It was cold. So very cold. And numb. It was like every sense he had once had was gone, and now al he could feel was bitter cold.
Slowly, Tetsuno began to wake, his eyes opening. He could see a stone wall, black, rough and filled with holes. He slowly sat up and looked about. Down one direction was a long cavern that disappeared into darkness. On the other, the cavern twisted and turned around a corner and a faint fire-light could be seen flickering across the walls.
"Where am I?" Tetsuno tried to say, but all that came out was a barely audible hiss. He reached up to his throat, but he couldn't even feel his own touch. It's as though all of his nerves were severed. He couldn't feel anything. He looked down at his hand and was taken aback when he saw that his skin was black and scorched, his arms were thin and long. It was as if the skin was burned off and left only the bone. He then realized that strange black chains were draped about his body. They weren't heavy, but they had a strange sense to them. An unnatural feeling.
"You." Came a voice. Tetsuno turned to see a tall figure standing about the corned, light casting ominously over his features. He had a sharp jawline and his eyebrows were thin. His eyes were cold and calculating. "Are you Abeza Tetsuno?"
Tetsuno attempted to speak, but again, all that came out was a hiss. So, instead, he nodded. He wanted to ask who this man was, and where they were, but his voice didn't seem to work.
"I see. My name is Zealous. I am one of the few selected by Lord Azazel to become an Archdemon. You as well are one of the selected, but as of right now we are just simple demons. We don't have the title of Arch yet. In order to claim that title we need to consume other demons or human souls."
Again, Tetsuno wanted to ask a multitude of questions, like what even was an Archdemon? And.. wait.. was he a demon?
"Yes. You are a demon." Zealous spoke. "And this place is hell, or as it's true name is, Xinoll. If you are wondering how I am able to know your questions, it is because demons can read one another's thought, only if you wish for them to be heard." The man folded his arms. "When your soul is shattered, you fall apart. Your being breaks, and then those shattered pieces come here. Those chains are the fragments of your soul. Lose them, and you will cease to exist altogether."
Tetsuno grabbed at the chains wrapped tightly about his chest and arms. These were the fragments of his soul? And.. when souls are shattered.. they become demons? None of it seemed right. Just the idea of a soul didn't seem very realistic, nor the idea of being able to destroy one.
"Look, bud." Zealous spoke. "If you don't believe me then you should take a look in a mirror. The proof is right in your face. Literally." Zealous waved his hand and some sort of black smoke began to swirl about before it created a reflective surface like a black mirror. "This 'smoke' is called aura. Every being, demon, god, even humans, have unique auras. It is only able to be used and manifested when you have large amounts of it, which is why mortals cannot use magic. Magic, in reality, is just aura. Another way to explain aura is that it is the manifestation of your soul, your soul energy, the power of your spirit, your intentions manifested."
Tetsuno was having a hard time wrapping his head around the whole idea of "aura", as Zealous called it. He also just could t accept the fact that he was now one of the things he would hunt in life.. He glanced up at the black mirror held out by Zealous. He was hesitant. He wanted to look into that mirror, wanted to see the truth for himself, to see what he'd become. But he was also scared. He didn't want to see it. He didn't want to believe he was a demon. That he'd died. Then he thought of Birgin, and Shauna, and Kedo.. were they dead now..? Did Tetsuno fail them? He knew the answer to that question. But he didn't want to accept it as reality, just a thought in the back of his mind. A truth to be labeled a lie.
Standing to his feet, Tetsuno stared at the black mirror. He stood there, unmoving for a long moment, debating whether or not he wanted to see the truth, or he wanted to stay blind to reality and follow a lie. He put a foot forward. He could see a faint blur on the smooth surface of the strange mirror. As he crept closer, he could then begin to clearly see himself, and what he saw made him feel hollow.
He had no skin. His body was a scorched skeleton, his head a skull. He was hollow and empty, most of not all of his skin seared off. Black cloth covered his body for the most part, hiding the thin, black strands of burnt flesh that still clung to his body. He wanted to throw up, but then again, he couldn't. He couldn't even speak. He didn't even have the ability to feel.
The fact was undeniable now.. everything Zealous had said was true, although Tetsuno felt that he knew this from the beginning, but he never wanted to believe it.
"You see?" Zealous spoke. "You were killed by the demon named Aamon, correct?"
Tetsuno felt rage rise up inside him. He nodded in response, a soft, sinister hiss emitting from him.
"I see. And do you want to kill him?"
Tetsuno's hands balled up into fists then as a faint scarlet light began to glow from his body, smoke rising from it.
Zealous grinned. "Good. Then we've got some work to do."
Over the span of two years, Zealous taught Tetsuno how to manifest and use aura. Over this time they also would find demons that they could defeat, then remove their chains and consume them, adding to their own power. Eventually, both Tetsuno and Zealous came to be recognized among the demons of Xinoll, seen as some of the strongest above any of the others. This caused them to gain attention from stronger and stronger demons.
They kept coming out victorious, even though the challengers grew stronger. They also grew stronger, adding the aura of every demon they vanquished to their own.
In a way, this was Tetsuno's way of coping with the fact that he was now the very thing he'd hunt in life. Now he was able to hunt them in mass, and he also came to realize what Azazel really meant. Being mortal truly did limit his strength. Now that he was immortal, he feared nothing.
*three years after becoming a demon*
Tetsuno sat atop the roof of one of the many deformed buildings in the city of Xinoll. He watched as Zealous removed the chains of a weak demon who foolishly decided to challenge him.
"Pah!" Zealous spoke, "this fucker wasn't even worth the effort. His soul chains are weak, he has such a minuscule amount of aura in surprised he isn't considered mortal."
'You done yet?' Tetsuno thought. He had learned how to emit his thoughts telepathically. 'I'd like to go hunting.'
Zealous turned to face Tetsuno. "You can't just relax, can you?"
'I'd rather get more Soul Chains. The stronger I get the better.'
"You are so restless. I get the Aamon killed your wife, but that isn't your life anymore. Get over it."
A hiss emitted from Tetsuno. 'Watch it.'
Tetsuno wore loose robes and a cloak was pulled over him. A plain red mask covered his face while chains were wrapped tightly about his arms and chest. He wielded no weapon. He'd tried to, but nothing could work for him, not like his katana had. But now that was gone.
"Look," Zealous spoke, "I get that you wanna get stronger, but none of the weaklings of the main city will do shit for us. It's like adding a raindrop into the ocean. It's pointless. We need something bigger, someone stronger."
Tetsuno sat up, turning to Zealous.
'And what are you thinking?'
Zealous grinned. "I say we finish off the last of the Demon Lords. Including Aamon."
'How? We can't even get their attention, they won't even give us a chance.' Tetsuno spoke mentally.
"You sure? Or have you forgotten we are Azazel's chosen?"
'So?'
"So, we have his mark. We can just walk into the main city."
'And if this works?'
"We will kill them one at a time. First is Beelzebub. Then we kill Aamon, and after that we kill the last one.."
'You seriously think we can kill Void?' Tetsuno asked.
Void was the strongest of all the Demon Lords. No one truly understood what his powers were, nor did they know how he came to be. No one knows his true name, all they know of him is that he is the incarnation of pure chaos. Thus the demons of Xinoll simply refer to him as "Void". Some believe he was the first demon. No one has ever seen him fight, but those who have never lived to tell the tale.
Zealous shrugged. "No idea, but honestly, I think the Demon Lords are over rated. They've gone past their time. I think it is about time someone puts an end to their era."
Tetsuno thought for a long moment. He didn't know if they could defeat any of the Demon Lords, much less Void himself. Void was a legendary being, almost on the same level as Azazel. Some believe Void is even stronger than Azazel and just doesn't care for the throne. Every god feared Void's very name, while humans could hardly comprehend his existence. It's believed that, long ago, Void single handed you eliminated seven of the High Order gods with a single attack.
Tetsuno didn't believe all the rumors surrounding Void, many of them were just tales made by bored demons. It was annoying at times. Void practically had a whole cult that worshiped him. Him? It? Her? Nobody really knew. There was so much that they didn't know about Void, it felt risky to challenge a demon like that. But..
'Alright.' Tetsuno said, dropping down from the roof. 'Let's do it.'