Culture Shocks and the Devil's Knowledge
dated December 26, 2024 at 02:30 server time
Through the portal, the pair arrive in the front yard of what seems to be a standard suburban house. The lawn looks a little unkept, but otherwise the house seems normal.
c: "wuh- where are we?"
T: "This is my dad's house. He said he should be home around this time."
chaz looks around at the surrounding sights. The sky is a mix of orange-yellow, peppered with dark grey clouds. Stars can be seen sprinkled throughout the sky, including what seems to be two, suns?
c: "is this what hell really looks like? it's nothing like how i'd expect it to be..."
T: "Correct. In most of mortal media, Hell is typically displayed as being an underground wasteland of heat and death, though in reality it's more closely related to Earth in appearance. Fascinating, right?"
c: "i-... i guess?!"
chaz seems really taken aback by the whole situation.
T: "Let's head inside. Maybe both my dad and I can explain this all to you a bit better together."
chaz nods, his face still drenched in awe. The two step up the driveway and sidewalk of the home, the dark concrete even feeling out of place to chaz. Taz knocks on the door, with someone answering fairly quickly.
?: "'Zel! I'm glad you're here!"
T: "Hey dad. Nice to see you."
The two embrace each other in a big hug. chaz looks at the two, inspecting the man that answered the door. He's a little bit taller than chaz, with crimson fur lining his chubby body. He has salt-and-pepper hair, with a goatee accenting his goat-like face, horns jolting out the sides of his head emanating a bright orange flame. His legs, instead of being plantigrade, are digitigrade, with hooves instead of feet and a spiked tail dangling from his behind.
The two break away from their hug, continuing to speak standard festivities a father and son would normally exchange.
?: "Is everything alright up there on Earth? What's with the sudden trip back home to Diterra?"
Diterra?
T: "Yea, everything is fine, mostly. I wanted to show it off to my boss here."
K: "Ah, yes, chaz. I've heard about you quite a bit from Taz. I'm Karau, nice to meet you."
He holds out his hand for a handshake, which chaz accepts.
c: "chaz Derfarkas. nice to meet you, too."
K: "You seem to be handling yourselves well up on the surface."
c: "heheh, thank you. there's a lot that we've had to do to upgrade our living situation as well as a lot we've had to put out in the world to make a living."
K: "Of course. Life finds a way to work you to the bone. Come in! Make yourselves at home."
The trio enter into the house. It seems to be not unlike a standard suburban home on the surface, the entrance leading directly into a cluttered family room of sorts. Taz and Karau take their spots on couches, with chaz sitting next to Taz.
K: "So, chaz, what do you think of Diterra so far?"
c: "Diterra? is that your name for Hell?"
K: "Mhm. I believe... about a thousand years ago that name was coined to distance us devils from our, unsteady past. How about zach? How's he doing?"
c: "what do you mean? we're the same person."
K: "Somewhat. Yes, you are the same person, but there's more under the surface than that."
c: "what the hell am i then?"
K: "You're what we call 'Deviltouched.' A mortal that has been augmented by demonic influence, yet isn't related to devils in any way otherwise. The main side effect is glowing on various parts of the body."
c: "so that's why my hair glows."
K: "Yes. It amplifies with emotion, hence why zach is a much more expressive version of yourself."
c: "is the personality split normal?"
K: "It's rare. Very few mortals who've been deviltouched have had this personality split, you just got lucky (or unlucky.)"
c: "are there any other side effects?"
K: "A dash of anger. Other side effects are unknown or poorly documented to the point of being rumors more than fact. Deviltouch is a rare condition in general, and demons aren't very well known on the surface anyways."
c: "wait, then why hasn't Taz ever told me about this?"
T: "I couldn't be fully certain. While yes, the glowing hair is a pretty good giveaway, I couldn't tell if that was demonic in nature. Plus, I've never heard of personality splits being a potential side-effect of deviltouch."
K: "Again, there's very little documentation on the phenomena. As far as I knew, all demonic artifacts have been lost to history by this point; you stumbling upon that collar is really a miracle of sorts."
c: "why are they so rare?"
K: "Thousands of years ago, devils were a much more, well, devilish race of people. Demons would create magical artifacts that would empower the mortal wielders to great lengths, mostly the rich and powerful. Countless peoples were conquered with the power given to the people above, albeit with much controversy coming from more progressive devils."
c: "i see..."
K: "Around the time Jesus walked the Earth, the devils were banished back to the Underworld after power let reign on for too long. This caused a shift in the demonic community, an advocation for more normal and synergistic life with species unlike ourselves. Slowly over time, the seals between the world diminished, allowing devils to once again bridge the gap between peoples."
c: "so is this part of the reason why Demonology is such an important part of Christianity and it's sister religions?"
K: "Yes. Sadly because of this, most devils are apprehensive to go to the surface nowadays, usually done by youngsters as part of a dare in past times. Our isolation is saddening, but life down here is good enough to discourage leaving anyways. We're a fully functioning society, I live in the suburbs for cryin' out loud! *chuckle*"
chaz is left with a confused look on his face, seemingly trying to process all the information that has been just given to him. Taz places his hand around chaz's shoulder for comfort.
c: "...what about you all makes you special?"
K: "Pardon?"
c: "i mean like, how are devils different from 'mortals'?"
K: "Well, ahh..."
Karau seems to be having a difficult time looking for words, possibly because there isn't much.
K: "We, uhh, devils are closer attuned to the whims of magic generally. The portal you came through is an example of this, as only devils can conjure such a thing without any requirements. Other than that, our geneology is a bit different, our genes being more of a foil to mortal genetics, as seen with Taz."
T: "My mother's a hyena, just like me, but Karau's genes moreso counteracted her genetics, hence the dark spotless fur."
c: "...the horns? the fire?"
K: "Because I'm a hircidevil, or a devil with goat-like features, it got imprinted onto Taz in a slight way. The fire is just a normal devil thing."
c: "...can Taz use magic too?"
T: "Not enough to be any different from a mortal."
c: "huh."
chaz stood there, quiet, still contemplating.
K: "Well, how about you make yourselves at home. You're welcome to stay for a bit."
c: "yeah, that sounds nice..."