188 Accept who you are (1/2)

When she first entered into the dark void, the glimpse of all the souls merely managed to annoy her a little for getting in the way of her search, but after getting a small contact with her locked emotions, just the sound of their voice was enough to send shivers all over her body.

She didn't even know what she was afraid of.

Was she afraid that dealing with the souls again would trigger her regret and make her body turn into a demon? Afraid that she couldn't bear the guilt of all her crimes and start hating herself? Or perhaps, and this was a thought that has been on the back of her mind for a while now, was she afraid that even with her sentiments back, she would still feel nothing? That maybe the reason she did all these horrible things wasn't because of the seal North placed in her, but because she simply was a horrible person?

”Huff... Huff...” Mia whispered while gasping for air after running so much. She still didn't know how her projection could feel tired. Maybe her image was reflecting the memories of when she used to feel before getting cursed. If that was the case, why would she still remember something from centuries ago?

Mia's head was turning into a mess. She no longer knew what emotions were hers, Evlin's, or maybe just her brain trying to pretend to still remember what feeling emotions even was like.

”Emotions, no emotions, fake emotions, Evlin's emotions... Ugh!!!! I can't stand this anymore!!!” she cried while smacking her fist against the black floor of the dark void, ”why can't this existence just meet an end already and free me????”

”You seem frustrated...” whispered a female voice coming above her head.

”Evlin!??” Mia asked while raising her head with hopeful eyes, only to be disappointed by who she saw, a green girl with a dreadlock hairstyle made of vines instead of hair and tentacle-like vines where her legs should be, ”oh... It's you...”

”Interesting...” Drya replied while looking down on Mia, ”so the first person you were hoping to see was the stick-girl... My, my, how the mighty have fallen... Did you two become besties during your short time together or something?”

Mia then stood up while glaring at Drya, still irritated from being locked into the dark void by her.

”So... How are you feeling right now?” Drya asked while giving a small grin.

”Why does everyone keeps asking me that?? Is this some new way you guys found to mock me? Making fun of my condition??”

”Condition? Interesting choice of words... Are you by any chance thinking that you are the victim of this story? Just because daddy said he didn't love you and mommy said she didn't want you?”

Mia averted her face while frowning her eyes and mouth as if she had just tasted a cup of strong lemon juice.

”Shut up!! I know what I've done... I know what my position is...” Mia replied while trying and failing to smack Drya.

”See... here's the thing...” Drya started while getting behind Mia and playing with her ponytails, ”I don't think you do...”

”What...??”

”I think... That part of you wanted to have given up on yourself... Wanted to believe that you were aware of how horrible the things you did were... Wanted to actually think that you were the big bad dragon of the story... But when in truth... Another part, a very, very tiny, small part was secretly telling to yourself...”

Drya then grabbed Mia's face and brought it closer so she could whisper into her ear.

”I'm not bad... Just misunderstood... I'm just in pain... I'm just alone...”

Mia grabbed Drya and threw her against the ground, but instead of shivering in pain, the plant demons just began to laugh like a child.

”You're crazy!!” Mia shouted.

”Am I!!??” Drya repeated, ”then let's do a little recap... You killed your father when you were just twelve... and brainwashed all your family by using spirits to possess their bodies...”

”That doesn't count, they were horrible, they deserved that...”

”Right...” Drya smirked and continued, ”then... you spent the next two hundred years just killing anyone that annoyed you, just to see if they could trigger some kind of reaction... Which, I'll remind you, it never did...”

”...”

”After that, you found a poor boy who was lost and just wanted some company, and decided to pretend to be his friend...” Drya then made a small pause, ”or maybe YOU wanted to be his friend... but was too afraid of getting too close thinking how he would react when he found out about your past...?”

”...”

”And after that... You decided to lock your eyes on poor little stick-girl and her family by constantly tormenting all of them, over, and over, and over again... all in the hopes that SHE would be the one to release you from your...” Drya then placed the back of her hand on her forehead and tilted her head back as if she was an actress, ”horrible torment!!”

”What's your point!!???” Mia questioned with fury in her eyes.

”The POINT...” Drya answered while poking Mia in the head, ”is that YOU are getting annoyed by me listing all of your crimes... And true bad guys...” Drya then raised her finger and kept poking Mia for each following word she said, ”Don't. Feel. Bad. About. Their. Crimes!!”

Mia finally had enough and just slapped her hand away, ”you think I don't know what I did?? Who I am?? You think I'm doubting myself??”

Drya then used her vines to wrap Mia completely and made her fall on the ground.

”Ugh!!”

”That's exactly... What I think...” the plant girl admitted.

Mia tried to free herself but the demon just stepped on her.