Return of the Demon Sovereign (Book 1) [MxM]

35. Phonoi Heart Poison (2)

The Acrid Doctor's screams were like a symphony to Erebus. The Devil's terror soothed him.

He pulled the Devil close to him and plunged his hand into the Devil's chest.  His fingers wrapped around the Devil's heart, and he felt the rapid beats pulse against his palm.

"When I was first given this poison, I took the heart of the person closest to me," he said. His voice is dark and malevolent, making the dying Devil shudder.  He felt cold from the aura emanating from Erebus.  "I'm glad I chose the right target the second time."

The Acrid Doctor let out a gasp as blood dripped from his lips. "Sec...second time?"  The Devil asked weakly.

Erebus laughed and pulled out his hand, still holding the Devil's heart. "Goodbye, Acrid Doctor."

Erebus heard the Devil's body fall with a thud.

He coughed up black blood and fell again.  He tried to cling on to his sanity, but the madness clawed at him.  The poison was urging him to let go and to slaughter everyone.

"Kill the humans who have betrayed you in the past," it whispered.

Erebus shook his head. "I will kill those who deserve it," he responded.

"Kill the spirit creatures who have closed their Realm from the world."

"They had their own wars to fight."

The poison snorted with disdain. "Kill the Dark Elf Prince who caused you to fall to this state."

"My carelessness brought me here," he admitted.

"Kill the Amarok Wolves who have forgotten your best friend, Fenrir."

"I will remember him for them."

"Kill the Shadowbane soldiers who have tainted their ways."

"I can guide them back on their original path."

"Kill the Deities for sending you back.

Erebus released a strained breath. "Should I curse an opportunity if I am too weak to grasp it?  The Shadow Deity frustrates me, but I am eternally grateful to him."

The poison inside his mind cackled. "How can you obtain your vengeance when you are so passive? You must fight and kill all those who hinder you. Destroy the world your enemies created. Bathe it in blood."

"I won't become a monster," he tried to reason with himself. "Not when there is a small thread of hope."

"Hope is a weak man's quality."

The poison reverberated inside of him, tearing at his mind and making him crumble to the ground.  He held his hands to his head and cried out again.  His aura erupted, destroying the crystal lights and sinking the basement into darkness.  Why was this time so much more violent?

He let out a sad laugh when he looked down at his chest. The petals have gone from five to ten. The Phonoi Heart afflicted the soul, not the body. His soul had not been altered, so he still had the Phonoi Heart from Jericho's betrayal. Now, his soul was poisoned a second time so that he would have double the affliction.

He felt his control slip and started to worry. Could he lose control? Will he fall to this poison?

Erebus released a mournful cry. "Eri, I can't waste your life."

In his last lifetime, he survived hundreds of years after being poisoned and led the battles fought in the Warring Era. Then he endured at least a thousand years in the Soul Stone and thousands more in the Nothingness. Now, he couldn't survive mere minutes under this poison.