Cyrus didn't like what he saw.
My gaze, usually nonchalant, remained angry at the old man. Why? Because of what he said about my father. Wasn't he a father himself? How could he talk about the Devil that way when my father was the one taking care of their end of lives? The Creator only knew how to give one. My Fallen Angel knew how to take one, ending their cycle of misery...
YET...THEY ALL REMAIN UNGRATEFUL.
Cyrus watched me stand up.
The old man's words came to a halt.
"You..."
The earth was shaking for me. The sky thundering with me.
"You don't get to call The Devil names when you don't deserve to even worship him."
The way his eyes widened...I'll never forget that. It was the fear of the old, the worthlessness, the feeling of helplessness as someone threatened them. That same feeling of threatening when someone was stealing everything from their house, abusing them, and yet, to be able to do nothing.
Old people who believed in creation alone deserve to be called nothing.
"Devil Worshipper..." the old man stood on his cane. Why did he look so scared of me all of a sudden?
"Roxy...you're scaring him." There went Gena, trying to protect the weak and ignorant from me. I was going to teach him a small lesson. That's all.
"You think I'm a Devil Worshipper? Let me tell you something." I snarled, chuckling. "The Devil is my Father, the same way you think Jesus is yours."
The old man gasped like a whale.
"It's true...it's true!!!" He screamed.
Well...I was taken aback. What makes this peasant scream? I haven't done anything yet.
His screams attracted people to his hut. The village was thrown off. His ardent message sent to the villagers indirectly. Because they showed up with soil of different, bright colors and water cans.
Confusion grew like wildfire in me.
"Is it here, elder?" The villagers asked. Well, time to end my curiosity.
I doubled down on my own promise. Stared into their souls and read their minds. Perhaps...i shouldn't have. Because they were thinking about....
"A prophecy...?" I asked out loud.
"S-She knows about the prophecy, too."
Oh trust me, old man. You know nothing of my prophecy. But yours...? I could tell.
The Devil that they oh so hate has approached this village a long time ago. Dad visited Hayabusa. He spoke of my name, appeared as human as he could. And against his swords? Hundreds and thousands of shifters slain. With his blood-drenched sword, Dad promised them of a savior's return.
His daughter. Me.
At once, my anger subsided.
But why did he have a bad impression on my Dad? Do they not respect their saviors? Was Hayabusa always doomed to nothingness?
"No time to waste, elder. Send her there." My brows furrowed—a villager instructed the old man while mentioning me. Clearly, they lacked manners.
"Yes, yes." He uttered hurriedly, "Send her there. She who has come to save us is already here. No time to waste."
No time to waste, but they're the ones repeating each other's lines. Pft.
I was literally shoved by the shoulder into the forest. Well and far beyond their region, kilometers away. They made me walk all the way there, too. What kind of disrespect was this? But my curiosity got the best of me. So I held my rage inside.
"She must go alone." The elder pointed his staff towards the woods. "They're already calling to her. I can hear it."
I highly doubt it—given how ripe his senses are at his age.
Suddenly, the earth shook beneath us slightly when Cyrus's blade dropped on the soil. His wrist rested on the hilt. The pommel—a small, dignified symbol. Huh. How come I've never grown curious enough to want to see it?
"Why should she go alone? My morals don't support it. After all, no beautiful lady like herself should be allowed to walk into the mouth of danger."
Then, the elder matched Cyrus's style, hit the ground with his own staff. It wasn't nearly as impactful.
"Don't be a fool! This is our prophecy! I won't allow you to ruin it! None of us will!" The elder shouted feebly. Protests against Cyrus's ideology erupted, deafening the quiet woods. I took a deep breath in. Slamming my own sword down, I declared.
"As much as I hate being alone, i want to explore this demon by myself. It draws me in, you said." I turned to the elder. He remained quiet.
"I'll go alone. I need no one. And if I don't return," I smirked, "Consider me dead."
And I left. I could feel their hearts raging. Their thoughts running. In the past, my Father had done the same. Disappeared into the woods, slayed that monstrous being and then...was considered dead. Well, I still don't understand why Father revealed himself as the Devil to these earthlings. What was his purpose? Because every trail of his decision shines with purpose. Every. Single. Time.
And in I went, into the unexplored forest. Ah...it was riddled with beastly energy. Shifters were all over the place! Teeming with such life to kill, my hands were already starting to itch.
But these Shifters...they're a child's play to me. I want the real price. Where could it be...?
But wait...if I could sense these Shifters...why couldn't I see them?
Well...The fight had already begun when I entered ITS Territory. IT, which has no name, no history, no future. IT, who was never a person.
And that realization...chilled me to the spine.
Yet...I smirked.
"Come out, you little thing~" I called dearly, hand on my sword. My hands never tickled so badly!
"Come to mommy now, sweetie. HAHAHA!"
Something about this Shifter is...familiar...
I scoffed.
"Dad...is that you?"
Can't I, his loving daughter, recognise this teeming energy of scattered Shifter souls? No wonder Hayabusa was terrorized. DAD CURSED THEM!~