The Legend Of Black Eyes

"I don"t imagine you envisioned your life heading this way, did you?" it asked. Its voice was faint, whispering within the deepest confines of my soul.

"My life has been nothing but endless suffering," I answered. "I stopped dreaming, planning my next steps long ago."

The demon chuckled. Its raspy voice made me shudder. I saw a large cut across its hairy torso. Some of its organs spewed out, while energy clear to the naked eye flew upwards. A dark liquid oozed out, slowly painting its body with the color of death.

"I"m afraid this is my last stop, Stalwart," the goat headed demon said. "That freaking horse has a celestial weapon. It can cut through flesh and energy. Our kind dies if it runs out of essence, much like yours dies when it bleeds."

"What happened to the others?" I asked.

"Dead, or dying," it answered. "I"m afraid eating that tanner didn"t do much to help me either…"

It started coughing, while the dark liquid seeped out of every pore and new hole it had. The liquid sizzled as soon as it came out, as though afraid to touch the air. Then smoke rose. It was the demon"s energy, reduced to liquid state.

"Drink from it," it urged me. "You"ll gain enough power to run, hide until your grandfather finds you, or until he exacts his revenge on our kin. He"s not the forgiving type."

In the distance, I heard Agatha shouting orders to the demons she apparently commanded. They were probably searching for me, trying to pinpoint where I had landed.

"Take my energy," the demon urged me once more. "I"m dying. It will only strengthen you. You don"t need to worry about a.s.similation either. My energy"s looking for a host now. Take it before it goes to waste in the air."

I hesitated for a while. My body urged me to take up the demon"s offer. The little voice of reason inside my head told me not to. That was possibly Eva. I had voluntarily shut her out. !i did it once more.

"You possess a Fragment from the Primodials, do you not?" the demon asked me.

I nodded, my eyes fixated on the liquid that oozed out of it. I could feel the energy"s purity, its strength. Consuming it would undoubtedly offer me an advantage over the demons that were chasing me.

"If you survive this," the demon said. "You"ll have a better chance at a.s.similating that Fragment too. You"re a good fighter. There"s no doubt about it, but your conduits are weak. You won"t be able to a.s.similate the Fragment completely. You"ll be the first to die in the Wars."

"What do you know of the Holi Wars?" I asked. "Tell me everything you know. I"ve met my end of the bargain. It"s time you do the same, for you and for your friends."

"Consume my energy," the demon said. "It"s better than speculations about the Holi Wars. Only partic.i.p.ants know what really happens in there. We know but little about it."

Agatha and her party were getting closer to us. I could tell by the approaching growls and howls. I hated being pressed by time. I looked behind me then at the demon beside me. There was no more time to hesitate. I bent down the demon"s neck and brought my lips to the liquid.

I drank. I sucked the life out of that beast, and as I did, I felt more and more powerful. It felt as though new possibilities had just opened for me. The pain in my sides disappeared. My muscles felt tenser, stronger. My back straightened. My senses expanded.

Every drop I consumed filled me with a sense of power, invigoration. I felt as though I could cut a tree in half by one swing. I could even feel how many demons were after me. There were five. Agatha was the sixth. Her energy felt different, stronger than all the others. The b.i.t.c.h was holding back as she fought me earlier. Perhaps she feared she could kill me if she fought seriously.

The horse demons were among the bunch too. Not only could I feel them, I could also picture them, as their essence ran through their wide conduits. They were heading my way, walking slowly. They were certain of their victory. Nag was lying somewhere behind them, unconscious by the looks of it.

I had to stop absorbing as the liquid started feeling sour in my mouth. I asked goat head about it.

"There"s a limit to how much your conduits can take," the demon answered. "Yours are weak. You need to strengthen them, expand them. If you want to have more power, cast powerful spells, you need to fuse with that Fragment of yours. That would certainly open new doors for you."

"I don"t suppose I can do this now," I said.

Goat head chuckled. A raspy, eerie voice that sent chills down my spine. Demons were scary, even at the verge of death.

"You have to run now," it said. "They"ll soon find me. We were the only ones capable of opposing the new Demon King. He wanted to get rid of us, and showed that tanner how to imprison us. Steer clear of the underworld too. They"re more dangerous than you think."

"Even Morrison?" I asked.

"You still want to kill that degenerate?" goat head asked, a bit surprised.

"I don"t forgive easily," I answered. "I"m a Stalwart too."

The demon started laughing, quite loudly. Its voice was a mixture of snorts and grotesque bleating. "Typical Stalwarts…" it said. "Go now. Don"t let them catch you."

"Here!" Agatha"s voice reached me.

I cursed under my breath. She was faster than I thought.

She was standing a few feet away from me, high on a slope I had apparently flown over. Soon after, the other demons joined the party. My senses were still active at that point. I could clearly a.s.sess their powers and figure out my chances of defeating them. No matter how I looked at it, I would not survive this encounter.

Running was no longer an option either. They were faster than me. I went for my sword to realize I"d dropped it earlier while I fought Agatha. I clenched my fists as I watched them approach us slowly, as hunters approached their trapped prey. I cursed my weakness, my naivety, my stupidity.

"Little Stalwart"s got stronger," Agatha said in a mocking tone. "Did Blaspho lend you his powers?"

The other demons chuckled.

"Bring me that goat!" she ordered.

The horse demon with the glowing sword advanced. Its sword was at least ten times bigger and heavier than a normal great sword. One swing would cut me in half, probably reduce the cut parts into minced meat as well.

With my renewed strength though, I knew I could wield it. I"d be able to swing it three times at best, perhaps five if I overworked myself. That would be enough to injure some of them, create a chance to escape.

I needed a distraction though. I never killed demons, never even considered doing so. I was cornered though. I shuddered to think of what the demon king would do to me if I was delivered to him. My grandfather never really cared about me. I didn"t imagine him running to my rescue, but I was sure he"d provoke them to kill me.

Knowing his ruthless nature, he"d probably ask for a reason to wipe out the demon kind. I didn"t want to be the scapegoat. I didn"t want to become the catalyst of a war between mankind and demon kind. Can you imagine what the history books would say?

Stalwart"s weak grandson caused an interminable war between the mad wizard and the blood thirsty demons. That was all I could think of while the giant horse approached us, walking awkwardly on its hind legs.

I closed my eyes and felt my essence. My conduits were undergoing some sort of transformation. I could feel them getting wider, stronger, but the transformation wasn"t complete. I needed them to be as strong as possible for my next reckless endeavor. I would not hand myself over easily. I"d fight. I"d provoke them to kill me.

At least the history books would speak of a fight between Stalwart"s grandson and the demons. That would be a story of bravery and heroism, not one of cowardice, torture, and being used as a tool to ignite the spark of war.

The horse was now two paces away from me. It looked at me from above, its gigantic eyes rested on mine for a second. It looked down on me. I was but a bug to be squashed anytime it wished. I clenched my fists harder. I would teach this b.a.s.t.a.r.d what it meant to underestimate a Stalwart.

"Stop!" I mumbled.