On the side of the goblin was another hideous thing.

It looked like a transparent blob.

Is that a slime?! What the heck?!

Though the lighting wasn’t the best, I could pinpoint where I was. And around those two, well, there were too many to describe or see. All I knew was that none of them were human. Well, until a young-looking man stepped towards me.

He was the only one with a humanoid appearance—well, he and the girl next to him. The girl beside him had wolf ears and tails, but her eyes were yellow like the moon. In contrast, the man had deep blue ones that shimmered with every step.

His black hair was hard to make out in the dim light if it weren’t for those crimson horns that stuck out of his head, but it reached his hips. He also had a weird, serpent-like tail swaying behind him.

It had shimmering scarlet feathers on the tip instead of scales. In the dark lighting, I could barely make up his face. Yet the closer he got, the more I could see. His blue orbs were lifeless, yet his face was like a handsome doll.

Monsters surrounded him, yet he was different. Large wings could be seen sprouting from his back, tips shimmering red. Even though he was a magnificent specimen to gawk at, my body shivered when he stopped before me.

Not only that, but I felt goosebumps form on my skin as every fiber of my being was yelling for me to run away. This one was dangerous, that much I could tell. His eyes weren’t humanoid either. No, his pupils were narrowed, much like a cat.

But there wasn’t anything about him that screamed feline; no, he was something else.

“You look so puny for someone who’s supposed to kill me.” He spoke, studying me with his orbs.

Why is your voice so similar?

I shook my head, trying to focus on the danger in front of me.

Wait, are you the one they spoke about? The Demon King, was that what they called you?

“Kill you? Am I not dead?” I inched away from him.

A soft chuckle left his lips, “Dead? No, you’re very much alive and breathing. For now,” he offered me his hand, prompting my orbs to narrow.

Why… would you…

His palm was wide open, allowing me to see sharp black nails coming from his fingertips. His skin was snow white like it hadn’t seen the sun in a long time.

A deal with a demon… Is this what the others were speaking about?

“Come, let’s—” he began, only for me to interrupt him by swiping his hand away.

No, I won’t! Not with angels and certainly not with demons or devils!

“I need nothing! Leave me alone!” I snarled, getting up and taking a few steps away.

Yes, I don’t need anyone! Enough of this!

If I was still alive, I needed to find a way out. These beasts blocked the only wooden door in there. There was no way out—all but a nearby window. This room reminded me of the basement I was in, built of the same stones, though these were more weathered down.

Perhaps we were above ground this time.

Can I reach it? Will I be able to outrun them? Crap…

All this madness had to end somewhere. However, my orbs suddenly were glued to the man I had rejected, and I felt an aura erupt from him. It was the same one that had burned Soren before.

It was you?!

His blue orbs slowly shifted crimson, fangs flashing before clenching his teeth.

“Oi, little bitch. I was trying to be nice to you. Do you even know how hard that is for me?!” the man snapped, reaching for me again.

However, instead of catching me, I shifted my body away from him. “Stay away from me, creep!”

“Oi, what the actual fuck?” His eyes twitched, unable to believe my attitude towards him.

Taking my chance, I rushed past a few monsters, throwing myself out the window. It wasn’t like they tried to stop me. Perhaps they didn’t expect me to do it, however, I had fucked up. Once I was in free fall, I noticed how high we were.

Oh, fuck me!

There was a reason they didn’t stop me. They probably thought I would look before I did anything. But in my desperation, I didn’t care to look before leaping. Before I knew it, I was plummeting towards the ground below, unlike the basement from before we were atop a tower.

When I jumped, I thought I would hit the ground or another part of the building. I never thought we would be so high up, but it didn’t matter. This brought the result I had looked for when this night started, and I had no one to blame but myself.

Right… Even if I found my freedom, where would I go? There isn’t a single place for me!

The humans in this world wanted me dead because of a pact with a demon. However, as soon as I fell, I stopped; something had me in its grasp. Much to my surprise, it was the same man from before.

His pitch-black wings spread wide, allowing rogue feathers to fall around us. Around us was a stone-eroded castle shrouded in purple mists. Everything about it was eerily, though it was harder to breathe.

The miasma was thicker and more intense the lower I fell, though, with the moonlight shimmering behind him, I could finally see his face better. He was beautiful, even with his face washed with pure irritation.

“Are you fucking crazy?!” he snapped, tugging me up toward him by my arm.

His question flared me up, making my temperature rise.

Why do you care about what happens to me?!

“You said I’d kill you! So, aren’t you going to get rid of me, anyway?! Let me go already! I’ll make your job easier!” I snarled, trying to yank my arm away, but his grip was too much.

I didn’t have any ground to help me, either. Though I doubted any of that mattered.

“What?! No! I won’t kill you!” he huffed, gripping me by my waist, pressing my body against his.

There was no escaping him.

You said I was here to kill you. Yet you’ll keep me around me? What?

“Huh?!” I mumbled, unable to follow him.

A soft sigh left his lips, “Before anything else...” he trailed off, leaning into me.

There was no dodging him from where we were. Yet I didn’t expect him to plant his lips against mine until he did. Instantly, I froze, shivering where I was, triggering me to gasp within the kiss. My experiences with these types of situations were never the best.

No, the last time anyone tried to do this to me, I rolled down the stairs in high school more often than I would’ve liked. A soft smirk rose on his lips before he forced his way into my mouth with the opportunity I gave him.

Throbs rushed through me, feeling his tongue push on mine. I snapped back into reality with part of his tongue. Blood gushed into my mouth, triggering him to yank his face away from me. More pulses rushed through my body as something I was unaware of was happening within me.

The man growled when I spit part of his tongue out. The taste of iron once again overwhelmed my senses, yet it wasn’t mine this time. I was no damsel in distress, something this demon was about to learn.

“Don’t you fucking touch me!” I snapped, unable to get out of his grip.

Feeling my heart pumping, I tried to control the rage that I had when I bashed my father’s head. However, the same happened to this demon who had me in his grip. His eyes glowed brightly, turning entirely red.

The same aura from earlier radiated from his body, triggering me to pause. Yet my skin wasn’t burning off; there wasn’t an ounce of pain rushing through me.

Is it you who brought me here? Your voice… It’s like the one I heard in my head earlier.

“You’re one lucky little bitch. I just saved your life, and you fucking thank me like this?!” he growled, gripping me tighter.

The demon's tongue healed, leaving behind traces of blood on his lips and chin. He had remarkable regenerative abilities. Slowly, he went back towards where we were before I jumped. His wings were massive, way more enormous than inside, catching my gaze, locking it on them.

Is he a dark angel? But he has horns and a tail! Devil surely!

Heaven or hell, I didn’t know where I was anymore. Everything was too complicated for my brain to handle.

“I didn’t ask you to save me!” I scowled, trying to free myself from his grip.

A sharp tug came from him once we were inside the tower. A second later, he dropped me like a bag of potatoes onto the stone floor. Hitting it hurt, though I didn’t take my eyes off him.

“Well, I thought you’d be grateful for not turning into a demon!” he scoffed, crossing his arms and slamming his tail on the ground.

Undoubtedly, I was nothing more than something to use in this demon's gaze.

I’m tired of that!

No one would ever use me for something that only benefited them. However, what he said left me utterly confused, too.

“What?!” I mumbled from where I sat.

Once again, monsters who snickered or observed us surrounded me, triggering the man to turn towards them.

“All of you, get the fuck out of here!” he snapped, aura erupting thicker.

In an instant, they were all gone, like magic. Well, all but the wolf girl who stayed there.

“Lord Finn, shall I ready her room?” the goblin asked from behind me, bowing her head.

It startled me.

“Yes,” he sighed, gazing back at me.

Finn… you don’t look like one.

“The miasma down where you fell is thicker than up in the tower. You would’ve turned into a demon in a matter of minutes. If I hadn’t given you the antidote.” He informed me.

The wolf girl handed him a cloth, letting him wipe off the blood from his lips and chin.

Miasma? Is that the heavy purplish fog that’s everywhere here?

I couldn’t see the ground when I jumped out because it clouded everything.

“Antidote?” I continued to mumble, utterly confused.

A sharp smirk rose from his lips. This dilemma would affect me every day. Though I was blissfully unaware until...

“It comes from a demon’s bodily fluids. So, be fucking grateful I helped you.” He smirked, crossing his arms.

This bastard… Acting all high and mighty. Like hell I’ll ever be grateful to you!

“I wanted nothing from you! You should’ve let nature take its course!” I snapped, standing up.

I didn’t know half of what I was talking about, but I wasn’t about to admit it.

Nothing makes any sense! Why did any of this happen?!

A soft chuckle of disbelief left his lips. “Too bad, I can’t allow you to turn. Not for what I need you for,” He announced, leaving me gazing at him like he was insane.

I’ll never give anything to you!

“And that is?!” I questioned, glaring at the demon in front of me.

His eyes glowed brightly again, spreading his arms towards the side with a sharp smirk on his lips.

“Be my bride.”