The Secret Sonata || Ryeji

Chapter 45: Pre-Dooms Day

In the heart of a sea of churning and burbling lava, there stood a megastructure, a flat-top pyramid where the magnificent throne of the underworld lord laid atop, overlooking the entire view of one of the seven levels of hell. The air of hell was misty and humid as white wisps from the simmering molten, semi-fluid rocks rose up like the fumes that were a dead-giveaway to a secret smoker.

Drumming his fingers restlessly, most likely exhilaratedly, on the armrests of the throne, was the king of demons Woo Ma Wang, also known as the Korean Lucifer, Satan, Devil and so on- as many nicknames as humans could come up with to call him. He was also the same man who had given birth to the notoriously cruel yet beauteous daughter, a poisonous beauty as a matter of fact. Appeased, he smirked cunningly at what was about to occur; his long awaited moment of rebellion against heaven and sovereignty over all the creatures on earth, which entailed human beings as well. Soon, everyone would be kneeling before him and his daughter like they'd always dreamed of, given that he'd recruited a numerous and invincible army of nightmarish demons and imprisoned the grim reapers who dared to defy him. Most of the creatures under his control were ghouls which had an uncontrollable hunger for human flesh and they were capable of dismembering a person with their fangs alone.

While Woo Ma Wang's waiting for Lucy's arrival, let's unravel the mystery behind her red hair, shall we? After the spirit had committed two gravely sins of slaying her own family members, one carried out with deliberate intention while the other was an accident, she was brought to hell to receive her deserving punishment. The heaven did take notice of Lucy's unforgivable transgression since ending the life of one's own flesh and blood, especially the life of someone who'd given birth to and raised an individual with love, was immensely abominated by the celestial divinities and such an act went against the divine rule. To the spirit's fortune, they didn't pay heed to her real identity as Woo Ma Yeol, thus they just sent her to hell and let Woo Ma Wang to take the matter in his hand without further ado. Had they found out the demon princess was brought back after they'd shredded her to pieces, both the father and daughter would have suffered the consequences of their wrath. Henceforth, albeit the want to reprieve the punishment of his daughter, which was to scald her day and night with the searing hellfire for billions of years to come, he lessened it by commanding the grim reapers to torment her during the night and set her free in the morning. He was cautious not to raise any suspicion of the mythical creatures of hell and grim reapers, whose loyalty lied with the gods. The moment he declared Lucy's punishment, everyone reckoned it as an act of favoritism and nothing else. Most deduced that Lord Ma Wang liked the name 'Lucy' due to the fact that it was a shortened form of his most favorite nickname 'Lucifer'. Additionally, he was the sole reason behind the coloration of Lucy's hair. As Lucy was being tortured and burned by the punishers, he would sneak in and transfer the lethal powers of hellfire into her soul, resulting in the red color of her hair. That being so, Lucy was basically empowered by the hellfire; while on the contrary, Yeji was empowered by the moon, thus the stark contrast of their hair colors.

"My daughter!" Ma Wang uttered with an enthusiastic tone, splaying his arms outward to embrace her as soon as she materialized in front of him with his servants flanked by her sides.

"A-abeoji, p-please don't let the grim reapers scald me as usual," Lucy stammered, hesitant to accept his hug as she was blinded by fear.

At this, the father set his arms back to his sides and grinned from ear to ear, "Fear no more, my daughter. I've already detained them along with those whose loyalty isn't with me."

"Detained?" Perplexed, Lucy cocked her head to the side.

"Yes," the demon king confirmed, his countenance smug and content as a broad smile tugged at his lips, "Our time to rule the world has come, Yeollie!"

"You mean we don't have to cower in terror to those sacrilegious and pompous gods anymore?" The father nodded at the daughter's words laced with utmost excitement. "We can do everything we want from now on?"

"Everything," Ma Wang enunciated with an evil stress, bringing his palms up and spread them before him like the curve of a rainbow. "But first, we need to feed our ghoullies. Poor them. They've been craving for human flesh ever since the gods forbade them from consuming it. So, which city do you want them dine first? Choose a delicious one, Yeollie."

"How about the city which used to be our home when we were alive?" Lucy proposed, her matte red lips curling up to a malicious grin. "The city of Andong."

"The city of Andong, that is," the demon king reiterated animatedly.

"But."

"But?"

"There's one human being that is off-limits to the ghoullies," Lucy sneered, licking her lips lecherously, "Only I can eat her." Then, she added, recalling how she had, presumably, killed her, "If she's still alive, of course. If she's not, then I'll search for her soul and claim what's always been mine from the start!"