A Loving Homage To “Dark Mage Solomon”
“All Magic Comes With A Price” is the first title in an amazing 3-part series for “Dark Mage Solomon” written by @beels-burger-babe, where she wrote about Solomon under the influence of the magic of his pacts, losing his soul and abusing the main character (You, in place of the reader) as a result. It’s a graphic and heart-wrenching story. Absolutely amazing. I’ve linked it, and I cannot recommend reading it enough. She’s one of my favorite “Obey Me!” fanfic authors. 10/10, highly recommend perusing her goods if you’re a fan of the series. She finished the Dark Mage Solomon series today and I found myself wanting more, so I ended up writing my own blurb to continue off of the story pieces she left to the reader’s imagination. This is a fan-made piece that’s designed to pick up where she left off in her three-part collection for her Dark Mage Solomon series.
WARNINGS:
- MAJOR SPOILERS for @beels-burger-babe‘s “Dark Mage Solomon” series.
- Mentions of physical and emotional abuse
- Ya’ll this is so much darker than my usual works. Hahahaha.
- Obsessive and addictive behaviors from Solomon
- Semi-mind-control/influence?
- Asmodeus cries a lot
- THIS IS NOT A STAND-ALONE PIECE. It’s meant to be read after you read the entirety of the Dark Mage Solomon series written by @beels-burger-babe
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Resolutions In Broken Memories
It's been some time since your pacts returned, but the brothers haven't stopped fawning over them. They'd long-since mourned their losses. The moments they felt the burn of your separation, they thought this connection to you was lost forever. To see the gift of having them returned was something out of a fantasy, and none of them can seem to fully believe that they still get to have this special connection to you.
Oftentimes, you find them caressing their marks absent-mindedly while cuddling you. At first, it seemed really cute, but once the haze of the spell's initial 'fix' wore down, you began to realize it was a bit strange how fixated on your marks they were.
You began to ask questions.
The brothers, Diavolo and Barbatos, Simeon and Luke had all discussed your condition thoroughly before you really came out of your stupor. They came to the unified conclusion that if you wanted to know what happened, it'd be in your best interest to walk you through it again. After all, the fear that caused you to break down, the fear that caused the spell to activate, was the fear of having permanently lost your connections to the brothers. Now that you had those back, conversations surrounding what happened to you previously would be easier, or, at least less dangerous to have.
Still, they can’t help but be afraid of what will happen to you if you’re pushed into a place of panic again.
They still don't understand how strong this spell is, and all attempts to break it have ended poorly. Solomon's power may be gone from him, but the footsteps of his actions in the past echo forward, marking you with the sorcerer's influence.
The charm stands as one last glimpse of the immense power he wielded before he got caught.
---
Asmodeus in particular has been struggling to leave your side. He gently caresses his mark on your skin, eyes listless when he thinks you can't see. You gently caress his head, holding him close, letting him take all the time he needs.
You, after all, don't know what's happened to you.
"Asmodeus?" Your voice saying his name is a blessing for him to hear. His eyes look to yours as he glances away from your mark. "Can I ask.. why is it you guys keep caressing my marks? I feel like.. Well I feel like something strange happened. Something bad. But I don't remember anything happening."
Asmodeus' fingers stop against your skin, and his expression darkens. He averts his gaze and you feel your stomach drop. Whatever it was that happened, it was so painful to him that he couldn't even find the words to express everything. You gently stroke your fingers through his hair, your thumb softly rubbing along his cheek. You gently murmur to him; "I'm here. You can talk to me about it. I promise."
".. Something.. happened to you. But, because of what happened to you, there's a spell on you." He begins slowly. He'd worked through this in his head a thousand times since you'd lost your memories, in case he'd have to be the one to tell you. "... Because.. of.. ah.." You can see his eyes welling with tears as he speaks. "Because of the spell.. if you feel unsafe... the spell will do things to make you feel safe again.. But.." You gently caress his head, cooing gentle praises to him for being so brave in telling you about this, and it gives him just enough strength to continue. "... We don't know what it'll do. ... Something did happen to you, but.. Until the spell is gone, there's a powerful and unknowable influence that reacts to your emotions."
"And such a spell would be incredibly dangerous if I was upset while under its influence." You finish and he nods. You gently tug him in closer, massaging into his back. "... Thank you. Knowing that much at least gives me a sense of what's happened. ... If it really is that powerful and dangerous, then, it's okay if I'm in the dark a little longer. I'm happy right now. I feel safe." Asmodeus clings to you and you hold him close. He begins crying quietly into your shoulder, and you warmly massage into his back.
Whatever it is, you're okay being there for him right now. It could be the spell and how it calms you, but, you're content here. You're content to just experience this moment with him, knowing just a fraction of the whole story.
Asmodeus just sobs as he remembers what he did to you. Every caress from you when he knows you can’t remember his actions.. just feels like a burning singe to his skin. The nightmares have lessened, but knowing that they weren't just nightmares- Rather memories of him hurting you- has been killing him. Every reassuring and comforting murmur from your lips makes him feel selfish in a way he can't put to words right now.
All he can say is repeated apologies. Begging you for forgiveness with every quiet sob. You gently massage into his back, affectionately telling him it's okay. You'll be okay.
And in every sense of the word, you truly believe that you're safe.
---
Solomon has been searching, scrounging, trying to find any source of power he can scrape together. Something, anything to let him feel in control again.
He hasn't felt this helpless in a very long time.
The brothers took care to shut down any networks of magic users from accepting or helping him. Diavolo made it clear to all of Devildom that any demons found consorting with the once-powerful sorcerer would find themselves answering to him directly.
No matter how far he went, what realm he consorted with, he was unable to find anyone willing to make a pact or allow him to borrow their power.
The sorcerer finds himself leaning on the oldest of magics he ever learned - The ones that first allowed him to connect with demons. Spells forged of candles and written words, chalk marks and sacrifices. Spells cast through loss. Through spilt blood.
Without the pacts, without his connection to any demons, he finds that no stretch of the of his sacrifices are able to generate even remotely enough power to communicate with beings outside the three realms.
It's been months of scraping through to find a way to recover even an ounce of his old power, and in that time, his mind has begun to change once again. Now no longer under the influence of his pacts, he finds himself having more vivid memories of his time with you.
With much less of a rose-tinted glass to peer through.
There's many a night he spends curled up as your screams ring through his core and fill him with a sense of dread. As he's forced to quit his magic cold-turkey, he's also forced to come to terms with what he did to you while he's at his most powerless.
And his most sober.
He begins to realize what a monster he made of himself. For the first time in his life, he realizes just how dangerous greed can be.
Because ultimately, this was the fruits of his own greed.
His greed for power, his greed for you, his greed for control..
He’s still trying to establish definition where the lines blurred. Did he want power to help you? Or was it to control you? Did he want you because you were powerful? How much of his actions were for you?
And how much of this was for himself?
He'd deluded himself in the thick of it that he'd been doing this all for you, for your benefit.. But, with the clarity of his senses so barren of outside influences.... He finds that he's struggling to come to terms with those same excuses.
---
The brothers don't leave you alone for too long. You sleep in the arms of someone who loves you every night. Tonight, it's Mammon's turn. He likes to sleep in your room, because it was the way that he felt closest to you. He gently tugs you into his arms, hand warmly caressing the back of your head, cradling you close. You sleepily wrap your arms around the demon and moment by moment, you drift deeper into sleep.
But Mammon can't sleep.
Ever since you were taken, he'd been struggling with coming to terms with having failed you as much as he did. Lucifer had caught onto his feelings of guilt and tried to alleviate them for him, but..
He was your protector.
He gently breathes, holding your body like a delicate memory. A memory of when he's felt his best. A memory of when he's been his best.
Your body begins to tremble. The spell was strong, but it was common for your unconscious mind to grieve in your sleep. He surrounds you with warmth, tugging the blankets up to keep you comfy, resting his head atop yours. Your body soon relaxes into his touch, but not without that damned glow.
The glow of the spell.
Every time he saw it, it only made him angrier.
The brothers have watched as Solomon's spell has continued to soothe you. Forcing you into a comfortable state. It infuriates Mammon to think of what Solomon would have put you through if he hadn't fucked up as royally as he did. The demon's anger bubbles and festers as he securely holds you.
In truth, he’s terrified that you may never be able to experience fear again. Will you ever be able to make your own choices regarding your safety again?
It's common for the brothers who stay with you at night to wake up exhausted the next morning. You're always worried about them, but they promise you they'd be worse off if you slept alone.
The exhaustion is from the emotional labor of their fears.
---
The day started off like any other - The only difference was that little notification you found on your phone.
A notification from someone you didn't recognize.
Opening your messages, you see that you'd spoken with them a lot. Your last message to them was something about telling them that you'd arrived at their house.
You start flitting through your texts with this person. You're confused. Why don't you remember them? Why can't you remember this person at all? Who were they? Who were they to you? As you read through your old texts, you begin to see the picture being painted; They were your friend. For over a year, in fact. You had messages going back to when you first arrived in Devildom. You had messages about things happening with the brothers. Messages where you lamented over homesickness. Messages where he told you about experiments. Every time he offered you food that he made, you always declined. You two would go out together alone. He helped you with injuries and healed you. You helped him with magic and testing things. He cared about you, and you cared about him. Your texts make it evident enough to you.
You begin to look through your call history. The last time you'd ever gotten a call from this number was months ago, and his call correlated with the chunk of memories of time that you knew you didn't have.
Whatever this person was to you, they were connected to whatever was going on with you in the now.
Solomon's message to you this morning is just;
[Can we talk?]
You pause, staring at the screen. You're not really sure what to say. On one hand, you'd finally get answers, but... On the other hand, were they worth it?
The brothers kept mentioning that you were under an incredibly difficult to remove spell, and that while under its influence, your emotional state and well-being was a trigger-point for the spell. This person might have something to do with that. You could ask one of the brothers about this person, but with how protective they've been lately, would they let you pursue these answers?
You take your time to think about it. You don't respond right away.
---
Classes went smoothly, and for the majority of the day, you almost forgot about the message from your mystery person. That is, until you're checking your messages on the walk home and you see another notification from him.
[I noticed you didn't respond for a lot of hours, so I figure you don't want to talk. That’s fair. I just wanted to apologize. I know that's probably really empty, considering what I did to you, but.. I'm sorry. The magic is gone, and it's been.. sobering.]
You decide to text him back. [I'm gonna be real, I don't know who you are or what it is you're apologizing for. It sounds like you sucked.]
[You.. don't know who I am?]
[No. Are you the reason there's a spell on me that everyone's been freaking out about?]
---
It takes Solomon a moment to respond. You don't know, but he's panicking on the other end. You don't know him. It hurts so much, but he's also elated. You don't know him! For a moment, he has a brief rush of relief that you don't remember what he did to you.
But that's quickly replaced by a flood of guilt as he realizes, you don't remember what he did to you.
Solomon stares at his D.D.D. You're responding, you don't know who he is, but he's already been so selfish with you to this point. His breath hitches in his throat as he knows what he has to do, and he hisses in frustration as he begins to carefully force himself to type.
---
[If you don't know who I am, then, I don't think we should be talking. I hurt you. Badly. I think I probably know what it is you're referring to about the spell. ... In which case, yes, I think I was the cause. I'm sorry.]
[If you cast it, can you remove it?]
[... No. I can't. Not anymore.]
[What's preventing you from removing it?]
---
Solomon stares at his screen. He's spent the last month trying to find a way to get the power to undo his mistakes, only to find a full power embargo in every direction.
The clarity of the distance from that power allowed him to see how he'd been changed by the magic. How he'd allowed himself to obsess over getting what he wanted, whatever the cost. The man that was left when the magic was gone was just a husk of who he once was. A husk that realized just how much he used you.
In the quiet, he came to understand just how much he'd wanted you for himself. For the acclaim. For the love. For your power. He'd gotten so used to making pacts to get what he wanted. To control those he admired. When he saw you, his rising star, growing and learning and coming into your own... He admired that in you.
He admired you so much, that he wanted your power and your strength and your acclaim all for himself.
But he couldn't make a pact with you. You weren't a demon.
He'd dealt with demons for so long, collecting and borrowing their power... So meeting someone like you, who was so powerful and strong, only to know that he couldn't take that power for himself?
The greed he had was so immeasurable that it permeated and rotted every facet of his soul.
He got hungry, to outmatch you. Collect more and more pacts. If he couldn't have your power, he would match it. Exceed it! He might not have wielded the power of the seven, but he would wield an army that could swallow them if he must.
It was because of this that he had become so obsessed with collecting power. He saw you achieve what he couldn't, and he couldn't stand it. Envy. His desire to have that power only for you to be able to achieve it within a year..? You'd even been able to bring Lucifer under your control.
Solomon was convinced he was the greatest sorcerer that ever lived, until you got the one pact he'd lusted for since he began his pursuit of magic. Lucifer Morningstar. The blow to Solomon's pride ran deep. Deeper than the rot of his greed. His wounded pride was what really drove his actions.
He needed to feel important again.
You were already more accomplished than him in gathering power. And who were you? Just some random person plucked from the human realm. A nobody. The wrath bubbling under the surface of his senses sickened him. He wanted to lash out. He wanted to hurt you. He wanted to put you in your place.
And that initially scared him.
It's why he had to make a promise to himself that he wouldn't.
He was never satiated. A glutton for that which fed his desire to be admired. No matter the cost.
When he couldn't have your power, and he refused to hurt you, he had to find another option to soothe his burning hunger. All it took was you coming to him with that broken wrist for him to remember how fragile you were, despite your success.
So fragile. Unlike him, you couldn't live forever.
His pride mended itself as he convinced himself that you needed him. It was so easy to believe too. A sweet comfort of a lie that tugged at the edges of his mind. Of course he was still important. Of course he was still amazing. He was your protector. He was the one who would keep you safe. Your mentor. Your friend. Your confidant.
He told himself that you wanted his protection. But.. The driving force at the very core of his actions was his desire to possess that which he admired.
His desire to possess your magic. And when he couldn’t possess it, he decided to destroy it.
He hated how his veins itched for the magic. For the control. For the strength. Every pang of craving for that power just wracking his senses with the guilt.
Even now, his mind runs a mile a minute to try to use you, and he finds himself disgusted. Even now, he's still hungry to possess you. He keeps finding his mind trying to find a way to get you to meet him alone. A thought he repeatedly shoves out of his mind to the best of his ability.
He's fighting so hard against it. Against the cravings. Just that alone is taking so much energy. He stares at his screen, helpless. Sloth tugging at his soul, begging him to give in, to take the easy way out.
It'd be so easy to isolate you again.. And this time he could do it right..
Solomon drops his D.D.D to the ground between his legs as he clutches his skull. He's a mess. His eyes, grey without a single speck of their old golden hue, stare at the device.
You deserved an answer.
Could he give you one without losing control again?
---
[My magic was removed. For good reason. I no longer can practice it. I'm.. I'm sorry. I can't undo the damage I've caused.]
[What damage did you cause?]
---
How does he answer THAT? Do you remember NONE of it? What of your pacts? Is this.. Is this the work of his charm? His stomach drops.
Did he doom you to live in a passive stupor for the rest of your life?
They're calm again. Happy. We could get them alone and this time try it right. This could be good for us! The thoughts swirl against his chest as he grips his head.
The desire to be close with you again soaks into his core, and he has to let it wash over him like a bad headache.
He can't use you again.
He forces himself to remember your body, limp and almost lifeless in his arms. He did that to you.
He can't trust himself with you.
---
You watch your screen as Solomon types and then stops repeatedly.
This goes on for a while. So long, in fact, that you put your D.D.D away and just enjoy the company of the brothers for a movie night. It isn't until you're heading to the kitchen to grab some snacks that you feel your D.D.D buzz.
You lean against the kitchen island as you read it.
[I.. used you. To soothe my own insecurity. In doing so, I destroyed your pacts with the 7 brothers. I isolated you from the outside world for months. I lied about your whereabouts to our friends. I cast a charm on you to try to force you to feel safe again, so you'd finally be happy.. ... I don't know the extent of what that charm has done to you, but I think that might be the spell that the others are so worried about.]
Your mind fuzzes over as you try to remember. Why can't you remember? And what's more, you're not even.. scared. You're not even scared that you don't remember.
The longer this charm has sunk into your senses, its passively calming effects have taken root.
[... I can't remember any of this. Why can't I remember any of this?]
---
Why CAN'T you remember any of this? Solomon feels his stomach flip-flop as he clutches his device.
[I'm.. not sure. It's possible it's connected to the charm.]
[My pacts are fine though. So, if you did something to them, it didn't stick.]
His eyes widen.
Your pacts were... fine?
You'd been able to recover the unrecoverable?
Could he.....?
He shakes his head. He needs to know more. No- You need to know more. He doesn't need closure. You do.
“This isn't about you. You can’t make this about you.” He utters this to himself, hissing the words like a curse against his own weakness as he takes up your chat again.
[Ask the brothers about your pacts. They should know more.]
---
"Hey, everything alright in here?"
You look up to see Belphegor standing in the doorway. His expression is warm as he found you safe and sound. But when he sees you looking to your D.D.D instead of gathering snacks, he does feel nervous.
You set the device aside and look lost in thought. "... Belphie, can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, of course." He comes alongside you and leans against the island with you.
"Did something happen to my pacts with you guys?"
His heart drops. Why are you asking about that? He reflexively begins looking you over as he panics visibly, looking for his and his brother's marks.
They were all still there.
He breathes a sigh of relief, resting his forehead against your shoulder, but his reaction alone is quite the answer to your question.
".. I think I'm ready to hear about what happened to me. Can you please tell me?"
"... C'mon. We should go talk to the others about it."
---
The movie paused, the brothers gently ease you into it, telling you about what Solomon had done to you. How he'd ripped you from your pacts. The immense physical and emotional abuse you endured. How he abused his control over Asmodeus, and the violent nightmares the demon endured as a result. How Asmodeus felt so helpless as he was forced to do Solomon's bidding.. How, even now, the charm he cast on you is preventing you from being able to remember any of it. They explain that they don't even know the scope of the charm's strength, but that it's already shown to shift the reality of your body and mind to make you feel safe, so it's very dangerous.
So much begins to make sense.
Belphegor sees you thumbing your D.D.D as you listen, and it clicks to him that there was probably a cause to this conversation.
"... Did someone bring it up to you? Is that why you're asking about it?"
"... Someone with the username 'MonSOLO' has been texting me today-" But before you can finish your sentence, several of the brothers have shifted into their demon forms.
Just the man's username is enough to put them on high guard for yours and Asmodeus' safety.
And, knowing the story now, it makes complete sense.
Mammon is the first to blurt out "HE'S GOT NO RIGHT" followed by Asmodeus going fetal, hugged and caressed by Beelzebub. Belphegor is silent, but his expression is visibly pissed. Satan's smiling, but you can feel the murderous intent behind it as he begins to speak up.
"No no, this is perfect. Now we can tear him limb from limb ourselves. Right? This has to breach something. Right??"
Asmodeus didn't realize that hearing that Solomon had re-entered your lives would hurt him as much as it did. He's in shock.
Lucifer is deep in thought as Satan continues ranting vividly on how he's going to gut Solomon. Mammon angrily griping, unsure of who to direct his frustrations at. Beelzebub is tending to Asmodeus. Belphegor is just stuck between rage and fear.
Leviathan is actually the one who focuses in on you.
You're... eerily calm.
Even though you’ve just heard some of the worst possible news, you’re, for the most part, unreactive. They're all panicking and in a flurry of intense emotions, you're just sat as normal as ever.
So he cuts through the noise to ask you a question that makes everyone freeze as they wait for your answer. "___, did you text him back?"
...
".. Yeah. We got to talking." You're slow to respond. The brothers begin to move to listen, each watching you carefully. All of their thoughts and fears and anger put on the backburner. "... I didn't know who he was, but it looked like we had an extensive conversational history in our chat. He apologized, and I didn't really know what to do with that, so I told him I didn't know who he was or what he did. He was actually the one who told me to ask you guys about what he did to my pacts."
"I don't trust it! I don't trust him! He lied to our FACES for months! JUST LOOK AT WHAT HE DID TO ASMODEUS!" Mammon is quick to make his opinions well-known. "HIS APOLOGY MEANS NOTHING."
"You're not going to accept his apology, are you?" Beelzebub speaks up, looking to you with concern.
"... I don't know. I feel like, I need this spell to be gone before I can choose how to handle this."
The brothers are quiet in your conclusion. They'd had you ripped away from them once before, and were scared of the damage Solomon could still do to you. Lucifer speaks up, breaking the silence. "You won't be seeing him without one of us with you as protection. Is that understood?" His words are harsh and commanding, but his tone is gentle. He's worried about you. This is the best way he can give you the freedom to make your own choices, without losing you again.
The last thing you need is seven controlling demons after what you’ve been through.
"I understand. It sounds like there's a lot I don't know about him. I'd feel safer with one of you guys around anyway."
"I can't do it." Asmodeus croaks, his eyes listless as he stares at the ground. "I can't be around him." Belphegor reaches over to gently massage into his brother's back. He knows especially how hard this has been on Asmodeus.
Watching Asmodeus, you wonder to yourself if you'll feel similarly when the charm is taken off.
It's so hard to imagine yourself that scared.
The brothers agree that Solomon will be kept away from Asmodeus. None of them would ever force him to see that man again. Asmodeus seeks the comfort of your arms, and you caress him and gently coo comforts to him, forgiving him for everything he did when he was under Solomon's control. His tears flow hotly as he cries, clutching you close, sobbing as the grief washes over him. He can't stop apologizing, to which you gently massage into his back and reassure him that he's already been forgiven.
---
After a long and lengthy discussion, you're able to plan for a meeting with Solomon. A meeting in which, under the care and watch of both Luke and Simeon, as well as the protection of Lucifer, Satan and Belphegor, and the oversight of Barbatos, you'll be able to have a discussion with the sorcerer about the charm he put on you. He's expected to bring every article and paper and note he has on the charm, so it may be dissected by Satan and Belphegor.
If there's a chance to undo this charm, they will find it.
-----
End of chapter
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This is a Tumblr-Exclusive piece, but I write other cool stuff over here:
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