BLEEDING HEART | ONC 2024

020 - HIM

I hurry through the portal, dreading what I'll find on the other side.

Hell is cold and colorless, but the upper world that awaits me...it's worse.

It's bloody. It smells like death. The clouds are dark and low in the sky, and there's a reddish tint soaring from above, making everything seem gruesome and gory.

The street my portal opens onto is littered with debris. Ripped papers and shards of glass, remains of plates and goblets, and stains that are suspiciously red.

Screams echo in the background, though I can't tell where they come from. The foreboding in the air is pungent, and I pull up the collar of my cloak as a chill runs through me.

Things deteriorated while I was gone.

It's like this perfect little piece of utopia has been war-ridden over-night. Like a tornado of despair ravaged through, leaving nothing but the houses and buildings in its wake. It drove through the people, darkening their hearts, causing outrage amidst the entire population.

Women cry at their doorstep, clutching shirts to their bosoms, wiping at their tears with blood-stained cloths. Men roam the roads with tightened fists, muttering about how they're going to get revenge. I spot a few children huddled in corners, too young and confused to be so affected.

Hazelvale has gone to shit, and it's partially my fault.

I'm not sure where I'm going but I have to find her.

I once latched on to her scent; pure and delicate like rose petals. She was the aroma of lust itself, and I'm still confused why I didn't realize who she was right away. What she was.

Angel of love.

Bazroth never included angels in my flashes of knowledge before I was born. Whether he purposely omitted them or not, I won't wager. It's best that I forget about Bazroth and concentrate—for now.

The remorse that courses through me is intense. I want to take it all back, fix what I started by wounding Dru. Druvena, Bazroth called her. What a beautiful name.

And I tarnished it by blindly obeying a leader who thirsts for blood and vengeance.

I'm a demon. By nature, by name, I'm supposed to be evil. And yet, I didn't sign up for this. Sure, it was fun to go around fucking people and leaving them hanging for a second, but this? I don't enjoy seeing this world come undone so Bazroth can return and mess it up even more.

I don't enjoy the rush of hurting people, like I assume all other demons do. This world—Exivaria—is precious, and I don't want to see it destroyed by a grudge-holding monster who can't accept the cards he dealt himself.

Bazroth created me to cause heartbreak, but I don't want it.

I reject this looming feeling of dread weighing me down. I reject the responsibility for the after-math of my actions.

The only thing I don't reject is Dru.

I want to find her. Apologize. See if together we can rectify all this, maybe restore the world somewhat. I doubt there's any way to fully eradicate heartbreak now, but perhaps we can band together to prevent Bazroth from escaping. Get rid of some of the heartache and negativity to strengthen that veil he claims is about to thin.

I sense Bazroth's grumbles in my mind, but I shut them out. He can't control me anymore. Not now that I've discovered his true self, buried beneath his bulging muscles and snarling smiles.

He's the King of Hell, and his intentions were never simple. He made me to use me, and I never consented to that.

I knew he wanted to walk the earth. I knew he wanted pay-back. But the number of innocents he'll harm in the process?