The sun rested just above the horizon as night slowly crept across the world.
Kale tiptoed across the brittle, frost-covered grass as he emerged from the forest that bordered his small town. Before him lay an open field, and beyond it stood a graveyard with an old church looming beside it. The paint on its walls had peeled away over time, and the entire structure trembled faintly in the wind. Colorful stained glass filled the front of the building, depicting the image of a towering sacred tree, the holy Vrizen.
A cold gust of wind swept over Kale, making him shiver as he continued forward. When he finally reached the church door, something strange stopped him. From inside, he could hear voices. At first it sounded like singing, but the tone was distorted and unsettling. He felt vibrations pulsing through the ground beneath his feet, sending chills down his spine far worse than the cold ever could.
Kale inhaled deeply, gathering his courage to enter, but before he could grasp the handle, a sudden sharp pain struck his back.
"W-what the…"
His body went limp, collapsing onto the ground while his eyes remained wide open. Above him stood a pale figure with an unnaturally wide grin. His sharp canine teeth glinted in the dim light, and bright yellow glasses sat upon his face above slicked-back black hair. That was the last thing Kale saw before everything faded to darkness.
Drip Drip Drip
Kale slowly opened his eyes. His muscles felt stiff and heavy, and the air around him was cold and damp. Lifting his head from the hard, wet stone beneath him, he saw that he was in a vast underground chamber made entirely of rough limestone bricks. The room was empty except for shadows and a single wooden door ahead.
What happened? I was heading toward the church, and then… my head hurts…
His thoughts were interrupted by the rattling sound of metal.
Kale tried to stand, but immediately collapsed. Looking down, he realized his wrists and ankles were bound in thick chains.
Clank Clank Clank
Howl Howl
There must be other people down here, but I can't see anyone in this darkness…
"Kale…"
He whipped his head around. Behind him, chained against the wall, was his professor, Mr. Walnut.
"Professor! Why are you here? Where are we?" Kale rushed out the words before coughing violently. Dark blood splattered onto the stone floor beneath him.
"Quill…"
Professor Walnut's head drooped forward, slipping into unconsciousness.
Creeeek
The wooden door creaked open. The same pale man from before stepped inside.
"Oho! Seems you have become acquainted!" he said gleefully.
Kale glared at him in silence.
"What's with that look? I'm only joking," the man laughed, clapping his hands mockingly. "You already know each other anyway, no need to be so gloomy!"
Howl Howl
"You must not have met my… friends."
The pale man took a few steps toward the center of the room, beside Kale. He smiles at him before grabbing a string dangling from the ceiling and gently tugging on it. A dim light flickered on, revealing the room to Kale.
The pale man stepped toward the center of the room, stopping beside Kale. He smiled down at him before reaching up and grasping a thin string dangling from the ceiling. With a gentle tug, a dim light flickered to life, slowly revealing the room.
What…the…fuck
Kale gagged, his stomach twisting as he fought the urge to vomit. Bodies were chained along the far wall. Their limbs were twisted at unnatural angles, flesh torn and broken. Frozen terror was etched across their faces, and one man's eye hung loosely from its socket, swaying with each shallow movement of the air.
"Ah, how rude of me," the pale man said cheerfully. "I never introduced myself. You can call me Quill. I'm not human like you. I'm a Seer. Though I suppose you would call me a demon."
"I don't remember asking."
"Oho! Feisty," Quill laughed. "Bold, considering how easily you walked straight into my grasp." He reached down and patted Kale's head as if mocking him.
Perfect, now!
Without changing his expression, Kale activated his Soul Art. Thin strings of Soul Energy slid from his palms, creeping silently across the stone floor. Quill turned toward the door, still amused, unaware.
The moment his hand touched the handle, something yanked hard at his ankle.
Quill crashed backward, his head slamming into the wooden door with a dull crack. Before he could recover, his body was dragged across the floor toward Kale. Kale twisted sharply, locking his arms around Quill's neck and pulling him into a tight rear choke, the soul strings tightening like a steel wire slowly wrapping Quill's body.
"You really thought I was someone you could just throw around like a ragdoll?" Kale shouted, his voice cracking. "I'm better than you"
A tear slipped down his cheek.
Why am I crying? There's no time for this.
Quill's hands clamped around Kale's arm, his grip tightening as his knuckles bulged beneath pale skin. The strength drained from him slowly, then all at once. His body went limp, unconscious.
Kale started laughing.
Not because he wanted to.
The sound tore out of his chest, sharp and uncontrollable, echoing through the chamber. He tried to stop, clamping his jaw shut, but the laughter kept spilling out, each breath making his stomach burn.
This hurts. This has something to do with Quill. Wait. What is that?
A thick black smoke leaked from Quill's mouth. It did not spread like normal smoke. It held its shape, forming a dense, floating mass that drifted through the air toward Professor Walnut.
As the smoke moved farther away, Kale's laughter finally died out, though the ache in his abdomen remained. He gasped, chest heaving, eyes locked on Quill.
Something was wrong.
Quill's hair began to lose its deep black color, fading into a dull blond. His skin darkened, warmth returning to it. The sharp canines that once jutted from his mouth slowly shrank back, leaving behind ordinary teeth.
Whatever had been inside him was gone.
The smoke drifted into Professor Walnut's body.
His back arched violently as his limbs convulsed against the chains. The sound of bones shifting echoed through the chamber. His hair darkened until it turned jet black, his skin paling as sharp canine teeth pushed past his lips. With a sickening tear of fabric, black wings burst through his brown, buttoned suit. Dark black horns grew from his head, his fingernails lengthened, tearing through the leather of his gloves.
He laughed, a deep, satisfied sound.
"Ah, wonderful. This body is absolutely amazing."
The chains snapped as if they were nothing. He stepped forward, rolling his shoulders, peeling off his ruined gloves before turning his attention to Kale.
Kale forced himself to stand, fists clenched. "Who are you? No. What are you? And what are you doing to these people?"
The thing wearing Professor Walnut's face smiled. "You have much to learn, young one. Still, I will humor you." He spread his wings slightly, shadows stretching across the room. "My real name is Asmodeus. I am a Seer of Erebos, the demonic tree. I am among the few granted permission to descend and worship him."
Kale's jaw tightened as Asmodeus continued.
"I possess the ability to influence hormones and emotions. You humans call such abilities Soul Arts. I incapacitated you with melatonin and your laughing fit was a side effect of the intense emotions my natural form brings" His eyes flicked toward the mutilated bodies lining the wall. "These vessels were used to harvest negative emotions. Fear. Despair. Agony. All to be offered to Erebos on the Day of Light."
His smile faltered only slightly. "They were, at least. An urgent matter has arisen."
Kale took a step forward, rage boiling in his chest. "You're not leaving. I don't care who you are, I'll kill you for what you've done to these innocent people."
Asmodeus tilted his head, amused. "Nobody is innocent," he chuckled. "How interesting. You were so composed earlier. Now you are overflowing with such delicious emotion." He sighed. "Unfortunately, I have no time to indulge."
In an instant, he vanished.
A cold breath brushed Kale's ear.
"Some advice," Asmodeus whispered from behind him. "Stay out of this. Forces beyond your understanding are already in motion. If you involve yourself further, you will suffer a fate far worse than death."
The air shifted.
Then he was gone.
The chamber fell silent.
Kale stood frozen, trembling as the weight of what had just happened pressed down on him.