The Punishment

What am I doing here?

A man was falling through the air. The atmosphere was dark, scorching, and sinister — but, above all: extremely hot. He felt his skin burning as the air brushed against his body.

What did I do wrong?

He felt regret, but not the ordinary kind. It was the sort that arose only when someone was in danger and the person couldn't pinpoint exactly what they might have done differently. He simply felt he had done something wrong to deserve it. That was the only possible explanation for that punishment.

I just lived a normal life... I didn't kill anyone, except to survive...

But he also felt hatred — for that world. When he was finally left with no regrets, despair invaded his mind, telling him that he deserved that end, no matter what.

The air was thick with ash, making it impossible to see beyond a few dozen meters, as the reddish atmosphere concealed all the horrible things that lay there. An endless ocean of lava came into view. Several charred bodies were drowning in it.

This isn't fair... this isn't right! I don't deserve this!

He screamed in terror as his body neared the lava, bracing for impact. However, upon collision, the lava proved not to be very liquid — it was nearly solid, causing the bones that struck it first to fracture.

He writhed in pain, screaming in agony.

"Why?! What did I do to deserve this?!" he shouted, the heat starting to make him rancid. "I was not a bad person!" he denied with all his might, trying to convince himself that he was right.

His body began to sink in the lava, prologing his pain. He tried to stand up, but half of his body wouldn't move properly. He fell back down, hopeless. Suddenly, a loud roar could be hear in the distance.

"Was it because I had no faith?! Was it because I just wanted to live in peace?!"

A rustling sound grew gradually louder, revealing a gigantic red creature. It had wings and horns, and wielded a black trident that burned with purple flames.

"This is not my fault... it was never my fault!"

The demon approached the charred bodies floating in the lava and pointed its trident at them, draining something from within. They were clearly in agony as their essence was drained away.

One by one, they turned into dried-out husks. It was now his turn.

He was crying — his tears evaporating instantly — but not out of desperation this time. Part of it was due to the intense pain, but his eyes were also fiery, burning with a thirst for blood.

"I can't accept this..." he mumbled, his vocal cords beginning to give way as they melted. "I'm not in the wrong... not this time..."

His mind was being flooded with memories of his past life. The happy family he had once had, his parents doing everything to protect him, the simple yet great man he had become...

All gone in an instant. Had he simply been erased while his soul wandered the void, he wouldn't be furious — nor could he be — but he would have accepted the fact. Instead, he was being punished for whatever the world deemed he had done wrong.

If I'm wrong in their vision, then... I cannot accept them being right.

All he could think about was how twisted that entire world was. About how unfair life was, even when someone tried to be a good person; about how everything benefited only the strong...

He wanted to change that, but didn't know how. He wasn't strong, so his only choice was to feel hatred — to curse whoever meddled with innocent lives like his.

But that could change...

Someone chuckled. He couldn't hear or see who it was, as the person wasn't close to him. But they could see everything that was happening to him. They could sense every negative emotion blossoming in his mind.

Their smile widened at that sensation. It was a sinister, unnatural smile. It was so wide that it didn't even feel human. Their skin was so pale it looked like a ghost's, contrasting with their pitch-black hair and the dark atmosphere behind them.

The red demon flapped its wings as it approached him. As the creature pointed its dark trident, he began to accept his fate. At least the suffering would diminish from then on.

If I could change the way the world works... If I could avenge the poor souls suffering the same fate as mine...

But something changed; something snapped inside him. All that pent-up hatred began to bloom like never before. He felt the pain of his burning body suddenly subside.

If I could change it...

"The choice is yours..." a female voice echoed in his mind.

Feeling motivated, he tried to get up again. He pushed against the lava with his hand, feeling a bearable amount of pain this time. Finally, he stood up, half his body scorched. He stared at the demon, which looked surprised but not threatened.

The creature began to drain his soul. He leapt from the lava and punched it in the face, sending it flying dozens of meters away. Finally feeling threatened, it pointed its trident at him once more.

The man leaped again and grabbed the monster's head, dragging it through the lava and tearing off its skin. The demon fired a purple blast from its trident, knocking the man back.

He stood on the lava, unable to move, as purple chains bound his limbs to the lava. The red monster pointed its trident at him, draining his soul as quickly as possible. However, the load was too heavy, stunning the creature for a few seconds and causing the chains to vanish.

The demon's chest was also being pulled toward the man, as if by a magnet. He lunged and punched through the creature's chest, grasping its heart. It was red, hard, and gleaming like a crystal, encased in black spikes. The red creature's corpse fell onto the lava, slowly being swallowed by its relentless home.

The man landed on the lava once more, feeling weary as part of his soul was missing. The heart seemed to be attracted toward his own. It grew increasingly restless, until it flew toward his chest and planted itself within.

He felt great amounts of pain. His body and mind were being forced to adapt to his new heart. Black spikes spread across the left side of his body, with red spikes growing above and below them.

The trident struck the lava, releasing a massive purple wave. The man's soul returned to his body, overloading his being even more. He felt as if he were three different people at once, fighting for his existence.

He screamed in agony, but it was no longer his voice — it was an feral roar. He clutched his head, trying to hold onto his consciousness.

"Stop it..." His voice was much deeper now. "Get out of my head!"

A loud sound of rustling wings could be heard in the distance. It grew more intense as the man sensed the presence of many dangerous creatures nearby.

Hundreds of demons and imps paused, hovering in the dense air. They weren't frightened — but rather intrigued. It was as if they had never seen anything like that before. They looked like curious animals.

Sensing his growing hostility, they prepared to attack. Feeling cornered, he leaped high into the air with all his might, trying to shake them off and escape.

They roared — the sound echoing off the invisible walls — and began to chase him, flying. Since he couldn't fly, he stood no chance of escape. He braced himself to fight when a headache struck him.

It felt as if many things were moving inside his brain. 

You again...?

His body began to shapeshift. His back rapidly grew a pair of wings, which caused a lot of pain, especially since he had never felt that sensation before.

The spikes shifted shape to encase the rest of his body in a tough, red-and-black hide. His head was covered as well, with a pair of horns sprouting from his forehead. His eyes were yellow, glowing like fire.

His brain was also being consumed by the demon heart. He began to lose consciousness. His body shot upward on its own, spinning like a drill and as fast as it could, avoiding the army of demons.

He could no longer see anything at all. He was completely enveloped in an infinite void. He no longer even knew what his identity was.

That wide, sinister smile remained plastered across that humanoid figure's face. Their hair was long and straight and fell over their eyes, which glowed red. She wore a black suit with a red tie. The man could faintly see her. She clasped her hands, intrigued by the scene.

"What's so funny, sister?" — another female voice rang out behind her. It was yet another pale figure that resembled a woman, clad in a black assassin’s uniform. Her chin-length hair was as dark as her sister’s, but her eyes were pitch black, soulless. Her smile was just as sinister as that of the woman in the suit.

"Don't even think about ruining my mood, Zetsu," replied the red-eyed mannequin. "You can clearly see what I'm doing."

The other woman approached her from behind and draped her arm over her sister's shoulder, watching her closely. "I can see what you're doing, alright. But he doesn't seem to have a very bright future. Don't you think he would fare better under my tutelage?"

The woman in the suit kept smiling, without moving a muscle. "He's my prey, Zetsu, not yours. I know exactly what I'm doing."

The assassin kept staring her sister, showing no reaction. Both remained motionless for a while. "Fuck off," the woman in the suit declared.

"All right, all right, Vex." She stepped back, shrugging. "I just wanted to have a little fun with my sister."

When the light at the end of the tunnel began to fade and all hope seemed lost, an intense flash of light shone before the man's eyes. An opening formed on the surface, revealing the sun. Bathed in the sunlight, he began to regain consciousness. His body began the process of reverting, with the red and black spikes retracting to where they had previously been.

Half of his body was human again, which caused his wings to give away, retracting into his back. Added to the pain, this caused him to falter and fall, crashing onto the grass.

His body spasmed involuntarily, trying to adjust to his consciousness. His senses were overwhelmed — especially his sight, due to the immense amount of light everywhere — yet he felt little pain. Breathing that fresh air felt like heaven.

As soon as he began to master his own body, he tried to stand up. It was difficult to control both his human half and his demonic side simultaneously, but he was getting used to it.

Then, he finally managed to stand up. His spine was slightly twisted, making him look like a monster pretending to be human. The wind brushed against what remained of his brown hair. His red eye — once threatening — now contrasted with his harmless appearance.

He looked human again. He felt human again.

He scanned the horizon: it wasn't much different from what he was used to. A peaceful, green landscape filled with mountains... it was twice as refreshing, considering where he had been just a few minutes earlier.

For a moment, his mind wasn't full of hatred. He was alive again. He could have another chance.

He took a step forward. Suddenly, a loud rumbling began to come from below. He looked down  he had forgotten about the hole he had come from.

The earth began to shake with increasing intensity until a swarm of demons rushed out, poisoning the once-beautiful landscape. Most of them flew upward, freed from the depths of hell. Some paused to observe the man. Upon recognizing him, they launched an attack. He recoiled, falling onto his backside.

Green arrows pierced through them, killing them instantly. One by one, some of the demons were struck down from a distance, falling onto the grass. It wasn't just arrows; blue energy projectiles also seared their flesh.

The hole widened as the demons flew through. A dragon emerged, instantly detecting the man with the demon heart. Just as it was about to breathe fire, something decapitated it. It looked like a spinning blade. A man was wielding it. He landed on the other side of the hole.

"Hm? Are they slaving humans as well?" he said, smoothing his hair back. He was wearing a blue jacket that covered his neck. His blonde hair was straight and short, cut in a bowl style. His eyes were closed; his expression showed confusion. "Or are they mimicking our appearance to deceive us?"

As the endless stream of demons flew past between them, both waited for the other to make the first move. The half-demon took a step forward.

"Wait, I'm not a demon!" he shouted, trying to convince the menacing presence before him. "At least, not entirely. But I still have a conscience!" His voice, however, was too deep and raspy to sound harmless.

"Hm?" the other man murmured, visibly confused. "Nah, it can't be the second option. They wouldn't fake their appearance only to use their own language and try to convince us. That would be pointless. At least try to learn our language, you idiots." He scratched his hair, looking disappointed.

"Huh? What do you mean?" The half-human could understand the swordsman perfectly, but it seemed the reverse wasn't true. It was as if they were talking about two different things. "Wait a minute, let me explain!" He pointed to himself, trying not to sound threatening. "I'm human — I'm on your side! Let me kill the demons to help you!"

The swordsman suddenly vanished. The half-demon collapsed onto the grass, feeling nothing from his lower half. In front of him were his legs, still standing. He finally realized he had been sliced in half.

Huh...?

He tried to move, but images of his past life and recent events flashed before his eyes. His body and mind could not process so much information at once. Before he could do anything, he began to lose consciousness.