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

7. Hunting Devils

Erebus watched the two Devil sentries approach the cave. They hadn't noticed his presence yet and were talking in their language. It was a harsh and garish language, but for someone who spent decades fighting in Unadanfold, he could understand them.

"I felt an odd fluctuation of energy here."

"Should we report it?"

"If there is a treasure, do we want to share?"

The two snickered at the prospect of easy treasure. Erebus had to scoff at their simple thoughts. The Devils had always been selfish.

"If there isn't, we can at least escape this blasted rain."

Erebus focused his concentration on smelling the rain. It was nothing like the rain in the human realm, but he had not experienced the sensation of rain for thousands of years. He would watch it fall on the Soul Stone countless times without the ability to touch it. But after time, even the beautiful scene of rain falling disappeared when the forest grew too large. The trees obscured the sky for centuries, and the rain no longer reached him.

As the Devils entered the cave, Erebus turned his attention to them. They would be his first prey in this lifetime. He focused his breathing and movements, making himself as still as possible, and allowed them to walk past him. When their backsides were facing him, he moved quickly, taking the axe from the back of one of the Devils. He swung it speedily and lodged it into the other's neck.

He spun quickly before the remaining Devil could see him. The Devil trembled when he saw his partner fall to the ground, but the darkness accompanied him.

"Who's there?" He yelled out hopelessly.

Erebus chuckled at Devil's fear. He enjoyed hunts like these. He moved through the shadows until he was in front of the Devil. The Devil's eyes widened, and he stumbled backward. "De...Demon?"

Erebus tilted his head. Demon? Will he never escape this title? Whether it had the title Sovereign next to it or not, Erebus seemed to be forever considered a demon. Erebus refused to dwell on it. Instead, he took the sword from the Devil's hand and plunged it into his neck. 

He didn't wait to confirm the Devil's fate and let his body fall as he turned away. He walked back to the pond and examined his appearance.

He grimaced. A demon was an apt description. His hair was a tangled mess, and his clothes were barely there, tattered worse than before. His chest and stomach were exposed, and his skin was caked in dirt and sweat. He never wanted to use the pond for bathing because he would taint the water, but he slightly regretted it now.

He started to pull the clothing off the corpses and set them aside. He never liked the Devils' garments, but at least it was better than the scraps he was wearing before. He groaned as he pulled his clothes off and stood bare in the cave.

He knew there wasn't any life near him, so he confidently walked to the mouth of the cave, overlooking the cliff side. However, his steps paused as he saw the rain and watched it thoughtfully. The smell differed from the other realms, and the raindrops were not the stormy grey of Halrland. Undanfold's rain was stained by the red skies, making it look like blood was pouring down on the red earth. It seemed like his life recently was monochromatic, only seeing the world in the darkest black or the deepest red.

He reached out his hand and let the water fall on it, and a small breath was released from his lips. The water was warm, but it was still a joyous sensation. He stepped out on the cliff's lip and let the rain cascade down his body. 

People would curse simple things like the rain because it was inconvenient, but the rain was like an embrace for Erebus. He didn't mind if it was red like blood or in the cursed land of Undanfold. He just enjoyed the precious moment.