14. Of presents, demons and a little bit of choice

Cassandra Pendragon

Still reeling from the memory and the feelings that had come along with it I promised myself that I would stop reacting to all the shit that happened around me and and finally grip my life by the tails. I was done waiting around for anyone, be it angels, demons or just some megalomaniacal ass to come along and force me into a conflict I had to start on the back foot. No, in the future I would be the one with the plan. I was going to unearth whatever was going on within the second palace, I was going to find Aurora and if I got the chance I would kick Michael's backside along the way. But first, I had a wooden box to open.

I got up and lifted the trinket up from my desk. Is was maybe 10 centimetres in diameter and height, formed like a cylinder with evenly polished wooden sides and an intricately carved top. On closer inspection, the forms and figured formed runes, entangled and inlaid with one another. I couldn't recognise a single symbol, but I felt pretty sure that it was some kind of spell or seal. It smelled old, really old, like a dusty crypt that hadn't been open for ages. A small shiver ran down my spine and my tails shook lightly. Considering what kind of punch the letter had packed, I was anxious about simply popping the lid. I stalled for time and shuffled over to the window. Judging from the height of the sun, I hadn't been out for long, the shadows hadn't moved and the fragrances in the air still consisted mostly of cherry-blossoms and roses, rosemary and lilac would join them later in the day. From my room I had an unobstructed view over the gardens, a part of the forest and the blue sky behind, only marred by the stream of smoke, rising out of the cliff wall where I knew the dwarven mine was located. I spotted three airships, slowly approaching our island, no flags graced their hulls and I couldn't see any other form of insignia. Probably traders, wealthy ones from the looks of it.

The garden was rather lively, many kitsune were milling about close to Boseiju. At his roots, a conglomerate of different spell-casters was assembled. They slowly fed a continuous stream of greenish light into the mighty tree and even from up here I could feel the regenerative power of their spell and hear the low chants with which they channeled their magic. My skin prickled and I inhaled deeply, shaking lose the last remnants of Michael's betrayal that still wandered through my thoughts like ghosts. With a gentle hop I jumped onto the windowsill and curled up in the sunlight. I was still small enough to comfortably fit even though I couldn't fold all of my tails onto the sill anymore. I held the box into the light and scrutinised it even more closely, searching for a symbol I might recognise, a familiar pattern or any form of hint at what would happen if I opened it.

After 5 minutes I was sufficiently frustrated to cast caution to the wind. I justified my recklessness with the promise I had made myself earlier, taking life by its tails and what not, but truthfully I just didn't have much patience. I wasn't a complete idiot though.

I unfurled my wings, they fitted snugly through the holes I had cut into my shirt, and used them to carefully remove the lid. As soon as the first torrent of energy made contact with the wood, the runes started to lighten up. They had been carved into the lid, one row over another and now they started to glow in a fiendish mixture of red and black energies. The runes that had been carved at first shimmered in a vibrant red, it somehow reminded me of hellfire, even though I hadn't been to hell yet, at least not with this body. The runes which had been applied later on had a darker sheen to them, the last and 13th row was pitch black, seemingly swallowing the light from all around. Now I could discern each symbol but I still couldn't understand their meaning. It wasn't the demon tongue, which I had expected it to be after the ominous light-show on display, but it was old, I could tell that much. To be honest, I didn't expect it to benevolent either.

As soon as the first spark of energy had turned the box into a lava lamp, I had retracted my wings and placed the creepy thing as far away from me as possible. I even thought about stuffing it into the cupboard or caging it with my wings but before I could come to a decision, the lid turned clockwise once, and with a slight hissing sound the glow vanished and the runes became the tangled mess they had been, once again. I held my breath and waited, taut like a spring and ready to either attack, defend or jump out of the window, depending on what happened.

After 30 seconds had passed I was pretty sure nothing was gonna happen. The box just laid there innocently with a slight gap between the lid and the walls of the cylinder. I thought I could see a faint light emitted from within, but I wasn't sure. Tentatively I touched the box again with one of my wings and, when it still remained inanimate, popped off the lidded. Slowly I moved closer and peered inside.

On a cushion of black velvet I could see a silvery emblem. It was about as large as the cylinder, nestling snugly into the satin-covered walls. It was slightly less than 10 centimetres in diameter and maybe one centimetre thick, with a crack down the middle. Red energy filled the gap and spilled over onto the finely crafted scene around. It depicted a winged figure, bowing down in front of a large tree. On each branch of the tree, a cultured life form could be seen, while abstract animal faces made up the trunk. The fruits seemed strange as well, round globules with maps drawn on them. I couldn't place it, but I was sure I had seen the silvery disk before. I felt some form of recognition, like a favourite book from childhood, forgotten over time, and without conscious thought I picked it up.

Energy rushed from my core through my veins and into the emblem. At first I was worried my body wouldn't be able to handle the strain, but the emblem attracted every ounce of power it pulled from my core and prevented it from causing havoc. I still dropped to my knees, I was losing so much in so little time that it still felt like my veins were on fire. Slightly dizzy I tried to sever the connection but the flow of energy made it impossible to pull back. My vertigo kept getting worse and the only thing preventing me from falling face down on the floor was my hand, still glued to the emblem which seemed rooted in place.

Slowly silvery blue light flooded every nook and cranny on the disk, closing the crack and pushing against the red energy. It was a fascinating sight, unfortunately I couldn't appreciate it fully, I was starting to panic as I watched more and more of my energy gush into the emblem.

Slowly the red colour faded and when the last speck had disappeared a blinding explosion of light forced me to close my eyes. Simultaneously I felt the connection snap. When I had blinked away my tears, the disk was again whole, no trace of the damage was left. The raging energies had subsided and looking at it now I could have sworn it was just a large decorative silver coin. I got back to my feet and listened for a second. Maybe someone had noticed the light-show. When everything remained quiet I used a another shirt to pick up the disk. On closer inspection I saw a circle carved into the emblem, right above the tree. At first I thought it was a stylised sun, but after a second I recognised facial features. What I had taken for rays of light were actually horns, 13 of them which formed a crown on a aristocratic face. A handsome man with a goaty, strong jawline and narrow nose smiled mischievously down at the bowing figure.

From deep within a name drifted into my conscious thoughts:

"Mephisto?" I mumbled. His gazed turned directly towards me and a faint red light entered his eyes. Then he winked at me.

Silvery energy poured from the rim of the coin into the horns around Mephisto's face. With a crack, the smell of ozone and a slight distortion of air, a ghostly figure materialised about a meter away from me. He was huge, around 2.5 meters tall which made him tower over me by more than a meter. His features where the same but now I could see the gold-brown colour of his skin and the gleaming red, pupil-less eyes, slightly hidden under his dark-brown hair. His horns formed a crown on his head and the regal appearance was completed by a stately white robe with golden embroideries and black bits on top. His right hand held a staff with a carved unicorn on top. Golden runes highlighted the dark wood and rubies formed the unicorns eyes. His silhouette was slightly hazy but his presence felt very real, maybe a bit muted. I didn't believe he was the real deal but it felt close, very close.

I watched him wearily while hundreds of questions bombarded my mind. What had just happened? Was I about to be attacked? Did I summon him? Were we friends? Did Aurora know about the emblem? Did he know how I had died?…. My racing thoughts sputtered to a halt when a booming laughter, deep and chortling, erupted from his mouth and he had to grab onto my desk for support. I could only stare.

"Haaahh…The mighty Lucifer…. Haha… delighted to meet you again. I must say you are indeed stunning hihihi…" Did he have a couple of loose screws or was I missing something?

"Ahem, likewise, I guess? Are you… all right?" I gestured delicately at his hunched over form.

"Ah, never better. Forgive this old, poor fool, but seeing you like this… hahahah" and he started all over again. It took him nearly a minute to stop giggling like a school girl -I should know- and compose himself enough for conversation. At this point I was more annoyed than scared or impressed.

"Are you finished? Do you maybe need a handkerchief?" I asked sarcastically. I even pointed towards a stack of neatly folded cloths. He took one glance at the flowery motives and broke down, laughing like a maniac. I was pissed and grabbed a cushion from the bed to throw at him. It passed cleanly through his middle but he sobered up fast after that.

"I am terribly sorry, but you have to consider my perspective. I was fully ready to face the wrath of the devourer of immortals or at least some angelic bimbo who had cracked my seals. But instead I see a tiny fox-girl, gorgeous as all heavens but a far cry from intimidating let alone scary. Man, I told my legion stories about you to get them to listen to orders and now they'd want to eat you alive. And just thinking about Aurora's face when she meets you for the first time…" He started chuckling again. I didn't know if I should be insulted, amused or flattered. Considering he might be off the rocker and was at least part of a demon I chose amused.

"I see your point. But just imagined what I was before, coupled with a pretty smile." I sashayed over to my bed and gracefully sat down, folding my tails around me. I gave him my most dazzling smile, I had even practiced that one for etiquette classes. I saw a shiver run down his spine. It was my time to chortle happily.

"Could we now move on? I am quite aware that I appear just like a pretty little girl right now, but I don't mind, much. Usually it's advantageous, I can get away with anything." I thought about the kings negotiating my exile and added: "Almost anything. If you don't mind I'd like to ask some questions, for example: who are you?" His demeanour changed. He took a seat on the windowsill I had vacated and focused on me with his glaring red eyes and I reflexively drew my tails closer to myself. Hmm, maybe I should have kept him laughing…

"Of course I don't mind, but there are some things we need to discuss beforehand." he paused and massaged his temples. "Firstly, I am here voluntarily and intent to help you in any way I can. I burned my core to get here after all. But my help still comes with a few conditions. I am dead, for want of a better word, and all you see here is an imprint, brought to live through your energy. I am a genie in a bottle if you so will, and I want out. I need a body and you will help me get it. Secondly, I intent to teach you and you will accept when and if I share information, especially about your past. Thirdly you will tell no one about me. Do you have a problem with any of my conditions?"

I didn't mind the second two, I had nothing to lose there, and I could seriously use someone with information about angels, demons, my past…. But the first one was problematic. I wouldn't mind helping him create a body or take over a dead one, but somehow I felt like that wasn't what he had in mind. I didn't trust him and I didn't intent to walk in blindly.

"I do, but there is even a bigger one. How can either of us trust in what the other says?" He waved his hand impatiently.

"I may not have access to transcendent energy right now, but my soul and life force is still intact. I will set up a binding contract for insurance." Crap, that wasn't what I had wanted to hear. I was a complete novice in any form of magic and that sounded complicated. I'd need to trust him that the contract really did what he claimed. I couldn't bank on my immunities either, I would probably have to sign in blood and if Greta could fashion a focus from it, Mephisto would be able to do so with his hands tied behind his back. But I couldn't imagine any form of contract magic to sustain fraud. But that was just it. Just because I couldn't imagine it, didn't me it couldn't happen. It was a damn risk.

"Let's cut to the chase then. What's in it for me? You said you'd teach me, what does that mean? I want to know more about the body you intent to use before I agree to your conditions. You sound like you have already picked one. I also want to know how the contract works." He smiled slightly.

"You're not a complete bonehead, that's good. The contract will explicitly bind our souls and life force to the conditions mentioned within. Trickery is impossible unless you forget to read or misunderstand a part of it. To violate the contract you would have to tear your life force and soul apart. As far as I know, no one had ever had the courage to even try. The body I intent to use is a summoned lesser demon. I'll explain the details when we get to that point but to ease your mind: it's an elemental creature without a mind or soul. Their race has been created artificially. Now, what's in it for you? I'm the 333. demon in existence, I retained my knowledge, astral body, life force and soul. I know the secrets of the multiverse and I know why you rebelled, yes you were the one who started all of this, why you failed and what happened afterwards. I know where Aurora is and I even know how to get you there when the time is ripe. I know how transcendent beings develop and what I can safely tell you and what I can't. I can make sure you survive your own growth and don't fall prey to other immortals. In short I am your best chance to survive the next 20 years and I burned my core in the hope you wouldn't be too damn stubborn to throw it away. Oh, and I know how to regrow your spear from the emblem." He remained perfectly calm throughout his little speech, but I felt his voice tremble slightly towards the end. I was pretty sure he hadn't lied and, reading between the lines, he needed me. He had burned his core and I guessed he wanted my energies to start growing a new one in an elemental. I didn't remember it, but I felt fairly certain my guess was accurate.

I might not trust him, but I trusted in self-preservation. We needed one another and that was a solid foundation. It was the first choice I made towards a future filled with angels and demons, again, and I nodded, once.