Mark of The Demon

In Too Deep

It had been two days since the time Fayeline had opened the book to summoning. She was quite surprised at how challenging it had been to procure the items needed for the ritual. Still she had finally done it. 

She now stood in the large open forests beyond the town's reach. It was technically still on her property but so far out no one should bother her. As she stood there in her simple black gown and a bundle of odd items in her arms, darkness fell. The darkness all around her was offset by the pink and purple skies up above. She knew these could be dangerous forests if you handled them poorly, yet this danger is why she felt even a remote amount of safety doing what amounted to, literal witchcraft, in its shelter. The ritual called for the entire set up to be done at dusk. So she had to move fast. Taking too long would only result in failing to get a magical aid in her endeavors. 

Red yarn tied from tree to tree in the shape of a  pentagram five trees were selected with enough space between them for her to have a working area. The red and navy candles were placed down at the base of the head tree. A black mirror, the reason she had to wait so long, Black mirrors were not a commonplace item, was placed in the center of these candles facing up so she could see her reflection. Next was a large silver basin, one often used for handwashing, was set down in front of all that. Here was the hard part… the rabbit. It was pure as snow, as required, and as cute as a button. It was sitting in the cage waiting for her to let it free. It looked up at her with slightly widened pink eyes. It must know that this was the bad part. She reached inside her soft corset and pulled out the sheathed dagger. This she pulled free from the leathers and watched as it glinted in the darkness. She then reached out and unlatched the cage.the rabbit hopped out towards her and she picked it up setting it down in her lap. 

It was so soft… So innocent… So unknowing. 

She lifted the hand holding the blade and brought it to the neck of the warm animal, her hand trembled, she swallowed hard. She pressed down and the animal twitched jerking away and she let go of the knife. It fell away landing on the ground. Her heart pounded and she picked up the animal. 

"Oh my God… What am I doing?" Her heart pounded and she winced. "This isn't me… I'm-I'm not a killer." She sighed and slumped into herself. The animal undamaged looked up at her curiously. 

"What am I even making a contract for? To undo my cousin… To become the important family? That's all so selfish. It's not me. I'm not this." A cold breeze ran across her and she looked up into the quickly darkening sky. 

"Let's just go home. I can tear this all down tomorrow. If we don't leave soon we will die walking to the house." she patted the rabbits head and began to put it back in the cage. 

A sound made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. It was a deep unearthly growl. Faye lifted her head and looked in the direction of the sound. The candles made enough light for her to see her immediate surroundings, the forest beyond however was just a dark unending void. She could make no shapes. The growl sounded close… she felt an instinctual desire to flee but into the dark was a quick trip to pain or death. An upturned root could become an enemy, making a ferocious wolf a deathly threat. She reached out and grabbed the red candle from her alter, holding  it out in the direction of the wild beast. She had expected the light to illuminate the animals body. However the light only proved to illuminate two glowing orbs of venom yellow.

The sight shocked her, they were so vibrant and severe. Yet her eyes seemed to be drawn in… she could see a tiny light in each eye… the light was held by herself. She laid on the ground of her rotting farm. She was old, wrinkled, and she was all alone in the world. Everyone had turned their backs on her, she was completely alone and forgotten. She was a failure in every aspect of the word. Oxygen was getting harder to breathe. She couldn't look away. Her own image had captured her and she would die there as empty as the girl in the wolves eyes. 

A loud cry startled the girl. It almost sounded like a baby crying. She blinked only to discover she was alone but, only for the moment and her immediate company was a pitch black wolf with yellow eyes. It had her rabbit in its jaws and was shaking it violently. The horrible sound of the animals spine snapping made her reel back in pure shock. She didn't if know if she was recalling in fear or in disgust. It was just horrifying on so many levels. The wolf then snorted and threw the rabbit into her lap where it had originally been. It then hung its head low and let out another guttural growl. It looked hungry and Faye's stomach did a somersault

"OoOooh g-good W-wolfie…" she said breathlessly. 

It made eye contact with her and Faye quickly looked away not wanting to get trapped in its gaze again.

The wolf then bolted back into the woods where it came from letting out a haunting howl. Faye's heart nearly beat out of her chest but she glanced down to see the rabbit still alive in her lap. It was twitching relentlessly and she realized it was suffering. No doctor could save this animal now. Nor could it ever live a life. Tears leapt to her eyes. This had to be the demon's work. In other words he wasn't going to let her back out now. She was being forced now. That wolf would probably be waiting in the blackness for her to try and back out. Yes, no wolf would grab an animal, break its neck, and just not eat it. Wolves were fairly docile creatures unless hungry. It was indefinitely the demon flexing its power to her. She was in the thick of it now.

Holding the animal in her arms she carried it back to the alter replacing the red candle in its place. She looked down at the suffering animal.

"Here goes nothing, I guess. Rest in peace my little friend." She took the ceremonial knife and sliced into the animal's neck, the head severed, she knew it was as close to a peaceful death as she could get.

The blood poured out and she aimed it into the silver bowl. The blood gathered rather quickly and she took a deep steadying breath. She slid a finger into the blood and them traced the pattern of the demon onto the black mirror.

"By the darkness of this night, I ask for only the light of knowledge to be my guide, to guide me to knowledge and what is right."

She then blew out those few candles and chanted in a soft whispered voice.

"I wish to set Shiwa free for the cost of my soul, I wish to set Shiwa free for the coat of my soul, I wish to set Shiwa free for the cost of my soul."

It is done.

The thought came over her mind like cool water rushes over a sandy beach. She glanced up, the night seemed extra dark. The clouds had covered the waxing moon making the whole candles being blown out much worse. The dead rabbit in her arms was slowly growing cold and she shoved it out of her lap. It made her feel even more uneasy then she already did. 

All there was to do now is wait. She had just forfeited her soul. She honestly didn't doubt that. She felt dirty having performed this task. Even if it was a fake ritual that didn't work she felt perverse. There was no backing out indeed. She had killed an animal, performed witchcraft, and was attempting to contact the devil essentially. No humans would ever understand if she said anything. She was hoping that wolves eyes were a premonition.

The worst sensation in life is just… waiting.

So when a minute of silence passed she felt fearful. When five had passed she not only felt cold but disgusted with herself. At a half hour she felt insane. She cursed the darkness and all its inhabitants… and then.

"Ah, at last. It has been a long time since I have tasted the sweet air of humanity."

The voice did not come from in front of her, as expected, but rather behind her. It was a voice unfathomably evil, reeking of corruption and darkness and something else, something that evoked images of snakes and worms and other nasty things. But as it continued to talk, it morphed, a soft baritone replacing the inhuman tone.

"Not since Alexandria. What a place, that library. The greatest collection of knowledge to ever exist ... present company excluded, of course."

Leaning against a tree was a tall, fit man, long black hair nearly reaching the floor and reading a book. But the book had no title, and the words seemed to float off the page, burning with infernal knowledge. Seeing her look, he snapped the book shut and sat up. Robes shuffled  around him, and he looked down, surprised. A look of shock, then amusement, crossed his face, and then he laughed.

"Oh, that won't do at all."

He snapped, the sharp sound echoing among the trees, and the robes warped, black tentacles wrapping around his body, visible only briefly. They seemed to whisk into his body, and as they did the demon before her slid his hand into pockets that had previously not existed. A casual suit was in its place now, the tie undone and dress shirt unbuttoned, revealing his chiseled chest and a massive tattoo, the same symbol she had drawn on the mirror, seemingly burned into his chest.

"Much better. It wouldn't do to be out of fashion, would it?"

HE looked around with bright eyes. It appeared as if he had been summoned at night. Shiwa always liked the night. Something about it called to him.

"For a while there, I did not think you would gather the strength to finish the ritual. Were it not for my servant, I would still be trapped in the In-Between place."

He threw his head back and laughed briefly, a surprisingly beautiful sound.

"But now, lets get to business. You wish for something, is that not correct? Yet you are a bit uncertain of the details on that which you wish to receive."

Slowly, he walked towards her, but his feet didn't quite touch the ground; or at least, he had no physical change on the ground or the blades of grass beneath him. It was as if he was a ghost walking through, likely some sort of magic of his. And the next second, she'd understand why. His final step took him in front of her, and as the heel of his shoes touched the ground, black crept through, tentacles scything through the ground like macabre worms. Grass, insects, even a snake that had wandered too close fell dead, shriveling and rotting. The tentacles didn't touch her, however, leaving her sitting on a perfect circle of living grass amid the death.

"So how about this?" Within his eyes, so close to hers, there was infinite knowledge, but also infinite danger. "I'll give you ... three wishes. Any three wishes you want that is within my nearly-limitless power to give, and I shall have your soul. Really, it's a steal."

...

(Sorry updates are slower! Just been pretty busy lately. The story is on my mind though and I'm trying to keep it updated for those of you that read my stories, I don't know you but I love you all x3 )