Near- experience and meeting Maia

"Argh!!!" I suddenly woke up, shocked.

"How did you like that wake up call?" Liliana's hateful voice asked.

I looked around as much as I could. I was in a room similar to the one in which the demon was locked up in. I was tied to a chair, with a breathing mask on my face, probably to prevent me from escaping. Liliana and Harper were there, looking at me with disgust.

It... wasn't a nightmare…

"Now, since our lead scientist is... unavailable, I'll have to do it myself." Liliana declared, her grin sinister.

"Hmm, chief, isn't it a bit too risky? Maybe we should let another scientist into our confidence to help us? Like, why not ask Risa to help us? She's nice and really smart." Harper suggested, clearly not really comfortable with what was going on.

Liliana seemed to have been startled by the mention of Risa, and immediately turned to face Harper. "It's precisely because she's ‘nice’, as you put it, that we don't tell her anything about what we're doing. Forget about her, she's too naive.”

Harper scratched her head awkwardly. "Right, sorry for my stupid question, chief."

"I'll have to discuss it with the boss. But, for now, let's see if you're in the mood to talk, demon.” She grabbed a small box from a desk nearby. "I wonder if truth serums work on you?"

Truth serums?

Liliana came closer, with a syringe in hand, smirking menacingly.

"W-what are you-” I was terrified… I couldn't do anything. I was completely tied up and couldn't move, and I couldn't leave Kira's body either because of the breathing mask...

She grabbed me and violently stabbed me in the neck. "Argh!"

It... hurts! That's... not how... you use a syringe…

"Now, will you be more talkative?"

I could feel the chemicals starting to spread inside Kira's body… And suddenly realized something..."

If... I'm connected to her brain... wouldn't they affect... my original body? Fuck... W-what will it do?

I... felt it… It was like... my main body was on fire… I let out a loud scream of pain, Kira's body jerking all around despite the restraints. I gritted my teeth so hard that it hurt...

"Ahhhhh..."

Liliana was surprised, not expecting such a reaction, while I could discern a hint of pity in Harper's eyes.

A-am I... going to... die?

"P-please… m-make… it… stop…”

Mom…

I lost consciousness, my last thought being of my mother. I believed I wouldn't wake up again after that.

When I regained consciousness, I was in a strange place yet again. It was a spacious and elegant 0old-fashioned living room, the kind you'd see in movies from the Victorian era.

"W-where am I? Is... this Heaven?" I wondered, looking around.

“It's not." A voice softly spoke from behind me. I turned as soon as I heard it, and saw the demon, standing in front of me. "This is my realm, and you are my guest."

"Y-you're... the demon?"

The demon smiled and nodded. "I am Maia. What's your name?"

"B-Ben..." I awkwardly replied.

"Ben, hmm?" She repeated, examining me. "I can see that they already hurt you a lot."

"W-what do you mean?" I asked.

"Your soul is pretty shaken up. The blonde tortured you, didn't she?”

I fell to my knees, shivering as I remembered what happened. "Am I... dead?"

“No. You're still alive. Whatever they did to you put you on the brink of ****, but you survived."

I didn't know whether to be happy or sad about that… "It means... the ****... will continue..."

Maia came closer and put her hand on my shoulder. "Three days."

"Huh?"

She gestured with her fingers. "In three days, I will be able to break free." She then grinned menacingly, showing her sharp canines. "Then, we will finally punish these filthy humans adequately."

"But... I'm human, too!"

Maia took a step back and stared at me. "Maybe you were, before. But you're not one anymore, and you're no longer welcome among them. I think the way they're treating you should be proof of that."

"But… I never... wanted that..." I clenched my fists and started to cry.

"Now, you're a being above humans." Maia continued.

"N-no..." I shakily stood back up. "I just want... to be myself again..."

Maia approached me again, staring me in the eyes. "I can't keep this up for much longer, but we'll see each other again tomorrow night. I'll invade your dreams again until we're free, alright?"

"Invade my dreams?"

She chuckled. "I am a demon of dreams. Invading them is child's play to me. That's how we communicate." She then gave me a warmer smile. “It's good to finally have some company. In any case, we'll be free soon, my friend. But for now, try to rest as much as you can."

Like last time, she snapped her fingers…

And everything went dark again.

When I woke up, I was still in the same room, but only Harper was with me, her head resting on her fist and watching over me.

"Awake?" She asked.

"H-Har... per..."

My body still felt like it was on fire, even if the pain slightly diminished.

There was a faint hint of pity in Harper's eyes as she was observing me, but I didn't know whether it was directed towards Kira or towards me.

"The chief is meeting with our contractor today, so you're allowed a break." She explained.

"T-that's... good..."

She looked away. I could see that she didn't enjoy this situation very much. "Had you answered the chief's questions, you could have avoided all of that."

"M-maybe… But… I don't... believe... that what... you're doing... is right..."

She seemed a bit angry at my reply. "Our goal is to be able to fight demons as equals. We will no longer have to fear you all. There's nothing wrong with that."

Despite the pain, I managed to chuckle. "Because... you... believe that... it's his goal?"

"What do you mean?"

"He's... just a corrupt billionaire… All he wants... is power… He doesn't care... about humanity."

"How would a demon like you know that?”

"Because..." I coughed before finishing my sentence, and I felt blood in my mouth.

"Stop talking and rest."

I remembered what Harper said during the first interrogation. "Harper… The girl... that attacked you... She's... innocent. Please... Leave her... alone."

Harper raised an eyebrow. "Why do you care?"

"Because... I'm not... the monster... you think I am..." I muttered. She looked away. I pleaded. "Please..."

"..." Harper turned her back to me, but didn't say anything. "Just rest..." She finally spoke quietly.

I closed my eyes and rested. It wasn't like I could do anything else anyway… I thought of the conversation I had with Maia.

Three days… I just need to survive for three more days… But then what? Am I supposed to just live like this? By stealing other people's lives? I thought of my mother. Mom...What should I do…

When I came back to my senses, Harper was still there, sitting on a chair and reading things on her phone. "How was your rest?"

"I... suppose it was okay... all things considered..." I managed to joke.

"I've been searching for info on demons. Until two days ago, I didn't know you existed for real."

I chuckled. "H-heh... Me neither..."

She caught on what I said. "Huh?"

Ah, fuck… I quickly changed the subject. “So… What... did you find?"

Harper sighed before putting her phone in her pocket. "A lot of bullshit, mostly. It's hard to differentiate between what's true and what's made up. The chief knows a lot more than me. She really seems to despise all of your kind from the bottom of her heart."

"Why... does she hate demons so much?"

She shrugged. "I don't know." But she then looked at me more seriously. "Tell me, how's Kira?"

"Huh?"

"Is she conscious when you're... controlling her?"

"No... She's not… At least... Only I suffer..." I admitted.

"I'm... not so sure about that..." Harper said.

"What?"

"After using the truth serum and seeing you fall ****, the chief left, but I stayed to watch over you. And it seemed that the real Kira woke up for a moment." She declared. And she didn't seem to be lying.

My eyes widened as I heard that. "She... woke up?"

"Yeah… She... was lost, she didn't understand why she was here."

I closed my eyes and looked to see if I could find new memories. And indeed, I could see her waking up, confused and terrified, with Harper trying to calm her down. But it didn't last long.

"Kira may be a cold bitch, but I still pity her." Harper said.

"Me too… No one... deserves that..."

Harper glared at me, but I saw that she was struggling with her emotions. "It wouldn't have happened if you weren't here, monster! It's because of you!"

"No... It's because of you and your chief's narrow mindset..." I retorted.

"Shut up..."

"I never... wanted this..." I could feel tears starting to form on my face. "I never wanted to harm anyone..."

Harper didn't say anything else. She simply left the room, leaving me alone.After some time of doing nothing alone, I fell asleep again, wondering whether or not I'd see the demon again.

When I opened my eyes, I was back in her realm. She was there, standing in front of me, giving me a welcoming smile. "Welcome back, Ben."

I managed to smile slightly, her presence somewhat comforting. "Hi, Maia..."

She nodded and showed the table. "Do you want some tea? Even if it's a dream, you'll still feel the taste."

I sat down and grabbed a cup. "I'd... like some, yeah."

"Perfect!"

She sat in front of me and started drinking her cup. I took a sip and enjoyed the taste. I knew that it was all fake, but the aroma was still strong and full of flavor.

"It's... good." I closed my eyes and sighed. "I... hope I'll be able to drink tea again..."

"You will. I told you that we'll be free soon." Maia replied in a comforting tone.

"Free?" I looked at myself, my real body. The body that I didn't have anymore… “Even if we escape… I'm still... a monster... **** to steal the lives of people..."

Maia shrugged. "You're doing what you need to do to survive, that's all. Nothing wrong with that, Ben.”

"But… My mother... She wouldn't have wanted that..."

"I don't really know how humans work, but your mother most likely wouldn't want you to die, so live. That's all that matters. You will have to embrace what you are if you want to survive, because the world won't treat you as a human anymore." Maia said, gesturing at me with her spoon. "You're a being that they despise, a being that they fear, a being that they want to destroy."

"..." I couldn't reply… Her words... resonated with me... "What... am I supposed to do?"

Maia chuckled. “Live however you want. That's true freedom. You're a being able to dominate humans, now. You can use your abilities how you see fit."

Using my abilities how I see fit? What should I do… I wondered, staring at my reflection in the half-emptied cup.

“I will have to stop the dream for tonight. Hang in there for two more days, Ben." Maia said.

"I'll try..." I muttered dejectedly.

Maia snapped her fingers again, but I knew what would happen now.