Nine Ascending

"Nine Ascending"

He prowled low in the grass between trees, hunting.  His spectral demon form moved through everything without stirring a single leaf.  His nose flared, dragging in his prey's scent as he stalked her through the woods and to a bright clearing. He was so hungry that he had to fight his impulse to rush.  But he was a master of the hunt, so he forced himself to stop and sort through his plans of attack.

His eyes glowed as he studied the young teenage girl. She stood at the edge of the small, peaceful meadow at the heart of the forest, peering up at the sun as it broke through the trees to light the area. It was quiet and somewhat sheltered here, the tall trees creating enough space for a small but smooth field.  The few sun rays played across the girl's head, creating an illusion of a halo with her blond hair.

The demon stepped a bit closer. She was oblivious to his presence.  She had magic potential- potent, but untapped. She was clearly untrained in using magic, or she would have been able to feel him following her. And he had tracked for her almost a year, watching as her powers coalesced within her soul as she grew. Outwardly, she looked like any other simple woman.  But he could see the raw power unused within her, the potential to use magic. The majority of human souls became diluted and weak before they condensed enough power to become a worthy meal, and once their souls corroded, their magic potency quickly drained. A demon could eat millions of corroded souls and gain a mere fraction of the power needed to ascend towards deification. Or they could eat nine perfectly pure, completely coalesced souls at full radiance--and immediately cross the threshold to immortality among the gods!

He had chosen the latter path. He had chosen each prey carefully, taking each target before they were able to unlock their potential, devouring their souls and leaving only dust behind. Already, he had consumed eight. Many years of careful planning, hunting, and watching over his prey had led him this far, and immortality was within his grasp! No more would endless hunger gnaw his insides, no more would he hide in the shadows, afraid of the ones with magic who could destroy him, if he were caught. One final hunt, one final soul delicacy, and he would ascend at last!

He shook his body, his incorporeal shape not touching anything, putting distractions aside. The small meadow was full of tall grasses, interspersed with hardy, white flowers that waved on tall stalks. Low bushes bearing scattered blue flowers hugged the edges of the meadow. The girl had moved to the center of the area, looking around thoughtfully, lips turned up in a soft smile.  She wore her blond hair loosely tied back with a blue ribbon, and it hung past her shoulders. Next to her was a basket.

The girl nodded, seemingly in approval of her picnic spot, and started walking around the edge of the meadow, picking several bunches of the tall flowers before returning to the center and placing them in a large bundle next to the basket. He heard her humming a happy tune as she withdrew and gently shook out a small blanket, scattering grass and dust from it before spreading it out on the grass and smoothing it. She began to lay out things on the fabric, completely oblivious to his presence.

His last hunt would be perfect. It was the last meal he would ever need, and he would savor it. And every last powerful drop of her soul's potential must be consumed and not wasted, for him to reach his full glory. He watched and memorized her movements, listening to her calm breathing and quiet mumbling as she nibbled on some bread and fruit, before she began weaving the long flowers together. She took a moment to hold it up to her hair, as if to measure her head, and then giggled quietly before she resumed braiding flowers into a slender floral rope.

She must have been a wandering, lonely person to come here, the demon thought, his plan beginning to form. Most humans became uncomfortable when they were away from others too long. As they grew up, they became more aware of being vulnerable, weak, and mortal. They didn't like to be alone with themselves, away from walls and guardians and their illusions of safety. She, however, showed no sign of that human condition--no unease showed in her demeanor at all as she raised her face to the sun with a relaxed tilt. No wonder the power was drawn to that purity of spirit! Nothing had broken her will or drained her potential.

He finished assessing her. She seemed calm, placid- perhaps a bit lonely, mostly likely over-trusting, certainly an easy target. But first, he must approach her without causing her alarm. Then, he had to make eye contact, which was difficult if she was untrained to see into the demon realm, and he was in his incorporeal form. Once he made eye contact, he would reach through her eyes and into her soul, and devour her magical potential to ascend.

Therefore, for this, he must take a physical form. While going unseen was vital while he followed her and measured her ability to use magic or not, ultimately, he had to be visible to her to lock eyes with and then devour her. And it was his favorite way, the simplest way, to win his target's trust by approaching them as a young, hungry cat or pup, whining pitifully until he caught them by their tender heartstrings. Those he hunted were the gullible, overly compassionate sort, easy to lure in. He'd lead them away from others, maybe with a limp or a heart-wrenching whimper, until they followed him far enough to be unprotected. Then he'd allow the charmed victim to pick him up, run their fragile, mortal fingers through his fur, and stare into his cute, wide eyes.

And then, and only then, would he would let himself- The Endless Devourer- LOOK out from his eyes. His terrible, hungry gaze would burn into their eyes, latch onto their souls and drink them in. As he devoured their soul's full potency, his eyes burned brighter and brighter with power as theirs faded. With each delicious sip, they disappeared, and he became more.

As his final target seemed more solitary than others, he deemed her more likely to welcome a cat than a dog. He didn't even have to lure her away. She was already alone. He just had to lower her guard as he approached her. His mind set on the cat form, he decided to go with the field's sunlit colors, and concentrated. His spectral form solidified, pouring itself into a gracefully-shaped cat, eyes blue as the sky and the scattered bush flowers. His fur was creamy white, with just a hint of sunny shimmer. He turned a slow circle, inspecting himself. Sleek, but not too perfect. Shiny fur to be tempting, but not overly perfect. Eyes slightly bluer than real, wider to captivate, hiding the void behind them. A skinnier body to look waifish and weaker. Endearing. Charming. The timeless trap.

The girl in the meadow by then had stopped humming and playing with flowers. She sighed, her back still towards him, and stood with one hand shading her eyes as she checked the sun's position in the sky. He began to wend his way through the grasses towards her. It seemed like she was leaving, and she was putting things in a basket and sweeping crumbs from the blanket, muttering some hurried things under her breath. He sped up, not wanting to lose this easy last meal. Letting her get away now from this secluded area would be extremely foolish. He fought the urge to drool as he hastened closer and could smell her soul's glorious perfection.

He broke through the grasses into the area she'd trampled down into a small circle, giving a tiny mew of feline helplessness. He brushed against her calf. Looking up at her, he paused, holding a paw as if it pained him, then shifted warily past her in the way of all cats when she reached for him. He didn't move far though, just an arm's length, where he hesitated with practiced timidity. He looked at her, then cleaned the paw cautiously until he felt her shift towards him, slowly.

"Aw, aren't you a beautiful one?" The girl's voice was soft and gentle. "Look at you, all the way out here. Is your paw hurt?" He flicked an ear, gauging her words. Yes, look closer! Look at this beautiful coat. See the paw, see how vulnerable and weak this creature is. Surely you must want to help...

Indeed, her next words were coaxing, "Come on, come over here, it's nice and soft!" She patted the ground near him encouragingly, making her movements slow so she wouldn’t startle him. Anticipation built within him as he lowered his head and stepped towards her, as if uncertain. She was making this so easy! He was nearly giddy as her hand reached down to stroke his fur and he prepared to gaze into her eyes for his final, mouth-watering, god-ascending, mortal meal of human soul.

But Instead of her hand petting him, her fingers slipped a coarse, grass-flower woven collar around his neck. He startled, backing up instinctively before feeling something burn behind him. Full of alarm now, he hissed and tried to shift back to his spectral self, but felt his incorporeal form fail to take shape, and his spirit was forcefully snapped back into the cat's body so hard that his legs wobbled. He started to lift his head and found the sharp, ancient blade of an athame pointing at his nose.

Ice poured down his spine. His senses finally clicked into overdrive as he processed the situation. Somehow, she HAD harnessed her magic potential, and managed to keep it hidden from him. She must have prepared for this moment ahead of time, for he was surrounded by a magical circle. He'd unknowingly crossed into it when he approached her, and she'd sealed the circle when she'd patted the ground after he'd gotten close enough.

He was now bound by a collar, braided from magically-infused grass and strands of the girl's own long blond hair. As delicate as it looked, it tingled and glowed with binding magic against his throat. And it was no simple blade that she pointed at him, but an ancient athame. It was likely an artifact, brimming with generational old magic. He had no idea how she'd hidden her abilities for so long, much less an artifact of power from his senses when he’d been watching her for over a year! He let out a strangled yowl of frustration and forced his eyes to meet the face of the young woman. How dare she threaten him, on the cusp of his ascension! He would fight back with every bit of power his eight souls could wield!

His dark, hungry, furious glare met her bright, glowing powerful stare. He tried to grasp her soul, but her eyes were so bright it burned into him, instead. Their gazes clashed, struggling for dominancy: his blue voids against her pure white light. Her light grew, brighter and brighter, overflowing with brilliance, blazing into his eyes with a force he couldn't even slow. It was unstoppable, seeping into his darkness, pushing him back to the edge of his own soul, making him a prisoner within himself. Instead of feasting on her soul, he felt the souls he'd already devoured trying to escape him and join the girl's light. His immortality was trying to escape! He writhed with all the panic of a cornered cat and a demon at the same time, squeezing his eyes shut against her light and the agony of her blinding sight. He would not let a single, burning teardrop fall. He would not let go of them, would not surrender even one precious bit of the power he'd collected!

He had to think; he had to compromise. Survive, and come back stronger! "If I promise not to eat you," he hissed, his tail’s movement betraying his pain, "will you let me go?" There was a long pause as she just stared at him. If there was any doubt that she'd known he was a demon and not a cat, it was dispersed by her lack of surprise when he spoke.

"If you do not eat me," she said, amused, "wouldn't you just eat another?" She shook her head. "I don't think you're fully aware of your situation. I could free those souls within you, and you'd be destroyed in the process." He shuddered; she tapped her athame on one palm and continued. "In this field, there is not one circle, there are many. Circles upon circles, blessed by decades past before today. I could trap you here forever, like this, and your power would feed the circles for eternity."

Her threat was real; with his senses sharpened by fear and lit by the unveiled power of the girl before him, the circles in the ground throbbed with runes and conduits and old, old sacrifices. The magical lines acted like binding nets for a greedy demon. A bound demon kept here could fuel many enchantments for a person- or many people- with strong magical abilities. He must not be trapped here, to be slowly drained for who knew how long. Anything but that! He amended his first offer.

"If I promise not to feast on ANY more human souls, will you let me go?" Perhaps, someday, he'd find a way around that, but survival came first. A dead demon could not ascend. Or one trapped forever in the heart of a circle's snare. Or burned away in the light of purifying flame.

She shook her head sadly, twisting her athame to catch the rays of the sinking sun. "I do not think I can trust the word of a demon who wants to eat my soul," she said, heavily. The keen edge of the blade glinted red with the setting sun, and he felt his feline hackles rise with the sudden understanding of his new fragility and helplessness.

"Will you drain me then? Will you destroy me? Will you chain me forever in torment to pay for my sins?" Fear battered his mind and he hissed, trembled, and shook.

She knelt next to the cat-demon even as he cringed away from her, his terror no longer an act. She ran her hands through his fur, and he shivered, feeling like a shadow exposed to direct sunlight. Never before had he made so fatal a mistake, so horrific an error in judgement. The collar around his neck, for all that it was made of grass and flowers and hair, felt like unbreakable iron. It weighed him down to the ground, where he lay, truly weakened and vulnerable, while his mind raged futilely against his bonds.

She rested her hands on his head, and a strange, buzzing magic sank into his flesh, his bones, and into his demon self, anchoring him to the cat’s shape. It enveloped the terrible hungering darkness that filled him, and forced his fierce, wild, howling madness into a single, dark winding thread that wove itself into the collar around his neck. The strands of her hair, the strands of magic-infused fibers, and the strand of his soul formed into a braid that held and contained his demonic hungering void. Into the emptiness of his hunger, her warm pure light slowly expanded. The souls that clamored and shrieked within him, his precious steps to godhood, floated sedately, in the odd new light that glowed within. Slowly, a small, tiny ball of light formed within his mind--his own, lonely fragment of a soul. It drifted from his head to his core, where it joined the eight other lights within him, and they began to spin in a joyful pattern. In a way he could not fathom, his own hunger had devoured itself, and left him changed. Not quite ascended, but no longer mortal. And for the first time in his life, his mind felt clear and light. Warmth bloomed within him.

She studied him a moment. The darkness was gone from his eyes, though the impossibly blue color remained. She tapped his nose pointedly with a finger as she spoke. “The question is not, 'Will I let you go?' nor is it ‘Will I kill you?’ because neither is an option to me."

He took a minute. He let the new realities of the day work through his mind. To think of the right question. Her power was warm within him, unlike the chaos he'd carried before. He was bound to her, in ways he couldn't understand, and yet felt the future opening up to him like clouds parting in the sky. He pondered. She scratched under his chin. He let her, and it relaxed him. It felt oddly… acceptable. She took the ribbon from her hair and tied it to the collar that now felt like a part of him. The bow smelled of sunshine, flowers, magic, and... hope.

It seemed like an eternity passed before he had the strength and courage to raise his eyes once again to meet the wise ones watching him. She nodded, encouragingly, and he was shocked to find himself purring with gratitude. Or was it love? He melted against her. "How long may I serve you, my lady?" he asked.

She beamed approvingly, and he felt the strangest urge of wanting to run in circles with glee.

If the collar had felt binding, her next words set him free.

"Nine lifetimes would be sufficient, I think," she said.

 word count: 2991

Inspired by tales of ancient familiars and magical bindings.

Written over the course of 2-3 weeks (about 4 hours a day at a time) and edited 4 times. (got too long and had to tighten it up)

Image rendered (2 hrs) in Daz Studio

Items used: Cat Zeus/Abyssinian shape/texture by Vyuser, Rainbow Grasslands by Predatron, Phantoms II by IgnisSerpentus, floral collar from Goldtassal’s Bonbon hair accessories for G3 and G8. 

Word Count: 3824
Hours Spent: 65
Software Used: DAZ Studio 4 With IRAY