*ONC 2024 entry*
**Round Two Ambassador's Pick**
**Shortlisted**
She's an angel of love; an ill-fitting name, as she's no angel. She strives for a world devoid of pain and sorrow. A world of love; of sex and debauchery without consequences. Unattach...
"Is that the only way to corrupt Exivaria?" I don't mean to question my orders; I simply want to know if there are other demons like me, with goals to disrupt the peace.
Bazroth's eyes gleam as he narrows them. "It's the fastest way. The best way." He lifts to his feet, a whoosh of putrid air rushing across my face from the swishing of his cloak. "Heartbreak can be at the root of violence. It can cause commotion, sadness, fragility. It can cause war. And war means death, which means more souls to reap and drag to hell. More negativity, more fear."
I sense those emotions within me as he states them. "Negativity and fear weaken the barrier between our realms," I say, finally comprehending the plan in its entirety.
"And with the barrier weakening, I can work out a way for us to escape." He nods, a quick jolt of color splotching over his grayish face. "I've striven for this for so long, Azath. I need an emissary, because no matter how strong I am, I can't go up there. The goddesses have blocked all my abilities from attaining Exivaria's surface. And in any case, my methods would be more...chaotic."
"Chaotic?" I swallow, instantly detecting the anger boiling within him.
"It's part of why we were banished, after all. My temper," he snickers, "got me in trouble. But it's that temper that led me to create you. That temper will lead us to victory and freedom."
I bow to him. "And I will bring that temper with me, to keep me on track at all times.
He growls at me. "You will not unleash it, though." His fingers curl into fists. "You will hold it inside, use it to fuel you. Should you show too much, your ruse will be discovered, and I won't allow that."
I bow again, lower. "Apologies, Majesty."
"Don't apologize; investigate." He descends his dais, marching past me, his giant steps rattling the floor.
I don't startle or stutter, though he intimidates me. I stand my ground. If I reveal any weakness, he'll deem me unworthy.
I must be worthy.
His timbre trails over to me from across the chamber. "You'll spy, get to know the humans, their habits, learn how to use them, confuse them. You'll mingle, become one of them. Gain their trust." A few more tremulous strides, and he's nearing the exit.
He's leaving me to my work, leaving me to explore the upper world, at last.
"I want to know who's blocking heartbreak from existing. Are the goddesses on firm land, dropped from their floating temples in the skies? Or do they have their own messengers, doing their bidding for them? Find out." He pauses at the threshold. "And then you'll infuse the population with darkness, which will spread fast, reaching other continents. Do not let me down, Azath."
***
I'm permitted to change before heading to the portal.
The clothes set out for me are simple—leather trousers, a white shirt with a hefty vest to put atop it, a rugged coat that stops at my buttocks. I keep the same boots, because they are worn-down and dusty, lived in.
More convincing.
I ruffle up my mane of dark blond hair and smirk at myself in the mirror.
The man, the demon I see reflected is a handsome fellow; not that I know much about the standards of beauty for humans. But I was meant for this, created for it: heartbreak. I'm supposed to be irresistible, alluring enough to trap targets into my embrace and turn them into heartbreakers like me.
Humans are easy, or so Bazroth has me believe. In my mind, I visualize all he's taught me at my birth, all the ways to trick and lure a human into my traps.
They're cautious creatures, but inquisitive. Open to new experiences, but erring on the side of habit, to be safe.
Love, lust, and sex are important in Exivaria, all tied in together, though they can exist without each other.
I'm most curious about the last one—the joining of bodies that culminates in an explosion of pleasure.
My lower half tingles at the thought, and I hope to partake sooner rather than later. Surely spreading heartbreak will involve me disrobing and mounting a few willing women. Or rolling around in sheets with a few dashing gentlemen.
Bazroth built me to not care about gender. Anyone with an appendage that could be teased and aroused; they were my targets.
I rub my hands together, eager at the prospect. My stomach groans, starved for all these sweet emotions I was born to destroy.
Why not enjoy them first, before I set the world on fire?
Guards take me to the portal, located outside of Bazroth's palace, on the verge of a cliff overlooking a pit of darkness.
The portal is blinding, loud. Its swirling circle of lightning pulls me in before I can ask questions.
I'm sucked through a dizzying spiral, landing on my feet in the middle of a busy market. Alone, and surrounded by colors.
Reds, greens, blues; I know them all now, am familiar with their varieties, their different names.
As I stretch to my full height and adjust my coat, no one pays me much heed. They're scurrying about with their baskets of goods, jiggling bags of coins at merchants they want to purchase from.
The smells, the sights, the views all overwhelm me, make my legs quake, my belly do backflips.
But I'm smiling as I stand there, observing.
I can't wait to see what all the fuss is about.
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