04 - Essence of Revenge

"Hello, Thalion."

Right in front of him, the moment he had been waiting for all these days was about to happen: your long-dreamed and awaited revenge; your first target, that young archer, who was in his own home, the place of his inevitable and sudden death.

Thalion, in great despair, tried with all his might to free himself from the ropes that bound his limbs to the bed, but all he managed to do was hurt his legs and arms even more.

"Help!!!! Someone help me!!!!" he screamed, hoping that someone was close enough to his house to hear his desperate cries.

"Don't shout, Thalion, all you'll achieve with that is only to hurt your own throat." Explained the young demon with a subtle smile on his face.

The young archer was filled with fear, not only of his current situation but also of the unknown that stood before him, after all, what was this being that had tied him up and why was he doing all these things?

Moreover, how the hell did he not wake up at any point while being tied up in his own bed? Many questions flooded his mind, but in the end, one took precedence over all the others.

"Who... Who the hell are you?!" he asked with great fear in his voice and on his face.

The mysterious young man, however, simply smiled upon hearing the question, as if he had been expecting it from the very beginning.

"Do you really not remember me?"

At that exact moment, in the blink of an eye, the face of that monster changed; his grayish skin now resembled that of a human, his pointed ears became rounded, his teeth were no longer as sharp, and, finally, his purple eyes turned as black as his hair.

That face belonged to someone Thalion thought he would never see again, someone who only appeared in his nightmares, and also someone he never imagined, even in his worst nightmares, would return to haunt him in such a way...

"Zephyr? But..."

"But I was supposed to be dead, right? Well... I also thought that day would be my end, abandoned on my first mission right after my head was filled with dreams by those who left me to die, what a tragedy..."

For a few seconds, Thalion's mind suddenly calmed, the events were so strange and unexpected that only one thought crossed his mind, seeking to bring him some peace: This can't be real... I must be dreaming!

Seeing the look of disbelief on the young man's face, Zephyr, in a split second, undid his transformation and returned to his previous appearance.

"... But, you know? I'm not as angry with you as I once was. After all, it was thanks to you that I found the opportunity to become who I am today."

Listening to everything the demonic creature before him said, more and more questions flooded Thalion's mind, however, no matter how curious and desperate he was, he knew very well that even the slightest mistake could lead to his death, so he chose to be cautious, even in his speech.

"So... How about we just pretend none of this happened, and... move on with our lives? You know, I was really against abandoning you, Zephyr, but the leader—"

Slash

Before he could even finish his persuasion, in an extremely fast and sudden movement, so fast that even Thalion's trained eyes couldn't see the moment of the attack, his arm was sliced off.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!" He screamed in pain, writhing in bed while swinging what remained of his right arm.

Zephyr's cut was so clean and fast that even the pain took a moment to register in the young man's body.

"Do you really think I'm foolish enough not to understand what you were trying to do, Thalion?"

Suddenly, in Zephyr's hand, there appeared a strangely familiar short sword, which, in just a few seconds, vanished with a quick flick of his hand.

Sigh "Although I no longer hold a major grudge against you, that doesn't mean my hatred is gone entirely, Thalion. Besides, since I inherited this body, I've been looking for subjects to test its limits and, more importantly, test my newest ability: Essence Absorption."

During the time Zephyr spoke, the large amount of blood had already lessened considerably, and Thalion, too, had somewhat gotten over the explosive pain, which was now dull but constant.

"Zephyr... Please... Forgive me..."

Tears of pain and sadness streamed down his face, slowly increasing in number.

Seeing such a scene before him, all the young demon could feel was a subtle yet pleasant sense of satisfaction, and no wonder, after all, one of the people who had abandoned him as bait to die was now begging for his life right in front of him.

"So this is what you wanted to see, Zephyr?" Asked a familiar voice inside the young man's head.

Master?

"I understand your desire to continue torturing him, but remember, there are more important things to be done, and as the day is about to break, someone could arrive at any moment and hear his screams." Reminded Azgorath.

Nodding his head in agreement, the young demon turned his attention back to Thalion and, letting out a small sigh of disappointment for not being able to properly torture him, decided to stop explaining and get straight to the point.

"Consider yourself lucky, Thalion, for your death won't be as painful as I wanted it to be..."

Barely able to understand what Zephyr was saying due to his weakened state, the young man only saw the demon slowly approaching, positioning himself right next to him.

"What... are you going to do?" he asked, fearing for his life.

"Goodbye, Thalion, and... thank you for the opportunity."

Slash

In a single, quick, smooth, and powerful motion, Zephyr, with a small sword hidden beneath his dark green cloak, cut off Thalion's head.

No pain, no sound, and without even seeing the blade being unsheathed, the only thing left for Thalion was to watch, for a few brief seconds, as his own body stood headless, his final and most painful vision of all.

This is... me?

Splat

Blood spurted in every direction, like an endless fountain, drenching not only Thalion's body but also his bed in deep red.

The sight of the young man's headless and armless body was contemplated for a few moments, it was truly a horrifying scene, with his bones, flesh, veins, and everything else vividly exposed.

Anyone who saw this, if they weren't used to such things, would certainly vomit and be traumatized for life, and that was exactly what Zephyr feared might happen to him, after all, he had only recently become a mercenary, and the most he had seen so far were weak monsters slain during his hunts.

"So, boy, tell me, how does it feel to take a human life for the first time?"

"..."

A few seconds of silence passed, with Zephyr keeping a calm and cold expression as he continued to observe the scene he had just created, a realistic and brutal painting crafted by his demonic hands.

... Nothing... Why don't I feel anything, master?

"That was to be expected, boy. Since you accepted the path of a demon lord, you're no longer on the same level as mere humans, to you, taking a human life is the same as a human killing an ant... You are no longer equals; you are a superior form of life."

Hearing those words, though his face did not reflect it, was enough to make Zephyr feel that something had changed within him, not only his appearance and abilities had altered, but now, unlike before, something inside him had changed as well.

"Now, finish what you've started, and for the first time, savor the essence of a human!"

Nodding, the young demon approached even closer to Thalion's body, placing one hand on his chest, and following the memories he had gained after merging with Azgorath, he began the absorption process.

Suddenly, a purple light began to emerge around his hand, and slowly and gently, something indescribable seemed to seep from Thalion and into Zephyr through his hand.

Zephyr closed his eyes to focus even more on this sensation; it felt as though his hand had become a black hole, absorbing whatever was inside the young archer.

Is this essence?

Soul, spirit, consciousness, or essence, whatever you want to call it, everyone has something special inside them, a vital energy that not only keeps them alive but also makes them who they are, and, at that moment, Zephyr was absorbing precisely that.

After a few more minutes passed, the purple light gradually faded, and the mysterious sensation disappeared.

"So, how are you feeling, Zephyr?" asked Azgorath, genuinely curious.

A warm, gentle yet overwhelming sensation, so gratifying and incredible that the risk of becoming addicted to it was the same, if not greater, than that of a drug. This was what coursed through the young demon's body after absorbing his first essence.

"I feel... Invincible."