Forbidden For A Reason
I almost wanna change this title, but no i'm sticking with it lol
TW: bits of dehumanization, death, and demonic worship.
Forbidden For A Reason
“Del are you positive this is a good idea?” Alessia asked as she hefted the wood to block the door. She turned to the priestess who was busily setting up a circle of different materials keeping a distinct care not to hurt herself by mistake. She turned to look at Alessia, determined green eyes meeting her own brown.
“No, but what choice do we have?” Delphia answered. Alessia watched as she finished the circle and stood at the edge. “Come hold my hand. We have to try, if it fails then I’ll just wind up married off like they want and we’ll be lucky if they don’t kill you.”
“I told you we could run, they gave you enough freedom to do this.” Alessia was nervous as she came closer to Delphia. “I can fight off who they send and your gifts can help even if they aren’t strong.”
“They’ll find us, kill you, and trap me. Alessia I’ve lived with these people my whole life, I know what they think of outsiders… especially in regards to me. I wish I wasn’t born with these stupid powers then we could be normal…” Delphia started to cry, taking deep breaths to try and force it to stop. Alessia carefully wiped the tears away looking at the woman who meant the world to her.
“If you hadn’t then we wouldn’t have met. Did you already forget we met because you followed a faint light to find me dying out in the woods?” Alessia leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Delphia’s lips before pulling back and looking up at her love. “If you think this is the only way then let’s do it. We probably don’t have much time before they realize you aren’t where you claimed to be.”
Delphia nodded and grabbed the knife that was placed next to her. She needed this to work, the gods she worshiped had to help them. She bit her lip as she thought of why she was calling on them. According to the ritual she found the thoughts behind the call matter just as much as the spoken request. She just wanted to live with the one her soul was bonded to. She held her hand out over the circle, smiling a bit as Alessia placed a hand on her shoulder. She slit her palm, the thought locked in place, ‘help me have eternity with the one bonded to my soul’.
There was a blast of light that locked the two into the circle and Alessia pulled Delphia behind her. They watched in a mixture of awe and fear as a being much much larger than they anticipated arrived. Their skin was dark as night and they had eyes that glowed a solid blue and green. Delphia tried to bow, but Alessia got more nervous once the sets of horns appeared through the bright light. A large set that curved towards the side of their head with a smaller set sharp and on their forehead. She almost lost her footing when the two bat-like wings on the creature's back moved, sending a gust of wind towards the two.
Delphia was shaking as she tried to properly greet the god before her. Bow, don’t look at the nonhuman features, and do not think impure thoughts. They were sitting and their head touched the ceiling. It was lucky they were looking down at her and Alessia or the horns would definitely have punctured the roof. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. Everything said they were only a few feet larger than the largest humans, not massive like this. She tried to steady herself as she looked up at the face of a god.
“Do all the gods look like this?” Alessia whispered. Delphia whipped her head to face her terrified at what she was going to do. Alessia hadn’t been raised in their village, but she should know better. “This one’s almost cute…”
Delphia felt her face warm as a blush graced her features. Alessia just had to put the impure thoughts in her head. Of course the god was cute, they were a god for goodness sake. She can’t just say things like that. The god in front of her sighed and she was relieved she’d had to tie her hair back or she’d look a mess. Alessia was not as lucky, the dark blue hair falling into disarray after the harsh air flowed past them. She had a horrible feeling the god didn’t like being called cute.
“Uhm,” Delphia started. She shook her head before continuing. “I am sorry to have troubled you like this, we called upon you for a desperate wish-”
She was cut off as the large clawed fingers plucked her off the ground and dropped her on a palm. She let out a yelp and was about to stammer out apologies before Alessia was placed next to her. Alessia had pulled out one of her swords and the god looked almost amused by the attempt. They used just their claws to pinch the blade and roughly pull it free, dropping it once they’d had it. Delphia stiffened when she heard the clang of the metal, that was a long fall. Alessia grabbed her and still tried to protect her, maybe she shouldn’t have used a forbidden ritual so selfishly.
The god brought them closer and closer to their face. It was the first time the two saw the sharp teeth that filled their mouth. Delphia couldn’t bring herself to move anymore as they were brought closer, she’d brought them death. Her body went limp when they were brought past the mouth and up closer to the god’s eyes. The solid colors gave no indication of who the god was looking at. She squeezed her eyes shut as the god brought their face closer, horrible thoughts flowing through her mind. There was a light touch of warmth and then the feeling was gone. She opened her eyes in time to see the god pulling their face away from the two on their hand.
“Well, it seems I can find out how you managed to summon me now,” they said. The voice boomed and shook through the bones of the two human women. They held each other tightly. “Which of you spilled your blood to call for me?”
“I-I did,” Delphia tried to sit forward with the large plush palm making it hard. She raised her hand as she did so and tried to return to the lessons she’d been taught if a god should ever grace her with their presence. “H-holy one, we had a d-desperate request we wished to ask you to g-grant.”
“What would that be, little human?” Alessia tried to get in front of Delphia, but the gaze looking down on her kept her frozen in place.
“I-I wanted to be with the one I love w-without being forced apart.”
Ash sighed as they slid the humans off their hand. The two stared up with fear and it was feeling wrong. They almost wanted to reassure the two that they’d be safe, but that would be a waste of time. They’d already lost interest in being here again, a future together wasn’t uncommon to sell a soul over. The one human was likely here as some sort of offering and the one the summoner wanted was an important human who had never heard of her. They weren’t the demon that should have been brought for this ritual.
There was a bang from the wooden door humans could enter through. They saw the small block of wood that was likely large to a human. Both the ones in front of them jumped and the fear from them shifted. Ash was bothered by the shift, almost angry from it. There was more banging and they could almost hear the voice of the intruder. It seemed the human outside was determined. If they came in, maybe they’d have their first live meal in centuries.
“Del…” the brown eyed human murmured. They watched as she pulled the green eyed one behind her. The green eyed one looked more terrified of the human on the other side of the door than the demon in front of her.
“Alessia.. You need to hide!” the green eyed one shouted. She turned to face them, desperation instead of fear in her face. “Hide her! Please! Forget wanting to be together, just keep her safe from them!”
“Del are you stupid?! Don’t worry about me, worry about what they’ll do when they get in. This god doesn’t seem too willing to help either way.”
Ash was taken aback. The love had been the one here, not some important figure. Not only that, the human was willing to change their request just to keep the other safe. They didn’t have a chance to act on anything, the banging on the door increased until the door was broken open. Another human that seemed bigger than the two in front of them stumbled in through the door’s remains. The anger wafting from this new one bothered them.
“Are you kidding me?!” the human shouted. The humans in the barrier with them both flinched. They felt almost protective of the two, a new feeling for them. This new human approached angrily and started to try and break into the summoning circle. A human could never break through. “You’ve gone this far just to avoid our marriage? We understood you had a passing interest in this random woman, but to bring whatever this creature is here!?”
“Just leave, this is something I have to do as a priestess…” the green eyed one lied. Her guilt was bleeding from her for something so small. The brown eyed one moved closer, willingly pulling the two of them closer to Ash.
“Do you think I’m stupid Delphia? My family has taken care of you. We even let you keep this strange woman in your home for weeks! Come out of whatever this thing-” the human slammed both hands on the barrier to emphasize their point, but Ash took the chance instead. Their eyes glowed a menacing hue as the barrier opened just enough to allow the human inside. The human glared at the two who summoned them.
“Del, stay behind me,” the brown eyed one whispered. The new human stalked towards the two. Ash didn’t like the way the two of them seemed to shake. The one they took the weapon from started searching for it and they almost felt guilty for taking it.
“You’re mine Delphia, you owe us for all we did for you!” The new human pushed the protective one aside and grabbed the shirt of the summoner. Ash narrowed their eyes. “Others thought you should die, but we protected you. All you had to do was do as we say.”
“Please, I’m sorry. I-I’ll listen, just let her go and I’ll undo all of this.” There was cruelty leaking out of the new human. They had been curious, but this human was managing to make them angry.
“You told her what you can do, I know you did.” Ash tilted their head, something is special about the human who summoned them then. It could explain the power her soul seems to bleed. The human who’d intruded lifted the summoner off the ground. “She dies because of you. You’ll be mine until we’re done, now get rid of this fucking mon-”
Ash had enough. They reached down, pinching the new human’s sides tightly. A scream erupted from the intruder as they pulled their hand up. The green eyed human was being lifted as well so Ash used their other hand to pull her free. They placed her on the ground next to the brown eyed human. The one in their hold squirmed and they let out a low chuckle.
“You’ve intruded human,” they growled. The two on the ground gasped as Ash brought the human up higher and higher.
“Delphia! Make this thing put me down!” the human shouted. Ash bared their fangs, this human wasn’t worthy to speak to the ones in front of them. They let out a loud growl as they brought the human to a stop in front of their mouth.
“You’ve tested my patience long enough. I shouldn’t have been summoned in the first place, but at least I’ll get a meal out of it.” The fear wasn’t as good as they’d felt in the past, it didn’t help that the two humans on the ground were spilling fear too.
“Delphia! Make this thing stop!”
They had grown sick of this human’s shouting. They tilted their head back and dropped the screaming intruder from their fingers. Once they had the human in their mouth they closed their lips and carefully maneuvered it between their teeth. They bit down glad to be rid of the annoyance, hating the bitterness of the soul. This human wouldn’t have been able to summon even the weakest demons. They swallowed down the human, the screams from the ground reminding them that they did this in front of their humans.
They stared down at the two humans who summoned them. The green eyed had tears down her face. The brown eyed glared at them, pulling the other behind her. They started to reach for the two, they didn’t like the way their humans stared at them. They didn’t even know when they’d decided these two were theirs. The brown eyed one pulled out another weapon, but they ignored it. They picked the two up in a palm, bringing them closer to their face. They intended to say something, but shouts from other humans distracted them.
They decided to leave and settle the issue of their summoning later. Standing they brought the two humans closer and flexed their wings. The building around them began to fall and they almost forgot to dispel the barrier. They pulled their hand closer to their chest before their eyes started to glow. They could feel the warmth of the humans they held as the barrier faded, the last protection for the building the two used ending. The building crumbled quickly, it was harder the last time they destroyed a building.
They heard shouts as the dust settled and a crowd of humans saw them. They sneered, but chose instead to leave and return once a temporary home had been settled. It didn’t take long to find a secluded area that humans seemed to have missed in their greed to expand. They landed near what humans would call a mountain and seemed about even to them in height. They snapped their fingers, the mountain reforming into a place more like the home they’d been in until not long ago. It would be easiest to hide it as the mountain, keeping humans away with stories of danger.
They entered and sat at the table they’d created, finally pulling the humans from their chest. They tilted their hand letting the two humans fall off to the table. The green eyed one landed far from gracefully and the brown eyed one managed to catch herself. The brown eyed one was on her feet quickly with a new weapon they hadn’t taken yet. They considered pulling that one away too, but it wouldn’t hurt them either way.
“Tell me exactly what you were thinking when you spilled your blood, little one,” they demanded. The green eyed one was curling up refusing to look at them. It bothered them for some reason. They started to reach out for the little human again, but this time the other stood defending her.
“Don’t touch her!” the brown eyed one shouted. “If you want to e-eat someone, take me!”
“I don’t intend to eat her, you two have summoned me and I need to know why. I should not have been an option.” They were…upset at how she reacted. If they were merely going to be a meal they wouldn’t have bothered bringing them here.
“I-I’m s-sorry h-holy one,” the green eyed one spoke up, shakily climbing to her legs. “Please f-forgive her. W-when I called on y-you I asked f-for help to have eternity with the one bonded to my soul…”
“Hmm, that wording could cause something like this.”
The two humans flinched as they moved. They’d need to pull up the bonds to confirm their theory. Technically demons do have souls and could be bound like a human’s. It isn’t common though. It took a bit more effort, they had to use flames to draw out the sigils. They ignored the scent of fear which was growing increasingly troubling. At this point they hoped they were right about the bond if only to understand their protectiveness of the humans. They reached the end with a snap of their fingers, the sound causing both humans to cover their ears.
It was seconds before the light filled the room. A bond displaying between the two humans, as was to be expected. The spell took a bit of time to work, but the light continued to grow and the bonds from the humans split leaving them only half connected. They sighed again as a light left them and split as well, meeting the halves of the bonds with the humans. This bond wasn’t even normal for multiple partners. For all three of them the single bond was split in half between the two others. Their own concerns almost masked the growing fear bleeding from the green eyed one. They would start calling the green eyed one summoner and the other fighter, at least until they learned their names. If they learned their names.
“Del,” Fighter whispered. Apparently she had little teachings on their kind. Whispers wouldn’t keep them from hearing when focused on the humans. “What’s this light? What does it mean?”
“It means,” they started. They leaned closer, resting their head in their palm. Their shadow engulfed the two humans as they stared down at them. “The three of us are bonded. Our souls that is. When the little one requested to have eternity with the one bonded to her it meant both of us.”
“Look, I know you’re some god or whatever but that’s insane.” Fighter backed up closer to Summoner, they were starting to get curious about the way she was shaking. “We’re humans we can’t be bonded to some almighty celestial being or whatever gods are…”
“They’re right,” Summoner’s voice was hoarse. They didn’t like that, these humans were seeming to revive the emotions they’d snuffed out. ”It’s the same thing I followed to you… I just thought the other line was something else. This is all my fault.”
“What? Del, no it’s fine.”
Their little summoner was shaking worse now. They were growing possibly distressed by this. They shouldn’t have been summoned and a bond like this wasn’t going to improve the situation. They hadn’t been here in so long humans only seemed more confusing. They hadn’t even known the current language at first. They watched as Summoner fell to the ground again, Fighter holding her tightly. It seemed like the shaking they noticed was getting worse.
They folded their arms and rested their head there, getting a clearer look at their summoner. It wasn’t immediately obvious, but she was crying. She was saying things, she’d been taught well. They couldn’t hear her and reading her lips wasn’t quite the option at this point. Their hands were itching, like there was a need to comfort the humans. They couldn’t remember the last time they’d felt anything more than boredom or malice towards humans.
“....insatiable…fault… how many… fool…” Summoner said. There were bits of her statements reaching them that gave them an idea of what exactly was happening. They sighed as they felt what might be guilt for the first time. The two stared at them, a new fear emanating off of them. It was becoming annoying how distasteful this fear was.
“I assure you little one, I’m not an insatiable monster of any kind. You’ve both been misled though, I’m fairly far from a god. I believe the term in your current language is demon,” they explained. Their summoner jumped up hugging herself and shaking her head. Fighter tried to grab her to calm her down.
“No no you… we worship gods. They help people and then take their souls to eternity. I-I was leading people in worshiping you. Y-you ate someone, you left that barrier that wasn’t supposed to be broken until we made a deal… what in the world has my purpose been at this point!?” Fighter was desperately trying to grab Summoner, but the terrified human pushed the other away. “I’ve encouraged dozens of people to pray for demons?! This ritual was unique, but there were others! Alessia, how many people have I encouraged to-to…” She looked up at them, fear and pain bleeding through her as she fell to her knees again. “...to be eaten by monsters.”
Fighter was at her side immediately and holding her. The two gently rocked from side to side. Ash wanted to offer some comfort, the pain sounding worse than they’d seen from humans in their memory. They reached out for her, but Fighter glared to stop them. They didn’t pay attention to her glare this time, moving to touch Summoner. She jumped looking up at them with fear and anger in her gaze. They didn’t like that look on her face.
“I won’t be eating another human,” they said. They weren’t lying, they didn’t have a need to feed at all. There was something they couldn’t name that spurred them to end that human’s life. “As I said, I’m not some insatiable monster. I just removed the intruder in the fastest method.”
“So what happens if we’re the intruders?!” Summoner shouted. They were taken aback, until now she’d seemed almost meek. “What happens when more humans show up here confused because of what you made? Or-or they come searching for us? Or someone just stumbles along here?!”
They were definitely feeling what had to be guilt. They used a claw to carefully direct Summoner’s eyes up to their face. They brought their other hand close and brought a claw to hold Fighter’s face up as well. They never thought about human looks before, but these two seemed adorable. Both had some spark that made Ash curious about them, as well. They didn’t want to see the fear on the small faces before them again.
“If there are more humans that come near me while I’m here I will not do anything to harm them, I will just send them away,” they promised. “I won’t kill another human unless there’s no other option.”
“What constitutes no options?” Fighter said. There was a fire in her eyes and she pulled her head from their claw. “You being hungry or wanting a snack? How long are we actually going to be safe? When are you going to let us go….or at least Del go…”
They sighed and noticed the way it blew the clothes and hair of the humans around. They could do anything to these humans and nothing would happen to them. They felt almost possessive looking over them, it had been so long since Ash felt more than a flit of emotion. They pulled their hands back letting the women go back to focusing on each other. Clearly their words weren’t enough, but they almost didn’t want to make a pact unless the humans trusted them. They would still be with them if the pact was made either way. The granter saw the pact through, that’s how this works.
They stood, the fear and anger making them feel wrong. It wasn’t like other humans and they didn’t want to sit with it. They quickly left the home they’d spawned for now taking off once more. They knew the two humans wouldn’t be able to leave even if they managed to get down from the table. Regardless of what their humans intended, they’d have a demon with them for the rest of their lives. Seeing the anger on Summoner’s face had them returning to the place of their meeting.
The humans of the village were still out and they smirked. Ash enjoyed the shouts as they landed and their shadow engulfed the humans. They flexed their wings as they crouched causing most of the crowd to stumble back. The few armed humans dropped their weapons to attempt and block the wind from their wings. They could already see the avarice that dripped through these humans. For the first time their boredom with it was replaced with an anger they couldn’t understand. They took in a deep breath, searching for the families of their humans. They weren’t happy to come up with nothing remotely close.
“I want the families of the humans I took to step forward,” they announced. Unlike with their humans they let their voice be loud enough to cause trouble. These humans weren’t pact bearers or potential ones, they received no kindness. When no one stepped forward their tail whipped the ground behind them and they flexed their wings. “Well?”
The crowd stayed silent and still as time ticked on. They were growing tempted to just pick up as many as they could to force things to move forward. Finally a group of well dressed humans stepped forward. They didn’t have the smell of Ash’s humans. They smirked as they realized that this family was of the human they’d devoured. Perhaps they had to be more specific about their request. Ash had to push the strange feeling bubbling in them away, even demons had family. They sneered at the gathered humans.
“And the other two?” they asked. The family flinched before one of them stepped forward. They narrowed their eyes as they awaited the excuses.
“Th-the women were both left with no family,” the human spoke. “W-we were the closest for the priestess since she was betroth-”
Ash growled, they didn’t intend to, but it slipped out. Their human wasn’t betrothed, she was being kept against her will it seemed. From the small interaction she was going to have nothing to gain and everything to lose. They whipped their tail again and let their eyes glow. They hated these humans. It was a new feeling overall, they’d never felt hate before. They wanted to just end the humans and find what they wanted on their own, but guilt seemed to hold them back. They saw the faces of their humans and didn’t want to see the pained faces in person again.
“W-would you tell us w-what happened to the th-three you took?” a different human stepped forward to ask. They were dressed like their summoner, but Ash could see through the act. This human knew what they were facing. This fear they could relish in at least.
“Two are alive,” they drawled. They placed a hand on their stomach, the fear washing over the crowd of small humans better than anticipated. They grinned at the hope that fell from the faces of the crowd. They’d stopped enjoying tormenting humans centuries ago, but these ones were different. “I want their belongings. The two women… everything they own. Give it to me now before I lose my patience.”
“No!” One of the humans shouted. It seemed they cared more for the cruel, weak soul Ash devoured than the strong and pure ones they still had. One of the members of the family that had stepped forward started to stumble closer. “Not him please! Take me if you took him! I can’t live without him!”
“Hush!” The one that admitted they were closest to family for their summoner grabbed back the begging one. They started trying to whisper, something settled in Ash’s heart making them focus enough to hear the comments. “If it finds out your relationship with him, the priestess will too. We still need her to do the damned ritual for us. Her soul has been the only one strong enough to arrive here in too long.”
They were losing patience quickly. They didn’t want to acknowledge the anger that those words caused. They moved quickly pinching the clothes of the one who’d whispered and pulling the human up. The creature flailed and tried to grip a claw as the ground grew farther away. They could smell the blood as the human yelped, Ash had horribly sharp claws. They swung the human in front of their eyes and smiled as that same beggar screamed more asinine words.
“So you need the human back to grant something for you creatures,” they chuckled. “All of you have some disgusting plans don’t you… Bring me what I want before I change my mind on letting any of you live.”
They whipped their tail again, silencing the humans who had started to beg. They brought a darker glow to their eyes and released the human they held. As the others screamed they halted the fall with a tight grasp of the human’s sides. They raised an eyebrow, satisfied as the crowd dispersed. They waited for the humans to stop leaving before placing a hand flat on the ground. That one who was dressed like their summoner stumbled back.
They played with the human they held as the others ran back and forth. Books, clothes that had clearly been fixed many times, and weapons were dropped in their palm. The scent of their humans bled off the items, the clothes seemed to be shared between the two. Looking at the ones around them more anger seemed to bubble as they took in the nice clothes each human wore. Even the one dressed similarly to one of their humans was dressed better. The humans stopped bringing new items and they took a moment to decide their next move.
“I-is there anything else you need?” one of the humans asked. They ignored it at first, but took in the look of the homes surrounding them. They had no idea how human homes were in relation to a demon’s.
“Which of these homes is the nicest?” they asked. They locked their eyes on the one in their grasp and added the smallest bit of pressure. A yelp followed, causing a grin which showed off their fangs.
“Behind you!” the one they held shouted. They turned to look at the home the human desperately tried to point out. It was the smallest of the ones around them. The place looked as though it would topple over from just a flex of their wings. They narrowed their eyes as they leaned towards the home, the scent of their human leaking out of it. They started to laugh, a deep and slow laugh as they tilted their head back and held the human high above them.
“You humans truly are something else. Centuries since I’d enjoyed being near a single one of you and yet here I’ve been made to laugh. If you think lying to me is smart, perhaps I’ll let you join the fool from earlier after all.”
They waited for the words to sink in. The crowd slowly gasped before they let a wide smile take their features. Moving with a deliberate pace, they opened their mouth below the human they held. They waited as the growing fear of the one they’d chosen to torment filled their senses. Once satisfied they lowered their hand at what had to be achingly slow for the human. They still had no intention to harm the fools, but a showing of the danger they truly presented seemed to be necessary.
“Wait!” the one who pleaded earlier shouted. They halted their movements, the human they held was just close enough to reach for their teeth. “It’s the one on the hill, it’s our home! That’s the nicest of the homes here!”
They pulled the human from their mouth and dropped them into their palm. They stood to their full height and stared down at the human who spoke up. It didn’t take long for them to realize that Ash was expecting to be given a guide. The human ran once the realization hit and Ash let out another dark chuckle. These humans had some secret they were guarding and it was almost tempting to learn of it. Not enough to keep them here much longer. The human stopped at a home that looked to be bigger than the others and waved their arms.
Ash took one step, more of a half step, to get closer before crouching down again. They saw the human in their hand panicking as the other spoke again. They tuned out the words, quickly ripping off the top of the building and looking over it. It seemed to match the homes that demons kept, although a bit archaic in design. They could only assume it had to do with a lack of magic. They were starting to reach for the human in their hand again before a scent hit them.
Their eyes started to burn as the scent leaked out of the home. Blood. It was old and had been there for some time, but it wasn’t the blood that angered them. It was that it smelled like their human, their summoner. They closed their eyes and took in a deep breath, finding scents similar to their fighter human too. It seems these humans were desperate to die. They should consider it lucky the crying and angry faces continued to control their actions. They glared down at the human in their palm as they closed their fist.
“You…” they growled. Their human guide looked up in fear before nodding and moving towards them. “Give me the items you’ve hidden or this one dies. I’ll kill another human for each item you try to trick me with or attempt to keep hidden.”
They snapped the fingers on their free hand which was followed by shouts from the humans. They watched as the one that guided them moved to see the small barrier Ash had put in place. This time there wasn’t going to be leniency, these humans had attempted to lie and trick them too much. They closed their fist a little more, the human in their hand screaming likely from being forced to bend in ways they shouldn’t. Ash didn’t care, they could remove the blood from the items and these humans didn’t have souls worth any demon’s time.
The human rushed into the home and Ash watched with an impatient gaze. They had been patient enough, letting their tail whip the ground behind them and causing a commotion from the trapped humans. The one they sent in seemed to be searching desperately, finally pulling out a thick and dark blue book. They wouldn’t have trusted the human if the blood they smelled didn’t grow clearer once the book was brought in the open. They watched as the human seemed frantic to find something else before finally turning to look at them again.
“This is the only one I know, please!” they shouted. Ash narrowed their eyes, opening their hand and plucking the human in their palm up. They dropped that human in the home and quickly grabbed the one holding the thick book. They dropped that one in their palm and looked down at their previous hostage.
“You already know what will happen,” they growled. “Give me the items or you’ll all die.”
Their former hostage seemed ready to argue, but Ash was already at their limit. They grabbed the new human from their palm, pinching their front and back this time. They shook the human to force them to drop the book. Once that succeeded they lifted them into the air and squeezed causing a loud scream. The former hostage quickly lost their will to fight and made their way to a part of the home the other ignored. The human started moving a large item, progressing on it too slow for their liking. Ash reached in and used a claw to flick the item to the side. The human stared up with renewed fear.
They growled again and squeezed the one in their hand who was close enough the human in the home would see the pain clearly. The human rushed into a door hidden behind the object Ash knocked away and they pulled their hand back. The time the human was gone did make them consider the chance they fled, but it wouldn’t be hard to recover them. The human came out with a bundle of items in their arms. Ash waited impatiently as the human ran from the home and to the hand they’d left flat. They squeezed the human in their hand once more to ensure this one wasn’t tricking them again.
“That’s all I swear!” the human shouted.
They closed their eyes and took a deep breath while focusing on the home again. It was empty of their humans’ scents this time. They stood quickly, dropping their hostage with just enough proximity to the ground to come out with a few bruises. They returned to the small crowd, tempted to end them all, but instead removed the barrier they’d put in place. They flexed their wings to leave when the smallest hint of noise caught their ears. They stared down in anger at the humans once more before lifting the one who met their eyes.
“What?” they asked. They held this human in front of their mouth, purposely keeping them in a threateningly loose hold.
“W-will the priestess be returned to us?” the human asked. Ash started to roll them between their fingers. This human had a strange level of brevity or stupidity thinking they could ask for one of Ash’s humans.
“I see now,” Ash let out a slow laugh as this place finally made sense. “You’ve been trapped here, death as your only escape after trying to trick my kin. I thought this place seemed odd. Now you expect me to hand over the only humans worth anything to the likes of you.” They let the human slip from their grasp and be held between just their claws. “Those humans are mine now. They either die as a meal or I abandon them once I’ve grown bored. Enjoy eternity in your torment…”
They wanted to let the human plummet to a painful death, but the faces of their humans stopped them again. They lowered the fool to the ground, releasing them a bit higher than the one from before. They didn’t give the humans a chance to stop them this time, using a flap of their wings to stun them all. They held the items they’d gathered close as they moved, bits of fear entering their mind. They hadn’t been afraid in a long time, but their humans might have done something dangerous to escape while they were gone. They landed at the entrance to the home they’d created hearing quiet voices and choosing to listen for a bit before entering.
“Alessia, please just stop…” Delphia begged. She watched as the other woman paced and kept taking riskier attempts to look for handholds. “We’re not getting away…”
“I’m not giving up Del and you shouldn’t either!” Alessia shouted. She winced, the demon could be back any second they should just play good.
“They might hurt you, please I don’t want anyone else to die because of me…” She tried to hold back the tears, she didn’t have the right to cry. She’d decided to abandon the place that gave her a home and the family that had been willing to see her as one of them. She didn’t regret saving Alessia or the time they’ve spent together, but the ritual was foolish.
“Del, this isn’t your fault. No one knew what would happen. Besides that guy was a creep. He wasn’t going to treat you well so there’s that?” Delphia shook her head. That wasn’t an excuse. She could have checked, she could have done something to find out more before this happened.
“He was a person, Alessia and I… I got him killed. I was selfish. I knew I shouldn’t be selfish and I was and now someone’s dead. Who knows how many people are dying right now because of me. Alessia, it was forbidden and I used it. I could have looked, or tried to at least before… You must hate me as much as I hate myself right now.” She buried her head in her knees, she’d lose everything over this. When warm hands wrapped around her own she looked up finding nothing but love in those brown eyes.
“Well, he was a shitty person. Besides Del, I’ve killed. It’s kind of my job. I’m not going to hate you because of some death. We’re going to survive this, get away from that weird town that definitely had some sick plans for you and be happy. Even if you really see things before they happen, it doesn’t mean you can see everything. We have each other and now we survive.” Alessia hugged her and she cried into her shoulder for a bit. When the two finally separated Alessia reached into the bag on her hip and offered Delphia a bit of food. “I know you don’t eat meat, but who knows if we’ll get to eat with that monster keeping us here. Just a bite ok?”
Ash had heard enough. They did admittedly forget about food, but that wasn’t hard to summon. They had been around more than enough humans to learn what was good and bad. It probably helped that one didn’t eat meat. The things they’d gone to retrieve could be harder to replace, at least they told themself that to avoid the strange feeling of guilt eating at them. They pushed open the door of the home they formed, the two humans looking at them with fear. They let out another sigh, they wanted the fear to feel good again if it wouldn’t die down. They walked over with heavy steps, realizing before sitting how that had affected the two humans. They would need to move lighter.
They didn’t say anything yet though, just dumping the items they’d retrieved for them nearby. The women took some time before approaching the pile. They kept looking between the items and Ash’s face. The concern they felt wasn’t easily hidden and they didn’t like the distrust. They let out another sigh before continuing to watch. Fighter seemed to settle with placing all her belongings back in place, each weapon seemed to belong on her person. Summoner went through everything one by one, as if it would burn her. When she started shaking again Ash decided to speak up.
“Those humans you were with are safe, a few may have some bruising and light injuries,” they announced. Their summoner looked at them with wide eyes and clutched that last book they’d retrieved tightly. They were starting to like the look of hope in them. “I had to threaten them a bit, but I told you I wouldn’t be killing more humans thoughtlessly.”
“Do…” she started. She turned away looking through things again before seeming to find her courage. “Do you plan to keep us?”
“I intend for you both to stay here until I’ve decided how to deal with our bond,” they answered. It seemed obvious and a bit unnecessary to ask in the first place. Their fighter pulled out some of the weapons she’d just put in place.
“We’re not pets, you can’t just keep us! Let us go!” she shouted. They liked her fire, no one else had that with them. They snapped their fingers and a home the size of the humans was conjured behind them. It was larger than the one they’d inspected and had some of the improvements demons tended to have. Neither woman moved toward it.
“Correct, you are not pets. You,” they pointed at their summoner with a claw almost grazing her, “summoned me for a pact. First as I stated that shouldn’t have been possible, I don’t grant them anymore. I can, but I have no need to. Second, your wish for the pact was to spend eternity with the one bonded to your soul, that does include myself. While that wasn’t a pact, I need to decide how to deal with our bond as well. Third, I’ve told your village you’ll either die as that intruding human did or I’ll leave you where I please.”
Both the humans jumped at that clearly afraid. For the first time they could think of they wanted to be gentle. They were slow and careful as they gathered the two in a palm. Fighter seemed to remember how easily they took her sword earlier and put her weapons away. They nudged them to the center of the palm before bringing them up to their face. They made it clear that they weren’t stopping their hand anywhere near their mouth.
“I can tell you now, I will not be injuring or killing either of you,” they said the words firmly and slowly. “Unless a pact is made I won’t be taking either of your souls and… I don’t think I’d eat either soul if you’d made the pact.”
“Why?” Summoner asked. It was probably the first time she looked at them without distaste. They were somewhat shocked, but also touched. They didn’t really think before reaching out to her with a claw and caressing her face. They had never felt so curious about humans before.
“Wha-” Alessia started, but they started to caress her face instead. The two humans had them curious and they already had a need to protect them. They had already decided the humans were theirs.
They didn’t have an answer. They hadn’t felt this much emotion from themself in eons. They had settled for the fact their bond would be late in their life if it even existed. It wasn’t as though they hadn’t considered this possibility, but it was more common to learn of the bond because the soul had been lost in a deal. They assumed that was their fate. It wasn’t painful to realize, they’d been empty for a long time by then.
They didn’t hesitate to shift the two humans in their hold to be able to fidget with their limbs. They could almost remember the excitement of when a human first summoned them. They’d been able to take a form small enough to be roughly human height. It was the first human that attacked them too. The next they’d shown up much larger and much less patient. They had been the granter of a lot of deals that shaped human history, but they could remember growing bored. Each human wanted the same things, spoke the same platitudes of improving their world. They sighed, starting to fidget with the weapons their fighter had placed on herself.
“Will you stop that!” she shouted. Ash froze without changing their face. Their fighter just looked at them with anger, the fear she’d held finally fading. They actually liked the look of her anger without fear.
They did as she asked, even putting her down again. They shifted their attention to their summoner who had stayed silent. Gently they pinched her limbs, rolling them slightly between their fingers. She seemed to be studying them as much as they were studying her. Since they arrived their world seemed different. They were bored at first, until they saw these two humans. The fear mixed with hope had stunned them. Hearing words they couldn’t understand, centuries of isolation backfiring on them.
Summoner actually pulled a limb free. She seemed aware they wouldn’t hurt her and put a hand on their claw. They took that as a sign to put her down. Fighter was at her side in an instant, this time looking up at them with curiosity. Their summoner just placed a hand on her shoulder and they brought their hands closer to the humans. The humans shared a look and a nod before placing a hand on the claws nearest them. They softened a bit at the show of courage.
In one day two humans had managed to make them feel so many emotions. Leaving them alone had even caused worry. They could have just made a show of the humans and held back out of guilt. They were curious and entertained by the ones they held. Something that might have been jealousy had spurred the choice to devour the intruder earlier. They could have even left, just left the two humans alone with a failed ritual, but they stayed. They didn’t know what to think.
“You don’t know why you don’t want to hurt us, do you?” she asked. Ash narrowed their eyes at her, it would be easy. Even without a need to feed these two had strong, bright souls. Worthwhile meals and a simple enough pact too. They curled their fingers in, but neither human even flinched.
“You know, it’s easier to be scared when you have that empty look. You look almost sad right now,” Fighter said. There was snark in her tone that actually made Ash smile. These humans were so unique, they wanted to protect them.
“You may be right,” they whispered. They moved on though, this wasn’t something to understand while the humans were confusing them. “What do you eat? The house should have the normal makings of a human home, but I do fail to have knowledge on food.”
“Oh…” the humans said together. Ash ignored the hint of disappointment they thought they picked up.
“I try not to eat meat…” The words were a whisper, Ash could have missed them. That at least confirms what they overheard. They snapped their fingers and human size food appeared in front of the three of them.
“That should be fine, just call my name if you need anything.” They stood to leave, intending to head further away and give their humans time without them. Clearly when they leave this home it only causes worry and they don’t like that.
“You haven’t told us your name!” Fighter called. They paused and tilted their head. That was true, no names had been exchanged between the three of them. They’d just given the two arbitrary ones.
“You may call me Ash. Until a decision is reached about our shared bond I will be keeping you safe here, at the least it grants the wish to live with your love safely.”
“Ash…” their summoner tested their name. They liked hearing her say it. They turned to walk off again, halted once more. “I’m Delphia!”
“I’m Alessia, you’d think you’d at least want our names too Ash.”
They smiled to themself at the change in attitude. This was better than the fear that had been pouring from them. They didn’t like the fear from these humans, the others were fine. Perhaps they should try being closer to human size for a bit. Although it wasn’t as if they could get very close to it anymore. The downside to power… They never considered it a downside before. These humans were changing them.