Walking across the front lawn, Richard felt a gaze on his person. Turning his head slightly, he saw someone peeking at him from the other side of the iron fence.
'Hm? A new neighbor?'
People rarely moved into this neighborhood, not just because of the incredible cost of the houses, but because of the terrible rumors that originated from here, particularly because of his house.
With his parents dead, the house and a few other properties had been willed to his name. Thanks to that, a whole host of evil beings often came by to visit...
"What is she doing?" Richard stared at the pale-faced, dark-haired girl staring at him.
He frowned, 'Is she perhaps...'
Something in the air seemed to move slightly. Shaking his head, he tore his gaze off her and turned back to his goal.
The house standing before him was incredible. It was also incredibly old...
It stood at the end of a luxurious street in South Lepton, Alexandria, one of the oldest empires in the world, and was home to a multitude of people that engaged in the arcane and occult.
Hidden away from the eyes of the Mundane, these people could revel in the evils that dwell within the shadows, unburned by morality and things of such troubling nature.
Richard chuckled to himself, 'Not like that is any of my business.'
Walking up to his front door, he let out a heavy sigh. Taking out a key from his pocket, he slid it into the keyhole and turned.
Swinging the door open, he was greeted with a sight he hadn't seen for some time.
His last mission had taken him away from home for a few months, close to a year.
He let out a sigh again...
The interior of the house was dark. Oddly enough, it didn't seem to be dusty at all despite the fact that he hadn't been home for a long time.
Taking off his coat, Richard threw it onto the coat hanger, gently shutting the door behind him.
Opulent chandeliers, ornate decorations and expensive paintings hung on the walls, doors, and ceiling. However, these were of no consequence to him.
Slowly, he walked forward, barely looking at anything. Until he stopped at a certain painting.
This one seemed to have aged far more slowly than all the others. It showed the image of a man wearing a rather long robe. He had a stern expression on his handsome face and had a head full of black hair. His eyes were like deep pools of darkness, and in his hand, he held a glass orb.
Standing beside him was a woman with kind eyes and an even warmer smile. Her hair was raven-black, and her skin was a healthy shade of white.
Raphael Leopard Bane and Georgia Claudia Bane.
His parents...
Richard stared at the painting for a few moments before taking his eyes off.
In truth, he held no love for this house. But finding other means of accomodation would be quite inconvenient in his current situation.
Richard smiled as the terrible memories poured into his head,
'Ah... There it is.'
Walking up the staircase, he eventually got to a room located at the very end of the hallway.
Pushing the door open, he was greeted with nothing.
Yes, the room was absolutely empty.
At least, that was how it appeared to mortal eyes.
Slightly parting his lips, Richard whispered a few arcane words on the Abyssal tongue, inciting the magical energy all around.
The air within the room shimmered and twisted. The walls collapsed in on themselves, and the ceiling seemed to stretch into infinity.
Until it all came to a screeching halt.
Then reality was revealed...
The truth hidden beneath the veil.
Staring at the only place in the huge mansion with the slightest bit of warmth, Richard shook his head and turned and headed into the bathroom.
Running himself a hot bath, he waited until the bathtub was filled with water before submerging himself into its warm embrace.
A soft, suppressed sigh escaped from his lips...
Hesitating for a few moments, he decided it was time to face the inevitable.
Closing his eyes, Richard chanted a few words in the Abyssal tongue.
Once he was done with the incantation, he plunged into his own mind...
The mind of a magician is his greatest asset. Everyone knows the phrase, but there is more truth to those words than it seems.
Because the mind, is the temple of the soul, and the soul, which contains will, is what a sorcerer requires to be capable of willing the arcane arts into existence.
Within every Bane Family Sorcerer's soul is an Abyssal Palace. These Abyssal Palaces are the seats occupied by the Demons they form contracts with. Although the ability to use magic wasn't limited to their family the existence of these Abyssal Palaces gave them an edge.
Plunging into his own soul, Richard was able to see, very vividly, the four malignant Demons that called his soul their home.
Richard was a Second Rank Sorcerer, and as such, possessed four Abyssal Palaces. A regular Demon contractor would only be able to form two demon contracts as a Second Rank sorcerer. However, Richard was a bit special...
As a Second Rank sorcerer, he had four Abyssal palaces. Unfortunately, perhaps as a futile attempt of a joke made by fate, his first four demon contracts were made with three of the lowest level demons recorded in the Unholy Apocraphy of Devils.
A Heart Demon, Cupid...
A Blade Demon, Razor...
A Blood Demon, Fenrir...
And a Mind Demon, Plato...
These Demons were what would call Lowly abominations that had escaped from hell.
There were numerous types of Demons. Some of them bound themselves forcibly to humans, and some of them created shrewd contracts, making so many promises, only to snatch the unaware soul after the papers were signed.
Had it been someone else, perhaps they would have given up faith, succumbing to the influence of the Demons until they were devoured, body and soul.
But Richard... Richard was different.
His Demons were small, but the thrones they sat on... were magnificent.