Step!

Step!

Step!

Our steps echoed softly down the quiet halls of the city lord’s mansion, the building being unrealistically large for one demon, if I do say so myself.

I’ve got a golden mansion by the edge of a cliff?, so what? that’s me.

I deserve all the best.

A demon on the other hand?

"Heh!" I scoffed.

"Stop it." Khalifa chided.

"I didn’t even say anything."

"You didn’t need to, I can feel your disdain so clearly, I can taste it."

I turned to her, an incredulous expression on my face as I watched her cling to my arm,

"There’s no way you just said that."

"Humph."

"Haaaa.... Let’s just get this over with, I need rest." I sighed, my exhaustion somehow catching up to me.

"Why are we even doing this again?" I asked, confused as to why she suddenly decided to take a stroll through the lord’s mansion all of a sudden.

"Nothing, I just felt like it...."

Clack!! Clack!!

"Huh?" Our steps slowed as a strange sound came from beneath our feet.

"What is that?" Khalifa asked, leaning down.

"It’s a door? But where does it lead to?" She mused.

"Khali.... It’s a suspicious door on the floor of a demon duke’s mansion, where do you think it leads?" I asked sarcastically.

"Humph! Open it! Let’s go down."

"What? Why?? I just told I need rest. I’ve had enough exterminating demons for one day."

Damn!

I’d already let the words out before I could even stop myself, Khalifa’s face turning downcast immediately.

"Khali.. I didn’t mean.."

"It’s fine, D, you don’t need to explain, I know you didn’t mean it." She smiled sadly.

I’d been expecting her to go off on me for wiping half the nothern part of the demon continent off the map, along with whatever demons inhabited that part of the world, but till now she had said nothing.

I could feel the turmoil within her, yet not a word had escaped her.

Now, hearing her say I didn’t mean it, my heart suddenly twisted in guilt, why?

Because I genuinely didn’t care for any of those lives, I still don’t, they were of no consequence, merely collateral damage in the way of me marking that asmodeus for life.

"Haaa... fine."

I squatted down, digging my fingers into the edges of the door, "the things I do to make you happy.." I sighed, and then,

Creeeeakkkkk!!!!

Tore the door free.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!!

I tossed the massive thing aside, the weight causing the mansion to visible tremble.

"Alright, my lady, after you." I called out, trying to get her mind off of what I knew weren’t any good thoughts.

She smiled softly, then, linking her arms with mine, we stepped into the dark underground room.

.....

"What’s that smell??" Khalifa scrunched up her nose as we got deeper into the room, the light above us fading slowly, as darkness crept up on us, and accompanying it was a horrible stench that was revolting enough to make even someone of Khalifa’s level uncomfortable.

Step!

The steps beneath our feet finally ended as we made it to the bottom of the room, the stench down here being even worse.

"Dante... I can’t see," Khalifa said.

.....

.....

"Dante? Are you there?"

"I think we should go back."

"What? Why? What happened? I can’t see anything."

"Khali, trust me... please. Let’s... go back."

She seemed to pick up the gravity and weight in my words as her arm closed in tighter around mine.

"Dante... let me see."

"I can’t.... It’s... horrible..." my teeth were already gritting hard from being clenched too tightly.

"Dante.... I won’t leave unless I see."

I was torn.

I was of the mind to just grab her, turn around, and burn this entire place down.

The horrors before my eyes not something I wished for khali to stain her innocence with, but that would be counterproductive, since she would be incredibly upset, so,

"Haaaa.... Prepare yourself, Khali."

Saying so, I held out my palm as a soft gentle flame ignited on it, no heat, just light, yet the moment the room came into light,

"Oh.. My....." Khalifa collapsed on her knees, tears flooding down her cheeks immediately, as her hands covered her mouth.

"Why??? Why???? Why???" Was all she could say as she took in the horrors of the room.

Bodies.

That’s all there were.

Bodies piled up within cells.

All of them from different races.

Demons.

Elves.

Beastmen.

.....Humans.

All of them... females.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. No. Because all the bodies had visible torture marks, signs of abuse being clear on their bodies.

"Filthy demons...." The growl tore out of me before I could stop it.

"Who... who could be so cruel as to cause this much harm to innocent souls?" Khalifa’s weeping voice broke me from murderous thoughts as I looked up and she was already walking down the prison, No. Dungeon halls, eyes lost as she looked around, the sight of countlesss corpses, both fresh and rotten filling her view, I could see her conviction for this filthy race visibly crumbling the more she walked, the more she looked, the more it seemed she was losing that optimistic, foolish belief of hers.

Yet why. Why, did my heart clench at the sight?

It was supposed to be a good thing.

Finally she was seeing demon’s for what they were.

I should have been happy, yet why, did it feel like I was about to lose something incredibly precious..

"Dan... Dante.." her call snapped me out of my thoughts as I took a step, immediately appearing beside her, she was kneeling down, her back facing me, yet before I could ask, I heard it.

"Big sis... big sis.. no,no, big sis..." a soft weeping voice, one that didn’t sound like it belonged in such a place, because,

"A child?" I asked as I looked over Khalifa’s kneeling figure, and right there, was a small demon child, he looked nothing older than a human 2 or 3 year old, his tiny wings folded behind him, his tiny purple horns barely poking out of his forehead, his little chubby face was stained with tears as he shook the almost lifeless body of the female demon that had passed out.

"Big sis... no.. you can’t leave Lucien. You promised to stay with me.. big sis.. big sis.. wake up.. please.." the child’s sobbing continued, as he kept shaking the unconscious woman.

Just like the others, her body was marred by marks of abuse and torture, her Frame nothing but thin skin on bones, if not for the faint heartbeat I could feel within her, I would’ve thought her nothing but another corpse.

"Big sis.. big sis.. don’t leave me.. don’t leave Lucien.. big sis.." the demon child kept pleading, until,

"Please big sister, help Lucien! Lucien can’t live with out big sis." The little child turned towards Khalifa, his chubby face stained with snot and tears as he hit his head on the ground, begging.

I could see Khalifa crumble as she rushed to the child, lifting him up, her own face a mess of snot and tears as she finally turned towards me.

"No."

"Dante.."

"You’re falling for it all over again Khali. These demons have used the child manipulation tactics to mess with you time and time again, when will you stop being foolish??"

"Dante..."

"It’s another trap. Khali, it’s just a ploy.."

"Dante..."

"Khalifa.. I can’t heal a demon. That’s probably the most ridiculous thing you’ve requested of me since arriving here. It’s already mercy enough that I’m not killing them, but expecting me to heal a demon? Khalifa... please."

....

....

"Haaaa.... I’m sorry, Dante, forgive me for being selfish, I know I’ve been selfish this entire trip, and you’ve done nothing but try to make me happy, despite me always putting myself in situations that burden you.."

"I’m sorry..."

"Khali..."

She placed the child down, "sorry little one, big sister can’t help, but I promise you, I’ll make sure whoever is responsible for your big sis, pays for it dearly." She patted the child’s head as she wiped her face, turned around and walked toward me.

"D... let’s go.." her voice came out low, hurt.

"Haaa... trust me, it’s better this wa.."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sounds of collision stopped us dead in our tracks as we turned.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

There, the little demon child was slamming his head into the ground, his little forehead already bleeding profusely, yet,

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The child didn’t relent.

"Big brother!!! Please!!! Lucien can’t lose his big sis.. Lucien would rather die than watch her die!!!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"If you don’t save big sis!! Then lucien will kill himself here and now!!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"It’s.. better... for lu.. Lucien.. to die... than... watch.. big sis..." the little demon couldn’t finish his words as his little form collapsed forward, too much blood having been lost.

Grab!!

My body had already moved before my thoughts could catch up.

A soft green light enveloping the little child as his cracked forehead closed up slowly..

"Haaaa... foolish child... why must everyone force me so?" I sighed, shaking my head.

"Big brother.... Please.." the child unconsciously clenched my hand, his eyes opening just a tiny fraction,

"Save.... Big sis.... Lucien... is fine.. so long as big sis is fine.... Lucien... is fine.." his eyes closed back up as he immediately passed out, his chest rising and falling slowly as I stood.

"Khali...."

"I’m here..."

"Heh! I guess an I told you so, is in other then."

"Dante...."

I passed the collapsed child to her, as I walked towards the unconscious female demon.

"Consider yourself blessed, demon, for the universe saw it as the greatest mockery of my convictions to give you such a brother..." I whispered quietly, as my hands began glowing.

"Alright, little Lucien... since you were ready to sacrifice yourself for your family, allow me to make an exception this one time..."

"HEAL...."

*************

A/N: not going to lie, I was almost tearing up as I wrote Lucien begging for his sister, my heart ached for the kid....

Seems someone finally got through to Dante huh?

Anyways, as always..

*************

Thanks for reading....