The Devil

Chapter 2

As Yuuki hears the gate slowly closing, the beast pounces up in the air with his arms open, ready to eat Yuuki. But another beast with two red horns grabs it and starts to feast on it. The two-horned beast devours the beast voraciously, and Yuuki can hear the beast screaming while the two-horned beast laughs while eating. It was like seeing the devil, no, it was the devil eating his dinner.

Yuuki is horrified as he witnesses this gruesome scene, and his strength gives up. His pickaxe falls with a loud noise, catching the devil's attention. The devil looks in the direction of the noise, and a wide, deformed smile spreads across his blood-dripping mouth. He stands up, towering over Yuuki, and slowly walks towards him, crouching right in front of him with his demonic smile. He starts to speak in a demonic tone.

"Who are you, child?"

Yuuki is so scared that he is shaking, and as much as he wants to talk, he can't say anything. He can hardly gasp for air as he believes it's the end for him. All he can do is wet his pants in fright. The devil laughs loudly, causing the whole dungeon to shake. He asks again,

"Who are you, child? And what are you doing in my house?"

Yuuki trembles and finally manages to utter a word while crying.

"Sorry."

The devil laughs again and goes closer to Yuuki's face, touching his head with one of his fingers, and continues to laugh.

"Poor child, living a terrible life, almost as if he is in hell. Tell me, child, what do I look like to you?"

"...a demon."

He laughs again and suddenly changes his form to that of a regular human being.

"Do I still look like a demon?" He asks.

Yuuki shakes his head, and he begins to talk.

"Good. Evil. What's the difference? They are both skating on thin ice. Does helping always mean that I am good? What determines evil and good? The only way I see it is that... none of it matters. Anyone can be good only if it's for a brief moment. Anyone can put on a good act. Why is it that I am evil when true evil is out there? How do you know God isn't evil? If God is so good, he would prevent all of this. He should make everyone happy, but no, life has to be unfair to him. The weak and the strong have to be distinguished. Why can't he make everyone strong? Why does he have to make someone weak and suffer? A devil was once good too, you know?"

He stops and changes back to his original devil form, asking again,

"What do I look like to you?"

Yuuki clenches his fists tightly, thinking of all the unfairness in life and seeing flashbacks of all the pain he has experienced. He says,

"You are like everyone else, like me, a human."

The devil laughs savagely, causing the ground to crack.

"Good, and what is it that you seek?"

"I want to be powerful. Not for anyone else, but for myself," Yuuki says.

The devil points at Yuuki with his sharp fingernail.

"Open up your mouth."

Yuuki complies and opens his mouth.

"Wider. Wider! Wider, goddammit. I have to get in there, okay?"

Yuuki opens his mouth as wide as he can. The devil then opens his mouth and snaps his fingers. Darkness rushes inside Yuuki's mouth, and he starts to scream in pain, witnessing all the pain and torture happening in his eyes. All he can feel is remorse, anger, and to only question, “Why do people have to feel all this pain.” Only tears rush down his eyes seeing what the devil had gone through and feeling that he too once had emotions. As it finished a deep voice is heard,

“Don’t make my powers go to waste. You must pass on the lesson to the next generation so that this hatred, anger, and resentment must stop so that such sadness never happens again. This will be the atonement for your powers.”

As Yuuki lay on the ground, gasping for air, he could hear the voices of people coming into the cave. His vision blurred, and he struggled to keep his eyes open. He raised his hand weakly, hoping to get someone's attention. One of the newcomers spotted him and rushed over.

"Quick! Healers! We have a survivor!" the person shouted, and a group of healers immediately gathered around Yuuki. They assessed his condition, using their skills to tend to his wounds and revive him.

As Yuuki regained consciousness, he found himself in a makeshift infirmary within the dungeon. He was still in a weakened state. He tried to sit up, but his body protested with pain.

"You need to rest," a man said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You've been through a lot."

Yuuki nodded, feeling a mix of relief and confusion. He was alive, but he couldn't shake off the disturbing encounter with the devil. He recalled the devil's words, how he had questioned the concept of good and evil, and shared his own perspective on the unfairness of life.

As Yuuki lay there, lost in thought, a man approaches him, he notices the man was the devil, but he had assumed his human form again, wearing a somber expression. He sat down beside Yuuki and spoke in a softer tone.

"They left you after seeing you were a non-ranker," the devil said while laughing. "Pathetic."

Yuuki looked at him, still unsure of what to make of the devil. But he couldn't deny that the devil had saved him from the other beast, and had shared some thought-provoking insights with him.

"Why did you choose me?" Yuuki asked, his voice hoarse.

The devil smiled sadly. "You remind me of myself, a long time ago. Lost, angry, searching for answers. I believe you have the potential to change things, to make a difference."

Yuuki frowned, feeling a surge of determination. "I don't want to be a pawn in your game," he said. "I want to make my own choices, decide my own path."

The devil nodded, understanding in his eyes. "I respect that. I won't force my powers upon you. But remember, you now possess a great responsibility. Use your powers wisely, and be mindful of the consequences."

With those words, the devil disappeared into the dark, leaving Yuuki deep in thought. He realized that he had been given a second chance, a chance to make a difference in the world. He didn't fully understand his newfound powers or their implications, but he was determined to use them for his own purpose, to become powerful not for anyone else, but for himself.

<Chapter 2 Fin>