Shadow Magic Unlocked

Raum grit her fanged teeth, her usual weary expression fading away into pure, hot anger. Her red lips curled up, revealing all of her razor sharp teeth, and her eyes widened and flickered with raging red.

"I-I will not be looked down upon!" said Raum, her voice distorting even more inhumanly to the point that Adam's skin crawled when he heard it.

It was a horrible, guttural voice fitting for a being meant to slaughter and torment humans.

Raum gripped the shadowy pen in her hands tight, the black veins in her pale arm bulging. The pen shattered, and an explosive aura of black magical energy flickered around Raum, turning all the grass and plants around her into withered, dead husks.

"Alright, my darling," said Leila as she grasped at Adam's shoulders. "It is time to go. Raum gets quite unreasonable when she is made fun of you see.

Unleashing her full power like this – does she WANT the mages and church to come crawling down here?"

"Full power? How much power are we talking about?" said Adam as he sensed Raum's strength spiking exponentially. It felt like he was at the precipice of a volcano, watching helplessly as the magma surged in preparation for an eruption.

"Enough to destroy a country, maybe?" said Leila with a cutely cocked head, as if a destroyed country was the most casual thing in the world for her to consider.

Adam, oddly, still did not feel any fear from hearing this. Instead, as his own red eyes focused on Raum, as her crow wings became far larger, wreathed in shadowy energy that crackled with fierce power, he felt…hungry?

Something in him was changing, telling him to move forward, to take Raum's attack. His body felt warm, almost hot. His hands, especially, felt like they were on fire.

"Darling-," said Leila as she tugged on Adam's shoulder. She began to worry as she saw Adam's gaze fixated on Raum. "You cannot survive a full attack from her. And because she is weakened, she can only fire one before having to disappear off to Hell.

All we have to do is leave, and we win. I can block it for you as well, my love, with my Shadowflame.

Or…or is it-,"

Leila's eyes narrowed, and a fiery black aura started to manifest around her as her lips twisted into rage. "Is it that she has captured your heart?"

"Nothing like that," said Adam. He pulled Leila in and gave her a kiss on the forehead, instantly dissolving her tension. Her narrowed eyes widened in surprise as she blushed again, shyly looking away.

"Ugh!" said Raum as she started to float in the air. Her wings were enormous by now, easily each a dozen meters across, and it was very evident that those wings belonged to a monstrosity far, far larger than any human.

She looked down at Adam and Leila with disgust, though her face flushed red even deeper at the sight of the kiss. "Seeing stuff like that makes me nauseous. Princess, please move. This human wants to challenge me, so I will give him my best."

"Do not be a sore loser, Raum! We've already won-," began Leila indignantly, but Adam put a finger to her lips.

"I want to really, really drill it in to her that I've won," said Adam. "Trust me, Leila, I can pull this off."

Leila quietened up and nodded meekly, blushing as she felt Adam's finger against her lips. She kissed his finger and nodded, drawing back.

Raum took her glasses off, neatly folding them into the pocket of her vest. Without her glasses, she looked noticeably younger, more energetic, and fiercer. "The princess is right. I am good for only one attack unleashing some of my true power like this. But you are a fool to not keep the princess with you, to not use her Shadowflame to break down my final attack."

"That's the thing," said Adam. "I get the impression Leila is done with people wanting her for what she can do for them and how they can use her, not for who she is."

Raum paused for a moment, visibly raising a brow as she processed Adam's words. She shook her head. "Hmph! Silly human ideals. But will they save you from this!?"

Raum flapped her giant crow wings, and black feathers fell from them, shaping into quills. They levitated in the air and began drawing by themselves.

Adam felt his heart skip a tiny beat as he saw just how much stronger this attack was than before. Maybe thirty drawn attacks, and the drawing were far better. Fully sketched out swords, spears, scythes, chains, flames, and things that Adam could not even describe were all pointed menacingly down towards him.

But the more magical energy Adam saw in front of him, the hungrier he got. The hotter the fire became in his heart and his hands.

"Raum," said Leila from the side as she bit her lip nervously at the scale of the attack too. A full-fledged strike from one of the Seventy-Two Great Demons, even a single one, could blow apart this entire Meadow in one fell swoop.

Leila's demeanor shifted into oozing bloodlust. "If you end up killing my darling, just know that once I return to Hell, it's your head I'll be after. You may have raised me since I was young, but I will not hesitate to put your head on a stake and torment it through eternity."

"Princess, if your Bond cannot even take a single attack from a proper Royal, how can he ever lay claim to the throne of Hell?" Raum. "If he cannot do even this much, he is not fit to be by your side and wed you."

With that, Raum flicked her hand towards Adam, and the weapons she had drawn all flew towards him.

Adam's body moved for him. He thrust his open palms out at the sea of incoming destruction, and he knew that this would do nothing against an attack of this scale, an attack that could blow up an entire building wholesale.

Yet, Adam was not afraid. No, he was eager. He smiled broadly, his sharp teeth growing even more bestial, and he felt the skin on his head split as the stubs of black horns began to sprout from them.

The weapons slammed into Adam's body, but instead of exploding and disintegrating him and everything around him to ash, it was the weapons that broke apart. They shattered like glass, funneling into Adam's hands.

Around Adam's hands was darkness. Darkness so pure that it absorbed everything, every little photon of light, completely.

It was as if Adam's hands were coated in vantablack, and anything magic that came into reach of them simply broke apart and funneled into them like they were two miniature black holes.

"Shadow Magic? I see now…," said Leila as she looked Adam up and down. She saw the horns emerging from his head, the wings starting to tear through the back of his suit jacket, and the darkness in his hands.

She smiled widely; her fangs bared in lustful, predatory gaze as her desire for Adam intensified beyond measure. She put her hands to her face not in a shy blush, but in restraint, stopping herself from at that moment flying forwards and tackling into her love.

Her love that had manifested Shadow Magic, the power of Demonic Royalty. "Yes, yes, darling! I knew you were the one!"

Raum blinked several times in complete shock. All of her attacks had been broken down and absorbed. She even rubbed her eyes before putting back her glasses and narrowing her eyes, as if trying to read text too small for her. Her disbelief settled, and her calm and tired demeanor returned to her in an instant.

Her crow's wings dispelled, shrinking, and returning to their normal size as she floated down to the ground.

Adam stood there, huffing and puffing as adrenaline poured through him. The hunger he felt was now completely satisfied, and in the place of hunger, he felt relief that he was alive.

Was the fight…over? He felt weak, his legs unstable from using new power.

"I admit my loss," said Raum. She bowed deeply to Leila, then to Adam. There were cracks lining her body, indicating she was soon to break apart. "It appears that this body, as calculated, could not sustain my true power. Alas, it is simply one of many. Regardless-,"

Raum crossed her arms and stared at Adam. She sighed. "Unleashing my power has cleared my head. That…effect you have is quite a problem for demons like ourselves, though not entirely unpleasant."

"Don't get used to it," said Leila, an edge in her voice as she came by Adam's side. Though she looked at Raum with hostility, she unconsciously snuggled up to Adam's shoulder.

"Princess, I am not here to take your Bond, now or ever, for even if you run from Hell and disobey your mother's wishes, I am still your butler," said Raum. She nodded to Adam. "You have manifested Shadow Magic. This means that, technically, you are considered a Royal Demon, though I will warn you that few other demons will ever consider you a genuine one.

That you could manifest Shadow Magic as a half breed, let alone a newly turned, is so astounding a matter that I require considerably more time in my laboratory just to even begin clearing my head to figure out how you managed this."

"Looks like I'm just built different," said Adam with a smile.

"Indeed," said Raum, a hint of interest flaring up in her eyes in a light twinkle. "If you wish to visit my lab and allow me to perform some experiments upon you-,"

"No," said Leila sternly, and the way her expression began twisting, it was obvious that a 'no' was all that was needed to get her point across.

"Of course, princess," said Raum. "But if ever there are complications with this human-,"

"Adam," said Adam. "My name is Adam. Adam Park."

"Adam of the Park? Quite odd, but yes, if there are complications as there tend to be in newly turned demons, then do not hesitate to seek my aid," said Raum.

"How can I trust you, Raum? It's been two years since I've seen you, and you've been out hunting me ever since," said Leila with crossed arms and a huff, her princess poise returning to her.

"You are young, princess, so two years seems much to you, but it is a drop in a vast ocean of time for me. And as I have said, I only seek what is best for you, and this Adam of the Park has proven himself worthy.

Now, your mother and the other Royals will not see the same," said Raum.

"Raum, are you going to go back to Hell and tell mother and the rest we are here?" said Leila, and this time, she was truly nervous.

Raum shook her head. "You have my sworn word that I will not, princess. I only wanted to know if your Bond was worthy to protect you and be by your side, and from what I can tell, he is adequate. My sworn duty is for your well-being, and though I may serve your mother occasionally, I am not bound to her."

Raum pushed her glasses to her forehead, analyzing both Adam and Leila together. "However, both of you require time for your Bond to become stronger, and you in particular, Adam of the Park, require time to mature into your royal blood.

That Shadow Magic of yours that absorbs magic even of my caliber is a terrifying power indeed, but overall, you are still a weak child compared to the Royals of Hell. However, at the rate of your growth, you should be capable of standing in our ranks quite soon.

The only issue is that of acceptance. For a former human such as yourself to be accepted by Hell, to rule it by the princess's side, you require proof of worth."

"Didn't I just prove my worth to you?" said Adam.

"To me, yes," said Raum. "But the rest of Hell is not as accepting as I am. You will need to acquire an Obelisk, especially to challenge the throne, but, as fate may have it, you will have a chance to vie for one during Walpurgis Night."

"Walrus what?" said Adam.

"You do not know? I thought the princess would have told you by now," Raum asked, surprised.

Adam glanced at Leila, and she looked away guiltily.

Raum shrugged, and flakes from her suit and body began to crumble to the floor, scattering into dust with the wind. "Ah, it appears that this body is on its last dregs. Well then, it is time I take my leave. The princess can explain it to you, but know that when I can, I will support you from the shadows. Keep your eyes open for crows.

And Adam of the Park-,"

"Yes?" said Adam.

"Do treat the princess well," said Raum. "Those ideals of yours about appreciation and understanding…they seem to have made her happy. I do not understand, but I do know that I enjoy seeing her happy.

Ensure that she remains that way."

"You don't have to tell me that," said Adam, a light smile forming on his lips.

Raum nodded before quite literally signing off, drawing a squiggle in the air with her finger before her body completely broke apart, dissolving into black particles that faded in the wind.