Dark Secrets

Rising from the Ashes

(Lokena perspective)

"Now, what should I do?"

I thought and thought and eventually, tired and lost, I fell asleep.

A new day started early the following morning. I awoke completely, shivering with horror, at the sound of the door opening and seeing the village elder grasping a whip.



"Shall we start with day one?" he asked as my body trembled. As he got closer, my heart began to race, my anxiety increased, and I began to sweat heavily.



I begged out, expecting that somebody with a shred of humanity to come to my rescue, but my hopes were dashed as no one came.

"Hehehahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahahahahahahha," the village elder laughed at me, his face twisted with madness.



I felt like I should end it all right there.

My body was covered in cuts and had blood all over it from the torment that lasted the entire day. and the agony overpowered my mind to the point that it shut down, knocking me out. 

(3rd person perspective)

"Hm It appears that the island will experience wonderful fortune with this year's offering." The village elder turned to go, saying, "I'm proud of my work tonight."



The village elder was asked by a guard outside if they should wake her up. The older man said, "Yes, keep her awake all night, so the offering will be in good condition when we present her to the gods."



"I understand," the guard answered.



Boiling water was thrown on Lokena by the guard after the leader left. He was thrilled regarding the day of the offering while he had a crazy smile on his face.

(Lokena perspective)

I awoke to the burning sensation of hot water on my skin. I let forth a pained scream.



"ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"



My entire body began to hurt as my brain came to full consciousness. When was this misery going to end, I wondered.



And that's when I started laughing. "Heehehahahah."



"And this is only the first day, you crazy people! You're all going to be killed by me. Men, women, and children alike, I will burn you all. I refuse to die in misery." 

The guard only smiled as if I had made a joke, so I gave him a scowl. I was filled with rage and a burning desire to kill him, along with everyone.



"Stop wasting your energy on unachievable goals. You will undergo nine days of pain before being boiled and served as food on the tenth day. I am eager to witness the pain that appears on your face," the guard uttered.

"Now it's my time. Are you prepared for the second day?"



My body was still shaking, even if my mind was prepared. It was extremely bothersome. 

Days went by, and the torment continued. My mother took turns on day four, my father on day six, and my best friend on day seven. Day nine was important, not only because it was the day I would die the following day but also because it marked the beginning of my plan.



I lost count in the middle of the night, after further torment and with blood and scars all over my body.

In the meantime, the guard was dozing. When all was said and done, I took off my chains. You may be wondering why I didn't complete it sooner. I succeeded in robbing the guard of the keys when he was sleeping on the second day. I had endured terrible suffering to hide them in a hole I had dug with my nails.



I crept up on the sleeping guard, stole his gun so he was unable to stop me, and then carried a chain with me. Even though I was only ten years old, I choked him with it behind the prison bars.



His heart finally stopped beating after I choked him for a few minutes while he resisted. 

 'Thump, thump, thump, thump...'

My heart was pounding, but it wasn't from fear of my first murder; rather, it was from an odd joy. I had no idea that killing someone I detested could make me feel so happy.

"Hehehehahahahahah."

"How ironic that my first taste of happiness in these nine days came from taking a life."

 

I said, laughing, "Now, there are more I have to kill."

I walked out of the prison, climbed the stairs, to breathe clean air once again. It was a sensation I had missed.



There was a reason I went to the storage room. In order to carry out my plan to burn everyone on the island on fire, I required petrol. Fortunately, there was plenty of space since the island exchanged petrol with neighboring islands.



"Now, let's get the plan started," I smiled.



I smeared petrol on every building and ship that may be used as a means of escape throughout the whole night. I should not perish with them right now, therefore I also hid a small boat for my escape.

"Everything is prepared," I stated.



I saw the fire spectacle from the top of a hill. With a lighter in my hand, I said,



"Bass and drums."



The whole island burst into flames.



I grinned and exclaimed, "What a beautiful painting it is," as I listened to the people's yells. It was too late, but I could see people rushing to flee to the water, others burning and dying. Everything was on fire.

Their expressions of hopelessness pleased me. My parents were burning and pleading upon God for help.

"How ignorant these people are," I remarked.



Everything was burned by the fire eventually I was the last living creature remaining on the island.



Now was the moment to say goodbye to the island.

 I saw an odd-looking fruit with swirls between two bloody corpses on my way to the ship, which caught my attention. It was consuming their blood to make itself develop. Then it clicked upon me.

A devil fruit, that is.



"A devil fruit growing without water, but with blood instead? I murmured to myself, "What a wicked fruit it will become," as I picked it up and consumed it.



Even though it tasted terrible, I swallowed it all.



"I wonder what kind of Devil Fruit it is," I murmured in a brief moment. However, that was not the right time to consider that. I had to get off the island before I was devoured by the flames.

"Now, where should I go next?"



She didn't notice after eating the fruit that a swarm of gorgeous butterflies followed her along with how her cuts and scars were healing swiftly, leaving no signs on her thin body.

"That is the story of the monster that would one day wreak havoc throughout the whole world, and thus

Now let's start the story," the author said

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yay chapter 2 out :)