The stench of blood and rot fills my nostrils as I sluggishly drag a lifeless body down the dimly lit hallway. My black boots tap soundlessly against the stone gray floor, concealing my presence while I head to the drop-off pits.
I frown as I realise that a heaviness has been weighing me down ever since I slaughtered this human. I usually feel a surge of excitement in the pit of my stomach whenever I go out to collect souls, always returning home with a huge smile. The reason behind my excitement is because I get to feast on human blood - our food source.
But today, this foreign feeling has been dulling the joy that I usually feel when I kill my victims. The way their eyes roll back and their bodies become limp while I suck their souls out. But right now, it is as if I wish that I had not ended this kids life. An innocent life.
Humans have always fascinated me since I have come to know about them. From their advances in helping one another to the moments where they explode in a huge fit of rage. The humans who show kindness in daylight but are sly in the dark fascinate me the most. They possess a dark side to them. A side that is highly praised here in the underworld.
"Aren't you excited for the ceremony?" a deep raspy voice booms down the hallway.
A small smile plays on my lips as I recognise Gozu's voice. Gozu and Mezu are one of the only demons who I am actually fond of. They also happen to be the guardians of where I am dragging this body and soul to. I continue walking down the hallway while trying to listen closely to what is being said.
"You mean the kids sixteenth birthday!" Mezu grunts. "Do you think she'll be the same after he turns her heart cold?"
I freeze in my tracks as my heart starts beating erratically. My sixteenth birthday? Turn my heart cold? I let go of the humans arm that I am holding onto and quietly walk closer to the end of the hallway. Beads of sweat start forming on my forehead as I continue to listen.
"She'll never be the same again!" Gozu laughs darkly. "Master will control her every move. She will be like those vile humans whose souls are removed! Just a mere puppet whose powers will bring destruction!"
"So that's how he plans to overtake the human world!" Mezu chuckles deviously.
My father plans to kill me? To control me? Even though I have tried to please him for so many years, he still sees me as an annoyance. He probably regrets creating me.
"However," Mezu clears his throat roughly. "she has grown on me. It will be quiet without her jokes."
"And her bad attempts at pranks!" Gozu laughs. "But master knows what he's doing. It's the only way to conquer the land above."
My forehead creases as I try to understand what Gozu could mean. Shaking my head, I rush back to the body and grab the kids hair. My fingers tighten around the locks of blonde hair while I walk back to the voices that cackle.
As I turn the corner, I walk straight towards the two guardians. Both have the body of men, but Gozu has a head of an ox while Mezu has the head of a horse. The two huge men are dressed in red robes that are endorned with golden embroidery.
Gozu and Mezu straighten as they notice my presence. To think that I actually thought fondly about these two demons; I guess that you cannot trust anyone in this dark realm.
Pure disgust fills my stomach as I look at both of them. Using every bit of mental strength that I have, I force myself to stop from asking them the millions of questions that fill my mind. I know that if they find out that I overheard my dads plans, my life will end much sooner.
"No greetings today?" Gozu smirks at me.
I remain silent as I throw the body into the dark pit and release the soul from the ring that I was given to capture souls. The soul floats into the large blue crystal that hangs from the ceiling and for a brief second, it gleams a luminous blue colour.
"Is someone angry today?" Mezu laughs at me.
I frown at him while flicking my black shoulder length hair. I cannot spare another minute looking at these vile creatures that I am supposed to call family. They have always been so friendly towards me unlike the other demons. There are so many cases where I have been attacked and mocked by the dark creatures that lurk in the dark. But Mezu and Gozu always punished those demons - killed those demons.
So how can they rejoice over the fact that my father plans to kill me? Or should I rather say, removing my soul and using my body as a shell. To harness some great power that he plans to use to kill beings that are so powerless compared to us. No matter what I do, he will try to kill me. I cannot stay here any longer.
"Hi." I force a fake smile at both of the guardians and ignore Mezu's question. "Sorry that I came back with just one human."
Gozu frowns at me, "You know your father said you're supposed to bring back twenty humans per trip!"
I flinch at his outburst. This is the first time that he has ever raised his voice while speaking to me. Anger begins to boil in the pit of my stomach. How dare he speak to me like this.
I swallow hard while looking at Mezu and Gozu with no expression. "This human put up a mean fight but I promise to make up for it."
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Mezu asks calmly.
I twirl a lock of my hair and smile deviously at them, "On my next trip, I will bring back forty humans."
Both of the guardians erupt in a fit of laughter which angers me. I shake my head while lifting my right hand up and focus my energy into my palm. Shifting my gaze to Mezu, I stare bleakly at him while he begins to choke.
"What are you doing?"Gozu hisses and dashes towards me.
I quickly raise my left hand towards him which makes him stop in his tracks. "You should know that I am more powerful than the both of you." my voice comes out firm.
Mezu claws at his throat trying to gasp for air but he is failing miserably. Sighing softly, I drop my right hand and release the hold that I have over Mezu. He sucks in gulps of air - his body vibrating from the shock - while Gozu rushes over to him and helps him stand.
"Your father said that you should never use your power against us!" Gozu looks at me angrily while holding Mezu's shoulders.
"And I warned all of you to never make fun of me." I respond in a monotone voice.
"Your childish tantrum almost costed me my life!" Mezu growls as he clenches his fists and bares his teeth in a vicious snarl.
I sigh while rolling my eyes, "I'm sorry but you guys think that I don't have it in me to bring back forty humans. I had to show you a sneak peak of what it's like to be them."
Gozu snorts loudly and begins to laugh. "You definitely won me over with that one! When can you go?"
"How about now?"
I need to get away from this place as soon as I can. To give me time to run away from my dad. I need to create a huge distance between us before he realises that his daughter has left these chambers of hell.
"Firstly, I forgive you." Mezu sighs while straightening. "Secondly, I think you're capable of doing that. We need to reach your father's goal as soon as we can. So you can go."
I nod and turn around.
"Just remember you only have two hours!" Gozu hisses.
Not wasting another minute I walk away from the guardians. As I turn the corner, I strain my ears to hear what they say.
"Do you think she heard us earlier?" Gozu asks.
"No." Mezu shakes his head. "She was just her usual depressing self. Didn't you see the kids body she brought?"
"What was wrong with it?" Gozu asks.
"The skin was clawed off. She is becoming even more deadly." Mezu grunts.
Gozu cackles, "It's because she's losing her humanity with every human that she kills. She's killing her own heart before her father does!"
My eyes widen at his words and I rush out of the dungeon that is surrounded by flames. My humanity? My father has always told me that I am a demon just like every being that lives here. When I had asked how I was born, he had told me that he had created me with his own hands.
But now he wants to end my life and control me? To bring destruction to the human world? He has always told me the same story of how the humans banished us to the underworld so that we may never see the light again. When I had asked why, my father told me that humans were angry that we have powers. Something that they do not have.
It never made sense as to how they had the ability to seal us here for all eternity. And how we are able to visit that world whenever we pleased. His entire story never added up and when I had told him that, well that was the first and last day that he ever slapped me. My cheek stung for over a month from the impact of his hand against my soft skin. After that day, my father never spoke to me again.
When I turned eight years old, I requested to speak to my dad. To make an offer. Pure delight gleamed in his pitch black eyeballs when I had asked if I can start hunting humans.
My father thrives on chaos and praises the demons on the amounts of humans they kill. I thought that I could gain his fatherly attention by engaging in these activities. But he still chose not to speak to me after he approved my request.
What Gozu and Mezu said could be true. Maybe he does want to kill me but why wait until my sixteenth birthday? Why wait three more weeks when he can kill me now?
I rush up the stairs that lead to my bedroom and shut the door behind me. I do not want to die. I am too young to die. I grab my backpack and stuff it with clothes and slip it onto my back. Raising my hands up, I open a dark portal and step into it. My heart thumps heavily in my chest as I realise that I am running away.
I have lived here for fifteen years of my life. I do not know if I am capable of staying alive in the world above. But the human world is so vast which means if he ever looks for me, he will be looking for a lifetime. I have to survive no matter what. There is something that I need to do before I take my last breath.
I step out of the portal and see that I am surrounded by large trees while the moonlight shines brightly. Goosebumps form on my arms as I realise that I am in what humans call a forest. My legs move before I tell them to - already on the run.
I need to get as far away from where I emerged from. If my father finds out I ran away, he will start looking for me. His first step will be to check up on the portals locations. He is able to locate every single position of where they transport demons to so that he can track us down if we do not return.
My dad is the ruler of the underworld after all. He is a ruthless, dark and twisted man. I have a part of him in me but there is a part of me that is a bit kind. A bit light. Sometimes I wonder if I am really his daughter.
*****
Thank you for taking the time to consider Dualism.