Traitor of Traitors

In the nightmarish world of the present, being human is a temporary phase of life. By the time they turn seven, they can turn into a type of demon depending on the amount and type of sins they commit. A human can turn into an imp, the most pathetic type of demon that’s nothing more than a slave to those above them and who wish to be in their place. The next type of demon from imp is a servant, a less pathetic type that actually has the chance to make something of themselves but is also just as disposable. Finally, there are archfiends, who are the higher ranking workers and guards of society that keep it going, and their bosses, the demiurges who are also known as idols or gods.

The demiurges fight among themselves to have the most power and influence over the world. Dagon was the mightiest among them, but for some reason at the summit of his reign over the world, he disappears. Concerned over his safety for their own sake, his family and allies search for him worldwide. At first, they find strange signs of his influence that they don’t attribute to him. A group of imps that previously served under him protected a series of keys to his location. They talked about Dagon being kind to them and introducing them to a being known as the Highest, a God worshipped by the few remaining humans.

Now filled with more concern than ever, Dagon’s people redouble their efforts to find him. Their next place of interest is a temple of light that burns them even when they are in the dark. Many slaves are sacrificed in this effort, but they eventually do obtain the next piece of the puzzle that points them in another direction. It’s at this point that some of Dagon’s allies give up the search and go back to their territories to grow their power. A fight then breaks out between the demons and those loyal to Dagon end up executing the traitors and continuing on their journey.

Next, they find themselves in the most challenging place yet as the guards they find bleed a kind of blood that burns even the most heavily armored of them. Those touched by the blood of these guards are turned into nothing more than a puddle of blood. It doesn’t help that the guards don’t fall even when their heads fall off. Even when they are reduced to a pile of limbs, their decapitated parts still do their best to impede the intruders. Despite this, Dagon’s children are able to make it to the next clue after sacrificing each other to get it.

This next location is the place Dagon’s remaining loyalists think he is, however, all they find is an empty underground church filled with humans all of which can’t be disturbed no matter what the loyalists do to them. These people are deep in prayer, are bleeding from the eyes, and are all kneeling. They are like statues and yet alive when they speak in a language that hurts the ears of the loyalists. Continuing on as fast as they can, they search the area, find the last hint, and try to leave the church as fast as they can, however, the chanting of the humans grows louder. The sounds of their loud prayers and groans of penance are enough to blow up the heads of the loyalists. In addition, the doors of the church start to close.

Dagon’s wife slides under the door before it closes and doesn’t bother to hold it open for her children despite having the chance to, which leads to their deaths. Unphased by what happened, she goes to her husband’s hiding location by herself as the last remaining loyalist. The place where Dagon is found is underneath an abandoned church behind a door that is unlocked with all the keys that were found. Inside the room, Dagon is seen to be kneeling before an altar to the Highest. His skin is falling apart and rapidly decaying, and because of this, his wife tries to help him, however, two gray hands come out of Dagon’s head that tears away his skin from the inside out. During this, his wife is too scared and confused to move even as she hears him screaming from within his own body.

Once the gray figure tears itself out from Dagon’s body, it turns around to reveal itself to be a human, and not just any human, but Dagon in human form. Even with her depraved eyes, Dagon’s wife recognizes the man to be him. His eyes are gold and black and his skin is all gray, and despite its gray color, Dagon’s skin seems to radiate a light similar to that of the light that turned demons into pools of blood.

“Da…Dagon? Is it really you?” his wife asks.

“Yes, it is I.,” Dagon confirms, “Vaermina, did you sacrifice our children to find me?”

“I’ve sacrificed our children for lesser reasons, so yes, I have. All of them died so I could find you and bring you back home, but…”

“But I’m human and a worshipper of the Highest.”

“Why? You had everything! We had everything!”

“I had riches that collected dust and was won by shedding the blood of my enemies and influencing people who either hated me or would betray me. It was worth giving it all away.”

“And what did you gain in return?”

“Salvation, and you can have it too.”

“I’d rather have the power and influence we once had. Here I was holding out the hope that you were held hostage by one of our competitors or this ‘Highest’ entity, but no, you’ve gone insane!”

“I’ve come to my senses! I’m no god. I’m human and the Highest is the only God. I refused to live in this world full of people betraying each other, butchering and sacrificing their own family and friends for power, and pretending that we’ll live forever as rulers of the world when we’re nothing but slaves to our passions and wants.”

“If that’s how you see things, then you’ve left me no choice.”

“Are you going to kill me? Go ahead. I’ve already died and now my soul lives with the Highest.”

“The ‘Highest’ is nothing more than a rival deity who can be taken down like the rest, and when I’m done with you, I’ll go after it next.”

Vaermina’s arms swell, catch fire, and grow spikes as she charges an attack. Once her arms are completely charged, she uses both arms to punch Dagon with everything she has, but her arms blow up as soon as she hits him. She screams out in pain at the complete destruction of her arms whereas Dagon has not even suffered a scratch. With Vaermina on her knees, Dagon touches where her arms once were and heals her of her pain. Part of his own arms begin to bleed as a result.

“What…what are you doing?” Vaermina asks.

“What does it look and feel like? I’m embracing your pain to take it away from you and offering it up to the Highest in reparation for your evil actions,” Dagon says.

“Why?”

“Because despite everything you’ve done, I still love you. You’re still my wife and it’s my responsibility to help you save your soul.”

In this humbled state with nothing to lose, Vaermina considers what Dagon says for a few moments before her arms are restored. Now, Dagon’s arms are bloodied as if they were cut by dozens of blades.

“Is it even possible for me to be saved? To change at all.”

“I’ve changed, which means so can you.”

Dagon holds out his hand that Vaermina takes a second to take. Once she does, part of her red skin falls off to reveal the human being within it as she begins to accept betraying everything that she once was to be loyal to something greater than herself.