Casper took that in with a nod. “I guess that makes sense, all things considered, it’s easier to be hateful and vile to one another then to be kind and understanding. Even trusting. People just seem born with hate and corruption.”
“Hey, do you think I’m evil by any chance?” she asked suddenly. “I mean I ask myself this a lot, but, I’m not sure.”
“You ask me if you’re evil? The answer to that is clear. You are human.”
“Evil is at the core of all humanity. Bloodshed, murder, war, slavery — all are inventions of humankind. Long before my rise to power I have seen humanity inflict these atrocities upon itself over and over again. And the same malevolence that flowed through the veins of your ancestors flows now through yours. It is the same for all humans whether or not they act upon their primal instincts. The origin of your kind was built on blood.”
Casper took that in with heavy thought, Gods. There were Gods just as there was something unspeakable trapped within the tree she was talking too. It was almost too much to take in, did that mean there was an afterlife? A Hell? Casper shivered despite the heat that beat down upon her where she sat.
It was enough to drive anyone to a nervous break down, yet, she found she wanted to know more, go deeper into the rabbit hole. The creature she was speaking to however didn’t seem too keen on talking about them anymore then he had to however so she shook her head, trying to move to a different topic.
“Well.” She hesitated. “I’ll be here for awhile, maybe I’ll be coming back to visit often.” It was better then what was initially planned if she was being honest with herself.
“Couldn’t hurt, right, Aku? Er, Lord Aku.” she quickly corrected.
’Grargh! Stubborn, foolish human.’ The trapped demon growled and grumped for a few long moments. It was all he had in his power to do. But at the very least, someone could finally hear his sounds of unrest and though Aku would never admit it, it was better than not being heard at all.
’It is not as if I have a choice,” he concluded with an indignant huff. ‘Mortals like yourself are supposed to tremble before me, not seek idle chat and relaxation in my presence. Your sense of self-preservation must be defective. Who are you? Why have you come here? How is it that you can hear me when others cannot?’
“Aw come on, Aku. I’m only playing!” she huffed. “Well, he sounds like a handful for an android, couldn’t he just be reprogrammed or something?”
“Pfuh… It’s not like I care that much.” Aku grumbled and leaned into his hand, smashing his cheek against his palm. “So long as Evil and Obedience are his primary personality traits.”
“Who is he?” Casper asked, looking a little flabbergasted.
“He is one of my many android assassins who are tasked with destroying Samurai Jack. He uses the power of sound to spread havoc and destruction wherever he goes and has a tiresome habit of referring to myself and others as ‘babe’.”
The demon rolled his eyes.
“Babe.” she thought about that. “Aku, Babe.” she teased but then doubled back. “Nah that sounds a little weird. Trying to be sassy maybe? Programmed to be quirky?”
He shot her a venomous glare for her teasing. A warning. “Don’t you start.”
“I did not call for ‘sass’ to be incorporated into his programming. He developed that on his own.”
“Who is he?” Casper asked, looking a little flabbergasted.
“He is one of my many android assassins who are tasked with destroying Samurai Jack. He uses the power of sound to spread havoc and destruction wherever he goes and has a tiresome habit of referring to myself and others as ‘babe’.”
The Shogun of Sorrow 