The Devil Incarnate

Chapter 1 The Birth of a Villain  Are demons once was an angel? or are angels once was a demon?  Human nature is such a complicated concept. Just as we hate other people, we empathize with another as well. If we hate other people yet love another, are we called demons or an angel?  To what extent are kindness and evilness determined when we truly never know a person? The hero we once loved in movies and comics, is actually a demon in disguise, and the villains we hated and cursed in novels and series are actually a hero in their stories.  These complicated concepts only tell us one: We are either a hero or a villain And this system makes me think,  will I die a hero or a villain?  His name is Mazoku Hideki. Hide for short. A normal 17-year-old high school student--and by normal, means playing games all day and watching anime and reading manga all night, just like any other teenager. Hide rarely comes out of his room. Only coming out when his anime figurine or new manga volume gets delivered. Him, being an otaku was never supported by neither of his family. He never attends family gatherings and reunions, he never even attended his own grandmother's funeral two years ago. His irresponsible actions, who only loved anime, 2d characters, and comics, never thought of his own family, earned the hatred of his own. His parents hated him. His sister pretends not to know him at school. Hide was all alone. Today, March 11th is his 17th birthday, another year he will spend alone.  "Do they remember my birthday?" He solemnly thought, in hopes of either of his family members to greet him.  As he prepares his clothes and books for school, he comes out of his disheveled room only to see his family members, his mother, father, and little sister in their own little happy world eating breakfast. "G-Good morning." He greeted quietly.  The earlier loud sounds of laughter and giggles became an awkward pause and silence right after he spoke. His father clearing up his throat from time to time while his mother silently continued to eat. All of them pretended not to see or hear him. Disregarding this heavy bit, Hide silently walked towards his father who, Hide noticed, tried to move his chair away from him.  Hide handed out a consent form from the school. "Today is the parent consultation for our career assessment. Parents are required to attend. Will you come?" He had mustered up all the courage to speak.  "Today? It's Inori's consultation today as well." His mother, who had been quiet, finally commented.  His dad's eyebrows raised. "Really? it's today?" Just like what Hide had expected, his father returned the paper to him. "I'll attend Inori's consultation. We can reschedule yours sometime later."  Hide can only nod. It is what he expected, why does it still affect him?  Just right before he can leave, Hide uttered quietly. "Do you know what today is?"  "Today? Isn't it Monday?" He let his head down. No one remembers.  Without saying anything, he left his house.  [Aren't you mad? your little family hates you.] [Can't you read the room? they obviously hate being around you.] [Why stick around with them? I say, kill them.]  Hide stopped walking in his tracks. It's the voices. The voices he always used to hear ever since he turned 13. Sometimes they were voices of anxiety, and other times they were voices of depression. He cannot determine whose voice was it. Was it his own thoughts? within his own subconscious?  With ignoring these constant thoughts, Hide stops at a stoplight. With his earphones on playing Japanese songs, his eyes unconsciously gazing on a middle-aged woman, probably around 30 years old. When the woman sees him staring at her, she smiled warmly and gently, a smile Hide never seen for the past 5 years.  When the woman turned her head at the front, Hide can completely see her clear neck imprinted with a tattoo. But when he looked closely, the tattoo started moving. As if it was telling time.  00:00:05 The stoplight showed a greenlight and Hide watched as the tattoo on the woman moves in a rapid state until it reaches 00:00:00 He watched as the woman crosses the pedestrian and unconsciously he uttered, "will she get run over by a bus or something?" He laughed at the thought.  As he continuously laughs quietly, he heard a loud sound of a crash and the constant honking of a car.  An accident occurred.  He stopped for a moment and joined the crowd who walked near the accident site. Contrary to what the driver and other witnesses say, there were no signs of blood. There wasn't even a body, to begin with. "That's weird. I clearly saw I hit a woman." "That's right! She even flew a few meters away from the impact!"  Weird. Hide thought. It's like an anime he watched just last night. Being almost late to school, Hide put back his earphones and continued walking.  [You wished for it.] His eyebrows furrowed at the sudden thought. Wished for what? Hide has never wished for anything. It's like his brain has a mind of its own.  A few minutes before classes starts, Hide went to seat at his desk, and just like usual, his desk is filled with vandals and weird stuff like dolls and toy knives. He can sense and hear his classmates laughing at him from behind. He took the dolls and toy knives to the trash and wiped his desk with a wet cloth.  Upon cleaning his dirtied desk, a strong kick pushed him aside creating a powerful, impactful noise as his head had hit the edge of his table. The one who pushed him is none other than Joro, a well-known bully in class.  "Hey, is this him? Hide heard him talk to a girl.  If Hide was right, he remembered the girl's name as Yumi. Joro's girlfriend.  Yumi acted scared and even let out tears. "It's him. He's the one who groped me in the toilets earlier." She sniffed.  "What?" Hide asks, obviously shocked. He just got to school and he has never touched a girl. Ever.  Joro looked at him in disgust and pure range. With Hide on his knees, Joro kept kicking him on his head, shoulder, hands, and down to his crotch. "You just can't stay quiet, huh, you p*****t?" He knelt down in between Hide's legs and punched him continuously. "You even molested my girlfriend, you bastard? Are you that thirsty, huh?! Are you looking for a fight?"  Hide can taste blood in his mouth. As Joro punch him every passing second, he had no time nor room to defend himself. He can only glance at his classmates, hoping to help him and stop Joro but they were only standing, not watching the seemingly horrible sight.  [fight back.] [kill him.] [make him disappear]  He can hear the voices once again, but he never paid attention. His mind was occupied with Joro's punches and how to get away with them. It went on for about ten more minutes just to be stopped by the class adviser.  Hide's whole body ached like crazy, his mouth inflamed, and his ear ringing loudly. He wanted to shout the pain, but his throat went sought dry, and couldn't speak nor swallow. He wanted to move his body, but he felt his muscles squeezing and tearing instead. He cannot think straight but all he knew, is that he is probably going to die.  When Hide woke up, he finds himself in an estranged room full of white light and the smell of medicine coated his nose.  "I'm in the hospital?" He muttered silently to himself.  "You're in the school's clinic."  Hide looked to his side only to see his father's serious face. Beside him are his mother and his class adviser.  "D-Dad-" Hide was cut off when his father punched him in the face. "You useless son! Bastard! Worthless!" "Mr. Mazoku, please calm down." Hide heard his class adviser said.  His father's red face, heavy breathing is evidence that he is enraged. "Of all the girls you can touch, you molested the principal's daughter?! Are you crazy?" His punches became even harder and stronger.  His mother did not even stop her husband. She looked at him with disgust. "You should leave the house, Hide. You touched a girl, that doesn't stop you from touching your sister in the future."  "I won't-" "Just don't talk anymore, Hide. You had always disappointed us, and today, we are ashamed and disgusted to be even called your parents." His father gravely said while looking at him purely with anger.  When his parents left followed by his adviser, Hide sat on the floor with his back leaning on the bed. He had been bottling up the tears he wanted to let out but couldn't. Today, on his birthday, his parents abandoned him, he got physically abused at school and he is all alone again.  [kekeke, you don't need those bastards] [just kill them, everything will be okay] [just make a wish]  "A wish?" He uttered as if replying to his own thought.  [yes, a wish] again, his mind replied.  [What do you utmost desire, Hideki?] Hideki remembers a light novel he read days ago. One that struck him the most. It is about the story of a misunderstood hero, he was called a villain. The main character said that every person has a "demon" inside of them. How you fight it, is up to you.  The main character quotes, "we all have our demons. We all have to face it. But the system of how we face our inner demons is up to us, and it is our own responsibility to either befriend it or fight it."  The afternoon sky was covered with dark clouds and the sky roared with thunders and rains. The vivid, blinding lightning flashed through the grounds like a god. At that moment, Hide has made up his mind.  The sorrow, pain, and agonizing memories succumb to the depths of his brain replaced with nothing but the intent for vengeance and enmity.  [your wish, Hideki?]  Somehow, the voice in his head changed. The voice was rather rough and deep, yet with a hint of triumph and gladness.  "I want to..." "I want to bring out the devil in me."