"Are you still unsure? Is it your apprehension toward my kind that is making you doubt me?" The old man walked closer when he saw that Eugene was having trouble making a decision.
"What exactly do you want? I don't believe you will give me your power just so you can watch me take my revenge." Eugene said hesitantly.
"Hahaha! Little child, your understanding of Demons is rather shallow. I have much to gain while you have little to lose. In fact, you don't have anything of importance that I can take." Like the wind, the old man vanished from Eugene's line of sight and appeared behind him, patting his head.
"What do you mean by that?" Eugene asked, not daring to turn around. And he was right, if he had turned, he would have seen the Demon's true form, something that could make a person lose their mind.
"Let us make a contract. I won't take your life, or the lives of any of those you care about. I won't use any underhanded methods to harm you or them, whether you know them now, or will meet them in the future. In exchange, you will take my power. All I want is a little bit of lifeforce from you every now and then. It won't harm you, I swear." Eugene felt long, sickly hands grasp his chin. When he looked down, he could see the black claws of the Demon.
"That doesn't sound very advantageous to you. It goes against what I have learnt about Demons." Eugene said in response.
"Boy, you don't know what is advantageous to me right now. So, do you agree or not?" The Demon asked.
Eugene's mind swayed as he felt a wave of dizziness hit him. He quickly jumped to his feet and distanced himself from the Demon. He could tell that it was trying to sway him. But even without its active efforts, he was already being swayed. After all, it was offering him power to get his revenge.
"I... What kind of power do you have?" Eugene asked.
"My power is very unique." The Demon transformed into an old man again and walked into Eugene's line of sigh. He held up an arm and pointed to the flames. Nothing happened.
"Are you playing with me?" Eugene's face darkened.
"What? No. Take a closer look." The Demon laughed and pointed again. He twisted his hand slightly as he spoke.
Eugene turned back to the flames with a scowl and stared. It was only after an entire minute had passed that he realized something strange.
Throughout the entire time he had stared at the flames, the wisps of flames had only moved in a specific motion, which was impossible when it came to fire. Fire was chaotic and did not have a pattern that could be followed so closely.
"You can see it." The Demon walked closer.
"What did you do?" Eugene was in awe.
"It's simple. I have trapped that flame in a closed space with an infinite loop. It will keep on repeating those same motions until I say otherwise." The Demon explained.
"Space magic?!" Eugene exclaimed. An affinity for space magic was incredibly rare and those mages were highly valued by the various kingdoms that managed to find them!
"No, don't insult me. Something even more valuable..." The Demon whispered in a trailing voice.
Cogs and gears turned in Eugene's head as he tried to think of what it was. A minute later, it was like a light bulb lit up above his head, but then his face turned grave.
"It can't be. Those are only legends." He shook his head and stepped away from the flames and the Demon.
"Who said Legends are not true? The fact that stories about them circulate is enough reason for them to be true. After all, life can be born from a legend." The Demon vanished in a cloud of mist and reappeared behind Eugene, placing an arm around his shoulder.
"Now, tell me. Do you agree to my terms?" The Demon firmly grasped Eugene's shoulders and held him in place. It was done playing.
"I-I do..." Eugene was stunned for a moment before agreeing. He was truly overwhelmed, and the thirst for revenge also drove him to make this decision.
Gaining control over the power of time could allow him to do many things! He could grow strong enough to bring down the Sand Shamans! In fact, maybe if he grew to a certain level, he might be able to bring his father back!
Eugene's mind soared as he thought of all the things he could do with this Demon's power. He did not realize that the surrounding space had begun to turn illusory and dreamy. His vision spun and he fell to the ground. It was coincidentally the same spot that he had been sitting before the Demon had appeared.
The surroundings swam in his vision and a wave of heat, pain and dizziness assaulted his mind.
Everything went black.
.
.
"Young master! Wake up!"
Eugene came to with a start as he felt his body being shaken vigorously.
"What? What?!" Eugene sat up abruptly, his heart pounding in his throat and blood rushing through his ears. He looked around and was greeted by the first light of dawn. Gustavo and May squatted around him with concerned expressions on their faces.
"You're okay..." Gustavo sighed in relief. He closed his eyes and held a hand to his head.
"It's... morning?" Eugene looked around in confusion.
"Yes. We only woke up a few minutes ago, and when we came out, we found you laying against the carriage, unmoving. For a moment, I thought the assassins might have gotten to you." Gustavo explained. "We had been trying to wake you up for about five minutes."
Eugene remained silent when he heard this. He could recall his interaction with the Demon in the night.
'Had that all been in my head?' He wondered and held up his hand. He did not feel any new power running through his qi or mana channels.