Chapter 20 - Inversion

The fire crackled, the black flames danced in the world of white. The expressions of those around its warm air let their jaws drop. The mere shock of the demon king’s words had everyone take a moment to process, even Discordia fell mute.

No one could react.

“Your... Father...?” Layla stared at me. I could only stare at those golden eyes.

The demon king sighed, walking over to Discordia. Her height was only inches more over hers, but the pressure emanated was no small feat.

“I will forgive your failure. With his involvement in all this I am not surprised.” Discordia cowered, making her smaller than the Demon king.

With no registered movement, Discordia grunted.

Barely a reaction from her as her mangled leg was cut clean off, knocking her to the ground.

“Huh...” We observed in horror, Discordia quietly used her magic finger over the stump, cutting off the blood flow, gritting her teeth as she did so.

“I forgive your failure. I am quite aware that the murder then subsequent suicide with your earthly interactions with my father may have hindered your abilities. The town is only a missed opportunity but... The fall of Doran is an asset that will cost us dearly. Consider this your punishment.”

“T- Thank you my lord.” She squealed, both in pain and delight.

“I’m bored of this. Let us return.”

“WAIT!!!”

My shout and thrown arms had everyone’s attention. Shaking their very cores on the idea of what the Demon King will do in reaction.

“Huh?” The Demon King squinted her eyes, uncaring to my interruption. “What?”

My breath was sporadic. I kept my gaze locked onto those golden glow pupils. My itch was too afraid to make an appearance.

“Oh! Oh wow, you’ve grown up so fast! I couldn’t recognize you!” I gave my crafted smile. Layla’s face turned to shock.

The demon king’s head perked up.

“Woah! It has been a long time. It’s great to see you, Dad!” She smiled.

I returned with a bigger smile. “It’s so good to see you too, dear. I would love to catch up and-”

“BLEH!!!”

I felt a strong kick to my stomach, knocking em to the ground. My brain didn’t even register the Demon King standing over me, much less the kick itself.

“Nice try Dad. The last time you saw me was in my mother’s womb.” She glared down. I felt the pain of her stare.

“Nice kick, kiddo.” I humored.

She sighed. Walking back over to Discordia.

“Ha...”

“Hm?” She glanced over to me.

“Hahahaha...” I let out small laughs, laughing into the dirt.

Everyone stared, thrown in a loop of confusion, the demon king just stared.

“Mallory..." I uttered that name.

The Demon King stared, her eyes widen. She turned her body, facing me heads on as I struggled to stand.

“How did you...” She began to question. “It was Doran... His blaze sent you back to her...”

I took my stance, wincing through the pain as I made proper eye contact with her.

“I’m glad you got my analytical skills.” I coughed, feeling the wind knocked out of me.

“That’s not all I got from you.” Her golden eyes gleamed, I could read them perfectly. "I don’t care to make this longer than it has to be. Consider Doran’s body the spoils of war. But if you want to take me head on-”

“What do you want, Mallory.”

She froze. Her eyes gleamed a fierceness.

“Don’t use my name so casually.”

I felt a pinch of pain.

Before I had realized, my arm had already hit the ground, letting blood spill and soak into the dirt.

Layla stared in horror, unable to make a peep.

I just stared blankly at my daughter’s eyes, letting our gazes speak.

A smile drifted across my face.

“I get it now...I know what this is now...”

Mallory’s eye twitched, the atmosphere was silent, the inversion of the world was breath taking.

“This is the story of my own making... One crafted for me, and by me...”

“Huh?” Layla was lost. Mallory stared me down.

“This is no longer your story, Dad.” She lifted her arm, a small blue spark shot off.

In one shot of concentrated magic, my body was split in two, killing me instantly.

“T... Tosh...” Layla couldn’t bring her eyes to the pooling of blood, scarred of what the sight would behold.

The others paralyzed at the campfire could only see my body fall. Unable to view my corpse behind the log the Goddess rested on.

“We spent enough time here as it is. I’m bored-”

She noticed with a side glance that my body was gone, she stared to the left pool of blood.

“AHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

All eyes wandered over the forest, seeking the laughter.

Discordia trembled in excitement and pain, her sadistic nature on full display.

Mallory sighed. She instinctively threw her arm, stopping my dismembered leg from striking her head. She slid across the ground, dragging the dirt as she uncaringly let the inertia send her back.

A golden thread held onto my leg, bringing it back into the forest.

Mallory sighed once more. “I don’t care for this.”

“AHAHAHAHA!!!” I let out my heartly laugh, echoing in the white night. “This is so exciting!”

I appeared in front of Mallory, her eyes uncaring to my deformed form.

My limbs were loosely held together by a golden thread. My body was pure black with shadows dancing off with no light. My body hovered, the sensation of boundless falling reverberated through my body.

The only features that could be made were my pure white eyes and smile.

“I have so many questions! I feel like there’s much to learn-”

“I am the baby born from your and Onizuka’s impregnating of mother. I converged as two souls into one, allowing me to traverse the realms at will.”

My eyes stared blankly, my smile turned neutral. No reactions could be made.

“You really aren't having fun...” I stated.

Mallory let her eyes shift. “Fun... You see this as fun...?”

With another swipe, my body was cut once more, loosely letting the golden thread stitch me back together.

Mallory’s lip shifted, discontent showed.

“Tell me Dad... Were you seeking thrills when you used my mother for an easy life. Using my conception as a pawn in your game of chess?”

“What...?” Layla muttered from far away, her eyes trembled.

“Did you have your fill after using fragile girl. Was her act of murdering you fulfilling, leading to her begging for remorse and showed none of it. Being thrown into the depths of reincarnation because she was led astray?”

“Don’t make yourself a saint here. You just cut off her leg.” I smirked, calling my own daughter out.

“I don’t care for her.”

Discordia seemed hurt by these words.

“I inherited the worse things about you, Dad. You and Onizuka played your games, and created me...”

My itch was strong. Something was on my mind.

“You killed Onizuka... He wasn’t there when I returned... I thought he had left but-”

“-But you know as much as I do, he genuinely was in love with mom.” Mallory finished, revealing something I regretted.

I looked to my dismembered hands. No sense of boredom lingered. My inner peace was falling at the seams, I realized I made another big mistake.

I care...

I looked to my daughter, her face still uncaring. For me this was world bending.

My body slowly put itself back together, the thread tightening. As my shadows of my body reabsorbed, the worlds inversion corrected itself.

“What...” Discordia was in disbelief, staring to the darkness of the black sky as if it were a lie.

Mallory’s eyes widened only for a moment. She let her neutral face take over.

“Are we done here?” She asked, staring as I flexed my pale fingers, gripping them into a fist.

My silence gave her the answer. She swiftly made her way past me, the fire illuminating her as she was now grounded in our light.

“How long...?”

She picked up Discordia, confusing the sadist, doing what she can to ignore me.

“How long were you alone... Longing for this moment?” My hands shook, thinking from her perspective.

She tilted her head, our backs facing one another but our gazes drifted to one another.”

“Too long... Too long for me to care anymore...”

I felt the monotone in her voice, all too familiar to my own.

“I’m... I’m sorry...”

The atmosphere was silent, she held Discordia over her shoulders, her lip trembling.

With only a moment, she was gone.

The celebration fell dead.

Everyone stood, long cured from the paralysis. Everyone's attention drifted the same, all locking onto me as I was unable to face them.

“T... Toshiro...” Layla’s calling of my name felt like a blade in my heart.

“Your daughter... Is the Demon King...?” Lard made his way over, too fazed by the news to break a sweat as he walked.

“Toshiro... Can you explain?” Audrey wanted answers. The group surrounded me, nervous to my silence.

“T... Toshiro...”

That soft voice made me shudder. A withered Goddess with barely enough strength followed up behind the group.

“Did you know...?” I asked.

Elvire bit her lip. “Those who kill are forced into the depths of reincarnation, no matter-”

“I wasn’t asking about Imani... Did you know about my child...?”

The Goddess bit her lip, keeping silent.

I sighed. A frustration brewed in my chest.

“Toshiro... Did you-”

“I need a moment alone.” Without looking back, I walked away.

Layla wanted to reach out her hand but was stopped by Audrey. Wanting to talk further, Audrey simply shook her head, Layla struggled to put her hand down, unable to decide.

I wandered over to the corpse of Doran. Staring at his immense size. Staring at his chest where he had tried to carve out his own stomach, I felt sick.

I glanced over to his foot, the one we had cut into for food. A faint magic outline appeared there, catching my attention.

I push it in, deepening into his own flesh.

“Huh... So that’s how she did it...”

My question was quenched, but my mood hadn’t improved.

Mallory’s face, her words and tone played in my mind. The countless eyes I have read joined along in a freak show. Face after face of despair, betrayal and distain played like a slide show, showing me the consequences of my actions.

I really thought this story would be so simple. From nothing to excitement. Learning lessons and things getting better...

I had already forgotten my first big mistakes. I let my need for stimulation take over, guiding me to self-destruction.

I was having fun with the group... The battle fought, and the bonds formed had distracted me from what I have done...

The way Mallory’s eyes looked at me. A father she had never met. Fermented the very basis of my mistakes.

“I’m a monster...”

“Hey!” The sudden voice took offence, I grunted.

“Go away...” I demanded.

“No!” Elvire stumbled as she approached. She caught herself on a branch.

“I know this story beat and I’m not in the mood...” I stated monotone. “I know this is where you’re supposed to comfort me and-”

I felt a kick in the back. Her bones made a painful pierce into my spine. I caught myself on Doran’s textured belly, annoyed by the violence.

“I’m not going to cheer you up! You made your bed so now you’re going to lay in it!”

I glared at her, even in her withered state her emotions ran wild.

“I remember all the times we met on that hillside. Every time I saw that face I only saw the act. That crafted smile that everyone here seems to believe in.” I rubbed Doran’s stomach, feeling the bumpy textures.

“And!? You saw that part of me unlike anyone else! You even had the audacity to lie! Every single time you came to my tree!”

I caught her leg in anticipation, picking up on the pattern.

“You’re the only soul who has ever given me this much trouble! And you are going to make it right!”

I let go of her. Her passionate gaze only met my dread. I sighed.

“I still plan to do so... But I’m ending things after.”

Elvire sighed. “Fine. I will grant you a wish of-”

“No. No wish...” I stated. I let my hand guide me to Doran’s wounds, to the very stomach that had swallowed Gideon.

“Then... What...?” Elvire asked curious.

“Then... Then I will have lived my final life... I will embrace true death...”