Jarod's eyes flew open, the dull feeling of the metal wrapped around his wrists and ankles, chaining him to the concrete wall behind him was the only thing he felt. His grey eyes trailed down to the floor and seeing his own pool of blood and the collection of dozens upon dozens of his fingers and even a few toes.
It disgusted him.
He looked over to the white cart filled with the instruments that had tortured him relentlessly with an apathetic gaze. Those tools would not hurt him any longer.
"And on the seventh day, he rises!" He heard Mackerel's shrill voice echo in the large room as he entered through the door, the hinges squeaking as he did so. "Good morning, Jarod, it seems that your little trance lasted quite a while. You've been in here for seven days and it seems you still aren't broken, though your demon aura has surely increased in strength." He said with a small chuckle.
"Mackerel," Jarod drew out, his breathing steady. "What do you hope to achieve from all this? What happens after you gain my power?" Mackerel tilted his head to the side, not expecting such a question.
"Well, I'd take on the head honcho of the world and take his place. I want to rule the Earth and watch as all of the creatures scurry back into the shadows and corners of this realm. I want to watch them cry out for mercy and then laugh when none comes." He answered.
Jarod let out a long sigh and he moved his head to meet Mackerel's eyes, surprising the demon even further as he didn't see even an ounce of fear coming from the young prince.
"You truly are a pathetic specimen, aren't you?" He said as if he didn't insult the demon who has been torturing him relentlessly for the last seven days. "You want power because you were born with none and wish to take my power as well."
Mackerel's face twisted into one of anger. "Now you listen here you little-"
"I'm not done talking," Jarod interrupted. "I'd like to finish if that's alright with you." Mackerel pushed his hand forward and Jarod's head connected with the concrete behind him, hitting it so hard that cracks appeared on the grey wall.
"Do I need to cut out your tongue as well as your fingers? Is that what you're asking of me boy?" Mackerel growled. Jarod's lips curled upward in a smirk, infuriating the peach-haired demon even further.
"As I said before," Jarod drawled out as he snapped out of his chains, the cuffs still wrapped around his wrists and ankles as his eyes opened wider, revealing his bright red demon eyes. "Pathetic."
Mackerel jumped back, not expecting this turn of events as he looked at Jarod with what the white-haired teenager could only chalk up to as fear. "Impossible, your powers, they've returned!"
"Not exactly," Jarod answered. "I'm just a tad bit stronger. My powers aren't unlocked. . ." He trailed off, his demon eyes seemingly glowing. "Yet." Mackerel looked at him, his blue eyes widening before he began cackling with laughter, the room being filled with his hysterics as he clutched his stomach.
"Y-You're a fool!" He got out in between laughs. "To think you can fight someone like me without any abilities is laughable!" Jarod didn't react to this statement, he just kept looking. "How about I help you unlock your little powers so I can steal them? Hm?"
Jarod flew back into the concrete by a sudden telekinetic push as Mackerel began laughing. "So weak, yet you have the audacity to challenge me with nothing. You broke through some metal, who cares? You're only prolonging your inevitable death."
Jarod fought against the telekinetic force, his red eyes glaring at Mackerel in anger as the demon only laughed. "How about a bring in a few recognizables then, huh?" Jarod felt his heart stop as two men in riot gear armor came into the room, one holding Arlyn by the shoulders and the other dragging Ellie by her feet.
"W-What have you done to them?" Jarod asked as he felt anger grow in his stomach. Arlyn and Ellie both looked like a mess. Arlyn's dark hair was tangled and slightly oily from the results of not having a shower in almost a week and Ellie's hair was disheveled and all over the place.
Both of them had large bags under their eyes which were filled with fear. Their hands were bound behind their back by some white rope which had to be made of some type of strong material for it not to break.
"Jarod!" Arlyn shouted. "Don't worry about us!"
"Jarod!" Ellie screamed out, her fear-filled voice filling his ears. She was scared. Before she continue further the two guards wrapped a cloth around their mouths and muffled their voices before exiting the room.
"Oh ho ho, did you really think I didn't have a trump card? I'm not exactly the smartest demon on Earth but," He used his abilities to cause Arlyn and Ellie to move forward until they were standing on their knees right next to Mackerel. "I'm not an idiot either."
"Let them go right now!" Jarod shouted as loud as he could. "If you touch a single hair on any of their heads I'll kill you! I'll rip out your throat and make you eat your own liver! I'll die the floor red with your innards don't touch them!"
Arlyn's eyes widened at how Jarod was talking. Was it Dark Jarod? No, his hair was black. All that screaming she and Ellie had heard the last seven days had been coming from him, did his mind crack?
"Oh ho ho! Very brave words from someone so weak!" He held up a hand and Jarod watched as all of his fingernails turned into claws that were sharper than a kitchen knife. He slowly walked over to Ellie, the claws grazing the tip of her neck as Jarod fought against the hold Mackerel had.
"I thought about physical trauma for too long and didn't even think of using emotional trauma to unlock your powers! How stupid of me right?" Jarod felt his body crumple to the floor under the pressure of Mackerel's power, forcing him to his knees as he held his head up, his gaze not leaving Ellie's fearful blue eyes.
"Please, Mackerel," Jarod tried reasoning as he watched the older demon's claws slightly dig into Ellie's skin, the girl wincing as a thin trail of blood began crawling down her throat. "I'll do anything."
"Give me your powers!" Jarod shut his eyes, squeezing them together as he tried to gather whatever he had left and tried breaking free of whatever was holding him back.
But with no success.
"I can't!" Jarod shouted, tears flowing down his cheeks. "I'll let you torture me! You can tear off my fingers again! My toes! Drill my feet! My hands! Stab me! Do anything just please don't hurt her!" Mackerel's lips curled up into a sick and twisted smile.
"This is the way," He said in the same dark tone he always spoke in. "Say goodbye to sweet little Ellie." He pulled his claws back from her neck and cut off her gag in a quick swipe. "Say your last words!"
"I love you, big brother!" She shouted, her voice hoarse as if she hadn't dranken any water in ages. "I love you, Jarod!" She said again, her cheeks wet from her tears.
Jarod's heart sank as Mackerel's smile on grew wider. "Oh how sweet," He plunged his hand into her chest. "I hate sweet things." Jarod's eyes grew to impossible levels as Arlyn let a scream emit from her throat despite the gag.
Mackerel took a deep breath as he took out his now bloodied hand. "Oh, she had the power to sense other people's emotions. I'll practice it later." Sensing emotions. Then that meant she sensed what he felt.
She had reached out to him because he was sad. Ellie had reached out to him when he was sad.
He didn't question how he was able to break ahold of Mackerel's telekinetic grip, nor did he question how he could cross the distance to Ellie in a fraction of a second before she could even fall to the ground. He caught her body and clutched her close to his chest, her blood leaking out of her body as it flowed down onto his hands and knees.
"Ellie," He whispered as he gently moved the strands of golden hair from her bright blue eyes that met his. Ellie weakly lifted her arm and grazed his cheek with it and gave him a large, heartwarming smile.
Why did it break his heart then?
She didn't speak, she only kept that smile on her lips until her eyes glossed over and her arm fell back onto her limp body. No. No. No. There was no way this was happening. It couldn't be happening.
She was his little sister. He was supposed to protect her. He promised he would protect her and bring her to Hell with him. He promised her. . .
He broke that promise.
The ground around him began frosting over and he looked over to Mackerel who was grinning ear to ear at the sight.
Frost.
"Oh how grand! Your powers are reawakened! Now let me just," He rushed Jarod, his arm outstretched and ready to pierce the prince's chest only to stop as a shockwave rippled in the air and he was thrown across the room and into the concrete wall as Jarod stood up, his hands drenched in Ellie's blood.
"You're not taking anything," Jarod whispered, hate filling his voice as his red eyes shifted into pure black, covering the entirety of both eyes as a black energy formed behind his right shoulder blade, it acting like a loose and uncontained wing of darkness.
"What's this?" Mackerel shouted as he unlodged himself from the concrete wall, his eyes fixated on Jarod's as he watched a single tear crawling down the boy's face.
"I'm going to kill you." Jarod whispered, his voice resonating through the entire room as vibrations shook. "And then I'm going to take everything from you." Despite not having any pupils or anything visible in his eyes, Mackerel could feel the glare burning into him.
Arlyn could do nothing but watch as Jarod completely changed. It was as if he was an entirely different person inhabiting his body. Mackerel laughed.
"Oh please do! Give me a fight, My Prince!" Jarod shook his head.
"No, I'm not giving you anything. I think you didn't hear me," Another shockwave burst from the teenager and the entire facility that they were in was destroyed within seconds, only the floor being left intact as the surrounding area was covered in rubble. "I said I'm taking EVERYTHING."
He would not falter anymore. He would avenge his little sister's death. He would stop being weak.
He would kill Mackerel.
He was the Prince of Hell.