The world of Ballenlight was like many others in the cosmos. It was filled with magic and had long since been cataloged among other worlds that demon kind had yet to invade fully. Attempts had been made, but Samiel was busy with workings in many worlds, not just that of Ballenlight.
Samiel was a Devil, now at least, but remembered what he had been. He was once an arbiter of creation, used by the Divine Creator of one of the countless realms to forge a world and its foundations, and to guide the first creatures that walked its world.
His leathery wings were a far cry from the angelic feathers and his horns oh so very different from his once golden halo. That had gone, and then returned some time later, a darkened shadow of its old self to rest over his head as a symbol of his dark powers. It cast him in shadows now as he sat among others of his kind in the Court of Hell, one of few semi-permanent realities within the Twisting Narrows, the place in-between, where all of demon kind, the lost and forgotten, and the damned where they could meet and deal, and travel to various worlds. It was not a place for the faint of heart or those without the will to hold themselves together. Such was all things with demon kind, all were predators.
Samiel looked over the great chamber of the Court. The lovely Succubi, powerful with their success at infiltrating worlds without destroying them, were as always an appealing sight mimicking the human form as they did. Samiel did too for that matter in some ways. It had been the way his Lord had created him anyway so he had not totally discarded it even if his Lord had him. The Succubi were led by their Queen, a pale pink creature, a woman maybe, but in one of her truer forms with black horns and wings again such as Samiel's own. She wore a gown slit at the hip to show her thighs and horn grew from her feet in the form of high heels. Though he was shielded in his own darkness Regina's sparkling blue eyes flashed to him. He had to smile. Others of her kind noticed as his sharp white fangs showed from the shadows enveloping him, and worried glances to each other were shared among the lesser of their kind gathered for Court.
Regina sat with her legs crossed and a smug smile on her face on a tall throne of white marble at the very height of the Court's outer layer where all such rulers of their kind sat. Samiel, though perhaps more than a match in power to the Queen of the Succubi herself, was keen to remain as he sat in the third seat of the Devils'. He paid no mind to his contemporaries and only came to such meetings out of respect for his patron who sat above him cloaked in fire as Samiel himself was in shadow.
Regina's second, a marble white skinned thing all the more appealing to Samiel's own taste than the over blown curves of the Queen, eyed him holding tight to the tall steel shafted staff. It was a powerful magic item even in the demon realms, and turned her head away from his gaze in a huff. That made him smile showing his teeth all the more, but Samiel did notice that the Succubus' third seat, a black onyx throne set below and beside the Queen's right hand, sat empty. None of their kind looked to the seat to take it, and none seemed to miss the occupant.
Samiel hid his fangs for a time relaxing his smile and felt the shadows about him consume him once again as his gaze fixated on that empty seat. More than all the pale skin, supple curve, and alluring gaze of the other succubi was the qualities of the one that was missing.
Summoning one of his many shadows Samiel cast a messenger into the Queen's shadow. Her second reacted showing fangs and raising her staff, but the Queen only smiled and raised a hand to slow her eager second. It would be seemly to shout over the continuing hubbub of the Court as everyone met, greeted one another, and settled into place for the event.
“Dear Lady Regina. I offer my welcome back to the Court of Hell here in the Twisting Narrows.” Samiel whispered to her from her own shadow.
He could feel how even the shade felt some desire for the supple flesh of the succubus queen. It just made him grin a little again though even this transmitted effect would have robbed the mind of any mortal conjurer.
“Samiel...” Regina purred tilting her head at him, her voice soft, but clear to his ear.
Any who were paying attention might see that she was speaking to him, seeing as she kept a clear gaze fixated upon him, but none would hear what they had to say through the shade.
“Feeling a little lonely so long kept here in the immortal realm?” She teased. “Perhaps there's a world or two I could interest you in.”
Samiel grinned in spite of himself.
No doubt if he did such a thing the first thing Regina would do was have his welcome to new flesh tainted by the effects of her kind. It would do him no harm, and would probably be rather fun, but still Samiel would rather not lose the time. He was much better off dealing contracts and favors as he always had. Such had become the prerogative of Devil kind as the rest of them took after him, each with various servants and agents cast to various worlds waiting to deal with secret powers. To Samiel his reach lay not only within his own court, but more in line with how he acted now. He could reach out and provide contacts to any of the courts. A sure way to damn any mortal that came into contact with him. And the influence it brought him was more dangerous than any magic item in the room.
“Your third seat my dear. I had been hoping to see her here. Such as things are I was going to suggest she get the lion's share of the bounty we will share today.” Samiel said instead of giving into the various vices Regina would have bathed him in.
Regina raised a casual eyebrow at him.
“She has no desire to bask in her mother's demise, Samiel. Not all of us are as eagerly... cannibalistic as your kind. The Ek Thun maybe, but certainly not the Succubi.” She replied with a casual eye directed to the eye rending tentacle horrors of the court beside her own sat there like the occupants of the thrones to her right for their ability to resist the charms of the Succubi.
“And I have no need for her to attend. Did you desire something of her or were you just fishing for favors? I didn't know the skinny ones were your type.” She said, her voice lovely and tone teasing again.
Samiel smiled.
Stolen novel; please report.
Of all demon kind most who reflected mortal shape did so with some changes when they gained the ability to change themselves freely. Most times like with the fiends it was to grow larger, taller, and more than mortal in one or two ways. As far as he knew his query had never changed her shape from the one she had been born into when she was banished to the demon realm and made whole by dealings of her father. That had a certain appeal certainly, but was not what he was after.
“I was simply curious. How is she?” Samiel asked the Queen.
She laughed and settled into her throne.
“Tucked away in what remains of her father's little realm. She likes it there. Has an adorable little cottage she stays in even. We keep her fed and send her some of our youngest to train and learn from her from time to time. I'm still using the things she taught me before I came to the throne. You know this. Why the curiosity?” Regina asked.
“Do I really need to point that out?” Samiel asked.
“I suppose not.” Regina answer with a nod and a small sigh that made her considerable breasts heave. “Istania's death upon the world of Ballenlight, it is why we are all here. A new bounty of regrets, passions, and powers to feast upon. The most raw and potential energy to make new demon kind.” She said.
“The death of a God.” Samiel and Regina said together.
“I cannot believe that you would ask after her well being thinking that her mother's death might affect her. Without her father's intervention she would not even exist as she does now. That Pan...he's more a demon than any of us sometimes.” Regina said with another sigh and small shake of her head.
“Believe it or not I do care. My Father and remaining brothers may pass with some time yet and I will rejoice, but it is not so for all of us. Pain is one of the few things we share with mortals, perhaps not of the body, but that of the mind, and memory of times forgotten can. It is what we are made of and what we feed upon when a God or Goddess dies. Our greatest bounties, and our greatest weakness together in one. Do you not agree?” Samiel asked.
Regina took a little time to answer and her blue eyed gaze fixed upon him with curiosity.
“Do you regret your previous life and duties?” She asked.
“Perhaps. Had I not fallen I do not know if I could stand what my brothers do now, but it is little different than my own station. Perhaps that is why I do not invade and plunder undefended worlds or try to influence them to increase my might. Or perhaps given that I am as whole now as I had once been I have no need for more power. Perhaps that is my weakness. It is a mystery to me.” He said, but for all the surprised expression on her face as he spoke she returned her face to a cool study of his own when his grin returned at the end. “I...” Samiel began and cut off as one of his own shades, independent beings bound of his shadow contacted his mind.
The Succubus Queen touched her second and cast a gaze about the room.
“What is it Samiel?” She asked.
“Nothing to worry you. A boy summoned one of my shades. I...” Samiel trailed off again.
Around them the courts were settling and above him the Devil King raised a hand, as close as a call to order as their was for the Courts of Hell. Above them light and shadow, and magical energies beyond mortal scope and understanding came down. It was a screaming mass of rage and sorrow built of Istania's last moments. Samiel was surprised to feel sadness in his shadowy heart for a few moments. The Goddess of Healing, Istania of Ballenlight, had been betrayed as only few would understand. That included Samiel.
Samiel scented the agony of the Goddess and had to push himself away from it. To indulge more might bring about his anger, and as though he had sensed it somehow the Devil King chuckled in his throne above Samiel. He didn't mind the Devil King for that however. There was no need. Instead Samiel cast the sight and senses of the shade to Regina. She raised an eyebrow at him and then flashed her gaze to the descent of the Goddess. The look as much said 'Right now? Really?' as she might have said it out loud.
But then as she paid it a little attention she too took notice.
The Courts began in a roar arguing over where the new energy would go, what demons would be made, and best used where, and generally just made an incredible amount of noise. Regina's eyes turned from the dead Goddess to Samiel and after a moment the Devil King raised his hand once again and a slow quiet descended over the gathered courts of demon kind. Samiel closed his eyes and concentrated for just a moment as the others began to notice what the Devil King had.
The Devil King was not the defacto ruler of Hell. In fact there wasn't a singular Hell, not any longer, not for an immortal age, but combined with the attention of the Succubus Queen dealing with one of his court the two together could put a halt to any movement of even such a power so precious as what Istania's fallen divinity might offer. In that opening Samiel shared what he sensed radiating off the boy. It was not his words or appearance that mattered, but the energy of his will and passion that mattered to demon kind. It was the stuff they feasted upon, their sustenance. What he offered was but a scent of it, but the sense was shared among all of demon kind, even those who did not strictly exist in ways mortals could understand.
It drew the attention of the whole court. The rage. The sorrow. The determination, and pure unbridled and refined hatred of such potency that it practically transcended mortal emotions.
“A Feast! Yet another meal for the Courts!” Roared one of the Ek Thun in a psychic shriek of telepathy.
Samiel chuckled.
The sound of it drowned out all other sounds in the court with an effect greater than even that of his Devil King's earlier laugh, and many had noticed that. All noticed Samiel now whether they cowered or took eager interest.
“No old one. Not a feast. An opportunity for much more than a simple meal. My shade could have devoured this young man, but knows my preferences.” Samiel corrected, his voice gentle. The Ek Thun...well it settled, maybe it could have been said to 'sit down' but it really didn't have the body structure for that.
“His rage and ambition are not to be wasted. Samiel. What do you plan for this mortal?” The Devil King asked from upon his burning throne.
Samiel considered standing after a moment to not appear as though he was ignoring his King. Shadow still surrounded him coming off of him like the watery haze around the Ek Thun. Samiel listened to the boy once again playing the memory of it back in perfect clarity of his immortal nearly ageless mind. The boy's soul was a ravaged ruin. Ripped to shreds by his own hands and ready to be as stained as was the boy's hands.
Samiel cast his gaze to the descending Goddess, her ruined form, raging anger, and thoughtless energy as it was being held before the courts. She could never return and that in itself was not what the boy had asked. That was not anywhere near the ambition in the boy's heart, he must have understood what it was for a goddess to be dead, and had asked not for power but for a guide; and for help to do something truly unspeakable for a mortal. Samiel reached out his hand and his clawed, shadowy fingers ripped some of the energy from Istania's fallen divinity. None questioned him in doing so out loud or with thought or sensation as some things communicated with alone.
He then looked to Regina, Queen of the Succubi, his mind decided.
“It is time. In this boy I see the potential to craft a new Demon Lord, a living demon among mortal kind. With Istania gone from this world and its defenses against us weakened I suggest we hold her fallen power at bay and use it to gather a new world into our palm. Untold billions of souls throughout its universe have been kept away from us. He needs but a guide to bury him further into depravity for our hold to spread into his world's reality. We are but the tiniest stain there, a ripe and virgin reality to be plundered. Let us use him to rip this fallen Goddess's home wide open.”