Civilization

Bursting out in laughter, Fierna throws her head back, gripping my ankles tighter as she starts to grip her exposed stomach with her other hand. Her laughter rings within the abyss and a nervous tension instill as Devel and Ian back off from one another to observe the situation. The cracks along the walls and floor strobe alongside her laughter, slowly calming down as she does as well.

Wiping away a tear from her eyes, Fierna pulls me up high until our eyes were leveled. Staring into her glittering black eyes as they become crescents, I nervously gulp down what little saliva I had left in my mouth as her lips slightly parted, revealing her rose-colored tongue. Dispersing the flame blade in her hand, she starts to caress my head with her free head bringing her mouth towards mine.

"Do you think I would just form a contract with anyone?" - Fierna

"No. Not at all but I can give you what you want." - Kingston

"Oh, and what is it that I want? Do you even know?" - Fierna

"Umm… No, I don't know what you want, but I can do my best to give it to you nonetheless. I have a reputation of being one of the most trusting people in my friend group." - Kingston

Giggling in front of me, Fierna brings her head around to my right side. Letting out a slight breath near my ear, sending a wave of tingling throughout my body, she softly nibbles on the edges. The feeling of her sharp teeth softly touching my ear was something I hadn't felt before as my eyes stare at hers as she glances over. Speaking right next to my ear, her alluring voice echoes in my head.

"You are such a weak little insect, yet you have a very interesting mouth. How about I look inside you for a second, and see what it is that makes you, you." - Fierna

"Wait, what are you-" - Kingston

Bringing her head back up, she presses her lips against mine. A warm soft touch envelopes my lips and by surprise, I try to jerk my head back only to feel her hand behind my neck. Twirling around my tongue with hers, I start to feel drowsy, my eyelids bat multiple times as a wave of fatigue washes over me. Separating our lips, and with the last sliver of consciousness, I catch a glimpse of purple smoke escaping Fierna's mouth, as she smiles, watching me close my eyes.

.....................

Snapping my eyes open, I glance around. White space surrounds me but looking closer I see two figures in the distance, both standing not too far apart, seeming like they were in mid-conversation. Stepping towards them, I notice them turn their bodies to me only for their faces to be blurred. Squinting and rubbing my eyes, I try to look closer only for them to disappear and the white space turning into a fiery hell.

Yelling in surprise, I jump back dodging the flames as they burst toward me. They crackle and spit out embers as they burn all around me but to my surprise, I couldn't feel the heat from the flames at all. It was as if they were just taunting me.

"Well, of course, you don't feel any heat. They aren't real." - Belial

Turning around, I notice Belial floating as if he was sitting on a chair behind me. He had a bored expression on his face as he points over my shoulder.




"Maybe you should look over there. We have a guest." - Belial

"What? Where are we?" - Kingston
Moving in the direction of Belal's finger, I question him in a frustrated tone but once I notice who was in front of me, I closed my mouth instantly. Walking through the scarlet flames, Fierna can be seen in her scandalous purple flame clothing. As she passes through them, the flames change from scarlet to purple until she stops in front of me. The surrounding space had been turned into a sea of scarlet and purple flames, splitting in the middle where we stood.

"I'm surprised. Why is this inside of your mind? Usually, people have memories of their loved ones or a memory that they treasure." - Fierna

"To be honest, I have no idea where I am." - Kingston

"Are you serious? Or are you just dumb? This is the place where we made our contract." - Belial

"OHHHHHH! Right, yea. Still don't know why this is here." - Kingston

"This dumbass… Fierna, can you see me?" - Belial

"I can. Who or what are you? I have been curious about this place as these flames feel like mine, with their color being the only difference. Tell me, what you know." - Fierna

"Belial, you do the talking. I got no clue what she wants to know." - Kingston

Letting out a long sigh, Belial steps down, walked next to me, and stood in front of Fierna. His towering figure looms over her as he looks down slightly to meet her eyes.

"This place is a shared space between me and Kingston. What you went into wasn't his mind but here instead. Protecting his mind is the place where I stay while I am contracted with him. You can say this is my home, and what I want to do with it is my choice, for example, the flames you see are my flames. They have only changed color to match yours because I made them change color." - Belial

"I find that quite false, I'm sure these are my flames and you still haven't told me your name or what you are." - Fierna

"I was getting to that. You are still as impatient as ever, Fierna." - Belial

"Don't act as if you know me. This is the first time I am meeting you after all. I don't need you to lecture me on what I want to do." - Fierna

"Oh, but I do know you." - Belial

Dashing forward, Belial grabs onto Feirna's neck and lifts her. Surprised by the sudden movement, she was unable to dodge and could only struggle helplessly in their air as she tries to form her flame sword. I could see purple flames forming around her palm but they were unable to collect together and ended up only spirling around her wrists.

"See? You don't control anything here. It was a mistake to come here but a blessing for us. Right, you wanted to know who I am? I am your father, Belial, Hell's Bright Flame, and the 68th Demon of the Ars Goetia, and you? You are nothing but my ungrateful daughter who left home only to be turned into a slave for the Reaper. A disappointment. That's who you are. Do you think your master is going to save you?" - Belial

"I. Don't. Have. A. Father." - Fierna

"So where do you think you were born? From that Heart that is above us, at the top of the Abyss? Do you think the Reaper made you? Do you think you are a creation?" - Belial

"... I. Don't. Know. Let. Go. Of. ME!" - Fierna

Bursting in flames, Fierna escapes Belial's grasp. Her body is enveloped in a thick layer of fire as her eyes burn with rage. She stares daggers into Belial who nonchalantly, shakes his wrists brushing the flames off him. Screaming, she flies toward him coating her fists with her flames creating a ball of fire but with a snap of his fingers Belial, transports all of us into a different environment, canceling Fierna's skill at the same time.

Below my feet are burnt dirt with cracks along the ground that show an ocean of magma underneath. Pillars of obsidian connect the ground to the ceiling, glistening brightly as the light from the magma shines against the exterior. Belial walks away from the both of us toward a small crib made out of obsidian, inside it is a baby demon girl, with horns similar to Fierna's and a cheeky smile much like hers as well.

"This is Fierna isn't it?" - Kingston

"I guess you can use your eyes, Kingston. Yes, you are correct. This Feirna when she was only 1 week old. She didn't like staying inside the house so I made a crib near a pool of magma. Her smile and laughter as geysers of magma fly into the sky was one of the most precious scenes in my life." - Belial

"Uhh… Right. Because geysers and magma are safe for children but yes, go on." - Kingston

"This. This is not me. You must be lying. This has to be an illusion of some sort. Why can't I get out of your mind, boy? What have you done?" - Fierna

"He has done nothing. The moment you went here, you already lost but I was surprised that you were even capable to enter the minds of others. You weren't able to do it before, so I guess you did learn something while you were gone." - Belial

"I don't understand. The first memory I have is bowing my head to my master. There is no way any of this is real. I refuse to believe it." - Fierna

"Believe it or not. This is fact and what you have experienced is fiction. I believe someone played with your memories and your mind. So, let me help you." - Belial

Disappearing from the crib, Belial appears in front of Fierna once more, grabbing her head this time. Scarlet flames forms around his shoulders, creeping down toward Fierna as she starts to struggle, hitting Belial's arm and screaming at the top of her lungs. The piercing scream hurts my ears as I cover them with my hands as I watch the scene play out, with a slightly agape mouth.

Belial's flames slowly circle Fierna's skull, drifting closer and closer to her before forcefully entering her via her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. The flames intensify as Belial grips Fierna's head harder, showcasing the many veins along his arms. With muffled screams, Fierna could no longer struggle as the flames violate her skull and insides. Even the flames that were covering her body were expelled, revealing her beautiful slender figure.

Moments later, Belial releases his grip and the flames escape quickly out of their respective hole, leaving an exhausted Fierna on the ground. Her eyes are unfocused as they wander around, similar to the movements of her arms and legs. They were like jelly as she spread them out and feels around the ground. Mumbling and incoherent words escape her lips as she tries to talk, moving her head toward Belial, who looks over her with a slightly disgusted expression.

"W-Whe-Where a-am I?" - Fierna

"Have you come to, Fierna? What are you thinking about right now?" - Belial

"F-F-Father? W-W-What?" - Fierna

"Oh, you cured her. How come you couldn't do that outside?" - Kingston

"It doesn't work like that, Kingston. Like I said before we were lucky she came here in the first place. Otherwise, I have no idea how we were going to have a proper conversation with her if we couldn't talk. Yes, dear. Your father is here." - Belial

"Father?" - Fierna

Spinning around on the ground she holds her head tightly in pain as she glances over me and looks at Belial. Taking a few moments to register what was happening, she ends up sighing and banging her head to the ground.

"Damnit. I screwed up, didn't I? Hi, father…" - Fierna