Richard had a strange smile on his face as he clasped his hands together,
"Alright, settle down everyone. No hurling curses or profane words at each other, okay?"
The four Demons, seated on their magnificent thrones of darkness gazed at the puny human standing on the shadowy sea of his own soul, their gazes a bit strange...
Each of them had known this human for varying amounts of time, and yet, they were intimately familiar with him.
While he generally seemed passive and soft, his mind was a scary place... even for evil beings like themselves!
Not only that, but even though he was bound to Demons like them, his talent was truly exceptional.
His power was truly outstanding...
This meant that if he was truly provoked...
The first Demon seated at the extreme right cleared his throat nervously,
"We aren't fighting. This is just banter amongst us Demons. You humans wouldn't understand."
The Infernal being that had just spoken, is called Razor. A Blade Demon...
A creature that had crawled out of the Infinity Blade Hell, a true terror...
He granted his owner with the sharpest and fastest killing edge. With the power of the Blade Demon, any weapon within the enslaved hands would be able to accelerate to its owner's maximum velocity instantaneously.
Regardless of how huge the weapon was, as long as it was in his possession, it would immediately reach maximum speed possible without any loss on momentum.
Compared to other Blade Demons that could summon bouts of infernal flames, or frost from the frigid depths, this seemed quite impressive.
Richard shook his head,
"That doesn't matter, does it? In any case, I need to get things sorted out before sunrise. Plato, remember to wake me early."
The Demon seated at the other end, spoke, his voice similar to a dying old man,
"Your wish is my command, Master."
This Demon, is called Plato. A Mind Demon...
Mind Demons are incredibly insidious creatures that affect the soul of beings they invade, turning them, either into mindless ghouls, or tormented souls.
This one, however, seemed to hold a fair amount of fear and respect towards its current host.
Satisfied, Richard waved, "If that's, all I'll be leaving. No more unnecessary chatter, okay?"
Having said his piece, Richard quietly left the confines of his soul.
The blurry figures seated on the opulent thrones of Abyssal Origins were silent for some time before one of them spoke,
"That boy... Is something else."
Razor shook his head, "If I wasn't wiser, I would have believed he was a fiend far more evil and archaic than ourselves."
Plato stroked his beard of flowing darkness,
"Two things can be true at once. It's up to why lens you view them through."
"Old thing, there you go again, spewing rubbish."
Cupid, one of the other Demons seated on a dark throne said with a light chuckle.
Cupid, is a Heart Demon. A creature that provides vitality, in exchange for feeding off the negative emotions generated by the host.
This way, their hosts can suffer eternally, within being granted a moment of solace. They might wish for death, but its cold embrace shall be far from them.
A rough voice came from the last throne,
"The boy is different, but he is too weak for now. Hell is bound to overflow someday. He isn't ready for the horrors that will be visited upon this world. He isn't ready, physically, or mentally. You all should know that by now."
Fenrir, a Blood Demon...
A Demon of sacrifice. To attain great power from this accursed being, one must provide something of equivalent value. Some traded their loved ones and humanity, but most of the time,.these Demons end up consuming what these greedy humans hold dear...
Their lives...
The council of Demons fell silent for a while. Then, Plato spoke, his voice chilling and eerie,
"We can only hope he survives, as we are bound to him eternally. For what it's worth, our survival is tied to his."
Cupid snorted, "We have this conversation everytime. Do we even have a choice? If any of you fools step out of line, you know what will happen."
This time, a more uncomfortable silence descended upon the infernal creatures.
It was as though they were reminiscing about some unpleasant memory...
***
Stepping out of the bath tub, Richard let the steam waft off his body.
Slowly, he walked out of the bathroom. As he stepped out, he waved his hands, and a glass cup filled with water magically materialized on the drawer beside his bed.
Seating at the bedside, he reached out and gulped it all down in one go.
He let out a sigh,
'Those guys are as troublesome as ever. However, as long as I remain more powerful than they are, I will keep my sovereignty. When I kill more Demons and Infernal Creatures, perhaps I can even increase their ranks.'
Richard shook his head, then chuckled to himself 'That's too greedy, isn't it?'
Seated on the bed, he took a moment to calm himself before he put his consciousness into his body.
Using a mystical art, he could view the entirety of his body. Within him, was a pool of nebulous power. Some called it mana, others called it Dark energy, while other called it Holy energy. That didn't matter.
All that mattered, was that this was the only way humans could interact with the forces of the other realms that periodically, yet constantly made contact with their own world.
Yawning, Richard let his body fall back into the bed, already feeling sleepy.
'The Third Rank is still far away. I have a lot of work to do.'
He smiled lightly, 'Thank goodness work doesn't start until Monday.'
Since this was a Friday night, he would be off work for the entire weekend.
What did this mean?!
It meant he finally had some free time to himself. He could clean the house up, work on a few of his spells, perhaps even have some deep and meaningful conversations with the devilish entities trapped within his soul.
Letting out a sigh, he closed his eyes...
As he drifted off to sleep, certain scenes, fleeting images of a loving forgotten dream... nightmare, flashed within his fading consciousness.
Before he knew it, he had already been lulled into sleep...
Into the start of a fresh nightmare...