Chapter Music: "Flight of the Bats" by Derek & Brandon Fiechter
Before Orias could chastise me for my impertinence, Astaroth spoke in a quite urgent tone.
"I'm heading back to the Kingdom. I trust you'll teach her everything she needs to know," he told the other demon with an austere tone.
"Most certainly." He replied with a grin in his voice. "I expect the army to be formed in less than an hour."
"If they're thirsty for revenge, as you promised, I'll be back even sooner." Astaroth paused for a moment and I could tell he had turned his attention to me. "Don't hold back. You're a lot more vicious than you think."
"I'll do my best."
"I know," he replied smugly.
"He's gone," Orias whispered in my ear then and took my hand before teleporting us again.
We were inside yet another underground cavern, dimly illuminated by the glow of a few torches. It looked somewhat like the Prison but this place looked a lot more ominous, for some reason. It was the size of a ballroom –if not even larger– and I could see no passage leading outside.
And then I noticed Orias. That was the first time I was seeing him naked, yet he looked even more comfortable than any other time when he was wearing clothes. He had a relatively small physique but, at the same time, he was almost disturbingly muscular.
"You must be glad to have your sight back," he pointed out with a sly smile.
"Well, yes." I dropped my gaze, embarrassed. "It's hard to communicate properly otherwise."
"Tsk tsk tsk." He shook his head as if disappointed and paced around me. He covered my eyes with his hand before whispering: "Lesson one: darkness amplifies emotions."
He pushed my hair to the side and ran his tongue behind my ear, making me gasp.
"I want you to let your rage fill you up," he growled before resuming his ministrations. "Let it flow inside you until it's too much to bear. You hate everyone who hates us. You want them all annihilated."
As he spoke, I felt my blood burn in my veins. My jaw stiffened, my fists clenched. My heart was racing as he played with my mind. I could almost feel the hate, as he'd instructed.
A few moments later, Orias hummed in my ear, pleased. "Well done, human." He paused for a moment. "But that's no longer accurate, is it? You're not so human anymore."
These words were enough to break my concentration.
The demon then uncovered my eyes, probably willing to answer my questions in a more straightforward manner.
"What am I, then?" I asked, turning to face him.
"You're not a demon if that's what you're thinking." He took my arm and slid my sleeve up. "But you certainly have the potential. I always knew that Astaroth was an exception but now there's no doubt. This tattoo can make humans from the former empire into demons."
"Do you mean that the components of that injection can lead to a transformation?"
That was anything but unexpected yet, for some reason, it was more than startling. I was surprised that I had managed to form a proper sentence.
"Precisely. But that would be a matter of years. If my theories are correct, your aging would first slow down until it ultimately stopped. There are already signs of black magic within you. Your energy is a lot more tangible now; I can feel it."
"Back in the Academy, Astaroth had taught me how to protect myself from it."
"You're no longer a helpless human, Sophia." He pierced me with a sharp gaze, as though he wanted to make sure I understood. "You must forget everything Astaroth taught you about this. Black magic isn't as dangerous as it had been in the beginning."
All of a sudden, a female demon appeared out of nowhere next to us. She too was stark naked.
Now, that's an interesting pattern.
"Lamashtu," Orias said with a friendly smile and held out a hand her way. "You're right on time."
The woman handed him an unusually large syringe filled with a black liquid.
"Is it true that we're about to wage an extended Grey War?" she asked.
The demon kept smiling. "Do you think His Majesty hasn't consulted with his commander first?"
She knitted her brows. "It's just so unexpected. We thought you'd spend the rest of your lives in prison! I mean, nobody had ever escaped until today. Then the unthinkable happens and we're suddenly expected to go all out."
"When are you meeting the King?"
"His Majesty has asked those from the northern villages to meet him in half an hour."
"Good." He grinned, pleased. "He will explain everything. The only thing you need to know for now is that you'll be targeting anyone who's not favorable to our authorities. Angels, wizards, humans –even demons. We've made mistakes in the last war which we're not willing to repeat."
"Some locals say the end of the world is coming." She swallowed.
Orias responded more solemnly than I thought: "It's a possibility."
Seriously? The end of the world?
Seeing that the demon named Lamashtu was too shocked to react, he spoke again: "Leave me with Sophia, if you will. She plays a major role here."
She nodded politely and fixed me with an earnest gaze. "I don't know you well, human, but you must be important. I can sense you're one of us."
I smiled. "Thank you for saying so. It means a lot."
She let out a little laugh. "Merihem told me you'd be very polite."
Seeing the shock in my expression, Orias interrupted.
"We don't have much time, love," he said and narrowed his eyes at the female demon. "Lamashtu really needs to get going now."
"Right. I'm sorry, my lord. I'll be on my way." She smiled awkwardly and, with a nod, she left.
I immediately turned to Orias.
"Which mistakes did you make during the last war?" I asked curiously.
Probably amused by something in my expression, he smiled warmly before explaining. "Well, the first mistake is that we were selective about which enemies we killed. This war will be a lot more extensive, and thus a lot more efficient."
"How so?"
"There's a great variety of war strategies. The ones which require systematic analysis make us prone to surprise attacks from the enemy. If we target only the most threatening foes, hoping that the others will remain neutral, there's no guarantee the last ones won't unite their forces with the attacker."
"Did you only fight angels during the last Grey War?"
"Not even all of them," he replied, clearly irked. "We were also looking for allies among those who were willing to betray their own for personal reasons. Just like your friend, Merihem, isn't exactly spiteful, there are angels who can't stand some do-gooders."
"So you can target members of all races without harming the ones who are true allies?"
"Indeed. The most efficient strategy is based on emotions. Our strongest attack is automatic and intuitive. We concentrate on spreading our darkest emotions throughout our bodies and, once we're filled with hate, the dark energy escapes to the outside."
Holy hell. This is truly fascinating.
Delighted by my apparent awe, Orias continued: "Since this energy is an extension of our dark souls, it has an intelligence of its own. It meets the souls of those it reaches and judges whether they desire to threaten our wishes or not. If so, it gradually weakens them until it destroys them completely."
"But they have some means to protect themselves, right?"
"Yes, both dark and bright emotions can potentially hurt us. Keep in mind that black magic is stronger by nature but not as efficient toward other demons. The greatest threat is someone who doesn't think like you."
"I see," I mumbled, trying to wrap my head around everything I'd just heard.
"Now, my not-so-human, why don't you take off your clothes?"
Huh?
Orias was smirking wickedly but something was telling me that his plans weren't as lewd as it may have seemed.
"S-sure."
I proceeded to undress in front of him for a second time, not less anxious than a couple of months ago. Seeing his eyes glued to my body didn't really help. I was getting too excited for my own good.
Damn it, Sophia! Get those thoughts out of your mind!
This time, I removed every piece of clothing without waiting for Orias to give me further instructions. I tried to remain as focused as I could but a single look at his crotch was enough to cloud my senses. At least, I wasn't the only one who couldn't control my cravings.
"Tempting, isn't it?" he only said, unsmiling, and clenched his fists.
I nodded while doing my best to concentrate on the matter at hand.
"Was it my tattoo you wanted to see?" I finally asked.
"Yes, but not only," he replied. "It's easier to fight like this."
I couldn't help but snort a laugh at this. It only made his grin even more wicked.
"I'm sorry," I said, not really apologetic. "I know you're serious but this sounds somewhat paradoxical."
"You keep distracting me from what I mean to tell you," he scolded and confidently strode in front of me until his hard erection touched my belly. "It won't end well."
Seeing that no words could come out of my mouth, he gripped my shoulders and turned me around. I heard him take a long whiff of something.
"Wet already?" he mocked, wrapping his arms around my torso.
"You're the one to talk."
In response, Orias ground himself against me, so hard that it apparently only hurt me. I moaned his name.
Then he started whispering in my ear again.
"I could take you right here, right now, and have my way with you. But I mustn't. Do you know why?"
The way he talked to me, the way he touched me, everything about him made my hair rise.
"B-because the angels are still a threat?"
"Not just the angels," he bellowed. "Everyone. You want them all to die, don't you? Every disgusting being that could take away your desires. Those who unfairly judged you. Those who blamed you for who you are. Those who let their wishes crush yours."
He's so right. He knows me so well. I hate them all. Everyone who denied my freedom. Everyone who separated me from the things and the people I love. All thanks to their disgusting arrogance.
I can feel the hate swiftly spreading within me, a lot faster than before. I can feel it in my heart; my gut; my limbs; my fingers. It overflows.
Just then I felt a sharp pain right above my sternum. Orias had pierced the base of my neck with the syringe that woman had brought him. He was injecting something into me.
I know he has a certain purpose in mind, but damn, did it feel like he enjoyed stabbing me with that needle!
"Your soul was always meant to be dark, Sophia," he kept provoking me, his tone already cruel, hateful. "Unleash it. Destroy them all!"
I closed my eyes.
And then I felt it. The energy escaped my body. Clinging to my bare skin, it embraced every part of me. It was all too much to be constrained in one place so it started spreading. Slowly but surely, my rage was engulfing the cavern, reaching its every corner. A little farther by the second. Everywhere around me.
This is delightful. Arousing even. My very own energy shield, protecting me from all malevolent forces. Although, in truth, we're the malevolent ones, aren't we?
Oh well, it doesn't matter. No dead can judge us.
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