You know how in horror movies, oftentimes there's a character running into a dark alleyway at night, chased by some maniacal killer dude, when really they should've just stayed in the main city, where it's crowded and safer? Well, obviously I should pay more attention to horror movies, because that's exactly what was happening to me late one night in August.
I'd been running from him for about half an hour now, lugging my black, wheeled suitcase behind me, totally freaking out because I could feel evil in the air. Or maybe that was just my nerves. I didn't know and my brain wasn't working enough to care. All my brain cells were concentrated on one thought process: Get away from creepy things behind me.
My legs ached. I looked back, wondering if I'd lost him.
Nope. The demonic figure was still there, bat-like wings spread frighteningly, poking through his black and red cape that fluttered in the slight summer breeze. His evil, glowing red eyes stared deep into the heart of my soul, and a deadly scythe hung sheathed on a belt at his side. He was tall, about seven feet by my estimate, which shouldn't even be possible. His shoulders were broad and his body was rippled with firm muscles, making him very intimidating. He wore a navy blue shirt with jeans that, on anyone else, would've looked normal, but on him just looked weird. He was strolling casually through the alley, like he owned the entire city and had all night to do this, but the expression on his face was one of slight annoyance.
I squeaked bravely and tried to run faster. This guy was a demon, a monster straight out of Hell, and he wanted me dead.
My future looked so very bright.
As I ran, I thought of something and mentally slapped myself. I was a Christian, and a devoted Christian at that. I never even say "Oh my God" unless it's part of a prayer. So if I pray to God now, he'll save me from this demon, right? I clasped my hands together and thought a quick prayer. I would've said it, but I was too out of breath from running. Dear God, I've always tried to follow your laws to the T. I've never hurt anyone unless they were hurting someone I cared about, or were beating up innocent people on the streets. I've always tried to go to church on Sundays, and when I couldn't make it, I held a mass by myself. I never took anything from anyone except when freely given. So please, save me from this demon guy, or whatever he is!
Nothing happened. I wasn't sure what I was expecting; maybe a gust of wind that would blow the demon back to hell, or possibly a bolt of lightning frying him to evil ashes, or maybe a flash of light teleporting me somewhere he couldn't find me. But I certainly wasn't expecting anything. In fact, if anything, the demon just got closer. I had played my final card, and it had turned out to be a dud.
At the realization that I was all alone, I lost all strength to run and just collapsed in the alley. My legs burned with pain from running so far and so fast. My hand was clutching at my suitcase like it was a lifeline. I was out of energy. My breath came in ragged, pained gasps. Adrenaline pumped through my body, not helping to calm me down at all.
I seriously hoped this was all some crazy dream I was having.
I was curled up in a ball, back turned from the monster and face inches away from the alleyway street. A demonic shadow crept over me, filling me with a deathly cold feeling. There was an ear-rattling scrape of metal-on-metal, and a long pole with a wickedly sharp, curved edge was added to the shadow. My blood turned to ice, and I slowly turned around, dreading what I would see.
Sure enough, the demon was standing over me, eye twitching a little, spinning his scythe hand-over-hand. Evil radiated off of him. He was a heat lamp from the Underworld.
I decided right then and there that I hated heat lamps.
"Ah, finally. " the demon rasped. " Why didn't you just stay in one place? I'm here to give you a new life, to grant your wish from earlier today. Plus, Testarossa said that you're the only one for the job, and if you stay like this, the world will end, so granting your wish is like an added bonus."
I stared. Fear was restricting my brain from working properly, but his words were... really weird. "Er, sorry, d-did you say you're g-going to g-give me a new l-life?"
That sounded dangerous. Did he want me to become his demon apprentice or something? Seeing as I was a devoted Christian, that didn't seem likely, but who knew?
"Well, duh. I mean, what did you think I was here to do? Kill you or something? " He laughed so hard that I couldn't help feeling a bit stupid.
I frowned. "W-well, actually... yeah." I admitted sheepishly. I didn't trust him at all, but if he wasn't here to kill me... a flicker of hope burned in the back of my mind. "Uh... wh-who's Testarossa? Whaddya means I-I'm the only o-one for the j-job? What job?"
"Ah, yes, straight to business. " The demon nodded in approval. " First of all, my name's Aes, and I'm god of the ocean and creativity. You're my daughter, so you're a demigod who can control water, breathe underwater, and negate most Devil Fruit powers. Besides that, anything you dream from this point on has the potential to become reality. Oh, and Testarossa's the goddess of fortune and fate. "
I stared. "You're a god."
"That I am."
"A god."
"Yep."
"But there's only one God, and that's God. So... you can't be a god." My disbelief was what was causing me not to stutter.
The demon smiled. "Your faith will do you much good when you need it most, child, but I am a god. I'm not holy or deserving of worship like the true God Yggdra, no, but I'm a god all the same. Born out of Her thoughts, my brothers and sisters and I are even closer genetically to Her than Her angels and you humans"
"Yggdra… the God is woman?" I said. "This's... crazy. How do you even expect me to believe you? You're a freakin' DEMON!"
Aes—the demon—the god—ah, whatever the hell you wanna call him, glared at me. "I AM NOT A DEMON!" he bellowed in exasperation. "Why do people always think that when they first see me?!"
"It might have s-something to do w-with the f-fact that you've g-got bat wings, a s-scythe, and g-glowing red eyes," I said as sarcastically as I could. Damn. My stutter was returning because of him flipping like that.
"Curse my appearance," Aes sighed, eye twitching a little." I was born with all the ugly features of my family. Not even the REAL demons look like this, and I only have enough power to hold a purely human form for a few hours!"
Something else he'd said clicked. "And... hold it, did you say I'm your daughter?! "
"Well, yes," he agreed. "You are my daughter, Yuril Emilia Lily Rose Artwaltz. "
A tic mark pulsed at the back of my head at this. I hated my name. Yuril wasn't so bad, kinda cool actually, but all five words put together were very irking. Honestly, what were my parents thinking, naming me that? No, wait, not parents, parent. My mom, to be exact. My birth dad had no say in my name because just after I was born, he went out to the ocean and got lost at sea. At least, that's the story my mother told me. It sounded like something out of a shitty Percy Jackson book.
Wait.
Lost at sea.
Aes said he was the god of the ocean and creativity.
The little part of my brain that was still sane put the pieces together. "Hell no," I gulped.
"Hell yes. I am actually quite handsome. Er, in my human form, that is. Anyway, Yuril, yes, basically you are a demigod and you're also a direct descendent of the true God Yggdra. As for what the quest is... you'll find that out once you get there."
"No way. I'm not trusting anything a demon says," I said, shoving a worm of doubt that had snaked into my thoughts to the back of my mind.
Aes sighed. "Very well. I suppose I'll have to prove it to you by sending you to the Luffyverse now... I suppose explanations will have to wait until later. " He frowned thoughtfully. " It's really too bad I don't have any Mindphones at the moment... Ah, well. Here goes nothing... Please save the world, by way. It'd be very bad for everybody if you fail. "
"Save the world? What—"
I never got the chance to finish.
Instead, colors flooded my vision. I got this major headache, like the biggest headache in the history of headaches, and as the pain built in my head, I faintly heard Aes say, " I'll be seein' ya around, daughter. Don't get too hurt. "
And then I passed out.
Lame.