Demon Chronicles, Part 1

It’s said we were once men who walked the earth above, where the air smells of freedom and the sun lights the world in a golden spectacle. In a world where black smoke doesn’t suffocate us, where flames do not lick the air in an attempt to consume all, where life is abundant rather than a desolate landscape. As the story goes, we had all done something unspeakably horrible and so the divine ones recreated us into the twisted monsters we are today and sent us here, to this hellish world of fire, as punishment. The landscape stretches into infinity, a barren wasteland of dark rock, lava and fire. Scattered among the stone, ever-burning flames reach into a lightless sky, the embers sailing ever upward to be consumed by an endless, starless night. The all-consuming heat suffocates us and creates a dark haze across the landscape, while my kind roam for eternity with little interaction apart from hatred and violence.

I was once a Quul, the frail, twisted humanoid form that we all begin our existence as. I quickly learned the way of Hell; slavery, war and a never-ending struggle for power. There was a sort of brutal hierarchy here, where demons dominated the weak and fought each other to ascend the ranks of demonhood, many with ambitions to take the Skull Throne and rule over this plane of hell. Those fools will never reach the Throne, struck down by their limitless enemies or Ab’arrikh himself, the most powerful demon and ruler of this plane of hell.

I was quickly enslaved by the first larger demon that found me and was forced to spend lifetimes obeying him as a slave, largely following him to war with other demons. All the while I searched for a way out, a chance to break free and never look back, grow in power and never be enslaved again. That chance finally came when my master challenged an adversary that proved to be too powerful. My master was defeated and in the chaos that followed I escaped. I began to learn the way of shadow and flame, to hide from the strong and feed off the weak. With every defeated enemy we grow stronger, feeding off the fallen’s power to transform and grow. While a demon is never truly killed, those that are defeated will renew their existence as a Quul, where they must struggle to rise through the ranks once more or else be enslaved. I spent decades in this brutal dance of stealth and war with a single goal in mind: to get out.

There are only two ways to escape this fiery abyss. If one from the plane above summons us through dark magic, we are brought to earth temporarily. We must obey their every command though, and will be banished once the summoner has no further need for us. A demon can also complete a ritual themselves once they grow powerful enough, opening a temporary portal to the earth. Such a ritual is risky, however; the portal will attract all demons nearby and there will be a bloody race to reach it first, a race in which only one can succeed. The portal will close after the first demon reaches it, and the rest will remain locked in Hell. Only one will escape the land of fire to the land of earth and water, free to feast on mortal souls without fear of a more powerful, demonic adversary. Such rituals are rare, as they greatly weaken the caster and another demon will likely reach the portal first. Should this happen, the caster will be consumed by those that remain and will be remade as a Quul, doomed to an endless cycle of hate and death. It is during one of these rituals that my story begins.

I

I soared upwards through the air, my wings propelling me towards the white portal that promised an escape from Hell. Far above the endless field of stone and lava, I looked down to see my pursuers. Dozens of demons of all shapes and sizes flew after me, all eager to reach the glowing portal first. They tore at each other’s wings and skin, a frenzy of claws and black blood that filled the sky. I was in front of the horde, but not by much-and they were closing fast. I beat my wings furiously, knowing that the moment I am swallowed by the mob would be the moment I lose my chance to escape.

With taloned feet and clawed hands, my dark red, rough skin was no stranger to battle but I knew that this was a fight I couldn’t win. If I fell to the chaos below me, I would lose this monstrous form that I had grown over decades in the shadows. My massive, muscular body had a spiked tail with bone spikes that ran to the top of my scaly torso, above which sat a head that resembled a twisted skull. Sharp bones framed an angular face with black horns just above my ember glowing eyes extending out and up, with two more horns on the top of my head that reached straight up. Black scars crossed my body, a testament to my centuries of servitude and warfare. Patchwork armor, torn from battle scattered my body, made of the only material available in hell: the rough hides of my fallen enemies. Enormous, torn wings that dwarfed even my impressive body beat furiously in an attempt to outrun my pursuers.

Glancing down, it became apparent that I would have to fight to earn my escape. Another demon, roughly my size but with paler skin and sharp bones protruding from his body, with wings so torn it was a wonder he could fly, was about to reach me. I waited for the perfect moment to turn on him, summoning the rage and hate that had kept me alive all these years. My wings stopped beating as I hovered still in the air for a moment, turning to face him.

As he crashed into my halted body, my waiting claws sunk deep into his flesh, a feral growl escaping my dagger-like teeth. In a jumble of snapping jaws and slashing claws, we both continued to fly upwards with the mutual understanding that to halt our ascent was to be torn apart by those that followed us. We fought with the fury of the desperate, his black claws raking dark gashes across my skin as his teeth tore at my skin. I used the screaming pain as ammo to the fury I unleashed on him. My initial assault had wounded him deeply, and I could feel him losing strength and speed in the seconds that we battled. I risked a glance up and down to check the distance between us and the portal, and the flying horde below. We were very close to the portal, only seconds away, but the closest demons below were almost upon us; they could almost reach our taloned feet as our battle slowed us. My enemy took advantage of my brief lapse of attention as he tore dozens of new wounds across my flesh. My vision began to grow red with pain as I let loose I roar of anger and pain, before biting deep into his neck and thrusting my claws into his side. Black blood rained on the demons below us, and while he would certainly survive the wounds, he was immobilized with pain for a brief second. Before reveling in his suffering a moment longer, I tore free from his body, shoving him downward, where he was immediately lost in the demons that flew only inches below me. Shrieking pain tore at my body as I gave everything I had to reach the portal. I felt a claw grab at my foot as I kicked hard and sailed upwards. The portal enveloped my world in a blinding white as I closed in on it, and then… I was free.

I crashed into the ground hard, by body ablaze with pain as I reached earth. The heat of hell receded and was replaced with the roaring flame of my pain, the adrenaline of battle leaving me, forcing me to face my grievous wounds. I struggled to stay conscious as pain fought for control of my body. Black blood spilled from dozens of wounds, some minor and some major, devouring the bright green of the grass below. That was my first impression of earth; a deadly war with the wounds of hell, unsure yet if I had earned my stay or if my eyes would close before I awoke back in hell as a Quul, unsure if the decades of struggle and survival would amount to anything.

I don’t know how long I laid there, barely conscious, before my demonic body gradually fought off the worst of the pain and stabilized my condition. Sharp, blinding pain had eased to an intense ache, allowing me to struggle to my feet and finally take stock of my surroundings. I brought my hand to my side as movement caused a biting pain in my side, a deep cut still oozing my black blood onto the grass below. The landscape… was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. Grass and rolling hills stretched for miles, neither dark rocks nor burning lava in sight. Tiny winged creatures flew in the sky where an endless blue speckled with white, gradually shifting shapes lazily floated through the air. A cool, gentle breeze collided with my skin, an unfamiliarly comfortable feeling. Though the sun was going down, the distant burning orb bathed the land and sky in a golden hue, paining my eyes to see. This would take some getting used to. Most importantly, though, I was alone-no demons lurked within eyesight, waiting to strike, and the only visible fire was floating far off in the sky. Come night, even the sky would hold no flame, and this world would have no resemblance of hell.

After taking in the new world I found myself in, the injuries of battle reminded me of my immense hunger. I would have to eat to heal my wounds and recover my strength. I also knew that my time in this new world was limited-my strength would fade and I would return to hell if I didn’t keep up with my ravenous appetite. A few surface creatures dotted the plains, but I knew eating them would do nothing to sate my hunger. I needed souls to devour, so my battered body lifted off the ground as I flew low to the ground in search of humans.

All traces of the portal had vanished, and the only mark that an inhabitant of hell had arrived was the indent in the ground my body had caused and the thin trail of black blood that followed me. Hunger possessed my every thought as I sped across the landscape, hurriedly scanning the fields for any sign of human life. I scarcely noticed the vast mountain range to the east or the deep forest that extended from its base.

By the time I found my prey, my hunger burned my insides while my aggravated wounds pained my skin. The sun had almost fully retreated beneath the horizon of green, leaving the world a deep blue that approached black. Bright dots filled the sky, tiny holes piercing through the darkness of night. Still far brighter than the hellish land I was used to, my eyes had no trouble seeing in the low light conditions. I knew that for humans, though, this was not the case.

I first caught sight of the object of my hunger when a farm came into view. A man was closing the gate to an animal enclosure and had begun slowly making his way back to a small shack. He held a torch, surrounding himself in a small sphere of yellow light as he walked. Before I got too close, my wings gently dropped me to the ground and I crawled on all fours quietly towards him, mouth watering at the prospect of my coming meal. If he turned he would surely see me; my hulking form dwarfed my surroundings. As I approached my eagerness drew me towards him faster as I rushed across the peaceful farm towards its owner. About a dozen yards from him, in my haste I must have made a sound. He turned around to face me as a wide-eyed horror took hold of his aged face and he let out a horrified scream. I grinned with delight as I stood, revealing my full height and charged towards him. He tried to run but my legs alone were slightly taller than him, and I closed the distance rapidly. I grabbed him in my oversized hand and turned him to face me as he trembled in fear.

My wings stretched to their full height in victory and he was met with a vicious snarl as our eyes locked. He began to struggle to free himself, but stopped as my glowing eyes bore into his skull, beginning to suck his life away. I smiled with delight as new vigor and energy washed over my body, closing many of my wounds and giving me new strength. The shack door slammed open as his wife responded to his scream. She was met with her husband hanging off the ground in the grip of a grinning red demon as his soul visibly left his body and entered my mouth. I savored the power I had over these tiny mortals for many seconds, not hearing his wife’s shriek of horror. The torch left the man’s grip and I was shrouded in darkness as his wife began to run, terrified of the demon shrouded in shadows that had taken her husband. After drawing out his death for many seconds, I threw the lifeless body to the ground and took off in a sadistic glee towards the wife. She couldn’t hope to escape.

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Before the sun rose I needed to find a place to make my home. Yesterday’s sun was already low when I arrived, but at its full strength it would burn my eyes, blinding me. With the souls of the farmers I had mostly recovered from my battle the previous day and had the energy to fly across the landscape, searching for a suitable place to call my own. I was an enemy of this world, and as soon as the humans realized I was here they would likely try and hunt me down. I had to find somewhere, just like in hell, to hide from both the sun and my newest enemies.

My search brought me to the mountain range I had soared past the previous day, dark jagged teeth of the earth capped with snow reaching up into the sky. The most elevated area for many miles, here I could survey the plains below me, searching for prey or preparing for an approaching enemy. The rest of the night and the next morning was spent searching for a cave large enough to hold my form. I had never experienced cold before, and when I searched the higher altitudes the cold of winter bit at my red skin, chilling me to the core. Made to survive in superheated conditions, my body was assaulted by the freezing air, invisible daggers piercing my skin and threatening to take control of my body’s muscles, greatly weakening and slowing me. It was as if I suffered from a battle I had not fought, or was slowly being drained by an unseen enemy.

Avoiding the highest points of the mountain, I finally found what I was searching for just before the sun had entirely escaped its prison of the horizon. With an entrance that I could just fit into, a vast cavern with large rock formations and pillars of stone promised me a home. A narrow stone trail led to the entrance, indicating that people had lived here, but judging from the bones scattered across the ground they were long gone. The area looked neglected and unused; no one would be coming here. Small empty caves split off from the main cavern and the light from the entrance only reached about halfway into the cavern before being consumed by the darkness. Spiders and cave insects lived here, but I wouldn’t need to slaughter wolves or another animal that called this place their own.

I would need to set up a suitable resting place. Demons don’t sleep, but need a sort of alert trance to regain their energy. I could feel the surface world fighting against my body, slowly tiring me every second as my physical form fought to keep me intact in this new world. The earth knew I didn’t belong. I needed somewhere with a clear view of the entrance to the cavern but far enough back that the sunlight wouldn’t bother me. No such place existed, so I searched the room for a large enough boulder to act as a seat, a throne of my new domain. When I found one, my clawed hands reached around it and my muscles tensed as I strained to pick it up. After many seconds, the boulder finally left the ground as I held it up high enough to carry. My muscles were inflamed as I struggled to hold the boulder and slowly make my way to the back of the cavern, directly across from the entrance.

By the time I reached the spot I had picked out my body was shaking from the exertion. With a satisfied grunt I dropped it to the ground and the sound of stone on stone emitted a thunderous clap that echoed across the cavern walls. Spiderwebs shook with the force of the wave and the cavern itself shook for a moment, small pieces of stone breaking apart from the walls or ceiling and tumbling to the ground. I got a certain pleasure from the shockwave, as if I were announcing my stay to the world in the form of throwing this boulder down. This cavern was mine, and I was now a member of the surface world. The ache in my muscles and fatigue from the exertion told of the difficulties that lay ahead, showing me that I’d have to fight to earn my stay here. I smiled at the challenge. Fighting is what we demons have always been good at.

I climbed atop the boulder and pulled my wings in close as I settled in for my first rest on the surface. Hunger had already begun nagging at the edges of my consciousness, and I would have to hunt again tomorrow. For now though, I had earned my rest. I closed my eyes, king of this small domain I had carved for myself in a world hostile to my kind. And for the first time in my centuries of life, no demon lurked just out of vision, preparing to strike.