As the sun rose above the trees, its warm rays illuminated the forest below. Underneath the shade of an enormous tree sat a woman with long, white hair, pointed ears, and piercing red eyes. Her expression was emotionless as she watched nine elves toiling away to build a wooden wall around the tree where she sat.

The wall was massive, covering a significant portion of the forest, and it was clear that the task was a difficult one, in special for teenagers. The young elves worked diligently, carrying heavy logs and hammering them into place, they were slowly getting tired. The woman, however, didn't seem to care.

As the woman watched the elves work, she noticed that they were getting tired and slowing down A LOT, so she decided to approach a group of 3 and speak to them.

"Good morning, young ones," she said in a soft but commanding voice. "How is the work progressing?"

One of the elves, a boy with dark hair and green eyes, looked up at her and replied, "It's going well, Goddess daughter. But we're starting to get tired, the logs are getting heavier, and our arms are getting sore."

"You can call me Teofilia"

{Mm...? I thought you didn't like 'Teofilia' as a name}

"...leave me alone," The woman said in English.

The boy looked at Teofilia, and once he was sure her attention returned to him, he opened his mouth again. "Then...Ms. Teofilia...we are getting tired, I don't think we can keep going at this rate... Can we rest...?"

Teofilia looked at him with a piercing gaze, and the boy shivered slightly under her intense stare. "No," she said firmly. "This wall is important for the safety of our Goddess. You must persevere, no matter how difficult it may seem."

"But Ms. Teofilia," he said hesitantly. "We've been working on this wall for days now, and it seems like we're not making much progress. Is there no other way to protect our Goddess?"

Teofilia shook her head. "This is the only way, at least for now. The wall will keep the demons out and protect our home. It may be difficult, but it is necessary" She said.

"B-But..."

[This guy...]

{Ahh~ How ungrateful. You are the reason he is still alive, yet he doesn't submit to you and begs to become your slave. That is why forcing them brings better results}

[Yeah, he should work like a slave. I mean, he is already kinda doing it, but he shouldn't complain!]

{I agree}

"We are at war. The demons have been attacking us constantly for these past years, it's time for us to counterattack. Or have you perhaps forgotten your parents"

Upon hearing the word 'parents' the boy immediately started hyperventilating, and his companions looked at him with worried looks.

Seeing that he didn't have anything other to say, she turned around and walked to another group of elves.

The second group of 4 was working on a section of the wall that was almost complete. Teofilia watched them work for a moment, noticing the precision and skill with which they worked. She didn't have anything to complain about so she went to the next group.

In the next and last group, there were 2 elves. Aclima, the girl overly attached to her, and Cain, the boy that resembled the male version of her.

The atmosphere was awkward, even the background noises became null due to the silence that reigned there. Cain's expression couldn't be read, while Aclima looked incredibly tense and nervous.

[You really can tell she has no friends...]

{Poor soul...everyone in this world that rejects your life should die a horrible death}

Teofilia looked over the two, she didn't notice any particular problem with their pace, so she let them be and returned to her usual place below the tree.

"I cannot wait for the war to begin..." She mumbled.

{War is a state of armed conflict between two or more groups. It typically involves the use of violence, destruction, and killing to achieve political, social, or economic goals}

[Yeah, and? Why are you telling us the definition of war?]

{Because what we are going to do isn't war, it's more similar to a fight of stupid neanderthals with sticks. Teofilia, calling this 'war' is just an insult to war}

"...I know, but it sounds cool calling it like that"

{Sometimes I wish the elves could understand English and hear the foolishness of your declarations...}

[Ken, you say dumber things all the time, you definitely shouldn't be complaining about her]

{Oh, but Karen, that was the old me, I changed}

[Seriously, can you go back to normal?]

{I cannot if Teofilia doesn't want to}

[Tefi! What did you do to him]

"This conversation again... I didn't do anything! He's lying"

{Teofilia, you did do something to me}

"..." The woman signed and lay down on the grass.

{Karen, why do you want me to go back to normal, it's something wrong with my new personality?}

[Yeah, you have been kind of an annoying smarty lately]

{Mm?}

[I mean, you were annoying already but not all the time...sometimes you weren't that irritating, at least not at the level of your current persona]

{Oh, you think I'm irritating? I apologize for making you uncomfortable, however, this is just my new way of being}

[Then your new way of being sucks!]

{How so?}

[Like that!]

{Mm?}

[You don't even get mad when I insult you!]

{I don't think I'm getting your point...}

[Ugh! Stop talking like that! That's not the Ken I know!]

{...? But I'm Ken}

[You aren't Ken! Ken is dumb!]

{That's...I wasn't 'dumb', just lacking. I think you align with that description more}

[AH? What did you say]

{I'm just saying that the word 'dumb' describes you better than it does to me}

[...I wish I had a body to beat the shit out of you]

"C'mon, stop fighting. Today is a good day, don't spoil it"

[Uh? What is so good about today?]

"I mean, it's been a long time since the last war I fought"

[Oh, I see]

{Undertandeble, have fun}

"...I thought you will be more excited about it"

[Not really...torturing people it's better]

{I agree with Karen}

[Please don't agree with me, it's disgusting having the same opinion as you]

{...}

"What's so fun about torture? I don't get the appeal anymore"

[Yeah, you said before that you 'grew from it'. Maybe it's due to the evil plant you inhaled, it probably did some fucked thing to your brain]

"I don't think it was the plant...I just suppose that enjoying torturing people is the odd thing"

[!?]

{...}

"Like, isn't it weird that you guys like violence so much?"

[What!?]

{Shouldn't you respond to that question 'yourself'?}

"...?"

{Teofilia, I think that the weird thing about all this is how divided your personality is. You should begin worrying about the fact that you are holding full conversations with yourself}

"...?"

{I mean, you are asking questions, and you are answering yourself. Isn't that weird}

[You make fictional characters and give them a part of your personality, isn't that weird?]

{When you get tired you suddenly change their natures, isn't that weird?}

[You count every single second since you arrive in this world. Isn't that weird]

{You seem to be opposed to our opinions and our perspective of entertainment but aren't these same opinions yours? Isn't that weird?}

[Our monologues are nothing but an extension of your thoughts. Isn't that weird?]

"..."

[{Aren't you the weird one?}]

"...Alright guys I get it. Torture is cool, stop trying to creep me out"

[Well, if you understand]

The woman signed and shifted her attention to her slaves the elves as they labored tirelessly to build the massive wall.

She observed them, time passed, the sun in the sky slowly making its journey from dawn to dusk, each day a repetition of the one before. She watched as the sun disappeared into the horizon, painting the sky with vibrant hues of red, orange, and pink, before darkness swallowed the world. And then, like clockwork, the sun would resurface again, and the cycle would begin anew.

Days turned into weeks, but the woman remained steadfast, her eyes fixed on the wall that seemed to stretch on for miles. She watched as the slaves elves toiled in the blistering heat of the sun, their skin glistening with sweat, their muscles straining with the effort. She saw them break for lunch, huddled together in small groups, their laughter and chatter filling the air. And then, they would return to their work, their tools clanging against the rough wood of the trees.

As the days passed, the wall slowly began to take shape. What once was just an accumulation of wood was now a towering structure, a barrier that would protect her precious resting place Goddess from its enemies. The woman watched in awe as the wall grew taller and wider, each brick carefully placed.

And then, one day, the work was finally done. The wall stood tall and proud, a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone except for her that didn't do anything.

The woman gazed at it in wonder, marveling at its strength and beauty. She felt a sense of pride and accomplishment, knowing that she had played not a single part in its creation. And as the sun set on the horizon, casting a golden glow over the world, she knew that the wall wouldn't even stand for the generation to come.

[It looks like dogshit]

The wood wall did, in fact, look like garbage.

"..."

{One would think they will do a decent job at it, after all, they worked building a lot doing houses and stuff. But maybe leaving the construction of an enormous barrier to overworked teenagers wasn't that good of an idea}

"..."

[Why are we even building a wall? It's not like the tree needs to be protected and also the 'war' won't be fought here but in demon territory]

{Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. Not only it's necessary but it's a loss of time and resources}

[Couldn't you simply cast a barrier or something, or maybe ask the tree if she could do something about it]

{Certanly, asking the tree would have been a good idea}

[Why couldn't you just do a barrier around the houses of the elves? Isn't it more useful there]

{I agree, here it serves no purpose}

"Because..."

[...?]

{...?}

"...I like big walls"

[{...}]

"Hey daughter!"

Teofilia turned around, a small squirrel came towards her.

"Oh, you. Mm? Do you need something?"

"Before we began fighting with the demons, I want to try to talk with the Tree of death, do you want to come with me?"

"Mmm... Sure"

 

~~~

 

The landscape of the red sand desert was a fractured terrain of misery and despair. Everywhere demons scurried to find shelter from the chaos and violence, but few found refuge. The night sky shimmered with the sparks of fire, and the smell of smoke was thick in the air. As the citizens cowered in fear within their homes, a battle was waged between the 'Brrrrrr' and the 'Bré' forces for the control of the territory.

Demons stalked every corner. There was no mercy to be found, no quarter given. Every single space was a battleground, each encounter a fight. The days passed without respite, but even during warfare, hope remained. There was something special about today. It was 'brrrrrr' time, a type of holiday.

Amid the oppressive gloom of a war-torn territory, one small spark of hope remained. In the depths of the cavern where the Death Tree habited, an underground refuge was tucked away beside the Death Tree where a small group of demons gathered, sheltered from the carnage outside. They were all imbued with a deep feeling of dread, knowing that the mindless monsters could launch an attack at any moment. Yet despite the danger, they decorated their shelter with dead plant branches. They had decided to celebrate the holiday season no matter what happened.

As the territory around them erupted into violence and destruction, here in this hidden sanctuary there was still hope and a chance that maybe someday, everything would become stable and a new king of demons will someday rise and unite them.

The war had been raging for close to fifteen years now, with no end in sight. Despite countless attempts at peace negotiations, nothing ever seemed to stick. Without a king it was impossible, or so said the Goddess of Death. Demons wondered if a truce would ever be achievable, some theorized that perhaps one of the sides needed to disappear for stability to even be possible.

In a corner of the bunker, two little demons played with their worn-out rat prey in the dingy shelter. Their laughter echoed through the dark, stone walls.

The two looked around. Everything about the sanctuary felt weirdly cozy today, the 'decoration' made it cute in their mind.

One of the demons smiled wickedly and revved a rat in its paws. The demon decided it was going to be a robber, and this was just the start of her career. It closed her eyes and imagined itself speeding away with her loot, outrunning the other demons while laughing.

The other demon grinned as it looked at its companion and picked up its own rat. It felt like his fingers were made of lightning as he manipulated its limbs.

They nodded at each other as their respective characters dived into the darkness, ready to fight for what was wrong. They were in this together, the two of them shared a common enemy.

"Brrrrrrrr!"

A deep voice boomed from their right. The two of them stand up, eager for their next mission. With a unified cry, they shouted back, "Bgrrr!"

Their laughter echoed through the bunker and joined with the other laughs from other demon kids. Everyone was strangely happy, at least compared to the usual.

"Brr! Breer, grrrrrrrrr!" An old demon chided as it approached them.

"Brrrr!" They said cheerfully.

"Brrrrt, brrrrr!" He exclaimed, his void eyes shaking with indignation as his strong paw clanked along the floor.

"Grrrr!" They shouted back with a mischievous glint in their eyes.

The old demon rolled his eyes and shook his head, not wanting to acknowledge their petty provocation.

"Grrr"

The two of them sat down together on the hard, concrete floor of the cavern.

Everything became quiet as they bowed their heads and began to pray, their voices were soft but steady. They thanked their Goddess for their blessings and asked for guidance in the days to come.

The old demon's lips moved inaudibly as he silently prayed for strength and courage for his charges, and also for the well-being of everyone he loved. His prayer finished, and he rose and gave the two kids a spanking in the neck.

""Grr!""

"Grrr"

""G-Grrr!?""

"Gr!"

It seems that the kids were faking their prayers.

The old demon moved through the sanctuary with his furrowed black eyebrows, he beckoned for the two demon kids to follow him. Together, they went to the center where people were gathering in anticipation of the holiday that celebrated the end of a long and difficult summer. The kids couldn't contain their excitement as they joined the crowd, they communicated with the other demon children very loudly.

The old demon seemed to know every demon in the bunker, he touched pawns and offered words of encouragement to those who were present to celebrate. As he made his way through the crowd, everyone seemed to recognize him and greet him with smiles. He led the two youngsters to the front of the room, so they could get a better view of the festivities.

The old man looked at the two kids, then motioned for them to join the dance of 'bérrr'. As they took part in the celebration, he could feel the joyous energy radiating through them. He stood by and watched, a unusual satisfied smile appeared on his face. He felt proud knowing that he had helped bring about this special moment.

This old demon used to be a fighter, but he retired long ago. This cavern beside the Tree of Death was awarded to him by the goddess herself for its services.

The kids looked at him with wide-eyed amazement. They had never seen him smile before.

Delighted by cheers and laughter engulfing him, the old demon closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the moment. He took a big breath and never exhaled again. A magical barrier crushed its head ending his life in an instant.

He lay motionless on the floor, and the cheers and laughter of the crowd began to fade away and were replaced with screams as a humanoid creature and a squirrel invaded the room.

"It's here?" The creature said.

[Yup, that kid should be around here]

Suddenly a crow appeared and stood before the humanoid.

<Who dares enter my---- You...> The crow shifted its attention to the squirrel.

[Oh, hello there, it's been a long time sister!]

<You bitch!!!!!>