An actress in our midst! (web version)

Jessica strolled through the castle in her minion outfit for what should be the last time. Her eyes scanned over the hallways and the various minions here and there.

Her role as a minion was over. All in all, she had done pretty well. Although rather than staying as a minor background character on the stage, she had become notorious among both the demons and the magical girls, while claiming the double agent role. It had been quite fun, honestly, but now… It was time for a different play. A different stage. A different role.

A demon general.

She couldn’t help but let out an evil megalomaniac chuckle, drawing suspicious glances from the passing minions. Some had the ‘Oh no, what did she do this time?’ expression, somehow visible even through their masks.

Delightful.

Well, granted, she wasn’t a general yet, but no harm in getting into the role already, right?

She exited through the main gate and strode over to a nearby rocky overhang to the meeting spot. Two shadowy creatures already waited for her there. One of them was vaguely shaped like a snake while the other resembled a cat.

“Well, hello there, Nomed,” she purred. “Long time no see.”

And it had been a long time. The fragment of his attached to her soul that had finally gone dormant a week ago didn’t count.

“Ah, hello, my favorite minion,” the cat creature greeted back before turning to the snake shadow. “This is Aura, another demonic overseer.” He turned back to Jessica. “Aura, this is Jessica, my general candidate.”

The two sized each other up for a quick second before the snake – Aura – spoke in a sweetly feminine voice, “Greetings, Jessica. I’ve heard many things about you.”

“Oh, ho?” Jessica wiggled her eyebrows. “All amazing, I hope?”

“Why yes,” Aura purred back. “The human who intimidated Nomed before even becoming a demon. The insane inventor who baffled the demon lord himself. The minion who would qualify as a general solely through the amount of ire the magical girls feel toward her.”

Jessica gave a hearty yet maniacal laugh at that.

“Perfect, isn’t she?” Nomed asked with what had to be pride in his voice. Jessica couldn’t help but grin.

“Mmm… My candidate might not be as… eccentric but he’s quite talented himself, I assure you.”

As if hearing them, a man in a minion outfit emerged from behind the hill saying, “I’m here.”

Jessica stilled for a second upon hearing the voice. Her eyes narrowed in faint recognition as they darted all over the newcomer.

“Ah, Jake, here you are,” Aura greeted.

Jake.

Jessica’s eyes widened and her hand curled into a fist as she stared at the familiar man, a nasty feeling of foreboding welling up inside her. She grit her teeth as she took in his appearance.

No.

“Hello, Jake,” Nomed greeted.

‘Jake’ gave a nod.

NO.

“Jake, this is Nomed. A fellow demonic overseer. And this is Jessica, his demon general candidate.” The man stilled as he heard the name. He turned to scrutinize Jessica, his body seeming to tense. Aura, oblivious to this exchange, turned to Jessica who was shaking in rage at this point. “Jessica, this is–”

“Jake Dunkel,” she interrupted with a clipped voice. “... My fucking… dad!” she screamed as a spear appeared in her hands and she aimed it at his throat.

Both overseers as well as Jake froze and their eyes widened. Jessica stood there, spear ready to skewer her dad, as pure fury radiated off her.

Everything suddenly made so much sense and at the same time, nothing made any sense at all. Her dad was in the demon army?! That was where he had gone?!

A moment of silence later, Nomed whispered, “Ah… that’s why he reminded me of her…”

“What the fuck are you doing here?!” Jessica screeched. “Is this what you’ve been doing this whole time?! After you ditched me like a used napkin?!”

“Jessica, I–” the man rasped out before his daughter interrupted again.

“Shut it! You didn’t even come to Mom’s funeral you asshole!” The man jerked as if punched in the gut. “Does your own family mean nothing to you?! Why did you just disappear like that?! And why the hell are you in the demon army?!” she screamed as she tore off her minion mask and smashed it against the ground.

Jessica was breathing heavily at this point, her entire body shaking in rage. The overseers merely stared, both already regretting their candidate choices.

Jake was frozen, staring at his daughter. The same daughter he had assured himself was safe back on Earth, probably hanging around with her friends and being a teenager.

One suffocating moment later, the man slowly reached up to his own mask and removed it, revealing a pale face and baffled expression.

“Jessica…” he muttered under his breath, before shaking his head to clear it. When he looked at her again, his face was set. 

“Jessica, you shouldn’t be here,” he finally said, his voice firm. “You should return home. This isn’t a game. It’s dangerou–”

He didn’t even get the chance to finish before Jessica’s magic-empowered foot stomped on the ground, releasing a shockwave that knocked him off his feet. In a blink of an eye, he found himself sprawled on the ground, his daughter’s spear’s tip pressed against his neck, pinning him to the ground.

“Oh, it’s dangerous alright,” whispered in a menacing tone, her eyes wide, and her mouth set in a line. “It’s definitely dangerous for one of us to be fucking around right now.”

The pathetic man stared at the angry girl looming over him in shock. She would have laughed at the stupefied expression he had if she wasn’t in an absolutely murderous mood.

Not only had he ditched her, he now had the gall to treat her like a misbehaving kid? Telling her this is dangerous? She was a fucking demon general candidate now, not a little child he could lord over!

So much had changed in these few short months for Jessica, and it seemed like a lot had changed for him as well. Just… in the opposite direction. The man pinned under her wasn’t the reliable dad she had known at all.

Probably realizing the overseers wouldn’t back him up, he swallowed, carefully keeping an eye on the girl.

“It was… because of the car crash.”

“What,” she asked him in a flat tone without even bothering with inflection.

“When Cathlyn, your mom, died, I blamed the magical girls.”

Jessica only continued to stare.

“They just finished fighting Forneus nearby. They could have helped but didn’t. Aura told me.”

Jessica turned her head to stare at the shadowy snake in question. The snake flinched.

“It’s… True. They would have gotten there in time to save her, but didn’t,” she finally said, trying her best to not wilt under Jessica’s glare.

“I didn’t know what to do. I was lost. It… It destroyed me. I couldn’t face it. I couldn’t face you. I couldn’t face the world,” Jake continued. “That’s why when Aura came to me with that offer, I accepted. To get revenge.”

“Revenge,” Jessica repeated, her tone still flat.

“Yeah! I locked myself in the castle to get stronger, to become a demon general. Just like you did,” he gave his daughter a meaningful look. Her expression didn’t change in the slightest. “All to get revenge on them one day!”

A moment of tense silence followed his declaration.

Jessica responded by adjusting her hold on the spear and squatting down next to him. She grabbed him by his collar and placed her face right next to his, staring into his eyes.

“You. Are. Pathetic,” she growled.

Then she let him go – not very gently – stood up, and turned to Nomed. “Let’s get going. The sooner we get there, the better.”

And then she walked off.

“Huh? Oh, uh, right.” Nomed followed after her.

Jake sat up and looked after his daughter’s receding back, bewildered. Aura was at his side, looking in the same direction.

“You know… It’s none of my business. But you’re a pretty shitty dad, aren’t you?” she said, before slithering off.

Jake took a moment to breathe in and give a deep sigh. He got up, dusted himself off, and followed everyone else.