Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ A Light Through The Darkness ❯ A Light Through The Darkness ( One-Shot )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Tonight’s moon was discretely elliptical. It poured light down, glistening through the rain. That’s right, it was raining but for some reason the moon was unsheathed from the clouds. As a demon, I consider this a good omen. In all my years, I’ve never witnessed such a night. It was like a light shining through the darkness.

“According to this map I’ve got another ten miles before I reach the next town.” I told myself.

It’s common for me to talk to myself. Demons don’t usually associate with mankind. When and if they do, they have to disguise themselves because we are forever being hunted down, captured, and tortured or locked into deep dungeons. It’s been this way since the beginning of time. However there is a lot of misconception and lies spread through religious teachings. People hear the word demon and instantly think of sinister creatures with sharp claws, weapons, and fangs who deceive and kill humans. While its true some of us have those features, I for one have wings and dark scaly skin with claws, however I’m not in the least bit evil. In fact most demons prefer a solitary eternal life of repent and would never think of fighting or killing if it weren’t for us being hunted down these days. There is more to it though. There is a reason for us being hunted.

Long ago a group of angels sought out to overthrow the kingdom of heaven. It didn’t go as planned and the group of angels were banished from heaven to live on earth as demons with mankind and repent for all eternity. It is said that the leader of the group was sent even beyond earth to what mankind calls hell. It is the worst fate achievable. It’s all so said that should a demon commit another sin on earth, they will receive the same miserable fate as the leader. Sadly, I’m one of those angels that succumbed to those words, that despicable deceiving leader whose name will go unspoken. The name alone is the personification of sin.

That’s only one part of our punishment though. It gets much worse. We lost our title as angels with our banishment and yet we were not to be considered human either. The kingdom decided that we were to be given gruesome physical traits that make us look like monsters. More so, we bring misfortune wherever we go to everyone who gets close to us. To humans, we are considered bad omens.

For the first few centuries we’ve managed to seclude ourselves from the rest of the world, but it was only a matter of time before our presence was discovered on earth. The first of us to kill another human was Leo. His brother was the first to be captured by the humans. He attempted to save his brother and ended up slaying everyone in the small town. His brother had been saved but he was not so fortunate. Heaven learned of his sins and banished him to hell. His brother Macabre, went on a rampage soon after that suffering the same fate.

Over the years, the humans captured many more of us. I’m one of the select few still traveling the road of eternity. We adapted new skills and traits after so many years of being hunted. I’m able to morph my scales and sheath my claws to look perfectly human. The only problem is my eyes and wings. I have to wear an overcoat and dark glasses to conceal the rest of my demon traits.

“Oh… Looks like it’s stopped raining. Still though if it weren’t for the rain I’d of gotten myself captured.” I stated continuing to talk to myself.

A few hours ago I came across a farmland and took shelter in the shack there for some sleep. One of the workers discovered me and the chase began. Normally I’d have flown away but my right wing was still injured from a spear hit the day before. They sent hounds after me but I guess my trail was lost thanks to the rain.

“Ha… The short but sweet sleep was nice though. Haven’t had a good rest in… … Actually I don’t even remember. Still though, my wing hurt a lot and I desperately wanted to go back to resting.”

The wing itself was trying to fill the hole from the spear and repair the tears. It’s weird cause us demons don’t bleed. The pain though assures that the injury is real. I was actually very weak. I hadn’t slept much more then 8 hours in the past five days and I haven’t had a chance to hunt for food since my wing got hit. I’ve been stumbling through this forest for about 3 hours afraid of stopping. There’s no telling if they were still chasing me or not. Too be honest I was on the verge of collapse. The next town was still some distance away. Even then there’s no guarantee my disguise would last till I was fully rested.

“Ahh… So this is it eh? Thousands of years repenting for my sins and today it ends of starvation.” I stated, laughing at myself.

It was hard enough to see through the darkness in this forest without blurry vision. Every now and then I’d see light and hope that there was a place to stay and sleep. It would turn out to be the moon and my eyes playing tricks on me.

“So much for the good omen earlier, “ I stated while gaping at another light source through the darkness assuming it to be another trick. Stumbling forward towards it my right foot hit something hard causing me to tumble down a small hill. I came crashing down into a tree, slamming into it with my back after rolling a couple times. My wing got smashed between my back and the tree causing me to yell out in pain. It felt like one of the bones at the top of the wing had been severed.

“Ughh… Looks like misfortune is getting the best of me tonight. That’s it… I’ve reached my limit. The pain combined with the lack of energy… I ca… … take… it… … … anymore.”

My body went limp and I passed out right then and there. It’s hard to say exactly what had happened after that. I remember coming too at times. I was almost positive I remember coming to at one point in which someone was carrying me on his or her back towards that light source I had seen before falling. The person had a gentle aura about them. It cleansed me of worries as I rested my chin on the left shoulder of my carrier. I came too again at another point inside of a warm room next to a fireplace. My wet clothing had been removed and a spoon was dripping warm vegetable soup into my mouth. My vision was so blurry that it just looked like a ghost spoon feeding me. I couldn’t even tell if it was a human or a demon, male or female. After drinking a little I passed out again.

The angelic voice of a young woman singing awoke me from my slumber. I was unaware of how long I had been sleeping or where I was. It looked like the insides of a log cabin. The bed was extremely comfortable, probably because I had forgotten what a real bed had felt like. After sitting up I realized I wasn’t wearing any clothes and my right ankle had a tarp around it as well. My eyes frantically switched around to my backside. Some wood and a tarp had been used as a splint for my broken wing. I still couldn’t expand it outward but it didn’t hurt the way it was. The spear wound had a healing herb spread over it. What bothered me most was the fact that this human knew that I was a demon. There’s no telling how much longer it would be before hunters came here for me. The splint also bothered me though. Why would a human care for me?

I arose from the bed to find my clothes cleaned and dried hanging from a chair not far from the bed in front of me. After dressing myself I proceeded over to the window in the room. Outside was a young maiden dancing around singing while hanging clothes on a drying line. Her hair was long and a lustrous blond glittering from the morning sun. She was wearing an old styled western blue gown and a straw hat while prancing around seemingly without a care in the world humming her tune. It was a soothing tune, uplifting and harmonious. I was completely entranced by it.

I staggered over to the door where I found a crutch. It had been placed there as if she knew I was going to need it. Apparently my ankle was sprained, it hurt to put pressure on it. Positioning the crutch under my right arm I made my way towards the door of the cabin. It was a very clean cabin. I couldn’t find any pictures of other family or anything else that would relate to another person living here. It eased my feeling of security to say the least but it also arose my curiosity. A lovely maiden like this lives alone in this forest?

Before making it to the door a morning fragrance caught me off guard. The aroma of freshly cooked bacon and eggs lured me into the kitchen. There was a dining table placed in the middle. It was small and only fit 2 people, one on each side. On top of the table was a plate of food and a fork next to it. Needless to say I grabbed the plate and immediately started gorging myself. Her singing began again causing me to look out the nearest window. She was now throwing feed out of a bag for her chickens. On her right was beautifully coated white horse with a blond mane. Resting on her left shoulder was a red robin whistling to her tune. I stood there eating my food with the assumption that if goddesses walked the earth, I was seeing one for the first time.

I noticed her put away the feed and head back towards the door to the cabin after moving the horse to the shed in the backyard. I rushed back over to the chair and sat down as if I didn’t want her to know I was watching. As to why I didn’t want her to know, I can give no answer. It was a weird feeling. I heard the door open and for some reason a shot of fear ran through me. My previous encounters with humans have yielded no kind of friendship so it was only natural.

I witnessed her pass the doorway to the kitchen then backtrack poking her head around the doorway.

“Oh… Good morning, I didn’t know you were awake.” She said as she walked over to the table and sat down.

I was scared stiff… I wanted to talk but I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t even know how to react.

“Relax, My name is Reika… I’ve no interest in turning you over to hunters. I… I cherish all living things. I’ve always been this way.”

I just continued staring into her eyes. They were calm and had a mysterious aura about them. Her silky white hands lay rested on the table in front of her as if provoking me to speak.

“Please… At the very least… Could you tell me your name?” She asked with a perplexed look.

“It’s… …” I managed.

“Yes? … It’s?” She asked prodding it out of me.

“It’s Lynnox. My name is Lynnox.” I blurted.

“Lynnox huh… That’s an interesting name. How about I call you Lyn?” She asked while presenting a smile.

I was blazing with emotions I had never felt before. I didn’t know what to do next or how to react to this maiden at all. Fear was no longer a problem but my inexperience with human interaction was taking its toll.

“Well Lyn I have to go into town today to sell some produce from my garden. Would you like to come?” She asked uncaring of the facts.

I just sat there astonished by this woman. I failed to understand her. It was as if she was pretending I was a human. Why was she hiding her hatred of me. There is no human alive who would walk next to a demon. We bring misfortune to everyone we meet and are considered evil.

“Stop playing games with me. You know I’m a demon do you not?! You also know that just being near me will create problems don’t you? Don’t act like you care about me… I’m a demon, I’ve been tricked by humans before and I wont be lead into a false sense of security this time. Why aren’t you afraid of me! You’ve seen my claws and wings! I could kill you at any second.” I yelled at her across the table.

Her hands shivered as I yelled and her body quivered in fear. Her eyes started shaking. She pressed her arms against her body as if shielding herself resting her chin on top of her closed hands. She closed her eyes and calmed herself.

“I am afraid of you. I’m very afraid, but the better half of me tells me you’re not a monster or a murderer. When I look into your eyes… I see overwhelming loneliness and stress. I can only guess you’ve had nothing but bad encounters with people in the past but please don’t assume all of us are the same. Some of us have the compassion to accept all living creatures… Even… Demons… … Lyn… I bare you no grudge, please… Lend me your trust?” Asked Reika nervously.

She was still slightly shaky. It was obviously her first time dealing with a demon. I looked deep into her eyes but could find no sense of deceit. She appeared to be telling the truth and was actually quite afraid of me. Was it possible that I had actually found a rose shrouded by weeds? Was a human capable of befriending a demon such as myself? I’ve never experienced such emotions before. My mind was rampant.

“You’d willingly place yourself in harms way and suffer the misfortune by befriending a demon such as myself?” I asked bewildered by the woman before me.

“No one can tell the future Lyn. It is not set in stone. By having you as a friend means simply having you as a friend and nothing more… Nothing less…” Was her swift reply.

Her words were strong and her will seemed just as such. I was still clueless as to why she wanted me as a friend but I think a part of me yearned for this situation. Everything she had said about me up to this point was completely true. The thousands of years of avoiding mankind whenever possible has filled me with an indescribable emptiness. It was as if I’ve been searching for someone or something to fill the void.

“Want to visit town with me?” She asked again somewhat hesitantly this time.

“But I might…” I stopped interrupted by her voice of reason.

“You won’t be discovered with me by your side! Lyn… Lend me your trust?” Came the question once again.”

There was a long moment of silence. My instincts were telling me to say no and to start my traveling again but a part of me was holding on to a small glimmer of hope. Hope that this person could fill the void in a lonely demon’s heart.

“Ok… I’ll go with you.”

My reply seemed to come out without my knowledge. Before I knew it Reika had frolicked out of the kitchen and outside to prep a carriage with the horse from the shed. Behind the carriage was an assortment of many kinds of vegetables to be sold in town.

I grabbed the crutch and made my way over to the front door of the house still utterly confounded by my response. I had no idea what I was getting myself into but a part of me was overjoyed. That same part of me was pleading for a day null of misfortune and problems. When I got to the door I found the carriage ready and Reika walking towards me.

“Ahhh! Hey! … What are you doing!?” I asked as she grabbed my crutch and laid it to rest against the wall inside the house beside the doorway. Her left hand supported me momentarily as she released the crutch then grabbed my right arm and wrapped it over her shoulder.

“We can’t have you lugging around that leg with a crutch all day… Can we?” She asked as we walked to the carriage.

She was supporting the right half of my body allowing me to walk unstrained. It was the first time a human had forced my hand. At the carriage she rested me against the side while she jumped on. I was about to try and jump on when her arm came down beside me.

“Need a lift?” Came Reika’s voice poking fun at my gimped ankle.

“Why… Why do you care for me so much?” I asked staring up into her sparkly eyes.

“Because, you’re my friend Lyn, and friends support each other.”

Her response sent a new emotion through me, intense yet not overpowering, a sense of pure bliss and harmony. It was as if all my worries and fears had been swept away by this woman as the carriage took off towards town. I was about to enter a place where there could be literally hundreds of people but for some reason I was unafraid. I was now placing every last bit of my trust into the soft white hand that was now clasping mine and the head now resting against my shoulder.

“Reika… … You have my trust.” I whispered into her ear as our carriage headed towards the sun down the dusty trail.

~fin.


Thanks for reading my short story… I had wanted to write this little thing for a while now and decided to just go with it. It was just a short story idea, which I didn’t really have any plans to delve further into. I imagine though that some people would be disappointed by this kind of ending. I’m already writing another story but if this little story got enough interest and a few readers who really like it asked me (I’d rather not waste time delving into a storyline for this unless people would like to read more obviously) then I’d probably find some form of a basis to continue the storyline off of for the readers who liked it and want more. I don’t do lemon though so please don’t ask. I don’t mind hinting and some explicit content but nothing in depth. I write for the people that enjoy my work not just for myself so if they want more then I’ll write more! For now though, this will remain a short story.