DAMAGED HEART

"Such wasted potential on a beast."

"So much healing ability all to be in a stinking beast."

"Get out of my sight animal."

"Such disgusting ears."

Were all the little cub would remember. Rejected by humans, driven out of their homes, to be slaughtered like a game. As half cat and half human, little Lia was also rejected by her own, although she never knew why. and came to hate the tribe. To provide for her daughter, her mother sold herself, but died some years later, after that word that a half cat half human with incredible natural healing abilities was spreading to all villages. Soon it became a quest to find her with huge reward. She ran and continued to run until one night while hiding in a dumpster in the back for a church she was found by a sister. The sister took her in, fed her, taught her and most importantly hide her. Lia joined the order of the cross under the sister hiding her ears underneath her veil. She thought she was finally free from running but not hiding, until news of the demon lord came and she was selected to take part in the raid.

"What's wrong Lia, you're shaking." a sister said to her.

"W-who wouldn't be, a-after all in that ca-castle there's possibly two d-demon lords; no, one's more ferocious." she stuttered.

"I wish had your talent after all your cloaking abilities are what got us this close to the castle." she said as she fixed her eyes on the structure before them.

"Sally, you are so carefree." She said as she clenched her staff.

"Listen up everyone, we are now about to launch our attack upon the demon's lord castle, many of us will die, but never forget we are heroes." Henry proclaimed. "Load the catapults! Ready? Fire!" the crowd cheered as the boulder crashed into the main entrance of the castle. They fired the second round.

"Something's strange, no demons are attacking." Lia muttered as she felt a cold surge of ice passed down her spine, she sensed a murderous aura behind her, every fiber of her body screamed death. Quickly she cast Protection as bodies came flying towards her burying her.

"I'm sorry Sister, I won't be coming back, I'm sorry." She cried.

Her eyes opened as she jolted out of a warm bed.

"Are you okay? You're crying." Diya asked her sitting beside the bed. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you, here have some water." As she reached, "I placed a calming spell on you." Diya gave her a towel as well. "My name is Diya and one behind me is my master." Lia felt the room turned cold as Diya introduced themselves. "I'm going to explain to you what happened, so listen." Lia said nothing, she just clutched the blanket still avoiding eye contact. "You, are dead." That got her attention as her wide eyes were now glued to Diya. "You were the only survivor, who happened to possessed a good talent, so my master turned you into a demon."

"You're lying." She raised her voice. "There were at least several hundreds of us."

"Ah, you mean them, look outside and see for yourself." Diya suggested to her as she did just that and walked towards the window what she saw turned her pale, demons feasting upon the corpse, and some turning into demons themselves. It was enough to make her throw up.

"How cruel." She gasped. After a minute of swallowing her barf she spoke

"So what are you doing to do with me?"

"We already did what we had to, so I'll leave you to take in everything, I'll be back later to check on you since I have my duties." She said as she left the room leaving Sargon with Lia.

He did nothing but watched her as she cowered in fear. He exhaled and moved to sit in the chair.

"Enough! Get over here." He spoke.

Lia immediately lost control of her body and walked over to the bed against her will.

"I am Sargon, the demon lord, likewise your master. Diya is my first subordinate and also precious to me." He spoke. "Just like you she had a life before her, you two maybe different, but your situation is the same, the weak will die and the strong will prevail."

He watched her as the fear took her over. She remembered the feeling from her childhood.

"I wanted to turn you into a lesser demon, but Dia wanted you to live, you're alive now as a demon, no longer a beast, because of her." He got up and reached into his pocket. "She found this embedded into your staff, it's for you." He placed a folded paper on her bed and left for the door. "One more thing, you have such cute ears. They are soo fluffy it makes me want to pat them." He left as a feeling of joy came over Lia. She climbed into the bed and opened the paper. It was a letter from sister. It contained a letter, a letter from the sister that raised her.

"My little Lia, I write this with heavy heart. By the time you're reading this, I've already passed on. I have enjoyed all the time I spent with you, I watched you grow, it was like watching my own daughter. But I have something I wanted to tell you, something I should have come clean with a long time ago. You see when I first met you I knew who you were, I was going to turn you in and selfishly take the reward behind backdoor, retire and live quietly but when that day arrived I had a changed of heart, that's because one day you called me "mother" and it made me remember that I am a servant of the Order and that protecting those in need were what we stood by. That's why I made a deal with the guild. That I'd raise you to become strong and when the time came they needed you, they'd take me as insurance. When the news came of the demon lord I knew they would be coming you, so I prayed. I prayed that you wouldn't come back, because if you did, there wouldn't be a life for you. Please understand, I'd choose death than to see my daughter suffer. But if, if there's even a small chance that you may have met someone who is willing to have you, take that chance and live. My precious Lia I love you thank you for making me a mother."

Lia cried with all her heart, her cries where heard throughout the castle which made most of the demons' yell and howl as if they understood her mournful outburst. Diya and Sargon who were in the throne room assigning tasks, both gave a moment of silent to the broken heart.

"She read it." Diya said as she looked out to the window,

"We read it together, we knew it was coming." Sargon added. At this time, he placed his hand on her shoulder and thought what would be his reaction if he were to lose Diya.

That same evening Lia found herself in the throne room prostrating herself front of Sargon.

"I am called Lia no last name, I can use a great deal of supporting magic. I am truly grateful that you allowed me to live. I know, I was part of the group that tried to kill you, but if you'll have me, I'll pledge my life and service to follow you until you dispose of me."

Crossing his left leg on his right he spoke, "look here, I see you as nothing more as a cute pet." Trying to suppress his urge to pat her head. "no, probably a disposable pawn, but I've already turned you so that's that. Once you're a demon born from my darkness you cannot go against me. My words are absolute. Oh there's also one more thing you should be aware of currently; I want to take it easy so." Her ear twitched. "Never disobey Diya or else you'll be killed on the spot." That one sentence was enough for her to know her place. In this new hierarchy she was below despite her extraordinary power.

"So work hard Lia." He said as he propped his head with his fist. "Over here, you can be you, you don't need to hide."

She rose to her feet and for the first time ever, she stood proud for being a beast-men.

"May I ask, where's lady Diya?"

"She's over there on the balcony." He pointed as she quickly made her way across the room to where Diya was.

As she approached the doors to the balcony she caught the mirage of a much taller Diya with pure white wings. After rubbing her eyes, the mirage was gone being perplexed she approached Diya, but choose to not pursue the image she just saw and greeted Diya with the brightest smile she could conjure. "Thank you." she whispered.