I'm just going to say it. This is a really long chapter. Enjoy!
The rest of that night was not special. Once the two of you were feeling hungry, you went out and found two more red souls, and ate a fulfilling dinner. That was all. The only real interesting that happened was that you opted for the wardrobe change you were debating earlier. While the black robes did give off the sinister appearance you wished for yourself, being a demon after all, you wanted to look good as well. The robes were just not "21st century" enough. When you went to Falrenkar, the demons there were just wearing the clothes you'd expect a normal human to wear. Business suits, t-shirts with jeans, dresses, etc. Realizing that even the Demon world is not particularly demonic (when it comes to fashion), you decided to go for a more modern look. Besides, it would accentuate your demonic features more! That's what you wanted after all. When you got back from your dinner run, Marino went to his room feeling exhausted. It was his first night with you, and you did make him work quite a bit.
After seeing him off for the night, you walked up to your room. For once, you actually got a good look at your room. The large room was a rectangular shape, with the double doors leading in taking up part of one of the smaller sides. Further on ahead was your "Demon King-Sized" bed, as you called it. You needed quite a large bed to fit your 7-foot tall, muscular self. On each side of the bed was an end table. One of them had a little alarm clock in the shape of a cat. The other one was where you put your phone to charge it. In front of the bed was a coffee table, where you kept your crimson trophy on a pedestal. (The ball you made out of one of the terrorists from a couple of chapters ago...). On the wall directly in front of your bed was an 81 inch TV, which was as modern as it gets. (Think of the newest TV tech you can. It's in this TV). Farther down the room was a bookshelf filled with both demonic and regular, human books. Near to that were a couple of couches for you to sit on, and one large sofa chair that you absolutely loved. There was also a desk that included a ridiculously powerful computer. When designing it, you decided to make it the "Me of Computers" when it comes to power. Across from this "study" space was your walk-in closet, which was larger than your old apartment. You didn't even need this much space for your clothing, but you had it anyway. Next to that was your en-suite bathroom, complete with humongous bathtub and separate shower, which was the size of a normal walk-in closet. Everything was beautifully clean and modern, like it was brand new. In a way, though, it was... At the end of the room was the balcony, which you used a lot for taking off on your flights. It was a very nice place. You walked over to your closet, where your clothes stayed. You partitioned the large closet into two sides. One side had the clothes you'd wear in your human form, and the other had the clothes for your demon form. The human side was full of expensive suits, dress shirts, ties, jeans and more. It was clothing heaven. Meanwhile, on the demonic side, it was just full of dark robes, cloaks and other similar articles. This was not the new you. With a wave of your hand, all but a couple disappeared, and were replaced with regular human clothing, just sized for your demonic self. You decided to try some on. You put on a plain-looking t-shirt with a jacket, and a pair of jeans. All of your shirts were designed so your wings would be able to pop out the back. Sure enough, the look worked with you, and you walked over to your bookshelf, where your book from before was waiting.
Noon that day.
The sun was up, the sky was blue, and your demonic self was happy. You were realizing that the sleep you needed the past couple of days was just remnants from the merger you had with that human. Now, with the merge complete, sleep was almost entirely unnecessary for you. Plus, your hunger for souls has started to become less frequent. You could probably get by with only 4 or 5 average souls per day. Your son, on the other hand, was a bit different. He still needed to sleep a bit per day, but not nearly as much as a normal human. 3 or 4 hours was plenty of time for him. It was just a matter of meals. With that in mind, during the time you were waiting for him to wake up, you went out and collected a bunch of souls. Enough to last the two of you 3 or 4 days. You also figured out how to preserve them so that they could last that long. It was simple with your vast array of powers.
As you were preparing Marino's training, he came downstairs. He seemed raring to train. He was even wearing athletic gear that you'd see most athletes practice in. It was an amusing sight. Meanwhile, you were preparing a light snack for yourself. "Hi Marino. Ready to train?" You asked him, already knowing the answer.
"Absolutely!" He smiled with incredible enthusiasm. "What are we going to do?"
"Well, a lot." You started. "We're going to a special place to train, and we'll be there for a couple of days. While you were asleep, I collected a bunch of souls. Should be enough for 3 or 4 days. Want something to eat before we go?"
"Yeah." He answered. "I can do it." He rushed over to the kitchen, where he prepared some breakfast for himself. An omelet, some toast, some fruit, etc. Breakfast things. Meanwhile, you were eating the snack you were preparing before. As he sat at the kitchen table, eating his breakfast, you walked down into your basement, where your home gym was set up. There were two other doors in that room. One was a door into the bathroom, which was also equipped with a sauna, steam room, and large Jacuzzi. The other door seemed to go nowhere. When you opened it, you were greeted with a small, empty room. As soon as you were about ready to prepare the training, Marino came into the gym. "Is this where I'll be training?" He asked confusedly. "Because there's definitely not enough room to do much of anything."
"Just wait Marino." You turned toward him, smiling. Immediately, your hand began to glow a faint orange hue. After a couple of seconds, the orange glowed stronger. Once it was finished, you placed your hand on the door. The door glowed a magnificent orange for around one minute. Once the glow was completely gone, the door opened, revealing a large meadow. "We'll be training here." You said, entering the meadow. It was vast, almost never-ending. Behind you was a large house, not dissimilar to your own, but everything else was just greenery. In the distance were large mountains and valleys. It was the perfect place to go unnoticed by humans. (Before I continue, just a warning. I play a lot of D&D and Magic the Gathering, and this part is somewhat inspired by some mechanics in them.) "Marino, welcome to the Plane of Requirement. Everything is made up of many planes of existence. Certain beings who are strong or powerful enough can travel between the planes. Humans call these kinds of beings Planeswalkers, (see the MTG?) but they believe them to be fictional. However, they are completely real, and I am one. That is why I was chosen to be ruler/overseer of Hell. I could travel there and back at will. Falrenkar, the Mortal World, Hell, Heaven, and here are all different planes. This one in particular transforms into whatever you need it to be at that given moment. Right now, it is the perfect training ground. Ready to begin?"
"Yes Dad!" Marino's smile widened to an elated expression.
"Before we begin, I need to test your limits. That way, I can break them." You started. "First, your physical limits. I need you to fly as fast as you can. See that mountain over there?" You pointed to one of the mountains in the distance. "It is exactly 1000 miles away. I want you to fly there and back as fast as you can. To give you an idea of what I can do, I can make it there and back in less than 5 minutes. (I'm setting your top speed at Mach 32. Why? Why not!) I want to see how fast you can do it."
"Okay. Tell me when, and I'll go." Marino said, preparing to take off. As he was doing this, you snapped your fingers, making a large timer appear.
"As soon as you start, this will. Go when you are ready." You said, pointing a slightly clawed finger to the timer. "While you're gone, I will prepare then next part of your training." Once you finished, Marino disappeared into the distance, flying as fast as his wings could muster. After about one minute, you started preparing the next part of his training, making a bunch of heavy objects appear on the ground. You lined them up in order of heaviness. The lightest object you put there was a small car weighing 2 tons. The largest was a giant ship weighing 500,000 tons. You thought this was a good enough spectrum. You also fitted each on with handles that will make lifting possible. Deciding to test your own strength, not knowing it, you walked over to the 500,000 ton ship, and tried to lift it. Even for you, it was a struggle, but you managed to barely lift it off the ground. Knowing that telekinetic and physical strength are closely tied, you tried to lift it off the ground with your mind. It was also quite the challenge, but you managed.
After about 27 minutes, Marino returned, panting. "Welcome back Son! How was the flight?" You asked smiling.
"Pretty good. I'm beat though." Marino responded, panting.
"Well, your flight test showed that you flew an average of Mach 6. That's pretty fast!" You responded, smiling.
"Thanks Dad." Marino smiled, his panting becoming less frequent as he regained his stamina.
"We'll take a couple minutes break before the next part." You started. "The next part is your physical strength. See all of this stuff?" You asked, waving towards the line of random heavy things you made. "We're going to see how much you can lift."
"Seems simple." Marino commented.
"We'll also be testing your telekinetic abilities with this stuff." You added. "That's where the simplicity ends."
"Yeah. So it does." Marino sighed. "I've never been the best at that..."
"Well, that's what this training is for." You smiled. "Ready? Or do you need another minute."
"I'm ready." Marino smiled.
"Okay, start with whatever you want. We'll go up or down depending on the results." You smiled, motioning Marino over to the line of stuff. He started with a respectable weight. A train car full of stuff, totaling 5,000 tons. Marino walked over to the handle, where he tried to lift it. As soon as he exerted force on it, it rose up. It looked quite easy for him, and judging by the fact that none of his muscles looked at all strained, it was.
"That was easy." Marino laughed. "Let's try something else!" He waltzed over to a large box container that totaled to 20,000 tons. He tried to lift this one, and again, it seemed very easy. After many tries, he came across his limit. A huge freight train that totaled 100,000 tons. Just like you with the 500 kt (kiloton) weight, he barely managed to get it off the ground, so you could tell that this was his max.
"Okay, 100,000 tons. That's about the weight of an aircraft carrier. That's great!" You smiled, congratulating your son, who was completely pumped, but exhausted.
"Thanks Dad!" Marino said, panting again. "How much could you do?"
"500,000. Don't want to brag, but yeah..." You said smiling. "Once you regain your composure, we need to test your telekinetic abilities."
"Okay. I just need a minute." Marino panted.
"By any chance, when was the last time you tried something heavy with your telekinesis?" You asked.
"Not too long ago, but it was much lighter than that train, and still pretty hard." Marino explained. "As I said, I'm not the best with it. You're really good with it!"
"Thanks son. I use it a lot. That's why. Practice makes perfect!" You smiled. "Ready?"
"Yeah." Marino said, clapping his hands to get himself mentally ready.
"Okay. Go over to the box container labeled 20k. We'll try with that." You started.
"Okay Dad. Here goes!" Marino nodded, trying to concentrate. After a couple of seconds, the box car gently lifted off of the ground.
"How are you doing?" You asked him. "Hanging in there?"
"Yeah, it's hard, but I'm managing." Marino answered.
"Okay, try to lift it higher." You ordered. Marino closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on lifting the box up. "Don't close your eyes. If you do, you won't see where you're directing things."
"Sorry Dad." Marino forced, opening his eyes. Soon, the box lifted higher into the air.
"Okay, stop making it go up, and try to make it go left." You ordered. Marino tried to keep the box from going up, and was successful. Then, he tried to make it go left, and it went left. "Nice, now make it go right." All you saw was the box stop and veer violently to the right. "Okay, that was a bit too much right. Next time, try to make it a bit smoother." You commented.
"Sorry Dad! It's not easy!" Marino responded, trying not to break his concentration.
"Now just make it hover motionless!" You ordered. "And make it stop smoothly." Marino concentrated, and the box gradually slowed to a stop. "Perfect. Now I want you to make it go in a circle parallel to the ground. Don't let it change height." You ordered, flying up to the height of the box. As you were, the box was making a circle with a 100 foot radius. The whole time, it was staying perfectly level. "Great job Son! Now make it go faster!" The box started accelerating until it his 200 MPH. "Now finally, slow it down until it stops, and put it back to where it was originally on the ground." The box gradually slowed down, and floated gently to the ground, where it was before. "Great job Son! How do you feel?" You asked, making sure Marino was alright.
"I'm a bit tired, but otherwise good. That was hard!" Marino chuckled.
"But you did it. That's the most important part." You smiled. "I'm proud of you son!"
"Thanks Dad!" Marino panted, this time with no sign of it slowing down.
"Marino, I know you're tired, and probably pretty hungry. The next thing that I want you to do just requires you to stand there. It's a test of durability. Okay?" You explained.
"Okay." Marino forced with a fatigued breath.
"Get ready. I don't want to hurt you, but this might. Sorry if it does." You said, making sure you son knew what was coming.
"If it's to make me stronger, I'll do almost anything." Marino spoke proudly.
"Brace yourself." You held your hand out, making a small dagger. Unlike most blades you make, this one was actually made of metal, rather than your usual ethereal, black energy. Once it was fully formed, you tried to stab Marino directly in the chest. Rather than piercing his skin, the knife broke. You tried the same with a large sword, but that proved ineffective as well. You tried to swing a sword at him, but the blade broke. No matter what you did, blades broke as soon as they made contact with him. Meanwhile, Marino was showing no sign of pain. "Now Marino, I'm not sure what will happen with this one, so brace yourself. I'm going to try with an energy dagger."
"Okay. I'll tell you if you need to stop." Marino smiled. "Go."
"Okay." You conjured a familiar black dagger of pure energy, and just tried to cut him. It proved effective, and a small gash appeared on Marino's shoulder. You could tell your son was in extreme pain, but he was taking it, determined not to falter. After a couple of seconds, the gash started to close itself up, and after one minute, it was like you never cut him in the first place. "I forgot about our accelerated healing." You laughed. "I've never seen it before."
"That's because you're so strong Dad!" Marino smiled, completely recovered from the pain. "On a particularly bad soul hunt, my arm came off. It was the worst pain. But, after less than 10 minutes, I had a new arm, just like the old one. We heal really quickly."
"Yeah. Anyway, I have another thing I want to do. Let's see how you fare against bullets." You smiled, making a gun in your hand. You pointed it at Marino, and pulled the trigger. A bullet fired directly between Marino's eyes, but proved pointless as the bullet bounced harmlessly off the young demon. You then moved farther back, and made a huge machine gun. You pulled the trigger, and fired a barrage of bullets at your son. Once again, the bullets bounced harmlessly off the young demon. "Okay. One more thing. Explosions. Get ready!" You yelled as you hurled a grenade you made at your son. It landed right at his feet and exploded, doing no harm to him. His clothes, however, were completely shredded from the blades, bullets and explosions.
"It's okay, I got it!" Marino snapped his fingers, and his outfit appeared back on his body. "I've got some tricks up my sleeve!"
"Okay. That was a lot to take, and you're still completely unfazed. That's great!" You smiled. "You're already very very strong Son!"
"Nowhere near you though." Marino sighed.
"Well, that's what this training is for!" You reiterated. "One more explosion. This is going to be an explosion equivalent to the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Do you think you can handle it? If not, then I won't do it."
"Dad, do it!" Marino yelled.
"I'm sorry if I kill you." You said, starting to tear up, thinking the worst. However, you went through with it anyway. You pointed your finger towards Marino, and a huge, fiery explosion centered on him erupted. A shock wave burst out, destroying everything in its path. Nuclear fallout rained down, causing even you to cough. The intense heat caused a little sweat to drip down your face. It looked like an apocalyptic scene for a two mile radius, centered around a huge mushroom cloud. With a wave of your hand, all of that was cleared and replaced with the meadow from before. It was almost like the explosion didn't happen. The only sign that it did was Marino, who was lying down where he was standing before, covered in burn marks. "Marino? Are you okay?" You asked. There was no response. "Marino?" Still nothing. "MARINO!!!! SON!!!"
"Dad? Is that you?" Marino said faintly, like he was hanging onto life by a thread.
"Yes. Are you okay?" You cried, hoping that you didn't just kill your son.
"I think so." He whispered. "In fact, I FEEL AMAZING!" He got up, flew around a bit, and landed. With a snap of his fingers, all of the burn marks faded away into nothingness, leaving flawless skin on his whole body. "I fooled you!"
"You terrified me!" You yelled, your cries transitioning into laughter.
"There's one for the books. Almost scared the life out of the strongest demon ever." Marino laughed.
"Okay son. There's one more thing I want to do before lunch. Reflexes." You smiled. "I remember seeing you catch a knife thrown at you, but what about a bullet?"
"I remember you telling me that you did that once." Marino smiled. "Let's see if your son can do the same." You conjured up a pistol and aimed it at Marino, moving away slightly.
"This was how far away the shooter was from me when I did it." You stated. After you finished the sentence, there was dead silence. After a bit, you shot, making sure you didn't signal that you were going to shoot at all. You watched as Marino caught the bullet in his hand. "Nice job son! Now, let's eat!" You smiled, rubbing your hungry demon stomach. As you were walking towards the house, you fired at Marino again. Just like before, he caught it in his hand. "Nice!" You yelled happily. Your lunch each consisted of two blue souls. Your's tasted like delicious spicy fried chicken. "Now, let's start training your powers."
Marino smiled as he stuffed the last of his meal into his mouth. "Let's do this!"
End of Chapter
Author's note: All of the units used in this are done in the United States Imperial System of measurements because America is stupid and refuses to use the Metric System. Thus, it's easier to think in Imperial for me, despite how much I love the Metric System. Thanks for reading this ridiculously long chapter! More coming soon!
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