CHAPTER 3

SOFT AS a cloud feeling and a chocolaty scent encouraged Cent to bury herself more to whatever she was holding on to. The uncomfortable weight on her head, which bugged her the moment she stirred from sleep, was not enough to pry herself away from the addicting smell. It was weird for someone as freaky as her. Growing up without the concept of ‘feeling at home, she was not supposed to feel this, yet Cent was feeling rather comfortable while snuggling.

For once in her eighteen years of existence, she did sleep well. To the point wherein she did not want to open her eyes yet. Cent was afraid that she was inside a nightmare. 

Because there is no way, I will be this comfortable in real life. Let’s face it. Life sucks.

Soft touches lulled her back to sleep as if she was being patted on her back. On instinct, Cent buried her face more into the velvety feeling at her side.

“SHE’S ASLEEP again, my lord,” said Gukasho while standing beside the bedpost of his master. The Halfling stuck to Grand Duke like a leech. She did not even know that she was hugging the cruelest demon of the Malevolent world.

Grand Duke Zel brought the newly transitioned Halfling to his estate in the human world. Since the Halfling was unconscious, the Grand Duke brought his daughter to his chambers. Gukasho stared at the Halfling, who was sleeping peacefully. Her newly decorated horns were identical to the Grand Duke Zel’s when the latter was in its demon form. Their horns were long as they slightly bent backward. As the only heir of Beelzebub the Glutton, she was gifted with wings. Her father only had something among all the demons, and as his only child, she was the second demon to have wings.

Gukasho’s attention shifted to his master, who was unmoving like a statue. He could still remember the incident a few hours ago, which almost caused him to faint from a heart attack. It was the moment that the Halfling was being placed atop the enormous bed of his master. She sleepily hugged the Grand Duke, who was busy clipping her newly bestowed wings. He thought that, like him, the Halfling’s head would also roll to the ground. At that exact moment, Gukasho covered his eyes as he waited for the sound of the Halfling’s head rolling. But minutes passed, and no charge rolled, so he snuck a peek. His jaws almost hit the ground upon seeing his great demon master treated as a pillow by a Halfling.

Though his face remained blank, when the Halfling stirred in her sleep, the Grand Duke reluctantly combed her black hair through his right hand. Gukasho thought he was inside a dream, but upon pinching himself, he painfully realized that his master truly treasured the Halfling.

It was scarce for a demon to show affection or exemption to their offspring. They were given the names of the seven sins as their title since they exceeded in delivering that particular sin. And to show this kind of affection for a Halfling, Gukasho could not help but frown.

The Halflings are called for the half-demon children of the demons. Though it was a rare case, most low-level and mid-level demons procreated with another demon. Like goblins, one, or narakas. But in the case of the seven great demons, they could not procreate with a fellow demon. So, they must breed with another species. Today, there were only four living Halflings from the great demon lords. These Halflings would compete, and the winner could fight the current demon king for the throne. Many Halflings perished, yet no one could defeat the demon king, King Lucifer the Prideful.

But this was the first that a Halfling sired by Beelzebub would participate.

“Gukasho.” Duke Zel’s voice was smooth, akin to a young man’s. But Gukasho knew that it was far from the truth.

“Yes, my lord?” His tiny goblin feet walked closer to his master to avoid stirring the Halfling.

“Do not call her a Halfling. She has a name.” Gukasho’s eyes widened. 

Did he read my mind with his ability? “Yes, I did. And it is annoying.”

Gulping loudly, Gukasho did his best to think nothing but the fear of being killed.

WHEN DID I get to have a canopy? Huh? Cent tried to sit up from lying down when her head got stuck in something. “What the hell?” Her fingertips grazed the scaly feeling of her forehead. Cent could feel the form as she traced the scaly extension of her forehead. “What the hell?” She repeated, at a loss for words in how to react.

I know I am weird on many levels, but not this odd! I got freaking horns that can compete with a ram’s! The large and apparent swirls until it elongates upward. Yep, my eighteenth freaky birthday ability is a freaking demonish horn!

“What the hell?” For the third time, Cent uttered those words.

“Uhm, for your information, the Malevolent world or what the human named hell or Nether world is still far away. In fact, we are still within the territory of the human realm.”

Holding her horns to sit up properly as if they would fall from her head, Cent scanned her surrounding for the owner of the guttural voice. She kept looking around but could not see any telltale sign of anyone. “Where are you? And why am I here? Wait, did you see my horns?” And where are my shadows?

“Look down, Half–my lady.”

Instinctively, her eyes met with a purple-colored goblin with red eyes. She wanted to scream and run, but flashes of memories in her dream made her stop. She was indeed familiar with the stature of the creature from her sketches. All she could do was widened her eyes in an attempt to get shocked or scared. But weirdly, she was not afraid even if her mind told her to get nervous.

“What-what are you? I swear I saw your kind in my dreams.”

And many more creatures, but the thing that kept me awake for so many nights was the winged demon.

His red eyes held a knowing gaze that irked Cent. “I am a goblin, my lady. And for the reason why you are here, my lord will be the one to explain to you why.”

Where are my shadows? I can’t feel them or hear them. Is this also because of my birthday? Wait. “What time is it, Mr. Goblin? You found me in the skating rink, right?”

Cent interpreted the goblin’s crooked grin as a smile. “My lady, if I may ask, why are you holding your horn? And yes, my master and I took you from the skating rink after you collapsed.”

Cent bit her lip, feeling embarrassed. “Aren’t they going to fall off? I mean, they feel so heavy. Where’s your master, by the way? Why did he take me, Mr. Goblin? Is he a goblin...like you?” Or is he another type of creature from my dream? Heck, this feels like a dream for me!

Her questions made the goblin uncomfortable for some reason, so Cent shut up, afraid that the goblin’s kindness would drastically turn. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

Cent’s answer was supposed to console the paled-looking goblin, but his slit-shaped eyes widened drastically after she apologized. “Hey, what’s wrong?” What did I do? Is he gonna eat me?

Cent crawled to the gigantic bed’s edge towards the fear-stricken goblin, only to trip when a weight from her back changed her center of balance. “Fuck!” Will my horn protect my head when I fall? Closing her eyes, Cent waited to tumble onto the floor. But a pair of firm cold large hands stopped her shoulder from planking. “Your horn is not made for that, so no.” A deep snob voice of a man answered her internal question as if he had read her mind.

Someone caught me!

Stumbling like a clumsy silly little girl, Cent looked up with her hands on her face from the earlier exhibition. A gorgeous model-like man stared hard at her as if he was also observing her. 

Dude, this one is a giant!

Her eyes met his familiar green eyes. No way! We have the same eyes! Wait. If there are goblins. Cent glanced at the nervous-looking goblin before she looked up at the man still holding her firmly. Maybe I am also related to creatures with green eyes.

In one swoop, the Grand Duke of the Demon World guided Cent to sit properly on the edge of the bed. Gukasho felt that his master needed to be alone in breaking the truth to his daughter, so he slipped from the room, leaving the two staring at each other with wonder.

But Cent did not mind the looming figure standing before her as she flailed her arms when she finally felt the additional attachment at her back. Are these wings? Why do I have wings? Aren’t horns enough oddity? And now a pair of black butterfly-like wings? Who am I now, Mariposa? Dude, shut up!

Her internal panic was interrupted by the obvious clearing of his voice as if he needed my attention which he succeeded in getting. Her wary eyes met his blank ones. For some odd reason, Cent felt that she saw that pair of eyes already and thought that she immediately scratched.

“I don’t know who Mariposa is. But that wings are not butterfly wings. They are a demon’s wings.”

Her jaws hitting the floor, Cent failed to load the information. But one question popped into her chaotic mind. Am I a demon, then? Wait, demons are real? So do angels? And vampires? And werewolves?

“Yes, you are. You are Maleficent the Glutton, the only child of Beelzebub the Glutton. My one and only child.”

Cent could picture her mind going static from information overload. Yup, I am in a dream. Or! I am in a dream within a dream! Or worse, I am dead.

The man who was claiming his father and a demon tilted his head. His eyes were blankly staring at her, which creeped her heck out!

But deep down, her logical side told her that this revelation would make sense of the odd predicament that she had been experiencing ever since she could remember. And now, she got some horns and wings, which would point out her being a demon of some sort. “How can I know that you are my father?”

I mean, with your looks, dude, we have nothing alike except the occasional lime-green eyes.

“Hmmm. I can’t do what humans do to confirm blood relations. But I guess this will do.” Stepping backward, flame with the same colors as his eyes engulfed him. And the man who was once standing before her suddenly turned into a gigantic horned and winged creature. Gone was the gorgeous face, replaced by a feral-looking giant with horns the same as hers and wings identical to hers. Only bigger.

“A demon,” uttered Cent. Instead of feeling scared, she felt at owed while gazing up at the dominant creature she kept seeing in her dreams. 

So you are real.

She hated being the logical type of person, but she could see the brighter side of the situation. In front of her was her long-lost family member. All those times, Cent was not alone. And by looking at the identical features they shared, Cent found hope.

“Are you my father?” Cent whispered as he gazed at the gigantic demon surrounded by infernal flames before her. She stretched her right hand as if her small arms could touch him.

In a blink of an eye, his large callous hand took hers. His fingernails were as sharp as razors. “I am Beelzebub the Glutton, the Grand Duke of the Malevolent World. And I am your father, Maleficent.”

“Then why? Why appear now? Why abandon me? Did I do something wrong? Why?”