by Phoenix Grey
He took a few steps up to the demon, facing it head-on yet staying out of arm's reach, just in case. “Despair,” he told it. “For I am coming to kill you.”
Just like that, the darkness that was the demon's body began to spread. As if turning into a massive shadow, it swelled, filling the room until it swallowed Azure whole. This was no death. It wasn't even an attack, but something else entirely. He was filled with a sense of calm and resolve, allowing himself to go through the cycle that he had experienced once before; darkness, gray, cloudy liquid, and then clarity.
His eyes flew open, and he realized that he was encased in something. Now there was panic because this was no longer a dream. This was not some illusion that the demon had cast. What he was experiencing was completely real. Drowning in some strange gel.
Azure's eyes widened in distress, and he reached his hand out, his nails raking the surface of a thin membrane and breaking through. As soon as he did, the egg-like sac he was suspended in deflated and birth him out in a wet pile of mucus. Sucking in a lungful of air, Azure coughed and clawed at his chest, desperate for oxygen. Globs of gel fell from his open mouth. It both tasted and smelled of plastic―manufactured―like something out of a science fiction movie.
Once he realized that the threat of drowning was over, he looked around and noticed that he was in a small room. There was another pod beside his. Lonnell floated in the middle of it, suspended within the same liquid that had held Azure captive. His eyes danced behind his lids in a fitful sleep―in a world of nightmares designed to tap into his deepest fears and regrets.
Azure wasn't sure if it was safe to rescue his friend, but that only made him hesitate for half a second. He could not fight The Dark One alone, and Uden was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he was being held in another room. That didn't matter right now. All that mattered was freeing Lonnell.
Azure dug his nails into the shell of the pod. A wave of gel came spilling out, and he was barely able to catch his friend before they both fell to the floor.
"Wake up," he said, giving Lonnell a gentle shake.
Lonnell opened his eyes, his pupils dilated as if he were on some type of a hallucinogen. He kicked his feet, fighting against Azure for a moment before recognition hit him and he began to settle.
"Calm down. It was only a dream. A trap set by the demon," he explained.
Lonnell gasped for air again, then turned and vomited on the floor beside them. Clear liquid spilled from his mouth until there was nothing left.
"You're going to be okay." Azure patted him on the back.
"What happened?" Lonnell choked out.
"I don't know." Azure shook his head. "One minute we were in that room with the demon, and the next I was having a nightmare and woke up in that bubble...pod...thing." He didn't know what to call it.
"Where's Uden?" Lonnell's eyes danced around, frantically searching for his brother.
Their party had been disbanded, which was the only good sign that the half-imp might still be alive somewhere else in the dungeon.
"I don't know."
"We have to find him." Lonnell pulled himself to his feet, reaching back to make sure his staff was still affixed to his back. It was. Apparently, the demon had been so confident in its spell that it hadn't bothered to take their weapons.
"What is this place?" Azure asked. It looked like a small storeroom, though there was nothing inside but them. The only light came from the gel that they had been suspended in, which glowed rather brightly. He remembered that same light from the beginning of his dream. It must have started when The Dark One put him inside of the bubble, but everything had happened so quickly that he couldn't be sure.
"I don't know. I've never seen anything like it before," Lonnell confessed, still looking around as if he expected to find Uden tucked in a corner of the room.
"Well, it's a good thing we got out." Azure couldn't help but wonder if this was all part of the demon's plan. They were both confused and disoriented"getting their bearings about them. The conversation he'd held with it in his dream made him think otherwise, though"that the cells were meant to be some kind of prison or sacrificial chamber. Whatever the case, he was thankful he had been able to break free. "Are you all right?" He stood and placed a hand on Lonnell's shoulder.
"I have a headache and a horrible feeling." Lonnell massaged his temples.
Azure could sympathize. Though his health and stamina didn't seem to be affected by what he had just experienced, his brain felt hazy. There was the tiniest throb of a headache in the back of his skull, like a slight hangover. He hoped the feeling would go away soon.
The one door that was in the room didn't give them a lot of options for where to go next. They stood before it, both wondering what they'd find on the other side.
"We need to proceed with caution," Lonnell needlessly told him. "Uden was right. What we encountered before was a trap. What did you see when we opened the red door that made you react so quickly?"
"My ex-girlfriend on an altar about to be sacrificed," Azure responded before glancing over at his companion. "What did you see?"
"Bronna. Same thing," he hesitated for a moment. "I didn't have time to react, though. You were already rushing forward. I glanced over at Uden. He looked panicked, calling out to you. But it was too late. I think you stepped on a rune. That's when everything went white, then black."
"And you dreamed about all of your failures in life. All of your regrets."
Lonnell wrapped an arm around himself as if talking about it made him uncomfortable. “It was horrible. Thank you for rescuing me. I was...”
"Don't worry about it." Azure stopped him from saying anything more. Whilst he was curious as to what exactly Lonnell had seen once in his dreamlike state, this wasn't the time to pry.
A notification popped up.
Lonnell Namud is requesting to join your party. Will you accept?
Of course.
Lonnell Namud has joined your party.
“Whatever is on the other side of that door, do not rush out,” Lonnell warned him. As if Azure would make the same mistake twice. “As we discovered earlier, the demon can cast powerful illusion magic within its dungeon. There may be more traps before we get to it.”
Azure grunted and nodded in agreement. Somehow, his last mistake hadn't been fatal, but they may not be so lucky next time.
“Are you ready to proceed?” Lonnell asked him, sounding apprehensive. “We should first focus on finding my brother.”
“Yeah. If there's one thing I've learned, we can't accomplish much without Uden,” he sighed in resignation to that fact. “He's more perceptive than both of us and much more fearless.”
A soft smile crossed Lonnell's lips. “My brother does have his good qualities.”
“They are necessary to our party's success.” Azure refused to give the half-imp too much credit. “He's rescued me more times than I can count. Now it's time to return the favor.”
CHAPTER SIX
THE REALM – Day 31
Blessedly, there was nothing on the other side of the door but a long corridor. It seemed a bit pointless to have only one room at the end of a hall, but what did Azure really know about the construction of dungeons.
The sight that greeted them when they reached the other room was entirely unexpected, and it made them both stop dead in their tracks. Much like it had been in Azure's vision, there was a stone altar at the back of the room. Instead of candles on the floor helping to form the circle for whatever sacrificial spell the demon had cast in his illusion, they lined the walls in plain silver sconces. The room was dark, yet the candles did their job to illuminate what was necessary. Behind the altar stood the demon. At its side was Uden. The half-imp's face was marred with sorrow and distress. The pendant that Azure had glimpsed back at the goblin encampment had tightened like a noose around his neck. Its black stone shard glowed softly.
“I see you broke the enchantment,” he said in a voice filled with regret. His emerald eyes glis
tened in the candlelight. “Of course, you would.” A nervous laugh spilled from his lips, and his gaze fell to the floor.
“Uden, what's going on?” Lonnell took a step forward, but the half-imp quickly threw his hand out.
“Stay back!”
“Uden...” Lonnell's voice trailed off.
Azure was speechless. After all they'd been through, he honestly hadn't expected to be double-crossed. Sure, the feeling had been there. The half-imp had been acting suspicious for a while, but Azure had desperately hoped that his hunch wouldn't turn out to be true.
Uden turned his attention to the demon. “We could let them leave. They could leave Crescent Island and never return. And I would stay.” Desperation was threaded in his tone.
It was then Azure realized that this wasn't what it seemed. Clearly, Uden didn't want any harm to come to them. Confusion clouded Azure's mind. What in the hell was going on?
The Dark One said nothing. It simply reached for the half-imp with a clawed hand. With discomfort etched in his expression, Uden's gaze followed the hand as it approached him, but he didn't resist as the demon gripped the back of his neck and thrust him towards the altar. His palms molded around the side of the altar, but it did little to keep his body from colliding against it.
“No,” the half-imp whispered, his eyes closed as if he couldn't bear to look at his companions. The stone shard at his throat pulsed, slowly changing colors from black to green in a rhythm like the beat of a heart. Then it flashed, and everything changed.
Azure was walking through a forest, his body involuntarily moving forward. There was urgency in his step, but he had no idea where he was headed or why. The forest was like none he had ever seen back on Earth. He must still be in The Realm.
His eyes dashed between the forest floor and his surroundings as he walked. Was he...tracking something? Azure couldn't figure it out. He had no control over his limbs or anything else.
A glint of green buried beneath a few fallen leaves caught his eye. Normally, it would have made Azure pause, but instead, he continued towards it. Excitement rolled through him as he thought that he had found some type of treasure"maybe a precious stone that someone had dropped while they were wandering through the forest. Finders, keepers, he thought avariciously as he brushed the leaves aside to reveal the pendant that Uden had been wearing.
There was a tightness in his chest―an unfamiliar throbbing. Not painful, but filled with foreboding. He immediately recognized the item as something evil, but also something that held great power.
Should not touch it, he thought, though he also knew that leaving it was not an option. This was an incredibly valuable item. It would fetch several gold pieces when he sold it to Ruthren. Hopefully, the merchant would be brave enough to take it. He would count on Ruthren's greed to seal the deal. Of course, he would undercut his offer, but what did it really matter. The amount would still likely be enough to buy him passage off of this wretched island. Once he helped his brother and friend get rid of whatever was causing the curse on the island, he was gone. He no longer cared what his father said. The things he had suffered these past few months because Bronna had opened her big, fat mouth...
Azure furrowed his brow. At least, he thought he had. Then he realized that he actually hadn't.
This was not his story. These were not his feelings. And it took him only a second longer before he understood that he was seeing through Uden's eyes, thinking his thoughts, and feeling what he felt. There was a momentary sense of panic, but despite that, the scene continued, and Azure realized that he had no control. All that he could do was watch.
Uden scooped the pendant up with a large leaf lying nearby. He knew that if he touched it, there would be a price to pay. The pendant would connect him with great evil, amplifying his imp DNA. Despite how harshly the people of Cragbell judged him, he had no desire to become the monster they feared.
Uden was just about to place the pendant in his bag when he saw something move in his peripheral vision up ahead. Again, he felt unease stir within him―an innate ability to sense other dark creatures. But this was unlike anything he had felt before. The presence was strong, usurping the evil within him, causing him to reach for the dagger at his hip.
"Come out. I know you're here. If it's a fight you want..." It bothered him that he didn't have the element of surprise. On the contrary, the thing that had obviously been stalking him probably could have attacked him unaware when he was busy examining the pendant. Whatever it was, it had no plans to outright attack him.
The creature stepped from behind a tree, and Uden recognized its countenance instantly. A lesser demon. It Analyzed as challenging to him. Even with his boosted agility, their speed was likely evenly matched. Demons could move with the speed of shadows. It was one of their more impressive abilities. If it decided to attack, Uden wasn't sure what the outcome would be, but the prognosis for him wasn't good.
"Well, I guess I discovered the cause of the curse," he said smugly. Maybe if he faked confidence, the demon would think he had some trick up his sleeve and leave him alone. That was a tough bet though since he knew he Analyzed as an easy target. This was one of those times when he needed his souped-up Luck to do its job. Maybe it already had by keeping the demon from coming in from behind and quickly ending his life.
The demon continued to approach, stopping a few feet short of Uden. The half-imp held his ground, having balls of steel. If he was about to die, then it wouldn't be running. He would fight to preserve himself, even if the effort was fruitless.
"What do you want, ugly?" More bravado. Taunting the beast probably wasn't the best idea, but fuck it.
"Gift," it said through thought transference in a deep gravely voice.
It was odd to hear the word inside his head, but he knew that he shared a telepathic connection with this horrible creature through their blood bond. It was the only way that demons were able to speak; in dreams and through blood.
"Gift?" Uden repeated the word.
The demon turned its fiery red eyes to the item in Uden's hand. “Use gift.”
Hot air blew through Uden's nostrils followed by a haughty guffaw. “You must think me truly stupid if you believe I would fall for this trick. I'm not so uneducated that I don't know what this is.” He gestured to the demon with the pendant.
"Use to save friends. Use to leave. Make deal," the voice said. There was a firmness to it. A hint of a threat.
"Any deal you'd make would be tainted with blood." The half-imp rolled his eyes.
"Much blood. Much death. Offering your freedom in exchange. The lives of your family. A new life."
Uden slipped his dagger out of its sheath. “I'll have my freedom once I vanquish you. It seems easy enough.”
With a flash of movement so quick that it was almost imperceptible to Uden, the demon was behind him. Its hand was on his throat, pulling him back against it. Fear rolled through his body from the creature's touch. He was about to die. He'd never see the mainland―never live his dream of learning magic. Real magic. Not the few menial spells that he had managed to buy from Ruthren. Desperation and sorrow filled him, and the selfish thought rolled through his mind that whatever the deal was, he should have taken it. At the end of the day, did anything else really matter besides saving his family. This island and everyone else on it could burn for all he cared. They had never thought of him as anything but a nuisance anyway.
"Take the gift," the demon's voice was now clearer. More articulate. Perhaps it was the closed distance that caused more clarity. "Use it to protect your family. In return, you will turn your comrades off of my path. No one will know that a demon has come until it is too late. The island will fall under my rule. Everyone who ridiculed you will pay. You will get vengeance without even having to lift a finger. And then you will get to leave this place and live your life on the mainland. It is everything you have ever dreamed of. All you have to do is wear the pendant."
Well, killing him is obviously no longer an option.
If I don't put the pendant on, I'll die. What other choice to do I have?
"The pendant will bond us and awaken the evil within me." Uden weighed his own words. It was a dangerous thing. There was no telling what would happen to him once he put it on.
"We will be bonded, yes," the demon agreed. "But it will not change you unless you let it."
The demon let his hand slip from Uden's throat, leaving a burning sensation behind. It felt like he was being lightly choked, yet he could still swallow. Perhaps it was the darkness now surrounding him that was causing the constricting feeling. Partly, it felt horrible, but another strange part of it felt like home. Freedom. The ability to be who he wanted to be without fear of what others thought. To be that which was true nature.
The demon reached into Uden's hand and took the pendant, the leaves protecting it from touching his skin falling away. He lifted it to the half-imp's neck.
I guess this is happening, Uden thought, feeling a strong desire to run. It was obviously a trap, but at least it meant he would live another day. The only question was, at what cost?
As soon as the smooth black stone touched Uden's throat, there was a flash of green light. Something swirled within him, deep and dark. Horrible urges rushed to the surface―the need to kill and ruin. Uden sucked in a breath between clenched teeth and tried to bite back what he was feeling. This wasn't him. Well, part of it was. But most of it was the trickster blood within him―the malicious part of being an imp. What was worse was that the demon had added a dash of his own evil to the mix. The two of them were now bonded, and Uden knew that this feeling wouldn't go away. It was like everything bad within him had been amplified several times. The wickedness that he normally enjoyed indulging in for funsies―the kind that left farmers wondering where their livestock had gone and women bathing in the river searching for their clothes―turned into pure baleful intent.