You woke up, hoping that nothing you've done recently was a dream. Sometimes, you worried that your whole life was fake, and that you'd wake up from it to realize nothing you'd experienced actually happened. Thankfully, none of this was a dream. You got up, stretched your wings, and examined your new macabre ornament. It was a beautiful shade of crimson, perfectly smooth and round. You were proud of your work of art. You decided that you'd make more of this "art" soon.
After doing your normal post-wake-up routine, you felt hungry. Not quite as hungry as this morning, but still enough to go out. After getting into your usual dark robes, you turned invisible and flew off in the direction of an evil soul you sensed.
Your senses have really increased since your power up. This soul was well over 100 miles away, but the journey took mere seconds. When you arrived at your destination, you felt somewhat bad for this soul. The soul was blue with envy, but all alone. Using your demonic powers, you looked into his past. He and his brother both grew up very poor. Eventually, the two raised enough money to go to college and get degrees. While his brother became a successful businessman, Mr. Blue Soul was not so lucky. He lost his job in the 2008 recession and could not afford to keep his house. Eventually, he had to move into a mobile home in the middle of the desert. He had many troubles trying to stay alive, and just wanted something good in his life. At one point, he and his brother had a falling out and thus, his brother refuses to help the man in any way. The man became extremely resentful and envious, hence the blue soul. For the past month, he was plotting his vengeance against his brother, and he was about to go through with it. While you felt pity for this man, you were not going to allow him to kill his brother and his wife.
After deciding how you were going to kill him, you approached his home. You became visible and turned into your human form. You implanted a memory into his head that made him believe that he'd ordered a pizza. You also conjured a pizza into your hand. You knocked on the door, and waited. "Coming!" The man yelled. Eventually, he opened the door, and you were greeted by the most repulsive sight you'd ever seen. This man smelled repulsive, mainly due to his lack of personal hygiene ad his evil soul. He was a hefty man, a slob, and smelled drunk.
"Mr. Freeman?" You asked. "One pepperoni pizza and one side, right?"
"Yes. But I don't see my side." He responded rudely.
"Well, it's right here!" You yelled, dropping the pizza and changing into your demonic form. The man could only scream as a 7 foot tall demon cloaked in darkness appeared in front of him. "Thomas Reginald Freeman, your envious soul is mine!" You yelled, seeing how no other people were within a mile of this place. You grabbed his neck, and lifted him off of the ground. Once his eyes reached the level of your red eyes, he let out a cowardly scream. "Mortals screaming makes me a happy demon." You smiled as you tensed your grip, causing him extreme pain. While you pitied the man, you still had a job to do. At one point, you couldn't take it anymore and just ended it. You strengthened your grip even more, your hand ripping through his neck. His body fell below and his head toppled to the side, blood spewing from where his neck used to be. You sighed as you opened a pit to Hell. The head, body, and all of the blood fell into the pit, and his blue soul floated out. You grabbed it, sighed again, and ate your meal. It tasted like spicy fried chicken. The deliciousness of the soul perked you up again, and filled you up. You figured that it was a sufficient meal, and that you wouldn't be hungry for a couple of hours. Satisfied, you flew up and back home.
This flight was different. Usually, your flights are completely devoid of anything interesting. However, this one was weird. As you were gaining altitude, you sensed a familiar soul. Plus, you were close enough to see it. It was a black soul, but it was not the same shape as the souls you've been calling meals. This one had horns. As the owner of the soul neared, you could make out that it was another demon. You stopped and wondered why another demon would be here. Eventually, the demon reached you. He looked similar to how you did before your power up. Muscular, dark wings, sharp canine teeth, etc. The main differences were in the hair, which he had short blond hair, his eyes, which were a deep violet, and the fact that this guy had rather sharp nails. He also looked rather young. If you looked like you were in your late 20's, he looked like a teenager. "Did you just take that soul?" The demon asked.
"Yes. I was hungry and needed something to eat." You replied. "Who are you?"
"I'm Marino Hadlet! Purger Extraordinaire!" He replied. "I'm one of the most famous purgers in Falrenkar! Who are you to steal my soul?"
You started laughing, hearing the ego of this guy. "That's no way to talk to a Lord, now is it?" You asked, laughing. "Tell me, when you're in the presence of Lord Ral Gadnar, how is one supposed to act?" The demon started to act frantically, not knowing what to do.
"I'm terribly sorry My Lord. I wasn't aware that I was in the presence of someone so important." He said, panic stricken.
"It's okay Marino." You started. "My being sealed away changed me a lot. I'm no longer Ral Gadnar, Lord of the Underworld. I'm now Ral Gadnar, The Most Powerful Demon in Existence."
"Most powerful?" He asked, the fear in his voice gone. "How so?"
"Well, just look at me!" You smiled, pointing attention to the dark aura surrounding your body. "When I ruled the Underworld, I found a secret circle of Hell. I basically made it my private office. Occasionally, I invited King Tharin, a close friend of mine, in to chat. What neither of us knew was that that circle of Hell was made of pure condensed power, and all of my time spent in it made me absorb all of that power. However, it was not in a form usable to me back then. Fast forward to when some idiot Satanists tried to summon me to the Mortal world, but screwed up and sealed me away for 20 years. Eventually, some random guy stumbled into where I was sealed up and unsealed me. We merged, becoming one. Whenever I need to blend in, I change into a form resembling his body. However, our merger created a way that allowed me to use the power I absorbed after all of those years. Eating evil souls replenishes and grows that power, making me stronger. In essence, after absorbing pure power for many many years, I've become the strongest demon in history. Now, that secret circle has become unstable and only I am powerful enough to survive in it. However, if I am in it for more than 5 minutes, I could die."
"Wow!" Marino gasped, amazed. "That's amazing My Lord. Could you please show me your power?"
"Sure." You smiled. You yourself were not sure how this stunt would go, but you wanted to impress the kid. "Follow me." You started flying back to where Thomas, the man whose soul you just devoured, lived. "Now, I want you to stand back." Your arms started to glow a dark purple. You waved them around, creating a purple circle in midair. Once the circle was complete, you drew a pentagram in the middle. "The pentagram was always my thing." You laughed as you motioned downward with your right hand. Immediately, the mark grew and embedded itself into the ground around Thomas's home. The mark grew to the size of a football field, and you smiled. You snapped your fingers, and the mark exploded in black energy, creating a large pillar of blackness. After a couple of seconds, the blackness dissipated and nothing remained. The small home was completely vaporized, as was one of the mountains near it. "So Marino! Satisfied?" You yelled into the distance.
"WOW!" He yelled, completely shocked. "That was amazing."
"I told you I was the most powerful demon in existence." You smiled a cocky grin. The young (relatively speaking) demon flew towards you, amazed at what he saw.
"Please Lord Gadnar! Teach me to be like you! I want to be strong like you!" He begged to you.
"Well, it can't hurt..." You said, contemplating whether it was worth it taking a disciple.
"Please? I've been alone my whole life!" He started, grabbing your attention. "I never knew who my parents were. During school, I learned about purgers, and wanted to be one. I heard they had to let go of all ties in Falrenkar, and live primarily here in the Mortal world. Considering I had no family, I decided that it would be the best for me. Plus, I knew I had some demonic powers up my sleeve. Eventually, I enrolled in school to become a purger, and graduated top of my class. I've been a purger ever since. That whole being famous thing I made up about myself because I've never had anyone who cared for me in my life. Me pretending to be famous was the only way to convince myself to continue. You, My Lord, could help me achieve something truly special in my life. Besides, I've always wanted someone to look up to." You were touched by his story, and could tell that it was true. You were not sure if you were ready to be someone's father figure, but you wanted him to be happy.
"Tell you what Marino." You started. "I will not be your teacher. And stop calling me My Lord or Lord Gadnar. Even if he's basically adopted, my son should address me as a father. Come here son." You opened your arms, and Marino flew into them crying.
"Thank you Dad." He cried. "I can call you dad, right?"
"Of course!" You smiled. "Now, who's ready to become one of the most powerful demons in history!"
"ME!" Your new (unofficially adopted) son replied happily.
"Correct. Now let's head home. After a meal like this, I like to relax." You laughed.
"Actually, can we find another soul first. That one was going to be my breakfast." Marino muttered.
"Sure. Where to?" You responded.
"Really?" He asked, genuinely surprised.
"I don't want my son to be hungry." You replied smiling. "Where's the soul you want?"
"Umm..." He started, trying to sense evil souls in the area. Eventually, he found one. "Got one! Follow me!" He started flying in the direction of the moon, you following suit.
This fly was not only uninteresting, but also slow. While your top speed was somewhere around Mach 25, Marino's was closer to Mach 3, slower than your top speed pre-power-up. However, he was still young and had a lot of potential. Eventually, you made it to your son's meal's house. You sensed two evil souls, both red with a violent past. This was the home of a serial killing couple. "Well Marino, there are two in there. If you want both of them, then be my guest! I'm not hungry." You said, assuring your son that he could have both souls.
"Thanks Dad!" He smiled.
"Just letting you know that I'll be watching you take these souls. I want to see what you do." You said, turning invisible and entering the house unnoticed. You sat on a couch in the living room by the couple. They were watching the late night news.
"Another person has been found dead by authorities. The body was horribly mutilated, with the mark of the Killing Couple on each of the victim's hands. Police are still looking for evidence to confirm the identity of the Killing Couple." The anchor said, before the woman turned off the TV.
"Harold, I thought you hid the body." The woman started angrily.
"I dug the ditch as deep as I could." The man, Harold said. "I can't stop the smell of decomposition Linda!"
"Well you should try harder next time!" Linda yelled.
"There won't be a next time!" Marino yelled, appearing in front of the couple. He was invisible even to you. The couple was scared of the 6 foot tall demon, but determined to win the clearly one sided fight to come. "Your souls are mine!" Marino held out his right hand, and a black fireball formed in it. Once it was fully formed, he threw it at Harold, igniting him in black fire.
"You monster!" Linda yelled, taking out a pocket knife. "Take this!" She threw the knife at Marino, who caught it in his hand by the blade. Rather than being cut by the blade, the blade bent to his fingers. Harold was still burning, his body slowly being sent to Hell by the fire.
"Bad mistake Linda." Marino laughed as he threw the blade down to the ground. Right as it hit the ground, it started to disintegrate. "Goodbye Linda." Marino's hand started to glow black, as a black dagger formed in it. He then rushed forward and stabbed Linda in the head, killing her instantly. He then opened a small hole in the ground and sent the couple to Hell. You snapped your fingers, becoming visible as two red souls appeared from the hole.
"Excellent work Marino." You said smiling.
"Thanks Dad!" Marino smiled, taking one of the souls in his hand. "I'm not very good at using my powers, so I try to end things as quickly as possible. However, I'm really good at more physical stuff. Did you see me catch her knife?" He laughed as he ate the soul whole.
"Yeah. That was pretty cool." You laughed. "Earlier today, someone tried to shoot me. It didn't end well for him."
"What'd you do?" Marino asked with a mouthful of soul.
"I caught the bullet, set it on fire and flicked it back at him." You replied. "That's gotta be one of my favorite kills."
"I want to be able to do stuff like that!" Marino said with amazement in his eyes as he took the second soul.
"You will someday." You smiled as you watched him eat the other soul. "Still hungry?"
"No. I'm good now." He replied.
"Cool. Let's go home." You smiled, starting to fly.
"I can't wait to see where you live!" He started, following you into the air. "Er... where I'll be living. It's probably better than where I was before."
"And where was that?" You asked.
"Alone in the desert." He replied.
"Yeah, my place is better." You assured him, flying home.
Eventually, you made it home. However, it took much longer than you would have liked. When Marino saw the mansion that you called home, he was amazed. He was even more amazed when you explained that you made it using your powers. You landed on the deck, and raised your hands into the air. They glowed white briefly, and the mansion changed. A new balcony was added to the outside of the mansion. "Ready for the grand tour?" You asked.
"Yes!" Marino replied excitedly. You entered the mansion by way of the back door, and ended up in the living room. You showed him everything. The gym, kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, bedrooms, etc. When you got to your bedroom, you showed him the red orb and told him the story about it. He was impressed and shocked. Eventually, you made it to his bedroom. It was a large room with a bed just like your own in that it could fit a demon your size. There was also a large bathroom connected to it, "If you want anything, just tell me." You smiled.
"Can I have a computer?" He asked.
"Sure!" You snapped your fingers, and a desk with a large computer appeared. "This computer is more powerful than any other computer in existence."
"Thanks Dad!" Marino smiled as he pushed the desk to where he wanted it. "I think I'm just going to lay down for a bit. I can't remember the last time I slept on a bed."
"Well I'll leave you to it. I'm going to be in the living room if you need me." You said, exiting the room, feeling quite happy.