Disgaea: Awaking the Queen of the Netherworld
Written by Michelle
Chapter 2 - Demons Don't Get Dysphoria! (Except When They Do…)
Laharl awakens, standing in the middle of a photoshoot. They are wearing a swimsuit hoodie and have a popsicle in their hand. Laharl is a girl and wonders what is going on. The Director (as seen from Disgaea 2) yells, "That's a wrap," and the crew unpacks everything. Laharl wonders what is happening but doesn't feel shocked by this.
"What's going on here?" said Laharl
"Did you drift off for a moment? We just wrapped up a commercial for the new swimsuit ad. Tomorrow, you'll be doing a shoot with Axel, the Dark Hero," the Director remarked.
Laharl looks at the photo they took and can't help but notice how they look. They are the top idols of the Netherworld, and the swimsuit gives them a fantastic smile. "This is me?" Laharl says to himself. They like these feelings and desire more. All of a sudden, the dream fades, and Laharl wakes up out of his coffin.
"That's not me. It's just a stupid dream. It's not—" said Laharl
Laharl puts on his clothes, getting ready for a brand new day. As they walk down the hallway, he sees Girl Laharl in a mirror; a voice can be heard in Laharl's head. "If you wanna be in that form, just do it." said the voice in his head. Laharl is angry and breaks the mirror with his fist. Laharl does not want to deal with these thoughts, and liking his female form is a nightmare. Laharl continues to walk down the hall to his throne room. Laharl sits slouched on the throne, legs crossed, chin resting on their fist. Their usual arrogant smirk is absent. Instead, he looked… irritated. Restless. Etna and Flonne enter the room, exchanging glances.
"Aww. Is Mr. Grumpy Pants still in a bad mood?" said Etna
"Shut up, Etna!" said Laharl
"Maybe you had a strange dream. Dreams are the subconscious mind's way of expressing inner emotions," said Flonne
Laharl tells Flonne to be quiet and stop being a love freak. Laharl steps out of his throne and picks up his sword. He picks up his sword and tells everyone to head to the Cave of Ordeal.
"I don't want to see my vassals getting weak. Time to get yourselves into shape!" said Laharl
Etna's expression was frustrating. "Come on, you're the one who's been lazy. You've spent most of the day and yesterday just lounging in your bedroom," she told Laharl.
Just before Laharl begins to yell, Flonne tells everyone to please stop. Reminding everyone that yelling at each other does not solve anything. Sicily arrives and asks what is going on. Etna tells Sicily that Laharl is still in a bad mood. Sicily wants to know why Laharl is acting so odd, and Flonne suggests that Laharl may be depressed. Laharl begins to get angry, with his hair antenna rising and his eyes glowing yellow. He tells everyone to shut up and get their stuff ready for the Cave of Ordeal.
They arrive in the Cave of Ordeal with a group of monsters waiting for their arrival. A band of Zakkum attempts to assault Laharl and the others, but they manage to evade their Putrid Breath. Etna faces an attacking Manticore and swiftly defeats it with her spear. As more monsters emerge, Etna calls upon a squad of Prinnies to take care of the remaining threats. A succubus attacks Laharl from behind, and Laharl can easily take it out. Laharl typically finds succubus off-putting with their sexy bodies, but not this time. As they cleared out of the cave of ordeal, everyone gained higher levels, and no one was seriously hurt. On the other hand, Laharl still questions what is happening. He thinks that maybe someone poisoned his mind with a spell, or he is just getting soft.
"Damn it! I thought doing some leveling up would clear out my thoughts, but it didn't," said Laharl to himself
"Come on, Prince. It's getting late, and I don't want to stay here any longer," said Etna
Laharl and the others return to the Castle. Flonne and Sicily look concerned about what is going on. "Maybe we should help Laharl" said Flonne. Laharl spins around, visibly upset after catching their conversation. His face flushed as he shouted, "SHUT UP YOU TWO!" while crossing his arms and turning his face away.
"Alright, Prince, spill it. You've been acting weirder than usual. And that's saying a lot," Etna remarked.
Laharl walks to his throne but subtly glances away from a nearby mirror. He catches a glimpse of his female reflection in the mirror and, consumed by anger, obliterates it with a fireball. Etna and the others have observed that Laharl has been steering clear of mirrors.
"Has your self-esteem fallen so low that you must avoid or break any mirrors around you? How pathetic." Etna asked.
"Oh! Could it be that Laharl… is experiencing an identity crisis?!" said Flonne
Laharl's anger intensifies as he orders everyone to go to their rooms before he loses it and turns the whole castle to ashes. Laharl runs off to his room and slams the door. "Wait, Big Brother!" Sicily called out as Laharl ran off. Flonne and Sicily are worried about what is happening with Laharl. They are eager to assist, but Laharl would not take their advice. Etna intervenes, asserting that Laharl is always acting like a baby. Flonne concludes that Etna is likely correct, suggesting that they should proceed with their lives. Meanwhile, Sicily senses something is wrong with her older brother and needs to understand what is troubling him.
Later that night, after everyone else had fallen asleep, Laharl remained wide awake. His bed room is silent; the only sound is the faint hum of the Netherworld's eerie ambience. Laharl walks into the bathroom to brush his teeth and stands in front of the mirror, gazing at their reflection. That's when they begin to notice the female version of themselves staring back. They began to notice various versions of their female self reflected in the mirror, ranging from a schoolgirl to a demon detective, a thunder lord from an alternate universe, a king transformed by the Sacred Tome, a swimsuit model, a witch, and even a Supreme Overlord. Laharl's expression is one of disbelief, accompanied by a voice echoing in his mind, "This is who I am. I've always been this way." Laharl steps away from the mirror, turns off the lights, and retreats into his coffin. But as they lie in bed, a thought lingers, unspoken yet ever-present.
Laharl questioned himself, "Is that truly my reflection? Why does it evoke such a pleasant feeling? Yet, why do I despise it?"
Laharl begins to fall asleep, and they start to have another dream. They were floating, weightless, in a vast sky filled with swirling galaxies and vibrant colors. Laharl wonders what is happening and notices they have a different body. They had the body of a Demonic Angel (as seen in the 4th-anniversary event in Disgaea RPG). They ran their hands down their arms, over their chest. Laharl notices that he has a large breast, as if they were a pair of balloons attached to their body. Instead of hating it, it felt overwhelming, like stepping into sunlight after being trapped in the dark for years.
"I feel powerful! What is this?" said Laharl
They take a step ahead, followed by another. Their body glides smoothly, free from hesitation, awkwardness, or the discomfort that has plagued them for years. It's a distant but warm feeling that they felt before. A voice can be heard again. "This is what your heart always wished for. I'm the subconscious breaking free locked away inside of you," said the voice.
"Is this really what I want? But why?" Laharl asked.
Laharl looks around and begins to think to themselves. "I'm an Overlord. People can't respect a woman, Overlord," said Laharl. But then, a group of demons appear and bow down to them. "Hail Lord Laharl," said the group of demons. Laharl is surprised that demons still view them as an influential leader, even as a girl. This makes Laharl feel powerful, knowing they can still be a fearful demon ruler. They close their eyes and embrace the feeling, letting it consume them. Laharl wakes up with a gasp and screams out loud.
A random Prinny with a cup of milk enters the door and asks, "You okay, dood?". Laharl, filled with rage, grabs the Prinny in anger and hurls it across the room, causing a massive explosion that wakes everyone in the Castle. Enta shouts, "Can you keep it down? I need my sleep as a beauty queen!" Frustrated, Laharl locks the door and slams it shut, feeling like he can't handle it any longer. Flonne and Sicily knock on the door to see if Laharl is okay, but Laharl tells them to return to bed. Laharl realized these feelings were real and was too embarrassed to admit it. He has to do something.
[TO BE CONTINUED!]