A fireplace's warmth. The scent of cinnamon and comfort of a plush armchair. The small light coming from a desk lamp awoke him. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Shishima no longer felt pain. It was as if a great weight had been lifted and his body was like a soft feather in the summer breeze. After the past weeks or months of pure agony, for once he was grateful to have reappeared in The Writer's cabin. As if on cue, the old man wearing a navy blue bathrobe and a pair of plush slippers walked in with a tray of filled teacups which he placed on his wooden desk. Shishima examined his moves and was surprised to see how spry he was for what seemed to be a mortal in his late seventies. The Writer took seat on the opposite side of the desk and faced him with a neutral gaze, as if he expected the guest to initiate conversation.
"Do you get off to my suffering, old man?" Shishima bluntly questioned. "Does seeing me in my lowest and most pathetic state turn you on?"
"That is a pretty hypocritical question to ask," The Writer countered and sipped the warm tea. "If I recall, were you not the one who caused countless massacres to feed off of collective suffering?"
"Each and every one my victims was weaker than me. It was all fair game. The weak exist to elevate the strong, after all!"
"By this logic, since I am your creator, your current fate is also fair game. Or did you think that due to your daiyoukai status you are above everyone else?"
"No, I am the heir of the Twilight Kingdom, the one fallen demon who chose to become fear incarnate!" Shishima raised his voice and got on his feet. "Because of the injustices I've suffered, the entirety of existence must suffer my wrath!"
"Such an egocentric worldview you've got, Shishima. Perhaps you are more fit for godhood than I expected you to be," The Writer remarked while setting down his empty teacup. "But you've still got a long way to go until you achieve the unachievable once again. How is your journey to self-discovery coming along? I wager it must be quite the bumpy ride."
"If you're talking about my quest for vengeance, why bother asking? You're the one who keeps making me fail whenever victory is in my grasp!"
"As tempting as pinning your own failures on me may be, please try to abstain from that and think rationally for once," The Writer sternly replied, though his voice and posture still retained an aura of calmness. "Hajime escaped your clutches because you took your time and allowed Sayo to rescue him. You've lost the final battle on Earth because you gave in to the temptation of excitement and accepted Hajime's challenge when you could've crushed him like a bug. And now your rebellion failed because you chose to treat the few youkai who were willing to help you like nothing but assets. Don't you see? Your ego and overconfidence will always lead to your downfall!"
"And it's your job to humble me? Keh, sorry pal, but you've chosen the wrong person."
"You said the entirety of existence must suffer your wrath. I'm curious, does that include Nekohana?" Shishima fixated his host with a dumbfounded expression. "Did she deserve to have her arm lopped off and be killed by the one youkai she trusted and loved more than anything else in the world?"
Shishima growled with indignation, "Don't you dare play that card...! You know very well that was a different circumstance and I was not thinking clearly!"
"I'm sorry, but this is a truth you have to hear: every time you set your own ego above everything else, the suffering you cause will harm even those whom you claim to care about."
"Silence!" Shishima shrieked and lashed at The Writer with his claws, only to freeze in the air and have his sights blurred.
"How pathetic for such a mighty daiyoukai to let his emotions get the better of him. You're starting to act like a human, and that is disgraceful for someone of your status. If you truly wish to complete your journey and discover yourself, I suggest you start reflecting on your own flaws. Because trust me, they are many."
Once the old man's voice ceased speaking, the blurred vision of the warm cabin melted around, and before he knew it, Shishima was back in his cold dungeon, chained to the same brick wall. He heard the bars screech as his cell was opened and two guards walked in - a goat youkai with a long sharp beard and small horns that were arched back, a single spear in his hoofed hand, the other a centipede who held a variety of weapons in the multitude of his hands, ranging from small daggers to battle axes and maces. The former was a regular participant in the daily torture sessions, but the latter was a fresh face, perhaps Koushishi had employed him because he could cause an increased level of pain? Shishima glanced down at his body - his entrails were no longer hanging out and his belly was no longer torn open, though there were still deep scars where he had been cut on the previous day and fur had not yet grown back. His face also did not sting as much, meaning skin was already growing back. But he knew that the healing process would soon be interrupted and hindered once the new session would begin. The mere thought of those two lowlifes overpowering him was enough to make his blood boil. He desired to peer into their minds and make them experience the worst of their fears or perhaps even have them discover new depths of said fears, but he could not even muster the mental capacity to attempt even the simplest form of demonic magic. Ever since he had been imprisoned, Shishima had undergone nothing but constant pain and agony. It had reached the point where even the process of thinking was bringing him pain.
And so it began. The goat youkai rammed the spear in Shishima's side, breaking two ribs. He waited a few moments for the initial shock to settle in, then he pulled out the weapon and started giving multiple stabs in the stomach until the chained one began to gargle on his own blood. While the guard slowly lowered the stabbing towards the prisoner's crotch, Shishima struggled to not show any sign of agony, as to not give his tormentors the pleasure of seeing him suffer. The pain became unbearable once his nether region was pierced, he clenched his fists and bit his lip deeply, letting a few grunts escape through his sharp fangs. Eventually the goat grew tired and backed off, resting against a wall with his bloodied spear. Giggling with excitement, the centipede youkai came next and leaned in close, wielding each weapon with surgical precision. He pressed four blades in the different corners of the lion's sharp face, and moved them around, slowly peeling off the skin. Two maces were simultaneously slamming his chest, making his lungs bleed but always avoiding the heart. Four differently-shaped pliers were used to pull out each of his claws. Despite having endured this kind of torture for what seemed like countless days, Shishima's regenerating powers ensured he would always feel the pain again and thus never properly get used to it.
By the time they were done, he was left a bloody mess, a broken shadow of the mighty monster he had once been. All he could do was stare blankly at his torturers, who laughed and mocked him. With a final spit in the face, they bid their farewells and the prison cell was locked once again after they took their leave. Pain was the main thing on his mind and he desperately wanted it to stop. Then there was the humiliation of his failures - he could not conquer anything, he could not lead anyone, he could not even avenge his own father. Now he was enduring the price of said failures, and how ironic that the apex predator had once more become the hunted. Whatever other thoughts resurfaced were of Nekohana, whom he hoped was safe, and of...
"Sire, what a terrible thing they've done to you!" Borof cried as he flied out of Shishima's mane and went to his eye level. "There has to be something we can do to escape this nightmare! Please, tell me what I can do to help you and I will do it right away!" His master could not respond, he kept breathing heavily and tried blocking the painful sensations as much as his mind allowed him to. "I've spent these past weeks talking to you, trying to keep you sane, so please don't give up now!"
"Bo... rof..." the wounded Shishima weakly whispered.
"Yes, I am here, my master! What can I do for you?"
"Someone's... coming. Hide back... quick."
Not wasting any time, Borof did as told and dashed back into his master's mane. The metallic bars flung open yet again and the unmistakable figure of Senator Sazansho walked in, both pairs of hands behind his back, his reptilian head held high and proud. However, his expression softened upon seeing the pathetic state in which his fellow daiyoukai lied.
"My prince, it has been over a millennia since we've last spoken face to face. If I recall correctly, our last idle chatter was after one of my theater plays. Yes, I remember it as if it were yesterday, you came up to me after the audience had left and asked me if I could write in more psychological torture scenes and place my characters into tense situations. You had quite the flair for the macabre back then, and I've always appreciated that side of you. It is no great secret that we nobles have always used those filthy commoners beneath us to entertain ourselves, and of course, the greater their suffering, the greater our amusement! Which is why I have come to visit you today." Sazansho started to gesticulate dramatically, as if he were giving a pained soliloquy onstage. "Look at what you have become, my prince! This is no state for a mighty daiyoukai! You are born of the noblest of blood, you are the son of our glorious Queen Koushishi, you were once the heir of our great Twilight Kingdom, you had a bright future ahead! But you went insane and killed your own kin, then you foolishly chose to betray your own mother over what? The memory of your father? Forgive my insolence, but your priorities were not straight at all, Your Highness. The former king lacked the brilliant vision that your mother has. Due to the countless millennia he spent on the battlefield, he had made the fatal mistake of caring for all of his troops, including the lowest of the low class youkai, when it's common sense that they are the most dispensable. General Rufu had told me that your father's compassion became more evident on the battlefield when he showed great concern for you and everyone else around. He would always place himself in the most dangerous point during a battle if it meant everyone else was safer. Surely you can agree with me that such an attitude is foolish, correct?"
"Sa... zansho..." Shishima moaned through his deep breaths, barely able to properly speak.
"Yes, my prince?"
"Leave... my father... out of this...! If you have... something to tell me... spit it out... now!"
"Ever the blunt one, I see. Very well, what I am trying to tell you is that your current predicament does not have to be this! Why, someone of such noble ancestry like you ought to be living with us at the highest level in the capital palace, enjoying the luxurious life that you are rightfully entitled to! You shouldn't be wallowing pathetically all alone in a dungeon like some commoner scum, getting tortured on a daily basis for the few crimes you've committed, no matter how severe they actually were. Which is why I duly implore you, my prince, to come to your senses already! There is a way out, and that is to apologize to your mother and pledge your allegiance to her. Please, I am sure that whatever grievance lies between the two of you can be easily resolved after a day of mother-son bonding. I can help you, I am one of the queen's most trusted advisors, I could easily put a good word for you and try convincing her to abandon this insane plan of torturing you until you lose your mind and become a killing machine or whatever."
"This Shishima... pledging allegiance... to his mother...?"
"Yes, exactly! There is nothing more that I ask of you! Then once that is done, we can get you out of here and back in the place where you rightfully belong, among the daiyoukai. Please, my prince, you cannot imagine how much it pains me to see a fellow pure-blooded noble suffer needlessly in such a disgusting place! Let me help you!"
"I..." Shishima began, Sazansho's smile growing with anticipation, "...decline." Said smile quickly turned into a long frown. "This Shishima... will bow down... to nobody! Let alone... the treacherous mother... who sees me as nothing but her life project!"
"I beg you to reconsider! I'm afraid there is no other way out for you, as the queen has given strict orders to the guards not to kill you, but to prolong the torture until your mind breaks. As much as I detested your betrayal back then, I would never once wish such a terrible fate on any daiyoukai!"
"Good. I would sooner... lose my mind... than willingly become her pawn!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, I always knew you were a queer child." Sazansho shook his head in disappointment. "But I am certain you will eventually come to your senses. Everyone has a breaking point, and I know you will bow down to Her Majesty then. When that day comes, I will gladly await your return among us, my prince." He bowed down dramatically, as if expecting applause from a nonexistent crowd, and then he took his leave, Shishima remaining once more alone in his misery.
By sharp contrast, up at the highest floor, inside the throne room, beyond a secret entrance hidden behind the queen's throne, there was an immense luxurious spa wherein only Koushishi and her closest friends and confidants were allowed alongside their slaves. Routinely, after a long day filled with politics, formal visits, public ceremonies and occasional festivities at the theater, opera or ball, the Twilight Kingdom's sole ruler would retreat to this particular hideout for body therapy and occasional orgies. In the middle of the room with marble walls lied a large round jacuzzi pool filled with warm bubbly water. All around it were wooden chairs and massage tables. Upon one such tables rested a queen bee youkai, her wings lowered to each of her sides as two incubi slaves carefully massaged her thorax and abdomen. She was known as Kanmi, head of the bee youkai residing in the western meadows of the Twilight Kingdom. Her reputation as a temperamental and demanding ruler was legendary. The honey that her workers produced was fabled for its magical healing properties, which was the reason she sold it solely to her close daiyoukai friends such as Koushishi. Another common friend they both had was Lilith, queen of all succubi and incubi, the only humanoid demon in the Twilight Kingdom who was respected among its rulers. She was a tall and curvy woman with sickly pale skin, a pair of leather wings on her back and a small pair of horns on her head, her hair dark crimson, curled and reaching her ankles in length. Whenever she appeared in public, she ensured to always wear purple lipstick and eyeliner, and on that particular evening she was no different. As Koushishi rested in the pool, Lilith was underwater, ensuring that her tongue properly pleased the supreme despot's nether regions.
The front door's creaking caught everyone's attention and they all turned to greet General Rufu, who stepped inside wearing his typical black military jacket and white pants. Alongside Lilith, Kanmi and his friend Senator Sazansho, he was a constant member of Koushishi's private orgies. But this time around there was no time for Rufu to indulge in pleasure. He stopped in front of the pool to face his queen, pumped out his chest and punched it with his right hand before bowing to his waist - his own military salute towards his beloved ruler. Koushishi cracked a smile in his direction, for such formalities never failed to amuse her, as they gave her an air of importance.
"Hail Queen Koushishi, may her reign be eternal!" General Rufu saluted and got back up. "I bring good news from the front lines, Your Highness."
"I expect nothing else from you, my dear general. Carry on."
"It brings me great joy to inform you that after we have broken the magical border which separated us from the Dawn Kingdom, we are pushing further above. Although the defense line of these angels is even more persistent than that of Purgatory's, mostly since these are skilled fighters and not mindless marble golems, our progress is slow, but certain. In only a matter of centuries we will have broken their gates, and once the might of our glorious kingdom finally pours inside, you can expect their inevitable downfall!"
"That is indeed excellent news! Well done, General Rufu! And worry not about how long the war takes, for time is our most trustworthy ally." Koushishi leaned her head back, her legs crossing around Lilith's body as her body tingled from the copious amount of pleasure she was experiencing. "Very soon, you will have a new soldier among your ranks. He will be a force to be reckoned with, and trust me when I say that no angel will be left alive if it dares stand in his way."
"The treacherous prince, I presume?" General Rufu smiled knowingly.
"Once I manage to break his mind, he will become a blood-hungry monster who will submit solely to my whims. It brings me great motherly pride to inform you that my own son will be our greatest asset in this war!"
"That is very reassuring, my queen! Still, I cannot help but wonder, will Prince Shishima ever be allowed to succeed the throne? I presume that on such an occasion, you will merely step behind the shadows and manipulate him. Am I correct in this assumption?"
"Not exactly," Koushishi's tone became more serious, catching everyone's attention. "After suffering through Shishima's betrayal and that rebellion he orchestrated behind our backs, I've decided I will never allow him the honor of taking the Twilight Kingdom's throne. As a matter of fact, nobody will be allowed such an honor, as I am the only monarch suited to rule this land for eternity!"
Little did they know that a certain passerby happened to eavesdrop on their little conversation. Having heard enough, she made quick but discrete steps to escape the throne room before anyone would sense her presence. Hyouma brushed her pitch-black fur with her metal claws as she frowned in disbelief, one of the few times when she visibly showed any emotion. She was a panther daiyoukai, the closest thing to a relative to the royal family. She had grown close to the queen over the past millennia, allowed herself to be groomed into her majesty's protégé, learned everything there was to know about the Twilight Kingdom and excelled at the art of scheming. Countless hours wasted cozying up to that insufferable authoritarian and entertaining her with stories of manipulation and backstabbing, all in the vain hope that one day she would be allowed to succeed Koushishi on the throne. Even after Hyouma's distant cousin Shishima had apparently died over a thousand years ago and the plan of marrying him into becoming royalty was voided, she still kept close to his mother due to her false promises that one day she would step down and hand her the ultimate power. It was all for nothing... But she had been born and raised by her parents to become queen one day! Where would she go from that point onward? What purpose did her life have anymore?
Unbeknownst to her, outside in the palace gardens, one of her servants found a strange lioness youkai with a rich colorful flower mane emerge from the desert's sandstorms, coughing and worn off from her long and tiring journey. Before the servant could even open his mouth, she collapsed on the grass unconscious.