Note: This chapter is very dark and depressing and has mature themes.
If you are light hearted or easily distressed, skip this chapter and read the next one. You'll still get some idea of what happened without the gory details.
***
'Sun lady! I've forced the King to arrest Arkhon. The man above all law has finally gotten locked up. Now I can be free.'
'Manly Price. You value freedom so strongly don't you?'
'Yeah, it's the next best thing after food!'
'Acting and speaking freely for the sake of searching for freedom is a noble thing. Freedom of speech. Freedom of making your own thought out decisions then acting upon them. As long as you remain moral and just, I don't have an issue with your actions. However, there's a problem with freedom that you're unaware of.'
'So, is there really a problem with freedom of speech and action?'
'Freedom of speech and action both come with consequences. The bolder your actions, the more dangerous your life becomes. A freedom seeker cannot be a coward. He must face whatever consequences fate has for him. He must not be afraid of his death. And when death comes, he must walk towards it calm and accepting before he is dragged towards it! In death you leave your body and no longer feel suffering or pain. No longer have responsibilities or face injustice or poverty. True freedom comes only after death. The body is limited to tasting an almost true freedom but the soul only tastes true freedom when it leaves the body."
'Well, that's good but if I'm returning back to the god who created me after death, is that really true freedom? I mean, there's free will and all that but I'm sure God wouldn't want me to make actions that are immoral. I think that the only person who has true freedom is God.
He's outside of time and even fate! No one can tell him what to do!'
'You really are interesting, Price. Does true or infinite freedom really exist for us beings? If it did, then perhaps freedom would lose its appeal and become less beautiful. If all our souls become free after death then are we really free at all? How could we tell? Perhaps freedom isn't the most beautiful thing.'
'Don't talk about her like that! Freedom. She's the reason I get happy from time to time. She's what's compelled me to go for an adventure! Free will and freedom are precious gifts from God! Sun lady, freedom will always be beautiful!'
"Jonny. My little beauty connoisseur. Wake up! Danger's incoming. Did you learn a little lesson today?"
"AAAARGH!!" Jonny screamed
'Why was I daydreaming about the Golden Lady and my dad Price?"
***
After dropping Sama, Tama and Jak off to stay over at his mum's house, Jonny went outside to explore. It calmed his mind and lately, he had been stressed out. Even his job didn't excite him that much anymore. Even if he was given permission to kill the dangerous criminals he captured, he had the same feeling of emptiness.
Walking through some kind of forest, Jonny felt what he hadn't felt in a long time. Fear. He heard a chuckle from behind and then several twigs fell on his head.
Jonny walked on, ignoring the uneasiness he felt.
The chemicals in the air were very similar to the ones he felt around him in the 'Great Forest' of Lakedaemon.
Looking behind him, letters stained the tree trunk bright red.
His brown eyes widened in fear, reading the letters aloud to himself.
'My Jonny.' 'My precious.'
'Was this some kind of hallucination?'
For a moment he could swear he heard the man's familiar smooth silky voice.
"It's been 10 long years, my Jonny. I hope you'll understand that all this was my declaration of love to you."
"NO!!!" He screamed back, clutching his hair.
He heard a low eerie sound then the wind strongly brushed past his back and neck, causing him to shudder in discomfort.
He saw another image.
Another tree bled out the words 'Human tree' and looking at the tree top he saw arms, legs and severed parts all nailed and tied to the tree tops, covering most of the wood itself.
"Stop it. Stop it. I'm not crazy. I saw this in the forest with the King Tree and now I'm seeing it here! Why?" Jonny said
''Isn't it beautiful, my Precious?" He heard a voice call out to him.
He instantly recognised it. That voice made him feel sick. The voice sounded so soothing, so tempting, so seductive and beautiful!
However, Jonny would agree that Arkhon was a man who appeared beautiful with a beautiful voice too if that man hadn't ruined his life during the Lakedaemon Great Forest trial.
"Arkhon!" He spat out his name in disgust. His legs wobbled for some unknown reason causing him to clutch the ground with both hands.
"Oh my little Jonny." Arkhon sighed, towering over Jonny who had dropped to the ground in all fours.
Arkhon smiled then pointed at Jonny.
Jonny felt a sharp pain in his back.
He screamed out in pain, twitching whilst revealing the pained expression on his face. His flashing red eye colour were giving Jonny a hint of pleasure. The sort of pained pleasure that he didn't ask for.
Clutching at his own white shirt, he tore it off instantly, clawing at his branded back.
It wasn't just an ordinary tattoo as Jak had thought when they were bathing in the lake.
It was a brand that Arkhon, the demon consumed with passion decided to give Jonny.
The symbol of a glowing eye that would haunt him for the rest of his life glowed purple on his back.
He once tried to get rid of the brand, cutting and stabbing at his back with a knife, each strike causing him to have immense pain but nothing could get rid of a brand like that.
He thought that time could heal him and that after a decade, he could forget about Arkhon and the unbreakable bond he was forced to have with that level 4 demon.
"That brand allows you to inherit an Ability very similar to mine in exchange for your soul, me drinking your blood and you drinking my blood too. Only then will you become a true level 1. You're not human anymore, Jonny yet you cling onto your humanity so desperately. Demons can live much longer than humans. You can stay by my side. I want you, Jonny. These are the actions I choose to take for love. This is what I make myself do for you-" Arkhon spoke
"Shut up you bastard! You know nothing about love! All you're familiar with is lust!" Jonny said
"Lust. Love. What's the difference?"
"There's lust in love but there's no love in lust. What you did that day, I'll never forget it. I hope that one day, nobody allows you to get away with your crimes-"
"Please Jonny. What's done is done. I've faced the consequences of that for 10 years. You grow weaker and weaker. You can't refuse my blood forever. To become a truly powerful level 1 instead of a weak and starved level 1, you must also drink from me. No amount of other blood you consume will ever fully quench this thirst."
"Never!" Jonny shouted
"Fool. Even my presence intensifies your hunger to fully carry out your part of the deal as a level 1. You will start to wither away. It's a shame for someone that tantalizing to break into pieces of eight- Just like their soul has, Precious." He said
The brand was causing his body to heat up immensely and also quickened his breathing and heart rate.
Suddenly, Jonny fainted and Arkhon held Jonny in his arms.
Past Flashback (detailed) [Caution: Contains details of sexual assault and gory executions.]
Jonny was 18 years old and it was the 2nd year he'd spent time in the Great Forest. He still never received his Ability but he continued to train his body to strengthen himself. He was only human, so the Mystical Great Forest was almost too much for him to handle. It would randomly snow, rain and the weather would change randomly. Random trees would just catch fire and then the flames went out mysteriously. Weather was almost impossible to predict.
He remembered being defeated by a High level Demon Aristocrat called Arkhon. Since that event, Arkhon had been obsessed with turning him into a Demon Servant and tasting his blood.
Arkhon felt conflicted. He saw great talent and potential in the young man and his strong willed persona intrigued him. He didn't want Jonny to die in the forest. He wanted to turn Jonny into a level 1 demon, excited at the difficulty and challenge it would be to obtain his soul. Jonny was special. He wanted his blood, soul and loyalty.
Arkhon caught sight of the man's confident expression, his sinister looking smile and his eyes gleaming with killing intent. He looked as if he was desperate to kill anything, his intent looking as clear as day as he walked closer and closer to Arkhon, not once looking away.
Arkhon shivered slightly in response, focusing on Jonny's bright red eyes.
His brown feathered coat blew against the wind and he put his arms up in such a way that gave the illusion of him having large brown wings.
"Uh..the bloodlust in your eyes. That determination! I think I'll lose control. Fight me to take revenge if you wish. I chose to kill them for a reason. They were plotting against you-" He said
"I don't care! You've killed some of my friends and for that I'll kill you!" Jonny said
Jonny fought him as best as he could but there was more than metre's difference in height so after getting in one lucky hard punch, Arkhon knocked him out carrying him to a more hidden location.
Arkhon's beauty now kept itself hidden away and savagery had taken over.
Jonny could never forget the brown 'wings' that Arkhon had decided to wear. Jonny felt like he was being mocked.
He'd once sketched and painted the man posing in a lake with large brown wings on his back. They'd both agreed to call the art piece, 'wings of desire'. It was a sketch that highlighted Arkhon as both beautiful but beast-like whenever desire had visited him, making his brown wings shiver before standing proud, rising themselves up.
***
Now, Arkhon defeated the young man after slaughtering his friends but couldn't bring himself to kill him. Desire took over and Arkhon forcibly captured him.
Jonny had been turned into a level 1. Jonny had lost.
Jonny was unable to move his arms or legs. His arms were spread out as well as his legs. He felt a sharp pain across his back as if someone had carved into it. A small pool of blood had flowed across the floor near him. Part of his shirt had been torn off.
"Who are you? Why can't I move?" Jonny croaked, starting to open his eyes.
The man who defeated him was next to him, twisting a small torn fabric with his fingers, bringing the cloth closer to his face, sighing deeply. Arkhon was smiling to himself.
"You sick fuck! Either finish the job and kill me or leave me alone!" Jonny shouted.
'I already suffered humiliation when I lost to you. The man I'd admired ever since I was a child. You showed me your strength, your incredible speed and your tremendous grip strength. You have already made it clear to me that I still have a lot more training to do.' Jonny thought inside his head
Jonny blushed in embarrassment at his thoughts then glared at Arkhon in an attempt to stop him from staring at his face for too long.
Arkhon took Jonny's reaction as a positive one and cupped the sides of his face then wiped away the tears that haven't yet rolled down from his large brown eyes.
Jonny shivered, shutting his eyes, feeling even more confused.
"Arkhon. A-Arkhon. What else do you want from me? I admit it. I lost. L-Let me go. I don't want to have to beg. Let me go or I-" Jonny protested, the feeling of shame from begging and pleading making him turn more red!
"Be patient my precious. Just letting you know that I've branded you already. It will glow purple on your back once I've obtained your soul."
"GET BACK NOW! I NEVER ASKED FOR YOU TO MAKE ME A DEMON." Jonny shouted, feeling embarrassed that Arkhon had thought of him as a weakling who needed to be turned into a demon for the power boost.
"Oh Jonny. I do admire your energy and passion. The way you've scolded me with conviction in your voice. Understand that I want you, my Jonny."
"My Jonny. You're making me feel sick. Don't treat me like a frail weakling that-" Jonny was interrupted by what Arkhon proceeded to do next
Jonny gasped breathily, reacting to Arkhon gliding his leg up and grinding against his groin whilst softly scraping his pointed teeth along his neck.
"What on earth is going on? What happened to my voice? My normal breathing? What are you doing to me that made me like this?" Jonny questioned breathily
Arkhon smirked, amused at Jonny's innocence then he spoke close to Jonny's ear making the young man shiver yet again.
"I, the level 4 demon will introduce you to a whole new world of heavenly bliss and pain. You won't miss being human. Human souls are fragile things so however tempting it is, I'll try to not break your soul. I admit I'm not very good at this Jonny but I'll try my best." Arkhon explained
He bit into Jonny's neck. Jonny felt the sudden sharp pain and proceeded to grip onto him hard, holding him close. He was only doing that to try to ease the pain. His eyes watered and he was gasping and wincing in pain as Arkhon drew his blood out by sucking that part of his neck. Arkhon's eyes were turning purple as he bit him.
"S-Stop! T-This isn't normal. It's humiliating. It's weird! Don't do this. You don't have to-"
"Jonny. Let yourself accept this pleasure."
"You old bastard! How on earth is this pleasurable?" Jonny replied, blushing heavily even though he didn't want to.
He despised his own body for going against his mind.
More pain soon followed after he extracted Jonny's soul since Arkhon was a novice at this and his soul energy extracting skills weren't very good.
It's impossible to remove the soul entirely otherwise the person will end up dead so the ritual involves extracting some energies from the soul instead.
Heating up intensely, Jonny's pain increased sharply. The feeling was unique in that he couldn't describe how this pain felt. He bit his lip in order not to cry out in pain. Jonny didn't want to give Arkhon the satisfaction of hearing him cry out in pain.
After a few minutes, the pain started to go away. It left him completely exhausted. He was mumbling involuntary and sweating with his eyes shut. Seconds later, he heard a muffled groan nearby. Jonny was too tired to pay attention to it.
His well trained sense of hearing heard the sound of a belt landing on the ground.
After falling unconscious again for 4 minutes then waking up, he felt odd.
"You're so warm, my precious. You're pulling me in too much. Relax and make yourself comfortable. I'd prefer you to enjoy this." The demon groaned
"W-What do you m-mean, d-demon?" Jonny asked, feeling out of breath and confused.
"Your soul's been cracked and it nearly broke into 8 pieces. I'm sorry I handled it so poorly. Oh Jonny. I can barely think or talk right now. You're still alive. I'm so glad!" Arkhon replied
His voice was shaky and he was breathing slightly heavily whilst stuttering.
Only able to move his head and upper body, Jonny's sudden movement caused a sharp pain to spread up his lower back.
'Oh no! It couldn't be! He didn't have to wonder why his body ached so much. This sick perverted man! How could he?' He thought
"Take it out before I make you wish you weren't born! F-Filthy demon! D-Don't t-t-tt-touch me." He snarled
"How ungrateful you are, my Jonny. I've told you before that I want you. I've even made you a level 1 so you could live a long life with me. I could make you feel better than you've ever felt before. My brown feathered wings span long and wide for you." Arkhon replied
"Are you trying to talk me to death? A-And your brown feathers reveal only your ugliness." Jonny retorted
The demon responded by smiling sadistically at the young man, pulling on his long black hair and thrusting into him much harder but slowed down his pace, enjoying the man underneath him sweating, gritting his teeth and staring at him with both hatred and disgust.
Even with the unwanted contact, Jonny groaned louder as Arkhon continued pushing himself in with a force intense enough to make his bones rattle.
Only pained yelps and out of breath gasps escaped from Jonny as his mind couldn't fully comprehend what was happening to him. He didn't want to be treated like this! It made him feel disgusted!
"W-Why? H-How d-dare you! UHH-AARGH-AH-HAA, Humiliate -UUN- m-me like t-this!" Jonny forced out from his lips, hating the way that his body's physical reactions were being toyed with and relentlessly abused by the very same man that he once admired.
"I'm surprised you can still talk. All those exquisite sounds of pure ecstasy coming from you and ringing through my ears. So tempting, young fallen warrior. You're stronger than I thought as a new level 1 Demon. Now, lie still and enjoy the time I am spending with you. Remove your inhibitions. I could be your older master and lover. We can still talk of beautiful things like we used to. You turned 18 this year haven't you, precious? Make me feel good and the brown feathers will embrace you in return." Arkhon spoke
Shivering, sweating, whimpering from time to time and tearing up, the shame inside Jonny grew larger with every second.
How helpless he felt!
Blood rushing down to his groin, puppeteered and used by his past mentor, he felt betrayed and confused, angry and sad. Those feelings pierced at his mind poisoning him slowly. He couldn't understand why Arkhon wanted to hurt him like this. The demon who'd once saved his mother when he was just a child and taught him the beautiful things.
Arkhon continued pushing himself in as deep as he could, brushing his dirtied fingers through Jonny's long black hair, then caressing his face and neck. If looks could kill, Jonny would've killed the man abusing him in an instant. He continued glaring back at Arkhon, his facial expressions showing an immeasurable amount of hatred and disgust towards the man.
Jonny couldn't take it anymore. Anything was better than this!
"I'LL KILL YOU ONE DAY! DIE! JUST DIE!!! DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH ME!!!" He yelled out, mustering up his strength
"I don't understand how you could be so upset. I wasn't expecting this at all." Arkhon said
Jonny's tears streamed down his face, failing to hold them back in. He never felt so helpless before in his life! Noticing his eyes turning red and his body shuddering in disgust at the situation as well as something else he'd hate to acknowledge, his involuntary actions were only enthralling to Arkhon causing Arkhon to lick his lips.
The demon finally finished inside of Jonny and took it out, the 'substance' leaking out and spilling onto the ground in bursts of vast quantities. Jonny shivered in disgust and felt too hurt to say anything.
"You want me to die? What an odd response. You want to kill me? What courage! That's why you're all mine. My Jonny. My precious young man. The brown feathered wings lie relaxed and limp, freed from their blissful pained burden. Your fledgling feathers have already freed themselves earlier." Arkhon replied
"What you did to me, Arkhon. I'll never forget it and I'll never forgive you. If I do by any chance, it'll take a very long time."
"J-Jonny but I-I thought- You hate me? W-Why?"
"I don't want to see you again. Don't speak to me. Otherwise, I'll kill you then kill myself so I could be free." Jonny replied
Arkhon left in despair, feeling rejected. His desire had ruined everything beautiful they had together. If only he could control those burdensome brown feathers of his. To avoid causing Jonny more pain, he decided to give him time to heal. He disappeared from Jonny's life. Until about 10 years later.
End of flashback
Although Jonny had fainted, Arkhon had made him rest his head on his lap.
Arkhon stroked Jonny's hair and wiped away the tears that had formed on Jonny's face.
"Sleep well, my precious. We will meet again. I am awfully busy."
Arkhon walked out of the forest.