Daki's eyes narrowed as the tension in the room grew thicker. The girl stood behind her so-called mother, visibly shaken and confused. The presence of the stranger Daki who walked in like she owned the space, only deepened her fear.
"I don't have time to waste," Daki said coldly. "Now answer me what's behind that door, Lee Ye So?"
The woman no, the demon wearing human skin froze.
Her name.
Daki had spoken it so casually.
So precisely.
She masked her reaction with a light chuckle, brushing her hair behind her ear. "You must be mistaken," she said smoothly. "There's nothing back there."
But Daki didn't blink. Her gaze was fixed and her presence was unshakable.
"I smell something strange. Rotten. Like burnt sulfur and decay," Daki said, stepping forward. "So why don't you move aside, Ye So, and let me see for myself?"
Lee Ye So's smile faltered.
A chill passed through the room.
She knows. She sees through me, Ye So thought. The girl's fear meant nothing to her, but Daki's aura—it was different. Not human. Not entirely demon either.
What is she?
To stall, Ye So mentally calculated her odds. To think food would walk right into my cave… It's a miracle. I could devour her now. Her eyes shimmered white again for a second. But that aura… there's something off about her. It's like she's hiding her real strength.
Still, she smirked. "Of course. Go ahead. There's nothing to hide."
She stepped aside.
Daki said nothing, only walking forward in calm, confident strides. Her hand reached for the door. As she touched the knob—
Snap!
In an instant, Ye So's tentacle whipped from her back, razor-sharp and aiming straight for Daki's spine.
But Daki had been ready.
She turned her body smoothly, one hand catching the tentacle in mid-air like a ribbon fluttering in the breeze. Her fingers tightened.
A quiet gasp escaped Ye So's lips.
Daki slowly turned the knob with her other hand and pushed the door open.
Inside was a hidden room of horror.
Dark smoke curled around the walls, pulsing like living shadows. Floating in the air were dozens of faint, glowing figures—souls, twisted in pain and trapped in silence. Some looked like children. Others like women. Their mouths were open in endless screams that made no sound.
The smell was worse here. A stench of decay, of suffering, of death kept on life support.
The little girl saw it all and let out a choked whimper. She dove under the bed in fear, curling into a ball, unable to comprehend what her mother had become.
Daki's eyes didn't leave the floating souls.
"So this is it…" she said softly, but with disgust. "This must be your food."
She gripped the tentacle tighter until it cracked beneath her fingers.
Ye So let out a pained shriek as she was thrown back across the room, crashing into the wall with enough force to crack the wood.
Daki stepped into the room, now fully visible in the smoky light of the soul chamber. "You're not just eating them," she said. "You're trapping them. Feeding off them slowly… like livestock."
Ye So coughed as she pulled herself up, blood dripping from her lip. "They were already forgotten. Abandoned. I gave them purpose."
Daki turned her head slightly.
"That's not purpose," she said. "That's torment." I won't say it's not a good thing I mean for a demon like you, but I still don't care.
Ye So's form began to shift—her disguise burning away, revealing the real demon beneath. Her skin turned dark and scaled, her mouth widening into something inhuman.
"I don't care what you are," she hissed. "You stepped into my den. You'll end up as one of them."
Daki only smiled—and it wasn't kind.
"We'll see about that."
The little girl hid beneath the bed, trembling as the world around her unraveled. Her heart pounded in confusion and fear. The woman she had called "mom" was now a monstrous creature. The lies, the coldness, the strange behavior—it all made sense now.
Above her, Daki stood calmly, her black coat fluttering in the dark wind of the soul chamber.
Ye So let out a guttural roar and lunged at her again, sharp tentacles slicing through the air like whips. But Daki dodged every strike with graceful ease, her feet barely touching the floor. She moved like water—effortless and untouchable.
With a swift swipe of her own razor-sharp claws, Daki tore one of Ye So's tentacles clean off. Black blood splattered across the wall as Ye So screamed in pain. Daki moved faster than her eyes could follow and pinned her to the ground, claws digging into her chest.
Ye So growled, trying to push her off, but Daki leaned in close, whispering in her ear with a sinister smirk.
"This is so boring. I know that's not your real form," she said mockingly. "But why don't you show me how ugly—oh, I mean pretty—you really are? I mean, I'm like your king, right? I won't call you ugly. So…" She paused, licking her teeth. "Show your pretty self to me."
Ye So twitched beneath her, resisting.
Still hiding her power.
Still pretending.
Daki pulled back, tilting her head.
"How about I help you out…?" she said, her voice suddenly echoing with demonic command.
"Pawlja."
The word hit like a thunderclap.
Ye So's body convulsed. Her tentacle exploded into six long, serpent-like limbs, each one razor-sharp and dripping with energy. Her hair turned ashen grey, eyes glowing pure white, and her body began to swell with raw, demonic power. Horns burst from her head and shoulders, and bone spikes jutted from her back.
The air in the room grew heavy, trembling with pressure.
Even the girl under the bed felt it—an oppressive darkness that made her chest tighten.
Ye So's voice, now monstrous and layered, screamed out:
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
She leapt up, the floor cracking beneath her.
Daki stood her ground, unfazed, watching the transformation with amused eyes.
"There she is," she said with a grin. "I knew you were prettier than you let on."
The battle between two demons was about to begin—one twisted by hunger, the other cloaked in secrets.
And just outside, still unaware of what was unfolding inside that house.