Destroy your first piece of land, even if it belongs to your god

“...”

As I reached the location I had left my friends at, I was left speechless.

“Hey, Ellie! Where are you going?! Ellieeee!”

Even though Felly had previously looked like a half-dead zombie, trembling in a crouched position while leaning on a wall, her eyes closed forcefully as she cried herself into despair, as if suddenly given the strength to reach up from hell itself, she jumped forward and latched herself upon my leg.

“Ellie…”

As I looked down, I saw her tear and snot filled face starting up at me with her watery eyes begging. I could only sigh tiredly and say, “Fine, let’s get out of here together. But…are you the only one awake?”

Looking around, I saw what used to be the vestiges of a building. Everything was turned to rubble now, and there were three bodies lying lifelessly around the mess…Ezekiel with his wound still gushing out some blood from the hard muscles of his abdomen…his mouth wide open and drooling as he lay with a stupid expression. Should I just leave him?

Having my mood turned a bit sour, I looked around some more and saw Felyn in the same position she had fainted in and Angie…passed out with a body full of scratch marks. I’m really afraid of knowing whether that was due to the “ghost” or…I looked back down at the girl who now showed a blessed and thankful tear-streaked expression and shivered. Let’s not think about it…haha…

“Okay! You take the stray dog.”

Quickly shaking Felly off, I took Angie by the arm and started dragging her out of the building, ignoring Felly shocked “Eh?!” and not minding that I was probably creating even more scratches on Angie’s skin…It’s not like she will know I did them, right? Haha…

However, I still paused and looked back. Should I do something about that…? The mini tornado that was destroying the building in its humanoid shape was still wreaking havoc across the large 13th building and turning even more sturdy walls into rubble. It looks like that spell was a little stronger than I expected…? Haha…Well, at least it did its job, seeing as the fake ghost is gone! I’ll just go…

“…You, you’re surprisingly strong, aren’t you?”

“Eh…?”

Felly looked a bit taken aback as she finished throwing Ezekiel over her back, but then just gave me a shy smile.

At least look tired! So scary…and she was the only one left conscious amidst that deadly spell too! Geh…Remind me not to anger her…

***

The next day, all the boys in school were complaining of how they lost all their money and couldn’t even afford the lunch they normally gobbled down before practice. Instead, they could only practice extra hard on the field bellow with tear streaked faces to try and forget their sorry predicament. Looking out the window, I cursed internally. And all that money could have belonged to me too! Damn that stupid dragon…If only…ah! I could always teach it to steal without eating…?

“Um…Ellie…you look scary again…what’s wrong?”

I quickly turned around to face Angie, “Something wrong? No such thing! Can’t you see the sun burning extra bright today?”

“Now your smile is too blinding…”

“As expected of Ellie! A change in expression too fast to keep up! Ha-ha!”

“…”

I could only glare. Don’t make fun of my happiness!

But looking at Angie, I couldn’t help but feel a twang of guilt. She really looks all haggard and her skin is basically covered in bandages. But…I looked towards the shyly smiling Felly. It wasn’t all my fault!

“Huh? Ellie, are you okay?”

The bandaged Angie looked worriedly at me as I leaned forward dizzily, grabbing on to a chair to steady myself, “Yeah…I’m fine…”

However, inside I was very confused. What was that feeling just now…?

Even though I had decided to ignore it, and blamed it on lack of sleep, no matter how extra I slept I was feeling worse day by day. It was gradual and barely noticeable, but I was feeling dizzy more and more until finally…

“What…is this…?”

I looked down at my hand in shock.

“Oi, do you really have to do that every time you see me?!”

Felyn looked as pissed and fierce as always, her claw-like nails clenching extra hard on the boy’s shoulder as if to mark him as hers. When he was about to turn back to face me, she forcefully grabbed his chin and yelled, “Don’t you dare! Only look at me, got it?!”

A bit taken aback by her sudden fierce attitude which contrasted with the sickingly sweet one she had probably used to seduce him earlier, the boy simply nodded obediently and Felyn smiled sweetly. I, in turn, took this opportunity to escape.

“Hey! Don’t just leave like that!”

Ignoring her snappy remarks as I ran for my life, I glanced down at my once pale hand – now covered in a bright red blood. This was definitely not nothing.

“Ah, ah ~ So even you can look scared? What a surprise! Ha-ha-ha!”

I quickly glanced up on instinct, but the hallway was just as empty as before. No matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t see anyone in sight.

“It’s no use. I’m not there after all.”

My face hardened as I recognized the voice, “You…”

Even I could feel the venom in my voice and was taken aback. However, the “god” simply laughed mischievously while exclaiming, “Bingo! It’s me – the most beautiful, lovely, noble, and powerful – god of Darkness!!”

“That’s too long!”

“You might want to reconsider answering me out loud…what if someone walks by and sees you talking to yourself? That wouldn’t be good, would it? Ha-ha-ha!”

The more he laughed, the more irritated I become, because I had finally made the connection between my strange illness and this…thing.

“Hey! Don’t call me a thing! Can’t you see I’m a noble and beautiful god?”

I can’t even see you, stupid! Quickly fix what you’ve done!

“Ha?! Who are you calling stupid?! I’m the-”

Ah, shut up! I’ve heard it a million times already. Now, quickly take responsibility and fix this situation! I’m coughing up blood, damn it!

“Ah…Ellie…are you okay?”

Felly looked a bit uncertain and confused as she looked up to me, and I realized my expression must have been really weird and angry right then. Quickly hiding my bloody hand behind my back, I hoped my crazed expression had been enough to distract her from it.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

I reassured her and smiled brightly, but inside I could hear that stupid god laughing at me and it was hard to concentrate, “Hey, I actually have to go somewhere before class, so you can go before me. See you later?”

Felly still looked a bit unsure, but after struggling with herself a bit, she finally decided to leave, looking back at me with a worried expression from now and then. When she was finally out of sight, I let out a sigh of relief.

“Wow, you’re really good at hiding what you think behind that smile! What other kinds of dark thoughts do you have while smiling brightly like that?”

Ones about strangling you…

“Hey! I heard that!”

Whatever! So, what do you plan on doing, huh? You just gonna let your Ciel die?

I suddenly shivered as I somehow felt him smirk, becoming afraid of knowing the answer to that question even though I had asked it so desperately.

“No ~ Of course not. Though actually, that has been a problem throughout the years...Every single Ciel I choose just goes and dies on me leaving all the work for me! Sigh…It’s really quite troubling.”

Hearing a god talk about human and others’ death as if they were nothing but a simple inconvenience was quite unnerving. Even something like me who only cared about money had a conscience! Leaving my life in the hands of such a person was…

So…I’m just gonna die like the others? I’m gonna cough, cough, and cough, until I fall dead?

“Ha-ha-ha! Don’t you always cough anyways? And it’s not that simple, like an illness. It’s just that the power of darkness is really similar to the power of death, and so most host bodies can’t sustain having the giant power in their bodies for long. Ah, but don’t worry! If it’s you, I’m sure it will work out and you won’t die, just slowly edging towards a life form that is more like death itself. I did make the restriction for my Ciel selection very tough this time, after all! Which resulted in my staying in that dusty room alone for so long…sigh…”

You really like talking a lot, don’t you? And that doesn’t clear any worries at all!

“Whatever. I’m busy. You won’t die anyway, so don’t worry. Bye ~”

Oi, come back! Hey, stupid God! Tch… No matter how much I called, he wouldn’t answer. And so, feeling like I would get no help from the stupid god who chose me as his Ciel, I felt like I had to take matters into my own hands. Quickly, I stomped down the hallways with a purpose, knowing exactly where I was going.