MONSTERS •1•

•Hannah•

•Hannah•
The year of 8000 BC.

"Zozo, I offer you, my first-born child, Emila, to you." The mother says as she places the child in the center of the circle. It is an annual ritual that happened every year in the land of the crazed. The people live in fear of the demons, and offer the ruler, Zozo, sweets, foods, objects, and the first child born in the month of December a year prior to the ritual. The ritual then takes place in December a year later, and this year, the small girl, Emila, was offered to Zozo.

Her little body squirms in the course leather that she is wrapped in. The town's people crowd around the offering circle and place the rest of the gifts around the child.

Then after hours of chanting, they all leave, not knowing that the demon has been watching the whole time in the shadow.

The ritual comes from the demon himself, who is looking for an apprentice. If the child does not cry after the town's people leave, then he shall take the child and leave everything else. If the child does cry, Zozo will take the offerings with him back to hell and indulge on everything and wait until the next year. When the child does not cry, that shows that the child can withstand the powerful, dark energy radiating off the circle that Zozo has placed there.

Elisa is the first child to not cry in the year of 8000 B.C.

The sun is setting over the forest and the path that the town's people have worn in over the years is covered with shadows from the tall, looming trees. With the town being in Central America, the tall patch of oak trees is not common, and some legends says that the demons can only travel through the trees. The demons really travel through the shadow.

The shadows crawl out of the trees as the sun dips down under the horizon. All of the warm colors are gone as the chilled night air surrounds the darker than dark shadow.

The shadow floated slowly over the ground, gaining a more human shape as it got closer to the child. Once Zozo got into a human form, with black skin, eyes, and suit, he stepped inside of the circle. The small girl squirmed and squeald with delight as she was getting attention. The demon picked up the child and then he heard a commotion in the forest. The town's people are coming back. The shadow shook his head slowly. The idiotic people should have known to not come back until sunrise of the next day. They would be left be with no curse, but their decision got them cursed for the eternity of this world.

Zozo snapped his fingers and disappeared with the girl. A note and decaying gifts are what is left in their place. The forest was dying after Zozo left, apart of the curse. The town's people read the note, and then wailed, sobbed, and screamed for the curse that has been set upon them.

Zozo shadow traveled to the throne room of Hell where the new king of hell sits. Lucifer flutters his wings as he gets up off his red throne. He stretches his teen body as he walks to the demon.

"Is she the child?" Lucifer's deep voice asks. Lilith stands by Lucifer's throne, ready to do his bidding.

"Yes, and I would like to make a deal with Lilith, if I might." The woman perks up as Zozo says her name. Lucifer looks from Zozo to his slave, thinking for a slight moment. He then nods his head, and Lilith steps forward.

"If you raise this girl as her mother, and I as her father, until she is of age for her to travel on her own, I will make your punishment for the next million years less than what it would be." The woman immediately nods her head, knowing that she doesn't get the choice to say no. The black shadow then smirks and walks towards Lilith and hands her the baby.

"I will be back tomorrow."

•••
The year of 7600 BC.

Little Elisa has grown up, and her name has changed into Hana, due to Zozo's wishes. Hana is a young child and is still learning to control her powers. Lilith was changing Hana into her fancy dress as the little girl practiced summoning the black fire from the pits of Hell.