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Quote from the story/poem here. Mistakes will be in bold and numbered.

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It’s easy to wonder how a single choice can affect your life. How making a choice to save a life can ruin another. Fraternizing with demons was something I was told not to do from the day I was born to the day of my 1. choice. My choice to disobey what I was told to do ever since I was born, and I paid for it. 2. But everything would one day be broken. However, that was not why I paid a visit to the demon and sealed my fate. The reason was simple 3. , love.

The morning was bright, the sun casting a warm glow over my fields. It looked to be a good day, one that would hopefully help my wife, Kieta. 4. “Kieta, dear, the day looks wonderful. Maybe it can help you get over this.” I caressed her face tenderly 5. , we had wed six years earlier, when I was twenty-eight years of age. However, several months earlier, Kieta had contracted a disease, one that had made her skin pale and her eyelids heavy.

“Onozu, I do not think that could help me now. I fear my days are numbered and that even this day may be my last,” she whispered hoarsely, the illness taking away her voice. “We’ve tried everything, I just hope the child will make it through this.” Yes, our child. After years of argument we had finally decided to have a child, one that depended on Kieta’s survival.

I choked back tears, their bitterness stinging my eyes; I could not 6. bare to see her die 7., even though the disease had stripped away her beauty, she was the woman I loved. “There’s one thing we haven’t tried. I know we’re not supposed to consult with him, but I fear it may be your only choice.” I would do anything for her. They could take away my honor, and they could take away my land, but I’d die before they would take away my Kieta, 8. my one love.

“No, you can’t do that.” 9. Kieta pleaded, “Nobody has ever come back from him. Those who come back are empty shells. Nothing remained of who they used to be.” 9. She said, and gripped my hand as tightly as she could.

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“If you died, I would have nothing to live for, my love.” I let the tears flow freely now, sobs puncturing my words. “I would give anything just for you to live another day, to see you healthy once more.” The light caught on her dull hair, a mockery of its former self. Before it would have 1. shown like gold, her hair a 2. wheaten blonde. Now it looked lifeless.

My mind was set3. , I would see him. I would defy everything I had been told for my entire life. Defy everything for 4. my love. That set within my mind, I ran like my life depended on it, the morning air cool 5. within my lungs. I used the chill like a boost, my shoulder-length dark aqua hair trailing behind me. I 6. ran past the waking town, store owners opening up shop, the murmur of the people beginning to wake from their slumbers. I ignored it as I ran on, the iciness of the air beginning to sting my lungs as I ran farther than I had before. My legs burned like a fire was spreading 7. throughout them. Biting my tongue, I ran on, ignoring the pain until I finally arrived at my 8. destination. A small wooden house.

I hesitated before opening the door. If I were to open this, I would disobey what I had been told ever since I was young. To fraternize with demons was to ruin your life. Gulping, I opened the door, a choice that would change my life. The inside was less terrifying than I imagined it to be; there were no human skins on the wall, there were no chairs made out of bones, there were only animal pelts and a wooden table with one chair. I exhaled slowly in relief before hearing a raspy voice.

“What is it? Children come to see if the demon was real? Get out, I do not want you here,” the voice growled. My composure began to falter.

“I-I’ve come to ask you one thing. To save my wife. I’d do anything for that, I just want you to save her,” I said as I trembled. The air was thick with my fear. I felt like I would not make it out of there alive. Maybe Kieta was right, maybe it wasn’t wise to go here. Maybe I should have just tried one of the many other things we had attempted before.

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“You would do anything, hmm? Even become an incubus like me? As you see, I am old and weak. Death comes slowly for demons, but is there nonetheless. As an incubus I cannot breed. I can only make others who are already alive become an incubus. Perhaps you could become my heir.” The demon walked into my line of sight, I stifled a gasp. His handsome face was lined with scars and wrinkles, a testament to his age. However, 1. you could tell that he had once been extremely handsome; the wide jawline and proud nose proof of that.

The demon had to be joking. There was no way he’d make me an incubus. “I would. I’d do anything to save her.” I shut my hazel eyes, hoping that I hadn’t just said the wrong thing.

“Good,” the demon rasped, his red eyes glimmering with sadistic pleasure. Seems I had said the wrong thing. “Then I’ll change you right away, but do note that your feelings to mundane things may change when you are no longer a mortal. Your priorities may be - how do you put this - different.”

“Just save 2. my love. I don’t care about my life. I’d throw it away for her.” I pleaded, nearly falling to one knee. “Just let me save her.” I whispered, barely audible.

Suddenly I felt his rough hands pull me up by the neck. I struggled and screamed, “What the hell are you doing?” I tried to lash out but 3. , his other hand stopped me.

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“None of that, do you want to save her or what? I promise you I’m not going to do whatever silly notion you have of what demons do to you. I’m simply going to rip out your heart and change you. It was done to me several eons ago. Now sit still or I will knock you out by a blow to the head, rather uncomfortable if you ask me.” He stated as plainly as if he were discussing the day’s weather or the crop harvest. However, his mouth was so uncomfortably close to my ear that I could feel his hot breath wash across the side of my face, hotter than any human’s. It was as if he was testifying he was not human.

I gave up. It was no use arguing with the demon. He set me down on the wooden table, clamping my neck, arms, and legs down. If I wanted to leave it, would have been anytime before then. The choice’s consequences began to dawn on me and I realized that I would not leave a this place human 1. : I would leave a monster. I lost consciousness when the demon draped a cloth over me, saturated with a mixture designed to knock me out.

I woke up days later, my chest burning. Looking down, I saw that I had a fresh scar over my chest. A slightly crazed laughed escaped my lips. I felt truly alive, as if the world before had been shrouded with a haze before I had entered here. A smell of rotting reached my nose. Sitting up I looked towards the source of the smell and noticed the older demon was dead. I felt nothing for my creator. Thinking only of Kieta I ran back to where my home was, where my wife laid dying.

I heard the gasps of people and the closing of doors as I ran back the way I came, my legs no longer burning. The air no longer giving a chill to my lungs. When I reached my home, I saw my wife still laying in bed, still breathing but only slightly. I needed to do something right then.

When I reached her, she looked at me and exclaimed “Onozu, your eyes are red. What happened? What did you do to save me? You know its no use, right? I am dying, these breaths may be my last. Promise me one thing: never love another woman. I love you, Onozu.” Smiling, she passed on to another realm. Leaving me all alone.

Surprisingly, I felt no sadness. I felt nothing at all 2. , I was an emotionless demon. I would honor her last request, I would love no other woman. I would only love men. I would welcome them into the abyss of my realm of insanity.