A melody played in the distance, the ambiance of Demon's pocket universe. He smiled at the sight of his maiden, who stood away from him with her head down.
Syndicate Dust swirled as he stepped through the empty darkness. His footsteps echoed throughout the space, going on infinitely until a greater force heard them.
The maiden began to shiver, her armor groaned. Demon grinned at the sight of his creation, how beautiful she was after the transformation.
"It is encased within your body," he spoke with a hint of excitement. "Release the body."
Metals bent and broke, dust flew off. The thing that gave his servant a physical body became unhinged, revealing more of the nothingness inside.
Until a grey figure emerged from out of her. It crashed into the dust beneath, which attached itself to the withered cloak. Nothing about the Seeker operated. Demon couldn't feel a signal of life from it.
He brought his hand down on the shoulder, making sure to have a firm grip in case this was all a trap. But there was nothing when he touched it, just a corpse lying lifelessly.
Demon looked up at his servant, who was still shaking in fear. The Iron Maiden lowered herself closer to the ground, trying to force it open so it could swallow her whole.
"Come here," he ordered.
On command, the Iron Maiden ceased her shaking and began crawling to her master. Demon pressed a finger on her forearm over the letter Vogh.
"Repeat after me, Vogh," Demon said while grinning.
Instead of repeating, the Iron Maiden struggled to string the words together. This was the first time he had ever asked her to speak.
"Not that difficult, Vogh," he pressed again.
"V - gh. Vo... gh..? Vo - gh? Vogh," the Iron Maiden repeated.
Demon nodded. "Ruin, shattered, broken, distorted, corrupted, remade, forgotten, banished, forsaken, betrayed... loyal."
She nodded as well, trying to keep her creator pleased. Once she acknowledged the words, Demon returned to the Seeker. Her arm came back to her with a groan.
When he glanced down at the body, Demon realized the Seeker was up and ready. It lashed out, striking him right in the gut. He grunted, trying to hold back emotions.
Only to receive a knee to the chin, which shattered the helmet. Demon's entire body turned black and slim, he became a Distorted.
A black, sharp limb came down on the Seeker. But it caught the tentacle before it could strike it.
"You are broken. I can heal you. I can fix you. But I can't save. Immortal creation dies. Your universe is mine," it spoke with a deep rasp.
"Come, take it from me," Demon replied.
The Seeker dashed closer, getting ready to drive another strike to his torso. Only to feel a sharp appendage pierce its fist.
A large claw sprouted from Demon's forearms, reaching further than his open hands could. Then he drove it full force into the entity's shoulder.
"My purpose, kill you. I must win. You must rot," the Seeker continued to speak.
Demon pressed the claw deeper, running it through his opponent's torso. It continued to rip up its insides until the body was divided in two.
He softly chuckled. "I will feed this thing to the Distorted Mind itself. Let it endure the torture my fine maiden endured."
Syndicate Dust swirled down the Distorted's body, bracing the corpse until it was pitch black. Like ants, the particles began to break the Seeker's body into bits then carry it over to the Mind.
As they ate, the Iron Maiden watched. She returned to her frightened stance, cowering in fear at the sight of a creature so disgusting and uncontrollable.
While feeling her cold armor tremble, Demon ordered her to get up. Which she followed. Her metallic dress fell back into place, ready for more orders.
"Time is a commodity we cannot afford. Return to Hail-Heart and steady yourself. Infinus will be there within the hour. Remember," Demon paused.
He noticed the maid's tilting head. It slowly drifted down, trying to avoid his gaze. But it only served to encourage Demon.
Seething dust tortured her in an instant, reminding the Iron Maiden her power is not hers. It belongs to her master, her creator and caretaker. She had to obey at every step.
During the agonal moment, she wanted to scream. Let out her fear and pain all at once, but she was not allowed to do that. Her orders weren't given, so she was idle.
"Like I said," Demon placed a hand on her faceplate. "Do not be afraid to shatter what you've built, that's how creation works. What is made needs to be destroyed. Even destruction itself."
The maiden stood emotionless, feeling the creeping sense of being swallowed whole. It was a feeling she learned to accept, caving into it was nothing but safety.
In the blink of an eye, she found herself kneeling before the statue of Detrass. The giant slab of armor that rested on his plate seemed heavy enough to crush the rest of the statue.
Sun began to rise over the mountain range, the kindred moons ran away. Trying their best to avoid being caught in the middle of the sun's vision.
Dust consumed the Iron Maiden, setting her in a world between realities. Just as Demon explained, her goal was to avoid being detected. And being here was the only safe spot.
Except for the eyes of the Nine, who looked through every layer of reality. Including those that have and have yet to exist.
Now that she was ready, time rushed by. Blinding her as it passed. It was a technique she learned from her creator, time can go by faster if focused on it in this place.
Banners belonging to a foreign force took flight, setting the skies alive as Infinus stormed overhead. Variants of all kinds howled their rage as they dropped from above.
Time continued like normal, it was her turn to spring into action.