Chapter 2

Utter silence engulfed me. The hands of the clock froze mid-swing. Moonlight streaming through the window halted, particles of dust suspended in the air.

I stood motionless, mouth agape, hand still resting on the demon mask. Everything around me was completely and utterly still. Even the air itself felt dense and frozen.

With cautious, shallow breaths, I withdrew my hand from the mask. The absolute stillness remained. I waved my arm slowly through the motionless dust particles, watching them stay frozen in place.

“What...the...hell...” I whispered. The sound of my own voice rang out unnaturally loud in the void-like space.

I took a hesitant step forward. My footfalls seemed to reverberate, as if I was walking through a vast, empty cathedral. It felt like I was in a vacuum where the normal laws of time and physics didn’t apply.

My shocked mind raced, trying to make sense of what was happening. When I touched the mask, it was like hitting a cosmic pause button. Did the mask hold some strange power?

Before I could ponder this further, a bone-chilling laugh echoed through the stillness. I whirled around with a gasp. There, lurking in the shadows of the corner, two pinpoints of crimson light glared at me malevolently.

The form glided forward into a shaft of frozen moonlight. My heart stuttered. It was a tall, shadowy figure shrouded in darkness, with swirling red eyes and a pair of huge, twisted horns.

The demonic figure scrutinized me with its unrelenting gaze. Then it spoke, in a voice that was deep and rasping, yet smooth as velvet.

“We meet at last...John.”

Fear locked my muscles in place. The voice seemed to echo from inside my own head. “H-How do you know my name?” I stammered. “What are you?”

The shadowy form gave a low, rumbling chuckle. “I’ve been waiting a long time for the right human host. And I know many things about you, John.” It stretched out a curling, claw-like hand. “As for what I am...I am Zalthos, a demon of time.”

My mind reeled. Demon of time? What did that even mean? I took a shaky step back. “Keep away from me!”

Zalthos laughed again. “Touching my vessel has bound us, John. I cannot be away from you now...we are linked.” He tapped one horrible claw to his forehead. “I am a part of you now.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

No. No way. I shook my head in denial, stumbling back further. Without warning, agony lanced through my body, forcing me to my knees with a scream. It felt like my veins were on fire!

Just as quickly as it came, the pain vanished. I collapsed on the floor, gasping. Zalthos loomed over me.

“The bonding has begun,” the demon rasped. “It is useless to resist. If you stray too far, you will suffer.” His crimson eyes bored into me.

I gritted my teeth defiantly. “I’ll find a way to destroy you.”

The demon crossed his arms, looking bitterly amused. “I cannot be so easily destroyed. I can halt the flow of time itself.” He swept a hand out, indicating the frozen room. “Behold my power.”

Slowly I stood, fists clenched. My logical mind rebelled at the sheer insanity of this situation. Demons and time powers couldn’t be real...right?

Zalthos seemed to sense my skepticism. “You still doubt me? Shall I prove my power further?” He snapped his fingers and suddenly we were elsewhere.

I cried out. We were no longer in my apartment, but stood instead in the middle of a bustling street downtown. All around us, people were mid-step, cars were halted, birds hung immobile in the sky. The entire city block had been stopped in time!

“This cannot be...” I turned slowly, arms raised in bewilderment. It was like I’d stepped into a photograph, everything frozen. Faces of strangers stood motionless only feet away. The absolute stillness was jarring.

Dread crept over me. What unfathomable power did this demon Zalthos wield?

With another snap from Zalthos, we blinked back into my apartment. The abrupt transitions were deeply disorienting, and I sank down on the couch, head spinning.

Zalthos observed me curiously. “Now you begin to understand. I can manipulate time however I wish.” He leaned in close, teeth bared. “And now, so can you.”

I stared, comprehension dawning. The time freezing happened whenever I touched the mask. Which meant...I now had Zalthos’s powers at my fingertips. The enormity of it was staggering.

Zalthos grinned, a flash of white against his swirling darkness. He could sense my racing thoughts. “Yes, embrace the possibilities! We will achieve great things, you and I.”

A dozen questions bubbled up in me. How long would Zalthos stay bonded to me? What exactly did he want? And most importantly - what price would I pay for his unearthly powers? The demon said bonding had begun...but when would it be complete?

Zalthos waved a clawed hand. “All will be revealed soon.” He retreated back into the shadows. “For now, I will return to the mask and restore the flow of time. Your puny human mind needs rest.” His red eyes narrowed. “Do not try to flee, John. You cannot escape me.”

With those chilling words, the demon vanished. I tensed, waiting. Then, sound and motion rushed back in with an almost physical force. Clocks ticked, cars rumbled by outside, wind whispered at the windows once more.

I released a shuddering breath. What the hell had I gotten myself into? This had to be a twisted dream. Demons and time powers didn’t exist!

But deep down, I knew the truth. Zalthos was real. And he was a part of me now. There was no going back from this bond.

I sank onto the couch and put my head in my hands. So I could freeze time somehow, using this...this demon. The part of my brain that loved comic books and video games reveled at the idea.

But could I trust Zalthos? Would using his powers unleash something even worse into the world? Fear twisted my gut.

For now, exhaustion overpowered everything. As I stumbled to my bedroom, questions spun endlessly through my mind. Somehow I had to find answers about Zalthos, and fast.

Before the demon’s bonding was complete. Before the unknown price was due. Before my humanity slipped away, second by frozen second...