Heart of Darkness

Constantine didn't know how long he went through the agonizing pain of healing. It felt like forever yet he knew he recovered faster than usual. In the distance, he could feel that he was being taken care of by some people he couldn't see nor recognize by scent, but he could also smell a triggering scent. A scent that didn't belong among the shades.

Who was there?

When he could finally open his eyes, he looked around the foreign room. He sat up slowly, his body sore everywhere. A voice addressed him as soon as he caught a hint of that unusual scent.

"You are finally awake."

Constantine's head jerked in response to the noise, and he instantly turned to see.

A man with golden hair man sat in an armchair nearby the window. One leg was crossed over the other as he sat comfortably. His green eyes were vacantly fixed on him.

"Who are you?" Constantine asked.

The man rose from his seat and Constantine could sense the raw power emanating from him as he crossed over the distance and came to stand at the end of the bed.

A demon?

A powerful one.

Was he abducted? He was sure he had sensed shades taking care of him.

"I am the one giving you the power of authority." He said.

He was going to give him power?

"You are a demon."

"Indeed."

Constantine was confused.

"You killed your father. Now you must take over the throne."

"So… I will be the leader but the true one is actually you?"

The demon smirked. "Indeed."

What? This… how?

"Do you think your kind would stand against demons on your own? I have always been here in the dark, taking care of things. Your father only had power because I gave it to him and it will be the same with you."

He waved with his hand and the door flew open. Two shades stepped inside, one of them holding a tray with a cup.

"Here is your potion of strength." He said as the shade held the tray out for him.

Constantine looked at what was inside the cup. He could tell it was blood. He looked over at the demon again. "This is blood."

"Yes. You are not powerful enough to be a leader without the blood. My guards who consume the blood are more powerful than you."

Constantine looked at the two guards, sensing that they were indeed stronger.

"Who are you?"

"I will tell you at the right time. Now, drink!"

Constantine looked at the cup unwilling to drink when he didn't even know where the blood came from. But he knew this demon wouldn't take a no.

Taking the cup he gulped the blood down before placing it on the tray again.

"Don't worry. It is not the first time you had it. You were able to recover faster because of the blood."

Was it his blood?

"What do you want from me?"

"Nothing. You wanted to be a leader. I am just helping you do that."

"I want to be a leader, not someone's puppet."

The demon kept his composure. "You will be powerless. You need my assistance to lead. Without the blood, you lack many of my men's strength. You wouldn't have been able to murder your father either if it weren't for me. Although I am aware that the fight wasn't fair." He grinned.

He knew what happened.

"So you let him get killed? Why?"

He shrugged. "I was bored. I wanted a new leader. Your father wasn't useful to me anymore."

Suddenly something hit him. He killed his father but his father was only taking orders from this demon?

"YOU wanted the prophetic blood?"

"Yes. But it was for your sake of course. The shades, unlike demons, keep the blood in their system much longer. Your father became too greedy and ruined my plans. This was just me getting rid of him at the right time."

Constantine blinked, his whole world shattering before him. All his plans, all that he had believed became a lie. Not that he cared much for his father. He had wanted to kill him even before Ramona but… all this… to think that he knew everything and had it under control was a lie.

This man had been controlling everything from the shadows, but why? Why did he need the shades to become stronger? It could only mean that he wanted to use them for something. A demon using them?

Constantine refused to let that happen. And not only that. This man was also the cause of Ramona's death and torture and why he couldn't save her until the end. He was behind it all.

"I know you had a special place in your heart for the prophetess. Unfortunately, we had different plans. Hopefully, we can have the same goals now, which is to make your race strong enough to stand up for themselves."

If a demon was ruling the shades all along then how could the shades and demons be enemies unless… this demon wanted to use them to defeat demons?

"How long have you been leading… us?" Constantine asked.

"Since the very beginning. I am your creator."

Creator?

"How?"

"That is a long story. I am sure we will have a lot of time together in the future to discuss everything. Rest for now." He said and vanished.

Constantine's brain went on pause. It was quiet for a moment before it got flooded with so many thoughts and questions.

A demon created the shades? He blinked and blinked.

All those millennials of hatred between the two races and it turned out they were created by a demon? He almost laughed hysterically.

Why did no one seem to know about this?

This simply served to highlight the demon's strength and cleverness. While he was hiding, he was maintaining a leader among the shades, and it was likely he who was to blame for the animosity between the races. What exactly was his objective?

He got rid of his father and now he was stuck with someone worse.

________________

New month. Hope you can vote for "Touch of Flame" with your golden tickets. Thank you <3