Chapter 91: Deal with the Demon

The day before had been a long one. Graduation duels, the celebration, meeting Jonathan Brightsail, and almost losing Orttha. There was a lot to unpack. So he shrouded himself in invisibility and Encapsulation and snuck out early to sit on the roof of Brightsail Academy. 

Sen stared at pedestrians walking through cobblestone streets. The reflection of the sun off gemstone roofs and birds flying high in the air scouring the town for scraps of food left unattended. It was nice today, and though he sat, his mind wandered. 

The obvious question was what was next? What came after graduation? Amusingly, this wasn’t a problem only he faced. It wasn’t unique to Sen Locke or even the God of Magic. Most people face moments like this in life. Where they looked back on a finished chapter and then had to look forward and figure out where their story would head next. 

He’d made a name for himself. He’d declared that he would gain more power in this world, and he most certainly had achieved that since. But he had a long way to go. When he thought of all the possibilities, he found that every path started in the same place. 

A promise he’d made to Orttha. He’d go back home to the ruins of the Kingdom of Magic. The ruins of everything he’d built it his own time alongside Ragmár. That was where his next adventure would start. He sighed and looked at the stone tablet Zeke had given him. The direct copy of Ragmár’s message. He’d been so busy that he’d never had a chance to watch it. But here and now, he decided to give it a chance. He closed his eyes and immersed himself in the illusion.

Unsurprisingly, the message was the same. He wanted to see if this tablet reacted the way the first had. If he’d hear Ragmár call out his name again, but he waited long after the illusion ended and no message came. 

With a sigh, he set the tablet down on the roof next to him and pulled his legs up to lean on them as he stared across the horizon. Somewhere ahead, if he traveled far enough, he’d find the ruins of the Kingdom of Magic. A place he’d avoided since coming to the future. He just hadn’t been ready to face what he’d left behind, but now he knew it was time. 

[Wnf Zdnbc: Uxljcn cqn bnlanc vnbbjpn xo Trwp Ajpvja.]

He blinked as the weird message popped up again. Then, before his eyes, it translated. 

[New Quest: Locate the secret message of King Ragmár.]

No reward popped up. Perhaps because the quest and the reward were one and the same? Or maybe it was just because this was something he needed to do. He wondered why this strange quest had unveiled itself now? 

Sen found himself standing without realizing it. He had heard Ragmár’s voice that day. His eyes scanned the front entrance of Brightsail Academy. If there was a message, then there was only one place where it could possibly be. The original tablet the scholars had taken these copies from in the ruins of the Kingdom of Magic. 

Then he knew where he needed to go. He paused, sensing a familiar presence in the street below. A black wolf stood there at the gates of the academy, staring up at him. It was masked, covered by the same spell he’d wrapped around Rella. Only he could see it, thankfully. A wolf running through the streets of town would certainly cause more than a few incidents. 

The wolf stared at him for a moment, and then turned and ran away. He found himself oddly eager to return to the kingdom now. Knowing he’d find a secret message left behind by a close friend and not just ruins changed how he felt about the task. 

At least somewhat. 

He slipped the tablet into his temporal world, added Float to Encapsulation, and then he leapt. He followed the wolf running through the streets; it deftly avoided pedestrians and slipped underneath or around horse-drawn wagons. Sen stuck to the roofs of buildings and followed closely. He’d hear what his friend had to say soon enough, but first, he needed to deal with a particularly troublesome pest.

Marrow

He leaned over and spat blood on the ground. He turned his attention back to the demon woman in front of him. It wasn’t hard to recognize her as the demon king’s daughter. Poor excuse for a god he was. She paced the abandoned warehouse she’d dragged him to after their fight. Or maybe calling it an ambush was more appropriate. Shadeflame was particularly useful for dealing with flesh golems. Kept the weaker ones from healing, and he still hadn’t found time to replace his stronger ones. Weak, shambling excuses for golems hadn’t held their own against her. Marrow himself still hadn’t fully recovered from the massive spell that nearly killed him after Harpis was defeated. His flesh was still working out kinks within itself even after all this time. Such a thoroughly destructive spell had followed his soul even into a new body. 

It was ridiculous. 

The warehouse was mostly empty, or at least, it was now. With a burst of shadow, the demon had purged it of contents. Where she had put them, he hadn’t the faintest idea. The only things that remained were objects and furniture that had already been out of the way. Workbenches, tools, storage, odds and ends. The place looked like it hadn’t been used in decades. It was a waste of good space. He could set up a lab here. Rella’s pacing felt almost nervous. Perhaps she realized how much of a mistake it had been to attack him. Perhaps she realized these moments would be her last.

“When the others find me, they’ll hurt you,” he said. He squirmed against the shadow bindings restricting him to his chair. There was some spell within that kept him from using magic, not that he had any mana to spare. Calling upon so many flesh golems over and over while he’d attempted to retreat from her earlier had worn out his reserves. He should’ve committed to the fight. That had been a mistake. There was a chance he could’ve won. He snarled at the thought. “I’ll wipe out every demon in the world, like the second coming of the God of Mag—” 

She turned and pointed her blade at his throat. “Don’t dare compare yourself to a god. You aren’t even close.” 

A new voice spoke from behind. So suddenly that even the demon looked up in surprise. A white-haired man walked around the chair and into sight as he spoke. “It’s fortunate for her, and for them, that the ‘others’ won’t be finding you then.” 

“You?” Marrow asked.

“Me.” 

Marrow racked his brain. “She did this on your behalf?” he asked. Since when was he working with the demons? Had the God of Demons betrayed them to work with this boy? In a way, it made sense. Of course they’d fear him. Especially after what his master had done all those years ago. “We aren’t enemies!” Marrow nearly shouted. 

Sen tilted his head at that. “We aren’t? For someone who isn’t my enemy, you sure seem to enjoy kidnapping and endangering my allies. You also murdered some of my classmates, certainly seems like those are the actions of an enemy.”

“That wasn’t a slight against you! I didn’t know who you were at the time! Who you served! If I had, I would’ve—”

Sen cut him off. “You would’ve what? Avoided me? Made sure to leave the people I was fond of alone while you harmed innocents?” Then he paused. “Who I serve? What are you talking about?” 

This was quickly devolving into a dangerous situation for him. Marrow needed to recover quickly. “You’re the God of Magic’s avatar, aren’t you? Or at least…one of his followers. I didn’t realize until I saw your fight with Snake. We aren’t enemies. My master doesn’t wish to fight the God of Magic, he wants to work together. When he learns that I’ve found one of the God of Magic’s chosen…he’ll be ecstatic. He’s been waiting for you.”

Sen frowned at that. “You’re talking about the God of Arcane. He’s been waiting for me?” 

Marrow nodded. “Yes, yes! He wishes to find like-minded individuals. Release me, and I’ll take you to him!” Surely the man couldn’t resist an offer like that. The boss might not be happy about the circumstances surrounding the meeting, but he’d forgive Marrow if he arrived with the God of Magic’s avatar, or whatever this man was, in tow.

Sen nodded slowly at his words. Rella shot him a look of concern, which brought a smile to Marrow’s face. All he had to do was get out of here; as long as he escaped, the demons and their continent would burn to ashes for their slight against him. For their betrayal. 

Sen finished thinking and turned to face him. “I’ve never served anyone a day in my life. The God of Magic has no avatar.” 

Marrow’s eyes widened. “What?” Wait…he couldn’t be… “You’re—”

“Are you familiar with my history?” Sen asked.

Marrow swallowed. Whether he was seriously talking to the God of Magic or this was an awful joke, he was at their mercy. His best bet was to play along. Though the pieces were fitting together. “I am! As much as anyone is,” he assured his captor. 

Sen nodded. “There have been times where I’ve been forgiving, merciful even. But those times are rare, and only when I can justify it. I look at what you’ve put people through, people I care about especially, and any desire I might have for mercy towards my enemies is absent. No, I don’t want to forgive you, Marrow. I want you to suffer.” 

Marrow scooted his chair away. “I can serve you! I can help you!”

“Oh, Marrow. I already know that. You will, you’re going to.” The tone of his words offered no comfort whatsoever. “You’re going to be a messenger for me, or rather, you’re going to be the message.” 

Marrow’s blood ran cold.

Sen turned to Rella. “Did you get them?” he asked.

Rella nodded. Portals of shadow emerged from the ground and spat out flesh golems all over. The ones she’d taken during the fight. Marrow’s eyes widened, and he tried to seize control over them, but his bindings prevented that. The golems remained still, in a dormant state without direction. He cursed. If he could get through these bindings, then maybe…

Sen turned back to him. “Where did you get the material for them?” 

Marrow’s throat suddenly felt dry at the accusing nature of a powerful mage’s mana voice. “I…uh…”

Sen nodded. “They’re the missing people from Brightsail. I’d heard rumors that before I arrived in Bright Sail, there had been a string of missing persons. Homeless people, orphans, the destitute, and the indebted. It was you, wasn’t it?” he asked.

Marrow wanted to lie. But for all he knew, the man had already cast a spell that would see through that. It was better to avoid getting caught in one of those right now. “I…I was like them once! I was nothing. Surviving on scraps and trash. And when the other nobodies couldn’t find enough to eat to survive…the rest of us, we…” He swallowed, thinking about those horrid days. “We ate them too. It was that or die.” 

Marrow scrambled, trying to get to his feet, and his chair fell over. He looked up at Sen. “When he found me, he offered me power. All I had to do was serve, to be useful! For a nothing to become useful, it was the opportunity I’d always wanted.” He gestured around to the golems that filled the warehouse with his head. “I paid that forward! I gave them a chance to be useful, too! They don’t feel hunger, or pain, or anything horrible anymore!” 

Marrow’s excitement fell when he realized the expression on Sen’s face wasn’t what he expected. It wasn’t approval; it was disgust. He didn’t understand. “Can they be turned back?” Sen asked.

Marrow frowned. “Back?” He shook his head. “I don’t know. Some parts were taken from the dead, but others were alive. I think they still are. It’s possible? Maybe.” He wasn’t sure about that. 

Sen turned to look at the golems. “They’re alive in there?”

“Yes! No…I’m not sure.” 

“If you don’t know, you’ve officially become uninteresting to me. I’ve never used this spell, not in this way. I’ve never met someone horrid enough to deserve it. Luckily, I’ve just found a volunteer. Hold still. This is goingto hurt.” Sen said, leaning over him.

Marrow squirmed rapidly. Flinging his legs and body as much as he could to get away. It was useless. The shadow bindings only tightened with each moment. “No! Wait, I can be useful. Please!” he begged. 

Sen yanked up the chair with surprising strength. “Flesh Sculpt Maxima!” he shouted, and his hand plunged into Marrow’s chest. 

Sen

Marrow screamed as Sen’s hand plunged into the warmth of his insides. “Barrier Maxim!” Sen said. A barrier formed around Marrow’s body, leaving only a hole for Sen’s hand. Blood rolled down his arm. Sen stared Marrow in the eyes as his victim screamed. He took hold of Marrow’s soul to ensure he didn’t die. Then he prepared the final spell. “Barrier Crush Maxima.” The barrier around Marrow started to grate inwards. 

“Remember this happened because you crossed me, over and over. You should’ve died on that island. But you kept interfering; you couldn’t help yourself. Remember that, Marrow. Remember it and suffer.”

Marrow’s screams continued as the barrier crushed his body. Blood and viscera slowly filled the barrier, but it didn’t stop. It didn’t stop until all that remained was a small chunk in Sen’s hand. The barrier disappeared, and Sen pulled his hand away. He’d taken only a portion of Marrow. He formed it quickly with one hand and then flung it hard against the ground. A small slug about the size of his palm. The horrid creature had human skin and lacked eyes or any other senses whatsoever. It couldn’t eat. It couldn’t sleep. The only thing it was capable of doing was wandering around blindly, trapped in its own head. Every second would be agony. Satisfied with his work, he took Marrow’s soul and stuck it inside. 

“Welcome to your new existence, Marrow. It’s the living hell you deserve,” Sen said, though the man couldn’t hear him. He couldn’t hear anything at all.

“What is that?” Rella asked, studying the grotesque creature. 

“Hell,” Sen said simply.

Rella nodded her approval. “Is there anything else you’d like my help with?” she asked. 

Sen looked around at the flesh golems and frowned. “Take Marrow outside the city and leave him. His allies will come for him, eventually.”

“You want them to find him?” she asked.

He nodded. “I do. Why send a message that won’t get delivered?” 

A smile of quiet satisfaction crept across Rella’s face.

Sen smiled. She had potential, and she’d competently handled this assignment to his satisfaction. “The bracelet I gave you, show me,” he said.

Rella frowned, but held her arm up. Rather than unclasp it, he ran a hand over it and focused. His mana flowed into it. “I’ve embedded the mana signature of a student. He should still be in Bright Sail. Dasai River. Take these flesh golems and find him. Tell him I sent you and explain the situation; he’ll help you. There are some things I must attend to, but if there’s someone who can help them, it’s him. His control over spells like this will probably pale only when compared to Marrow. This will be their best chance for recovery,” he said. 

She bowed, but a flicker of hesitation crossed her face. “From what he said,” she said, looking down at the flesh slug slithering about aimlessly. “Most of these people don’t have anywhere to go. If he is able to fix them, would you have me just leave them in the street?” she asked. 

Sen sighed. “No. On the outskirts of town, there’s a large building being constructed. Go there and find a man named Zeke. Again, tell him I sent you and he’ll help. He’s a good man, and I think he’ll empathize with what these people have been through.” After all, when Sen had first met Zeke, he’d lived on the streets as well. 

“I shall do so then. Although, are you sure these friends of yours will be okay…dealing with me?” Rella asked.

Sen’s attention drifted to her red skin and eyes. That…might be an issue. Dasai’s close friend had been taken by demons to Harpis Castle, and Zeke wasn’t even a magician. How might he respond? 

“Fair enough, brace yourself,” he said. Her eyes widened, but she nodded. It was an easy enough change. “Become Human Maxima,” Sen said.

Her body began to physically change. She grimaced as her features shifted. Her skin lightened, and the markings on her face disappeared.

“It will get easier with time, and the shift will become more natural. Fluid. Your soul will eventually adapt. You’ll be able to switch back and forth of your own accord, which will make working for me easier. I will grant knowledge of this spell to you, as well as the spell to return yourself to demon form. This will allow you to walk between both worlds. The world of humans, and the world of the Shadowhell Continent.”

Rella stood before him in human form. This wasn’t just an illusion or deception of the eye. Her body had actually changed into that of a human. Her hair was long and blonde, and her skin white. She stared at her hands with wide green eyes. “How…” She realized what he’d said. “Both worlds? Working for you? So you would like my help again?” she asked.

“Rella, I’d like to invite you to form a pact with me.” 

Rella’s human lips parted. “The God of Magic…forming a pact with a demon?” she asked. “My father—”

“I won’t allow your father to use this as leverage to maintain power. Our pact will be a secret, known only to us. When you work in my service, what you do will be obscured from your father.”

“He would question that…” she said slowly.

“He will know on whose behalf you work, but not to what extent. The God of Demons knows better than to involve himself in my business.” 

“Then you would offer me your protection?” she asked.

Sen nodded. “That, and more. If you want to see more of the human world, this is your opportunity.”

If she was hesitating, that convinced her. “I accept,” she said with a bow. She fell to a knee. “I, Rella Varraskan, agree to serve the God of Magic—”

“Sen,” he corrected.

“The God of Magic, Sen,” she said,

He accepted the compromise. A rune circle appeared around her; a second appeared around the two of them. “I, Sen, the God of Magic, accept Rella Varraskan into my service and offer her my protection.”

Each of the circles roared to life, sending a powerful surge of mana into the air. In the air floated two rings forged in shadeflame, a result of the pact involving a demon. Sen took his ring and placed it on the pointer finger of his right hand. It was a thick ring that radiated absolute darkness. On anyone besides Sen or a demon, the shade flame forged ring would burn to touch. But he’d spent years in the shadow hell continent, and had long built a resistance to its effects. His ring had black mana channels, hardly perceptible to the human eye. If she called upon him, an aura of shadow magic would fill them.

Rella’s ring was identical, except it had gold mana channels. Should he call upon her, the void-black ring would fill with golden light. These rings would serve as a connection between them. Sen would be able to send a projection of himself to Rella, and she would be able to physically cross any distance to join him when he called her. Such was the magic of a pact between a demon and a human mage.

Sen had contracted spirits before, and he already had a summoning ring in his possession thanks to the reward from Alari’s father for hitting the top rank. But this was his first time forming a pact. An magic agreement between two living, physical beings. As opposed to natural spirits, summons, and creations. 

This would be interesting, to say the least.

“I will see to Marrow and then seek out this Dasai. Shall I return to your side when I’ve finished?” she asked.

“No, see to your business in the Shadow Hell. I’ll call you when I need you.”

She bowed, disappearing into shadows, along with the flesh golems and the flesh slug form of Marrow. 

With that done, he turned his attention to his secret quest. It was time, finally, time to go and see his old friend once more, or at least, the message he’d left behind.