The Short Demon King

Chapter 36

When night rolled around, I once again found myself completely unable to sleep. This time, however, I had something to distract myself with: getting rid of that horn.

That cranky angel claimed my body healing caused all of this. Did it have something to do with my immortality? I already knew it went to great lengths to keep me alive, but could it really revert my body back to its original form? Did that mean I could switch between them somehow?

This gave me hope. If I could learn to control this shift then I would be able to regain my normal human form and maybe even change back to my true self without the need for violence!

Before going to bed, Maya had told me that I could still go to school with her if I wanted. But I knew whatever I did to try and hide the horn would only draw more attention, so I told myself that I would only join her if I could figure out how to get rid of it on my own.

To try and get this to work, I spent most of the night in my own head, urging my body to just cooperate on its own. I even tried talking to the horn directly, coaxing it into hiding itself once more. If I had spoken any of this aloud, I would sound insane.

Despite all these efforts, nothing changed. I even rubbed the top of my head a few times, having convinced myself I got rid of it somehow. But all those efforts were in vain. Each attempt left me with nothing. No way to get rid of the horn, and not a step closer to figuring out a strategy.

The clock ticked away, distracting me momentarily. Hours passed by so quickly.

I groaned inwardly and fell back onto the couch, lying there miserably while staring at that blank ceiling. I absentmindedly poked at my horn a few times, feeling lost for what to do next.

"Come ooon, can't you just go away?" I pleaded with the small horn stuck to my head.

Of course, no response. But it still felt nice to let out some of that built-up frustration.

I turned over to bury my head in the couch cushions and debated every possibility in my head once more. Was I already out of options? Was there nothing else I could do?

No! I would not give up so easily!

I instantly perked up, sitting straight on the couch and clenching my fists with new-found determination. All I had to do was remember why I was doing this.

I needed to hide this horn so I could go back to school with Maya. So I could ensure her safety one more day. So I could protect her. This wasn't about me right now. It was about her. I'd already promised I would try to help and protect them both, and I had to appear human to do so.

Only humans were allowed in this world, so I needed to be one to protect these two. And if what Eiling said was true, appearing more demonic could forcibly push me out of this world. To test that theory I'd need to recover more of my true self, making it even harder to blend in with humans. I needed a way to control how demonic I appeared.

There had to be a way to control this, I just knew it.

And I would control it.

Right here, right now. This horn would disappear, or at least grow small enough to be unnoticeable by humans. I demanded it!

In one final, full-force effort, I smacked my hand down on my head in the exact location I had memorized the horn being in. To my surprise, I didn't hit the tip of it but rather the side of my head.

My eyes widened and I stilled for a moment, shocked that any of that actually worked. I blinked a few times, then raced over to the bathroom and slid around the door to peer into the mirror. With my great vision I could see clearly even in this darkness. That pesky horn had completely disappeared.