My Muse || READER X RAY || The Promised Neverland

🔒 My Muse || Chapter Forty Four

Mujika softly took a sip from her spoon, recalling her own story. "I was once called The Blessed Blood." Her smile turned into a frown. "But that 'Once Upon a Time' was so long ago."

"I was born into a normal clan of demons. A normal family, village. Despite the normalcy of my life, I was different. y/n. Have you noticed anything about the demons you've encountered?" I scratched my head, thinking. "The demons at Grace Field could speak. They were sentient. And the demon that chased us in the forest was beastlike. It wasn't intelligent." Mujika nodded. "You're right. That's because a demon's intelligence varies on what it consumes. We are what we eat, unironically." "What happened to your clan?" Don interjected. Gilda elbowed his stomach. "Don't interrupt!" She hissed. Mujike giggled, continuing her story. "Demons are born formless. But I was born human. I never changed, devolved, or ever had to eat a single human being in my life. I was a miracle child. I was The Blessed Blood. Until the five demon families and the Ratri clan found out about me. They set fire to my village and killed everyone inside. But I escaped. And for 700 years I've been on the run." 

"That's... So sad..." Gilda covered her mouth with her hands, whimpering. "I'm so sorry..." 

Mujika smiled, waving away the bad mood. "It was so long ago. Now, can we hear about your family?" Don puffed up his chest. "Let me begin..." He started, literally reciting the whole tale of our jailbreak. The kids had already fallen asleep as Don spoke the final sentence. "And then we cut the strings so no one would follow us. The end." Mujika clapped, laughing. "That's very impressive." Gilda and Don turned towards me. They said in unison. "It's all thanks to y/n. She was our fire." 

"You got that right." A boy's voice said from behind us, parting the vines with his hands. He sat behind me, patting my head gently. "Hey, y/n. I'm so glad you're okay." Ray's smile was warm. But I felt cold just looking at him. "Y-Yeah..." I replied, shifting away from him. I just didn't want to talk to him right now. While I was sick, having nightmares, doing everything I could to protect this family, he was cuddling with Emma. For fuck's sake, Don and Gilda, who were younger than them were doing more work. 

"Sonju." I asked, turning to the lean demon, sharping his spear. "Why are you on the run with Mujika?" He flashed his incredibly sharp teeth, grimacing. "I was the younger son. The unwanted child. And a traitor." He laughed at the last word. "Such a familiar word. Traitor. I was stabbed and left in the forest to starve or bleed out. A plan, a ruse, to kill me by my own family. Unfortunately, I didn't die. Mujika found me and gave me her blood. I never needed to eat a human again." He placed his spear down, staring straight at me. Chills ran down my spine. His aura... His presence is extraordinary... "How about you? Daughter of the traitor?" 

I was confused. He was looking at me, right? 

He chuckled menacingly. "Yes, you." He read my concerned expression easily. "You are the daughter of the Ratri's first son, are you not?" "N-No, I'm just a-a cattle child, I-I don't even know who those people a-are-" I sputtered out. My heart was churning. Who were the Ratris? "M-My mother was a-a cattle woman as w-well, I-I-" "That doesn't mean you cannot be not a Ratri." Sonju bellowed, retaking his spear. "I'm going to hunt." His footsteps were heavy, disappearing into the tunnels. 

Mujika's hands were clenched tightly on her lap. "Do you remember? Anything at all?" 

My lips were quivering. I didn't know what she was talking about. Gilda held my hand, noticing my discomfort. "What are you talking about?" She asked for me. 

"We've called them many names. The Lion and the Mouse. The Shepherd and the Sheep. The King and the Cattle. But Sonju and I always recall them as the Traitor and the Cow." 

"Who is 'them'?" Ray asked, chiming into the conversation. 

"We should start with Ratris." Mujika said, as kindly as she could. I noticed there was some bitterness on her forced smile. 

"Thousands of years ago, when the world was new, demons and humans lived together. On the same earth. Naturally, demons hunted humans, and just as naturally as that, humans fought back. For a hundred years, demons warred against humankind, seeking to control them, like cattle. The humans wished to exterminate the demons, so they would have no natural predators. At the end of the hundred years, a God met with both the clans." Her gaze, which was distant suddenly turned to us. "And the two worlds were separated. The people at the meeting were the Ratris. They agreed to hand over a group of humans for the demons to cultivate, in exchange for their migration to another world."

"But that's-" "A flawed deal from the beginning." Mujika finished Don's cry. "And to this day, the Ratri still uphold that promise and aristocracy in this world. Until you." She shuffled towards me, revealing a necklace that was hidden under her cloak. The chain was golden, a small eye-like charm hanging on it's end. A small pearl jewel was embellished inside of the golden oval. It seemed to shift colors, from a deep wine purple, into royal blue and emerald green. 

"This doesn't hold demon memories, so you only have a limited amount of time." She unclipped the pendant and placed it in my hands. "Hold tight." She whispered in the Demon's language. The jewel started to glow pastel purple and blue. "W-What's happening?" Gilda trembled. The previous galaxy like colors of the gem bled out, seeping into my skin. It felt like a burning acid, eating away my flesh and bone. I tried to hold back my screams, as Don, Ray and Gilda held onto me tightly. 

"y/n! y/n!" They called my name as my consciousness faded away.