Our Wounds

The blade of the knife was resting on the kneeling victim's throat, ready to tear the skin marked by the cold chain that held him in the cell. The Demon squeezed the lock of hair so that the neck was taut. A clean cut and William would have fallen to the ground dead gushing liters of blood. The two looked at each other for the last time. The killer was again enchanted by those crystalline eyes which, unlike his, were devoid of darkness. It would be a shame to close them forever, He thought, but He was Satan and no one was spared ... until that day. William took advantage of the moment to hit more blows on the table with the handle of the dagger held in his hand, thus awakening the Demon who shifted his gaze to the wood where two words had been engraved: can't speak. Confused, Satan blinked and pulled his face closer to make sure He read right. He threw the knife on the floor causing the only noise in the room, stood gaping behind the boy who slowly released from his grip. At that precise moment He made a mental calculation and found that the years coincided. At this result the Ruler burst out laughing widening his eyes, from the depths of his throat came a loud laugh caused by the incredulity of the facts and what He had just understood. He found himself lying on the floor for laughter, He put a hand on his forehead and with his eyes still wide open, He continued the laugh that gave him a look of madness. William looked at him confused and frightened. After several minutes the sneer began to diminish, the smile subsided and the Ruler tried to compose himself by wiping the black tears from the corners of his eyes.

- If I had been a human being I would have already died of uproariously at this time - a sense of uneasiness was spreading inside him. The Demon turned serious and turned his head towards the person who for years had occupied a tiny space of his dead heart.

- Elijah! - scream. The Devil ordered to fill his huge tub, but this time with water. When the bathroom was ready, the Demon picked up the boy from the ground taking him as a bride on his remarkable arms. William felt himself lifted from the ground once again, he leaned against Satan's chest and was carried up to the bedroom. The Demon placed him on a double bed covered with burgundy satin and began to undress him starting from the dirty shirt. He undressed him by throwing his clothes on the floor and did the same with his own. The two individuals stood naked in the same room, one with frightened eyes and the other with eager eyes. Satan observed every little detail of that body that had captured him, it was as if he was calling him, he felt attracted and desired it. He lowered himself on the bed, brought his face close to the white skin of his prey. His nose drew imaginary lines on William's neck and the smell of his skin excited him more and more. He felt the strong desire to taste that portion of skin, to bite it and drink the juice until he moaned with pleasure in his flesh. He wanted to do it: scream with pleasure, take him by the hair and penetrate him until he begged but no, He did nothing. With an incredible effort He stopped, found it very difficult to restrain himself but He clenched his lower lip tightly with his teeth and walked away from that innocent creature who was crying in silence.

- Breathe deeply - Satan looked William in the eyes, held himself above his trembling body resting on his forearms and with him inhaled and exhaled - good - moved the tuft of hair over his forehead and stroked his head until he stopped shaking.

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The smallest was leaning on Satan's hot back. Both were in the bathtub with the intention of relaxing, as well as washing off the blood on their skin. The Ruler took some water with cupped hands and wet the boy's hair, but the multiple wounds began to bleed again, coloring the water little by little. Little moans came out of William's lips as the Demon cleaned him of the blood that didn't want to stop. He held his breath and tried to bear the pain but at the umpteenth sting he opened his eyes and with a snap he walked away from the shadowy figure behind him.

- Come back here - Satan almost ordered. William shook his head and stood in a far corner of the tub, immersed in the dirty water, in pain and shame.

- Do as you want, but those wounds must be treated - said the other - there is nothing wrong with being naked, it is a natural thing. Come on, come here - He continued, but the boy remained there.

- I'm warning you louse. Come here. Now. - Satan ordered through gritted teeth, but nothing to do. At that point the Ruler lowered his head. Wet curls fell on the forehead, the water in seconds turned redder, then burgundy and finally black. William watched the scene with his heart in his throat and his eyes wide open. Satan presented himself in his true form. When He raised the head his black eyes were on William, a disturbing grin appeared on his angry face, He tilted his head while keeping the smile that showed his pointed teeth and stared the boy straight into the blue eyes.

- Come closer - Satan said, stretching his arm towards the boy who, intimidated by the creature, didn't move a muscle. And it was then that the smile disappeared from the Ruler's face. His mouth dropped open and a ferocious roar escaped from his plump lips, a scream so powerful it rocked the dark water in the tub. From the thick curls came the pointed and red horns like the long tail appeared at the base of the back and a pair of majestic wings showed themselves behind him in their most total beauty. The Ruler showed another side of himself. He stood up spreading his wide wings covered with long black feathers, showing off his horns and his long whip. He lifted his face and flames appeared in his black eyes that gradually increased becoming higher and higher. The two fireballs stared at William's figure with such intensity as to frighten the boy who was already scared enough, but the thing that most intimidated him was the perverse smile on the Demon's face.

- Don't bother - He said. And in an instant from the black liquid a ghostly hand took shape that reached up to a foot from William's face. The boy, motionless in the face of such power, was grabbed by the neck with so much force that he almost suffocated.

- Come to me - Satan said and so William found himself back in the Devil's clutches. The victim who sobbed like a child instinctively rested his head against the chest of the same monster that had made him cry. The creature, feeling taken aback, stood looking at the small figure leaning against him. After a few moments he surrounded the slender body with his muscular arms and little by little he returned to his previous shape: horns, tail and wings disappeared in a moment, the burning flames in his eyes were extinguished and the water returned clear regaining its transparency natural. The boy's weeping face and small hands were resting on the hot chest of the Demon who delicately placed a hand on his branded back. But the wounds were still open, and the boy was seized with hallucinating pain. He threw back his head, opened his mouth and eyes wide for the deep pain that came like lightning, a shock that brought more burning and pain; if he could he would have let out a painful scream. His eyes were already watering and his body began to tremble again, his breathing became heavy and his mouth wide open with a silent scream was leaking threads of saliva. The tears were unbridgeable, the pain unbearable and from under the hand of Satan his torn skin gushed more blood.

- Just a moment - the Demon said. He pushed harder on the injuries causing more pain to the boy who could no longer bear this pain; He tried to hold him still, but the burning that was felt was unbearable. William tried to free himself from his grasp, but was held back by the arm of Satan placed behind his neck. He continued to cry between sobs until Satan lifted his hand from his healed back, no more marks, not even a scar. William remained panting in the Demon's arms, with his eyes closed and tears running down his face, trying to regulate his breathing.

- It's finished - Satan whispered, and then lulled the boy, dismayed by all that strength. The wounds were gone forever, there was no longer any sign of the lacerations on the victim's back; the cause of his bleeding had just cured him of that same agony.

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William woke up in the double bed of the dormitory, focused his sight to find Elijah sitting in front of him. He looked around, taking advantage of the moment to study the details of that royal room, which he had not done before. To his right were two French doors that led to a terrace overlooking an immense garden. William tried to look through the glass, but he saw nothing but dark clouds heavy with rain. The room was lit by a luxurious chandelier positioned in the center of the ceiling and two bajours placed on the wooden nightstands on either side of the bed. The large and luxurious curtains echoed the burgundy color of the bedspread and the rug, spread on the floor in front of a dead fireplace surrounded by bricks and a shelf on which dozens of candles, also red, were piled. An armchair was positioned near the French window and pointed right towards the part of the bed where William was lying, flanked by a floor lamp still on. A large wardrobe occupied another wall, consisting of two doors separated by a full central mirror. William gazed at his reflected figure for a moment and sat up with his head resting on the padded headboard. What he saw led him to more tears. His face was pale, tired, and the purple blotches under his eyes were a sign of sheer insomnia.

- Hey quiet, you are alive and that's what counts - Elijah said drying his tears - you will be part of the servants but you will not be at the level of the others, so it is my job to look after you and watch over you - he explained then as he stood up taking a suit stylish brand new.

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- Done! Wow it suits you a lot! - he once exclaimed having helped William get ready, but the boy had no interest in looking in the mirror, on the contrary, he just tried to avoid just taking a look at his appearance. Elijah with two hands took his head and moved it in the direction of the mirror, forcing him to look and approached his ear.

- Look at you, you're beautiful - he said. William showed a shy smile and his eyes moistened a little in front of that familiar scene. His mother, in fact, had repeated those same words to him on the evening that both were dragged into the kingdom of the Underworld. In front of his eyes the image of him and Hannah behind him passed, reflections in the mirror smiling serene; inseparable mother and son, only death could have divided them and in fact... so it was.

- Hey? - Elijah woke him up from his thoughts - try not to cry, ok? - he asked gently and William nodded wiping those two tears that had escaped him.