Heart of Darkness

When Skender woke up not feeling sad or emotional. He was back to having his eyes open. He had let himself come here last night despite knowing that it was dangerous. Now he would have to leave. This back and forth wouldn't work. It would hurt many people, but mostly him. As he was about to leave quietly Rayven woke up.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes."

"You can stay for breakfast."

Skender stared at him for a long moment. He was glad to see him like this, glad to see this change but sad that he would not be the same person to be friends with him. Something inside didn't allow it. Some broken part of him.

"I am not hungry and I have a lot to do."

Before he could try to stop him, Skender vanished. He took himself to his chamber where he could change and prepare for the day. Keeping himself busy would be the best.

As he wore his jacket, Lucrezia came to see him. "I am in hurry? Do you need something?"

"I am looking for a witch." She said.

He clenched his jaw. He was trying not to think of certain things and she was naming witches.

"I am thinking of numbing your demon again for a while."

"What is the point?"

"We will have some more time to train you."

Well, since he couldn't escape that might be a good idea.

"I know you have a witch friend."

No! He shook his head not wanting to think of it. Another payment?

He couldn't deny that he had enjoyed himself. He was a man after all and he hadn't had a woman for so long. He needed to take care of his desires and it felt good that his body received pleasure after so long. As someone who wanted to keep his part of the deal, he even made sure she received pleasure as well, or he would feel even worse. But all of that changed nothing.

It wasn't the exchange of pleasure he disliked or even the part where his body reacted by itself. It was the circumstances in which it happened and what it made him that he hated.

But who cared? That was only one of many things that he was. In all of those things, the king, the sloth, the defender, the destroyer, he, Skender, was lost. He was invincible. He was fading away.

Feeling anger rise, he was close to saying that he wanted to keep the destroyer when he remembered what had happened yesterday.

He clenched his jaw. Just for that, just for William, he would accept this. And as much as he didn't want to go to Marie, he knew finding a powerful witch willing to help wouldn't be easy.

"I can kill her once we finish," Lucrezia said.

Skender just shook his head at her. "She won't trust you. I need to go there alone."

"Well, I don't trust her. I can't let you go alone while she does a spell."

"Don't worry. There is someone else besides you who won't let me die."

Hating that he was back at it again, he went to see Marie. Of course, she was amused to see him need help again. "You really need me." She smiled.

She was a bit like Lucrezia. Liking to hold some power and know things. But even for a powerful witch like her, dealing with a destroyer was risky and difficult.

"The only reason I am doing this is because the destroyer could be bad for all of us. Probably witches and shades the most."

"I know." He said understanding that she wouldn't take such risks otherwise.

Marie had to spend some time away talking to others and gathering information on how to do it the best way.

"Alright. For my own safety, the painful part that could trigger the destroyer will happen later. I will perform the spell and then you will go home. The spell will take effect later but…" She paused. "I won't be able to numb all of it."

"Why?"

"It came alive once. Every time it comes alive it leaves something on the surface that will make it easier for him to come back again. The spells get weaker the more they are performed. It was already done on you once."

Skender's head felt heavy. He just shrugged at last. "Just do what can be done." He said.

She gave him a bowl of some strange brown liquid. "Drink this."

He took the bowl and stared at it hesitantly. It smelled awful.

"Don't worry. If I wanted to kill you I had many chances." She said.

If she only knew.

He gulped the liquid at once and then grimaced. Marie took the bowl from him. "Good. Now it is done."

"That is all?" He asked confused.

"For now. The tough part comes later when you go home. Go somewhere secluded. The destroyer might appear and try to fight the spell when he feels it. Also, prepare yourself for the pain."

"Alright." He stood up and then paused. "You know a lot of things about me."

She nodded.

"What about my future? Will I… hurt people?"

She shrugged. "Only a few witches have the power to look into the future. The witch who cursed you was very powerful, yet she couldn't see what was coming. Only the much older witches with many years of practice can perhaps give you an answer. But even then, the future is ever-changing. Don't listen to anyone. You can defeat the destroyer."

He nodded. "Thank you for your help."

"Be careful." She told him.

Taking himself away from the cabin, he went to his favorite place. The cliff. He felt the soft breeze blow his hair back. God, he loved this place but no. He couldn't come here anymore.

He was about to leave when he saw a man standing on the edge of the cliff. What was he doing here? How did he know of this place?

"Ramona used to come here," Constantine said without looking back knowing that Skender was there. " She said she had many good memories here."

He turned to him with his hands in his pockets. "You were the good memories."

"You lied to me," Skender said.

"It was necessary." He walked closer. "I needed you to be angry. Not only for the purpose of defeating my father."

"I see. You were jealous."

Constantine chuckled. "You are lucky. If not for her or for the fact that I need you I would have ended your miserable life."

"Then I am not lucky," Skender retorted.

To that he said nothing.

"Was she happy with you?" Skender asked.

Constantine sighed, tilting his head to one side with a thoughtful expression. "She was. A short-lived happiness."

Skender felt empty inside. This would have normally made him sad or angry.

"You should forget it now. It is all in the past." Skender hurried to say almost like he was telling himself.

Constantine came to stand right in front of him, with an angry look. "Forget? Is that what you are doing?"

"Yes."

"Do you know that she came to me because I threatened to hurt you?"

They glared at each other, now both of them furious.

"She wanted to protect you, and you? You will forget her? Did you not see her body that I left outside your door?"

Skender remembered the image that had haunted him for many years.

"Stop it!"

"No! I won't stop before you wake up!"

"Listen!" Now it was his turn to raise his voice. "The defender won't wake up. I am not a defender."

Constantine took a step back, nodding with a half-smile. "Right. Maybe I should do something to remind you that you are now. You walked through my gate. Should I bring Angelica…"

"Keep her out of this!"

"Alright. It will be you or her. You seem fond of the little boy as well."

Skender felt the blood in his veins turn hot. "Be careful or the plan you had for many years will go up in smoke in the blink of an eye."

"Will you really tell the man who killed the woman you loved that I want to kill him?"

"If I have to. Ramona is dead. These people are alive."

"Then let me tell you something as well. You can tell my father and those people alive will be dead as well. If I lose, I will make sure both of us do. So let's win together instead. Think of the benefits of having an alliance between the shades and the demons. As a leader, I could make it possible. You will gain more benefits."

Skender sighed. "It is not that easy. My defender is a destroyer right now."

"What does that mean?"

"It means my demon doesn't defend. It destroys."

"Well then, let the destroyer out."

"It desires different things than I. I can't control it."

Constantine dropped his act for the first time and looked distressed. "What do you plan to do then?" He hissed.

"I need to learn to control it."

"You want me to wait while you learn? And what if you don't?"

"I don't think you have a choice," Skender told him. "Besides, you waited so many years already."

Constantine glared at him with suspicion. "How do I know you are not lying?"

"What will I gain from it? If I can, it will be easier if I just kill your fa….ah!"

A stab in the stomach made almost caused him to throw up. Another stab followed and then it felt like someone was twisting his guts. He fell to his knees, the pain making him feel like he would vomit his intestines.

******

Constantine was confused when Skender fell to his knees. He began to cough while holding his stomach and blood came out of his mouth.

"What is happening to you?"

He reached his hand out, his face turning red, a vein appearing on his forehead and others covering his neck. He was gasping for air. "Leave! He is here!"

"Who?"

Constantine was utterly confused. He didn't know what to do. He watched him twist and turn on the floor like a dying man. Who would come? Did someone intend to hurt him? Well, he couldn't let him die. He waited, searching their surroundings while the demon continued to struggle.

Was he poisoned? He was vomiting blood. This didn't feel right, but he didn't know what to do. He waited, knowing that he couldn't die from poison, but it went on for a good while before his body went still on the ground.

Curious, Constantine went and turned him around to see if he was alright.

"What in satans name happened to you?"

Suddenly, the demon shot his eyes open with a gasp. "Skender!"

A strong grip came around his neck pushing him down on the floor and choking him. "Sken-der."

Constantine tried to remove the grip but it was too strong that it blocked all air from entering his body. He could feel the bones in his neck getting crushed. Skender's eyes seemed to take a darker color. A dark blue with hues of silver. His fangs elongated, his claws dug into his neck, two black horns came out of his head and two large dark wings flared open from behind him. He was turning into his full arch-demon form.

His eyes began to burn with a silver fire. "I will kill you," He said but Constantine felt like it wasn't only directed at him.

Bloody hell! What brought the destroyer out now? He had to shift or he would die. Before he could do anything, the demon's grip loosened and fell on top of him. Constantine pushed him away, his throat burning. He crawled away, coughing and gasping for air.

This wasn't good.. He had wished the man was lying.