You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.

-Unknown

■NATASHA■

It's dark. Very dark.

The temperature of the dungeon is low and I can feel it. My body shivers and the hair on my body stand up. It's disgusting in here. The horrific scent of death and blood linger in the air. And I know for certain, there's some type of animal down here with me... Maybe even more. Whatever it is, it's poop lingers in the air as well.

Shifting myself to stretch my legs, I feel the cold chains around my neck tighten. It was tight enough to choke me but definitely tight enough to give a warning. A clear warning that it would choke the hell out of me if I moved any further.

Taking in a deep breath, I let it out after a couple of seconds. Lifting my hands up and wrapping them around the chain, I begin to chant a spell. "Intermissum. Nunc autem praevaricator!" Once the spell leaves my mouth a burning pain erupts in my neck and the chain burns my hand. Not bothering to hold back my pain, screams escape my lips as the burning sensation continues to sting at my body.

The burning pain goes away after some time, but from the looks of my hand, it left a second-degree burn. The same goes for my neck. Closing my eyes shut, I release a breath, trying to keep my composure. "Everything is gonna be okay. I will get through this." I say inside my head. But those words didn't even comfort me. Deep down in my stomach, I knew something bad would happen.

I've tried everything. From magic to shifting and sadly even calling out for Zeus. Nothing works. Absolutely nothing.

From the other side of the room, the sound of small squealing can be heard. The hot blood pumping through my body instantly runs cold. I've only known one animal that can make that sound. A rat.

The sound of the rat getting closer causes me to panic. My heart starts pounding at an increasingly rapid pace. My breathing becomes rigid and I feel a sharp pain in my chest and down my right arm. I've felt like this before. I remember this feeling, I remember it well.

It was a panic attack.

I was having a panic attack for the first time in years.

The rat emerged into my line of vision, which caused me to lose myself. I scream, a horrid scream, long and loud enough to crack the eardrums of many. Its beady eyes stare at me, as it's sleek brown fur raises. "Stay the fuck away." I cry, now sobbing. The hidden memories of all the torment my mother use to give me came rushing through my head.

Whenever I did something stupid, she'd lock me in a hut full of rats. They would scratch, nibble, claw and even bite at my skin. Their teeth would get stuck in my flesh, which would cause a huge amount of both blood and pain to erupt in my body. I still remember the look on their faces when I watch as they bite me. It was horrific.

Ever since then, my hate for rats has been heavy. It was the one creature I always made sure to stay away from. No one but Yiska knew of my intense fear for them and he made sure that no one else knew.

The rat squeaks, it's whiskers moving with each step it takes closer. "Get back!" I scream again. It bares its teeth at me, its teeth look like steel pincers, small like a hypodermic needle. The long pink tail is still, as it moves.

It continues to move forward for a few seconds before it pauses. It's best eyes stare at me again, and it squeaks. This time, calling others. A scream raises again, this time loud enough to send my soul out of this world. It takes a moment for me to realize that the scream comes from me and that I've soiled myself.

My piss sticks to my jeans and trails beyond the hard floor. I'm uncomfortable, but the amount of rats displeases me more.

"Oh, will you shut up girl!" My mother says, barging into the dungeon. Light surrounds me but it's not enough to stop me from freaking out. Even though I see that all of the rats have scurried away out of plain sight, and even if I'm aware of my mother's presence. It's still not enough to stop me from losing myself.

Hot sweat drips from my face as I continue to scream. The adrenaline coursing through my body causes my heart to pound fiercely in my chest.

Black spots come in, and everything gets all grainy. Starting from the edges of my vision inwards to the low depths of my eyes. It gets hard to make out the words that my mother is yelling at me, but I know it's just as vulgar as her personality. Typical. Soon everything becomes muffled. It gets hard to think, the black and grey take over. And I finally faint.

•○•○•○•○

Hot water splashes against my skin, sending a fiery sensation throughout my body. I jolt awake, screaming in pain. My vision is blurry as I open my eyes. There are now four people in the dungeon, myself included.

"How long have I been out?" I ask no one in particular. My wounds were begging to heal but, I'm still chained to the ground.

"About ten minutes." Someone with a grating voice replies. It takes a moment for me to realize who the voice belongs to, but when I recognize it my head snaps up to the person.

My vision isn't blurry anymore. "You have to be shitting me." My eyes look around the room. "Out of all the people that could've been here, it just had to be you three." I let out a dry chuckle, looking up. "Really Rahul, you couldn't just find some other way to torture me. The rats and magical spells weren't enough!"

"Mind your tongue demon." My sister Asha says. Her hair had gotten longer from our last accounter.

"Funny how you're calling me a demon when you are in fact a demon." I resort. "You're a demon you do know that right?"

"We know what we are Natasha." My former lover, Nadir speaks. He looks like he's grown, in more ways than one. "We have you to thank for that."

I shake my head. "No, I turned you all into ghouls and if it wasn't for being kidnapped you all would've been freed by now. Don't go blaming me for any of this."

My mother chuckles darkly. "Typical demon. Can never man up to your problems."

My eyes widen in disbelief. "I can't own up to my problems? Are you serious?!" I shout. "You're fuckin abusive and for half my life I had to deal with it. Getting beaten day and night just because of the color of my skin. You belittled me, made me think that there was something wrong with me. You had me raped and.... and crucified. Your incapability to control your emotions is what you used as an excuse to..."

Hedvika cuts me off by laughing. It doesn't take long for the other two to join. They all look down upon me, laughing. My mother clinches her stomach. "You demon are a funny one. That speech, was quite... hilarious if you ask me. But what was even more hilarious than that, was you thinking that you giving me a speech would make me feel awful."

Nadir bends down in front of me. "We don't feel bad Natasha. We have no heart."

Asha hums in agreement. "So stop trying to make us feel bad, for things we didn't do."

"Didn't do?" I question. Now it was my turn to laugh. "You all think that what you did was nothing?" I scoff. "What kind of shit is this? Hedvika besides you being abusive, you were a scum. Asha my dear idiot of a sister, you hated me for no reason and you are so easily manipulated." My eyes land on Nadir. "You... you Nadir, if I was still in hell you'd be my bitch."

Nadir glares at me and before I know it, his fist comes crashing down on my left cheek. "I should have killed you when I bedded you."

Leaning forward, I spit out the blood in my mouth. "Is that all you got small dick?"

Nadir raises his fist to punch me again, but he is interrupted by the dungeon door opening. "Enough!" Rahul's gravelly voice mutters. "You all go finish your work, leave me be with our precious goddess."

They each bow their heads before walking towards the door. Just before Asha leaves she sticks the middle finger at me. "Real mature sister. Real mature." Glancing at Rahul, I smile at him showing him my bloody teeth. "Satan himself has decided to come to visit me. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Rahul smirks, placing his hands behind his back. He looks down at me. "Did you enjoy the rats?" He asks, tilting his head. "I knew they'd enjoy your company."

"Fuck you!" I yell, spitting at his shoes.

He looks down at his shoes. "Now child, that isn't a way to talk to the person who made you."

I glare at him. "Fuck. You!"

Rahul chuckles, shaking his head slightly. "You are one feisty creature. But anyways," he claps his hand and dark red mist appears. When the mist disappears, a wooden chair is there. "I hear you have questions for me." He says, taking a seat. "Ask away."

My eyebrows knit together and I sit up. "What's the catch."

Rahul lifts up his hand. "There is no catch." He simply says.

"Yes, there is. There's always a catch." I resort back. "So what is?" Rahul stays silently as we both eye each other. He gives me a curious look, while I stare at him seriously.

After a minute goes by, Rahul lets out a breath and places his hands down. The movement causes a thud. "Alright, fine. You got me." He says. "There is a catch, but you won't know it till after all your answers are answered. That is if you want them answered."

I needed answers, no matter what the catch was. Answers for everything, answers for Torrin... So after finally contemplating it, I ask. "Are you my father?"

Rahul smirks at me mischievously. "Yes." He answers. My heart drops. "Yes and no." He clears his throat. "When your mother and father were having sex I possessed your father. I was in him when he cummed... inside her."

My eyes widened in disgust. "You're a disgusting man."

Rahul shrugs. "Tell me something, I haven't heard before."

My eyes roll to the back of my head. "So does that mean your DNA is in me or not?"

"Physically no, mentally I'd like to think so." He answers. "It doesn't make sense, I know. But it's best that you don't dwell on it. Next question."

"Does this make me and Torrin related?"

Rahul smirks. "Never really thought about it, but I'll just say no. Makes it easier for everyone."

"You're so backward," I tell him. "You do shit and you give zero fucks of the consequences. How do you live with yourself?"

"Who says that I do?" He chuckles. "I'm Satan Natasha, I was made to no give a damn about the consequences, about people."

My ears perk up at that. "Yet, you actually did give a damn about someone," I say. "Torrin's mother. You loved her, that's why you killed her." From the look on Rahul's face, it seems that I've hit a nerve. "It hurt you when she left, but you hate to admit it. Because you don't like being vulnerable. It's part of the reason why you treat Torrin the way you do."

Rahul glares at me. "You don't know me Natasha, nor my ways. And unless you want me to get very angry, I'd advise you to ask another question."

I chuckle and then pout. "Awww, is little Satan mad?" I mock. "That's cute, with your little empty threats."

He tilts his head to the side. "Next question." He says in a warning tone.

I release a breath. "Why'd you create me?"

Rahul clears his throat. "So that we'd rule the world together. That and power, of course, power is great. It's the rule of all evil, even though some may say money is." He says. "With you by my side taking over the world would be so much easier. We would make the world a better place. All you have to do is kill the part of you that makes you human."

"Why? Why do you want my human side gone so bad?"

"When I planned on making you what you are today, I didn't plan on you still being human. When you turned eighteen, Odessa was supposed to stab you in your heart. And when it was done, my father was supposed to tell you everything about me." He shakes his head. "But they didn't do it, because they grew fond. They thought you wouldn't live through the process, but I thought otherwise. If you can survive through the hybrid transformation, then you can surely survive through getting the human in you, ripped out. The human in you suppresses your potential... Your powers. And not the one you have now, but your true powers. The powers of all supernatural's that's ever been created." He explains. "You would become an ethereal God. The first of your kind."

"You're crazy." Is the only thing I can think to say.

"Crazy, but logical," Rahul concludes.

"I have one last question," I say, shifting myself.  "Why do you have Torrin's lover haunting him?"

Rahul grins. "It's to keep my son from being... sane. I like him best when he's at his worst." He taps his chin. "How'd you know it was me?"

"I've had the pleasure of being inside Torrin's head. It's a very dark place to be in and when she showed up, I remember seeing a mark on her risk." I point at his risk. "The same mark you carry on yours and from the training Odessa gave me, I know that demons get and give them when they're controlling a soul."

Rahul stands up, dusting off the non-existing dust off his dark red robe. "Well, it's been nice answering your questions, Natasha. But I'm afraid it's time for me to get down to business." Rahul lifts up his hand and a dagger appears, the same red dagger he had that night when he attacked both Torrin and me. "It's time I've completed this, once and for all."

I visibly start to panic. "Rahul, please... Don't. I'm not equipped for this." I start moving frantically. "Please don't do this!"

"Shhh." He whispers, placing his finger against his lips. In an instant, my cries were put to silence. "Everything will be fine." He lifts his hand up and a force forces me to stand up abruptly. I'm frozen, not able to move any limbs in my body. My tears drip slowly, from my eyes and down onto my face. "This will only feel like a pinch." Rahul lifts up his hand and drives the dagger, right in my heart. I gasp at the heated sensation, as a cold wind sweeps through my body. I tried to grab where I felt the pain, but I couldn't. I couldn't move.

The feeling of my hot blood dripping out of me and my three layers of skin throbbing, causes me to feel an excruciating amount of pain. Nothing but pain, pain I've never felt before. "Pl... please," I beg. It feels like sharp needles, growing from my heart and expanding through my entire body. The mixture of feelings: strength adrenaline, pain, and exhaustion all hit me at once.

"You'll make it Natasha, not because you have to, but because it's your destiny too." Rahul places a kiss on my forehead, his cold lips pressed lightly on my skin. "I'll see you when you've healed." He backs away slowly, before opening the door of the dungeon and walks out. My body crumbles onto the ground as he leaves me to fend for myself.

Alone.

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