Chapter 1: Demon of changes
The pitch-black place housed a solitary coffin. Words were etched into its lid, but beneath the cruelty of time, those words had withered away. Suddenly, the lid of the coffin started leaking a black ooze.
As if he had always been there, a gaunt young man stood right beside the coffin. His bones showed as if he were severely malnourished, with Grey eyes and Salt and Pepper hair with Warm Tones of golden .
"I'm finally out. Bahaha! They thought they captured me forever, but fuck you, God Apostle! The Lord of Darkness is back."
The Lord of Darkness kicked the heavy coffin. As soon as his leg struck it, the entire coffin shattered into splinters and shot against the wall.
"Though my powers are weak, I'll recover them by consuming some human life."
In a peaceful town, on a small road, a bus could be seen traveling to the next station. Inside the nearly empty bus, beside the driver, sat a tall, pale girl. She looked out the window, earphones resting in her ears.
Ahh, I forgot Mom told me to bring meatloaf, she realized. I don't stop at this station.
The girl hurriedly grabbed her things, stuffed them inside a small bag, and quickly ran toward the "Stop at Station" button.
Noticing the sudden request, the driver slowly braked the bus as the station arrived.
"Thank you," she said to the driver.
"You're welcome," the driver replied, adjusting his hat for the young lady.
Soon, Eri made her way through the crowded road toward her mom's favorite supermarket, known for selling fresh meatloaf. As she navigated the town, Eri watched the small festival underway. Kids could be seen dancing with the festival performers.
"Ahh, I really love the Matsuri in my town. I wish I could stay and watch the Hanabi show, too." Eri quickly left the crowded street for a smaller, desolate road devoid of life. "Weird, this road is usually bustling with people. Ahh, right... the festival must be the reason."
She soon found the small supermarket run by a local family. She looked at the board which read, "Welcome to Hirotaka Supermarket." Before she could move inside the building, she heard a faint cry coming from near the post box just beside the shop.
Thinking it was a lost child, Eri walked toward the post box. "Hmm, weird. The town rarely has lost kids. People are usually so helpful. Sigh, the festival isn't so important that you leave your kid behind."
She quickly made her way over, but looking right beside the post box, there was nothing there. However, the faint cry grew louder—it was coming from the alley.
"Okay, the kid must've gotten lost in the alley. Poor kid."
Eri wandered into the alley looking for the child. She found a small boy sprawled on the street, hugging his knees and crying.
"It's Mr. Hirotaka's son. Hey, Nariyuki. What happened? Why are you crying? Where is your mother?"
The kid looked up with horror in his eyes. "Si-sis-sister... Mom... he-he-help Mom, please!"
Eri immediately understood this was far bigger than it looked.
"Yuki, first, stop crying. Tell me what happened."
Nariyuki started to explain how a weird man had gotten inside the shop and began eating various foods without permission. When his mother tried to stop him, the man slapped her. She hit the wall behind her and fell unconscious. Thinking the worst, Nariyuki ran away from the scene and had been sitting in the alley ever since.
Understanding the gravity of the scenario, Eri quickly called the police.
"Hello, Police? I'd like to report a thief who attacked the owners of the Hirotaka Supermarket."
The police, who rarely heard about violent crimes in this small town, hastily made their way toward the scene. Soon, a police cruiser parked just outside the alley. Two tall men stepped out of the car and came straight toward them.
"Are you two okay? You didn't hear any screams, right?"
Eri calmly explained the situation to the officers.
"Okay, we'll both make our way inside the building and apprehend the suspect. If it weren't for the festival, a bigger team would be here."
The police officers spoke to each other briefly, flicked the safety off their guns, and started moving into the supermarket through the back door.
Eri hugged Nariyuki. "Don't worry, Nariyuki. The police uncles will capture the guy, and your mom will be fine."
The kid hugged Eri back tightly, still crying. Eri strained to listen to what was going on inside.
Then, gunshots rang out.
Eri waited for the police officers to come outside and explain the situation, but no one came.
"Huh, weird. It's been almost 15 minutes. Could they be making a report of the incident?"
Eri made Nariyuki sit in the corner of the alley and cautiously wandered inside the supermarket, knowing she couldn't just stay outside the whole day. Inside, the supermarket was a mess. The aisles had food scattered all over the ground.
It's like a monster came inside and ate everything.
Eri quickly moved toward the front counter, where she could see a police officer standing. Thinking he was making a report, she stepped toward him.
"Sir, is everything fine? I heard gunshots. Sir—"
What met Eri's eyes was a dead man standing. A massive black rod had been embedded from his shoulder down to his leg, pinning him to the floor while keeping his corpse upright. Horrified, Eri spun around toward the back exit.
"Not so fast, little Ether."
Eri stopped, feeling as though the life had been sucked right out of her. Fearing the worst, she looked behind her, praying it was just the second officer.
*** In front of me stands this girl who looks exactly like my commander from when I ruled the Death Region, Azazel thought. Could they have hidden in plain sight to stop themselves from getting hunted? Feeling the joy of being reunited with someone who felt like family, the Shadow Lord spoke.
"Ether, you don't even know how happy I am to find you here in this garbage place. I couldn't find the others. These humans have lost their mana, and I couldn't even trace yours or anyone else's mana signatures."
Azazel noticed Ether looking at him with doubt. Wanting to prove himself, the Shadow Lord quickly closed the distance and embraced her in a kiss—after all, Ether was his wife. He thought she would recognize his touch, but she violently pushed him away.
"Who the fuck do you think you are, kissing me out of nowhere? Just because I'm scared, you think I'll let you have your way with me? Over my dead body!"
Azazel looked at her in absolute confusion. "Wh-wh-what are you talking about, Ether? I'm Azazel. Your husband."
Eri, with pure fury in her eyes, spoke through gritted teeth. "Shut it, you pervert."
Azazel pleaded with her to listen. "Please, Ether. I was all alone for thousands of years. Now that I'm out, you're doing this to me?"
*** Eri stared at the man on the floor.
What the fuck, what the fuck? Who is this psycho kissing me and calling me his wife? Is he imagining shit?
Resolving herself to the reality of the situation, Eri decided she had to placate this man so she could either run away or file a police complaint later. The shop's cameras might still be recording, and she didn't have a weapon to protect her life or her chastity.
"Look, I don't want to call the police. Let's just say this never happened. I never came inside the store, and I only heard gunshots and called for more police. You should just run away."
Eri pleaded internally, watching the man currently sprawled on the floor.
"Ether, please listen to me. Please."
Azazel stood up and touched Eri's face. Feeling goosebumps erupt across her skin, she scrambled backward. Azazel looked at her, entirely broken, as if she had sucked the soul right out of him.
Before Azazel could try to touch her again, Eri heard the back door open. Nariyuki made his way inside, crying.
"Sis-sister, please! I'll help you!"
Eri looked at Nariyuki, terrified the man might harm him, and immediately pulled the boy into a protective hug.
Azazel quietly looked at them, his eyes shattered. "Ether... why? Why?" he mumbled to himself.
Nariyuki then grabbed Eri with his small hands and moved her behind him. "D-d-do-don't touch bi-bi-big sister!"
Azazel, with his broken eyes, stepped forward and casually swatted his hand at Nariyuki.
Thinking the man had gone mad for hitting a small kid, Eri looked down to comfort Nariyuki—but he was nowhere to be seen.
"He-he was just sta-sta-standing here. Whe-where did he go?"
She frantically looked for Nariyuki. Then, her eyes fell upon the wall next to her. It was painted red with fresh, wet paint.
"It's dripping."
Eri lost her balance, dropping to the floor, her bladder giving out in pure, unfiltered terror.
Azazel, thinking his wife was simply scared of the situation, embraced her. "Ether, don't worry. I'm here. No one will disturb us now."
Too shocked to do anything, paralyzed by the sight of Nariyuki dying like a swatted fly, Eri simply let Azazel touch her and kiss her, again and again.
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Author note
( WOW this was quick story yeah i liked the idea of ruthless mc or Antagonist and a girl/Fmc who'll try to make him a humans again
'or will she' but azazel would azazel accept the changes and change into something I don't think 'or will he ?'
Damn watched too much Vsauce
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Well lol again thanks for reading my rant again will be back with something or maybe second chapter of curse of changes, anyways thanks for reading if you have any issue dm me at instagram at @veil.cosplay or Yato Kami,
Yato out 👻)