Dark-brown curls spilled down her back until they reached her waist, blowing slightly in the heated wind of this strange dark place. Golden-brown eyes stared around in wonder, wide with child-like innocence. Blood-red mists swirled about pale, thin legs—far-too scrawny to be considered normal for even an active five-year-old. The black dirt below her bare feet strongly reminded her of ash—like those she'd seen in her mother's ash tray.
Why was she here? She didn't remember. The last thing she could recall doing was going to bed as her mother told her to. She had closed her eyes and, then, woken up here. Had her daddy finally left her in the middle of nowhere like he'd so often promised?
There was a presence behind her, suddenly, prompting the little girl to turn around to meet the newcomer. The dark aura the being radiated didn't even phase her as curiosity took precedence over any trace of fear.
She lived in the presence of a monster, anyway...
"A child?" a male voice issued from the scarlet fog, followed soon after by a figure stepping out and into her field of vision. Dark-purple hair and a neatly-trimmed beard framed a comely face. Bright, green eyes studied the human girl with interest, not missing the way her skeleton stuck out nor how her skin was as pale as ash. His clothing was odd but colorful—no other words could really describe the outfit. To the child's eyes, he was older and much taller than herself, but not to the point she'd consider him on par with her father. No. More like an older brother.
The unusual man kneeled to her level, looking her in the eye with a grin on his pale face. The little girl noticed, in awe, the pointed ears, sharp teeth and even the black claw-like fingernails on his person.
"And who might you be, Little One?"
Instead of answering right away, the human child grabbed onto his hand with both of her tiny ones. Fascination lit up her small face—devoid of all the baby fat most kids would still retain. She compared her miniscule human nails to his demon claws before piping up in her sweet, high voice.
"You're so cool! Who are you, Sir?" her brown eyes shone with interest even as she dodged around the question pertaining to her own name.
The demonic male was stunned for a moment, not expecting to be called "cool" by a human who'd, somehow, stumbled into Gehenna. He then became ecstatic, thrilled by the praise from such an innocent soul. "You've got a keen eye, Little One! My name is Samael, but I go by many names. You can call me 'Mepphy'!"
"Mepphy?" the girl repeated slowly, testing the name. She then smiled just as big—if not bigger—than his own grin. "I'm 'Mana'! Will you be my friend?!"
Startled by the bundle of energy the little toddler had transformed into, it took Samael a moment to get his bearings before he could answer. "Of course, Mana." A roar sounded in the distance, loud to his sensitive ears. Without a falter in his smile, he offered a hand to the little lady. "Now, come with me and we'll go to a fun place!" He was relieved when the child didn't hesitate to cling to his proffered arm, though it did surprise him on how trusting she was, even to a demon. Had she never been taught "stranger danger"? Hell! She looked like she'd never seen a proper meal, either! She was too young to be on her own, yet, clearly, her guardians did not care for her like they should...
As Samael, the Demon King of Time, led the youth away, he tossed an angry glare at the lesser demon that had stopped just short of the little clearing he'd found the girl in. His deadly aura was potent enough to send the creature scampering off in fear, leaving the son of Satan to lead the human to the Palace.
"Wow, pretty!" Mana cried upon sight of the black structure that towered above all of Gehenna. As soon as they were inside, she took off, intent on exploring. Samael barely had time to blink before he started to chase after her, crying at her to slow down. For a human girl who looked ready to topple over at the barest breeze, she sure could move... Her small size just made it that much harder to catch.
"Catch me, Mepphy!" Mana giggled, thinking nothing of her mad dash through Satan's castle. All her demon friends would play with her like this. It made no difference to her that he was more human-like than the others. She only wanted to play, as any kid would.
"Mana! Get back here!" He'd zip over to her with his demon speed only to lose her when she'd duck between his legs and turn a corner. After the fifth time of this happening, he finally managed to trick her to the point he picked her up. "Ugh! At last..."
"Mepphy, you're good at this!" Mana squealed in delight. He could only shake his head at her enthusiasm, but couldn't stop the smile from growing on his lips. Then, a voice made his blood run cold.
"Samael, who is that?"
Slowly, the purple-haired demon turned to the speaker, his shoulders slumping in defeat. So much for keeping the little human girl secret as he figured out where she came from...
Satan stood there in all his glory, sans flames. White hair fell past his shoulders, skin as pale as moonlight, and sky-blue eyes cold and unfeeling. His slender frame was clothed in heavy black robes that covered his feet as he walked closer to his son and the stranger.
"Hi! Who are you? I'm 'Mana'! Will you be my friend, too?" the words seemed to pour out of the five-year-old's mouth like water. She barely took a breath much less left any room between questions for the newcomer to answer.
Samael's hold tightened around her bony body as his father's long, white fingers stretched towards the girl. Briefly, he questioned why he'd grown so protective of the child. For that matter, why had he even helped her in the first place? Anomaly or not, it wasn't like him to feel this way...
"Hm. Now, I see," Satan chuckled darkly, giving a sinister smirk. He then looked up at his son who had control over time and space. "Protect her. Allow no other demon to touch her. She's a powerful one." And with that mysterious order, he disappeared down the hall. Samael didn't even bother to press for more information, well-aware that the King of all Demons would give none.
He let out a sigh of relief, glad that he need not worry about a one-on-one fight against the powerful demon...
"Aw, he left," Mana pouted in his arms. "Did I do something bad?"
Samael smiled and shook his head, continuing to carry her as he made his way down the cavernous corridor. "No, you did nothing bad, my dear," he assured with a sigh. "He's always like that. He's no fun at all!" His words elicited an adorable giggle from the curly-haired child in his arms.
Every night, this became routine for the pair. She'd fall asleep at her home and in her world, then wake in Gehenna, at Satan's palace. After several hours, she'd vanish, waking up in her bed. It got to the point, she couldn't wait to fall asleep to play with her new-found friends. Samael had introduced her to his brothers—all of whom had the same pull to her as their brother.
But only "Mepphy" received the honor as Mana's favorite.
She was now seven—two years to the day when she first arrived in the lives of the Demon Kings. Her health had begun to improve—no longer bruised or too-thin—over the past month or two. Satan had been the one to dig the truth out of her, ironically seeing as how he was known in the human's bible to be the "King of Lies". How her father beat her on a daily basis and gave her very little food. It frustrated the siblings on how they couldn't cross over to her realm, although they did finally discover that she was a daughter of Lilith—someone that no one but Satan had seen in centuries.
Samael was silently-thankful for whatever Satan had done to rectify the situation with Mana's father...
He stood in front of the mirror in his Academy office, back facing the reflective glass. Mana had not been seen in Gehenna for a week now and her last visit had ended with an hour-long game of tag...one where she had managed to make him "it" with a simple slap to his lower back...
A wry grin pulled at his thin lips, his green eyes flaring for a brief moment from pure amusement. A spot on his skin appeared burned—the exact same area where the girl's palm had made contact. A lighter tone of flesh marred the slightly-darker bit on his lower left hip...
In the shape of a pentagram.
Mephisto Pheles couldn't help the sigh he gave at the sight of it, but chose to keep the mark from the first girl that managed to capture his heart.
"Grow up safe, little Mana. I'll be waiting."
Waiting for the day when Satan allows him to retrieve her...it was only a matter of time.