72 Pillar

I couldn't give a damn about the injuries that adorned my body, the crimson blood staining my cheek, or the deep scratches etched onto my arms. My wrecked house and demolished furniture meant nothing to me, and the chilling laughter echoing in my mind, so eerily familiar, seemed insignificant. It belonged to that girl who materialized in my bathroom this morning. But in this very moment, all that mattered was the surge of power coursing through my veins, rendering the pain obsolete and making me feel invincible.

"I can feel it..." I muttered under my breath, my voice barely audible over the crackling flames that surrounded us.

I snapped out of my trance and locked eyes with the demon before me.

The demon let out a maniacal laugh. "The power of a demon."

With both hands clenched, I moved forward, steadily closing the gap between us. The demon's sadistic smile fueled my determination. I glanced over at my mother, who looked at me with fear, and as our eyes met, I made a silent promise to myself: I wasn't going to lose here.

"Let's finish it," I declared, never taking my eyes off the bastard who had threatened my family.

The demon, however, had other ideas. "Why rush? Why not let us fight like the monsters we are?" he yelled with excitement as he charged forward, raising his left arm to attack.

"Come and savor this moment!"

The demon's movements were lightning-fast, the sheer force of his rush destroying the floor and sending anything not secured to the ground flying. To the average observer, he would be nothing but a blur, but I could see him clearly.

As the monstrous entity charged toward me, I spread my feet and drew back my fist, every muscle in my body brimming with power.

"Go..."

"To...

"Hell!!!"

I launched my fist like a rocket toward the demon's face, and to my surprise, my attack connected with his right cheek. The sensation of yielding flesh and cracking bone surged through my arm, and a resounding BANG echoed through the house.

The demon was propelled with great force through the walls of my house and found himself sprawled outside.

"Did I really do that?" I questioned myself, staring at my own hands as if they weren't my own. The devastation caused by a single punch served as a stark reminder that I was in an entirely different world now.

Quickly, I turned my attention to my mother, who was still bound and seated on the floor.

Without wasting a moment, I rushed over to her, ready to free her from her restraints.

"Mom, don't worry, I'll get you out of here!" I reassured her as I focused on releasing her.

It didn't take long to free my mother, and as soon as I did, I led her to a corner of the room. I couldn't ignore the intense fear in her eyes. Thankfully, my sister wasn't here. Handling one person's fearful gaze was challenging, but dealing with two was beyond my capabilities.

With my mother now safe, I turned my attention back to the demon standing outside my house. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the demon I had struck with all my might didn't seem to be significantly injured. That infuriatingly smug grin still adorned his face.

"Damn it!" I yelled, frustrated by my own weakness.

My anger surged through me as I stared at the son of a bitch standing at a distance.

"Yes, that's the way..."

The demon's excitement was evident in his voice as he approached me. The darkness shrouding his form grew even darker and colder.

"Come on, boy, keep making this fight more and more exciting!"

Captivated by his own exuberance, the demon's eyes began to turn as black as ink, and my heart sank, realizing the battle was far from over.

"Come and show me your power!"

Blow after blow was exchanged between the demon and me, and as time passed, I started to get used to the pain. I couldn't help but think I had a chance of winning this fight. After all, the demon was missing an arm, so victory should be within reach, right?

The relentless battle had left my house in shambles, putting my tied-up mother in constant danger. Every time our fists clashed, small shockwaves emanated, causing further destruction to our surroundings. Soon, the house I had lived in for years was unrecognizable.

The demon and I clashed multiple times, and we found ourselves locked in a fierce showdown.

As I stared at the demon before me, one word filled my thoughts: "Monster."

The demon's black, cold eyes widened upon hearing my declaration, and he grinned with a sense of pity.

"Oh, please. We are both monsters here."

Hearing the demon's words, I couldn't find the words to argue. I could argue that I was human to this inhuman thing, but our surroundings would say otherwise. The fight we were embroiled in wasn't something a human could accomplish. The vicious darkness enveloping me felt diabolical, and nothing about me at the moment seemed human at all.

"Shut up!" I yelled with a sense of defeat.

"Such trivial matters should mean nothing to beings like us. Worry not about your humanity; worry more about this fight," the demon spoke nefariously, his pitch-black eyes fixated on me with exhilaration.

Then, I felt it: the atmosphere turned ice-cold, and it felt as if something heavy pressed down on my body, making movement increasingly difficult.

As I struggled with this oppressive sensation, a sharp pain radiated from my chest. I looked down to see three swords impaled in my body.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" I screamed in agony, panic overtaking me as I witnessed sharp blades pierce my chest and blood flow from the wounds. However, in the blink of an eye, the swords, the pain, and the blood vanished as if they were nothing but illusions.

I touched my chest, startled. "W-What was that?" My voice trembled with hysteria.

Breathing hard, I looked over at my mother who lay unconscious on the floor. Whatever had affected me had also taken a toll on her. She looked so pale that it was almost as if she was on the brink of death. Tears streamed down my face as the terror of my mother's impending demise gripped my mind.

"It matters not where you go, it matters not who you meet; every human shares one all-consuming fear... The fear of death," the demon with a demented smile stepped forward.

"Can't you feel it?" the demon asked with exuberance.

"My will, my desire to kill you?"

I could hear the frenzied yearning in the demon's voice, a desire strong enough to fill me with doubt. The wounds I had inflicted on this monster had disappeared. I hated to admit it, but victory seemed far out of reach.

The demon, without making a sound or saying another word, vanished from my sight.

I panicked, trying to track the monster's movements, but something had changed.

"Where are you looking?"

Hearing a chilling voice from behind, I swiftly turned around.

"What!?"

Before I could comprehend what was happening, I was pummeled with punches more times than I could count. I flew through the room with the force of a bullet, crashing into the living room wall, completely destroying it.

"Did you think that I had used my full power?" The demon explained with smug glee.

Blood dropped from my forehead and mouth, my vision became blurry, and my body ached with unbearable pain. The power I had experienced was gone, and once again, I found myself knocking on death's door. I glanced at my mom, still unconscious, and wondered if I was going to fail her, the woman who had raised me.

The demon stood over me victoriously. "Once I eat your soul, my power will rise to new heights."

My rage exploded as I looked at the monster who would take my life.

"You should thank me... I will be sparing you a lot of pain, a lot of suffering by killing you here," the demon explained, bending down on one knee.

"The life of a pillar is nothing but hell."

The demon reached toward me with a hand covered in darkness and my own blood, seemingly savoring his victory. I closed my eyes and waited for the end.

"Stop!"

I, having heard that commanding voice, opened my eyes to see the monster who was still kneeling in front of me, no longer paying me any attention. I would've been insulted, but in the end, I understood. Because I, for one, recognized the voice that wielded a tone of unshakable fury and confidence. Slowly turning my head, as my vision rested upon her, I couldn't help but shed a tear.

"Madelyn..."

***

Author notes: Please support my work on Patreon for early access to new chapters. https://patreon.com/DarkMatteromniverse