The Living Devil.

This sounds stupid, but this is how it went.

From the second I was born my disgusting mom ran away to live a new life with another guy, and my pathetic dad thought that beating me would alleviate that shitty situation. He wouldn’t let me bathe or sleep on a mattress, he wouldn’t let me eat proper food or play with friends. Whining earned me a fist in my guts, and as of having dreams? Never had one, in every sense of the term—I even stopped having nightmares cause when I screamed he would make me sleep outside. 
And I hated the cold.

Oh yeah about friends—those are shit too.

Sure there were one or two guys I liked to hang out with, but it didn’t take them long to turn their coats when my excuse of a father was convicted of murder and robbery.
Everyone looked at me like some wild beast, and in return, I looked at them like prey.
It was me against the world, and the world made sure of it.

Skip a few years and when I stopped being a child the orphanage lost no time putting me to work. Going in the mines and nearly dying every month, making me a servant at shady hotels, forcing me to beg at the streets and bringing them back all the money, the kind of work that would make you throw up—in shame, disgust, sadness or whatever you want it to be. 

I really really really really really really REALLY hated them, even now I HATE those scums, so much that I snapped and stabbed a dozen of them before running away—not the kids, the adults. The kids were alright at the orphanage.

Just like mom, I ran away and made myself a new life.

Many nights were passed in the forests, hiding from pursuers and trying to survive off nuts and grass, and in one of those nights, I was looking at the stars and realized.

The reason my dad could kick and punch me without consequences.
The reason the orphanage could do whatever they want with me.
And the reason my mom ran away with the richer guy.
All of this is because this world favors the strong.

So I decided to become stronger.
Much stronger.

Each morning I swung my sword. Each night I slept, so that the next morning I could swing my sword again.
Skip a few years, and I became a prominent adventurer.
Skip a few months, and I became the Champion at the Royal Tournament—the greatest of all warriors.

The whole nation knew my strength, and the nobility bowed when I passed by.
I became strength itself, and all is right with the world—anyone would leave it at that.
But I, never forgot. I never forgot my hatred toward the world that stole my dreams.

The strong makes the law. A civilization that comes to some stupid principle like this should just be destroyed. And so, with my newfound strength, I plunged into the Abyss to find someone who could do it.

A legendary being that is said to be the incarnation of darkness.
A monster that was sealed by an ancient warrior of old.
The reason I became an adventurer, was so that I could awaken The Living Devil from slumber, and bring an end to this wretched world.

“Finally found you, you bastard!”

At the very end of the abyss, I arrived in front of a white door.
Pushing it open, I saw a dark room decorated with starlight—ironic for the abyss.
I walked further in, following the trail of stars. Strange, never seen letters kept flowing in the air, and magic was oozing from the back of the room.
Then, light flowed from above.

I stood before a defenseless little girl, her skin red and hair white, broken horns on her forehead, and a tail that moves about. Lying curled up on the floor, her gentle and kind face was perturbed by my presence.

“…Hmmmm? What’s that? So noisy…”

The Living Devil, woke up.

“…Whatever.”

The Living Devil, fell asleep.

“Hey hey hey! Wake up you got a guest!”

“Hrmghhh leave me alone…”

“Oh hell no! I didn’t go through a hundred floors just so that you go back to sleep, wake up!!”

I grabbed her by the shoulders, and moved her up in the air.

“Ouahh!”

Twisting and shaking the drowsiness out of her, I made sure that my long and arduous fall into the abyss wasn’t for nothing. Twisting and shaking so much she began to see stars.

“Wah wah wah wah wah wah wah! Let me sleeeeeep!”

“So you want more??”

Pushing it further, I started twirling and jumping around, using her like a sword and swinging the air with her body. I took her tail in hand and spun her like a whip in every sense and direction.

“Please stooooop!”

“Not until you wake up!”

I’m awake, so stop!!”

“…?!”

At her very word, my body let go of her immediately.
‘What did she just do?’ I thought then, completely bewildered. ‘That wasn’t magic was it? How did she make me obey??’
Having taken a glance at the extent of her powers, instead of fearing it, I smiled at her.

“When was the last time I’ve ever seen a human?” She stood up, dusting off her clothes. “What have you come here for? And what got you so full of glee, young woman… Hmm?”

Tilting her head, she approached and turned all around me only to be even more confused.

“That’s weird… Are you a girl or a boy?”

“Obviously I’m a girl, can’t you see this lovely grin?”

“I don’t know. You humans all look the same to me.” She rubbed her eyes, still sleepy. “Now that I remember, even the previous Champion was hard to tell apart.”

“Isn’t that racist?”

“What if? I’m a devil.”

“Hmph, fair enough.” I smiled deviously at the devil herself. “Here, a gift.”

I took out a weapon wrapped in cloth and gave it to her. Sensing it from the touch, she immediately knew what it was from the smile she showed. Unveiling it, the sight of that dagger warmed her heart, with an expression shining with love confessing how happy she was.

“Ahhhh, my beloved! I thought I would never see you again.” She rubbed her face at the dagger’s black blade, not even minding how she was hurting herself. “It’s been fifteen years, how I longed for your touch. How I longed for my blood to flow on your steel.”

“Actually it’s more like five hundreds—and eww, what is that? Creepy.”

“Shush you, time passes faster in here. But I don’t care, from now on I’ll keep Stephanie III close. We’ll never be separated again.”

“You gave a name to your sword?”

“It’s a dagger, not a sword.” she corrected me with a sudden serious tone. “And if you were to live with a sword for about three centuries you’ll end up giving it a name yourself, don’t judge me with your standards human. But let us set that aside.”

—CLAK—

With a snap of her fingers, the room changed completely.
The cavern filled with light and dark was plunged in complete darkness, and when I could see again, it became a proper chamber.

A luxurious bed, clean red carpets, intricate wallpapers and a window that leaves a view to a large desert with red skies, and golden rivers coursing through it—a place that I had never seen, somewhere that isn’t like the continent above.

“Now, answer me human. Why have you come? Surely you didn’t bring me back my partner out of the goodness of your heart?”

“I thought you would know the answer by now, Living Devil. I came down here, woke you up, and gave you the artifact where most of your powers are sealed. Why do you think I’ve done all that?”

“…Could it be, that you want to become my servant?”

“No, I want you to enact your ambition.”

“You mean… Living a comfortable life?”

“Obviously, I’m talking about destroying the world!!” Losing my patience, I ended up yelling at her. “I’ve brought you back to the greatest height of your powers before being defeated and sealed here, and I plunged into the dark abyss to wake you up! Normally you should be flying upward to bring your vengeance on the human race!”

Completely oblivious to her own circumstances, The Living Devil looked at me like I had gone mad.
But soon enough, she remembered.

“Ahhh, you mean world domination?”

“Exactly!” I screamed with joy. “So come on, yeah? Let’s go destroy the world, let’s end this irrational civilization together! Come with me, and we’ll remove the plague known as humanity that has forced the law of the strong upon the world!”

“Sorry I don’t want to.”

“WHAT?”

“I won’t destroy the Overworld.”

“WHY?”

“I mean, I didn’t want to invade humanity at the start. It’s only because father—the one you humans call The Felled Devil from what I have heard—forced me to do it. He said ‘You my daughter will avenge me in my place. Forward! Take my soldiers and seize the Overworld with your own hands. For the glory of the Underworld!’ or something like that. But like before with father, a Champion came and beat me fair and square. He even took my precious, why would I risk losing Stephanie 3rd of her name for good?”

“…So, you’re telling me. That you, the wicked Living Devil, won’t destroy the Overworld?”

“Exact. I won’t. It’s a bore, seems full of inconveniences, and honestly being sealed here all alone is great—and with Stephanie III in my hands, I’ll have more fun hunting monsters with her in those depths.”

“…”

My head turned at the window, setting my sights on the other realm with red skies.

“…Say, Living Devil. If I’m in the depths of the Abyss. Then further down there beyond this window, is the Underworld, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“And the Underworld is where you devils live, right?”

“It is.”

—CRASH—

I then knew what I had to do.
Breaking through the glass, I entered the realm of devils.

“If your lazy ass isn’t going to destroy the world, then I’ll find a devil who’ll do that for me!!”