The Fall

19. Words

1.26.21

Benji's POV

The fighting has continued through the morning, and by the time the sun was at its highest point, I was out of breath and hoping that I wouldn't have to continue. My legs were weak with the way the world seemed to sway, and the dehydration I felt was beginning to press against my mind more and more. I leaned back against the wall as claws tore into other's flesh, and I really just needed time to think. As the Moon Goddess had said, I could motivate people with words as long as I knew what I wanted to say. Currently, I do not have a single idea what would come out of my mouth if I got onto a stage in this second.

Well, what could I say to a whole bunch of angry demons fighting to maintain cruel control? I have it! I snuck into the town hall before grabbing two pans, and it didn't take me very long to be standing on top of the stairs slamming them together much louder than they should have been. Seeing as everyone causing conflict had supernatural hearing, it was quick to get attention. I'm going to convince them to stop fighting if it's the last thing I do; I promised that moon goddess that I wouldn't mess this up for her.

"Listen to me!!" I screamed, and the last of the skirmishes were put on pause. It's hard to truly capture the eyes of everyone, but at the very least, I wasn't being booed off of the stage. "The fighting needs to stop! This is what the humans want us to be doing! I am putting my foot down!"

"You're that kid who thinks he can lead, aren't you. Tell me, are you under the impression that we would willingly follow someone who won't even fight us when we threaten him? You truly are as stupid as Oliver said."

"He said I was stupid?"

"He spoke only the truth. You are not the one that should be leading such an important thing. Back down immediately or die."

"You can't kill me."

"What makes you so confident in that?"

I jumped down off of the front steps and crossed the stone to him, and he was eyeing me with an unimpressed look. However, I didn't have the energy to care at the moment. I got very close to his face, but even the cold hatred in his eyes didn't intimidate me. "I may not be able to take you down, but there are many other people who listen to me that can. I'm not a violent person, and I don't claim to be one. I'm not going to change myself for closed-minded people like you. You can get behind me or be left behind with nothing to feed your bloodlust. I don't care what your choice is, but trying to undermine me will just get us all into a world full of hurt."

"Don't act like you suddenly care about my wellbeing because I know that you really don't. I'm so tired of you guys thinking you're superior because of your birthright."

"Tell me, were you part of the group that colonized with Oliver right before his reign began?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well then, you should remember how much of a pain in the ass his father was to you, correct? It was impossible to get anything done, was it not?"

"Just get to the point, kid. What random tale are you going to throw in my face."

"Do you not remember the day he died? Many rejoiced as the tyranny they had felt under the rule of that bad leader was now lifted. Do I really need to remind you exactly who got rid of that burden?"

"What, are you trying to suggest that you single-handedly took down the king of hell? I don't believe it for a second, you're so small. You look like no one fed you as a child; you couldn't take down someone as strong as him."

"Oh right, the demon prejudice, I had forgotten about it. Just because I may look small and feeble doesn't mean I could beat your ass with the snap of a finger. Quite literally."

"Do it then, kill me." The challenge alight in his eyes was what clued me in on the trap, and I knew that I couldn't kill him no matter how much I wanted to right now. 

"I refuse to kill innocent people; it has never been my way. Stand down."

"Well then, I'm leaving to follow my leader because you're not competent enough for me."

"That's your choice; I can't tell you not to. Come crawling back to me when you come to your senses." I could tell that the words got into his head, which was all that I ever wanted. As much as I don't like hurting people physically, I love to run circles around their mental game. It reminds me that the control I have doesn't come from force but rather a fierce understanding of what keeps certain people going. 

The man left with a few others, but I was happy to see that not many had walked out of the square. They were impressed with the way that I conducted myself when I was being threatened. I suppose that that is something I could take pride in; I can keep a level head in most situations. When I was a teenager, I couldn't do that at all. Every condition I was met with caused widespread confusion in my brain before. However, it's totally different now, and I can say that my mental state has changed a lot over the years. I've learned more about patience, and I've come far after the time when I killed the demon king. 

I walked away from the people who were helping each other wrap wounds. I was on my way to look for Connor; I haven't seen him for quite a while. Last I checked, he was working on our Declaration. I know, very United States, but we didn't have any other ideas for now. Neither one of us has any time to try and be original while the world was fucked up. I wandered down the stairs, and the feeling that I had something to do today was prominent in my mind. Oh! Right, I was supposed to call my father and check on him. 

After the beginning of what we like to call the supernatural dark ages, my father and I had gotten close again. He would tell me tales of what the world was like long before I was born, and I would soak them up like a wet sponge. In exchange, I would update him on what crazy shenanigans Connor and I had pulled that week. He was really, really old now, and I'm pretty sure that the only thing keeping him alive was whatever minerals were in the waters in this crazy city. No matter, it's time for him to know what has gone down. He kind of lives under a rock, so he might not have noticed. I just hope he doesn't get upset at the danger...