Dancing on the golden ashes

Those words come from somewhere deep within my soul. I don't understand how I know this creature, but I do. This isn't our first time meeting. But how...?

"It seems you don't remember me very well..." The creature steps forward.

"I don't blame you. After all, nobody else would have survived what you did..." What is it talking about? What did I survive?

"What do you want from me?" I back away, step by step. When I look down, I see I'm wearing a black dress—long, with a few strips of white fabric sewn into the middle of the skirt, as if someone added them without knowing anything about style... but that's not important right now. How do I get out of this situation alive?!

"Me?" The creature snorts, thick mist curling from its nostrils.

"I don't want much. I simply want you to remember who you are. Death Eater... you are the one who killed me. Remember that day..." Suddenly, its eyes begin to shine with an ethereal light, locking onto mine. That light floods into my body, invading my mind.

Silence.

Darkness.

Then, as if an old TV flickers to life before me, I see a vision, or at least, I think it's a vision. There stands a woman in a brilliant black ball gown adorned with golden patterns. She holds a black and gold scythe in her hands and moves like a phantom through the air. I swear I've seen that woman somewhere before...

She dodges an attack from a massive beast. Wait, that creature looks exactly like the one standing in front of me, only less intelligent. The monster slams into a tree, uprooting it in the process, and then several black crescent moon blades whip through the air, wounding the beast and making it squeal.

But it doesn't end there. That woman... Her movements are awkward, but she's smiling, she's actually having fun, and as she becomes a phantom once again, blood splashes everywhere, claiming the beast's head.

"She's amazing... I could never do the same..." I think aloud, yet the woman doesn't notice me behind the tree. Maybe I should go say hello? Wait, is she alright? Why did she puke? And what is that black orb that came out of the beast? It looks like a soul...

"No, don't put that in your mouth!" I try to scream, but she doesn't hear me. I can't move, I can only watch. And then it hits me... The woman in black, the voices that told me I killed them, that I ate them—they were talking about me. I am that woman. Is that why I can see this monster now? So it's been with me all this time... Hahaha... Hysteria bubbles up.

What a joke... what a fate... It all came back to haunt me. How many did I kill? I hear millions in my ear... am I a demon? Or a pure devil? No... They called me Death Eater. Yes...

"I am the Death Eater..." The words echo from my mouth as if ten thousand voices say it at once. The moment I speak, the vision warps and twists, and a splitting headache hits me right in the temples, forcing me to my knees.

Memories begin to flood in, so many, so different, but each life I took, every moment, now haunts me, reminding me of how I stole their lives for my own pleasure. Little by little, I relive those memories, each one holding me in place for what feels like eternity... But after a long time, it's finally done. I remember it all.

"I'm sorry... but it seems I, Lee Gaon, have carried you all inside me without ever saying thank you. So allow me to kill the one who created me, and then... I will atone for my sins, for all eternity of suffering."

I feel myself being pulled once again, and this time, I return to the darkness I awakened from. But now, I know who I am, the ultimate being, the weapon that can destroy the universe itself. With souls as my energy, I will reforge this world.

Pain twists through my body, but I finally force my eyes open. What I see is a boundless void surrounding me, emptiness stretching for at least ten million square kilometers...

"You tried your best to kill me, Kaelthira. But I'm back. And not only that, you finally gave me the gift I needed to kill the one who calls himself the Creator."

I summon my scythe, and this time, it's not only pitch black. No... Souls of the ones I killed are creeping out of it, swirling like spectral mist, trying to break free, yet also empowering me with an energy I can't even describe...

"I'm going home, Seong-hoon... I'm sorry it took so long..."

I slice my scythe through the void, and a massive rift appears. I've created a portal between worlds, something only the Creator could do before. But now... I'm ready to face him.

I step through the portal, and the red, lonely land welcomes me. A group of demons is camped in the distance, all circling the perimeter and making a ruckus, as if fighting among themselves.

"How did you allow that, brother Seong-hoon? How could you let Gaon sacrifice herself?!" I hear Eun-woo's voice in the distance.

"I..." Seong-hoon is there, too, but he looks utterly lifeless. His eyes are hollow, and his body limp.

"Such idiots..." I say aloud, and my voice instantly catches the attention of the entire crowd. Their faces drop in disbelief.

"Demon Empress?!" the entire group shouts in disbelief. Many begin to rush toward me as if they've seen a loved one after years of separation. And the one who runs the fastest is Malrang, haha, that cute little fox... I love her dearly. I let out a happy giggle.

I'm home... and this time, I won't let anyone touch it. Those who dare will face the wrath of the Death Eater. It's time I embrace my true nature...