The Angel And The Demon

As Rune was talking to some of his female co-workers, he noticed their sudden faces of terror. Did he say something weird? If not why were they frozen from shock?

But as he was about to ask, they ran away, every one of their steps filled with pieces of their fear.

As he was contemplating what had just happened, he felt someone grip his shoulder. His grip was enough to make his bones tremble as his muscles tensed, burning from trying to hold himself against this force.

As he turned his head, he saw someone so familiar but so different from who he knew. His face had darkened as if a god had cursed him to not feel emotions.

'We got to talk.' My words came out like some small needles piercing his heart one by one, and because of their size, it was impossible to draw them out. These needles were all crammed with pieces of his masked guilt.

...

Two figures stood at a small table. One bore the form of a human, the other, a beast. But their shadow, hidden by the gleaming light, was dramatically different.

The human shadow was one of a terrifying creature, made out of many animals merged into one. It had the tail of a deceiving cobra, the body of a rotten goat, and the head of a peacock, which proclaimed respect from the others.

All of these animals meant something, they were all parts of his real being, the one hidden in the darkness to not be noticed by anyone ever again. Hidden by a warm light that radiated honestly, blinding anyone who came across it.

But the brighter the light, the darker the shadow.

The cobra represents his sacrifice for fate and power, his envy for others, and his deceptive nature. His wish was to put himself over others.

The goat body symbolized his wish for followers, for people to look up to him while cheering his name all day long, for the women to crumble at his feat while the men devoted themselves to him.

Last but not least, the peacock represents his idea of hiding his imperfections through a fake view of perfection. This served as his way of fooling others, gaining their trust before stabbing them with a bladeless sword.

But for the beast, its shadow wasn't a big change from its real self, actually, it was exactly the same.

In his shadow rested a prideful lion, his scars representing his many battles, and his accumulated experience. But also held all of his pride. The belief that a king is above anyone who serves under him. It stayed true to itself, never hiding its flawed nature. Finally realizing their meaning.

But which one of these was more dangerous? The one who made itself beautiful to deceive others, or the one who keeps its terrifying look to wear of any evil.

It was a complicated answer to come to by looks, it is said to never judge a book by its cover. And I have fallen for that trap, so I stay true to that quote. Rest in peace [Flammable Silk].

The silence between them was disturbing, as their personalities were like opposite poles.

Seeing this, I tried crushing it.

'Been some time, you won't mind answering some of my questions would you?' I said while trying to act as friendly as possible, but you can't deceive the deceiver.

"No I don't... but I can assure you I have the answer to all of your questions." With his words being as simple as needed, I realized this was in fact his real self, if had been its mask, it would have exaggerated with its words.

'That's alright. I think I'll start lightly, as I don't want you to feel any pressure.' I said with an assuring tone. One that many would fall for, but those more experienced would recognize the irony hidden inside.

'Did you send me there to die?'

His frowning face made me believe he was expecting this question but wished for it to not be mentioned.

"Yes, you're right, and I'll bear the guilt that comes with it." His words came without shudder, as if they came from the heart.

'So your real self isn't very different from your mask.' How ironic that he would think this would work on me... well it would have, the only reason it didn't was because I used [King Authority] to see if he really felt this guilt. If he did, I would have been allowed to crush him with my hand as I do with objects.

[King Authority] only works on humans if certain emotions are shown toward me. Some of these include submission, fear, and admiring. But there is also guilt.

'Now, tell me what this tower really is.' This was really what I came for, as for the other, I had already known the answer, I had just wanted to see if his pride would make him lie to my face.

"You might not believe me, and I know that, but to tell you the truth I don't know. This gate had randomly appeared out of nowhere. We sent some of our staff inside, but they were unable to return. After many deaths, we deduced that the towers are somehow part of The Core. But we don't know how or why it exists. And this has been happening frequently, weird things happening all related to The Core."

'I see.' Meanwhile, I normally couldn't believe him, this had also been my guess of what was happening, and the main reason for my conclusion was the error itself. After all, you are always allowed to leave infected memories. But The Core was different, you can only leave it if you become a NewBorn.

The reason is simple. As a beast can't enter the human world, and has to use a human as a vessel, humans can't leave The Core, having to find their beast and becoming one to be able to escape.

'Thank you, for answering. Though I can't say you have answered them with honesty.'

I said as I left my chair, and with little steps, left the building behind me.

I had things to do. I had to spend some time with my family, and then somehow explain to them my desire to go inside The Core while only having some days serving as my experience as a contractor.

And all of this had to happen on the same day. I couldn't keep The Core waiting.

'Wait for me, graveyard. Someone who you won't be able to devour is coming.'