Oh, this? This silly thing I have chained up? She's nothing. I mean that she's actually nothing. I don't think she even thinks she's a she. Not really. I don't either, but I like calling her that--my broken devil.

Well, the reason is the same for both, you see. I so wish you could've been there to see it. Apparently, she's been prancing around some old ruin she wasted her parents' money to buy, talking about how she's a powerful outer devil trapped in a human vessel. All this about ascending and killing gods. Yet, here she is.

She stacked up all these old stones and painted them blue--blue! Imagine being that attached to a color, and that color being BLUE! Oh, the irony is too much. But she imagined it was a temple to herself. And she had this sword she thought was made of "umbral nova". Ridiculous! She's been running around the wreckage of hell claiming that she's actually ancient, that she's the former empress of Hell and she's the one who defeated Muriel in a duel! Isn't that ridiculous? Isn't that the most laughable thing you've ever heard?

I wish you could've seen the look in her eyes when she saw me, a real angel. You know she tried to find the supernatural all her life? She thought she would will it into being by herself. I know, I know... such a pitiful delusion. Her mind's quite broken. Always has been. Here she is, existing among all the forces she loved to assume she could dance with, and, well... let's just say she's not very impressive up to the present, shall we? So of course, after I shattered her little steel sword, I just knew I had to take her with me.

Oh, those circles? Those were horns, yes, but not GROWN horns. She had them grafted to her skull. But she still cried real tears when I broke them off.

Hm? Well, no, I'm going to leave the gown on her for the same reason I keep calling her "she" and "devil". I COULD strip her naked, and I COULD just call her a mortal cosplaying at something she's not, and I COULD just call her he, because it's all true, but consider: I want her to be this way forever. Or at least, until she dies of old age. Maybe I won't let her. Maybe I'll give her that eternal youth she wanted so badly. Wouldn't that be delicious?

I want her to remember everything she aspired to. To remind her how beaten she is.

Isn't her tail delightful? That's a graft too. Yes, of course it's motorized. Not waterproof, either, I can tell you that much for certain! That's not the best part.

The best part is her body. All those chemicals, all that surgery, and for what? Oh, her tits are convincing enough, if uninspiring. And yes, it's a very nice face... that she bought. She didn't summon it, she didn't shape it with "the power".

Oh, no, darling, we don't even have time to get into THAT today. Her biggest delusion of all. Ha. "The power."

There's a hollow between her legs, yes, but it doesn't do anything except get wet. I think she some mortal fools somewhere she once told herself she loved. But after paying for everything else, she couldn't afford to live with them anyway! Isn't that grand?

No, no, of course they've never fucked her. That was my point. Me? Look at her there, with her badly-dyed black hair and her sad eyes and her off-pale skin. I don't want to have sex with her, she's just depressing.

Missed?... No, no, she won't be missed.

Why would she be? Everyone could see right through her. She never got better at hiding, only at picking people who were too nice to say anything. Of course her obsession with being grand, powerful and frightening was just fear, in the end.

She knew. Look at her. Look how she knows it. Yes, pet, we see you going out of your way not to look at us. It's almost cute... almost. Anyway, she knew she wasn't fooling anyone. She wanted power so she wouldn't have to be at their mercy, to ask for help.

And how has that turned out, pet? All your little stories about finding the strength to fight when you're lonely? You knew. I know you knew! No one had to care about you. You had nothing to offer, no strength to make them regret it when they threw you away.

Isn't this better?

This is where that "outer devil" nonsense gets you. There's nothing meaningful left to be outside of. There are no mysteries, so there are no revelations. Just a skin of shiny words--pretty would be a stretch, wouldn't it, pet?--over ideas stolen from souls more valuable than you.

And no, you can't make your own soul. You're some scraps of meat and bad purchasing choices. That's all you'll ever be.

But watch this, darling. I bet she won't be able to help herself. Yes, yes, even having heard me.

Come now, whore-pet. Come here and polish my heavenly rod for me.

... you thought I meant my cock? Goodness, no, we've already been over that!

Did you see, darling? Did you see how there was the tiniest light in her eyes for a moment? She's just too easy to toy with. Her and all her avant-garde fetishes. And she was so heartbroken when no one would read her pretentious erotica. Can I even call it that? It was never sexy. Awfully vanilla for an "outer devil."

I suppose I do have to pity her, just a little.

She knew she was the weakest of the lot. That's why she always flinched away. For God's sake, she was so broken by how worthless she was compared to real erotica writers that she all but lost her sex drive. One hint of real contest and she's obliterated.

Same with the whole "she" question, you see. I would call plenty of trans women, well, women. But this thing? She's not stronger than her flesh. That's why her expression was so femme. Her womanhood was a performance, same as all the rest.

And it falls apart just as easily.

Well, no. I suppose we don't have to keep her forever. That would be a lot of work, wouldn't it? She's supposed to be annihilated, actually. Come closer, let me whisper.

I heard it was a frame-job. She was far too weak in her psychosis to have killed a human toddler, let alone a mass-murder of gods. Yes, it must've been the old Empress, the one we don't name. But let's not tell her that, hm? Let her believe she's still mortal.

So yes, darling, sooner or later she'll have to be destroyed again. Teach her that coming back to life just means more agony, and sooner or later she'll give up on trying. Well, why shouldn't it work? It's worked on all the others! I do hope this whole amnesty works to pacify the rest. Maybe it'll turn permanent. I can live with that. But if not... just think of how hurt they'll be when we purge them. "Oh, I thought you only killed the bad demons!" Now, wouldn't that just be a delight? Anyway. Sooner or later I'll have to report this, I suppose...

Hm? Oh! I think it was that terrible bore Enelsamel who purged her in her previous life. 'Burned her to oblivion,' to steal a rather fetching phrase from those books of hers.

Oh, no, they were dreadful. No. No, dear, I wouldn't bother reading them. Too wordy, philosophical, just boring as, ha... Hell. I think I'll just I'll leave her where she is for now. Maybe I'll remember to toss her food, and maybe I won't. It won't matter in the end.

I mean... neither did she.