“I have seen the bodies of children carved by zealous knives lying at the foot of altars to dead Gods. I have seen weeping Nazis standing in fields of innocent meat. I have seen the end and I do not fear it anymore it is the only place where the Flesh of the innocent is spared the daggers of Med Man” The Abyss.
The rain stopped. The sun was overhead and glaring at me. I stopped somewhere far from the battle and decided to rest. Before resting, I cleaned my knife and placed my bike next to me. I counted my rounds and placed a mag into my pistol. Back when I was with the group, the mage decided to put a self-cleaning and fixing spell on my clothes. I pissed on a tree, wiped my hands, and took a swig from the flask. It was hot, and the wind was still. I leaned my bike against the rock, I rested my head beside it, and fell drifted into a slumber.
My dream felt more like a memory, and the memory felt like a nightmare. It was summer, and the cicadas were loud. I was home alone, and I was in my basement bathroom with my cat. I was in my mid-teens, and I was half-watching a TV show I had on. The other half was thinking about the little pocketknife in my pocket. It was an odd thing I would sometimes do where I would open the blade and just hold it up to my skin and do nothing. I won't go all the way; I just stood there. I decided to pause the show and move to the bathroom. I opened the knife and stood, pondering why I kept doing this. My life was good, and I had no right to feel sorrow, so as always, I pulled the blade away and placed it back upstairs.
I lost my ability to cry, and I have no idea when I lost it or why it was lost. None of this matters because the Devil feels nothing. Fyodor Dostoevsky once said, “I think the devil doesn't exist, but man has created him; he has created him in his own image and likeness.”
. The chirping of birds woke me up once more. I stunk of sweat, alcohol, cigarette smoke, and
gasoline somehow. The sun was shining, and I was alone. I decided to gut 5 fish from the river close to my original location and collect a bundle of sticks. I lit a stick on fire, then lit the bundle, and stuck the fish on sticks near the fire. Could’ve used salt.
This country's main languages are English and Japanese, and I’m bringing this up because I accidentally stole a novel from the library. I've been reading every time I get any downtime. It's a dime store detective novel following an alcoholic private dick who was investigating life itself, but he was also investigating the death of a man in a town he was passing through and got pulled into something larger. It reminded me of another book I once read.
Stolen novel; please report.
In the King's private corridor, Kenji and King Alexander talk about a problem. “My King, the heroes have returned from the training,” said Kenji.
“At ease, Mr.Minamoto, you are not a soldier here; you are a guest in the country, and the people see you as a hero.” said the King
“I would like to discuss the events that took place on the night we fought the so-called Devil.”
“Yes, Mr. Minamoto.”
“I believe even after giving him a mortal wound that should have killed the so-called Devil, he seems to still be alive.”
“Are you talking about the battle report we received last night, where an odd man showed up killing indiscriminately and surviving soldiers said they saw the Devil?”
“Yes, my King. I believe it’s the same man that I thought I killed on that rainy night.”
“Well, isn’t that interesting, and were you ever able to find the other man who was with him?”
“I was unable to find that man either,”
“Well, at least there’s still a possibility to talk with those men.”
“Well, if you say so, my King. May I be excused?”
“You may, Mr. Minamoto; please rest. I'm sure you're tired from being on the front lines of war.”
“Thank you, my lord; I shall now take my leave,” Kenji said. The doors of the King's private room close.
“Hm, the Devil has returned. And the war with demons has grown into a greater threat. That's why all wars have been called to be ended, so that more resources could be used in the III Demon & Human War. Is the Devil truly a demon or a man who is fighting for his ideas? Well, I can’t throw many resources into finding the man, so I’ll leave him alone for now.” The King told himself.
After Kenji left, he also thought about his life, and the scar that The Devil gifted to him in their last meeting started to ache from the memory. “I am still confused about how he could have survived and how he was about to kill me without using any magic. He was also using a gun. which means he is not of this world. Could the American that Akira brought up have been who we fought on that night? If only I could remember what he looked like. The only thing I remember is the last words he said to me: "I am the Devil and must do my Work." It has been said in numerous reports about the Devil that he uses the phrase whenever entering a market, almost like a catchphrase. Well, if it were him, then there would be reports about night rides on slave markets. We’ve been here six months. I know that the other two have gotten comfortable in this world, but I’m still unable to. Every day, I wonder if my family is worried or thinks I’m dead. All I know is that I have to make it back home no matter what or who gets in my way, so I’ll train to become stronger than anyone in this world.”
I started my bike's engine, and music came from it: “You're face to face With the man who sold the world,” The Man Who Sold the World. Well, it's once again time to get on the highway to hell.
