Chapter 6
10 years ago (388 P.B.)
TV reporter- And now, we have urgent news to report because as it seems, earlier today, a man was murdered by his wife, whose whereabouts are unclear. Samples taken from the sheer amount of blood on the floor and other traces, show that the killer and victim were Aria and Aldrich respectively, the two greatest mercenaries in all of Japan—and the entire world.
The police got in the apartment of the the building, where the murder took place, only to find unfathomable amounts of blood on the floor, and the body missing. The blood formed streaks leading to the door. Therefore, the police believe that the killer took the body with them and got rid of it in an attempt to cover their actions.
The place gives off a sinister aura and as you can see, several bookcases full of diabolic books can be spotted everywhere in the building. This particular demonic circle has been drawn on the floor and it seems that they tried to perform some sort of ritual... The police are after this woman. Should you see her, then please conta—
*Aria turned off the TV of the room she was currently booking.
Aria (???)- Verily, they are a bunch of fools, these petty humans... I killed Aldrich solely to satisfy my profound wrath. HAH! They know not the very first thing about the Dark Essence... Their knowledge of the Worlds is truly LAUGHABLE... I WILT WREAK VENGEANCE FOR THE HUMILIATION THEY HATH WROUGHT UPON ME! I'LL MAKE SURE THEY PAY! I, THE DEMONIC LO—"
Aria- Ugh... What a—am I thinking? I need help... please... somebody...
Aria (???)- There is noone to lend thee aid, Aria! I am thou, and thou art me... Thou canst not hide from the truth. Yet, we... art not equal... thou art but a paltry human. And thy pitiable self shall be obliterated... Day by day, I am slowly taking more control over thee... I pity thy feeble soul!
Aria- No! I need to be th—there for my baby... She deserves to have a parent. I—I can't lose to you!
Aria (???)- Sooner or later thou wilt accept me, the Demonic Lord, Asmodeus. And when thou dost, the Barrier shall send thee to the Underworld, for no demon is permitted in the Overworld. So long as the Barrier holds firm, there shall never be a Pure Demon allowed in this realm.
And when only Dark Essence courses through thy "veins" , the Barrier's Effect shall cast you away and thou shall join the ranks of the Demonic Lords.
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3 years ago (395 P.B.)
Male voice- Eat up Aniik! WHAT are you WAITING FOR?
Aniik- Okay.. I am. I am...
Female voice- It's okay honey. Take your time...
Aniik was a mature little girl, tall for her age which was 7 years old. She had short black hair and a pair of pure grey eyes. She wore a ring on her right hand as well as a black hoody with pink streaks on various parts and cat ears on top of the hood, which Aniik opted to have down when she were little.
She was really introverted, but she could talk and behave like a 9 or 10 year-old-girl. How she was this smart was truly inexplicable. She skipped 2 years of school education as she was able to speak japanese fluently and was of higher thought for her age.
At the moment, she was eating ramen with her adoptive parents.
Adoptive Dad- Where on fucking earth were you Aniik? You disappeared for a full damn year and came back as a young genious? What are you fucking hiding? SPIT IT OUT YOU DAMN CRITTER!
Excitedly, Aniik answered in all honesty.
Aniik- I was in an other world where everything was shining and pretty. There were 4 Angels that people were constantly talking about and I learned a lot of things from that place. That's why you call me a genious... I met a few kind people who took me into their inn for free and I've lived by myself for like 3 years. Um, so, why did you only say one? Are you perhaps amnesic..? (slightly chuckles.)
Adoptive Dad- You piece of shit.. Are you insane? Do you need to see a doctor? What are you fucking saying...? I knew it was a bad idea adopting a girl whose parents forgot about her... I should be the one laughing!
Aniik's stare matched that of a demon. She was so furious and mad at him that she almost—
Adoptive Mom- Stop it you two! It's fine Aniik don't worry...
Aniik was feeling a bit better upon hearing these comforting words.
Adoptive Mom- But can you please explain yourself? What are you talking about? Some other world and... Angels? I m sure you are mistaken. Perhaps you hit your head while you were gone? How many fingers am I holding up?
Aniik- Don't you believe me? You too, "mom"? How?! I thought I could trust you...
I THOUGHT YOU COULD UNDERSTAND ME!
For a 7 year old, that tone of voice was so terrifying that it made a chill run down both of their spines... The aura around her was abnormal. Demonic would better describe it. It was then that Aniik's adoptive parents shouted (although hesitantly)
Adoptive Parents- G—Go back to.. your r—room... NOW!
Even though she was crying, Aniik found the courage to go back to her room... After slamming the door hard, she said to herself "Why don't they believe me? I went there. I ate there. I lived there. The Αngels... the Βelievers... the Accursed... Everything is real, so please... Believe me... Somebody... Anybody..."
The next day, Aniik was in the living room playing with a weird zebra-like plushie. At some point, she heard loud screams coming from the kitchen. Curiosity got the better of her and she approached the kitchen door. The conversation of her adoptive parents she overheard made her head spin and her heart to be filled with despair.
Adoptive Dad- I told you already! She's not normal. She's FUCKED UP IN THE HEAD! LETS GET HER TO A PSYCHIATRIC CLINIC... SHE'LL BE TOGETHER WITH ALL THE ILL-MINDED ABHORRENT TRASH!
Adoptive Mom- Aniik's just confused and puzzled ... I'm sure if we give her more time she'll get better—
Adoptive Dad- She's insane! If we forget about her, at least we, will live a normal life...
Aniik's adoptive mom audibly sighed and lowered her head.
Adoptive Mom- I don't know what to do. (...) I want to believe that she will recuperate. But, if she doesn't, we will have her talk with a psychiatrist and then we'll see what to do. How about that?
Adoptive Dad- You've got a point... But if that doesn't work either, we'll kick her out of the house FOR GOOD!
Aniik's teeth were chattering. Her eyes were deprived of life. And her heart was consumed by terror... She was scared. Scared of being abandoned once again...
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The days became weeks and the weeks months... Aniik would always refuse to go to a doctor, as she was confident that she was right. She was trying everyday to prove that she was not crazy, that the world she visited is real. But to no avail, as no regular human being would ever buy that... They believed that she had serious mental issues and disorders and never acknowledged anything that she said.
And then, the critical day came. Without her slightest concern, the adoptive parents brought a psychiatrist home and forced her to partake in a discussion with him. And unsurprisingly, when she talked to the psychiatrist, he would not believe her either...
Psychiatrist- Her condition is pretty serious. We'll move her to a clinic. She probably has some type of psychosis and in such a young age... The damage may not be revertable... Leave the rest to me. I'll go talk to Aniik.
Adoptive partents- Okay, doctor. We hope for the best..
Psychiatrist- Hello again, Aniik... We'll have to get you to a clinic. Don't worry, they will take better care of—
———————UGHHHH!
At that moment, he was pierced by 5 knives or... nails? He couldn't even figure out what he was killed by. It was done so fast. He repeatedly choked on his own blood, until the released liquid was completely absorbed by the mat on the floor, forming a small pond around his dead body...
After a while, the sound of numerous police sirens could be heard. The policemen rushed to the murder scene and shouted "HANDS UP! POLICE!" but Aniik didn't follow their orders...
She joined her hands together and concentrated very hard. The apartment was shaking violently, as if an earthquake had occured. Aniik started floating in the air until her feet connected thus making her look like she was meditating. And then, the rumbling stopped. The policemen couldn't believe in their eyes. That's because Aniik had vanished...
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After that crucial moment, she found herself in a familiar place, because she had spend 3 years of her life in that world... the Lingering World, where time goes by with the 1/3 of the Overworld's time speed.
Therefore, the one year that their adoptive parents stated was not false... But Aniik was practically 9 years old at that point. That's why she seemed too tall for her age. But she was in fact normal, because she had spent 3 whole years in that world living by herself.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
This time around, as she was wandering around that place again to find temporary refuge, she remembered the sentiment she felt last time she visited the Lingering world...
Loneliness... She knew nobody... Trusted noone... As she was looking for a place to spend the night, she was feeling scared. She asked around countless strangers, but she was out of luck. Not even a single person was there to take care of, comfort, or even talk to her, but Aniik herself.
"Go bother someone else, kid" These words hurt her more than the pain of starvation.
And at some point in all of her failed attempts to make someone acknowledge her, something drastically changed inside of her. She felt a growing flame of anger that would later bring about massive changes in beliefs in her teenage years. For a little girl, the look on her face could scare even adults. Aniik closed in on herself and decided to never have her hood with cat ears down ever after.
She had only one thought in mind before falling asleep on a bench from the physical exhaustion.
"I know I am not crazy. But they just won't believe me..."
"If they don't believe me, then I'll give them proof."
"Proof that this world exists, that Angels exist."
"Eventually, they will acknowledge me..."
Aniik felt like she was kicked out of society and what she wanted was to be acknowledged and prove everyone wrong. Her objective was to find something that could prove to the Overworld that the Lingering world exists.
Her life chasing this goal was beyond harsh. Aniik resorted to many "bad" things as her adoptive parents would say, but she didn't feel regret doing so. She had to stand on her own two feet one way or another...
Three months later, she had managed to sustain herself and fulfill her basic needs. And what she figured out quickly after was that the key part to move forward was the acquisition of knowledge.
In order to learn about this world and discover how to achieve her goal, she needed to go over numerous books and learn many things.
Therefore, in her free time, Aniik would read many books, the most common of which was a "duplicate" copy of a book called the Pandonomicon—a Demonic Item that envelopes all knowledge about the past.
The production of such a remarkable creation was made by Aniik herself, when she travelled to the Underworld in order to find access to information about the 3 Worlds, understand them better, as well as figure out her own feelings, her powers and how to use them. That is because she knew was Unique but she did not know why or to what extent.
The Pandonomicon Is written in obscure Ancient Japanese, that Aniik was unfamiliar with. Therefore, the deciphering of the pages she managed to duplicate was done in years of reading during her stay in the Lingering world.
While reading, she realized that any common item found in the Lingering world would not be convincing evidence that she travelled to a different world, as there were numerous similarities with objects found in the Overworld.
Therefore, she needed to find something special to present to the Overworld, so that it would be concrete proof she went there.
What is more, she learned about how the World functions and uncovered ancient secrets unknown to almost every human.
As stated In chapter 178 of the Pandonomicon, the World as everybody knows it in reality consists of 3 different worlds (The Overworld , The Lingering world and the Underworld), that co-exist separately. This division occurs due to a mysterious phenomenon called the Barrier.
Then there are Demonic Lords and Angels... Demonic lords have the ability to teleport and if channelled, alternate between worlds. On the other hand, Angels have, in addition to their unique powers, the ability to form with their powerful Holy energy the Barrier.
The Barrier is some sort of non-physical shield that separates the 3 worlds/realms as said earlier. The Barrier was formed about 400 years ago and its role is to protect the worlds from convergence, in other words, the act of becoming one.
A Demonic Lord (Demon that posseses a Demonic Item and has the ability to travel to other worlds) could theoretically go to the Lingering world without a problem, as they would "bypass" the Barrier through teleportation.
But any Pure Demon cannot survive a full minute in the Lingering world, as the realm has become so different to the Demons' that their bodies cannot withstand the change in environment. Accordingly, the same applies to Pure Angels. They can't survive any more than 60 seconds in the Underworld. (Although Angels don't even have the ability to teleport.)
However, Humans aren't affected by that effect. But humans don't know about the worlds and their comprehension is limited. Not only that, but they would never be able to travel to other worlds.
Last but not least, If the Barrier detects a Pure Demon or a Pure Angel in the Overworld, it will cast them away to either the Lingering world or the Underworld. This last property of the Barrier is now widely known as the Barrier's Effect. (In the past it was also known as Worldly Equilibrium.)
In conclusion, That is how "Balance" is preserved in the worlds. If it weren't for the Barrier, anyone would be able to go to "The New World" created by a combination of the other three. Nothing is certain about that, though. (The Pandonomicon encompasses information only related to the past).
The thing that baffled Aniik was how she was able to travel to any world she desired without any consequences. She knew that she had the power of a Demonic Lord inside her, but she was not affected by the One Minute Rule nor by the Barrier's Effect...
It was nearly at the last chapter of the partially copied Pandonomicon that she found her answer. It was something unique that was mere speculation from the Demonic Lord that possesses the original Pandonomicon, Hellva. It stated the following
"Theoretically, a Being that was half Human and half Demonic Lord would be able to travel to all 3 worlds without any restrictions at all.
They would have the ability to travel to a different world and survive in the Underworld due to being a Demonic Lord, as well as live in the Overworld, because they wouldn't get restricted by the Barrier's Effect as they are not Pure Demons, while being able to roam freely in the Lingering World without dying, because of their humanity..."
"Were it born, that being would cause major complications to all realms" —Hellva.
Her father was Human, yet her mother was possesed by the Demonic Lord Asmodeus when she gave birth to her. Aniik was really surprised that all the traits about that Being could be found in her.
It was truly scary, what destructive powers Aniik had in her possesion...
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Four years passed since Aniik had visited the Lingering world for the second time... By then, she had completely understood her powers.
After reading all the chapters she copied from the original Pandonomicon, she learned about the current state of the worlds, the Barrier's formation, her mother's past, and her beliefs about everything were vastly different.
She still wanted to prove to everybody that she was not crazy by bringing back proof, but her objective had changed, that day, when she joined the Accursed...
Aniik was walking down the road in the Avamolian district, northwest of the Lingering world. She was holding the "Pandonomicon" with her left hand while marching forward, when she accidentally bumped into a Lingerian (an ordinary person residing in the Lingering world, be that an Accursed or a Believer).
Aniik - I'm so sorry! Um... Let me help you out with that...
Numerous sheets of paper inside the envelope he had flew all over the place.
Aniik left the Pandonomicon on the ground and helped him gather the sheets of paper. At that moment though, the man was flabbergasted. Aniik tried to give him a little push, but to no avail as he wouldn't react at all.
His eyes were staring at her glowing, dark purple ring. But not long after, a loud sound was heard. *slap*
Aniik slapped the heck out of that guy.
Aniik- Uhh, are you okay now?
The man then came back to his senses.
???- Hey there lil' girl... I have to ask you a few questions... How can you... have in your possesion a Demonic Item...? Is that the Pandonomicon, TOO?!
The man was clearly speechless at that moment.
Aniik- Well, I'm afraid I can't answer any of these questions... Do you need anything else? (...) I will be on my way the—
???- NO, STAY THERE! Please, young girl... Follow me... Let's talk somewhere without so many people...
Aniik was suddened by his perseverance and hesitantly accepted his proposal.
???- O—Ka—y... This is... better now...
He then spoke to Aniik in a more proper way.
???- My name's Marden and I have been for over a few years now the leader of the Accursed.
Aniik- Oh?! Hm, I see then...
Marden- It is needless to say, as you have in your possesion the Pandonomicon, but we, the Accursed, believe that the 4 Angels that stay dormant in their respective shrines— In the north shrine, Ramael, the Angel of Holy energy, In the South one, the Mighty Angel Yulim, East of the Lingering world, Kallian, the Angel Protector, and lastly, far to the West , The Omniscient Archangel Sachrist— who are using their powers to form the Barrier are completely useless.
We believe that the government is corrupt and all the Angels just wish to keep their powers all for themselves...
After a slight pause to catch a breath, Marden continued with his passionate speech.
Marden- And those dirty Angels use up all of their strength for it, thus making them immobile and vulnerable to assaults. Why are they wasting such remarkable power? Do you know what I think? It's probably because the Angels are completely selfish Lingerians, who just want eternal life from their Angelic Veils. And by not communicating with the outside world due to the Shrines, they just annilate the chance of getting themselves killed, so it checks out...
Marden then touched Aniik's shoulders to strengthen his arguement
Marden- Look around you Aniik!
Look at those, who are rich and look down upon the poor.
Look at the ones, who did nothing wrong, but have to attone for others' sins.
LOOK AT US, who have a different opinion about the World, but are hunted down by everyone else... (Believers)
This world is already in absolute imbalance... Don't you see it Aniik?
The Barrier... It's pointless...
Aniik couldn't respond to that because she thought he was right.
Aniik- Uh... Ehm...
Marden- We have been waiting for someone like you, Aniik... You, who, ehm, possesses the power of a Demonic lord but can travel to any of the three worlds, correct?
Aniik- Yeah...
Marden- What is your goal Aniik? I m sure it's about the same as ours...
Then Aniik started a monologue of her own.
Aniik- A few years ago, my objective was to find proof that this world existed... So that everybody would accept me... Back then, I figured I could steal Angelic Veil to show to everyone. That way they could believe me. That way they could acknowledge me.
But then, as I was getting older and read about the worlds in the Pandonomicon, I realised that the worlds are corrupted... Everything I've read about is as far from balance and equality as you can get.
The worlds were filled with despair even from ancient times, long before the Barrier. How could you say that they aren't when an orphan like me had to experience such tragic injustice and despair...?
After realising that fact, I thought of a plan about acquiring the power of my Opposed Angel...
When two counterparts, An Angelic Veil and the power of the its opposed Demonic Lord (its opposed Demonic Item) are controlled by the same person, then, they acquire Godlike power.
Aniik sighed a bit and continued.
Aniik- If the plan succeeded, I would have the power to create a better world from zero...
The current state of the worlds is what I despise. Therefore, I want to make the 3 worlds one and create a better version of our world. A world without injustice... However bad some say that The New World is, it surely can't be worse than our current one. So, I will rule this New World and take revenge for what I've been through. That is my current goal... This World of equality is what I long for...
Marden- Excellent.. SPLENDID! I understand your desires completely... You have the same ideals as us, the Accursed... It is what we all want too, to ehm, create a world that is truly balanced. We shall bow to thee. Henceforth, you will be our leader, our Lord...
Aniik's eyes brightened up after so many years. It was the first time she had found someone that supported her and believed in her completely. Without second thought, she accepted his proposal. Aniik joined the Accursed.
2 years later in the Lingering world...
The Accursed had multiplied by a great number and their Lord, Aniik, was there to encourage them for the plan they were about to conduct.
Aniik- This is the time when we claim all in our name! Let us... acquire the Angelic Veil!!!
Everyone in unison-
THAT'S OUR LORD!
THE ANGELS MUST FALL!!
WE'LL GIVE IT OUR ALL!!!
And then, The Great Lingerian War between the Accursed and the Believers broke out...