Losing Sanity

There was a moment of silence as Dangu organized his thoughts. Despite his growing impatience, Nyell didn't urge him, aware that such behavior would do nothing but irk his uncle. And irking a daemon was the last thing he wanted to do, especially on their territory. It might come as surprising for some, but Nyell wasn't a reckless fool, and he valued his life. Dying young wasn't on his bucket list.

And so, Nyell quietly waited, trying not to pay too much attention to the warmth that spread from his destined mate's hand to his. Contrary to yesterday, no numb or tingling sensation coursed through his body alongside Allen's spiritual energy. It was a simple, warm feeling. The reason behind the phenomenon was obvious, but Nyell pretended not to know. It was neither the time nor the place to ponder it, and he didn't want to let his thoughts wander too far. It never seemed to end well when he did.

The silence stretched for what seemed to be an eternity. But, eventually, Dangu opened his mouth, and the silence was no more, broken by his deep ethereal-like voice.

"You asked me to be concise, so here is the short version: your mother was coming every three months or so to visit me, and when she didn't show up after four months, I grew worried. The last time she came, she vaguely complained about the elders acting weird. She had a hunch they were hiding something from her, something she was very much against. So, I decided to take a look at the tribe, just to be sure she was alright. Like I told you, I can watch from afar in a sort of bird-like view. Although I usually try not to peek into the tribe members' private lives and only look at public spaces, I put aside my misgivings at the time and instead searched through the huts for something specific. I rarely do that kind of thing, for I'm not exactly a peeping creep, and I don't want to know what people do behind closed doors."

A scoff resounded following these words. If Dangu had been a little less polite, he might have figured out what was happening before it was too late with the elders. But he didn't, and his sister paid a hefty price for it.

"Anyway, when I found what I was looking for, I discovered something so horrible that I felt my world shatter. My sister was on her deathbed in a state barely recognizable. People were crying at her bedside, and I couldn't understand what was going on. So, I frantically looked elsewhere for answers. Maybe it wasn't as bad as what it looked like… I was entertaining foolish hopes, of course. All that to say that, in another hut, I found the elders. They were talking about my sister's impending doom. They were rejoicing, drinking, and laughing. Their plan worked, and, like always, they didn't even have to dirty their own hands."

Dangu paused, something dark flashing in his purplish eyes. The atmosphere suddenly turned grim as he matter-of-factly added: 

"And they were happy beyond belief that her beloved mate was the one who gave her the last deadly dose of her so-called medicine, drowning her lungs. They were having quite a feast as they recounted everything the tribe members did that added to their chief's suffering, ultimately leading to her demise. They recounted how the child, who had thought himself honored to perform in the ceremony, didn't bless his oh-so-admired chief with a speedy recovery but cursed her into agonizing pain instead. They seemed particularly proud of this one instance, and after that, they grew melancholic and couldn't help but recount every single thing that your tribe did and what effect it had on Hulien's decaying body. The more I heard, the more anger welled inside me. The pain she went through as the disease progressed was as much, if not more, painful than what I've gone through. And the tortures used in that ritual were designed to be painful enough to make you lose your mind, if you get what I mean." 

"W-what?" Nyell muttered in disbelief, remembering the gorry sight of his uncle's lifeless body. Its sorry state had been such that he could barely recognize it as a human corpse. But Dangu didn't pay heed to him and continued.

"I think one elder, Burg, mocked my sister at one point for keeping a straight face as her body rotted from the inside. I don't exactly remember what he said as my mind was getting fussy from the fury. But I can say there was one thing the elders weren't satisfied with: Hulien didn't complain, didn't beg for her suffering to end, and still kept smiling. They managed to crush her body but not her mind. It was a shame and something they regretted deeply."

There was another pause as Dangu composed himself before blowing up. The aura surrounding him had grown denser and suffocating, making Lapis gasp as he instinctively hid behind Myrven. Even Nyell felt goosebumps spread across his arms as his instinct urged him to flee. Still, he didn't move an inch and waited for his uncle to calm down. He had yet to finish retelling the story.

"Soon after saying that, they brought up a certain event from the past. That's when I learned about who were the masterminds behind my death and how some of my closest friends actually sold me out. They lamented about how they had hoped that killing me would weaken my sister's strong will and make her bend to their bidding more easily. His brother was so easily manipulated and broken, so how come Hulien wasn't? Needless to say, I snapped at that point."

No matter how kind he had been alive, Dangu was now a daemon, and a shift in his emotions or feelings was enough to turn him into something far more fearful, thanks to the blessing of the God of Plague still lingering in his soul. His wrath had been kept in check by his gentle nature, but everyone had a limit. Once the last straw broke, there was no return. But why should he care? His sister was gone. She was what kept him sane all these years, and without her, his madness was free to wreak awok. And that was what happened.

"If you want, I can share my memory of what I saw with you."

"It's better not to," Nyell gritted his teeth. "I'm just hearing you talk about it, and I'm about to snap. If I were to see and listen to what you've witnessed, I'd also lose my mind to anger. Your words alone are enough."

"I wonder, though," Myrven raised his hand, "how did you manage to regain control of yourself? I mean, I also would have thrown my sanity away after witnessing such a thing happening to a loved one. After going mad, I don't think I could stop tracking my prey until its death, regardless of the casualties. And I'm far less affected by emotions than a spirit like you is. So, why? Why did you give the tribe a respite?"

"Why are you bothering asking when you already know it has something to do with your chief?" Dangu cocked an eyebrow. "You have no idea how startled I was when Myur brought him back. This guy fearlessly entered my sanctuary as if he owned the place. That stunned me long enough for him to open his mouth and sweet-talk me into listening to him."

"Aren't you omitting the part where you tried to drown me in the river?" Allen chuckled. "He makes it sound easy, but it still took me days to convince him to wait and see what would happen next."

"And it played out exactly like you said it would," Dangu sighed, looking at his nephew. "So? What will you do now that you've heard my version of the story? Do you still want to get rid of me or stop me in my quest for vengeance?" 

"Stop you?" Nyell let out a sinister laugh as a vicious grin lifted the corner of his lips. "I think there's a misunderstanding. When I stepped into the canyon, it was not with the intent to stop you. On the contrary, we came to offer you our help to get rid of the elders."

Daemons were powerful beings. With that in mind, Nyell knew it would require a lot of sacrifice if they wanted to exorcise him. It was easier to appease his grudge by offering him the people responsible for his anger, especially if the said people deserved to be punished. The elders were already trash in Nyell's book, so getting rid of them wouldn't hurt. Although seeking a peaceful resolution with the daemon instead of avenging his comrades stung at first, Nyell realized, after talking to him, that, in the end, the tribe brought Dangu's wrath upon themselves. Even if they weren't aware, they still had Hulien's blood on their hands. It was no wonder Dangu could care less about whom died during his feud against the elders.

"You're more ruthless than I thought," Dangu cocked an eyebrow, eying Allen, who threw back a knowing smile at the daemon. "I wonder from whom you inherited that."

"Good question. Maybe from you?"

"Maybe," Dangu shrugged. "So? What's your plan? I guess you have one if you dare to reach out to me. You wouldn't have the nerve to come empty-handed, would you?"

"Of course, we wouldn't…!"