Divine Charity

The world dissolved into a familiar, impossible hall.Light and darkness swirled together, painting the air in shifting shades of gold and deep violet.
Kaiee blinked, his surroundings solidifying.Before him, on twin thrones that seemed carved from pure concept, sat God and the Devil King.
“Congratulations,” God said, his voice calm but carrying a subtle, teasing edge.
“Yeah, congrats, kid,” the Devil King added, grinning like a wolf. “You did something almost… decent. You felt guilt for Arisa’s mom. You gave up the bed. We noticed.”
Kaiee’s heart leapt. A reward? From them?
“So,” God continued, “we have a small present for you.”

A present. From cosmic beings. Kaiee’s eyes shone with instant, unbridled greed. His mind raced with visions of ultimate weapons a blade that could one-shot the Demon King, a dagger that ignored all armor, a legendary item straight out of the games he’d never stopped fantasizing about.
A gate of shimmering light appeared beside God. An angel with serene, impassive features stepped through, holding a small, ornate box. It glowed with a soft, golden light.
“Give it to him,” God instructed.
The angel floated toward Kaiee, offering the box without a word, without even a glance. Then, it vanished.
Kaiee’s hands trembled as he took it. He rubbed his palms together, warming them like a gambler before a big win. Finally. FINALLY.

 My epic loot drop.

“Open it, perv-boy,” the Devil King urged, leaning forward with wicked anticipation. “Your ultimate dagger awaits.”
With the frantic excitement of a child on Christmas morning, Kaiee tore at the wrapping. The box’s interior shone brilliantly, blinding him for a second.
He lifted the lid.
And stared.
Inside, nestled on velvet, was a dagger.
It was made of… stone. Rough-hewn, dull, and utterly unremarkable. It looked less like a weapon and more like a prop from a cheap historical reenactment.
Kaiee’s face fell. His eyes went flat.
“…Is this a joke?” he asked, his voice hollow. “This is the ‘ultimate weapon’? I got a better sword from the Demon Hunter HQ’s lost-and-found.”

.

God shrugged, a motion that seemed to ripple the light around him. “If you don’t need it, we can take it back.”
“No!” Kaiee snapped, clutching the box to his chest. Instinctual gamer-hoarder reflexes kicked in. “I need it! But… does it have any special powers? Invisible edge? Soul-stealing? Anything?”
God and the Devil King looked at each other. A tense, dramatic silence stretched for several seconds. They wore the grave expressions of generals sharing a dire secret.
Finally, God spoke.
“No.”
“…No?”
“It does not have any powers,” the Devil King confirmed, nodding solemnly.
Kaiee’s eye twitched. “You… you waited that long… just to say ‘no’? Are you both stupid, or is this some kind of cosmic prank show?”
“You should be happy we’re giving you this dagger,” the Devil King said, leaning back with a storyteller’s flourish. “You know why?”
Kaiee listened, arms crossed, looking like a child forced to endure a grandparent’s rambling tale.
“Yesterday,” the Devil King began, “I was disguised as a normal devil, just walking around the city…”
“Yes, yes,” Kaiee muttered, nodding impatiently.
“…and I passed a weapon shop. No one was around. And there, in the display, was this dagger. All alone. Looking… sad. So I picked it up.”
He paused for effect.
“…And ran away.”
Kaiee’s brain short-circuited. He stared at the grinning Devil King, then at the stone dagger, then back at the Devil King.
“You… stole it?” Kaiee’s voice cracked with disbelief. “You’re called the Devil King, and you’re… shoplifting? What the hell am I hearing?!” He brought a hand to his forehead, the universal gesture of pure, unadulterated frustration.

God couldn’t hold it in anymore. He burst into laughter, a sound like ringing bells and rolling thunder. “Ahahaha! That’s why you should be happy! The Devil King himself stole a dagger for you! AHAHAHA!”
“Hehehehehe!” The Devil King joined in, his laughter darker, more wheezing.
Kaiee’s face flushed a deep, volcanic red. He could feel the heat rising to his ears. He opened his mouth, a torrent of incredulous rage building in his throat
SLAP.
A stinging pain exploded across his cheek.
The divine hall shattered like glass.


“Oi! Kaiee! Get up! Get up!”
Kaiee’s eyes flew open. He was on the floor of Arisa’s room, morning light filtering through the window. Arisa loomed over him, her hand still raised.
“I think I peed from that slap,” he groaned, rubbing his throbbing cheek.
Arisa’s eyes widened. She looked down, then jumped back with a scream. “WHAT DID YOU SAY?! YOU DID PEE RIGHT HERE?!”
“AHHH! I peed from the slap! It’s embarrassing!” Kaiee scrambled up, now fully aware of the damp spot on the floorboards.
Arisa pointed a furious finger at him, her other hand on her hip. “You. Will. Clean. This. Up. Wash the clothes, take a bath, and wash your own clothes. Hurry up! I’m going to make dinner!”
After a humiliating hour of scrubbing, bathing, and laundry, Kaiee stood in the hallway, wrapped only in a towel, damp hair clinging to his forehead. He shuffled toward Arisa’s room, a happy murmur on his lips about finally getting dressed.

He stopped dead.
Ahhh… hell. I ain’t got no clothes.
As if summoned by his despair, two familiar voices echoed in the quiet of his mind.
Don’t worry, perv-boy, the Devil King’s voice purred. We put a few clothes in Arisa’s room for you.
Kaiee sighed in relief. “Oh. Thank you, both of you.”
By the way, God’s voice chimed in, amused, that dagger is there, too. You forgot to take it with you last night.
The memory of the stone dagger and the stolen gift flooded back. Kaiee’s fury reignited instantly. He was about to scream into the empty air
“OI! HURRY UP! DINNER IS READY!” Arisa’s shout echoed from downstairs.
Grumbling, Kaiee hurried into the room. On the bed, he found a folded t-shirt, a scarf, and a pair of simple pants. And beside them, looking utterly pathetic, was the rough stone dagger.
He dressed quickly, tucked the useless dagger into his belt with a sense of grudging obligation, and headed downstairs.
The smell of stew filled the small dining area. Arisa was helping her mother sip water. She glanced at Kaiee, her gaze lingering for a second on the strange stone weapon at his hip. She raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
“Sit,” she said simply, nodding to his bowl.
As Kaiee ate, the warmth of the food and the quiet of the household settled around him. The dagger felt heavy and stupid against his leg.

But somewhere, in the back of his mind, a stubborn thought took root.
Why would they give me a stolen rock… unless it’s not just a rock?
He glanced at Arisa’s mother, her frail form a silent testament to the real enemy out there.
Maybe the ultimate weapon wasn’t about power.
Maybe it was about starting with nothing.


End of Chapter 6