POV Sephiroth

Poor Sandra had lost a lot of blood. The entire floor had become painted red.

“My dear, tell me again, who ordered you to poison my beloved?” She affectionately patted her former friend’s cheek.

“Please, I have already told you! Why are you doing this! It hurts so much! Please!”

“No, no, no. You have told me a small part, but not all. I can feel it, Sweetie.”

The servant cried now without restraint.

“Shh, my dear. Have you not learned that crying doesn’t help?” The demon's sweet words softly drilled their way into the hanging woman's ears, robbing her of her last will.

Sephiroth stepped back a bit and observed her pray thoughtfully.

“It occurs to me that I have to make you understand the finality of your situation, love.”

Following her words, Sephiroth’s color changed.

“You have poisoned my mate. For that I will let you burn in the abyss for all eternity, darling. Everything with what the other party has threatened you pales in comparison to what I will do to you. So please, tell me what I want to know.”

The demoness stood in all her glory before the broken woman. Her curves now even more pronounced and wicked. She sensually closed in on her pray.

The words flowing out of her mouth had turned sweet at the end again. Belittling the arctic cold she had radiated during the first part of the sentence. Yet the former servant didn’t take much solace in that and collapsed powerlessly.

“No, no, please, no, no…”

“Yes, my dear. Talk. You know what awaits you should you keep your secrets from me.”

The young servant completely gave in. She told all she knew. From why to whom and how. Sandra left nothing out. While doing so she suddenly changed, her once above average appearance aging by the second. Obviously there had been a contract at work. But what was the loss of your youth against the promise of eternal damnation? She didn’t know that Sephiroth wasn’t capable of it. Her inactive royal bloodline barring her the access to the necessary skills. The weak flame breath her only sign of the power she should have held, but didn’t.

Sephiroth gently stroked her check and neck, urging her on.

Soon she understood the whole situation.

Suddenly, the connection with Aron snapped back into place. Glee filled her whole being. He had survived!

The demoness laughed, full of joy. Sandra froze at the random change in her captor.

“You have done well, my dear. Thank you. By the way, Aron has survived.”

Sandra looked up hopefully “Does that mean you will stop?”

“Darling, naturally not. You have done something unforgivable. in certain ways you humans have the right picture of us. We can do unbelievable atrocities. Demons don’t feel any remorse or guilt at hurting people. It is simply a tool to give us what we want. And for some, the very act is the culmination of reward and fulfillment itself. So no, I will not stop. The fun has only just began.”

“Please, no, I have told you everything! I beg you, let me die peacefully at least!”

Sephiroth smiled at the broken form of the former servant and shook her head.

“Have you known, a human can live without his skin just fine as long as enough healing is provided. Enjoy the ride, love.”

“Nnnooooo!!”

__________

POV Amanda Brightcloud

She sat next to her dear son’s sickbed. Amanda’s emotions had been exhausted. She still remembered vividly when Aron had died, only to suddenly live again. This time she had been sure of it. His heart had stopped beating for an entire minute. Yet somehow he had come back. Her son had survived.

“Mum, you are looking worse than me. How are you?”

Surprised, she looked up.

“Aron! You are awake! How are you feeling, my dear?!”

“Like a carriage had rolled over me, but I will recover.” He answered weakly.

Amanda moved to her son and grabbed his hand. At first she wanted to embrace him but decided against it, his body still too weak. It didn’t take long for Aron to breach his most important topic.

“Mum, I have lost my light core and my energy pathways are a complete mess! I am unsure if I ever will be able to use magic again!”

“Shh, my dear. Everything will be fine. It doesn’t matter. Simply try to heal. We will find a solution for it. Get better, my dear.”

______

POV Aron Brightcloud

I saw the hidden question in her eyes. My mother wanted to know what had happened. Yet I played dumb. My problems were my own. I was going to find out who had done this to me. I used the state of my broken body to distract her. Combined with a show of anger, frustration and fear, she quickly focused on other topics. I played along and let her take care of me. Only after she had made sure that I was well did she leave me to recuperate.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Not having anything to do, I wondered briefly why Sephiroth had not appeared yet. She should have been the first to knock down my door.

Maybe she had to take care of some other things first.

A shudder in my soul alarmed me to the still ongoing changes in myself. Since I had fused with the unknown soul I had felt strangely full, now with a snap the connection stabilized. I felt my whole soul relax.

‘Booos, Boss, Boooos. Can you hear me, hellooo??’

A juvenile voice shouted in my mind. The pitch changed several times as it zoomed in on my mental frequency.

‘Yes, I can. Are you alright?’

‘Yay, you can hear me! Yes Bosss! I am awesome, I am not tired at all… Reallyyy…I can go on and on and….’

The sentence that had started full of energy petered out at the end, its last half hearted words being followed by loud snoring, clearly telling me the actual situation.

I felt a headache coming. Somewhere deep down I had been hoping that the unknown entity would be something special, even unique. It could have made up for my broken body. But the being’s first two sentences had thoroughly dissuaded me of that silly notion. That was no fierce warrior or ferocious monster. No, it sounded more like my potential little brother on cocaine and speed simultaneously… It’s pitch confused me, I had been sure it had sounded more mature before our fusion. I must have imagined it. Having heard its words, I couldn’t picture it as a mature being at all.

Shaking my head, I closed my eyes. No point in further brooding. I would make do with what I had. My body needed rest.

________

POV Sephiroth

Sephiroth cheerfully sauntered back towards her beloved Aron. Finished with her fun and clean-up, she was in an exceedingly good mood. How long had it been since she had been able to play with someone? Since she had joined the human military she had kept herself in control. Never letting her more sadistic tendencies off the leash. It felt great to indulge herself a little. But enough of that, playtime was over. The demoness focused herself back onto the important topics.

It didn’t matter what had happened to Aron, now that he was alive they would find a solution. She could feel certain glimpses through their mostly closed connection. It didn’t look good, but as long as he survived there were options to help him.

And about the other topic, Sephiroth would take her time enjoying her revenge. She didn’t plan on telling her beloved. He had already more than enough on his plate. She would-

“There you are Sephiroth, have you seen Sandra?”

The demoness berated herself for not seeing Aron’s mother coming. What should she do now?

“No milady, the last time I have seen her had been right before the ceremony. I don’t know what had happened with her afterwards.”

Amanda seemed pensive hearing that. Before Sephiroth could interpret the other’s body-language, Amanda moved. Sephiroth felt Amanda’s index finger against her forehead. Then everything went black.

The young woman woke up with a start.

“What, where am I?” Sephiroth played disoriented and quickly checked the surroundings. She knew the room. Damn. The situation didn’t look good. Not long ago she had been standing at the exact same place, only this time she was the one bound to the wall.

Amanda stood in front of her, the door to the outside sealed shut once more. Sephiroth checked the formation that glowed around them. Great… there would be no escape for her.

“Tell me, Sephiroth. What has really happened to Sandra? I felt traces of her aura and blood on you. At first I had thought the contract between you and Aron had been broken, but that is not the case. So tell me what is really going on. You are an intelligent woman. It must have been something drastic that led you to murder someone directly under the nose of the strongest magicians in this area of the country.”

Sephiroth thoughtfully observed the other woman. Should she tell her the truth? No, it was better to-

An aura of pure might crashed into her. The women before her had changed. Amanda had always been friendly. Even when she was angry, there had been a certain restraint. Now there was nothing left of it.

Amanda’s eyes glowed golden. The room’s light dimmed, as if being sucked into her.

“Sephiroth. I am tired. My son had died and revived from the dead. I am not in the mood for games. I want to know what is going on. Now.”

Even-though she didn’t lift her voice, Sephiroth felt as if she was crushed under Amanda’s mere presence.

How had she never seen it? Sephiroth had always known that Amanda was powerful. Yet her estimation had been way off. Before her stood no human, no. This was a force of nature. Someone at the apex.

Amanda’s voice slowly changed, a darker and deeper tone mixed itself into it.

“Tell me, or I will disintegrate your very matter. Not even your soul shall be left.”

Sephiroth knew if she didn’t answer, she would cease to exist.

“Milady, Sandra had been bought by the marquess of Redwood. He had given her a special poison to force Aron into a core-burnout. For that she should get a lot of money and be allowed to work for him. In addition, they would take care of Donald, who had raped her multiple times.”

Amanda’s gaze stayed unreadable.

“Right choice. I take it, Sandra had suffered for her transgressions?”

Sephiroth nodded.

“Good. Follow me. Don’t tell Aron anything about it if he doesn’t force you to tell him. We both know that he has a sweet-spot for you. Afterwards you will tend to him until he gets better. I have things to do.”

Sephiroth could only nod. “Yes, Milady. What will you do?”

“Certain people need to be reminded of their own mortality. Everything has a price. They have touched something they shouldn’t have. I have wanted to leave my dark past behind, but it is not possible yet.”

The young demoness dutifully followed her master’s mother until they had arrived at the medical wing.

“Take care of him. Tell Aron I have been ordered away because of important business. As I said, don’t tell him anything about what you have seen and heard in the last half hour.”

With that, Amanda turned and walked toward the exit of the building. Sephiroth observed her receding back. The light seemed to disappear around the woman, as if she naturally ate it up only by existing. Sephiroth gulped, what other secrets had Aron’s family hidden? Amanda had to be an archmage, but why did that somehow not do justice to the power she had felt earlier?

She shook her head. No, she had other priorities now. Aron needed to be tended to. Sephiroth composed herself and quietly opened the chamber door.

________

POV Aron Brightcloud

My dulled senses made me miss the opening of the door. I only realized the arrival of my guard when she reached my bed. Instead of being her usual self, she sat next to me and took my hand. We sat like that for the next five minutes, not saying a word before I broke the silence.

“I have lost my light-core.”

“I know.”

“My energy pathways are a complete mess.”

“I know.”

“I will be shunted for loosing my light. I have read of all the people who have had a burnout in the past. Everybody of them had a weak personality, the others will think that I am the same.”

“I know.”

“My my body will need time to recover.”

“I know, shut up. You know as well as I do that I won’t leave you, we will get through this.”

I grinned.

“Yes, I know.”

She had opened a connection between our souls, I could feel her emotions. They gave me certainty. She would always stand by my side.

“Now sleep. You need it. We can talk another time in more depth about what had happened,” Sephiroth said. She lifted her arm and caressed my cheek.

“Everything will be fine.”

I let the control go. My consciousness plunged back into the darkness I had been holding at bay.