Myriad Devils-Chapter 64: The devil
18th of October 2081.
Victorious Fighting Country, Core City, Blackridge District, Memorial Hall #63.
The funeral for Old Lady Su was held in a spacious, elegantly appointed hall that exuded a somber yet respectful atmosphere.
Lofty ceilings adorned with muted chandeliers cast a soft, warm glow over the gathering of individuals, while walls draped in deep burgundy fabric created an intimate setting.
Rows of polished wooden chairs faced a small podium, where Elizabeth stood, her voice echoing softly against the rich decor. The air was thick with the scent of fresh flowers, their vibrant colors contrasting the solemnity of the occasion.
"I remember when I was five or six," Elizabeth began, her voice shaky yet firm as she smiled through her tears. "Grandma had a pot on the stove. Being a little troublemaker, I nearly got showered by that pot of boiling water."
A soft chuckle escaped her lips, mingling with the warm tears trickling down her cheeks. "Yet, grandma appeared in the kitchen as if she had a sixth sense, protecting me while bearing the scalding heat against her skin."
She paused, her expression shifting as memories flooded back. "At that time, I didn’t understand how strong she was, even in her frail and old body. But looking back now, she, who did not whimper in the slightest, was to me as powerful as the legendary soldiers of our Victorious Fighting Country!"
Mourners, dressed in black, filled the hall, their expressions reflecting a mixture of sorrow and reverence. Soft murmurs and quiet sniffles punctuated the silence as they listened intently to Elizabeth’s heartfelt words.
These people were all from the street which Anon spent six years in, and where Elizabeth grew up. Every individual present, once experienced the kindness of old lady Su, so now, they also felt the pain that came with her death...
As the service concluded, the group gradually made their way outside, transitioning from the warmth of the hall to the coldness that was outside.
The cemetery was just a short walk away, the path lined with stone markers and ancient trees that swayed gently in the breeze.
Though the weather did not change in the Core City, as if affected by the deathly aura of old lady Su’s demise, the world mourned in the form of a spine-chilling breeze that lashed at the skin of those present.
In fact, in this foreign time, cemeteries usually imitated dark scenarios with the use of technology, falsely creating an illusion of dark clouds above the group as they surrounded old lady Su’s grave.
...
As the first droplets of false rain began to fall, the mourners began departing one by one, their figures slowly disappearing into the misty gloom created, artificially.
Eventually, before Mei Su’s grave, only two individuals remained: Elizabeth, and one other person, standing side by side in the fading light, sharing a moment of silence amidst the gentle patter of rain.
As time passed, the tears that streamed down Elizabeth’s face were washed away by the raindrops that soaked her.
The rain fell steadily, drenching her dress and mingling with her grief. And yet, she did not care; the elements felt like a fitting companion to her sorrow.
In a weak voice, Elizabeth finally spoke, her words barely audible over the gentle patter of rain. "Damn it, Anon! Can’t you at least shed one tear for mama?"
The sound of pattering rain seemed to have been drowned in the background as silence descended.
Frustration seeped into her tone as she saw Anon’s lack of reaction.
Wiping her face, the rain mixed with her tears.
"She meant so much... she took care of you when your actual father abandoned you!" Turning to Anon who stood near her, she exclaimed, "You, of all people, should understand that."
And yet, Anon looked back at her, meeting her teary eyes with his own pair of amber-gold pupils that experienced many more disturbing things.
Seeing Anon’s stoic expression, Elizabeth froze for a moment, her frustration boiling over. Suddenly, she punched him squarely in the chest.
Bam!
Her voice trembled, a mix of anger and heartbreak spilling out as she demanded, "How can you stand there so stoically? Just once, show some emotion! She deserves that much!"
The rain continued to fall around them, but her plea hung heavily in the air.
Elizabeth felt the weight of her words, hoping to pierce through Anon’s facade and reach the part of him that still cared, even if it was buried deep beneath layers of detachment.
Pressing her small fist against Anon’s chest, she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. Instead, she muttered under her breath, "Please... just shed a tear."
Buried beneath layers of detachment, care?
This was only Elizabeth’s own delusion.
Anon sighed.
"El," Anon spoke for the first time, grasping Elizabeth’s attention.
She rose her head, teary-eyed, she stared into Anon’s pair of amber-gold orbs, hoping that she did indeed strike at a chord.
"On this existential plane, living beings experience life, and then death," Anon said, "It has been so in the world before the great rebirth, and has remained so in the world thereafter. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust..."
"Heh!"
As tears streamed down her face, Elizabeth stumbled back.
Anon silently observed her as she regained some control over her body and stood still for a period. Turning to her grandma’s grave, she revealed an unconvincing smile.
"I’ll be putting U.S.A.P as my first choice," She said, "Who knows, if I’m lucky, I’ll become a scholar or something."
Anon frowned and stretched out his hand, "El-!"
"Don’t touch me!" She exclaimed, swatting his hand away.
He was a stellar fighter in the second world, how could she swat his hand away?
Naturally, Anon allowed her to do this much.
Coldly glancing at him, she said, "Can robotic even describe you? No, you have emotions, but you’re just sick."
Elizabeth scowled whilst spitting, "You, and the devil written in the scriptures from mama’s childhood, I feel as if there’s no difference!"
"I understand," Anon nodded to this and turned around without warning.
Before Elizabeth’s disbelieving eyes, and as if not struggling from the slightest bit of hesitation, his figure disappeared from the cemetery.
Seeing this, Elizabeth could not help but bow her head and stoop before old lady Su’s grave.
"Was I..." Shaking her head, she whispered, "No, he’s..." Pausing, she remained silent for a while.
"Y-You weren’t supposed to just walk away." Elizabeth couldn’t produce any more tears. Instead, she just stared blankly at the dirt covering her grandma’s grave.
...
Maneuvering through Blackridge district was a black and gold hovering vehicle. It had a slim and beautifully designed body, a futuristic supercar.
Within this vehicle, Anon dazedly stared out the window.
’It goes far beyond mere corruption,’ Anon thought, ’There’s a massive chasm separating us, a gap of understanding that separates El and I.’
Shifting his gaze to the driver of this hover vehicle, he mused inwardly, ’And not just El, but most of them are like this.’
Thinking about it, even if he tried his best, Anon didn’t believe he could express the emotions that Elizabeth did, and yet, it wasn’t to say that he was some emotionless robot.
Only that, what gave him happiness and what made him sad, what angered him, and what pleased him, was profoundly different than others.
Thinking this caused him to smile.
’It isn’t something to be surprised of.’ Anon pondered for a time, ’Mother’s death happened right in front of my eyes, yet I can assume that such an event would’ve broke El.’
His smile slowly faded as Elizabeth’s words rung in his head, but he shook his head, ’The devil? It can’t be helped.’
’Dead mother was just another lifeform of earth, like father, and the rest of humanity, along with the beasts, and plant beasts.’ He concluded, ’Her corruption prevents her from seeing it from my perspective.’
’As the human lord, father is also the will of earth, embracing all things,’ Anon believed this, ’So though the death of one lifeform is pitiful, there are billions more. Hundreds of millions are humans, and even more are beasts, and plant beasts.’
’And I am the human lord’s heir, next in line, I am the child of earth’s will.’ But Anon’s eyes contained therein, more complexities than just this.
’Still, that is only my role decided by others.’
Anon’s heart thumped vibrantly within his chest, ’I too have desires. Though I am willing to fulfill my duty as the human lord, I also desire more. What I seek, the incomprehensible power of knowledge not known by humans.’
’Whether that be given to me by the devil dead mother warned me of, or even if it has me forgo my human flesh, what I desire, I’m willing to do anything to achieve.’
’The stars that give light to this world during day, they exist within the world space, but what about beyond? Far into the reaches of the universe, beyond even what father has discovered?’
’And more importantly, the apocalypse, known as the great rebirth by earthlings, and the great baptism by the other civilizations...’
’There’re so many blood-pumping secrets awaiting discovery. They all call out to my subconscious, releasing waves of hypnotic essence in an attempt to entice me.’
’Indeed, to find out and grasp them for myself, this is what I truly desire.’
