A Price for Revenge

Part 1

Our world has never been a fair place. But five decades ago, things got even worse as entities from another world invaded Earth and, with their omnipotent powers, they made themselves above all human laws!

I was standing in front of two gravestones, under which my wife and our unborn child found rest and couldn't shed tears, because none were left in me, but the clouds made up for that by pouring torrents of rain down, as if was trying to mourn for my loss.

Yes, I knew perfectly well who was responsible for this monstrous crime. But there was nothing I could do about it in my current state because the murderer was a demon!

And just like that, my life had no meaning and my existence was driven only by the desire for revenge. But at that time, I could not imagine the price I would pay in attempting to achieve this goal!

With the arrival of higher beings, some people awakened their supernatural abilities! The most powerful were witches, whose strength was second only to the demons. But I was just a wizard, and was only slightly stronger than an ordinary human being. Could that stop me? Of course not!

First of all, I sold all my belongings, because they were no longer useful for me. Then, I fully immersed myself into research on the nature of magic.

Since ancient times, there has been a rumor, or perhaps it's just an urban legend, that even an ordinary girl could gain the powers of the witches!

The idea that this was possible caught my imagination! What if I too could have that power? Unfortunately, no witch was willing to share their secrets, so I spent the next six months searching through the halls of various libraries for forbidden knowledge.

But, alas, it was all in vain! Desperate, I stood on the edge of the rooftop, thinking how easy it would be to join my loved ones in their eternal rest.

"How far are you willing to go in your quest for power?" a tired female voice called out from behind.

I turned around. A few feet away, stood a young woman with an unnaturally beautiful figure. I looked into her eyes, and there was something there that made me think that she had experienced more than most people should.

"I am ready to go to the very edge of the abyss and sacrifice my life for that!" There was not even a hint of doubt in my words.

"This will only be the beginning. You will lose everything you hold dear!" the woman said as she spread her palms, and a yellow flame began to dance between them. After a few moments, in the light, a book began to take shape.

"I have nothing left to lose!"

"You are deeply mistaken," she said with a sad sigh as she handed me the grimoire.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Helping? On the contrary! But having been in your shoes, I know you won't stop. I have my own goals, and you will be merely a pawn to achieve it".

With trembling hands, I took the book that was held out to me. As I did, the woman in front of me vanished into yellow flames.

Few people have ever met a witch, much less received "help" from one, but at that time, it didn't seem to matter to me at all!

With renewed hope, I rushed back to the room of the rundown hotel.

Closing the door and drawing the curtains, I excitedly opened the grimoire!

The symbols of the witches' language flashed before my eyes.

Endless formulas with detailed descriptions, but I understood only a small part of what was written.

Page after page, I searched frantically for something.

Even though I didn't quite know what it was!

Finally, the title "For those in search of power" caught my attention.

Without further ado, I immediately sat down on the floor and began drawing a pentagram with fearsome enthusiasm.

The final touch is just a matter of time!

Standing in the center, I took out penknife and, without hesitation, slashed my palm across.

Drop by drop, scarlet blood fell to the floor, and soon the scribbled drawing burst into yellow flames.

My vision went black, and the next thing I knew, I was drifting away into oblivion.

I was still in a daze when I heard a low cough. "Who might you be?" came the deep, almost growling voice of a man.

I tried to open my eyes, fighting off dizziness and nausea. Everything seemed to be floating around me, and it was hard to concentrate. However, my senses run wild the moment I saw a figure sitting directly in front of me in a large chair that looked more like a throne!

"Demon!" came out of my mouth.

"Archdemon!" the creature corrected me fiercely as it rose to its feet.

A tremendous figure that is at least twice the size of me!

His yellow eyes, with cat-like pupils, looked at me curiously.

Suddenly, he blinked, and for the first time, I noticed that he had no eyelashes and that his eyelids were vertical.

A predatory smile appeared on his reddish-skinned face and he raised his horny growths, which served as eyebrows.

"Garnard! One of the thirteen lords of the abyss," he said, walking towards me.

Putting aside the long tail, the body of a demon was similar to a human, and the strangest thing was that he was dressed in a tight black silk suit!

Stopping just a step away, he crouched down. But even so, his figure towered over me. "Foolish mortal, do you even realize what you've done?" he said with a slight laugh.

My heart was filled with terror, but then I realized that I didn't care about my own life. This indifference saved me, and I was able to say, "I came here to seek power!"

His laughter was almost deafening! "Do you want my power, little one? But do you know how I can share a piece of this very power with a mortal?"

"I don't care! I'm ready to do anything!" I finally stood up, but even in this position, our eyes were still level.

He reached up and grabbed me by the neck. Claws protruding from his fingertips dug into my skin. He leaned even closer and whispered mockingly, " So be it! Rejoice, as tonight you will experience the taste of my seed!"

Garnard released me from his grip, and my legs began to feel weak so I immediately sagged again.

The demon's voice kept running through my head: "Taste of my seed!

" He could not mean anything else. It also explained why only women could possess those powers!

I began to think, recalling various words from the grimoire: "Mistress", "Blood Deal" and "Eternal Servant".

As if losing interest, the Lord of the Abyss returned to his throne, poured a glassful of scarlet liquid and took a sip.

When my thoughts seemed to reach a dead end, I started looking around. I was in a vast room with stone walls, and the sky outside looked strange. I was sitting on the hide of an unknown creature, and there was a giant bed nearby, as big as a great demon.

A few minutes passed before Garnard spoke again. "You know, if it had been any other archdemon, he would have annihilated you in a heartbeat!" he said. "After all, a man offering himself for pleasure is either a disgusting joke or an unforgivable insult!"

"What will happen to me now?"

"Well, I'm not as bloodthirsty as my brothers and I'm quite open-minded! So, right now I'm considering whether you are worthy of brightening up my loneliness tonight."

"This is absolutely ridiculous! I am not going to do it!"

The demon leaped out of his chair and growled menacingly. "It's no longer for you to decide, mortal!"

Then, with an exasperated shake of his head, he returned to his seat. "You offered me your blood, so you no longer have free will!" he said. "You are now my servant, and you will do as I command."

"How could I be so foolish? Did my hatred truly cloud my judgment?" I berated myself, still not believing what was happening.

The demon continued to stare at me, and laughed, "What an interesting turn of events!" A second later he extended his hand and held out his index finger. With a claw, he beckoned me towards him. "Crawl up to me", he said.

My body fell to all fours on its own accord, and I obediently moved towards Garnard, not daring to disobey him.

The demon snapped his fingers and said, "Anna, clean up this man." As he spoke, he gave me a look of disgust. "I want to see what lies behind this neglected exterior," he added.

In the next moment, the woman who had given me the grimoire stepped out from behind the throne!

"You! You set me up!" I blurted, not able to control my anger.

"I warned you, but you said you were ready for anything." After answering, she turned to Garnard and bowed. "I will do as my lord desires."

"Anna, are you doing something behind my back?" the archdemon asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"This man sought power to take revenge on one of the demons, or to be more precise, one of your offspring."

"What exactly did my kin do to deserve such hatred?"

"He and a hundred other lesser demons invaded Earth, bending the world to their will. But specifically, Heball ended the life of a wretched mortal's wife for fun."

"Earth is your home world, isn't it, Anna?" Garnard laughed again. "As usual, you try to achieve your goals through someone else's actions! It's just another proof that I chose you as my main servant for a reason."

The archdemon reached out his hand, which I immediately took.

"I am willing to grant you power," he said.

"But to do so, you must give up everything you have been up to now!

You will go through the most terrible pain, and like a great sculptor, I will shape you anew so that you can receive my seed and become a vessel capable of bearing my child!

" Anna's eyes widened in surprise, but she did not dare to contradict her master.

I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn't get the words out. Closing my eyes, I tried to channel the boiling anger inside me. Only then was I able to nod in return.