Demon Diary Fan Fiction ❯ A Demon's Gift ❯ Chapter 1

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

DISCLAIMER: Kara, Lee Yun Hee, Lee Chi Hyong and Tokyo Pop and their related parties hold the copyright to all names, likeness and rights of Demon Diary.  All these characters and materials are used without permission, and I'm not profiting from this piece of fan fiction.

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A Demon's Gift

By firewolf
July 2005
@>;-'-

He was no longer aware of how much time had passed since he last had a painless moment. Agony had formed his entire world for a seeming eternity. Somewhere in the blinding light, he could hear murmurs of voices nagging at him; voices that tried to distract him from the wrenching waves of hurt crashing through his tortured body. He wished for the voices to leave him alone and allow him to sink back into merciful darkness, but they were too incessant. He'd even judge them as commanding and insistent on his acknowledgement of their presence. He tried to ignore them to escape into unconsciousness again.

“Eclipse! Please! Please wake up!” A soft feminine voice pleaded. “Please, I charge you to wake up!”

Leeche? He wondered on what authority the foolish little mortal was issuing him a directive. He answered only to Master Raen-

Eclipse heaved his battered body into a sitting position on the bed, or at least tried to. Given the weakness of his current constitution, he accomplished little more than to raise his head and shoulders before a pair of firm hands pushed him back into the soft pillows that he arisen from.

“Oh, thank you. Thank you! You're awake. You're finally awake!” A familiar dazzling smile filled his entire vision as the blonde mortal settled the blankets over him again and fluffed up his pillows with her gentle touches.

“Leeche?” His rasp was awful, making him wonder just how long he had been unconscious.

“Shh.” The woman offered him a straw in a glass of juice. “Sip slowly, Master Eclipse. You've been in a coma for quite a few days.”

He did as instructed, thankful for the cool liquid that soothed his burning throat and parched tongue. But his eyes showed his utter puzzlement to be tended by the foolish mortal girl who insisted on being a bride to the demon lord. As a matter of fact, he was surprised to be alive. If the truth were to be told, he was upset about being alive, and not only because his entire being was in monumental pain.

“The-the other servants are frightened, Master Eclipse.” Leeche told him softly in a manner he was unaccustomed to. Ten years had not tamed the arrogance or boldness of the little girl who had taken the place of the sacrificial bride her father had meant to send as an offering. Yet this current vision was-it did not fit his last memory of her.

“He would never harm you, Leeche.”

“I am no longer sure of that, Master Eclipse.”

The demon closed his eyes trying to puzzle out the strange situation. The mortal had never so much as called him by name in all the time he had known her. And yet, here he had awakened to her tending to his injuries. Just what had happened since-since the day Master Raenef brought down the Temple of Rased?

“Girl!”

Eclipse heard her gasp and stared stunned as she immediately knelt before the figure that appeared at the door of his bedchambers. This was totally out of character for the girl. But regarding the entering demon lord…

“Leave us, I wish to speak to Eclipse alone.” A further glare from the demon lord sent the girl scurrying out of the room.

The demon was hard pressed to hold down a shiver as he gazed up at the towering demon lord standing next to his bed. A being that was a far cry from the young boy Eclipse had spirited away to Castle Raenef to train as a demon lord so many decades ago. It was, he had to admit, his finest work yet.

Magnificent.

Too late, Eclipse realised that he had unconsciously voiced that thought. The smirk that pulled on the demon lord's lips fitted too well with the cold eyes. “Yes, apparently congratulations are long over due, Eclipse.

“So, my tutor, what should I do with the little whore? Did you plan her fate as well?”

The dark-haired demon lay unmoving on the bed staring at lips, which he had once thought incapable of issuing a proper command worthy of a demon lord. However, Raenef's tone more than his words confirmed to him his success in the task laid before him by the Gods. It had been a damning road to turn the cherubic, laughing, young boy into the aloof and pitiless demon lord now enthroned in the castle Eclipse had lived and served in since the reign of Raenef II. The blonde demon lord was now virtually unrecognisable as the cheerful and eager-to-please boy who had once pounced on Eclipse in his bedchambers and given the demon an innocent declaration of 'I love you' one fateful night.

Eclipse wondered how the situation might have changed if he had accepted the hopeful assertion. If he had not striven from that day to twist the freely given avowals of love for his purposes and warp them into something more creditable of a demon lord.

“There is a fine line between Love and Hate.”

He remembered a much more childlike Raenef saying these words to him a long time ago while they watched Erutis and Chris engage in one of their numerous fights. The little demon lord had surprised him then with that observation since he would never have thought that there were anything but adversarial feelings between the humans. Raenef's remark was later supported though, when it came time for Christ to finally take the reins of High Cleric. The sword master had also taken her leave to become the Knight Protector of the temple where Christ was to preside.

There was no ignoring the event since the Demon Lord Krayon had wailed and fairly cried on his shoulder for weeks over the loss of mortal he had tried so hard to woo. However, Eclipse had long known that the foppish demon lord would quickly get over his loss of the redheaded sword master and turn his attention to far more entertaining amusements. It hadn't surprised the demon though that Krayon chose not to confront Erutis since it would have meant him facing an entire citadel of clerics to seek revenge for having been spurned.

Eclipse had been pleased to see the humans' backs then. At the least, Raenef Castle did not seem such a zoo anymore now that they ceased visiting with the assumption of Chris' duties in the temple. It had troubled the demon for many years to witness his charge sitting with the humans as if they were his equals. It did not fit well with the image of a demon lord to be friends with humans, especially ones with professions like Cleric and Knight. If Eclipse was to mark the time, it was only after the mortals' final departure that he was able to make any headway into turning kind and gentle Raenef into a proper demon lord. And he did this to his utmost success.

Indeed, under Eclipse's strict tutelage, Demon Lord Raenef V took inspiration from his predecessor and learnt the long incantations for the spells most demon lords took for granted with their use of the shorter and easier to use expressions. Raenef certainly appreciated the greater might he could harness with incantations and since he was magically stronger than Raenef IV, his powers soon grew to surpass that of his deceased ancestor.

However, it was the paradigm shift in Raenef's entire manner that distinguished him as a demon lord to be respected and feared. A shift precipitated by his servant's manipulation of his feelings and emotions to keep the young lord at arm's length from his desires. If not for that, for all his growing power, Raenef would have remained a disgrace to the entire lineage of demon lords. For who could ever respect a good and kind demon lord.

It was a precipitous night indeed for the young demon lord, though Eclipse was hardly a stranger to the scenario. The first sexual assault of Eclipse by his erstwhile young charge had always been the mark of the change in their relationship from pupil and tutor, to master and servant. With that first pain filled night of coupling, Eclipse had at first thought he carried things too far by holding off for so long and frustrating Raenef enough to be brutal. He had never been as badly abused with his previous students.

However, before the night was over, he realised that under the cheery surface, Raenef was still very much a child with a child's temper, tantrums and rash violence. With careful drilling, Eclipse had slowly stopped Raenef from apologising for his roughness and imparted upon him the expectation that it was his right to take what he would from his servants. And practice made perfect. This much did Demon Lord Raenef V admit to Eclipse before he meted out his punishment to the one responsible for what he had become.

So subtly and skilfully did Eclipse mould his young charge that the demon lord had not realised what he had grown to be until he had stood in battle before the Temple of Rased and faced his 'boyhood' companions. Without thought or hesitation, Raenef had crushed Chris, the young High Cleric, and given his Knight Protector, Erutis, to their conquering minions for sport before old memories pricked on his consciousness.

It chilled Eclipse to recall the look on Raenef's face when he realised what he had done; When with her dying breath, Erutis had asked Raenef why he attacked those he had called friends. In that instance, Raenef had suddenly understood and recalled what the humans once meant to him. And that while he had forgotten, Eclipse had not; further more, the demon did not interfere nor sought to remind him of his two childhood companions and so deliberately let Raenef slaughter his friends. His master's wrath was breathtaking.

“Eclipse!”

His head was rocked to one side by a slap that left a warm burn on his cheek. Eclipse could feel a trickle of blood escape from the side of his mouth as he tried to stop his head from spinning to meet his lord and master's gaze. “Forgive me, my lord. I-- I am still not well…”

“The girl?” Raenef's cold gaze pierced him as he tapped a finger on his arm impatiently.

Leeche? “I would not presume to instruct you any longer, my lord.” Eclipse told him softly as he tried to focus on the being before him.

His words earned him an amused snort. “In other words, I've graduated now, have I?”

If Eclipse thought that Raenef was going to leave him alone he was quickly disabused of that notion. The demon barely managed to bite back a moan of pain as fingers of steel dug into his hair and pulled him higher on the pillows. Again, he felt his arms slammed against a bed head and steel manacles snap about his wrists. His head was ringing, and he was numbly aware of rough hands tearing bedclothes off his battered and weakened body. His mind though was lost in the past as thoughts flashed back to what he remembered of his last month in Raenef Castle.

Raenef had loved him. He had known that for many years as the boy's mentor and tutor. He had known of the youth's desire to know him sexually since his body developed into that of an adult's firm, well-muscled form. And he had used and manipulated that love to make his charge study; to make him give up his human friends; to make him accept cruelty and brutality into his life…

If there was any love or kindness left in the demon lord Eclipse had moulded into being, it was lost with the death of the two mortals Raenef had once called friends. Knowing that it had been his charge and duty did not save Eclipse from the 'rewards' of his accomplishment. When he found himself chained tight to his master's bed, Eclipse had feared at first that Raenef intended only to slack his lust upon him and perhaps forcefully seduce him. However, when the blood began to flow and Raenef repeatedly ensured his body was painfully denied any spark of arousal, Eclipse started to relax as he knew that the culmination of all his efforts were going to be made known upon that bed.

Through the torture Raenef wreaked upon his helpless form, Eclipse had rejoiced in his success. And the demon knew that Raenef understood what his achievement meant as well as he carved and tore his gratitude into Eclipse's flesh. This was what he wanted, this agony and torment was his coveted prize to reflect his coup in bringing about the rise of a new demon lord. Despite the pain, Eclipse had savoured this moment as his ultimate triumph. To know that Raenef was finally embracing all the tenets of a true demon lord; that Eclipse had prevailed where many others were sure he would fail; that he had ensured his master's path to greatness… Eclipse had soared to a level of ecstasy that could not be dampened by the physical distress meted upon him.  

Eclipse had repeatedly mouthed the vows he made so many years ago while his master brutally raped him and took what he had steadfastly held back.

^I exist only for you.

I pledged my life.

If necessary, I will give it.^

Raenef had cried his last tears over his faithful servant's broken body. That last challenge that Raenef had refused to confront was annihilated with the rape and torture of his most faithful servant. At long last, the demon lord had shown Eclipse that he understood his right to take what he wanted from his minions no matter what their desires were. And that he recognised his right to punish his minions as he saw fit, regardless of his servant's goals and accomplishments for his cause. Whichever way Raenef wished to view this 'treachery' of Eclipse's, his 'betrayal' had furthered the cause of his master's longing to be the greatest demon lord in all of creation.

There is no place in a demon lord's life for love or sentimentality; it was Eclipse's triumph that Raenef showed him none at all, despite the long history of Raenef's dependency upon on his support and guidance… Despite the love Raenef had once professed for him… It was, further, Eclipse's pride that Raenef could be merciless even to him, who was mentor and tutor to the hapless boy.

Death was to be a long time coming and Eclipse was honoured that Raenef allowed no one else to touch him as he lay slowly dying from pain and blood loss. His end was even going to be drawn out and lingering due to a beautiful poison that Raenef had designed specially for him to impede the natural resilience of a demon's body. Eclipse had expected and was content to expire with his last memory being impaled on his Master's cock as it ripped in out of him.

“Eclipse?”

The demon opened his eyes to gaze upon the angry face that hovered close enough to his own for him to breath his Master's sweet breath. Lost as he was in pain and shock, Eclipse's words escaped him before he could think about holding his tongue.

“Why have you not killed me yet?”

For a brief instance, Eclipse saw an expression of anguish on a sweet countenance he had not looked upon for a good many years. In that moment, the demon remembered their first training session so long ago…

*”Eclipse?”

“Yes?”

“I… I won't let you down. I'll do my best to become the greatest demon lord ever.

“Can you stay with me for as long as it takes?

“Can you stay with me forever?”

“Forever… if you wish…”*

His quiet reverie was quickly shattered by the now familiar harshness in Raenef's voice. “You fool!”

Without any further words, Eclipse felt his lips crushed under a demanding mouth that took and plundered without mercy. He tried to stay conscious, unwilling to further invite his master's wrath for his weakness. This assault, this new rape was his due. His monument to the achievement he had crafted from years of prodding and instruction. This Raenef was no more the 'clown' of his lineage. He was no longer the 'joke' among the demon lords.

The castle was much different now, he though fuzzily as the demon lord bit and sucked at his battered body. The brief pain of penetration cleared his mind, allowing his senses to detect the small shivering crowd that listened outside his rooms. Leeche had told him that the servants were scared. Now that he could master some semblance of coherent thought, Eclipse could admit that he did not blame them. In all his years of service and tutorship to the many Raenefs he had raised, none had quite 'put him in his place' as this one.

It wasn't as if he was a stranger to brutal rape. His first rape had been traumatic only because he had been very young then and hadn't understood his position as being essentially a slave and whore to the reigning demon lord.  Over the years of tutoring new heirs, Eclipse came to think nothing of that moment; later on taking only a sense of pride in his charge's sign of maturity and determination to exert his rightful place as lord and master of the realm and remind Eclipse of his place as a servant in the castle; reminding him that he had no right to refuse the demands of his master. Eclipse had come to accept that the challenge and need for the demon lord-to-be's dominance over their servant was as much a rite of passage as their first foray against a human village. However, Raenef V certainly was far crueller and more demanding than any of the others he had served. Indeed, he understood from Leeche's manner that the servants in Raenef Castle were never as terrorised by their previous masters as they were by their current one. From this, he knew that Raenef V was going to be the greatest demon lord ever... as he had promised.

A slap rocked his head to the side, bringing his attention back to the demon lord who was determinedly thrusting his hips against him. “I can't seem to hold your attention today, Eclipse? Tell me.” The blonde head bent to fasten sharp teeth upon an already bite bruised neck. “Is this what you want for the rest of eternity? Was this what you strove to achieve for yourself?”

“I-- am not important, Master Raenef.” Eclipse managed to force out between grunts as the hard cock drove in and out of his agony filled hole.

Delicate seeming fingers pulled at his hair to bring his face against the demon lord's. “Yes, you are unimportant in my estimation, isn't it? And Eclipse, I do recall your words to me. But I believe you forgot one line.” Raenef's expression was sardonic.

“M-- Master?”

^”I exist only for you.

“I pledged my life.

“If necessary, I will give it.

“I trust you.”^

“You--?” Eclipse started at the recitation of the words he had spoken when he chose to serve Raenef V and forsake the incantation-returned Raenef VI. He couldn't believe that Raenef still remembered his pronouncement of loyalty from so many years ago.

Raenef smirked at him. “I spoke to Meruhesae. And she told me you were familiar with the following statement. #The greatest gift that a servant gives his master is his trust.#

“Do you still trust me, Eclipse?”

The demon stared into his lord's cold eyes. Years before, he had seen eyes just as cold on a younger face and he had told himself that it was not fitting. Nevertheless, he had had a purpose to fulfil and slowly brought the ice to Raenef's once warm green eyes.

“Eclipse! Do not faint on me!” Raenef's roar shook him from his reverie. “I'm asking. Do you trust me?”

A chill went down the demon's spine at his master's expression. No. He could not be allowed to live; inviting a demon lord's wrath, like he had, deserved death in the most sadistic manner conceivable by the master. Eclipse knew that a great deal of the respect given to Raenef now stemmed from how mercilessly he had punished his former tutor. It would all be undone if Raenef forgave him and spared his life.

“Eclipse!”

“Do you-hate me so much-- that you would negate the-- sacrifices that bring you-- to your glory?” The demon rasped instead.

“No, that would be a colossal waste of your masterful plotting. You taught me better than that. And it would be too ungrateful for me to shame myself to spite you. I have already embarrassed us both enough to last us several lifetimes.” For a brief instance, Eclipse saw the contrite boy he remember in the early years of their association

“Do you still trust me, Eclipse? I want to know...”

In his Lord's words, Eclipse had the assurance that Raenef would not unmake his efforts. He could feel peace in himself that his task was finally done and that he could guiltlessly embrace oblivion.

“Eclipse?”

Gazing up at his lord, Eclipse felt confident that Raenef would now do him proud as a model demon lord “Yes, I trust you.”

At that proclamation, Eclipse's world shattered into pain the likes of which he had never faced before. And the arms of darkness wrapped him in its icy embrace.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

“Eclipse?” He became aware of a hand softly stroking his bangs from his forehead.

“Eclipse? It's time to wake up.” The familiar voice persisted. “We have a gathering to attend.”

“It not like we won't wait for our little celebrity to attend his own party, you know, Meruhesae?”

Krayon? He identified the voices around him. It took quite an effort, but Eclipse finally forced his eyes open to gaze at the seer and the demon lord hovering over him. Meruhesae smiled warmly at him as she helped him to sit up on the divan upon which he had lain, while Krayon gave him a wry smirk and helped him hold a glass of juice to sip.

Eclipse realised he felt no pain. There was a lingering tingle over his skin, but the pain and agony he had lived with for so long was now a distant memory. He tried to get his other senses working, understanding that something else very important had changed. His last memory was of his rape in his own bed… “Why-- am I not dead?”

“Master Eclipse!” Meruhesae glared at him in aghast. “Did you really want to die?”

“But--”

Krayon took pity on his distressed look and offered what he thought was assurance. “You did not fail to produce the most dreaded demon lord, Eclipse. That Lord Raenef spared your life is not looked upon as a sign of weakness.”

Eclipse's mind was reeling. “But--”

“Eclipse.” The seer reached over to gently adjust the collar of his dress robes. “The other demon lords determined that since Lord Raenef meant to kill you, he therefore had no further use of your services. It was agreed that it would be a terrible waste of talent if you were lost to us, and Raenef was persuaded to release you to serve another instead.”

“For a price, no less.” Krayon gave him a lopsided grin. “A most unusual affair, but we cannot fault his desire to milk your servitude to his advantage.”

“What?”

“Your master is going to sell you to the highest bidder.” Meruhesae snorted, her entire being appeared as if she was taking offence on his behalf since he was clearly in shock. “He rather succinctly claimed that you belonged to him to do as he desired until you've sworn allegiance to another master.”

“Why?”

Krayon rolled his eyes. “Eclipse, you are currently revered above all other demons in existence! You are priceless in our eyes.

“You cannot discount the sheer miracle you've accomplished in turning the 'clown' of our lineage into a dreaded lord far more feared than your previous charge.” The blond-haired demon lord waved his hands in the air as he paced beside the divan Eclipse had been resting on. “A miracle, Eclipse, it's a bloody miracle. That is the only description for it. And it bears repeating that you made a 'joke' mature into a fearsome demon lord the likes of which we have not seen since Raenef IV.”

“It was expected of me. Why express surprise with its accomplishment?” Eclipse automatically retorted.

Meruhesae giggled behind her fan as Krayon gave her an exasperated look for his droll assessment of his feat. “In any case, Lord Raenef will be presenting you before the gathering and will be hearing the offers that will be made for you.”

“I-- don't underst--”

“It is a change of allegiance with your master's blessing, Eclipse.” Meruhesae told him gently as if she were speaking to a child. “Nearly every demon lord at this gathering has prepared to present an offer to Raenef for your release into their service for an initial contract of 1,000 years.”

“Hell, mate, our magnificent Lord Aureleid was most suitably impressed by your accomplishment.” Krayon told him excitedly. “Eclipse, you could be working for the supreme demon lord. I've heard that he too will put in an offer for you!”

Do you still trust me, Eclipse? “Oh.”

Krayon rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air at the unenthusiastic word. “'Oh?' Eclipse! The foremost demon lord in existence should rate better than an 'oh.'“

But Eclipse was lost in his thoughts. Under different circumstances, for Raenef to spare his servant's life would ordinarily have meant that he was too soft. However, for him to allow another demon lord to graciously intercede… It was a clever move. Raenef had managed to conspire to allow him to live while maintaining his reputation. His student had learnt very well indeed. But the victory felt hollow in his heart, and Eclipse wanted to scream at the demon lord and the seer for their blindness.

“So, Eclipse.” Krayon brought his attention back to him. “Should you later determine that the Lord you have been traded to is not to your liking, I do hope you remember that the offer I made to you will still stand when your contract ends?”

Eclipse nodded numbly as the blonde-curly-haired demon lord pulled him to his feet. However, no sooner had he stood up did he then realise what the strange feeling of change he had felt earlier was all about. Krayon was normally shorter than he was; yet at this moment, both demon lord and seer towered over him.

He stared up at them in shock. “Lord Krayon?”

A leering smirk touched the demon lord's lips. “It seems our most generous friend decided to gift your new lord and master with an-- untouched servant.”

Meruhesae slapped her colleague upside the head. “Hush, you!” She gave a more reassuring smile to the age-regressed demon. “I can promise you, Master Eclipse, that your next master will, above all, value you for your ability and powers, not for your body.”

“My dear seer, from your eyes, I do believe that you have as many designs on our virginal little demon as any of our demon lords out there.” Krayon gave Eclipse a sidelong look and waggled his eyebrows at the seer.

“Oh, hush!” She playfully slapped the demon lord with her fan. “Though if our Master Eclipse would like assistance to have his innocence gently lost this time…”

The young demon went very pale and tried to edge away from both of his caretakers.

“We're joking, Eclipse.” Krayon assured him hastily. “Joke, you know? Ha-ha-. You're supposed to laugh?”

“Eclipse?” Meruhesae spoke softly to him shaking him out of old memories. “Eclipse? You're safe with us. You do know that, don't you?”

Eclipse nodded jerkily as he forced his panic down and focused inwards to verify and acknowledge that his mind and powers were untouched. Only his body had been altered. But was he reading too much into Raenef's actions in returning him to the age when he had experienced his first rape?  He wondered how Raenef had known.

“Come, Master Eclipse. Put aside thoughts of your past and think only of the future.” Meruhesae took his hand in hers and pull the overwhelmed young demon into a gentle unthreatening embrace. “It will not happen again, Eclipse. You will be in control once more.”

Eclipse gave her a snort of derision. “I did not lose control with Raenef, Meruhesae.” He told her softly. “I expected it. Perhaps I did not exactly anticipate the utmost brutality of the punishment he meted out. But I-- I did-- goad him into-- into-- It was much the same with my later charges when they realise that-- they ranked me…”

“Eclipse…”

“I am not a demon lord, Meruhesae. I am only a demon, one of the servant classes…” Eclipse gave her a tiny wry smile. “Isn't it expected of us to submit and live with such suffering?”

An uncomfortable silence fell among them, broken only when they heard the peal of a bell announcing the arrival of the most senior of the demon lords. The three were glad for this distraction.

“I believe it is time for our guest of honour to make an appearance.” Krayon let out a put upon sigh as he started to herd them towards the doors to the great hall. “I don't suppose I have any hope of winning Raenef's favour with my bid. I understand Lord Aureleid will be suggesting a very generous offer to our friend. He is most anxious about the training of his heir.”

“And well he should. After all, he is pushing seventy thousand in years.” Meruhesae gave them a mysterious smile.

Both Krayon and Eclipse eyed her suspiciously. “Is there something you have warned our lord about, Seer?”

“Oh, I expect he knows, Krayon.” Meruhesae laughed merrily. “Why else do you think he wishes so desperately to make our Master Eclipse's acquaintance?”

“Oh.”

Krayon looked at him in exasperation. “Again with the 'oh's.  Eclipse! You are cherished and will soon be attending a ceremony that will have you exalted above all other demons! Once your initial contract of service is over, you will have your pick of the demon lords to serve. Eclipse, can't you show a bit more excitement than that?”

“Stop teasing him, Lord Krayon. Can't you see the poor dear is still in shock?”

Eclipse sighed and tuned out the two bickering demon lords. Raenef's last words to him kept echoing in his mind. “Do you still trust me, Eclipse?”

He had chosen a path of greatness for his master. His own reputation and status among demons was now untouchable because of his achievements. And Krayon and Meruhesae seemed to believe that he had in his continued life, proof that Raenef had understood and forgiven him for his manipulations and that he was loved. However, Eclipse wasn't so sure of that anymore.

With Krayon and Meruhesae babbling happily beside him about his good fortune, Eclipse felt-stunned and lost. He could admit to no one that he hadn't wanted to live. That-- he hadn't intended to have to deal with the trauma that was even now constricting his heart and making his senses reel about him for the closeness of the two accompanying him.

The demon shivered, prompting (to his utmost surprise) both Krayon and Meruhesae to slip an arm over his shoulders from either side of him. It pleased him that he managed to keep himself from flinching. A flicker in their expressions told him that they were very aware of the many tortures and abuse that Raenef had heaped upon him. It seems they were also of the opinion that the sheer brutality of his mistreatment was unwarranted. However, there was little doubt, that the stories of Raenef's maltreatment of his chief servant did much to fuel the fears behind his growing reputation.

Eclipse tried to keep himself calm and give them an encouraging look before they continued their walk into a new nightmare. He told himself determinedly that he would not disgrace himself. That he would not panic to be surrounded by hordes of demon lords who appeared to want a piece of him for his cleverness. Eclipse promised himself that he would not fret when he began to hear the demon lords start an auction with him put up as the prize. All through his silent vows, his mind screamed at him that he should not have had to go through this. That he should not have had to continue to suffer for his devotion to his duty in fulfilling the dreams of his master.

He thought that he had planned it so well. That Raenef would be angry enough to kill him and he would be honoured posthumously as was his due. He had manipulated Raenef out of duty to ensure he became 'the greatest demon lord ever.' And for his pains his master had tortured Eclipse almost to death out of spite for his success. More than the destruction of a temple full of clerics and knights, the stories of Eclipse's abuse and suffering at the hands of his erstwhile master would fuel the fires of fear for generations to come.

Unbidden, a memory of his first talk with Raenef about his newly discovered status as a demon lord came to mind.

*”YOU WILL REIGN IN TERROR WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!

“To do otherwise would make a laughing stock of us both.”*

If asked then, he would never have believed that the cowering, tearful boy he had lost his temper with that day would have learnt his lessons so well as to become this ruthless and cruel demon lord who now commanded the respect of all the other demon lords in existence. As the instructor who accomplished this, it was a no wonder Eclipse was so highly respected now. However, with regards to the price the demon had paid to accomplish this…

I should be dead. His brain apparently refused to give up on the thought and played the statement in an unending loop in his mind. Eclipse had not intended to live, nor have to deal with the trauma from his torture. And now, he was going to be magically bound to exist and serve another demon lord for at least another 1,000 years. He knew that he would never forgive Raenef for sparing his life.

“Eclipse?” The seer bent closer to look at his pale face as she helped the oblivious Krayon seat him on the dais of honour in front of their congregation. “It will get better.” She whispered to him. “Come and see me anytime you wish to. I will always be available for you to talk to.”

“Meruhesae…” He looked at her, a little stunned at the offer.

“I understand, Eclipse.” She told him softly. “Before I became a seer… You are not alone, Eclipse. Come talk to me.”

“I-- thank you…” She nodded and unobtrusively wiped tears from his eyes before anyone else noticed.
 
When the seer stepped aside, Eclipse found himself looking directly upon Demon Lord Raenef V. The moment their eyes met, the demon understood that the demon lord knew exactly what he had done to his former servant. It was revenge so subtle no other demon lord would have realised the significance. Only one who had lived as a human for a while and who had possibly seen this trauma in their human companions during those early years of their life could have ever known and understood. And among the demon lords in current existence, only Raenef V had spent his early life as a street thief, living in the gutters of human society.

De-aged to a time when he had experienced his first rape and put on display before over a thousand pairs of eyes, Eclipse fought to control the fear and the panic that clawed in his stomach. The demon lords thought that they were honouring him. They thought they had cleverly made Raenef reward his devotion to duty by allowing him to live and serve another master. They did not understand that Eclipse now viewed his life as an agony worse than the physical abuse Raenef had heaped upon him through those long months.

His jaw was clenched in grim determination and he kept his face blank and devoid of any expression. Eclipse reminded himself that he had out lived three demon lords; he had started service under this demon lord in shame and embarrassment, he was not about to allow the brat to end his service with the same sentiment. He was not going to let this young upstart have the satisfaction of seeing him disgrace himself. Not ever!

However… try as he might, Eclipse could feel his resolve crumbling under the scrutiny of the demon lords who were all eyeing him like a hungry dog would a side of beef. The noise of the bartering crowd was getting to him and his chest seemed to be tightening on him to a point where he was finding it difficult to breathe.

Eclipse was startled as a finger brushed his cheek and he looked up at Krayon who now held a drop of moisture on the said digit. “Eclipse is your sorrow at leaving your master's service so great that you would shed tears for him?”

In the instance their eyes met, Eclipse knew that Krayon understood what he was going through. His words, loud enough for the interested to hear, were a clever cover up to help him maintain his dignity. Eclipse could not trust himself to speak and looked away; making sure his eyes never strayed towards where Raenef sat.

The demon knew that he owed Krayon. He had lost his fight against terror, but the demon lord's words ensured that his quiet breakdown would not be taken as a show of weakness. No one would say anymore about the tears, which continued to run down his cheeks. Eclipse silently vowed that should they still live a thousand years hence, he would accept Krayon's offer and enter his service without any further objection.

In the council room, the bargaining had grown more heated, after all who would not wish to take into service a servant so devoted that he would morn his departure from his master. In the clamour of voices that surrounded him as the various demon lords haggled among themselves to claim his contract, Raenef's voice echoed in Eclipse's mind again. “Do you trust me?”

His answer should have been 'No.'

~Owari~

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