I bounced in my seat as we headed towards the large black stone walls on the horizon that we could finally see better after already a half hour of riding. Another half hour passing we finally arrived at the wall. I marvelled at the sheer size of the wall that mammothed over us. Made of black stone and held together by iron metal with spikes, standing at its base I couldn't even see the top.

I then gawked wide eyed at the creatures standing on either side of the gates that looked puny compared to the wall itself. So these were demons in the flesh. They looked much like the statues only their colouring differing from the black stone. On demon was twice my height with two thick, veiny arms that hung until its knuckles hid the ground. It was a dirty red colour with thick black hair covering its arms and most of its torso though its head was bald. Six mall horns poked out of its bald head while large tusk curled up from its bottom jaw almost reaching its beady eyes that glowed a sickly, unnatural green. Its legs were surprisingly stumpy and reminded me of tree trunks.

The one on the other side was a lot smaller and lither than the first one. Normal sized arms crossed over a slender torso that I could see the bones under its brown skin. Its legs were slender and long but what made him curious was that his feet were three times the size they should be. Its horns coming from its forehead curled back over his head and came together in a point easily a few inches past its head like a helmet. It didn't have any fangs from what I could see but its eyes took up most of its face, which looked creepy, like a bug.

"Stop staring Vaden, you'll insult them." Beatrice hissed at me with a frown.

"But I've never seen demons before." I complained like a child and started to pout.

"Nakho. (Stop)" The short bug-like demon demanded in a high pitched chatter that suited his spindly bug look.

"Let us pass demon." Aviva snarled out showing her fangs and her shining gold eyes looking incredibly regal sitting up straight on her skeleton mount.

The bug demon sneered showing pin-like teeth taking up most of its mouth. "Govak hezhah qoy indelat! (fuck off blood drinker!)" It chattered disrespectfully back at Aviva annoying me greatly.

"Gwe anha vi ivezho! (Let us through creature!)" I seethed back at it while pulling Qoy from his sheath. "Ishish anhagat ogat yer ma hash anha ei vitihirat. (Or I'll kill you and do us all a favour.)"

"Jadilat ma kis! (Come and try!)" It screeched making me grin.

"Anhachomokh. (My pleasure.)" I purred and before anyone could react I had Qoy through the bug demons throat sending grey blood splattering against the black stone of the wall.

With a flick of my wrist I severed its head and grabbed its head by the horns before it could fall along with the body. A roar to my left had the much bigger demon rushing towards me. With a grin I ran up the side of the wall before flipping backwards landing on one foot between all of its horns on its head. Using my weight, I sent the demon crashing forward to the ground while I drove Qoy through its skull.

"Too easy." I sighed sadly still holding bug demons head while I severed the big ones and picked it up after sheathing Qoy. I tied the heads to my skeleton mounts saddle before getting back up onto it.

"Why did you do that Vaden?" Beatrice asked with an angry frown. Huh, I've never had Beatrice angry with me before. She's really cute like that.

I smiled at her. "They disrespected us and if we're going into a town full of those things, we need to show our dominance now before we go in." I explained easily with a shrug.

"She's right Beatrice. Showing our dominance now will save us getting in trouble later on. If she wasn't going to do it, I would have." Aviva agreed with me while she waved her hand and the gate doors started to open.

I nudged my skeleton horse up to Beatrice's and leant over kissing her on the cheek. "I'm sorry." I apologised to her sincerely. Even if I'm mostly in my beast state, I still love my mate and hate upsetting her.

She sighed. "It's all right, I forgot how things work around here since I haven't been here for over a century. I'm sorry for getting mad."

I smiled brightly. "No problem love. I know you don't like me when I'm in this state, but I have to be if you want me to make it through town."

"I know." She frowned.

I kissed her on the cheek again. "Come on." I nudged my horse forward to lead the way through the town showing off the severed demon heads on my saddle.

The town was made of black stone and dark wood. Aviva was right when she said everything has its own certain beauty. This town certainly had a dark beauty to it. Stone statues stood on every street corner while larger ones were erected right in the middle of intersection along the roads. Smaller statues stood atop buildings like dark protectors while ruins were carved into the wooden doors and around windows.

Besides for the occasional corpse and screaming, the town was pretty peaceful. Humanoid creatures walked around easily, some even had real humans on leashes trailing behind them, and shopped at the buildings with craft wear, food, and even what I was sure of was body parts of different creatures and humans.

It was all incredibly interesting to me in the state I was in. The insanity wanted to see all the ludicrous bits and pieces that were being sold or wanted to follow a couple of creatures that had human slaves following behind them like pets. But I knew that if I was in my normal state I would find all this fascinatingly disgusting like I could see in Beatrice's eyes as she took everything in when I looked at her.

I grinned easily and relaxed in the saddle, allowing my body to sway with every step my mount took over the gobbled road, when I noticed that we were the centre of attention of the populace of the town. I showed off my fangs and bright eyes easily and sometimes playfully kicked the severed heads tied to my saddle. I could hear their gossip and my grin widened at their astonishment. How did this creature take down not one, but two!, demons without even receiving a single scratch in return? It was a pleasing caress to my ego.

We weren't disturbed at all as we travelled through the town heading down the main street that I could see was inclining upwards to a large castle on top of the hill the town was situated on. It took a whole two hours to ride through the town and make it to the gates that stopped all entry into the castle grounds. Two demons once again stood on either side of the gate and I felt their glares on me knowing that the story of a creature with two demon heads on her saddle would have made it up to them by now.

"Nakho." The demon on the left grunted stepping forward.

"The last demon who told me that is hanging from my saddle, demon." I grinned at it in reply while kicking the bug demons head in meaning.

Long blades slid out of the demon's forearms and curved over its clenched fists while its green eyes brightened in anger. I placed my hand on Qoy's hilt ready to defend myself against an attack but sadly we were interrupted by my very least favourite person in all the multiverses.

"No need for that now, Vaden dear." Enrique smiled pleasantly as the gate opened revealing him much to my displeasure.

I glared at him in utter distaste and sneered with a curled lip. I didn't say anything, not wanting to address this man any more than I already have.

"Enrique." Aviva greeted disdainfully as she manoeuvred her mount in front of me.

"Lady Aviva, always a pleasure." He replied with a happy smile that I wanted to get rid of with my blade along with the rest of his face. "And always the beauty, lady Beatrice, I'm glad you all could make it."

I made a 'tch' sound under my breath and looked away as my grip on the reins and Qoy tightened with my growing rage at the sight of him. I looked at Beatrice when I felt her taking my hand softly in hers, taking it away from Qoy's handle. I sighed lowly at her touch and even felt a part of my sanity return with the touch though I wasn't crushed by the pounding dark mana like I thought I would be.

I relaxed and kissed the back of her hand in thanks, not letting go of it until we had to dismount. Lacing my fingers with Beatrice's we stood behind lady Aviva as she spoke to Enrique who eyed our linked hand with something in his eyes. I glared back at him and kept to Beatrice's side. The skeleton horses ran off after I released them from my control only to fall into pieces since their jobs were done for now.

"If you'll come this way then." Enrique waved his hand down the black stones path towards the large doors leading into the castle. "The Master is waiting for us."

I felt Qoy heat up slightly with his anger so I placed a hand on his hilt to calm him. It'll be all right Qoy.* I assured him. *If he does find out I'm the Pure Child you'll get the opportunity to kill him.

I doubt I'll be able to but thank you. He replied gruffly.

We followed Enrique quietly into the castle and I cringed slightly at the sight of the humans chained to the walls in different positions inside the entrance hall. Demon guards roamed the hall eyeing us curiously as we walked through. Exciting the entrance hall, we passed two grand stair cases on either side of the hall and headed up another set of stairs right in front of us. The scent of blood and death made my stomach roll with both disgust and hunger. The blood and death didn't seem tainted in anyway and was only underlined by the slightest smell of sex.

Enrique walked up to largely extravagant doors made of black wood lined with silver and inlaid with gold. The two demons on either side of the doors stepped forward and opened the doors slowly revealing the throne room.

Everything was black stone, silver chains and gold veins. The floor was of stone while the gold veins ran through it and up the tall pillars that held up the ceiling. Black water trickled down the pillars and pooled in bowls at the bottom. Dark mana in its purest form, I noted. As the bowls overflowed with the liquid, it slid over the stone until joining more liquid mana in deep pools that ran the length of the room all the way to the large and tall platform where a throne, more like a bed of black silk that shined silver when hit correctly by the firelight, sat atop it.

Chained to the pillars were probably a hundred humans in total inside the hall all in different sexual positions but unable to move because of the silver chains. On the platform on the other side of the hall two female humans serviced probably the most stunning male I would ever admit that I was slightly attracted to even though I knew exactly who he was.

The Master was the very description of what a god should look like. There was no way to describe his features, no words to even try to depict how dangerously *perfect* he looked. All I could recognise was that his hair was white, his eyes black and his skin a dark tanned tone that seemed black underneath. I was incredibly intimidated by how stunningly gorgeous he is.

I shook my head trying to get the crazy thoughts out of my head and remind myself that this man, creature, was the most dangerous and brutal creature in the multiverse.

"My Master, I apologise for interrupting you." Enrique spoke lowly, respectfully and submissively, which sounded completely unnatural while at the same time I understood. The power the Master emitted demanded submission and if not given, death.

Enrique fell to his knees in front of the stairs leading up the platform and bowed until his forehead touched the floor. Please don't tell me I have to do that too, right? I looked at lady Aviva and watched as she slowly lowered to a knee and bowed her head. Beatrice let go of my hand and did the same. I wanted to do it too so that I wouldn't stand out but it was like something inside me wouldn't allow me to bow though I could feel that if I didn't it'll be a great insult.

I tried to bow but my back wouldn't bend and I couldn't look away from him. I could feel his power, his dominance, why couldn't I act submissively? It was becoming painful tyring to fight back against whatever was holding from bowing. It was the logical thing to do, so why wasn't I?

"You're not bowing?" I shuddered at the sound of his voice. Nothing, there was absolutely nothing I could compare the sound of his voice to and only try to explain how much it made me feel terrified.

"I'm trying." I replied truthfully through gritted teeth. I shook my head but never looked away from the Master.

A perfect eyebrow rose as his black eyes looked down at me. I was terrified, I felt like I was about to faint from how scared I was right at this moment. Not even Enrique's cell could make me feel this utterly petrified. But I wouldn't move, I couldn't. It's like my own soul wouldn't allow me to do the logical thing and bow. That's when I realised that that's exactly what was happening.

I was scared, yes, but I truly didn't want to bow to this creature. Every part of my soul, heart, body and mind fought against logic and made me stay standing and face this terrifying creature front on despite his power.

"Interesting." He breathed making me shiver at the sound.

I relaxed and stopped fighting myself. I felt all sides of myself come together, my beast, my insanity, my light and the pure mana within me all became, well, me, and I stood there facing the devil himself, terrified, but denying to bow to him. It was foolish, I know, but I wasn't about to fight against myself again.

The two human girls stepped away from the Master like they were given an unseen signal to move. He then started to rise, muscles under glowing skin rippled like liquid as he rose up off the bed-like throne and only some kind of black material hanging from his waist hid his lower half.

"Interesting." He murmured to himself again when I didn't move or flinch. He started walking down the stairs revealing that he was barefoot. Enrique scrambled out of his way as he made it to the ground. He was easily two heads taller than me and I had to crane my neck slightly to keep looking into his black eyes.

He tilted his head sending long strands of white hair falling over his tones shoulders. "Are you my child?" He asked confusing me greatly.

"What?" I asked back completely confused by his question.

"Are you my child, the Dark Child that is of my own flesh, blood and soul?" He asked not moving from his spot at the bottom of the stairs. He then frowned lightly but he still looked utterly perfect. "No, I would have felt it immediately if a part of my own soul entered my realm. So, who, no, what are you child?"

"My name is Vaden, I was changed by lady Aviva fourteen years ago and have been in her service ever since." I told him feeling, for some reason, at ease with every second that passes. I still knew that if he attacked me I'd die, and he still scared me, but I could still feel myself relaxing.

"But you're older than that, are you not?" He asked now seeming more curious.

I nodded my head. "Yes, four hundred years ago Enrique killed my parents when I was a child. Though I was still human I grew slowly and outlived a normal human's lifespan hundreds of times over, never realising that I was living for so long until fourteen years ago when I once again met Enrique and he told me that he had killed my parents four hundred years ago."

The Master seemed almost shocked. "You were partially changed?"

"Yes." I confirmed.

"Well, that's something I've never heard of before." He hummed to himself not looking away from me and I from him.

"She can also control pure and dark mana, Master." Enrique spoke up excitedly for some reason.

Not looking away from me Enrique was shot away and slammed into a pillar by a hit no one saw. "If I wanted you to speak I would have told you, Enrique." The Master drawled. "Though that is interesting information indeed."

Damn it Enrique, you just had to open your god damn mouth didn't you?

"Show me." The Master ordered me. "Show me how you control pure and dark mana."

I nearly didn't just to spite his authority but I knew that that would be an incredibly stupid thing to do since I wasn't sure if he has forgiven me yet for not bowing to him. So I lifted a hand palm up and created a butterfly made of ice and gave it life to flitter around for a moment before I melted it back out of existence.

The Master raised his hands and clapped his hands slowly, applauding me. "Well, I'll be, he was right and now that answers my question as to what you are."

My heart froze in my chest as a smile crept onto his face.

"I'm surprised you can even stand in my realm but then again you are quite the contradiction aren't you, my dear Pure Child?"

Damn.

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