Sacrifices To Jupiter IV

"Umm…"

I tilt my head. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know where to begin…" Her lips press together in quiet deliberation

Mira fingers her arms loosely, her other hand slipping up to her chin. "You really don't seem like you know a thing."

"Did you just call me stupid?" I tilt my head to the other side, smiling.

That head of hers, I suddenly feel like bashing it.

Maybe I'll get to know everything once I eat her brains.

"No no no—" Mira anxiously waves her hands in protest. "I'm just stating facts, you know?"

Sweats dripple down her cheeks.

"I did say I won't spontaneously kill you, but you're giving me reasons to reasonably kill you, my dear friend," I tell her with closed eyes.

"Don't let your sin consume you!" she yells at me, pointing a finger.

Huh? The hell is this kid—

"You feel it, no? As if someone is controlling your mind! As if you're not in your right mind, yes?" Her words flow fast like rivers like she's rushing to get through them before fear takes over. "The matter of fact is, it only gets worse. The more you sin, the sweeter it tastes, the easier it becomes, and the less you feel. And the less you feel, the less you care about repentance."

Annoying. Ha, to think that I'm getting lectured by a kid! This brat doesn't know her place—

"You'll lose yourself inside the deepest corners of the abyss, and the darkness will start to feel like home! You'll lose yourself and become a complete monster!"

The kid throws her arms wide, chest exposed, chin lifted, a grin stretching across.

"Come kill me then!" She laughs nervously, her actions defying her frightened eyes. "Show the world how weak you are!"

…

She steps forth, approaching me before standing before my eyes, looking up at me with a suicidal grin.

"What are you waiting for? Do it!"

Bold of her to assume I'm not going to take her on the offer.

I raise my hand, sharpening the claws.

"But know that you will remain a plaything for the deities!"

"Know that you cannot control your wretched self!"

"Know that you will continue to be miserable!"

"Until you drown in sin!"

"Until your last breath!"

She shouts and shouts.

Her shouts echo, and wane, yet remain as piercing.

Then silence. Silence shrouds the shadows.

I look at her as she looks at me, boldly.

"Hahaha…" I chuckle. I can't help myself. This kid… "and here I thought you were a scaredy cat. But you're willing to throw away your life so easily… I see…"

"I was the presumptuous one, wasn't I?" My face cracks, my eyes widen, and my lips curl upward without asking me. Laughter builds inside of me. Demonic, disgusting.

"All along, I was the one lacking in resolve, wasn't I?" My eyes sear, and my fingers twist, clench and crack. "You're right, I'm miserable."

I dawn my hand.

Mira shudders in shallow gasps, scared shitless.

Her fingers clutch the sleeves of her tunic.

Then I strike.

She closes her eyes, twitching.

I pierce my heart, grabbing onto the warmth and plucking it.

How painful. How agonizingly painful.

She opens them, her eyes. Gaping in relief, then horror.

"I feel better," I say calmly. "What? The worst is it stops regenerating and I die."

I sit on the cold floor in a lotus position, pointing opposite me.

"Please sit, Mira."

"That robe cost me a fortune…" she bickers in murmur after backing away. "What's wrong with you…" 

Hmm… Nothing. Perhaps everything. I'm not certain. If I knew, I wouldn't be wrong. Who wants to be wrong?

"The dungeon core doesn't have an infinite mana reservoir, you know? That heart may as well not grow back," she points out.

"So?" I bite on it, munching. "I seem to be doing pretty fine without it."

"Umm… no…" she mutters. "I'm not an expert regarding demonology, but I'm pretty sure most beings die without a heart."

"Just sit," I tell her, running my eyes through her. "What's done is done. There's no point lamenting. You should've warned me."

"Could you…" she whispers, her voice breaking midway. "Can you put that away? It creeps me out…"

"But it fills my heart."

"You have no heart".

"Right." I throw my second heart to the back. Shit tastes bad anyway.

My heart, or well, the place where it's supposed to be, pains. Something grows there. It tickles, and sizzles.

She sits cross-legged, trying her best to avoid looking at my chest.

Mira raises three fingers.

"Let me start from the beginning, then…"

I listen to her attentively.

***

Before man came to be, before hope came to be, and before the universe came to be, there was complete and utter darkness.

In the dark roamed eldritch horrors.

Not much, if anything, is known about the beings of the void.

Nobody knows how they came to be, or what they were, really.

All that is known is that those fearsome entities aren't subjected to logic.

Just like the creation of the universe.

Just like the coming of the First Thresher—

The Adjudicator

The Progenitor

The King in Yellow

The First Thresher isolated the space from the void.

The First Thresher founded the stars and the planets.

The First Thresher blessed the land with life and light.

That was how the universe came to be.

Then came the Second Thresher.

The Architect

The Prismancer

The Tyrant in Blue

The Second Thresher established the laws and the limits.

The Second Thresher colored the world in vivid emotions.

The Second Thresher governed the forces and the conduct.

That was how the hope came to be.

Then came the Third Thresher.

The Anarchist

The Puppeteer

The Regent in Red

The Third Thresher opposed everything and everyone.

The Third Thresher sowed seeds of horror and evil.

The Third Thresher toyed with destiny and truth.

From ruin, man was shaped.

With man, sin was born.

Demons were born.

***

"Hold on—" I raise my hand in a stopping gesture. "That's an interesting tale and all, but I don't get what the point is. I'd rather you explain to me how magic works, what the dungeons are, and why the weird mechanical voice keeps popping in my head."

"You serious? You told me to explain everything, no?" Mira asks with an annoyed expression.

Son of a bitch. Wait, no. Daughter of a bitch.

"Can I?" she asks, raising a brow.

"Oh, of course!" I shout merrily, waving my hand like a bourgeoise. "Also do explain to me what you ate today for breakfast! Oh, also what your favorite bird is and why! Oh oh, also also what you saw in your dreams today! I'm sooo~ interested, bestie~"

I snatch the purplish pointy hat lying beside us and put it on, clasping my hands like a princess. "While we're at that, why not prepare some cookies and a steaming tea."

"BITCH!" I shout. "Just get to the magic part! Magic! Can't you see, I'm a magical demon girl! A fucking daemon! That's me!"

"Not a magical gundam! Not a priest or historian for fuck's sake. Kid, keep the cosmic fairy tales bullshit outta—"

Mira extends her arm and presses her right fingertip against my lips.

"You call me a kid, but you talk and shout like a baby, no?" She smiles widely, mockingly. Her eyes narrow with mischief. "Besides, how old are you to call me a kid? I may be short, but I'm sixteen, you know? We are probably of similar age, give or take a year or two.."

Alright. This is it. Fuck the principles. I'm skinning this kid alive—

Without notice, my hand shoots toward her hand.

I'll just settle with an arm this time.

No-no, maybe a finger. Yeah, cutting a finger seems a reasonable enough punishment.

I end up plucking a strand of her amber hair, and immediately chewing on it.

"Ouch!" she hitches in pain, her body shuddering. "You serious?!"

I have no idea, girly. This is the best self-restraint I've managed so far.

All I know is that you truly are a one-of-a-kind moron.

I mistook you for a smart kid, but no, you are just suicidal.

She really wants to nominate herself as a sacrificial lamb.

She really wants me to eliminate her from this life.

But I'm going to give her one more chance.

"I've lived exactly thrice as long as you have," I tell her. "So yes, you are a kid, and you should call me uncle."

"Uncle?" She sneers and squints, finding what I said ridiculous. "Bah… Then you call me a princess, yes!?"

I smile. "Of course, Princess Marisella!"

Her body shudders once more.

"Umm… No, nevermind… Just call me Mari…"

"I wouldn't dare, Prin-cess, Ma-ri-sel-la!" I bow with a hand clasped on my chest like a servant would.

Hahaha! How great it feels to bully children! Did I, perchance, develop sadistic tendencies, too? Just look at her disgusted expression!

"You… you're a creep, aren't you?" she whispers.

Two out of three women I've met have called me a creep.

The one who didn't call me a creep was a creep herself.

So what does that make of me?

Well, the two who called me a creep are kids.

So, that doesn't really count.

Which means I'm perfectly fine!

"Just continue with the tale."