So apparently I'm supposed to write something before I submit a chapter.

The first thing, is thank you for all the encouragement. It was damn hard to write some of this and i'm sure others could have pulled it off better but some of the positive reviews and comments kept me going so cheers!

My grammar has always been criticised so if you see any errors please tell me and I'll edit this as soon as possible.

One thing that is slightly frustrating are types of demons that i haven't used. So far each one is based slightly off real legend and mythology but I am beginning to run out of things to be scary. (perhaps to some of you they are funny) But if any of you think of a "demon" that I haven't included please just comment below. That would be fantastic

Anyway here is the second chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

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CHAPTER 2

The door of our house seemed to loom above me. Perhaps because of my short body, but more likely due to the absolute dread I felt in my stomach. I wasn’t good with dread as it wasn’t a feeling I was used to having. I believe the last time I felt it was on my eldest child’s two hundredth birthday. Even then it was more a feeling of excitement, anticipating the fight to come. No, this moment, right here, standing in front of my own house about to confront two of the weakest demons I had ever met. This was where I felt “dread” for the first time. I felt enlightened at the feeling but I hardened my heart before stepping into a situation I had never dealt with before. The room was bright. Naturally lit as the sun’s light cascaded in through the window. The once familiar glare from the polished floorboards no longer had the playful feeling, but now reflected the light back into my eyes. Much like an interrogation back in my old life.

Some of you may ask why I would shine light into the eyes of those I was interrogating. The answer was simple. It was disorientating. However demons had usually built a certain natural resistance to this, so the light I had used was quite a bit stronger. Perhaps enough to singe the retina. But never more. You would be surprised on how many demons would kill themselves with their own magic upon losing their ability to see.

Anyhow. Here I was, standing in my own living room which for some reason no longer felt familiar. When both of my parents came from the kitchen. Faces ashen with what I expected to be fury. I needn’t have worried. Suddenly I was embraced. Wholesomely within two sets of arms. The soft loving pair from my mother, and the muscled protective pair from my father.

If you ask me how that night went there is not much I could tell you. There was a lot of crying of course, from all parties. Soft winged words were whispered into my ear. My Mother kept telling me she was sorry. Again and again until even I had started to cry. I’m not sure how I felt here. It was definitely a positive feeling. One that made even my bones feel light, it seemed to seep into my blood invigorating me with what I considered the epitome of happiness. Security, warmth and love. All three emotions were two much for my child like body. I no longer cared who these emotions belonged to. I had accepted my life. I was me, I was this child.

We stayed that way for what must have been a whole day. Not once did they ask me what happened, instead letting me decide what I would share. Of course I said nothing, however my father at one point had told me that if I ever needed someone to talk to, he was there. I nodded and then we all fell asleep. In my parent’s bed of course, making another first in both this life, and the last.

Almost four years have passed since I was reincarnated. In regards to the Jinn next door, they moved shortly after my visit. I can’t say I was surprised. My parents had given me a look. A look which spoke the unsaid words. The Jinn hadn’t called upon our family again. Their suspicions were augmented by them moving so shortly afterwards. A few things changed. But I can’t say they were negative. My father from that moment no longer held back on my sword training, and either my new body was able to absorb information like a sponge or the patients of a being like myself made me learn incredibly fast. My father said it was his genes that made me a natural. I figured that could also be a part of it.

Apparently there was a preferred style of the sword for each race. The humans for example placed a large amount of emphasis on a more natural form. Using the opponent’s often superior strength against them. The demons used a form entirely dependent on the first stroke. Pushing it beyond our normal limits in swirling arcs or whistling lunges. I asked my father what to do if the first stroke didn’t kill them. As every time I tried I was left woefully undefended against my father’s parry.

“That kiddo, is when you hopefully die painlessly.” My Father had joked at this but a slightly raised eyebrow told me there was a fragment of truth in the words. I grimaced before continuing the lessons. Only stopping when my Mother called me inside. Which led to another interesting lesson. It hadn’t taken long before my parents had noticed my prowess in the realm of magic.

Apparently those with large reserves of magical essence would emit an almost unnoticeable veil of energy. This troubled me. In my past life I had never worried about hiding my power. I intend to correct this fault, my mother told me about meditation to increase my ability to control my power. In this fashion and given enough time I should be able to mask it well enough.

Regardless of how they found out, my mother made it her duty to bring out my abilities of an incubus. Mainly it was illusion work. Changing my appearance or erasing my presence all together. Apparently different incubi were able to do this to certain levels. As for me? Well I was absolutely rubbish at the former. Capping my own ability at the point where I could hide my tail or horns. As for the second I mastered the art of invisibility on the third try. Causing my mother to jump in excitement, completely forgetting my formally dismal performance and running off to tell my father I was a genius. I later learned that my mother had been unable to even slightly mask her presence until she was over three hundred years old. My Father could do neither and seemed to stare in open jealousy when my mother brought him over. After a quick demonstration however I realised that what I thought was jealousy was actually pride, and with a beaming smile offered to hire me a tutor.

That made me pause. A tutor, while the idea was attractive I obviously couldn’t show them my true strength. So to hire one would only limit my alone time in which I could actually practice to improve. Perhaps I could learn something from the best. Though it would seem pretentious for a three year old to be asking for a top tier tutor reserved for the masters of magic or royalty. I shook my head in response. Which seemed to amuse my father who walked away whistling to himself.

Speaking of whistling, my parents had taken to it after the ceased calls from the Jinn. Like their singing they were actually pretty good, often learning complex tunes from the other in seconds and joining in with little harmonies right in front of me. At first I thought it was annoying, though over time I was swept up in their pace. Currently I’m always whistling. My parents seeing me copying their actions organised a few melodies that we performed as a triplet. What could I say? I was enjoying myself.

Another event worth mentioning was my mother getting a job. With more time on her hands since our neighbours moved, she began to craft beautiful gem styled cut stones. Before filling them with her magical essence. Making the dull rock eventually turn translucent and glow in a certain colour. Currently she could make blue, green and red stones. The effect varied between them, but they each had slight attributes. The red stones for example were able to heat a room to a nice temperature during winter. Each could also be used as an emergency magic reserve. All in all they were pretty handy and we ended up selling them to interested neighbours.

But more about me. Over the years I was slowly but fairly given more freedom. Leading up to my forth birthday my parents had allowed me to walk around the village unaided. From what I saw it was a small place. With perhaps only a few hundred demons living here altogether. The majority were Succubi and Incubi though there was the occasional Jinn. One person worth mentioning was the chief of the village. An overly large Archdemon. I often saw him walking around the popular areas such as the town square or the market. But there was something about him that I didn’t like. He was a ginormous male with the lower half of a bull. His face on the whole seemed kind though he had a habit of constantly stroking his lower arm. A nervous tick of sorts. I didn’t know what he had to be nervous of but I didn’t like him. So as such I tried to avoid him.

The marketplace however intrigued me immensely. Line upon line of temporary shops were constructed each morning as demons came to sell their wares. It seems our village is quite famous for the items we produce and so there is always a large line of merchants streaming through our humble gates. Surprisingly however I identified a few humans who were animatedly squabbling over the prices. I know that back in the palace a human would have been killed on sight, and on habit I almost slaughtered the first one who suddenly appeared beside me. I managed to hold myself back however and confronted my mother when I returned home.

I still refused to speak but I managed to ask my question fluently enough with the help of a stick and a patch of dirt. The question was why there were humans in our village. My mother had laughed before beginning to explain that the village tried to segregate itself from the disputes of the capital. After all, the ideals of a nation are certainly not always the ideals of the people. Especially in areas such as ours which prided themselves on their trade. For our village in particular we could not survive without the income provided to us by the humans.

My mother laughed any of my further questions off before changing the direction of the conversation. “Aare, today some friends of your Father are visiting”. I nodded wondering where she was going with this. My mother hesitated slightly before continuing. Yes~ I urged, my link with my mother pushing her forward. “And I know you’re happy, but I’ve never seen you playing with children your own age”. Shit I thought. Now completely against any idea my mother was about to put forward. My mother probably sensed my annoyance and continued quickly. “It’s not that we are tired with you Aare, it’s just…..Well they have a daughter with the same problem so we thought we would introduce you.

My heart froze. I hoped my face wasn’t as sour as I thought it was though when my mother’s face dropped I knew it was probably worse. My parents had brought up the idea of company before but I had shaken my head in rejection to the idea. It had been enough for them then, but something told me it wouldn’t be this time.

Later that day I waited tensely in the living room dressed in my father’s best approximation of presentable. A pale green waistcoat is all I need to say for you to understand what I mean. To not waste anymore time I was reading one of the many books my father kept on the more intricate points in sword play. Though when I heard the sounds of knocking on the door I put it down and bolted upright.

I quick interjection here If I may. Even during my past life I had spent the majority of my infant hood in the company of adults. Even when I grew up children were generally kept out of my way. I had hoped it was because they didn’t want them to bother me while I worked, though I subtle message from claw had told me that my reputation regarding companionship was appalling. So here I was. About to talk to something the age of a grandson, a being which I had never spoken to before and to top it off, a female. Of course I‘d had a wife during my previous life. Though it was an unhappily arranged marriage and she tended to keep her distance. Especially after the death of her final son. She hadn’t even shown up in the throne room during my final hours.

The door opened. Slowly, really slowly, far slower than I remembered it anyway, and in stepped another family. The parents were the same races as my own, though it was the daughter which blew me away. I had often head that the son or daughter of a succubus and an incubus where well regarded as being the most attractive existences ever seen on earth. As for how I looked? I could tell you, but I couldn’t care less about my own appearance, perhaps it was the child in me? Regardless the girl in front of me was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Blond hair that curled down to her shoulder blades which drifted lightly over her raised cheekbones, highlighting the dazzling features of her face. Her eyes where a crystal blue and seemed to be able to drag unsuspecting watchers down into their depths. I could continue but honestly words would not do justice to what stood before me. Use your imagination and then know that what I was seeing was better.

Looking back on what I just told you I understand I have some explaining to do. Firstly, I fully understand the implications of my age. However my child like emotions had nothing to do with the acceptance or rejection of my reality that my brained willed itself to hold. Perhaps you may find it odd to find someone like me admiring someone like her. All things considered it is weird. But then, what’s more important. The body? Or the mind? If this was weird would I need to find someone else my actual age before finding a soul mate? Imagine me trying to court a few thousand year old demon. Personally I don’t believe any of them are without discrepancy on what you may consider basic formality. So I digress please leave out your sorry speeches or hideous remarks. This is my life not yours.

Basically the evening went as follows. The parents got the two of us and placed us in the middle of the room. Before backing off to a respectful distance and stood their gawking and whispering animatedly amongst themselves. Good on you mum.

“H-h-hello, my name is L-Lye” The succubus stuttered out. Seemingly as nervous as me.

I turned to our parents, they were too far to hear our words but I caught a few squeals of “how cute” and “she’s adorable”. I nodded in response. There was no danger in replying verbally as the parents were so far away. But then I froze. What do I say? Should I be kind, should I impress? I frowned turning to hide my expression from the parents. Who I assure you let out a few giggles at my expense.

I thought quickly, surely there was something I could say. I though back to what my past father would say when he met a new women. I know this may not have been the best idea but it’s all I had so stay with me. I straightened up pulling down my waistcoat to make myself more presentable. “Lye” I said commandingly. She cocked her head, recognising her name.

I continued in a laid back tone. “Sit”. There was no magic in the word but there might as well have been. As Lye, hearing a voice of authority practically fell to the ground. She sat bolt upright, her tail swaying happily and she arced her back eager to be praised. “Good girl” I whispered, patting her head softly. She swayed in happiness practically jumping up and down. She was a good girl, happy to do as she was told. Overall I was pretty happy with my performance I decided before grinning towards the adults.

However they weren’t laughing anymore. In fact, all they did was stand there with their mouths hanging open. I beamed, evidently they were as proud as I was at my performance. I had been worried. Evidently I didn’t need to be. Dealing with children was easy!

The family left soon after and my mother and father didn’t say anything for a while. The just sat there looking at me. I didn’t see Lye again for a long time. I’m not sure why but I was disappointed. I had felt a strange bond to the girl. Oh well. I shrugged, relaxing my shoulders which were stiff from standing to attention. It gave me more time for other matters.

I was glad for the extra time. As a few weeks after my forth birthday, turmoil arrived at the gates of our city. Apparently the fighting near the capital had gotten worse.

The first warning arrived as a group of soldiers. All demons of high ranking seeking shelter within our village. There were only eight of them in the first wave. Though by one week after the first group twenty five demons had sought shelter behind our walls. I noticed grimly that the quality of their inhabiting force far exceeded our own, and it didn’t come as a surprise to me when they starting abusing their power. Stories stacked up endlessly of meals refusing to be paid for, market place fees waived and them even taking advantage of our medical facilities for their wounded.

There was also the increased danger in the streets. The original inhabitants now refused to go out alone leaving the streets bare, whilst a few racial executions kept the humans coming to our village. I could go into detail concerning the sudden deaths of the humans, but demons of the capital were never overly understanding of the race in general. As such many of the dead were mutilated beyond recognition. I refuse to go into too much depth on the matter but be sure to know that after the seventh, humans were suddenly vacant from our streets.

The consequences of their absences weren’t immediate. However in the following weeks the incoming supply of food decreased. It worsened as the occupying soldiers claimed a good majority of it for reasons that were, and I quote “capital related”. As a result I watched as the families nearby began to thin. Small slivers of fat disappearing from their stomachs every week. Of course I kept my own family alive by nourishing our food with magic. Keeping us that slight bit more satisfied. However I couldn’t overdo it. If other families saw that we alone were staying healthy then questions would begin. Question for known reasons I couldn’t answer.

On the sixth week after the co-habitation the soldiers appeared at our door. They demanded to speak with Tear, so I rushed up behind her. Should any of them lay a hand on her I swear it would be the last thing they did. To my surprise however they were merely curious about the stones that she had been continuing to make. Winter was upon us and the air was becoming cold, frost lingered on our breath and our hands would often shake uncontrollably. They said in no uncertain words that if she didn’t hand them a certain number each day, they would take them by force. Not that we had any to take by force but they did leave the comment that there wouldn’t be much of a house left after their search.

Back in the living room we sat. My Father holding my mother tightly. Whispering words I couldn’t make out into her ear. I was told to go to bed shortly afterwards, though not before seeing my mother’s pale face as she said goodnight. I hesitated slightly. The only time I had seen that face before was during my first birthday.

It kind of clicked then. While my mother was in her own right a respectable magician. She did not have the almost infinite supply of magic that I did. I know from my past life how much energy it took to enchant an item. I also know how much energy it took to make one as translucent and beautiful as my mum did. Doing some quick calculations in my head I decided that my mother could probably –given enough time- create four in a day with her reserves. Perhaps six at a stretch. It also became painstakingly obvious that the quota of ten the military had given her was beyond impossible.

I lay in bed listening to the cries of anguish. Tears of my own caressed my cheeks before the nights end. For the first time in my life I felt utterly helpless. I will admit I almost lost myself that night. I could probably have gotten away with it. Turning invisible, cutting the soldiers necks as they slept. But at what cost. In the minds of the villages it would have just traded one enemy for an unknown one. Plus we all know the paranoia they would have received would have far outweighed the suffering they were coping with currently. Perhaps another time as a last resort. But before then all other possibilities must be exhausted.

The next morning I woke early. Gathering myself downstairs I saw my Mother already at work at the table. Next to her sat three coloured stones and the perspiration was evident on her face. My father sat next to her with his head in his hands. His anger showed on his face. But the way he kept his gaze down you could tell that it was directed at himself. For being weak, for being unable to stop them, for not being able to help her.

I for one grabbed a plain rock from the roadside and sat next to my mum. Watching how she worked. To start she coated her finger in magic, before painstakingly etching the rock into a desired shape. Then she just sat there with the rock between her hands. It seemed as though all she did was pour magic directly into the stone however if you looked closely you could she had to spread the force equally. Not too slowly otherwise the magic would settle and the rock would become unusable, but not to quickly or the rock would shatter. It was heart rending to watch as my mother, minutes from completing her forth, pushed slightly too eagerly, and could only watch as the stone crumbled in her hands. Her crying at that stage was contagious. Only to stop abruptly as she fell unconscious, wasted from her efforts.

My father carried her to the bedroom. I didn’t try to hear what was going on. They deserved the privacy. I focussed entirely on the stone before me. I didn’t bother etching the stone into a shape but instead willed it to copy my mothers. This part was easy. The stone instantly morphed into the shape of the gem before falling back into my hand.

The next part was harder. I counted ruining twenty seven stones in a row. It was near impossible for someone with my pool of magic to mediate a perfect flow. I had continued my meditation sessions with my mother and along with my magical aptitude I had a near perfect control, though apparently no matter what I did the stone refused to shine.

I kept at it however with each attempt making the stone last slightly longer before fracturing. But still in wasn’t until several hours had passed when I completed the first one to an acceptable level.

The soldiers came again that night. At the time my mother was still asleep hopefully curled up in bed. The exhaustion would probably keep her that way until tomorrow morning. My father was still with my mother and still showed no intention of coming out. Luckily I sense the demons coming and before they could knock on the door and alert my parents I ran out to meet them. Grabbing the seven gems I had made along with the three of my mothers. It had been a labouring process. One which had lasted right up until moments before the employers arrive. I say the word employers lightly as we received no payment whatsoever for our service. I barely contained my snarl as the burly lead demon waited at the gate for me to reach him.

The demon who stood before me was the same as the one who had threatened us this morning. However this time around I was no longer trapped out of view so as I moved to meet him I appraised him for the first time. Around three metres tall he stood calmly with no hint of weariness or uncertainty. He was covered in blue skin that while I watched seemed to swirl and move almost as if it were alive. He had no facial features except for a mouth that usually sat covered though it parted a layer of skin whenever it opened. The sight disgusted me. As with the skin moving constantly a new patch would be torn each time allowing small flows of blood to roll down his chin, falling ominously to the ground. I gulped slightly, the Demon was called a Nickar. Even in my past life I had been cautious around them. Basically they were water spirits, capable of both manipulating there body in ways others could only dream whilst simultaneously granting them great reserves of physical strength. What scared me the most however was their almost complete invulnerability to offensive magic.

Definitely something I wanted to avoid fighting if I could. However they were known to also have a lack of intelligence that led them to let their guards down at crucial moments. Unbeknownst to him this was one of them.

I bowed my head low while presenting the gems to his outstretched grasp. He stood still for a moment before leaning down to take the gems from my hands. It didn’t take long though with the brush of contact between our hands I had inserted an almost untraceable amount of magic into his nervous system. It wouldn’t interfere with his body directly and so it wouldn’t trigger both his magical defence and his notice.

It would take a while but overnight the sliver would work its way up the Nickar’s arm and lodge itself in the brain. Hopefully if everything went well it would cloud our family and the gems he collected from his memories. I would find out tomorrow if it was successful or not. Either way I would make another batch to be sure.

A week has past and with each passing day the veil of terror slowly lifted itself off my family. The Nickar never returned. Leading me to believe that my magic had worked. I explained silently to my parents that I had given them the three elemental stones (christened by my Father) and the demons had left angrily. Thankfully my parents seemed to believe me perhaps thinking that the threat had been fake. I knew better. In my past life I had banned the Nickars from the palace. Their seeming inability to swear an allegiance was all too well known. This one was no different, and his threat would have been carried out without any semblance of doubt. Even if for only the fun of it. I kept a straight face though. My knowledge kept behind sealed lips.

The situation however only got worse. Another faction had located the position of the hiding soldiers. At first they had offered a peaceful compromise, saying that if we sent out the soldier are own lives would be secured. “What a stupid thing to say” My father had told us over dinner. “They hold us at knife point. How the hell could we send them out”? Needless to say there wasn’t much talk that night.

At last the faction decided their demands would never be carried through so with no delay they lay siege to our village. Preventing what little trade we had left. Their aim was to starve out the soldiers hiding amongst us.

Their idea worked. Too well. The soldiers drafted our entire fighting force to leave the walls alongside them. My father included. They also conscripted a number of the villagers. Focussing on those who had created trouble for them whilst they were there. I did however notice that the Archdemon escaped the conscription, even though he should have been the strongest in the village. I shrugged. Perhaps a coincidence? “Unlikely” I said softly to no one in particular.

We were told to stay inside our houses. The battle would apparently start after dark. A human army would no doubt wait for daylight before commencing an organised assault. However the majority of the demons held a certain degree of night vision. Making assaults at this time just as practical. I heard my mother draw a long breath as the ferocious sounds of multiple battle horns sounded in the distance accompanied by jeers and battle cries too far away to make out. Then, almost immediately all sound evaporated into a terrible silence. A silence that chilled all who lay in fear throughout the village. We all knew that the silence marked the point in which the two armies ceased threats and other pretences before beginning to prepare a multitude of spells that they would throw at the other side.

We waited. For what seemed like hours, though the sound of my mother’s sharp inhales of breath told me that it was mealy seconds. Then there were screams. Terrible twisted screams, deafening explosions and shouts of panic. For all those who have never witnessed a battle between demons, mark my words. It is a catastrophe for both sides.

The noise also acted as my signal to move. I held my mother close before whispering in her ear. “Sleep”. Entwined with magic, the effect was immediate. Her eyes opened suddenly, a reflex at her inability to move before falling limply across her bed. Her eyes were lifeless, but they still stared accusingly up at me. I groaned, this was the first time I had used magic on my new parents and it hurt me far more than I was expecting.

I pushed it from my mind however. Spinning around to the door that would lead me outside, lead me to the battle. I didn’t waste a moment. I knew that invisibility would be hopeless, as the higher ranking demons with the ability to search the other planes of existence would spot me from a mile off. So to compensate for my lack of anonymity I urged my magic to my fingertips. Fire danced out of my hand, swirling to form a blank red mask. It slipped easily onto my face, as fire encircled my head to cover it in its entirety. I threw my arms to the side and watched with satisfaction as a cloak of fire sprawled down from my neck hiding my small form.

It wasn’t long before I reached the amazingly open and unguarded gates of the city. Apparently the soldiers hadn’t cared for the safety of the village, instead they had dragged them all to the battle grounds. I felt a moment of relief as I slipped through the gate, careful to watch for any prying eyes and for the first time in this life, left the city. Had I had time to view the surroundings I would have noticed that the village had been perched on a hill, I would have seen the great expanse of grassland spotted with lakes that reflecting the moons light and a forest with outrageously tall trees to my right. But I didn’t care for that. All I saw was the gathering of two armies.

There were no formations, no rules of battle. Just hundreds of small skirmishes spread out across the field. With a quick analysis I noticed our own soldiers where equipped with a black plate armour lined with red patterns that showed both rank and nobility. As for the enemy, they stood out in stark contrast, each wearing an identical suit of bone white chain armour.

It wasn’t much of a contest. Our soldiers where almost entirely composed of trembling citizens, while the enemy consisted of what looked like a professional force. Where each demon lumbered across the battlefield weathering the spells that our army threw at them.

At this moment I chose to intervene. Magic pooled within me, threatening to explode as I gathered it to optimise its effect. In all my years of life I had never gathered such power within me. The closest was during the my final years when there had been a rebellion at the slave quarters. The goblins had somehow gotten the idea that being ruled over wasn’t a good thing. They were right of course but Goblins had never been the smartest of folk. Someone had given them the idea and all the leads had pointed to my brother. Just another injustice I didn’t pin him for. I had watched the goblins as they had stumbled into our city brandishing crude weapons in what they must have thought was a threatening fashion. I had simply raised a hand and entombed all five hundred of them in ice. That had been the end of it. This time it was different. My magic threatened to breach the surface, desperate to consume me. Eagerly grasping at my life force. Though I held it steady, with control I was proud of. To begin I placed both palms on the ground, instantly merging my subconscious.

I believe this requires an explanation. With a certain level of magical affinity it becomes possible to merge a section of your being into an element. This ability explains how certain creatures are capable of dissolving their bodies into smoke or fire. In my case I transferred a part of myself into the ground.

The effects of this ability differ depending on your affinity, those who had a great bond with nature were capable of disintegrating into dust and rematerialize anywhere they chose, effectively teleportation. I can’t say that I was ever good enough to completely dematerialise myself however I had dabbled enough to use a technique the elves called “true sight”. As my hands made contact with the earth my vision extended. After entering this state so many times I have lost the ability to describe how it works. However if you were to imagine your self being everywhere but nowhere at the same time you would be getting pretty close to how I feel.

I saw each enemy, I saw each ally. I watched them fight and momentarily I was detached from the battle. I saw each spell, where it originated, where it landed and whom it killed. I heard each footstep resounding heavily on the now compact earth, trampled by hundreds of feet. I felt the lifeless bodies fall to the ground, heard their last grunts of pain, and watched them release what I knew would be their final breath. Justifiably it was common for those who experienced the “true sight” to never again be satisfied with reality. With the sudden sharpening of your senses It felt intoxicating. There were even stories of demons who lost themselves in it. Leaving behind both corporeality and reasoning and merging with the chosen element. How did I react? I won’t lie and say I wasn’t tempted. This state made me closer to myself in my old life. Making everything around me, even that which I held dear fade into insignificance.

This worried me slightly. In my old life what was around me had always seemed pointless to begin with, and with my dulled emotions I didn’t feel the lust that most felt for true sight. As an incubus my feelings amplified its effect, and it threatened to tear away my memories and objective. I felt my face darken as I fought to stay focussed on the battle.

After entering this state I truly realised how bad a situation our troops were in. Most were wounded, some with thick gashes across their stomachs and others with entire limbs mangled from what could have either been a hammer or an especially nasty spell. A few still fought valiantly, though the rest backed into the centre of the pack, trying to escape the fighting by hiding amongst their own men. As for the soldiers who had caused our suffering, only four were left standing. I recognised one immediately as the Nickar who’s mouth still opened disgustingly in what could only have been a laugh. For a split second I watched impressed as he swept giant fists in terrifying arcs that literally crushed demon upon demon, caving in armour and completely pulverising any that stood beside him into an atrocious puddle of innards and shattered bone. I shuddered softly as the Nickar brought a solid fist down upon a helpless imp. Which in turn literally exploded. Whilst the idea of an Imp exploding may come across as a humorous spectacle to a few. This occasion marked the end to any comedy I would make henceforth concerning the situation. Great chunks of red skin were brutally torn apart by the force of the impact alone. The spine was dislodged and entirely knocked loose from the poor creature becoming stuck to the Blue monstrosities hand upon retraction. Blood and mulched bone marrow acted as a natural adhesive to the Nickar’s fist. Who upon seeing it, unceremoniously and uncharacteristically, pinched the spine delicately from the back of his hand and threw it to the side.

I also saw my father. One of the few still fighting and perhaps the only one unwounded. I watched entranced as he weaved in and out of the fray landing dazzling strikes upon any unprepared enemy. He moved like a tropical storm, never in the same place for a second. Instead he spun with blinding movements that left enemies confused before almost magically moving onto the next one. Sometimes his sword would find unprotected skin, where he would press his assault and deal a few extra blows. Though more often than not, the skin he encountered was hardened and he was forced to move to the next enemy more to save his own life than find a new foe.

All this had occurred in the few seconds it had taken me to regain my original standing posture. My face broke into an insane smile as I realised I could finally cut loose, release the emotions that had built within me for so long. In my haste I called out to the battlefield by amplifying my voice, allowing it to flow down the hill like an unstoppable torrent. I filled the words with magic, making it reverberate in their minds, shattering their thoughts and ideas. Forcing those who fought to momentarily forget where they were and grant me their undivided attention.

“To those who stand beneath me, shake in despair”. I paused as the activity before me slowed and one by one the faces all looked up to me in a mixture of awe and fear. “I speak to those who share their own wars sparked through their incompetence”, my voice began to rise in volume “I speak to those who have taken advantage of us whilst being mealy parasitic insects relying on us to survive your own ineptitude”. Again I stopped as I rose my arms to the sky, yet not once breaking eye contact with the battle. “Return to nothing like the bugs you are.” A spiral of black energy circled above my outstretched arms, the centrifugal force pulling small tendrils from the swirling mass. “Step….” I said dramatically, “…..Into oblivion”!

A shockwave was emitted from the energy above me, large enough to encompass the entirety of the village and of course the battle grounds as well. Nothing changed in the initial explosion and those on the battlefield bellow just stared up at me in confusion as such a ridiculous amount of energy had apparently just passed them by. I smiled knowing the damage was still to come and just silently waited. Upon reaching the edge of its expansion I recalled the shockwave, and for a single second I alone became the centre of existence itself. As the shock wave flew back to me, my vision warped as the world seemed to collapse in on itself with me at the middle. I blinked and normality returned, everything as it had been, except for one thing. Both the sieging army and soldiers who had shaken our village had simple vanished. Wiped from existence. Well not really wiped from existence I corrected myself. But they were liquefied at an atomic level, turned into quark-gluon plasma. Which to put in perspective was what existed before the big bang. So for all intents and purposes it was as close as possible from wiping them from existence that I was going to achieve.

I sighed. It had taken a lot out of me, but all in all the task had been wrapped up easily. I smiled, preparing to walk back to the village when something shattered my image of an easy victory.

A giant roar. I turned, horrified that someone had survived such an intense attack. I made out the figure raising from the ground in absolute frustration and fury. The Nickar’s natural resistance had seen him through and apparently unharmed he once again focussed his eyes on me. I grasped for my reservoirs of power desperately looking for something to defend myself as the blue skin monster charged up the hill towards me. I found it nearly dry having consumed almost everything in my last attack.

I was shocked at how fast the Nickar ran. Having gone down on all fours it was bounding up the hills, its obscene mouth dangling open and yelling what I could only imagine as obscene curses in a language I couldn’t understand. I leapt to the side, focussing the remaining magic into my legs. I ended up dodging the terrifying creature but at the same time heard a sickening crunch in my left arm as I hit the ground. With a dismissive gesture I numbed the pain, leaving potential healing for later. For now I focussed any power I still had into the fight.

The creature turned its head, seemingly wondering how I had evaded its fist. Though only momentarily confused it turned and one again raced towards me. I realised that it hadn’t escaped entirely unhurt from my previous attack as terrible burns and dissolved pieces of skin hung loosely of its hulking body, letting off the terrible smell of burnt flesh.

As a quick defence I pointed desperately to the ground, watching as several spikes at least five metres long and wickedly sharp erupted from the intended area, placing themselves between myself and the aggressor. The Nickar didn’t even blink, well I’m sure it wouldn’t have blinked if it had any eyes, and instead just walked straight through the spikes. Even though they fully pierced the lumbering behemoth the Nickar’s body just flowed around it leaving it unharmed.

“So it’s immune to magical and physical attacks” I moaned slightly to myself as I lunged to the side again. Once again hearing the crunch from my already unusable arm. “Then how about a mental one”. I held out my good hand, fingers splayed. I closed my eyes and scrunched up my face in concentration.

The world went black. All except for several bands of light, floating serenely in the distance. I willed them towards me and as my hand made contact I found myself in the mind of the Nickar.

It was red, a terrible blood red depicting the raw emotions of anger and pain. I sent out a series of pulses attempting to shatter his sanity, a similar form of mental domination that I had used on the Jinns. However this time, I didn’t hold back. In my concentration I bit my lip allowing the blood to freely flow, I tasted the metallic substance as it flowed over my tongue though I tried to ignore it. In the background I could hear the Nickar’s wails. I attempted to drown out the sound with more pulses, desperately trying to kill the beast before….

My eyes flung open as I was abruptly shoved back into reality. It had succeeded in pushing me out of its mind and now was free to move as it wished. The Nickar turned to face me, it’s terrifying mouth twisting into the most horrific smile I had ever witnessed in this life or the last. It knew it had won. I had exhausted my magical reserve, I had played all my tricks. Its resistance to magic and its fluid like body made it near impenetrable, in hindsight I should have used a more direct form of magic as my first attack and then dealt with the small fries afterwards. But it’s so easy to say that isn’t it. So easy to realise your faults after you have made them. I fell to my knees, losing my will to fight. I had been so damned close. The Nickars mind had been tough but not invincible. I had only been forced out at the very end, two more, no perhaps one more push and I would have won.

I looked up at the sky. It now looked larger than ever and seemed to reflect all the things I could have done to prevent this final moment. But as the beast came closer to me I felt a soft tug. Like a piece of me had finally returned. It came from the Nickar, a small almost unnoticeable attraction that drew my attention even when death loomed in the air.

Then it clicked. The sliver of magic I had used to cloud the beast’s memories. It still lay there actively removing my house from any of its thoughts. I grinned in appreciation as I realised that it still hadn’t been discovered. “Fuck you AND your resistances” I mocked before clicking my fingers. Knowing too well that the sliver inside his mind had detonated in a way that showed every ounce of knowledge and skill that I gained over the thousands of years in which I have lived.

The grin stayed on the creatures face as rigor mortis set in. A natural phenomenon that a body went through upon death. I laid back on the ground as I heard the survivors running up the hill towards me. It was about a minute before I had the strength to move my body. Though by the time the soldiers reached the Nickar. I was long gone. Masking my presence as I walked back through the gates.

The streets were still empty. Even though the sounds of battle had long ceased no one dared open their doors in fear of finding the enemy on their doorstep. I limped home, slowly mending my fractured arm on the way. It was painful though by the time I arrived I had made myself relatively presentable as well as having dissipated my mask and cape. I’m like a hero I thought to myself happily as I lay back on my bed.

Though jokes aside. “I’m home” I whispered, before anticlimactically fainting.

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