Daemons And Wrath Daemons

Nyell had never ventured inside the canyon before. All he did when he came over was to linger near its entrance. It was well known that stepping inside was akin to seeking death, as all the people who dared to do so in the past two decades never returned, and grim rumors surrounded the place. Some even whispered that it was a gateway to hell. Over the years, it had stirred up fear inside the tribe members' hearts, and they turned toward the elders for answers, to which they responded by proclaiming that man-eating monsters inhabited the canyon and that whoever was foolish enough to ignore their warnings would inevitably meet their demise. The safe thing to do was to keep their distance from the canyon.

Now that Nyell thought about it, the elders must have known Dangu lived there. Well, they had to know, for they most likely had imprisoned his uncle's soul here. It was a hunch, but as they walked further inside, the hunch became a certainty in Nyell's mind. 

"Maybe I should have just listened to my guts and wring those old geezers' necks."

The comment drew a stifled laugh out of Allen's mouth and a sigh from Myrven's. However, Nyell barely registered the sound as he stared at the half-collapsed cave carved inside the rocky walls. Even if he wasn't very knowledgeable about rituals and shamans' stuff, he could tell the various totems, engraved symbols, and bright-red cords spread around the entrance were meant to seal something inside. And that something was most likely Dangu's spirit. Not only did the elders send him to an untimely and gruesome death, but they also trapped his soul inside a cave so that he could never find his way to the afterlife and reincarnate. 

Were they that afraid of his uncle's wrath? How laughable! Why did they even dare to sacrifice him if they could not afford the consequences? It baffled Nyell.

"The funny thing," Dangu said as if reading his nephew's mind, "is that if they had let my soul go on to the afterlife, I wouldn't have entertained the idea of staying behind to get revenge. I didn't exactly know they were the masterminds behind my death, and I was pretty satisfied with my end. I didn't want to cause more problems for my sister. But thanks to the elders' irrational fear, I was stuck in this place for decades and turned into a wrathful spirit. Ironic, isn't it?"

"What idiots," Nyell scoffed, "The ghost they feared so much was created by their own hands. Serve them right, I say!"

The anger made the young man grit his teeth, and his grip on Allen's hand tightened. However, the shaman didn't wince, and even as his mate squeezed his hand with so much strength that it felt like his bones would shatter, he still didn't utter a word. 

Inside the cave, lush vegetation had invaded the ground and walls. Because the cave was slightly elevated, the riverbed was a few meters below and didn't submerge the place. A thin water curtain fell before the entrance as a waterfall slid from above, concealing it from view. Only the shamanic objects left outside gave the burial ground away. 

Dangu lifted his hand, and the water stopped pouring down. He tilted his head to invite his guests inside. It was a gentlemanly gesture that puzzled Nyell. Since meeting Dangu, he had this strange feeling that something was off. 

As Nyell thought of that, he stepped inside.

What awaited them was a floating Myur, who had been amusing itself by spinning around. It abruptly stopped its antics when it noticed the newcomers, not minding that its head was upside-down. It blinked, child-like curiosity shining in its big eyes. It was so close to the opening that Nyell almost crashed head-first into it.

"Gosh, that thing almost gave me a heart attack!"

Nyell exhaled, unable to help but remember how the familiar spirit decapitated the manticore and brought its trophy to Allen's feet. This scene was etched into Nyell's mind, and he was a little wary of the fluffy ball. 

"Take a seat."

The words had barely left Dangu's mouth that Allen was already dragging his mate to a fallen trunk. It seemed to have been freshly dragged inside only a few days ago, probably because the shaman wanted something to sit on. Lapis and Myrven followed in tow, and the trunk cracked in agony under their weight. 

"So?" Dangu started, leaning against the rocky wall before the group. "Why have you come here? I don't think you've come only to say hi."

"I did want to say hi, though," Nyell grumped. "But, yes, that's not all. We actually wanted to discuss something with you."

"And? I'm all ears."

"But before that," Nyell licked his lips, a bit nervous, "mind if I ask you a few questions? I'd like to clarify a few things with you before we get to the reason behind our sudden visit."

"Sure, go ahead." 

Despite receiving permission from Dangu, Nyell didn't question him right away. He took the time to think before opening his mouth, not wanting to make another blunder. Moreover, the small interrogation he had in mind wasn't something he had planned to do at first. However, Dangu's amiable behavior changed Nyell's mind. His uncle didn't seem consumed by hatred and very much looked human. It felt so strange that Nyell was left speechless. He could tell Dangu wasn't an ordinary wrath daemon. Deep down, he wasn't even sure if he could qualify his uncle as a vengeful being despite his uncle calling himself a wrathful spirit earlier. It was the first thing he had to clarify. Depending on Dangu's answer, it would change how Nyell would approach the matter concerning their next step. So, he took a deep sigh and asked:

"Well, here I go: are you a daemon or a wrath daemon?"

"That's an interesting question," Dangu smiled, visibly intrigued by his nephew. "What if I were to tell you that I'm neither yet both at the same time?"

"Then I'd be very perplexed," Nyell admitted before turning his head to Allen. "Mind explaining what he means by that?"

"Well, his case is a bit unusual," the shaman chuckled. "Usually, when someone dies and turns into a daemon, they are either reborn as a standard daemon or a wrath daemon and stay as such for as long as they linger in the mortal realm. But in your uncle's case, he was born as a standard daemon and a powerful one to boot, thanks to the lingering blessing left in his soul by the God of Plague. However, due to recent circumstances, he got so furious that he lost it and shifted gears, becoming a wrath daemon. But then again, he recently regained consciousness, and he's now standing in between as neither a standard daemon nor a wrath daemon." 

"You're upholding quite a few important information from us, aren't you?" Myrven groaned.

"Well, the oath prohibits me from saying quite a few things," Allen shrugged, eying Dangu. It was up to the daemon whether to explain things further or not. 

"All right, I think I get it," Nyell nodded, appearing thoughtful. "It's weird, but I get it. The thing, though, is that I'd really like to know what a standard daemon is. It may help me understand things a bit better."

"You don't know that?" Lapis blurted out, surprised. 

"I have a vague idea," Nyell scratched his cheek. "But I'm more familiar with wrath daemons. I've forgotten everything about what regular daemons do since they aren't harmful beings that I need to be wary of."

"Did you even listen to your father's teachings when you were younger?" Lapis pinched the bridge of his nose, getting desperate on Corriel's behalf. "I know daemons aren't basic knowledge, but you're the chief's son, for goodness' sake! Not only are you paying a deaf ear to everything related to destinated mates and shamans, but you're also not taking the otherworldly teachings seriously?!"

Nyell smiled darkly, "It's not that I didn't want to pay attention to my parent's teachings; I just had other things on my mind that seemed a little more important back then. You see, I was kinda busy protecting our hunting territory from some uninvited guests since long ago."

To this, Lapis shrunk on himself. Still, he couldn't help but mumble, "You couldn't have been patrolling the jungle even as a child…"

"Actually, yeah. I was given the get-go when I was about ten years old."

When Dangu heard this, he frowned, seemingly thinking of something. However, he didn't speak up, and only Allen noticed the weird but momentarily expression on the daemon's face, for Lapis and Nyell were busy bickering, and Myrven was trying to separate the two before it escalated. Thanks to their little hike together, Lapis and Nyell had grown closer, enough for the older man to feel at ease around Nyell and speak his mind. Lapis hadn't thrown caution to the wind, but he wasn't about to let the young man walk over him whenever they disagreed. His chief was enough of a headache!

"To answer your question," Allen interrupted their bickering, "standard daemons are spirits that watch over people who were important to them in their lives. They often have a strong sense of duty and attachment to their tribe, and once dead, they stay behind as teachers and guardians. Wrath daemons are the opposite. They still hold a strong attachment to their tribe, but that attachment has turned into a grudge. It often happens after a betrayal."

"Like I said," Dangu added, "I had no intention of harming the tribe at first. I have always been grateful for my fellow tribe members, who still cared for me despite my frail body. I didn't hate them. They were like family to me, and even after realizing that I was trapped in the canyon, I wasn't exactly angry. A bit disappointed, yes, but not furious. This place isn't bad; I could still watch over the tribe from afar. I couldn't intervene much, but I was satisfied with that." 

The daemon paused, gazing outside the cave through the water curtain. Only he knew what he was seeing. 

"That was until my sister's death. The circumstances surrounding her passing changed everything."