Ahriman looked at me with probing eyes. For several seconds, he did not move, he merely stared at me with an inscrutable expression on his face.
Your plan was to summon a greater demon? What are you doing!?
There was no doubt in my mind that Ahriman could kill me in a second, but I knew he was different from other demons. More than anything else, Ahriman’s goal was to acquire knowledge. He did not want my life or my soul. All he wanted was my knowledge, and I certainly had plenty of that to offer.
“Ahriman, I come bearing the gift of knowledge,” I said in as formal a voice as I could muster, falling to one knee as I spoke.
A moment passed, and I felt like a headsman's axe was hanging over my neck.
“Thale Feldrast,” Ahriman said in a deep voice. He did not seem to be straining his vocal chords, but his voice completely filled the chamber. Him knowing my name surprised me, but I was even more surprised by what he said next. In perfect English, he said, “Do you understand my words?”
I kept my eyes pointed at the ground to hide my fear from the greater demon. Why in God’s name could he speak English? Had he become aware that he was trapped in a video game? Would he kill me if I revealed the truth?
Frantically coming to a resolution, I decided to tell the truth. A mage as powerful as Ahriman probably had some method to passively detect falsehoods, so I did not dare tell a lie in his presence.
“Yes, I speak this language,” I replied in English, trying to give away as little information as possible.
“Excellent,” Ahriman enunciated with a smile. “We have been awaiting your arrival, Messiah.”
“Messiah?” I responded dumbly. Once more, the English words felt strange in my mouth. “What are you talking about?”
In English, Ahriman responded, “It is your fate to save this world. Based on my knowledge of this language, ‘Messiah’ is the most accurate word to describe you. If you wish to know anything more, you will have to trade something of equal value.”
It gave me pause to hear the word “Messiah” come from the mouth of such a knowledgeable entity. When Beltane used that word to describe me, I assumed it was the result of directionless zealotry. Here, however, was strong evidence that Beltane’s prophecy was true.
Stolen novel; please report.
Though, I had to remember who was speaking. Ahriman was still a demon. Even though he loathed deception, he was still capable of lying. I was sure he would lie to gain more knowledge.
I knew that his words were manipulation. He revealed just enough information to entice me, but not enough to present any real answers. If I were to fall into his rhythm, we would start to trade knowledge until my knowledge of Ferrum was completely depleted, and he had just revealed enough to keep me hungry for more. Ahriman’s words were a trap, and I would not fall for it.
“I seek only one thing,” I said, keeping my eyes pointed at the ground. I dared not look him in the eyes, for I knew that a greater demon could affect a mortal’s mind through eye contact alone. “I wish for the Mark of Ahriman.”
What are you two talking about? If he intends to kill you, there’s nothing you can do. In such a circumstance, our only hope of survival is if you cede control of our body to me. I might be able to banish him in the fraction of a second before he kills you.
That wouldn’t work. Even if you could cast [Banishment] that quickly, the mana drain would probably kill us. Now be quiet, I’m trying to focus.
All this talk of Messiahs and fate was just a distraction from my goal: the Mark of Ahriman. I came to that cairn for a single reason, and nothing that Ahriman said changed that fact.
I might have been able to extract some information safely from Ahriman, but I wanted to keep our interaction as short as possible. Demons were tricky creatures, and every minute I spent in Ahriman’s presence increased the likelihood that he would unveil another trick up his sleeve.
“If you’re sure…” Ahriman said in English, his tone making it clear that he was frowning. “My standard deal still applies. I shall grant you my Mark. In return, you must reveal to me one piece of information that I do not know.”
There it was, the trade I had been looking for. I had prepared the piece of information that I would trade for the Mark of Ahriman several months before, and I delivered that information to Ahriman with no hesitation, “I wish to pay for your Mark with my knowledge of the secret of House Polaris. Would you find that to be a suitable trade?”
There was a moment of silence before Ahriman said, “Yes, I would find that knowledge to be sufficient. That’s assuming you actually know the secret and do not lie.”
Only a fool would lie to a greater demon, I thought to myself. Quickly, I said, “The secret of House Polaris is that [Time Stop] does not work on those affected by the [Fly] spell. Should this information be revealed, much of the power of House Polaris would evaporate.”
I paused and thought for a moment before adding, “In case this information is not sufficient, I feel that I should also reveal why these two spells interact in such a way. It is not commonly known in this world, but time and space are fundamentally linked. Since [Fly] cuts the caster off from the effects of gravity, it also cuts the caster off from the effects of time dilation.”
There was another pause as if Ahriman was trying to goad me into revealing more information. With bated breath, I awaited his reaction to the information I just revealed. Would he find it to be sufficient?