Return of the Demon Sovereign (Book 1) [MxM]

2. Shadows

Erebus waited for death to embrace him but found only torment waiting for him. The walls entombed him, cursing him with mind-numbing darkness and crushing every bone in his body. He tried to cry out, but the pain was near unbearable, and no noise would escape his lips. He clenched his teeth until they cracked and broke. He now longed for death, but the world was cruel. Deep inside the earth was healing magic, and every time he wanted to pass out from the pain, his body would heal, and he would regain clarity, just to have his body crushed again. He was forever conscious and forever breaking.

When his body finally became accustomed to the pain, he would feel his body sink lower into the earth, creating a new sense of agony, more intense than the last. The pressure started attacking his soul. The cycle would repeat—his body and soul would be destroyed and then regenerate through the cursed healing powers. He heard nothing but his internal screams, the tearing of his flesh, the cracking of his bones, and the ripping of his soul. 

The only sound present was a symphony of his torment.

The small things that kept him sane, like Kore and Jericho, no longer entered his mind. He couldn't focus his mind anymore. There was only darkness and suffering.

Time no longer mattered or existed. He measured the passing by how many times he suffered and healed, but soon that became blurred as well.

He stayed in the earth, unable to move his limbs under the unbearable pressure. He suffered every second, and his mouth contorted because of his silent screams.

He experienced only new darkness and agony until he stopped struggling. He glared into the darkness until he felt his mind was on the verge of breaking.

Then he heard the voice—raspy and hoarse, like metal scraping.

[So tenacious. I lost hope because those Shadowbane children couldn't withstand our legacy. But who would have believed that you would show up before me? The fates have not abandoned us yet.]

Erebus did not know how to answer that voice. He felt hope laced in the voice but feared that his mind was tricking him. How could he hear anything when he was trapped inside of the earth? Were the dark deities playing with him?

[You have a choice: accept our legacy and have the chance to escape your earthen prison or remain here.]

Erebus had to laugh internally. Stay here? Never. Every time he fell further into the earth, the soul-shredding pain intensified. It was never-ending, and he felt he must be close to the earth's core now. But how much longer did he have until he lost his mind completely?

He didn't know who was calling out to him. If he agreed, he may sell his soul to the dark deities or even curse himself to the deepest hells. But he yearned for a chance. Deep inside his soul, he cried out, "I accept!"

The disembodied voice chuckled at his struggles. 

[A warning before you accept... You can escape this place, and you can live. But before you can, you will experience more pain than you can imagine. What you have felt this decade in the earth is considered child's play compared to accepting this legacy. You could die.]

The thought of more suffering caused a chill to run up his spine, but there was still hope. A light at the end of the perpetually dark tunnel. But should he be wary because of the possibility of death? He should have died many times as a child running on the streets. He should have been killed in his desperate battles for the sect. He should have died when saving Jericho. Death was not something he feared because he had faced it countless times before.

Erebus' choice was the same. His mouth never opened, but his soul screamed, "I accept!"

He suddenly felt a new pain that filled every fiber of his being, from his muscles to his bones, blood, and soul. He felt like he was being ripped to shreds bit by bit and then slowly rebuilt. The voice didn't lie; this pain was more intense than anything he felt before. This torment made the earthen prison feel like a small cut.