1 Prologue: Act 1 - The Demon's Dilemma

He looked down at his child. A young demon born some seven years prior. Her body had begun to change over the past month, after which point she had fallen into a fevered state. She could no longer hold down food, and her body had reached a temperature unnatural even for an Ifrit. It was as though her entire body was made of fire at this moment.

Even with his influence over fire he had barely managed to contain the flames his daughter was unleashing. And now he was faced with a decision. He could leave his daughter be and hope for her recovery or he could hunt for a special ingredient that could bolster her body during this time.

However, the problem lay in what he would have to retrieve. A piece of a human body, it had to be a part of a human that was younger than ten years of age. If he were to do so it would also mean that he might end up creating a great enemy in the future. As the human needed to still be alive by the time he had returned to his daughter's side.

He gritted his teeth before making his decision.

"Rath, I am leaving for the human frontier."

The lesser Ifrit's eyes widened upon hearing the decision of his liege.

"Are you certain my lord? Surely there is a better way." the young Ifrit said. His entire body shaking as he did.

"There are no other options left. Even if I were to lose fifty years of my accumulated power besieging a city, I would still do so to save my daughter. Besides, their frontier lacks true guards. It will not take me long ..." He stopped for a moment. He had an idea that would remove the future risk.

"Rath, you shall accompany me." his decision made.

"My liege, I must suggest otherwise, to even have two of us summoned ..." the young Ifrit's eyes had filled with worry.

"Would be nearly impossible normally. However, once I am across my power would be enough to drag you along as well." It was something that was rarely attempted. As it took an exorbitant amount of energy to do so. Most demons would never dare to do so. However, he needed to be sure that no new threats would surface from his actions.

"Are you sure, my liege?" the young Ifrit voice was filled with worry. It was speaking to the man who had saved his life on numerous occasions, he didn't want his liege to die from the over exertion in the Human Realms.

"Yes, for I have a task for you. You must ensure the human stays alive long enough, after that kill it and return." he said sneering.

"I shall do as you say, my liege." the young Ifrit said with a bow.

"Now then. Hear me my loyal subjects, activate the circle and let loose my flaming body!" He roared out, causing the entire palace to shake.

.....

In the depths of the wilderness a red portal ripped its way into reality. And out from it stepped the hulking form of the Ifrit. His body rippled with flames, his red skin barely able to contain the raging inferno that was his spirit.

"Now then, come forth from the depths of the flame. I call your name Rath." he uttered these words while concentrating on the red portal. A few moments later the young Ifrit, Rath was pulled through.

"I have arrived at your call, my liege." Rath said his head bowed to his liege.

"We must be swift, even though humans are weak they should never be underestimated." he said while scanning the wilderness they had arrived within.

"There is a structure roughly ten kilometers away. Let us make haste." his body already in movement.

Rath followed behind as best as he could. His liege was far superior to him, not even showing any sign of fatigue even after having summoned him forth. He could only barely keep up with him as his liege deliberately slowed himself down.

.....

After only a ten minutes they had arrived at the edge of a small farm. From the just before the edge of the treeline they observed. As the time passed they thanked their luck. For there was a young boy that was working out in the fields.

They moved swiftly and carefully. They needed to keep the child alive long enough to use what they gathered.

~

As the boy looked up towards the blazing sun above and wiped his head, a burning fireball flew over the field he was in. His shock was quickly replaced with horror as he saw where it was headed.

BOOOOOM!

It detonated upon his house. His mother was definitely still inside the morning had just begun and she hadn't yet called for him to get breakfast. His legs collapsed underneath him as the shock wave slammed into him. He felt himself floating in the air for several seconds before slamming onto the ground.

In his dazed state he could hear his father's frantic shouts. Before an earsplitting scream reached his ears. He knew the voice was the one that had been shouting just moments before. He turned his head towards where it had emanated from. Only to see his father's head in the hands of a demon, the body having already been set ablaze.

He pushed himself backward, trying to get his body to move properly. Yet, it could barely respond, from the combination of terror and pain it refused to move more than a few feet back.

At that moment the demon turned towards him, its eyes glowing with an unnatural flame. His body responded at this moment and he threw himself backwards, only to impact into something hard as stone and as hot as a hearth.

His head turned towards what he had hit, and another demon came into view. Though this one stood nearly a meter taller than the other one and its body was seemingly wreathed in an endless flame.

It smiled while looking down at the young boy. Its arms already in movement as he attempted to escape. With a single motion it had grasped hold of his head and lifted him three meters off the ground. It turned him so that they both were looking eye to eye.

In the next moment its hand had forced open his right eyelid. And it began to slowly extract his right eye from the socket.

"Aaaaaaaaah!" he screamed in pain as it was slowly and methodically ripped out.

"Take the boy into the wilderness, Rath." he could hear the demon speak as it dropped him into the arms of the one that had killed his father.

"It shall be done, my liege." the one known as Rath responded, before it began to move through the fields towards the forest.

~

He smiled as he made his way back to the portal. He would ensure his daughter's survival with the boy's eye. He couldn't help, but laugh at how great his fortune had been.