Chapter 2: Algor Tenebrous Mortis

(POV Algor) 

My Lucifer, how lucky was I? After being de-crowned and banished, I was never able to set foot in the mortal world again. Satan himself had made sure that all record of me was erased from the earth, no longer could I be summoned or called upon directly. No one knew my name, and no one knew I existed. I was to remain confined, entombed in the furthest corner and depths of hell for all eternity. Or until Lucifer had deemed my sentence had been thoroughly fulfilled. 

By my rough estimate, I'd been imprisoned for the last 2.6 million years. A bit overkill if you ask me. The punishment did NOT fit the crime, I swear it! Take my word for it, because if you ask anyone else, they'll argue otherwise. But that's just because they're sticklers for things like rules, and the apocalypse or some shit. 

Despite my banishment from earth and imprisonment in the 9th circle of hell, there was one upside. The fact that the oh-so-great Morningstar himself was my warden. Ha, how much he hated having to fulfill his duties, and for 2.6 million years I had forced him to be a responsible person. I may have been personally tortured by Satan himself, but the joke was still on him. HA! Furthermore, with his obsession of earth, despite not being able to visit it myself, he frequently opened windows into the world that I could gaze upon. 

In between torture sessions, he and I had been playing our routine game of, who has damned their soul to eternity, when the mortal's world appeared to shake. Eyes narrowing, I glanced at Lucifer who looked equally confused. Before long multiple mirrors appeared within the sky of a certain earth. 

We watched as a grey-skinned man adorned with armor, a helm, and a cape sat upon a field of corpses and turned his attention toward a particular scene. In the same instant, a woman wielding a spear and shield appeared, glaring down at the same scene in apparent thought. After her appearance, a large red figure with a blood-red ring on his finger crossed his arms and appeared to sneer. Next were simply 2 pairs of glowing yellow eyes that seemed to contain the heart of all evil within them. Finally, a being with pale white skin and a green cloak appeared, his gaze holding nothing but pity. 

While I had no clue what the fuck was happening or who these people were, Lucifer was smiling eerily at the scene. 

"How interesting. Such an intense rage. To fuel her words with her very life force, no wonder she managed to catch even their attention." 

With a wave of his hand, Lucifer transfixed our view on a very specific plane of existence, and a woman's words echoed throughout my prison. 

"Mortals pray to gods, but who do the gods pray to? We protect the weak and they sing us praises until they grow envious of our power and turn on us. Well, who protects the gods? Do we not deserve to be saved, do we not deserve to have our prayers answered?" 

Perhaps in an unconscious effort, she poured all the magic power remaining within her into her words. And they carried onward until they reached the ears of higher existences. Even from here, I could tell that none of the beings that observed her were things I could clash with. At least not without sacrificing something in return. While I alternated my gaze between the witch who was actively diminishing her life force to the incomprehensible beings who were so blatantly flaunting their power, I heard the woman and her counterpart shout. 

"We will live. Someone will answer our call. Someone, anyone, we don't care who. They'll come to our aid. We are owed a multitude of lives; however, we're only collecting on this one. We send this beacon, this prayer, this behest to any who'll listen. To he who exists and he who doesn't. We command you, protect us from the embrace of death!" 

No sooner had their words finished, did my gaze narrow to a terrifying degree. A grin of sinister proportions began to spread upon my lips, and as I locked eyes with Hell's Emperor, I reveled in the wide-eyed look he gave me. Before any of the other beings in attendance could respond, before Lucifer himself could interfere, I who no longer existed, accepted her call. 

"ALGOR!" 

For the first time in an epoch, I unleashed the full extent of my power. At least, what little was left of it. While the power was utterly incomparable to what I once was, the air of ancient hegemony and dominance, could not be diminished. Converting to my true form I transformed the entire Arctic tundra into a blizzard of black, marking my ascent. From the depths of the ocean, my Black Winter emerged, and with it came a permafrost. 

As the once snow-white wasteland turned pitch black and became crystalized, I opened my eyes from underneath the frozen desert. My emerald gaze locked onto each of the beings who lay above, and I gave them a taunting smile. Raising their eyebrows in surprise, a couple simply shrugged and vanished, however some chose to glare at me begrudgingly, before being forced to back off. Not only had I staked my claim, but the witch's power that had pulled them here could no longer support their descent. 

Oh, how long has it been since I've been able to flaunt to this extent? When was the last time I got to challenge a being more powerful than myself? And was it always this fucking exhausting? 

My moment of reverie was cut short as I realized this dramatic, yet necessary outcry of power was but momentary and illusory. FUCK! I need to hurry this along. Quickly approaching the witch, I immediately executed my special skill. 

Speaking cryptically, and enigmatically. 

This would be my one and only chance at not only being able to inhabit the earth once more but recover my fame and glory. I had no doubts I'd become the laughing stock of demonkind by now, hell, the angels probably learned of my spanking and admonishment by Lucifer! How shameful, to be scorned and made fun of by those glorified pigeons. 

Ignoring the duo as they thought of their request, I began to brainstorm just what the cost would be. First, it had to be something that could tie me here with universal law that even Lucifer couldn't interfere with, and it had to ensure that I wouldn't just be thrown into the bowls of death. Death for me as long as I was under contract would send me straight back to hell, and I'd have to fight my way back out. 

Second, it would also have to be something that ensured I could consistently regain strength. Normally I would request their souls, however, I had no interest in them. What I wanted was the chance to devour the souls of any and all enemies I felled on their behalf. Since I would be under contract, whether or not Lucifer liked it, I could kill and devour to my heart's content as long as it was on behalf of fulfilling a contract. 

Next, I would have to ensure that I could eventually return to hell and reconcile with Lucifer. I must achieve something or prove myself a reformed and superior version of my past self! 

Finally, perhaps most important, I must ensure that I never be forced to use...that...again. For the sake of fulfilling my contract I will if I must, but only under the most extreme circumstances and only if they can pay the appropriate price. Otherwise, our contract will be considered void, and they will serve whatever sentence Lucifer bestows upon me in my place. 

I believe that covers all my bases. Pricking my finger, I drew up the contract, once again ignoring the duo's confused cries. Watching as our blood filled the frozen tablet and began to write out the contracts clause, I held my breath in a mixture of anticipation and exhaustion. 

The moment the tablet burst into millions of fragments and disappeared into the depths of hell; I released a sigh of relief. And with my exhale went the illusion of power I'd managed to hold onto the last epoch. For perhaps the first time since my imprisonment, I felt at peace, and the urge to sleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yawning, I rolled around in the soft snow, and stretched my arms to the sky. Hearing the satisfying pop of my joints, I carefully massaged and cracked my neck before slowly opening my eyes. What greeted me was a star filled night sky, with the aurora borealis stretching overhead like a veil. Placing my arms behind my head I found myself smiling while taking in the sight and enjoying the warmth of snow underneath me. 

"Um, excuse me? Demon sir, I'm sorry to bother you and all, but would you mind helping us get out of here now?" From nearby a soft almost melodious voice reached my ears. 

Glancing to the left and right I failed to locate the sound of the voice until a shadow loomed overhead. Possessing blonde hair, and a pair of golden eyes that possessed a bewitching ability, the young woman bore a striking resemblance to the Witch I'd contracted with. But the Witch had black hair? ~IMAGE~ 

(What do you think you are doing, calling him sir?! He is a Demon! And he is under contract! Stupid mortal! You better kick him and order him to get us out of this wasteland!) 

Another voice soon entered my ears, while not as melodious, it was much more alluring. Well, it would have been, if not for the fact it overflowed with a false sense of pride and superiority, while cursing my name. 

"Ah, I see. You two literally share the same body and can give up control to one another. I'm guessing that the screaming Witch there, possessed you then?" I asked, giving the innocent woman before me a look of pity. 

Nodding her head, and pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, the woman continued looming over me. 

"Um, yeah. I kind of accidentally opened her seal and released her, and afterward, we were like this. She's really not as bad as she seems. She's just been dealt a bad hand in life." 

(Who is a screaming Witch?! Who is not as bad as she may seem? Do not speak of me as if I am not here! Shut your mouth vile Demon, I command you to escort us out of this godforsaken land immediately! And you, mortal, stop being cordial with the creature! He is under contract and should act as such!) I could practically see the Witch jumping up and down in anger from within the woman's mind. 

"Anyway, all that other stuff aside, we really would like to get out of here as soon as possible." Stepping in, the mortal reiterated her previous words. 

With a roll of my eyes, I waved them both off. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get to it when I can. For now, you guys are safe, right? Then my contract is being fulfilled." 

Yawning I began rolling through the snow. Slowly but surely making my way across the frozen expanse to God knows where. Stuttering, the mortal trudged after me, a small frown forming on her face. 

"W-wait. But doesn't the contract also say you have to listen to us? Get back here and stop ignoring me!" 

Ignoring their incessant cries, I continued rolling through the soft snow, my destination unknown, but the possibilities endless. A smile stretched across my face as images and dreams of the places I could visit, the things I could see, the new experiences I could have, and the objects I could touch entered my mind. 

"What is it with you two thinking you can just push me around?! I know I'm not exactly the most threatening person in the world, but that doesn't mean it's okay to treat me like I don't even exist! If you won't listen to me then, I'll abolish the contract!" Hands clenched the mortal woman seemed to be shaking and on the verge of tears as she screamed at me. 

My ears perked up at the words "abolish the contract". My body and the snow around me seemed to become one as a black specter darted toward her. Appearing behind the mortal, I exhaled a freezing cold breath, that caused a layer of frost to cover her skin. 

"Abolish the contract you say? Are you attempting to threaten me? If you hadn't noticed, you're the ones who cried out for ME. I'm your only saving grace, the only being to heed your call, the only creature who placed value in your pathetic existence. Yet you think you can threaten me by abolishing the contract?" 

Feeling the intense pressure exuded by my transformed state, the mortal shivered in a mixture of fear and inability to handle the continuous temperature drop. I was sure she would apologize and take back her words so that I could go back to my frolicking, however, instead, she turned around to face me directly. 

Eyes tracing my monstrous figure, till they settled onto the blazing orbs residing within my skull, she took a step closer. Body still shaking, her eyes showed no signs of wavering. 

"You know what I think? I think that you're weak. That you need us as much as we need you. I think that regardless of what we asked for your contract would have remained the same because you're desperate. So yes, I am threatening you!" 

While I glared at her in silence, the woman slowly and purposefully turned her attention to my left arm. Seeing where her gaze had fallen, I attempted to back up, only for a vice-like grip to wrap itself around my arm. Turning her head upward, she seemed to verify something for herself and released a victorious smile. My expression must have been one for the books as I heard the Witches cackle from within her mind. 

Exhaling a breath of air, my form gradually shrunk until I returned to my human form. With my transformation, the mortals grip on my left arm lessened until all that was left in her grasp was air. Narrowing my eyes at her and then my limbless appendage, I released a small smirk. 

"It would seem that you're both Witches. One of you merely pretends to be innocent. Oh well, you got me. Everything you said is pretty much right, the specifics don't matter but yes you two may have inadvertently helped me out of a pickle." Raising my arm in mock surrender, I could only concede to the witch duo's tactics. 

(Ha! Foolish Demon! You thought you could pull one over on I, the Enchantress? I was aware of your situation the entire time, I am surprised the mortal could piece it together too, but that much should be expected as the vessel I myself personally chose! Now, get us out of here!) 

"Oh, my gosh! I'm so glad I was right. Honestly, it was just a hunch. If I ended up being wrong, we'd totally be dead right now! I'm so sorry for threatening you! Its-just the combination of both of you guys ignoring me and treating me like air was starting to hurt my feelings. I swear I'm not a witch!" Hand clutching her chest, the mortal appeared almost ready to faint, as she released a breath of air, she wasn't aware she'd been holding. 

Placing my hand on my hip I laughed heartily at her words. "That is exactly what a Witch would say! Whatever, there's no need to apologize. This is my first taste of freedom in a few million years, so I got a bit carried away. I suppose it's time we officially made introductions." 

Dropping to a single knee I extended a hand forward, "I am Crownless Demon, Algor Tenebrous Mortis, the Black Sabbath. But you may call me Algor. From here on out, your life has been placed in the hands of Winters Champion, and Deaths Embrace has no claim. Sooner, would I allow anyone to take you from me, the sea will freeze over turning a pitch black, my brinicle of frost will lay waste to the earth and sky rendering both obsolete, and I will trample on the laws of existence once more, erasing all light from the world. Mark my words, the first Ice Age will be incomparable to the universe's last!" 

The sky roared, the earth shook, and the ocean raged as my words echoed throughout the universe. I swore I could feel Lucifer's gaze from hell burning my skin, my declaration clearly doing little to alleviate his distrust and wariness of me. The angels above made themselves known, as my declaration was a clear and blatant threat to god's creation. Despite this, no one was allowed to act, after all, they all had restrictions placed on them same as I. If anything, theirs were even more restrictive. 

A sinister smile began to creep onto my face as I pictured all the entities that had heard my words. To the normal being, such a thing may just sound like false boasting or a fool's claim. But for a Demon at my level, regardless of my current lack of strength, I had just created a Commandment. One that must be followed through with and adhered to by myself. No one would be able to stop it if the terms came to pass. Throughout my very long existence I'd never created a Commandment for myself, yet today I felt the sudden need to sow seeds of chaos. 

Coming to her senses the mortal woman struggled to find the words she wished to speak, 

"It's nice to meet you Algor, you can just call me June. I look forward to what I hope will be a fruitful life with you at my side. I'm glad we can count on you!" No sooner had she finished, did her countenance change, her hair turning a pitch-black and her body becoming covered in markings. 

"Well met Algor. I have been and will forever be the Enchantress. Any other names I may have gone by have been lost to time. To not only be capable of using a Commandment but to waste it on us...you are a strange one. I have achieved false-godhood once, however, this time I will settle for nothing but the real thing. To do so, and not end up betrayed once again, I'll need your assistance. I accept you not as my knight or my angel, but as my Demon and God's Sin." Unlike June who appeared to be a fish out of water, the Enchantress stood firm and confidently, her eyes blazing to life and a smile of equally sinister intent as mine own gracing her lips. 

Clasping her hand with my own, she allowed me to kiss the back of her hand, marking the beginning of our partnership.