by Albert Oon
Lily – We’ll make Siri-senpai proud. We have enough time to train people to be as strong as us. I know we can do it, Maggie. What do you say?
*Maggie smiles and pets her sister’s face. Taking this as a yes, Lily smiles while being completely unaware of what happens next. Maggie uses her powers that she got from her mother to crush Lily’s skull and force the two to merge into a single being, Maxi. Maxi has white skin with two mouths as her hair, mouths where her boobs are, and a large mouth where her crotch is. She’s completely naked the way she is except for the strings on her arms, waist, and legs, which cover nothing. Her toes and heel have become sharpened like knives and her belly button has become a bleeding eye. Maxi is completely controlled by an enraged Maggie while Lily’s soul lies dormant within their body. Maggie’s sword had become a larger sword than Mali’s and is more “awake” than it with a large red eye in the center of it.
Maxi smiles with her sharp teeth and screams an almost inhuman yell at the demons and their minions*
Hokori – This is interesting. You have become a perversion of you and your sister’s combined form. Might you want to join us?
*Maxi smiles then leaps at Hokori and slices him in half. The demons and their minions recoil in shock before attacking Maxi. They are no match for her rage and strength as her added mouths both defend and attack the enemies around her. After several other demons fall, some of their minions retreat in fear. Those that do this melt from the inside. All of Maggie’s enemies fall before her within ten minutes. The parts of the city she fought in are heavily damaged with civilian casualties since Maxi’s blade cut through buildings and whatever was around her.
After calming down and seeing the damage she caused, Maxi’s form is broken apart. The rage holding in Lily’s soul is broken, which frees Lily soul from Maggie’s body. Maggie is conscious again, but her body isn’t completely put back to normal. Her skin is whiter than normal and has teeth in her chest and legs where the mouths once were. Her clothes haven’t reappeared back on her body either. Along with that, half of her hair is black with strands of dark pink while the other half is black with strands of dark red. One of her eyes is pink while the other is red*
Maggie – What…what did I do?
*As the realization finally hits her, Maggie flees the city and lays down under a tree as it rains. She pulls out the teeth that are in her body as she thinks about what she’s done*
Maggie – I’m so sorry, Lily. I should’ve appreciated you more. I should’ve trusted you. I may have defeated all of the demons and saved the city, but I killed so many people. Caused so much destruction. If I had listened to you, there won’t have been as many causalities. I’m sorry, Lily! Forgive me!
*Maggie begins to feel a presence hold her. Lily fades into sight as a specter*
Lily – I forgive you, Maggie, but you must make up for what you’ve done. You have a whole life ahead of you. A life that’s filled with choice, love, and friends to make. That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?
Maggie – I…I lost you. You were the only one who knows what I’ve been through and who’s supported me through it all.
Lily – I’m happy that you finally see that. I’ll be praying for you, Maggie. I hope you enjoy what you wished for.
Maggie – Wait!
*Maggie reaches out to Lily as she fades away into the afterlife. She cries over the loss of her sister for hours. Once she feels ready to move on, she makes a makeshift outfit out of all the teeth she pulled out of her and begins walking deeper into the forest hoping to find some enjoyment in the life she’s always wanted*
Epilogue – Promises Kept
*Maggie has been walking for hours now in the rain with regret in her heart even though she hopes for a better future. The area around her becomes more noticeably darker until she finds herself in complete darkness with nothing around her. She takes out her sword and cautiously walks around until she decides to put her sword away*
Maggie – I don’t care what happens. If I’m going to die, then I’ll let it happen.
*Suddenly, a figure comes into view. It’s a man with a red hoodie, black pants, black hair, and black empty eyes. His skin isn’t as light as hers though it does appear to be pale*
Maggie – Who are you?
Kyle – My name is Kyle. Some call me Kyle the Cosmic Comic Hero.
Maggie – I’m-
Kyle – I know who you are. You’re Maggie the Manga Maniac.
Maggie – Manga Maniac? No one ever called me that. Not even my sister.
Kyle – It’s your title for your book.
Maggie – What are you talking about?
Kyle – I’m guessing you aren’t a fourth wall breaking character like me. Seeing as how we’re meeting, you’re who Albert promised me.
Maggie – Who?
Kyle – The writer who created you.
Maggie – You mean God?
Kyle – Hahaha! Hardly.
Maggie – I don’t understand anything you’re saying.
Kyle – I don’t expect you to. I’ll explain everything to you after this.
Maggie – After what?
Kyle – Will you be my girlfriend?
*Maggie’s face becomes blush red*
Maggie – Huh?! What?! Why are you asking that? You don’t even know me.
Kyle – I know everything about you. I read your story from beginning to end.
Maggie – Prove it.
Kyle – I know about you killing your mother over and over again. I know about “Maxi”. I know that you killed your sister because you were selfish.
Maggie – How do you know this?
Kyle – I told you. I read your story.
Maggie – So I really am a character in a book.
Kyle – Now you get it.
Maggie – And you’re a character from a comic book.
Kyle – I’d barely call it a comic. It’s more like a script for one.
Maggie – But why do you want to be with me?
Kyle – Because we were brought together for this reason. We have more in common than you think. We both fought people we loved and killed them for selfish reasons. We both have almost unbeatable powers. I think if we gave it a shot then we would be perfect together or at least that’s what Albert thinks.
Maggie – Hmmm. Okay. Besides, I don’t think I’ll get a man to fall in love with me. I look like a freak.
Kyle – Don’t say that. I think you’re beautiful.
*Maggie’s face turns redder and she mumbles responses out loud but can’t form words*
Maggie – Haha. You must have some weird tastes.
Kyle – I do.
*Kyle takes Maggie’s hand*
Kyle – You ready to go?
*Maggie grips Kyle’s hand*
Maggie – Ready!
The End
Kyle – It took you long enough to write this story.
Albert – What can I say? I had other stories that I wanted to complete first.
Kyle – When was the last time we talked? August fourth twenty-seventeen when Damien got his book out? You sure took your time getting to this story.
Albert – Don’t complain about it. Hey, you finally got what I told you I’d give you.
Kyle – Yeah, but are we going to go on any adventures together?
Albert – Maybe. It depends if I can come up with any. Besides, do you really want to be in another story after reading the one I just wrote?
Kyle – Okay, fine, but if you do make a story with us as the main characters, you better make it a happy one!
Albert – I’ll try.
Concept Art
Early character designs
Updated character designs
Behind the story
This story is primarily inspired by manga and anime in general.
The Japanese symbols on the cover literally mean manga.
Roku’s name means six in Japanese.
Hokori’s name means dust or of dust in Japanese
.
Kyle is a character from my comic book inspired story, Kyle the Cosmic Comic Hero. He’s a superhero who eventually got the power to break the 4th wall after being exposed to several generations of comics.
Part of my reason for making this story is to give Kyle a girlfriend I promised him after I “hired” him to act as a killer in one of my other short stories in the Kyle the Cosmic Hero book. It’s been a couple of years since I released his book because I didn’t have the motivation to make this story until the eBook release of this story.
Siri’s appearance is inspired by Baiken, who is a character from the Guilty Gear video game series by Arc System Works. This is the second time Baiken has inspired a character design of mine. The first being a story in a collection of romantic horror stories I have called Romance Dancing with Horror and the specific story being Love is Revenge’s Best Motivator.
Maggie’s weapon is inspired by Sparta’s sword from the Devil May Cry video game series by Capcom.
Maxi’s appearance is inspired by the look of some of the female demons from the Devilman manga series by Go Nagai.
Mali’s appearance is inspired by Cutie Honey’s appearance, which is another manga series by Go Nagai.
Lily’s appearance is inspired by this loli character named Carol who I saw years ago in a hentai video game series by some guy named Marimo. Of course, I don’t recommend viewing or playing any hentai at all because I believe (as a Catholic) that it could send your soul to Hell if you don’t repent from viewing it. I just thought the general design for the character was wasted on hentai, so I just made some adjustments and used it for myself to redeem it in a way.
Chapter 1 – A Selfish Sacrifice
Ugh. What happened? Where am I? The last thing that I remember was my parents and older relatives saying some kind of prayer over me while I was sleeping. They then said sorry before this choker made of thorns wrapped around my next and sucked into a black hole and spat me out here.
This forest I’m in is dried and decayed. Everything is colored black, white, and grey. It all feels cold and lifeless. Why am I here? I feel like I’m being pulled in a particular direction. This way feels warmer, so I hope it’s right.
Huh. It’s a grey road that’s stained red. Some other kids are walking down it. Scattered around this area are graves and there are more further along the path. There are people who are wearing golden robes, demon masks with seven golden eyes, and white sandals. They’re wielding spears and they’re-
“Hey!”
“Get in line. Your family needs you to be sacrificed to continue living happily.”
“Stop pushing me! Why do they need me to be sacrificed?”
“They didn’t tell you?”
“No. Could you tell me?”
“Our families are part of this tradition that allows them to be prosperous as long as they sacrifice their third child. I’m surprised they never told you. It was my whole life. Even some of my friends knew they were going to be sacrificed. I think they’re ahead of me.”
“That’s terrible! I never thought my family would be like that.”
“Did your family really make you live a normal life and never tell you about your eventual sacrifice? That’s terrible. My family gave me whatever I wanted. I didn’t even need to go to school. When it was time for me to go, they made me wear these ceremonial garbs. It was the only uncomfortable part of my life.”
“Aren’t you blessed? My family pushed me to do my best in school so I could get into a good college for a high paying job. I barely got to do what I wanted. Do we really have to die for our family? Isn’t there anything we can do?”
“Look above there at the mountaintop. Look at it shine with the blood of over a million martyrs that flow down it. Look at how the souls of those who sacrificed their lives for their families happily dance around it. I myself have sacrificed my life for my family and now guide the others along the path. You can try to escape, but your family will immediately suffer for it, and they will continue to until you return to the path and be sacrificed. Look around you. There are hundreds of thousands of graves. Many of them have resisted, but none of them have escaped. Think about what I said as you continue up the path.”
“What do you think we should do?”
“I’ve been pampered my entire life into sacrificing my life for my family, but I’ve also had the feeling that this entire tradition is wrong. I honestly don’t know what to do.”
“Well, just because no one has managed to escape doesn’t mean that we can’t. Also, even if our family does suffer from our sacrifice not being completed, it doesn’t mean that we can’t make it up to them through our own efforts. Sure, there’s nothing but graves, blood, and dead trees as far as we can see, but that doesn’t mean that’s all there is out there. That guy could’ve been lying when he said that no one has escaped.”
“I’m not sure about this. I want to live and prove to my family that they didn’t need to sacrifice me.”
Then it’s decided. You and I are going to escape from this place and prove to these people that you don’t need to depend on some dumb tradition to be successful.
“What? I said I’m not sure about this.”
“Then you better decide and quick. We’re almost to the mountaintop and look. There are some people who have changed their mind, but they’re forced into that execution building anyway.”
“Oh…Okay! I’m with you. Let’s hurry!”
“Let’s make a break for it then!”
The boy and I run away from the path while some of those guards chase behind us.
Agh! I can hear the voices of my family. They’re losing money and becoming sick because of me. I’m not going to believe these voices until I see my family for real.
I go through the graveyard of a mountain and back into the dead forest. These people are persistent, but they aren’t slick like me and run past me once I find a small hole in a tree to hide in. I wait a couple seconds before coming out. Now, where’s that boy? I don’t think I’ll be able to escape without any help.
“Ah!” Another one of those guards jumps out of nowhere and always kills me with his spear. This one appears to glow, unlike the other guards. He also has a different kind of mask.
“I am Zhenxing, one of the first children to be sacrificed for my family. Tell me, why are you making such a selfish decision?”
“I’m not making a selfish decision! How is wanting to live a selfish decision?”
“You being alive is making your family suffer. When you are killed, your family will continue to be prosperous and live happy lives. Trust me, your death will be swift and painless then you will live in this heaven with the rest of us.”
I see the boy from before being Zhenxing. He puts his finger where his mouth is as he slowly approaches with a sharp stick. “What do you mean this heaven? What’s it like here? And why were you one of the first children to be sacrificed?”
“You ask a lot of questions, but I understand, and I will answer them if that will comfort you. This place is a heaven for the third child sacrificed for the prosperity of their family. There is no suffering, no pain, and no worries. We live out our afterlife joyously dancing, playing, and enjoying our lives together. It’s a literal heaven compared to the lives we once lived. I lived in poverty with a sick family that I always had to take care of. When I was told that I could sacrifice my life for them so they could be healthy and happy, I immediately killed myself. My family is currently one of the most successful and happiest families in the world.”
The boy is close. “Right, well. I’d rather go to the actual Heaven than be sacrificed here. It might seem selfish, but it isn’t. I’m going to make my family happy without having to be sacrificed. Just you watch.”
“You talk nonsense despite being related to-Ugh! That isn’t going to kill me!”
“Help me push his spear into him!”
“You got it!” The boy and I take Zhenxing’s spear and pin him to the ground with it.
“This isn’t the end of me. When I’m free, I’m coming for both of you.”
“I’d like to see you try! We’re going to escape from here together!”
“You don’t understand. Don’t you hear the screams of your family? Don’t you hear them suffering? Don’t you want to help them?”
“I hear them, but I don’t believe it! Even if they are suffering, we’re going to help them through our own efforts!” I take the boy’s hand. “Let’s get out of here.” I let go of his hand when we get further away from Zhenxing.
“I’m with you on trying to get out of here, but do you know where we’re going?”
“Nope. Not at all. I’m just following my instincts.” The boy doesn’t say anything, but I can tell he’s done with me already. “Hey, what do you think Zhenxing meant by me talking nonsense despite being related to…someone?”
“He was probably talking about your ancestors that were sacrificed. They probably accepted their deaths more willingly than you do.”
“Oh, well. I’m not going to be like them. So, what’s your name? You never told me it.”
“My name is Daiki. It means, ‘of great value’. Let me guess, you have a name that has to do with success or something business related, don’t you?”
“I do actually. My name, Sakae, means prosperity. It’s nice to meet you, Daiki. Trust me when I say that we’re going to find our way out of here and find a way to make our families prosperous and happy.”
“I hope you’re right. Even if we end up dying, it’s not like anything too bad will happen to us or our families, as far as I know.”
“Don’t you worry, Daiki. We’ll make it through this.” Or at least I hope we do.
Chapter 2 – Appalling Apparitions
“Hmm. This should be the right way. Staying away from the mountain should lead us somewhere that could help us.”
“That sounds right, but are you sure we’re going the right way? I’m not even sure if there’s an end to this world since it all looks the same. Did we go in circles by any chance?”