Persephone knelt before Damian, her golden eyes gleaming with an unsettling, inhuman intensity as she fixed him with a stare that seemed to pierce through him.
"It's simple," she said, her voice soft yet thick with malice.
She extended two slender, pale fingers toward his face, her hand hovering inches from him.
"I created you with two purposes in mind." Her eyes locked onto his with a dangerous intensity. "The first, to retrieve the six hearts stolen from me."
Damian blinked. "Your hearts?"
Her gaze sharpened, the faintest hint of a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.
"Don't interrupt me."
Damian flinched, then muttered, "Sorry."
Persephone's expression softened momentarily, a dangerous lilt creeping into her voice. "Second—this one might be a bit... exciting for you," she purred, letting out a teasing little giggle as she covered her mouth.
Damian instinctively took a step back, unease settling over him.
She tilted her head, the smile on her lips twisting into something far darker, more mocking. "I want you to teach me about love."
Damian's eyes widened in disbelief. "Huh?"
Her dark wings flapped behind her in a way that felt almost... playful, like a predator taunting its prey. "I've always been curious. Just because I bring death to mortals doesn't mean I don't have questions."
"You want me to teach you how to love?" Damian sputtered, genuinely thrown off guard.
"Yes, that's exactly what I said."
Damian's mouth opened and closed as he scrambled for words. "Why the hell would I do that? I don't even know the first thing about love! I've never even had a girlfriend!"
Persephone leaned in, her eyes narrowing as she observed him. "Oh, really?"
The air around them grew cold as she stood and sighed dramatically, her dark wings twitching behind her. "Well, the only reason I spared your soul's free will was so you could teach me about love, and mortal emotions. If you're clueless, I suppose we'll just skip to our first mission. After all, you're rather useless to me in my second mission." She gave an exaggerated sigh. "What a bummer."
She clapped her hands sharply. "Coraline, cut the strings."
Damian froze, his heart skipping a beat. "Wait, wait, I know about love!" he cried, his voice rising in panic. "I-I'm a man of pure passion! If you need me to teach you, I-I shall! Just... please, don't—"
He fumbled for words, trying to salvage his dignity in front of the terrifying figure before him. With an awkward grin and a nervous wink, he added, "I'm great with... emotions."
Coraline, the eerie little maid, tilted her head in silence, her single, sewn-shut eye fixated on him. Her voice was as cold as the grave when she spoke: "Shall I cut it?"
Damian staggered back, his legs shaky. "Y-You're monsters! How could you take away my free will?" he stammered, hugging himself as he tried to distance himself from Coraline's icy stare.
Persephone's gaze darkened. "Monsters?" she repeated, her voice low.
Damian flinched. "You heard me, demon. I'm probably the only normal-looking one here!"
Persephone's lips curled into a wicked grin, her eyes narrowing with dark amusement. "Normal, huh? Look at yourself, Mr. Man of Passion."
With a snap of her fingers, the world seemed to bend and shift around him. Several cracked, floating mirrors appeared, each reflecting a monstrous version of Damian.
His skin was now a deep crimson, his once dark hair tinged with a blood-red hue. His eyes were mismatched—one red, one black —and an onyx scar marred his neck. A sharp, twisted tail now swished behind him, its tip gleaming like a knife. Two massive, pitch-black horns protruded from his head, and sharp teeth peeked from between his lips.
Damian recoiled, pushing the mirrors away in a blind panic. "What the hell did you do to me?!" His voice trembled as he looked down at himself. "How did I not notice... my tail?"
Persephone chuckled, trying to suppress her amusement. "Oh, my slave, I can't stop teasing you."
Damian, still in shock, could barely comprehend what was happening. Then, with another snap of Persephone's fingers, everything changed again.
His reflection shifted once more. His skin returned to its pale, human tone, and his hair regained its natural black wave. But his eyes remained two different colors—red and black—and the onyx scar on his neck still lingered like a permanent reminder of his new reality.
He looked at Persephone, his voice raw with panic. "What the hell did you do to me? What am I?!"
Persephone regarded him with mild amusement, crossing her arms and looking pleased with herself. "Calm down," she said. "You're not human anymore. You're a puppet—my puppet. The form you saw before is your 'battle form,' and the one you're wearing now is your natural state. You'll need it when you venture into mortal settlements."
She raised an eyebrow, a smug smile playing on her lips. "Do you know how hard it was to gather the right body parts for that battle form? You should be thanking me, ungrateful slave."
Damian stared at her, wide-eyed. "Ungrateful slave? You're crazy."
She ignored him, stepping closer with an unsettling calm. "But those are your two missions, my servant."
She stepped into his personal space, her voice lowering as she got in his face. "First, retrieve my six hearts from those fiends who took them from me."
Her hand shot out, gripping his face with surprising strength. "And second, you will teach me everything about that curious little mortal emotion called love."
Damian's voice came out muffled as she squeezed his cheeks. "O-okay…"
Persephone's eyes sparkled with amusement. She straightened up, clapping her hands. "Alright then! You're officially part of the family now! Congratulations!"
She turned to Coraline, who stared blankly at her, then slowly began to clap.
"Well, come along, servant," Persephone purred. "I'll show you around my little castle... after all, you're going to be here for quite some time."
Damian could only stumble after her, his mind racing as he tried to grasp the horrifying reality of his new existence.