“All done…”

I fell onto my bed, hitting the back of my head against the pillow. After getting home, I tended to my garden, made a quick bite to eat, and read a new book I found before traveling to the Radiant City. I was officially released from the Radiant City and had no intentions of going there. When I closed my eyes… she came back to mind. The bright and assertive Mellissa Ann Cafree. The one who loves children and admires the knights for their bravery. The overly kissy and lovable doctor who I coldly told to stay away from me.

“I hate myself.”

I whispered the truth. Being a dark vessel, cursed because I was born… how I hated everything about it. Following the creed was both hurtful and necessary. And I might have been hurting Mellissa by just being around…

“But Jade said that could have been a lie from Polechenote?”

As much as I wanted to believe it… in a way, it was a cop-out to the actual problem. This was my creed, the lifestyle that kept me alive. People are stressful to deal with. I might as well not deal with them.

"I'll die alone… and that's fine, I guess."

 

 

I sounded like a moping child, kicking at their parents’ choice to not give them candy. What Maxwell taught me wasn't a simple life lesson. It was the way to go about in a world where I didn't belong. The pain of pushing someone away, who I grew interested in, too, would be for the best in the years to come.

I just had to convince myself that her tears were for the best…

Eventually, I closed my eyes and began to fall deeper into relaxation…

 

---

 

Suddenly, my eyes popped open because I felt a shadow moving. It wasn't from the trees or wildlife outside. No, this shadow was darker and… hostile. I rolled out of bed, hit the floor softly, and reached for my weapon. I vanished into the shadows of my room and waited there.

"Someone is outside…."

I closed my eyes and searched the shadows around me. There was movement, two legs like a humanoid. The silhouette was enormous, causing me to believe that this person was even very tall or wide, if not both. They were walking around my property, likely looking for a way to get in. I had no idea their angle or if they planned to rob me or something equally sinister, but they picked the wrong place to approach.

(“I’ll make sure they never come back.”)

The walls of my home shook violently.

I turned towards the front, where deep red claws were penetrating the doorway. Blood leaked from the three fingers that pressed their way through. Mangled and bloodied, she ripped open the door… revealing who it was.

Her bright red eyes loomed in the darkness. Laughing hysterically, she pulled the door apart, destroying my home in a successful attempt to break in.

“Where are youuuuuu, my little dark vessel?! Come out and play!”

 

 

Just as I expected, it was Countess Mellissa coming to hunt me down. She didn’t even have the decency to give me a day to rest. I didn’t expect she’d go this far to find me. I ignorantly believed the Radiants had her on some kind of watch list, but clearly, I was wrong. She stepped in, tracking blood on my floor. It was like I stepped into a horror novel. 

“This place… smells just like her. Ohh, what a dirty scent!”

The demon sniffed my walls like a bloodhound. As Countess Mellissa tore through my kitchen and living room with her claws, the devil would stop, admire a few things and then destroy them soon after.

(“Tsk…”)

I melted into the darkness, appearing on the outside of my home without using my doors. Keenly, I scanned the outside of my cottage. The footsteps paced about. Her eyes were as red as blood as she silently chipped away at my window from the inside, searching for me.

“Where are you, Feodora~?”

The crashing and banging persisted as she ripped my home apart from the inside. Satisfied with her chaos, the demon stepped out on my porch. She mumbled curses as she approached my garden. Callously, the devil stepped on my green tomato patch, squashing them one by one.

“Countess Mellissa…”

Irritated by this point, Countess Mellissa brought out her halberd. Her weapon shined that glorious bright light on its edges. With a devilish smile, she screamed to the heavens.

“Where the fuck are you, Feodora?!”

Out of pure rage, she slammed her weapon into my front door. The hilt of her poleaxe got brighter before a blast destroyed the front of my home. Fire erupted, catching my cottage on fire.

 

 

“Tsk, you know how long it took to build that? Well, she’s rich enough… I’ll just have her fix it later.”

Annoyed, I lashed out silently in the darkness.

“Where are you?! I want to tear you limb from limb and use your corpse as a body pillow!!! Come out here! I know you're here, Feodora!”

I could only assume this rage came out because of what I said to Mellissa before I left for the Cero Village. I watched in frustration as the beast tossed my belongings out of the burning home. Cups, plates, and everything I'd collected over my travels were garbage as she looked to kill me. It was just all stuff in the end though. The only reason why I was waiting was to decide how I wanted to approach this.

I had to decide if it would be best to approach her. Letting her do this would only guarantee that she'd find me again and repeat this over and over until, ultimately, she'd kill me, or I kill her. Confronting her and showing her that actions had consequences would likely be the best way to go about this else I would avoid her in fear my entire life.

“Fine then…”

I appeared out of the cover of the night onto the field of my destroyed home. The fire rippled through onto the grass, causing it to light up the dark night.

“Countess Mellissa!”

I screamed her name. She approached, cackling all the wild out of the fire, burning from my home.

“Ohh, you pissed me off so fucking much! I won’t be satisfied with a tiny bite to your neck. I want to rip your neck apart and pull out your spline! Have it as a nice decoration on my wall!”

With a snap of her finger, the ground behind me started blinking. A high-pitched tone rang in my ear and it reminded me of the machine in the ore factory.

“What the hell?”

I wasn’t ready when suddenly, an explosion went off, catching the trees around us on fire. Multiple blasts went off, causing me to fall to the ground.

“Bombs?! Countess planted bombs around my home?!”

The growls of creatures could be heard in the distance. A pack of wolves and beasts from the fields came rushing our way. The demon cackled as she approached me with her halberd behind her back.

“Tear Feodora limb from limb. Leave her body so I can play with it, you filthy beast! I gotta give a gift to Goody-good!”

I took to my feet. I was careless, I knew Countess was a pyromaniac, but I didn't think she had her own bombs to use. 

(“I need to stay focused!”)

The group of wolves rushed me, and Countess Mellissa charged with them like the ringleader. I was outnumbered, but that couldn't deter me.

“Here I come.”

I whispered under my breath. I connected to the darkness inside me. My eyes went purple, as I brought myself closer to death. Prepared, I readied my blade. Two beasts jumped at me, so I cut their heads off with a horizontal slice into the air and vanished into the night. Countess slammed her halberd down where I was, exploding the ground into pieces. I appeared at a nearby tree, relieved I was nowhere near the devastating attack.

“Huh?”

My foot caught something then, like a trap a hunter would put out for its prey.

“A wire?”

My survival instincts kicked in, and I vanished before an explosion tripped, destroying the surrounding trees and bushes. Fire danced across my home as more wolves raced from the nearby forest in a crazed attempt to kill me.

“Tsk, get away from me!”

I stood my ground, channeled darkness into my blade, and spun in a circular arc. The wolves turned to dust, but I could hear more coming from the distance. A never-ending stream of beasts was coming directly for me.

“How is she controlling the beasts?!”

Countess Mellissa had tricks up her sleeve. From what I've gathered, she had a connection to the beasts which allowed her to use them. Not only that, but she’s also skilled in traps and bombs. Add her inhuman strength and it was all a deadly combination. 

“Hurry up and die!”

The demon flew above me. Countess's halberd glistened off the moonlight. The eyes captivated with hate pierced me as she swung it down to slice off my neck. I clashed her weapon with my sword.

“Countess! Stop this already!”

I pleaded.

“Fuck you!”

Her weapon lit up, ready to explode on me. So, I pushed her back, causing her to fly away just enough for me to roll out of the way of her blast. The searing pain of fire caught my jacket as I moved. 

“Arrrgg!”

Countess cried as her weapon’s explosion kicked back, searing her face. But without hesitation, she dashed at me. She sliced, and I evaded. This went on for some time. Us trading blows in the moonlight, attempting to cut the head off the other.

As we fought, I felt as though she was leading me. But it was too late to react, and I stepped on a metal plate. 

“Huh?”

I rolled out of the way, trying to avoid another bomb. But the demon caught my leg and spun me around with one hand. She took me in the air like our first battle. My head was spinning as she cackled at my distress.

(“Her strength is unreal!”)

I was tossed next to a nearby tree. When I hit the ground, I felt something metallic underneath me. Instantly, I vanished into the night, avoiding another land mine going off. Like fireworks, the area exploded, shaking the world. If I waited for a second longer, my body would be all over the forest.

“She’s serious… this isn’t her playing around like before.”

The beasts from a distance finally arrives, outnumbering me against the devil in the middle. With a smile mirroring Lucifer, Countess stepped toward me.

“I guess you can’t be reasoned with, huh Countess?”

I was outnumbered, dealing with a maniac with insane strength. A psycho who would go out of their way to plant bombs around my home to kill me. But with all the disadvantages…

One thing in this world was on my side. It was night; the world was on my side. I could use my spectrum, unlike her. I had the elements on my side. My goal wasn't just to subdue her but give her a reason to never come at me again without expecting a battle she'll never forget.

I didn’t want to kill her though... Everything in me wanted to keep the human Mellissa out of this.

“Alright... since you can’t be reasoned with I have no choice...”

I reached deep within myself and discovered a secret that Maxwell had taught me. The destructive crafts mixed with the chaos element. The shadows began to pull towards me as an army of wolves raced my way. Countess Mellissa flew into the sky, cackling like a wild hyena. Enjoying the view from her palace above.

“Get away from me!”

 

 

I warned them.

Fire burned throughout the battle field yet in the midst of this chaos, a calming memory came to mind.

This fight against beast reminded me of my training in the forest. Multiple beasts would come at me, and Maxwell would force me to survive. With darkness from the night in my blade and chaos energy channeling through my veins, I heightened my power and sliced in an arc. I used the fire around me to mix my dark element, making a hellish fire spell. The ground shook as a shock wave of darkness destroyed the beast attempting to kill me. My attack hit trees and the bushes nearby, causing more planted bombs to explode, making this small area a warzone.

Through the fire, the demon appeared in front of me.

We clashed again and again. Sparks flew, and small explosions lit up the world around us. I mixed the chaos element into my strikes. I could see my attacks weighing her on more as she tried to keep up. Fire seared both our clothing as we fought. She slammed her weapon down on me but I knocked it to the side.

“Eh?!”

The demon was off balance and I got a direct hit on her chest, causing blood to pour from her body. Darkness mixed with chaos tore through her body, leaving a wide gash from her stomach to her chest.

“Ahh! This feels so fucking good!”

The wound appeared fatal, but it didn't stop her. Countess smiled excitedly and approached me once more.

“What the hell is your problem, Countess Mellissa?!”

I demanded answers.

“You selfish little punk! People like you piss me off! I’ll chew on your heart like gum for what you did!”

The demon clawed at me, but I ducked, brought out a dark spell in my hand, and blasted darkness into her chest.

“Haa!”

I forced her away, blasting her towards the forest. The demon rolled and hit one of her own bombs, causing it to explode. The blast lit up the night, only adding to the fires raging in the forest.

“C-Countess?!”

Blooded, she walked out of the fire, enraged. Her face was seared by the heat of her own trap. Like out of a horror movie, I could see her skin crawl up her face, regenerating before my eyes.

“Goody-good didn’t deserve that! All you people are the same! That’s why you all should die!”

Wildly, she ran at me despite her arm and legs being blooded from the explosion. The devil looked like an undead as she staggered towards me. When she reached me, we locked weapons again. Wolves appeared, attempting to strike me down from behind.

(“There’s no end to this! I can’t go too far and end up killing Mellissa...”)

I thought to myself.

Forcefully, I pushed the demon off me, twirled around, and brought water into my blade. A sharp wave of water washed the pack of wolves up in the air. Channeling my body with darkness, I summoned a wave of dark spears to rain down on the monsters, destroying them instantly.

The beasts were weak but nuisances nonetheless.

Countess Mellissa regained her balance and came at me once again. I tried to dodge, but she cut me along the back before I could react.

“Argg!”

I screamed.

“Die, come on! Die! Let me claw your eyes out and eat them! I want you inside me! Get inside me, Feodora!”

I pushed her back again and formed a dark shield in front of me. I was careless, and she got a good hit off me. The devil put her fingers into her mouth, tasting the skin and blood off of them. My stomach churned seeing her this way.

“Yeah… you do taste as good as I remembered. It’s too bad that pieces of shit like you won’t just lie down and die like the pigs you are!”

I pointed my blade at her, making sure she kept her distance.

“Do you even hear yourself?! Countess, this is madness! Stop it before I end up hurting Mellissa!”

The devil tilted her head, and her deep red eyes shined bright and her mouth opened, revealing sharp teeth.

“Hurt Mellissa?! What the fuck are you talking about, Feodora?! That’s the reason why I’m here in the first place!!!”

“What are you on about?”

I wasn't backing down, and she wasn't either. If killing her was my only option, I had every intention to do myself a favor and try and get rid of her tonight while she was in this form.

But as I stared her down, I saw a glimmer of bright green in her eyes. In the moonlight, the soft blue rays shined on her cheek… revealing tears in her eyes.

“What?! Are you too afraid to keep fighting?! You’re all useless! Fucking useless!”

She screamed out into the distance towards the forest. I was confused but soon realized that she was screaming at the beasts.

“Then go, get! Get the fuck out of here! I’ll be the only one who fights for her!”

I could hear the sounds of bushes being disturbed in the distance. They’re steps faded into the depths of the forest. I could feel the army of shadows dispersing.  I assumed she was… talking with the remaining wolves attacking me. Still with my blade pointed at the teary-eyed devil, I spoke up.

“What are you, Countess?! How can you speak to the beasts?!”

I demanded answers.

“Wouldn’t you like to fucking know?! That girl… that wretched side of me cried her eyes out night after night because of you. Ohhh, when she fell asleep, and I came out, planting these bombs each night, it was so much fun.”

It felt like a pin was stuck into my side, thinking about what my actions did to Mellissa. I hated the look on her face when I cut ties with her. And here she was again, with the same face as before despite being the Countess side.

But I couldn't be distracted; I was dealing with a trickster who had taken advantage of me more times than not when I least expected it.

“You don’t get it, Countess. There are reasons… why I decided to stay away from her! Don’t you think I wanted to get to know her too?”

The demon looked at the moon and shook her head.

“Tsk… I need to get back before the Radiants come looking for answers. Arrg… I’m running out of time…."

Her eyes were turning a dull green… as if this side of hers was falling asleep.

“You're a fucking problem, Feodora. And as long as you're alive…."

She spat on the ground and looked back at me. Her eyes were slightly green when she confessed her feelings.

"Goody good won't stop crying about you."

 

 

Her halberd disappeared and faded into the wind. I could see her horns slowly fading away as she escaped into the night on foot. I couldn't tell what actually made her retreat, but I assumed that her time was "coming to an end," so to speak. There I stood in the aftermath of my ruined home.

The fires eventually died out, and I did my best to get rid of any excess embers using the water element. I was careful to avoid any lingering bombs around my property. 

“I don’t know how to deactivate these. I hope nobody gets hurt if I leave them for now.”

My adrenaline was fading. I closed my eyes and thought about what caused this situation in the first place. And it all started with... her.

“She came here to get revenge on me, upsetting her other side…."

It was like something an upset older sister would do to protect their younger one. Countess was fighting for Mellissa... as sick as that sounds.

The other side of her, the human side, wouldn't remember what had happened. No, she wasn't here when this battle took place. All she'll remember is me rejecting her kindness.

"She'll keep coming for me until I'm dead. I have to do something about her, or else my life will be like this every time she gets the chance.”

I looked around at the burnt land. Talk about a childish outburst. But in a way, I felt… as if I had this coming for hurting such a kind person. As I examined all the destroyed land, I found the soil ruined, the plants all destroyed, and all my hard work wasted. I wasn’t having any green tomatoes any time soon.

“Mellissa… ”

Her demon side mentioned that she cried for a few nights because of me. That reminded me of the days at the orphanage when I would cry myself to sleep because nobody wanted to be with me. I was alone… and I never even experienced the side of me that made me hated by all.

In a way… Mellissa was the same way. I wasn’t sure if she was alone in that sense, but she had a side of her that would make others stay away from her out of fear.

"It's like when I wake up and see my room destroyed. Everything that happened here, Mellissa wouldn't understand. She's never experienced a world where she and Countess coexist."

I crossed my arms and sighed deeply.

"Like I never experienced a world where I was awake during my horrible night terrors. We must deal with the lasting effects we have on others around us… without being the ones to do it."

Albeit, my outburst isn't as destructive as this, the fact is… Mellissa is upset, and Countess shows the world how hurt she is. With that thought process… if I calmed Mellissa down and came to an understanding with her, maybe Countess would calm down too.

"No… that's not the only reason I want to see her, is it?"

I was lying to myself. Clearly… I didn't like the way things ended between us. This episode of the Countess acting out was just a catalyst that helped me decide.

“I want to see Mellissa. I'll talk to her about her feelings and see if Countess and I can come to an understanding."

 

My body was in pain from cuts and bruises from battle. But I shook it off and made my way to the Radiant City. 

 

"How can I face Mellissa after being so cruel to her?"