I'll Share All I've Lived Through.
Alright, let's get this thing fucking over with.
Curiosity is eating at you, isn't it? Your head must have been a mess when you saw me here, dressed like this, with this job, and… with these wounds. I don't blame you; it's something I couldn't have imagined either. I mean… I never thought the mere idea of going back there, where I was born, would feel so… indigestible…
I know I won't convince you that I'm staying here because I think this place is the best or anything like that, although it's not something you can deny, just think about it for a moment; the place is peaceful, beautiful, there are lovely and pleasant women, and there's no annoying leader, one who's a complete dimwit, and on top of that, he's harassed by a weird guy. Oops! I slipped, perdóname.
Well, as I was saying, no matter how nice this place is, you know I wouldn't have given up my life for somewhere as boring as this. Besides, my friends are supposed to be there, my brothers, people I wouldn't leave behind for anything. You also know... I wouldn't have been capable of betraying Ivlis, in fact, I'm sure none of us could have done it; no matter what your problem was with him, you don't hate him. Isn't that right, hermano? Ha. Who would've thought? If we look at it that way... Who would've thought that loyalty is our best quality? How ironic...
Sometimes I think it would be nice to see them all again because, as you can see, I'm no prisoner. I could ensure that if I asked for permission... no. If the time came when I decided to leave here, I just have to say proper goodbyes, and I could return. Maybe it's not that easy, but in the end, they'd give in. Still... I don't want to do it. Just imagining it paralyzes me with fear; all my hairs stand on end, and this damn trembling I can't stop begins. Look at me; this is insane...
I don't want to, I don't want to go back... I don't want to go back and realize that my absence meant nothing... that all the time I've been here didn't matter to those I considered my family. To understand that my existence didn't mean a damn thing! Add one more thing to that, brother... add one more thing... the monster that did this to me... would he regret casting me aside? How many more did he seek to replace me? I can't live with that... and if I ever saw his face again... I... I...
"Come on, compa¹, calm down, breathe. Here, take a sip; it seems like you had it rough."
I never thought you'd comfort me like a baby, although a glass of liquor instead of a bottle isn't bad at all. Every so often, you can behave like what you once were, a good friend.
"Thanks..."
Ah, my throat was already dry.
"But you know, there's still something I don't understand."
"And what's that?"
"Why, simply, don't you kick the ass of the that filthy animal and proceed to fuck them up? It's simple; you may not be the bravest, but you weren't weak. I'm sure they caught you off guard or something."
"Look... that's something I... really don't think I can do..."
I can only shrink into myself; I don't know how to explain it properly.
"Of course, it's easy!", His voice is rising... oh no… "You just have to go there, grab him, and wham! You pull out its guts."
—"I can't do that! Please, understand, if I could, I would have done it a long time ago."
"Of course, you could!"
"No!"
Stop it, idiot! Don't keep insisting. I don't want to say it! Damn!
"Por favor! How much are you chickening out?! If you want, I'll go with you! Let's go and kick his..."
"It was POEMI!"
I shouted too loudly; it even made my throat itch a bit... I'm a bit short of breath now, but it seems like he finally got it. His look tells me he understands now. We may be demons, but we have feelings. That's something I learned here.
"P-Poemi?"
"Yes... Poemi... your little sister... She's the one who tore off my horns, my wings, my... earrings... the one who injured my body, deforming it with scars... the one who replaced my dreams with nightmares, and the one who... made me wish for death... countless times. Do you understand now?"
I need to sit down; I need to control my breathing.
"Mano, come on... I'm not in the mood for this kind of joke."
How... how I wish I could tell you that it's a joke, how I wish this is a damn stupid joke, but...
"Oh… caray²… At least finish the joke... I won't laugh if you stay like this..."
Why...? Why... did you have to come? Why did I have to meet you?! Your mere presence fills my mind with unpleasant memories, and now...
"Damn it! At least say something!"
Ah... Raising your damn voice won't make me agree with you...
"Okay, I know she's not a saint, I know her tastes, but I also know she wouldn't mess with someone who's practically family. You may not be one of that idiot's flame-born, but when I was there, you were always a big help in everything, and I don't think it was any different after I left. At least she must care for you a little."
"... I... I'm not sure of anything at this point... Even though I believe the same as you... I don't think it was out of hatred or resentment... I just had bad luck."
"So, it wasn't really personal... This just confuses me more."
Finally, he calmed down; I'd better offer him a glass too.
"As far as I remember... and from what she mentioned a couple of times, it was to help Ivlis."
Thinking about what I have to tell him is starting to give me a backache... Please, my dear mistress, whom I serve, help me get through this...
"My old man? Didn't you tell me he had nothing to do with it?"
"I told you he was the reason." I'd better have a bit more to drink; maybe it'll help me erase myself, although I haven't been able to since I arrived. "There's something you might not know. When Ivlis lost in the invasion, the price he paid was a great deal of his strength. Very ironic, considering he came to steal my lord's power and, in this way, face Siralos."
"Ha! Why doesn't that story surprise me? What could go wrong with attacking a world where the devil and god work together? It's a fucking brilliant plan!" It seems like the alcohol is having an effect on him; watching you move your glass makes me hope you won't accidentally throw it at me. "That's what he gets for being so stubborn. If he wasn't so obsessed with Siralos... he... he wouldn't be a complete airhead."
"Yes... The worst part is that because of that, he now has a personal stalker." Saying this without forming a smile is nearly impossible; all of that was very awkward. "Furthermore, thanks to that, you now have a new brother, his name is Licorice. He's very fond of his mom."
"Wait... A stalker gave birth to Ivlis' child? How did Rieta allow that?"
"I Never said the stalker was female"
I think this guy only hears what he wants to hear, but that just makes it more fun.
"What?"
That expression is so amusing, unfortunately, I'm sure he'll never get it if I don't tell him.
"Ivlis is his mom." I have to say it with the calmest face I can muster, so I can fully appreciate the priceless look you're giving me, comrade.
[Imagen]
What's wrong, pal? Cat got your tongue? But look at how your expression changes, not knowing how to react to that; it fills me with satisfaction, unlike you. Ha.
"Okay, okay, don't tell me more, I don't want details. Besides, I think I know who it is... So, what happened to Rieta?"
"Also, about Rieta... well, she... was also a consequence of the defeat."
I guess I shouldn't have mentioned it; knowing him, he'll misinterpret everything if I don't explain it properly.
"These bastards. They defeated my old man, but they killed Rieta?! You say it as if it's the most inconceivable thing in the world, so exaggerated! How can you still be by his side?! It was that devil, right?! Right?! I'll kill him!"
"Calm down, you sick animal. Don't you forget who invaded the place in the first place?"
"I know, but..."
"But nothing. Besides, you're wrong; nothing is as you imagine. My lord Kcalb didn't kill anyone. In fact, this whole matter makes him very uncomfortable. According to him, Ivlis was much more powerful; he only assisted and bought some time. It's true he stole his strength; nevertheless, he wasn't the one who defeated him."
"So, then?"
"Do you remember Miss Froze? Well, when this happened, she was just a kid, and she, along with her group of friends, defeated him."
"Wait... What?"
I have no choice but to stay silent; I'll give him some time to process what I just told him.
"A group of little girls... You know, I would have preferred hating that Kcalb guy more than listening to how that moron's remaining dignity evaporates. It's depressing. So, if Rieta wasn't killed... What happened to her?"
"It's a bit confusing; everything happened so quickly. When we were fleeing, a very powerful demon appeared and turned her into a lamp because she was the only one capable of defending Ivlis."
I'll skip everything that happened after that; there's no need for him to know what that evil woman did. Anyway, when I think about it, that memory is just a field of flowers compared to...
"Get that disgusting smile off your face." Was I smiling? Then I understand his expression. "Did anything good happen after that?"
"No, nothing..."
"Tell me..."
"I'll just say that after having your sister as a dominatrix, developing a taste for life's little pains isn't that strange."
I really hope this comment creeps him out or makes him angry enough to leave. Although I'm relaxed now, he'll want to bring up the topic again at any moment... I don't want... to keep talking about these trivial things.
—Oh, socio… He says it with a look of disgust and disapproval so great that I think my existence has lost points in his eyes. "Weren't you traumatized just a few moments ago? How can you joke about that kind of stuff now?!"
"Hey! Teasing you is part of my rehabilitation."
You deserve it for not showing your face all these years, you bastard.
—Caray… You've really changed, and I'm not talking about the ugly haircut and those ridiculous glasses."
"HEY! Leave my glasses out of this," the darn bastard is laughing at me right now. "I thought I made it clear enough that they're a gift from my esteemed mistress Etihw!"
"And I thought I made it clear that it doesn't matter if they were created by a god or something more powerful, it doesn't change the fact that they're ridiculous and don't suit you."
"You stupid spawn of evil."
"Ah... When are you going to continue with what you were telling me?"
Damn it... Why couldn't you just play along? I think I can't avoid this any longer...
"What else do you want to know? I already told you it was your sister."
"But you didn't clarify anything, like... torturing yourself would help my old man; that doesn't make sense. If he wanted something for stress, anything else would have worked."
I can't do anything but sigh.
"I want you to listen very carefully, because I'll only tell you this once, and only once and nothing more, so don't interrupt me until I finish. I really hate doing this..."
I have no other choice; I have to tell him the whole story:
When your little sister started to grow up, she began to understand the gravity of the situation regarding her beloved daddy's loss of power. At first, she wasn't aware of the abuses that Ivlis suffered since they weren't an everyday thing. So it was easy to evade those uncomfortable moments between him and his abuser. But nothing lasts forever, and it obviously wouldn't go unnoticed if... that guy's attendance became more frequent... So, as you can imagine, she didn't take it very well.
"Daddy! Daddy! Why aren't you doing anything to defend yourself? You're still very strong! Daddy, Poemi doesn't understand why you keep suffering like this!" she would say every time she tried to confront Ivlis.
At the beginning, Ivlis tried to avoid the subject. I guess he was too proud to talk about that kind of thing with his daughter. Although, what do I know? If it's not to give orders or complain, he doesn't talk much about his stuff. But with constant nagging, he ended up explaining to her that Satanick, his harasser, wasn't just anyone, and now, with his stolen power, he couldn't do much.
Ivlis really seemed angry about this, but at least he knew not to get mad at Poemi. He was truly affected by being aware of her concern.
"Sorry, Poemi, it wasn't my intention to worry you... but I stopped trying a long time ago... Not even Rieta can change that now. Just leave everything as it is."
Poemi, who looked more distressed, hugged him tightly. I remember feeling very uncomfortable at that moment, but it was nice. Then she said, "Don't worry, Daddy. Poemi will make Daddy regain his strength, so he won't suffer anymore."
At first, I thought she would do something foolish like confront my lord Kcalb, but reality turned out to be very different. Instead of being reckless and crazy, she started studying. I often saw her with books, locked in her room taking notes. I also caught her talking to Satanick more than once, although I never really overheard their conversations.
I don't know the various things she learned. When she passionately told me about her new discoveries, I didn't pay much attention... Now I regret that a bit. Maybe if I had listened, I would better understand the position I'm in now.
The only thing I'm sure of is that once she got closer to her harasser, she started disappearing for extended periods of time. Although Ivlis knew where she was, they never told me where she was going. But from time to time, when she returned, she brought back some exotic creatures. I think she once brought a phoenix, but that happened after she brought that fat cat.
The thing is, over time, she became more and more reserved. She even stopped allowing me into her room, but I wasn't one to pry, so I just ignored it and went about my business.
So, time passed, and it's not like she isolated herself completely. Even though I was no longer her caregiver and Licorice's, we still went to karaoke as friends from time to time, though I was still there for her errands, haha.
I remember it was funny when we realized that Poemi had stopped speaking in the third person. I never saw it coming. According to her, a friend of hers told her it was an annoying way to speak, so she stopped doing it.
Despite everything... One day, she approached me to invite me out, just the two of us, for a hunting trip. She said she'd take me to a really fun place, and I can tell you, it truly was. She took me to a place I had never seen in my life, another world where it was easy to find different types of beasts, some bigger and more dangerous than others, but it was all so exciting.
When I thought we would return home, she suggested we go to karaoke. Colleague, you know me, no matter how tired I was, if it was an invitation to karaoke, I wouldn't decline. I'd go even in a wheelchair if necessary. And the best part was that she said she would cover everything. As you can imagine, I didn't play shy or gentleman; I accepted everything without hesitation. In fact, I went all out with the alcohol and food. It was too good... I wonder... why didn't I see it coming...
It had already become very late, and I remember being worried because my legs barely responded to me. So she decided to take me, but instead of heading to my house, she showed me one last place. Despite how dizzy I was, I remember the beauty of the place vividly. It was a gorge near a lake so tranquil that it reflected the starry sky accompanying the moon. I was entranced by the scenery. I knew the reason why she had brought me there, but what's worse was asking her about it all... I want to believe it was the alcohol, but with everything, she looked beautiful... I wasn't seeing the little girl I watched grow up, but rather, a stunning woman; I was such a fool...
"W-Why?" I said, trying to pronounce the best I could, although that question, maybe, was more for myself than for her.
"Because I wanted to give you the best day of your life, Emalf."
Hearing her, I didn't know how to react... That had only given me more questions than answers, although I was happy, I was also puzzled, but I would soon understand everything.
"Since it might be the last one in a long time."
As soon as I heard her... Everything went black.
I had passed out, I don't know if it was from the alcohol, some drug, or a spell, well, that's not important. In the state I was in, anything could have made me lose consciousness... but the nightmare began when I opened my eyes.
I was disoriented, my body felt heavy, and even just focusing my sight was something that I struggled to do, but when I felt that I was tied up by my feet and hands in an incredibly sturdy chair, I woke up immediately. How can there be such a flimsy wooden chair that can withstand the full force of a demon? It was absurd, so absurd that I would like to know what kind of spell those ropes had as well, and to think that this would be the least of my worries.
The place where I was held was terrifying. Dried blood could be seen both on the floor and the walls as well as on the rusty shackles attached to them. Tools of all kinds hung like a row of soldiers ready to make me suffer, and the light filtering through the window bars only made it even more sinister.
When I still hadn't fully comprehended my situation, I heard a door open, accompanied by footsteps echoing in the room. Then, from a curtain I hadn't noticed... your sister entered with her fat cat in her arms. She looked very serious, with ice-cold eyes, and as soon as she noticed I had woken up, she ordered her cat to turn on the lights... it was truly surreal, how the cat leaped from her arms, and as soon as it left my view, the lights came on.
Seeing her more clearly, I wanted to scream at her, but that's when I realized I was gagged. I tried to cut it with my teeth, but I immediately felt a pain in my gums. At that moment, she approached and removed the gag.
[Imagen]
"Don't do that, you'll only hurt yourself."
I don't know what expression I had on my face, but it made her turn away immediately. Needless to say, I didn't understand anything that was happening.
"It would be a shame if you hurt yourself now that you've woken up, Emalf. You have no idea how worried I was that you'd fallen into a coma. Tell me, how was our outing? Did you enjoy it?"
"Haha... yes... it was fantastic and all, but tell me... WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?" I said, I was desperate, but her calmness in handling this whole affair only upset me more. "Why am I tied up? Did I do something wrong while I was drunk? Seriously, I'm sorry! It wasn't my intention! I wasn't in my right mind!"
"No... you're wrong... Unfortunately, you didn't do anything wrong... Don't worry, you behaved like a real gentleman... too much of a gentleman for my taste."
"Huh?"
I was so confused. I still remember that grimace and her disdain for me at that moment. Had she lied to me? Did I really do something to her that she didn't want to tell me? Honestly... I hope I did something... I really hope...
"So... So... Why am I tied up?"
She just fell silent, which confused me even more.
"Could you untie me? Maybe you had a reason... but I'm awake now, and it's bothering me a bit, they're tight and..."
"I'm sorry, Emalf, but I can't untie you. I need to do something very important, and I'll need your help for it. You're the only option I know."
"But if you need help, I'll give it to you without any problem. You didn't have to go to all this trouble. If you wanted a favor, you just had to ask, so please, untie me..."
"I can't take the risk of doing that! If I release you, you won't help me, you'll run away... I can't..."
You can call me crazy, but at that moment, I'm sure her face didn't look right. It's strange because now that I think about it... she... Never mind, it's not like I remembered seeing that expression over time.
"Come on, Poemi! There's no reason for me to do this, so... just let me go!"
"You only say that because you're ignorant! You only say that because you don't know anything..."
"Then explain it to me! Because this is killing me!"
Back then, I almost went crazy with anxiety... or at least, I thought I did. You know? I wish I had gone crazy over something like that.
"My daddy needs help, but he's too stubborn to help me help him, so I have no choice but to find the answers I need on my own. I need to thoroughly understand our race, knowing our origin won't be enough, I need to know everything; resistances, weaknesses, abilities, potential, special characteristics... Everything! For that, I need a volunteer to uncover truths hidden in our own existence."
"Don't you..."
"For that, I need a Flame Demon. I can't do it on myself; I need to observe a third party... You're the strongest one within my reach... So please, resist. If everything goes well, not only will my daddy benefit from our discovery."
I was pacing back and forth; she had me dumbfounded, like I was watching a pendulum. At that moment, I couldn't understand what she meant. I guess it was nerves, but now that I'm telling the story, it's pretty clear...
"Hey, Poemi, slow down, I... I could help you, but untie me..."
"Mishi! Gag him again, I can't stand to hear nonsense."
"Yes, as you command, my lady."
"No! No! Wait-!"
If you're wondering who that guy was, I have no idea. I never saw him come in or when he got behind me, but I swear, I swear that if I ever run into him somewhere, I'll kill him. This wasn't the only time that bastard was present. I don't know his face, but his voice, his voice is etched in my head like stone.
After that... everything progressed like a damn snowball... At the beginning, to prevent me from escaping, they placed a curse on me that I can't even remember, but it allowed them to untie me and conduct their initial tests. These were pretty normal, testing overall endurance, things like running, seeing how much weight I could bear, and how long I could go without eating, that kind of nonsense. At first, I thought that was the hardest part, it was a very slow process. Now, it makes me laugh, at how innocent I was, I really thought that was hell, I was such a fool... a fool like a child.
Over time, what they were doing became insufficient, so they began the ingestion of strange substances, and what they called my "physical damage limit." That was just a strange name to see how much punishment they could inflict on me before I passed out or died. If there's one thing I got from that... Damn! I never would have imagined that we were so resilient! How I cursed that fact.
As you can imagine, everything got worse. There came a point where my memories fade, there are many things I don't remember, which I'm glad for. Don't look at me like that; most of the time, I was so exhausted that I couldn't even focus, and add to that, at other times, breathing was painful.
Although now that I think about it... that bastard wasn't alone in helping your sister, was there more people? Well, I don't remember, I have enough to deal with.
One curious thing I'm sure of is that at first, she... looked uncomfortable, or at least, I want to think that... No... I'm sure of it... but... but after a certain point, it didn't matter anymore...? I don't know when it went from having a minimum of consideration to hitting where it hurt the most; from doing things quickly to make them tolerable, to doing them slowly and as painfully as possible. Still, I had hope that it would all end, she would set me free, and we would go back to the usual routine.
"Stay strong, when all of this is over, you'll see that nothing was in vain. How about going to karaoke?" she said, while playing with my entrails; however, I believed her... I'm an insult to intelligence... I can only see it clearly now. "Everything will be okay, all the pain will go away, be strong."
What a load of crap that speech was! I hate it! I hate her! I hate what she did to me! I hate me for haven hope! Ah! Why didn't she just kill me...?
But all of this was just the beginning, you couldn't imagine in a million years what happened next, and I still don't fully understand it... From this point on, it's confusing, it's blurry, the only thing I remember from all they said on that occasion was "It's time."
Seriously, my old adventuring buddy, what I'm about to tell you is a tale with no rhyme or reason. Every morning, it haunts me to drive me mad, and even when I go to bed, I can't find peace. Every minute, every second, is a futile attempt to escape from an unrelenting hunter, and even now, doubts swirl in my head without finding an answer. And the heart of all this is that I can feel my wings and horns, as if they were still there.
That moment... it really makes me queasy to remember it. My senses were already almost numb, and all of this just makes it worse, but I can still clearly recall that stabbing pain in my back, which felt like it was spreading throughout my entire body. Not even when I toyed beneath my claws was it so painful, or when she... ah... no, that's still the worst... the thing is, it's one of the worst pains I've ever endured.
If I'm not mistaken, I was hanging from both hands, yes, my wrists, above my head, yes, that's how it was, I remember it well now. Once that damn pain, which made me scream like never before, was over, I felt somewhat light, but I never thought it was because of...
"Rooting linked, executed," I heard a voice, it wasn't any of the previous ones, it was male, I think, but I couldn't recognize it, so I have no idea who it was. Despite the confusion it caused me at that moment, it removed even the exhaustion from me.
"Performing the first connection test."
"Ah!"
A prick in one of my wings made me give a small squeal, and of course, I would move them by reflex...
"It moved! My lady, it moved!"
"It did! It did! You did it! You endured it very well! Now onto the next one!"
... No... You don't know... You can't imagine... how terrifying it was to hear that... While they jumped from one side to another... I... I... You know what was the worst part? That amid all that desperation swirling in my head, roaring like a storm that wouldn't let me think clearly, I saw it... I saw how my wing twitched on a little table nearby...
Don't ask me to explain it to you... Don't ask me to explain what was happening! I don't understand it! I don't want to understand it!
Did I tell you already, right? That I still feel my wings and horns. Right? Do you want to know how I know? It's very simple, tell me, when you arrived here, didn't you feel cold? Well... now that I think about it, maybe not, since I doubt you're living in a warm place, you must have already adapted to this kind of temperature... Hey, come on, don't look at me like that, it's not that hard to understand... Really? Have you never noticed...? Ah...
Our bodies have a higher temperature than others, it seems we tend to feel comfortable in extremely hot places, although apparently, we don't suffer in cold places, as our own magic, instinctively, helps us generate the missing heat, but it causes us not to be at our best. That makes us able to feel cold at certain times, meaning when we are acclimatizing, or when we run out of energy... There lies my problem, I'm in constant acclimatization... I never reach my adaptation point because my body is perceiving two different temperatures.
Are you getting dizzy? Ah... Forget it, I don't even know how it works myself, I don't know how something that isn't attached to me can affect me... I don't understand it... It's something that stresses me in more than one way, even more when I wake up, and I feel my wings brushing against things as I stretch, or on any given day, I feel my horns bumping into something... But the temperature issue is really the worst of all... it's a... constant reminder of... I'd better continue with what I was telling you.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, there were too many things I don't want to go into details about, you can probably get an idea... but there's still something you need to know, and it's the fact that I wasn't their only victim.
At a moment when I managed to regain some of my consciousness after... just wishing to die... I found another poor soul... my vision was too blurred to recognize any features, and I had a persistent pain in my ear... so I had no strength for anything, not even to know who it was... now... I regret that...
"Ah! He moved...! M-Mr. E-Emalf...? Is... that you...? I thought it was a corpse."
I think I scared him when I regained consciousness that time, I'm glad they never put mirrors in that place…
"Why are you here? Were you caught while you were traveling?"
"Wh-What... are you...?"
"You didn't... run in search of...? Well, you know..."
"No... kn-know..."
"It's just that Miss Poemi had told us that..."
"... Poe... ... You... t-tell... me... How... is..."
"Oh! I'm sorry, I can't understand you."
"How... did you... end up... here?"
The guy at first couldn't answer me, he stayed silent for a while, I guess maybe he became aware of his new circumstances, I really don't know, I wasn't in a position to worry about others, really.
"I was just wandering around, as I had finished my rounds, I decided to fly around the prison, and I noticed a light on, so when I approached the window to see, I saw Miss Poemi, with one of her toys and..."
I just looked at him; just breathing exhausted me at this point.
"...And... I don't know, now I'm here, I never thought it was you, if I had noticed, I would have gone to notify immediately... but..."
"But you were captured anyway," she said, it was easy to recognize her, maybe when she turned on the light I had become more blind, but even with that annoying ringing in my ears, I could recognize her insidious voice. "I'm glad both of you are awake."
At that point, I couldn't stand her presence anymore, and I couldn't form words in her presence, no matter if I was angry or still believed in her, just hearing her voice paralyzed me completely.
"Emalf, doesn't it make you happy? This person could have helped you. Can you imagine what would have happened if Daddy found out that I'm a naughty girl?"
"Uh... Miss Poemi... I didn't... Eh?! UH! Mph!"
"Ignore him, please, insects don't know how to be quiet, but as I was saying, it's still too early for Daddy to find out, that's why when someone asked about you, I just told them you went to look for my brother, because you missed him so much; no one has asked about the matter again."
At that moment, the last thing I was thinking about was whether she would be discovered or not. I didn't care about anything other than staying alive, not even the guy writhing in front of me, who could or could not be a ticket to freedom. I only cared that she wouldn't hurt me anymore that day, but she kept going.
"It's a real shame that he's tied up here, but don't worry, I'll put him to good use, we need more for the research. I just hope I can use others soon, this has to benefit our people too, if I use them all, it wouldn't be fun."
Now you can't imagine how my conscience eats me up for not doing anything. How many of our own did she use? And I, indifferent... I'm a selfish wretch...
"But if I get results, I'm sure he'll understand, sacrifices are necessary from time to time. So tell me, Emalf, are you happy or sad to see this poor devil, I want to hear you, I want to hear your voice, I want you to talk to me like you used to... Come on. What do I have to do?"
Apparently, she wasn't happy to see me there, still, it's... repulsive to remember how she touched my head, my face, my chest... I just wanted her to go away; I even wished that the poor wretch who was there would take my place... All of this is eating me up inside every day...
"Speak... Speak! Or do you want me to make you scream?! You were so close to getting help! Tell me how you feel! You're... too scared to talk, aren't you? But don't worry, the time will come when I don't have to hide you from Daddy, when that day comes, none of you will be afraid again, you'll never have to suffer again..."
I no longer knew what she wanted from me! She had taken everything from me; all I had left was the faint feeling of wanting to stay alive, even if I was in an endless torment...
"Just wait... once I'm done, neither of you will be helpless again, never again..."
In the end, I don't know what happened to the other guy or what happened next; I try to remember, but the only image I can conjure is deep blackness, and... a chair... hundreds of empty chairs... and... my... my head... I'm sorry, I can't... the only thing I can remember after that is a starry sky, along with the scent of flowers; that's my first memory, from my second coming to this place.
That place was the hill I mentioned to you before; I have a special fondness for that place... it was like my lifeline, I suppose that's how I see it... I think it makes sense... don't you?
...
Vendetto... Buddy... You can talk now.
"Oh! Compa, discúlpame… It's just insane... I don't quite understand it, but I get why you wouldn't want to see her... How long were you captive?"
"I don't know... It could have been days, months, years, or it could have been just a few hours. Ha. That would be funny."
That's impossible, but the idea of thinking it was just a moment, it comforts me. Ah... Why does seeing you so calm make me want to strangle you? You can't understand... Maybe if you lived through it... No... I can't wish that on you...
"Man, that's really ambiguous... They really didn't ask more about you? That's depressing."
"I guess since they already had a precedent, it wasn't that crazy."
"What do you mean?"
"Never mind, maybe they're just really dumb. I guess stupidity is hereditary; it's the only explanation I have for why no one noticed that something was wrong."
"What do you mean by inheriting stupidity?"
"Come on, man! You can't seriously be asking me that."
"I'm serious, answer."
"For the imbecility that you put on a serious face, idiot."
"I thought... I thought you'd realized that's why you left. I mean... we all have the same origin... and that's why we're all a bit... you know."
"No, I don't understand you at all."
"Never mind... Now I can assure you that the flame demons are doomed..."
"If you ask me, I don't think the others are in danger. Maybe she only caught some unsuspecting or weak ones. Besides, she cared about you. The fact that she kept you as her toy and you survived means a lot. She's not one to get rid of her things. I'm more surprised she hasn't come looking for you."
"... What do you want me to say? Your consolations are utter crap."
"What were you expecting? I'm not like these half-baked demons you find here. It sickens me to see how hypocritical they are."
"Oh, come on! Just because we surround ourselves with flowers of various colors, stroll happily along the seashore, or gather to sing around a campfire doesn't make us any less."
"... You know that saying it with those gestures doesn't help at all..."
"It's not that bad."
"I won't beat you like this, then... since you enjoyed the endurance tests so much... how about we make a bet?"
"First one to fall becomes the other's slave for an entire day?"
"You get me!"
Ah... you say that now that you're already dizzy, but I won't pass up this opportunity to humiliate you a bit. You owe me for this. I just hope it won't affect me too much. Tomorrow, besides guiding the group, I have to help the girls. I committed to them. I'll have to shower really well; I can't smell like alcohol."
¹ "Compa," is a colloquial way to abbreviate "compañero," which translates to "comrade" or "partner," among other equivalent words depending on the context.
² "Caray" (pronounced approximately as "cah-rye") is a colloquial expression that can convey annoyance or surprise. Its animosity might be comparable to "oh man."
