“No.” The word left my lips before I even thought about it.

  Eve tilted her head. “Really?”

  I hesitated. Just for a second. Then I nodded. “Really.”

  “They might be helpful, you know.”

  I shook my head. “I doubt that. Aside from my status as an archdevil, I’m set up for success without them if I’m careful, aren’t I? Why would I want to burden myself with memories of a life I haven’t experienced and potentially ruin everything I’ve worked for right now? Saying ‘yes’ is no different than killing my current self. I don’t want that.”

  “If you saaaay soooo!” chimed Eve. She twirled around once like a ballet dancer. “I like you.”

  “Even though my life is boring and goes by too quickly for your liking?”

  “Oh, I have a feeling it’s going to slow down real soon,” predicted Eve. She wasn’t looking at me. I could tell by the direction of her head. Instead, her ‘gaze’ cast far out past the cage’s bars. “Purpose does that. But I could be totally wrong.”

  Why does she talk like this?

  “Like what?” asked Eve. “Sorry for having a unique personality.”

  “Y-You can read my mind?” I stammered.

  “That’s what’s surprising to you?” Eve gestured around and then pointed at herself. “Really?”

  “R-Right.” I cleared my throat. “Then you’re like some kind of Goddess?”

  “I won’t deny it.”

  “Oh, good. You’re actually answering questions now,” I realized. “Then you could tell me anything I wanted to know if I asked?”

  “Very likely. I know about most things and a lot about you in particular,” replied Eve. “But that’s not important. This is.” She placed a hand on my shoulder. “I need you to live your life without restraint, okay? Except for right now, never take advice from me or anyone like me ever again. Make your own decisions. Rely on people, but don’t trust them.” She held my gaze somehow. “Okay?”

  “…okay.”

  “You say that like you expected more. And you’re right to expect that. Because of who you are, your existence will achieve what I need even without my input or desires ever being expressed or forced upon you. Don’t overthink things. Live your life!”

  “Is that why you brought me to this world when I died? To live my life? Who would believe that? And how does that benefit anyone?”

  “Brought you? Oh no. You did that to yourself. You died,” said Eve. “I just grabbed your poor little soul and brought it to me.” She made a catching motion before my face like she was snatching a bug. “You’re lucky. I saved the important parts of who you are and separated the rest. You’re welcome!”

  Her personality and the meaning of Eve’s words caused me to flinch. “And where are they? My memories. What did you do with them?”

  “Oh, they’re around. I kept them. Trust me, you don’t want them. Or do you? Were you fibbing to me before? How rude!” She paused. “I sense conflict in your mind but can’t really make out the thoughts,” mused Eve.

  “How different am I now from who I was before?” I asked.

  “Very different.”

  “Then I am satisfied with my decision.”

  “But of course! All the skills of your former life when needed, and none of the downside.” Eve sighed. “Even so, I can return all your memories if you want.” She held out her hand. “Care for a sample?”

  I took a fearful step back.

  “Thought so.” It looked like Eve was smiling, but that was impossible without a mouth. “Good girl! That’s for the best. Trust me!”

  “I don’t trust you at all,” I said.

  “Good! Trusting the wrong person can change the trajectory of your entire life,” said Eve. Her voice was slightly sad. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t let you regain your memories even if you begged.”

  “Why?”

  “Isn’t there something else you’d rather ask me?” said Eve instead. “We have time.”

  That was an understatement. There was so much I wanted to know. The biggest involved why I was an archdevil. All my other questions were connected to that, actually. I wanted to know who my parents were, what kind of world I was living in, and what I should really be doing. Just “living my life” sounded like a bunch of cow shit.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “It was an accident,” said Eve.

  “What?”

  “That you’re an archdevil,” she answered. “I can read your mind, remember? It’s not like I could pick a body out for you. All I did was send your soul from here to the material plane. It took over the first newborn available, and here you are!”

  I frowned. “Is that a lie?”

  “I never lie! Anything I answer directly is the honest truth!” said Eve. She pouted. “You’re hurting my feelings.”

  “What a baby…”

  “You…you said that out loud...”

  “If I thought it, you’d still hear it.”

  Eve whimpered. “That’s not the point. You’re very rude.”

  “Why were you so concerned about my emotions before?” I questioned. “Why could being an archdevil be good for me? All I’ve heard and experienced are downsides.”

  Eve put her hands in front of her mouth like she was praying, but her expressionless, empty face looked right into me. “I will. But answer a question for me first. The first answer that comes to mind.”

  I hesitated, but nodded. “Fine, sure.”

  “There’s a busy town with a lot of families and kids. In this town, there’s a school. Every kid walks home from school by themselves, except for one. One child’s family walks him home every day, holding his hand. The other kids think this is weird and bully the child, causing him to cry to his parents every night.” Eve paused dramatically. “In response, the couple slowly begins killing individual kids from the school at random. Why are they doing this?”

  I paused for just a moment before speaking. “A murderer on the loose would make other parents worry about their children's safety, leading them to walk home with their kids from school instead of letting them go alone. This would normalize the first family’s behavior and eliminate any reason for their kids to be bullied.” I clapped my hands together. “Problem solved.”

  It was the first answer to come to mind, but even so, a part of me felt grossed out by it.

  “How about another one?”

  “Do I have—”

  “Yes,” said Eve curtly. “A man went to a woman’s funeral as a guest. This woman’s father had died, leaving behind the woman and her sister. The man saw the woman for the very first time at the funeral and fell madly in love with her. They talked, but the man never learned how to contact the woman, where she lived, or how to meet her again.” She paused. “Later, the man killed the woman’s sister. Why?”

  “To see the woman again,” I replied immediately. “Another funeral provides another chance to see the woman again. It was the only time he met her, so all he had to do was recreate the same situation to achieve the desired result.”

  “Do those answers seem wrong to you?”

  “A-A little,” I admitted.

  “Do you love your parents? The ones raising you?”

  “They provide me a house, clothing, food, and shelter.”

  Eve shook her head. “That’s not what I asked.” Her voice was cold. “Do you love them?”

  I hesitated. “Y-Yes?”

  “If they tried to kill you, could you kill them?”

  “Easily,” I said without hesitation, shocking me. “Why does that kind of seem wrong?”

  “Your past, current experiences, and nature as an archdevil are altering how you view the world,” answered Eve. There was no hint of sarcasm, jokes, or fibs. “Archdevils are naturally utilitarian and selfish. It’s a combination that makes them seem psychopathic as a group. Mix that with your lack of experience and broad knowledge, and you probably have a very difficult time empathizing with others or seeing things as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ as long as it benefits you.”

  The word “psychopathic” triggered something in my brain. Vague memories of the term, the concept of serial killers, and other related topics flowed into my mind. “But…I’m emotional and understand people.”

  “To an extent,” agreed Eve. “But you’ve already proved parts of your thought processes are abnormal. Can you really trust your feelings? Are they real?”

  I opened my mouth to speak but closed it. I thought for a while, examining all my actions in their context.

  Every feeling I had was related to things I wanted or my own survival. I didn’t consider others. I used people when threatened. I didn’t even care when my biological mother died. Her head got squished in front of me, and the only thing I cared about was myself.

  Would I even care if Quintin or Amalia died in front of me?

  I wanted to think I would, but I knew in my heart—

  “How can I—”

  “Wait. Stop. No time. Your marks finally appeared,” Eve interrupted me.

  “My what?” I looked down at my wrists. Two black tattoos wrapped around my left and right wrist. I didn’t even feel them form.

  “Look up for me.” Eve gazed into my eyes. Suddenly, she was very close. Close enough to touch me and lift my chin. “Oh, violet! Congratulations. That’s excellent for an awakening. Already a little prodigy! Fantastic.” She frowned. Or, at least, it seemed like she did since she didn’t have lips. “We can do better, though. Clench your teeth. I only get one shot at this.”

  Eve grabbed my wrists. Instantly, my vision darkened. The world stretched—warped—as if something was pulling at me from every direction. My ears rang, my stomach twisted, and then—

  White-hot pain tore through my arms, through my core, through every inch of me. I tried to scream, but my lungs refused to work.

  Immediately, I collapsed to my knees and leaned against Eve. I could feel myself convulsing as power surged through me. My eyes felt like blood was pouring out of them.

  Then, the pain stopped as soon as it started.

  “There you go!” cooed Eve. She brought me to my feet and patted me on the head. “You’re gonna wanna wash your face when you wake up,” she teased.

  “What…did you…do…to me?” I groaned, pain still shivering its way through my skin.

  “I made you better,” said Eve. She dabbed the blood around my eyes with her fingers. “Let’s see…some final advice before I go. Puberty’s going to suck, but I’m sure I’ll get a few laughs out of it. When you wake up, go right to a mirror. That’ll be fun. Just remember this advice about mana: just because you have a big boat doesn’t mean it can cross a tiny stream. You’ll have to widen it first. That seems like a good analogy,” rambled Eve. She stopped touching me and stepped back.

  I suddenly felt cold.

  “You have one thing you need to aim for if you want to make it through this life. And this is advice, not an order,” said Eve. “You need to focus on people. Find someone you’d be willing to die for. That’s your goal. Find many people like that. If you can do that, all your other problems will go away. I know it’s a hard concept for you right now, but you have to find it.” She poked my forehead. “Love. Got it?”

  The world around me darkened. A large shadow loomed over the cage, and pressure, unlike anything I’d ever felt before, nearly caused me to pass out.

  “Time for you to go.” Eve placed a hand on my chest and pushed. I smashed through the cage’s bars and hurdled into the endless sky. “Remember what I said! And you’re welcome! See you again soon! Hopefully!”

  The sky cracked open. The hand from before emerged from a split in the vast expanse.

  It reached for me. Slowly. Deliberately. Like it had been waiting for me. Like it was ready to finish the job it failed before.

  My body locked up. My mind screamed at me to run, but there was nowhere to go.

  The hand filled my vision. A shadow of fingers, curling toward me—

  I closed my eyes.