Heart of Darkness

Constantine stood outside the white-haired demon's home. He watched the little boy sitting outside in the garden, his mind wandering away. It seemed like his threat finally worked and now Angelica was hiding her brother. Just how long? He thought amused to himself. It also seemed like she went to the demon world and he would have to thank her brother for holding her back from living there. She wouldn't leave him behind.

Moving in the shadows, he continued to watch the boy while thinking of his next step. Well, this shouldn't be so difficult, he thought. The clever woman had married a foolish Lord. Lord Rayven didn't concern him the least.

Leaving the boy behind, he went to find the King of Kraghorn. Hiding in the shadows Constantine watched the archdemon. The defender who was not yet one.

Skender.

He had been watching him from a distance for a while, his head spinning with many questions. Despite the things he had learned, the demon would sometimes look around as if sensing his presence. Maybe all of this was pretentious, and the man had somehow found his powers. There was only one way to find.

Selecting his most dangerous men, he sent them to attack him. "Don't hold back but don't kill him."

******

Skender woke up, pain shooting through his veins. His limbs were tied to a chair, and a fog covered his eyes. He blinked a few times, forcing himself to see, but it took a while for the fog to clear and he found himself in a tent. Coming to these witches was never a pleasant experience.

"You are here again," Marie had just entered the tent. "Despite my warning."

"And despite your warning I am always welcomed." He said.

"You are lucky," she said coming to stand in front of him. "Any other demon would be drained of blood."

"I came to talk about that. Some witches will get a hold of me to use my blood."

Marie frowned.

"Witches stopped with the practice a long time ago since it is very dangerous."

"I know but it will happen to me."

"Do you know who they are?"

Skender shook his head. "I need to know how I can protect myself."

"You ask too much, Skender."

"I know. Ask what you want in return." He told her.

She smirked. "You know what I want and you come here, taking advantage of it."

She wanted him.

"I am afraid I can't give myself to you." He said.

Her eyes hardened. "Then don't waste my time and be gone demon!" She said and with a wave of her hand kicked him out of her territory.

Skender was paralyzed from the pain of crossing over for a while before he got up on his feet. He dusted himself off. Had it only been physical he wouldn't have denied her, but he didn't want to give her any hopes. A heartbroken witch could be very dangerous. He limped forward, still unable to use his demon powers because of the aftereffect of the electrical shock.

While walking like a crippled man at night he suddenly felt something strange. As is someone was following him. Swiftly, he looked behind him but found no one. Then his eyes searched the woods on each side of the road he was walking on, his senses heightening to detect any threat. He didn't need to try hard to see them hiding in the woods.

No, they weren't hiding. They knew he could see them. They came prepared to fight him.

Not now, Skender thought.

Jumping out of the woods they shifted to attack him. Skender quickly pulled his daggers, but these animals were huge and he had no sword or claws.

The beasts attacked him from all sides and he could only hold them off for seconds before they bit into his flesh. Pain shot up his arm as the beast tore off almost all his flesh and Skender could see the bones of his arm. Sharp claws tore into his back as he felt another stab of fangs on his leg.

Falling forward, he turned on his back and kicked the beast off his leg but the animal took with him as much of his leg as possible. Skender was panting in pain now, hoping his powers would come back soon. He was supposed to be an arch demon, a defender for God's sake. How could he not even defend himself?

These shades must have followed him and waited for a moment of weakness to attack him. Fangs and claws dug into his body and pulled him in all directions, tearing his limbs apart, causing a scream of agony to leave his throat.

The pain darkened his vision and he could feel the pool of blood beneath him. It seemed at the end he would die at the hands of shades just like his parents did. Where was his demon at this moment? Was he going to let them die at the hands of the enemy?

Since he couldn't see, move or breathe, he waited for it. He waited to feel his heart getting torn out of his chest and then torn apart. It was the only way to kill a demon. Take the heart from the body, from the environment in which it could heal and then destroy it.

But it didn't happen. Instead, the danger was fading away. Or maybe it happened, and he was the one fading away into an abyss of darkness.

Pain slowly turned into comfort and when he came back from the darkness, he found himself in a comfortable bed. One that felt too familiar. It was his own bed.

Confused he sat up and examined his body. He was all healed and there was no sigh of violence. He would have thought that it was all a nightmare had he not seen his torn bloody clothes on the floor. The Lords must have found him but something didn't feel right. If his clothes were still here, then not much time must have passed after the attack yet he was completely healed after such a severe injury. And the Lords wouldn't leave him so quickly. At least one of them would be him.

Skender reached for Acheron first.

"Ash, did you bring me home last night?"

"Why? Did you have a lot to drink?"

"You didn't take me to my room?"

"No."

Skender asked the other Lords, but none of them even knew about the incident. He asked Lucrezia, but she hadn't been involved either. Who brought him back home then?

A shade?

He shook his head. That was impossible and even if one did, why would they undress him?

A witch?

No! They would be stupid to be among demons outside their protected territory.

Then who?