"HOW DARE YOU?!" A voice, rumbling with rage, echoed out. It sounded both distant and close at the same time.
The Sir's soul, having just left the cursed Hell, froze in place, gripped by a deep terror.
It was a natural reaction. The way prey freezes when it senses a predator watching.
The Sir knew this feeling well. t was the very same feeling he had inspired in thousands of lesser devils… Yet now he was the helpless victim. As if he was nothing more than a common ant, its shell slowly eclipsed by something huge and impossible to understand, like a hand coming down.
He obediently froze in place. Instincts urged him to submit, accept his fate and wait obediently for death.
Resist? Run? It was meaningless.
Everything had already been decided.
He was finished, finally and completely.
Yet, at that moment, a flash of defiance from his will to survive forced him to rebel. In one last desperate attempt to save himself, he resorted to extreme measures: he turned and ran without looking back, caring nothing for his pride.
"LIVE! I WANT TO LIVE!"
The Sir set his own soul ablaze just as it entered the cycle of reincarnation.
He knew this reckless act would have consequences later. But he also knew that without action, there would be no future at all.
His existence would be erased from the world. No redemption, no reincarnation, not even everlasting torment. If this blow struck him, he would vanish from the multiverse forever. Even his memory would be gone.
Unfortunately, his desperate attempt had been doomed from the very beginning.
<BOOM.>
"AAAAAH!" — the Sir howled in pain as he clearly felt his deep essence called into question.
The blow tore his soul apart. All thoughts and feelings vanished, replaced by unbearable pain. It stabbed every part of him, worse than the deepest torments of Hell, the same Hell he had tried so hard to escape.
He was erased. Of the being named the Sir, only a tiny thread of consciousness remained, flung by inertia into the endless void.
The last piece of his soul, formed by terror and the will to survive, held one command: "To survive. To escape to the edge of the world. Never look back. Do anything, anything at all. Just to live…"
Aware of nothing around him, he drifted through the vast void until he was drawn into a kaleidoscope of glowing points.
The rest of the SIr's soul, a tiny entity like a naive child guided by the instinct of survival reached out to the brightest spark.
At that moment, a flash of blinding light shredded everything apart: darkness, silence, space, and even time.
=========
The creature drifted through a dark abyss of shattered memories. He was faintly aware that it existed, but didn’t know who he was or what he might become.
“I… I… I am…” The thought triggered deep inside his mind and then faded, leaving only a weak echo.
His body felt squeezed from every side. Was he even a body? It seemed more like a lump of flesh, hanging by a cord.
Thick, impenetrable darkness surrounded him. A heavy, gel-like substance kept it from moving. The substance appeared to breathe with him, tightening and loosening, as if trying to blend with his odd body.
His mind scattered and faded into the darkness. Only helpless and ancient instinct was left. The last piece of the Sir’s soul had lost all awareness. He could feel, but not think.
He had a wild blend of panic and fear that wouldn’t go away.
Time dragged on with excruciating slowness or perhaps it had stopped altogether.
«He» hoped something would change. Perhaps some of light would come back, even merely a faint glimmer.
But it was useless hope. The darkness stayed endless and uncaring.
Suddenly, something warm and soft slid over his body. The touch was careful and gentle, but in the darkness it felt terrifying. It seemed as if some strange creature was licking him, tasting his skin.
«He» wanted to turn and see what it was, but the darkness gripped him tight, giving him no opportunity to escape.
His fear and uncertainty peaked. Everything inside twisted with terror. In a flood of despair, the last piece of his soul did the only thing he could — he pretended to be dead, as if he didn’t exist at all.
But it didn't help. The warm touches repeated, becoming more insistent, but they didn’t try to harm him.
After what seemed like forever, he tried to move again and this time, he managed it. He was amazed.
Only now did he notice that the small lump of flesh trapping him was changing. Arms and legs were slowly forming, and even a head had appeared. Thinking got a bit easier, but it was still hard…
The darkness trembled...
A strange, unclear sound came from far away, like a call. The voice was soft and almost gentle, but it appeared both too close and incredibly far at once.
Again…
The piece of a soul that had lost his memory still remembered what meant to be afraid. Especially he was afraid of the voice coming from somewhere far away, but at the same time right beside him… Such voice remained a living nightmare for him.
But nothing happened. Silence returned.
Over time, he adapt to his surroundings. When something unclear happens several times in a row without consequences, it stops seeming dangerous, and this sequence of events occurred quite often.
At times he felt timid touches from his “neighbor,” at times he heard a distant, gentle voice. Fear slowly receded. The darkness no longer seemed hostile. It seemed as if it were embracing him. “He” almost relaxed. Nearly believed that everything was fine.
But…
A new change has happend.
A desperate, agonized scream shattered the familiar silence. His body was crushed as if caught in a vise. The “neighbor” he had used to grow vanished in instant. But that was not the worst.
The worst was that he once again felt death drawing near. The neck that had only recently appeared was tightened by a coarse rope.
Panic seized him. The situation demanded firm action.
“Run.” The last bit of his will came alive again.
He gathered his strength and twisted around. In front of him, a faint light shone — barely visible, but desperately desired.
He understood that salvation awaited him there. He lunged toward it, as if nature itself were driving him forward.
The walls around him squeezed and loosened, pushing him toward freedom. The muffled cries grew louder and closer, yet he could not grasp their meaning.
He moved toward a single goal, to escape, to break free, to breathe.
<Pop!>
He felt a sense of weightlessness and freedom.
It had a bit strange, as if he had gained something big but lost something important at the same time.
He didn’t have time to think deeply. Reality demanded his attention.
The suffocating pressure had not vanished, and the light proved far too bright—so bright it burned his eyes even through tightly shut lids.
"The boy got tangled in the umbilical cord! Hurry up, save him!" a woman shouted.
<Slap!>
It hurt! The Great Devil perceived a sharp sting on his backside that almost made him cry, but at the same time, he took his first breath.
For a moment, anger rose inside him. Who dare treat the Lord of Hell like this? But the anger dissipated quickly as he was wrapped in something warm, soft, and incredibly fluffy.
It wasn’t threatening or harsh. It simply loved him.
Too pleasant! As if he had soared into the clouds and was basking among their downy folds.
The newborn instinctively tried to open his eyes. They were heavy as lead, but he managed, and then... froze.
A beautiful woman, about thirty looked at him with sky-blue eyes, as if she wanted to remember his face forever.
Oh, how beautiful she was!
Her face was like a masterpiece shaped by nature itself. Soft white skin reminiscent of ivory. Silvery-white hair fell in gentle waves, shimmering in the light like strands of moonlit silk.
And that most exquisite smile...
For that smile, even the most stoic righteous man would renounce all his vows and commit madness. And that smile was meant for him alone. So tender and happy. So loving and sincere.
Oh, how he wished time would freeze forever at this moment.
He didn’t know who she was, yet he felt an indescribable pull toward her. At a single glance from her, butterflies began to dance in his stomach. Was this love at first sight?
He wanted to speak, but from his unruly-looking mouth came something between a moan and a cry:
“Maaaaaa…”
The sound was almost indistinct, but it delighted the woman. Her smile grew even more tender, and her eyes narrowed into two thin crescents. She carefully drew the infant close and gently kissed his tiny forehead.
When those plump lips pressed against him, he realized what happiness meant. His clumsy body felt extraordinarily light, as if he had become weightless.
“So big. So soft. So nice.” He still dreamed of those full lips when the tender voice brought him back to reality.
“Fufufu, has mommy put another little angel to sleep? No, no, dear, you need to eat first. You want to grow big and healthy, just like your older sister, don’t you?”
He watched her in silence, not understanding the words, but totally captivated by her sound.
As if his silence was answer, the beautiful woman reclined back a bit and lowered her dress.
A large pale pink hill appeared in front of the baby, giving off mild warmth. At the top of the hill was a charming pink altar that beckoned to him.
It was too beautiful to beIt, was too beautiful to believe and was too hard to resist.
He wanted to reach out and claim the object of his desire, but his hands wouldn’t obey. The woman immediately came to his aid, guiding the sacred altar straight to his eager mouth. The moment his lips touched the skin, the world seemed to stand still.
“THIS IS IT! LIFE!” he exulted.
“Well, well, my dear,” the beauty said with a tender smile, “it seems you truly are hungry. My little boy is far bolder than his older sister. Fufufu. Mommy likes that. I’m sure you’ll grow up big and strong.”
The child didn’t know what the beautiful woman was saying. He only knew her voice was lovely, and her milk tasted warm and sweet. What else could anyone want to be happy?
But someone else interrupted the peaceful moment.
Another tiny child was feeding at a similar spot.
“What a heretic! How dare he?!”
The devil sensed a rival. A wave of anger, jealousy, and possessiveness swept over him. He kicked out trying to push away the bold intruder.
But the space between them was too great to cross.
“Fufufu… What a possessive little one you are…” The melodious voice pealed again, like the ringing of silver bells. “Don’t worry, my dear, your older sister won’t take your milk. This lady will make sure to remain impartial…”
He didn’t understand the words, but a small trace of comprehension flickered deep inside him.
“The beautiful woman is my mother, and next to her—my little sister.”
With this realization, his last bits of reason faded away. His will, memories, and pride as the great devil slowly disappeared, such as smoke in the wind. Only a warm, light, almost human calm was left in his chest.
The baby’s eyes closed.
And with this final movement, the Sir vanished. Only a child remained, quietly asleep in his mother’s arms.
Before slipping into oblivion forever, he heard the soothing voice once more:“Welcome to the world, my little ones.”
==============
Don’t forget to leave comments, likes, as well as any other reaction. That way I can figure out if you like my work.