"BREAKING NEWS. A COUPLE HAS BEEN FOUND DEAD NEXT TO THEIR CHILDREN, WHO WERE ALSO FOUND IN THEIR HOMES. ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIALS..."
"WE JUST GOT WORD THAT ABOUT 5 EMPLOYEES AT *$@($ COMPANY WERE FOUND DEAD AT THE *#%)@ BAR. ACCORDING TO EYEWITNESS REPORTS, THE OWNER OF THE BAR FOUND..."
"WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM FOR THIS BREAKING NEWS. AT THE (#)$ DISTRICT, TWO MEN WERE FOUND..."
That was the only thing playing in a tiny television hanging by the corner. But the more I watched these reports, the more I questioned their authenticity. The voice told me the people who tormented me, the bullies I'm forced to treat them as "old colleagues"... They were nothing more than strangers I unknowingly stole. If that was true, then what was my life's point?
Maybe that strange man is spouting out lies. Why were you even listening to him at all?
But it doesn't make any sense at all. Why do I keep suffering torment after torment in my whole life? Why do I keep remembering the bad over the good? Why do I even exist with all of this strange phenomenon at all?
The Mistress hasn't returned lately and the strange man hasn't appeared to me. I just need some affirmation. Proof of who lied and who told the truth.
Please... I just need someone...
To tell me why I lived.
----------------------------------------
Dammit... How long were we flying through the grey skies already? Since we're flying at Casia's back as a dragon, we would have got to the village by now. But instead, we're completely blocked by heavy rain. It could not hurt our skin. But we're only blocked by the winds and raindrops falling like meteors. We're already running at the countdown to the Wild Demon's arrival and yet, the nature outside the territory was already against our favors.
"Cass, how you're holding up there?!" Thurkith shouted behind me.
"Not good. With all of this fog from the rain, I can't see a damn thing at this angle. I already memorized the directions from the border, but it might take a little while longer until we reach our destination."
"Can't you try speeding up? It's not that hard to flap your wings a bit faster as a dragon?" I asked.
"I wish. But even a Drago Nox has its limits, especially when I'm flying outside the Demon Territory."
Seriously?! I thought all Drago Nox were all super powerful. I guess they're still demons before dragons. Not even the strongest can handle the light without some compromises.
"Relax, kid. I've traveled with these two hardheads before. Even after ol' Cass evolved, I helped them a lot when it comes to scouting," Val assured me. "For now, just treat me as an extra pair of eyes. I'll make sure nobody gets lost in the fog."
Right. I smiled at Casia's friend. He did mention Val has good eyesight. He didn't tell me that was actually a skill of his. With this, it might be enough for us to conquer the vision problem Casia was facing right now. The only worry I had now was...
"Don't get all too confident, Val! We got company!"
As soon as I heard Thurkith's warning, we quickly turned our attention back in front, and true to his words, several fiends were flying not only towards our direction. But I looked back and saw several more demon birds coming from the back.
"Didn't expect them to find us so early," Val groaned. "What now, Cass?!"
"It's not like they're giving us a choice here," Casia growled as he glared at the incoming fiends. "Prepare for battle, everyone. Vander, don't get reckless with your magic. This isn't like any practical training you had back home."
"I won't, Casia."
It's not like I could go all out. My skills with magic were still lacking and all I could master was a measly Fireball with my current mana. However, I have two mercenaries and a Drago Nox by my side. Besides, I didn't want to kill the demon immediately. Underneath his rage was a young boy being neglected and abused for his whole life. If he died right here, then what difference would it make for me and everyone else?! I don't like those villagers, but I'm not letting him destroy it and himself!
Just as stood up to prepare myself, Thurkith did it first as he took out his sword. "I'm not going all out for the young Master's sake. But if it means to protect the peace between domains, I won't let you kill those humanoids even if it means I have to use force!" To my surprise, black electricity started to gather around his body as he twirled his blade slowly to redirect them onto his arm. "Bring the wrath to those who would threaten the light and darkness. [Bolt of Wrath]!"
To my shock, the electricity flew out from his arm and formed into spear-like lightning bolts that pierced most of the fiends coming towards us. As for the rest of them, the electricity that remained in his arm quickly relocated in his blade as a Mana coating of sorts, which he used to slash the fiends in half before they could reach us.
"Hey! Saved some for the rest of us, will you?" Val grinned as he grabbed the bird Thurkith missed and crushed its skull with his bare hands. While he did that, I started throwing Fireballs at the smaller fiends before they could dare bare their claws toward us. "Also, don't throw us off when you use your breath again, Cass."
"You know you're sitting on my... Never mind." Casia turned his attention back to the charging demons on the front and started breathing in. "Consider this your punishment, vile fiends! [Dark Blaze]!"
He roared out a black stream of flames to the fiends in front of us. By the looks of it, it seemed like we managed to take control of this dicey situation. Val and I took care of the smaller birds and demons from the back while Casia and Thurkith took care from the front. This would have been an easy defense for the trip. That was until we heard an ear-piercing roar coming towards us. We looked up and to our horror, larger gargoyles were heading towards right in front of us as they rammed through the smaller demons.
"Dammit! He got the [Crumbling Gargoyle] on his side, too?!" Val exclaimed. "I know he was a kid before he was turned, young Master. But I fear that he might be smarter than we imagined."
"I don't think this is the chimera's doing. I saw in his memories that he made contact with the demonic spirits beforehand," I shouted. "There's a chance he might be corralled by those spirits even in his demonic state. I bet he only decided to go after the village because of their prodding and temptations."
"If that's true, then it confirms my suspicions about the sudden shutdown of the wall's defenses. I wish I wanted to know more about this potential traitor, but it's imperative now that we have to get through that gargoyle immediately!"
He didn't have to tell me twice. But that gargoyle's power was like the wild Demon. There's no way I could beat that with my strength alone. So while I'm stuck dealing with the pipsqueaks, I let the grown-ups do the job as Val and Thurkith stepped forward.
"Geez... That bloke didn't even let us rest after that first wave." Despite his words, Val grinned while cracking his knuckles. "It's a shame I can't use my trump card on a flying demon. But at least I can use this! Kid, Thurkith, watch my back!"
With a deep breath, his fists started to envelop with black flames. At the same time, Thurkith gathered black electricity in his right palm and Casia gathered the flames in his mouth. I have a feeling what was coming. But with the fiends and birds still charging right at us, all I could do was charge up a weak barrier spell after dealing with a few more of them.
"Go down, corrupted beast! [Rail Bolt]!" Val quickly released the gathered electricity through his fingers, creating dozens of bolts shaped like arrows that fired at the gargoyle.
"[Fire Stream]!" Thurkith then released a stream of black flames from his palm.
"[Dark Stream]!"
With Casia's second breath spell, I watched all three attacks combine into a purple beam and once it hit the gargoyle's forehead, it roared as it cracked open and before I knew it, its head exploded. I would have ended up being knocked out by one of the rubble coming towards me. However, I was relieved that I was able to cast the barrier beforehand. I didn't master it completely, but it was enough to shield me from the explosion's specks of dust and stones. However, their combined attacks really shook me. Those two spells were only advanced magic. But with Casia's Dark Blaze, it was almost enough to blow me away from the recoil of their combined attack. I guessed that was the combined might of the evolved demons and the Drago Nox.
"That should be enough. No more demons are coming right at us for now," Val informed us. "We need to hurry."
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"Right. Hang on, everyone!"
I followed Casia's instructions as we continued our travel there. If we don't get there on time, then the Wild Demon's attempts to distract us with his army might succeed.
----------------------------------------
"WE JUST GOT AN UPDATE ON THE RECENT MURDER SPREE THAT WAS HAPPENING IN THIS TOWN. THE POLICE OFFICER WHO WAS CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING THE FAMILY MURDER WAS FOUND DEAD ALONG WITH THE DETECTIVES..."
"WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM TO REPORT THE NEWS REPORTER WHO REPORTED THE RECENT MURDERS OF *)#*% WAS FOUND DEAD AT HIS..."
"I'M SAD TO REPORT THAT THE NEWS ANCHOR, *$)#@ $*)@$ WAS FOUND DEAD..."
Dammit... When will these nonsensical reports end?! What does this world want with me? It didn't want to end my life nor let me leave this damn shop!
You would have a chance to do so if you could have run from that woman or the man calling himself "you" in the first place.
ARGH! Would you shut up?! How could I trust you when the fact I'm living a lie at all?! Do I have to keep repeating myself to know everything I did was for nothing?!
But why are you so sure that man said was true? There was no proof other than those "so-called memories". There was nothing but delusions coming from that strange medicine you had!
I said shut up! Why can't you zip your mouth and be quiet for once?!
Because I know you're conflicted about what's real and what's fake. No matter how far you run, those "truths" will come back to bite you. The only way for you to escape is to end it all.
...End it all?
Yes. It doesn't matter whether you believe them or not. What matters is that everything was all for naught. Nothing could be done to repair your lifelong despair except to deal the final blow.
Why are you telling me all of this?
Because life is nothing for you. If you believe them, you cannot go back. You cannot find normalcy if you wish to return to it. They were playing you for fools and dared to give you everything for a terrible price. And even if you turned them down, you will still suffer the despair and pain coming from the people all around you. You cannot escape them as they already see you as your son, friend, and even a colleague. Don't you wish you wanted to end it all so nobody could give you grief?
...
What the hell do you want from me? Why are you so interested in my despair?
I told you, I wanted to help you escape. I want to save you from the devils who want to buy your soul for happiness.
I curled my mouth into a frown as I heard this. How does killing myself would solve anything?
No other reason than to keep you safe. You are pure of heart trampled by others. How could you accept a deal that would corrupt you?
Like I believe you. What's the point of listening to your drabble anyway? You and that doppelganger said nothing but nonsense. Why don't you keep quiet a-
BUMP!
ARGH! My foot! That's what I get for letting my head off the clouds. Because of that, I accidentally bumped it on the counter and bruised it. Dammit, where is that bandage when I need it?
Before I could find it, I quickly heard another object fall. It didn't sound like one of the products. I turned around and to my surprise, an old notebook fell near my feet. The front cover seemed to be torn by natural causes and it was covered in pictures drawn in crayons, depicting a boy standing alone in a field of grass. Did a kid leave it in the store? I doubt it since no one has come to this store lately.
Throw it away.
Why? Because it's from a child who might left it by accident. There's no way I'm going to listen to you any further if you try threatening to throw away a precious item. Although, just staring at the cover made me curious for some reason.
What are you waiting for? Just throw it away! You can't read someone else's diary!
As always, they're spouting nonsense again. Maybe I'll do it out of spite and open it anyway.
XX, 01, 20XX
Dear Diary,
People say writing diaries are for sissies, but just writing to you felt very relaxing to me. This afternoon, XXXX tried to threaten me to throw away my diary if I didn't want to get another wedgie. I wanted to, but you're the only one that made me feel happy. So I said "no" and I got hung on my locker with my underwear again. It's humiliating, but worth it to protect you.
I don't care what anyone said. You are my friend and you are the only one who can listen to me. Well, "read" since you're only a diary.
Huh. It seemed like this kid was very protective of his diary to the point of enduring humiliation to protect his thoughts written on it.
XX, 05, 20XX
Dear Diary,
Mom and Dad are being mean to me again. I was doing my homework and I got bored. So I tried playing a video game, but Mom and Dad caught me and confiscated it so I wouldn't get distracted. They said, "It's for my own good." But it's not fair at all.
And it's all because I couldn't do my homework.
I chuckled dryly. Honestly, his parents made the right choice. While confiscating his games was a bit too much, they only did it to help him focus on his homework. Plus, I doubt he didn't earn it until he finished it anyway.
XX, 09, 20XX
Dear Diary,
I met someone strange today. I was running away from my bullies one day when I hid behind an old store. I don't know what kind it was, but it was a small one filled with strange items that reminded me of a museum.
There, I met a girl wearing a black dress. She asked me to play shop with her after saving me from my bullies. I appreciate her help, but my parents said I shouldn't talk to strangers. But since she was the same age as me, I decided to accept her offer.
It was a weird game, though. Normally, one of us has to be a shopkeeper and another has to be a customer. However, our "customers" were all pretending and both of us were shopkeepers.
Still, I had fun with her and I hope I can see her again tomorrow.
...Wait. That's not right. This entry reminded me of my own childhood. A girl in a black dress and invited to play shop with her. Was it possible this diary was mine?
That's impossible. I don't remember the events from this diary.
You must mistake it for someone else. There's a chance there was a kid who had the same thing happen to them.
No... That's too much of a coincidence. I need to know more.
XX, 16, 20XX
Dear Diary,
The girl was too weird and too fun. The more we played shop, the more twists she introduced to it.
I thought we were only selling random items we thought for candies and snacks. But to my shock, the girl, Umbaria kept adding RPG gameplay, bodyguards, and defense were things I never expected.
I'm still overwhelmed by the changes she added, but I have to admit: It was never a boring day with Umbaria around.
Umbaria... That was the same name my friend had. If I recall, she rarely met anyone else outside the shop. There was a chance she might be while I was gone, but still...
XX, 24, 20XX
Dear Diary,
I couldn't sleep. It was another day of fun thanks to Umbaria. Sure, there were still my bullies and my parents being buzzkills. But if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't keep complaining about them all day.
Still... I wonder how long would I enjoy this life with her. It was harder for me to meet her after school and my parents started to suspect me after report card day. Heck, it's even harder for me to avoid my bullies away from our play store.
I want to play with Umbaria a little longer. I don't want our playdates to end because of them. I wish I didn't want to go home or go to school because of them.
But at the same time, I can't abandon them. Is it because they threatened me to take away all of my toys and comics?
I don't wanna! I don't want to leave Umbaria! I want to stay in that store forever!
If only...
If only I could get away from that life...
No way... It was vague since I was a kid. But reading this entry made me feel the same desperation and melancholy I had when I was separated from Umbaria forever. But I have no recollection of these memories. Why do I feel like I'm about to cry over this old diary?
Enough. You can't read any more of this.
But I have to know more. Why did the owner of the diary know Umbaria? Was there something I need to know that you don't?
If you do, you will never escape the truth. It would be better if you didn't want to know.
And what? Keep living in this shop called a "prison"? No, I told you that I won't listen to this shit anymore. I flip a few more pages without a care. But then, I stopped at the second-to-last page.
XX, 30, 2XXX
It's time. I have to make a decision tomorrow.
At least that's what Umbaria said earlier. I don't know why, but she sounded serious when she told me that. Was it because of my stories about my parents and bullies bothering her?
Honestly, I don't want her to leave me because of them. She was the first friend my age I've ever made without tricking me. She's nice, kind... A little strange, but very creative.
I wish I could stay with her. But again, I can't leave my old life. My parents were starting to take away my toys and games and my bullies won't leave me alone even if I run away to get to the shop.
I have to make a choice. I don't know what she offered, but if it meant not dealing with those bad people...
Then it would make me and Vander happy.
...Vander? Who is that?
That name... It sounded familiar, yet my heart felt like it stopped when I heard it.
He's a nobody. A murderer! Didn't you watch the news about him?!
No, he's not a murderer. He's not like that.
Yes, he is! He is a monster! That bastard is the one who conspired with that lady to trap you!
That's impossible. He wasn't like that. He was a friend. A supporter. Someone willing to listen to me other than Umbaria.
NO! Don't you dare think that! Put that diary down! Or else, i-
So you finally remember.
That voice...
That familiar voice rang into my head again. This time, they sounded a bit relieved. I tried looking around, but my mind was strangely still set on the diary. I didn't know why, but I instinctively turned to the last page. Then I gasped with my eyes widened on it.
XX, 31, 2XXX
If you're reading this, then congrats, me.
You finally drove away the doubts and despair planted by your Demonic Rebirth.
However, there is one more truth you need to find.
That was all I could find on the last page. "The truth I need to find." What did they mean by that? I slowly put down the diary on the counter trying to wrap my head around it.
But I looked up and saw a mirror that appeared out of nowhere. A reflection of myself smiling at me as if it was alive. I panicked, yet my thoughts were only focused on one question:
What truth am I supposed to know?
A truth about myself. A truth about your Mr. Hyde.