The Lustwood Curse

One of either Damon or his brother were willing to sacrifice themselves with the hope of rectifying the error their ancestors had made in the aim of securing a bright future for their next generations.

Damon and his brother Deimos had drawn a magic circle to summon Vladimir Lucifer with the aim of changing the terms of the contract their ancestors made with Vladimir.

Rather than Vladimir appearing in person, his voice and presence could only be felt but couldn't be seen by Damon because a single corpse wasn't enough to summon him from his dimension.

The single corpse used was that of Deimos. To summon an immortal like Vladimir, it would take almost a thousand number of corpses to really complete his summoning.

"Damon didn't want to witness his own children causing the death of his wife hence why he begged Lord Vladimir to change the terms of his contract. But as deceptive and evil as he always was, my Lord showed 'kindness' by requesting three children of his consummated marriage," The imp paused,.

It began to doubt about if it should really continue with what it was saying.

*Click*

"Ahh!!!" The imp was stunned was again.

"Oh, what's the use. I'm going to die anyway for not completing my mission," The imp hung his head in disappointment before continuing.

"Your ancestors had made a contract with Lord Vladimir. To ensure that their next generations never suffer, they had requested Lord Vladimir to cast a spell on them and in return, over a hundred corpses were given to him as payment in his summoning. And to validate their contracts Vladimir had requested they send the bodies of their future partners as payment to him,"

"So this was what my Dad aimed to change. And since he wasn't going to offer all three babies to Vladimir, he was killed,"

" That is correct. His soul was taken on the night of my Lord's summoning and since he couldn't come to this dimension himself, I was ordered to make sure Damon's cursed children accomplishes my Lord's goal,"

"What exactly is the Lustwood curse?"

The imp paused a little before responding. "To be betrothed to those having a higher socioeconomic status than your household,"

"Pfft...haha..." Dante couldn't help but laugh in disbelief by what he just heard.

"Is that supposed to be a curse. It's more like a blessing,"

"That was exactly what your dad and everyone elee before him thought, but when Damon noticed the fact that he would eventually have the same fate as your mother just like his father and everyone else who were all killed a few days after their partners died, Damon then decided to end the curse. Haven't you ever wondered why I asked you to marry the Emperor's daughter,"

"Huh?" Dante raised an eyebrow.

"Your dad was the son of the wealthiest merchant in the empire but still he was attracted to your mother who was the daughter of the highest noble rank in the empire. Do you not find it odd that you were attracted to her as well? If she were to be a baroness, do you still think you would have had the same feelings you have towards her now?"

"Wait so you're saying..."

"Exactly. Every women you ever had interest in were all having a higher social status than you,"

Dante's eyes were dilated, he still couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Then it means....." Dante paused when he suddenly heard an explosion

*Boom*

The room both Dante and the imp were currently in began to vibrate vigorously as though an earthquake was currently happening within the room alone.

"Oh shit!!" The imp cursed. "Oh no. This is bad. This is so bad. I'm such an idiot. Stupid, stupid, stupid," The lightning bolt impaling him to the wall dispersed into nothingness and the imp started hitting its head Immediately when it fell to the ground.

As though that wasn't enough, it began to roll on the floor while screaming.. "I am dead!! I am so dead!! The end is nigh!!"

"What is going on?" Dante asked, finding it hard to stand properly due to the continuous vibration of the room.

"Lord Vladimir has been notified of the situation we currently find ourselves in and now he is coming," The imp curled up on the ground.

A huge glowing red sigil began to appear within the four walls of the room, both at the top and the floor of the room also.

"How can he be coming. I thought summoning a demon like him would require over a thousand corpses?"

Though this was a fact, there were still various methods involved in summoning a demon.

"When I said he was coming, I meant we are no longer in your dimension but in his now," The imp replied, feeling a sudden tightness in his chest

"How is that possible?"

" The moment you heard that explosion, we were already summoned towards him. With his sigil in every corner of the room and my blood splattered on both the wall and the floor thanks to your relentless torturing, we've made it easier for him to summon the demons present in the room,"

A ceaseless and loud thunderous sound could be heard heading towards them both. Dante could only smile as he sensed how close the immortal currently was.

There was no means of escape and it seems the imp had said something totally unexpected but his mind couldn't settle on that thought right now, he was simply too excited to feel the presence of a demon described as an immortal heading towards his way.

"Kneel!" The voice wasn't spoken aloud but both Dante and the imp could vividly hear it in their minds as they involuntarily took a kneeling pose on the glowing red sigil on the floor.

Both Dante and the imp could feel an inescapable aura pressure pinning them down to the floor. Dante tried to view his surroundings but everywhere around him was pitch black.

The only thing he could see was the red colored sigil on the floor and the ring of fire surrounding them which was just a few inches away from the edge of the sigil they currently stood on.

The sigil had a striking resemblance to the one Dante had seen at the back of Delilah's neck and this roughly gave him an idea of what it meant. The sigil belonged to the Lucifer royal family.

"Dodo, what...was...your...mission?" The authorative and utterly domineering voice sounded slowly again in both their heads.

"O, vile and malicious Lord Vladimir. Your evilness, The most...aahhh!!!.." The imp whose name was Dodo had one of his arm pulled out on its own without anyone appearing before him.

Dante noticed this and he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Don't make me repeat myself," The same voice which was difficult to discern whether it belonged to a male or female sounded again in both their minds.

*Boom*. *Boom*

The thunderous sound began to circulate outside the ring of fire. It took Dante a few seconds to actually discern that this was Vladimir's footsteps after noticing how the sound collided with the earthquake they were currently feeling on the floor.

"Forgive me my Lord. I know my mission. I know it...I know it....." He kept repeating the same word as though he was a broken record.

"My mission was to transform all three of Damon Lustwood children into demons," Dodo uttered as he kowtowed deeply after noticing how Vladimir had lessen the amount of <Aura Pressure> pinning him down to the ground.

Dante heard this and his eyes were dilated in shock once more.

"Haha... Interesting.... Very interesting," Though the pressure holding him down was currently five times more than the one used on Dodo, still Dante couldn't help but forcibly stand up as he laughed out loud.

Even with the presence of an immortal being before him, he felt neither panic nor fear. All he could feel was an adrenaline rush of excitement as he couldn't wait to face against Vladimir.

"Silence!!" Vladimir's voice yelled out in Dante's mind once more. Urging him to kneel down before his presence while doubling the <Aura Pressure> released once again.

Vladimir continued to walk along the darkness of the room, enabling both Dante and Dodo to hear nothing but his thunderous footsteps reverberating around them.

Vladimir continued his conversation with Dodo. "And were you able to accomplish your mission?"

"No my Lord," Dodo replied in a tone that clearly understood where this conversation was heading to.

"What did you do wrong?"

"L....like you asked my Lord, at the time I fed all three Lustwood babies my blood but only two showed glimpses of accomplishing what you had hoped for. My blood couldn't fully transform them all to demons, "

The process involved in turning humans into demon slaves varies with every demon race. Some were turned by selling their souls, few were transformed through contracts and others became demon slaves after drinking the blood of a demon.

"And the results?"

"Disastrous my Lord. I have failed you my Lord, I failed you," Dodo's voice became lower as he was talking.

"Why?"

"Because I am weak,"

"Indeed. And now, it seems you've failed to send me the soul and body you were ought to do," The ring of fire encircling both Dodo and Dante lit up.

" Forgive me my Lord, it wasn't my fault. It was .... Ahhh!!" Dodo screamed because his already regenerated arm was twisted backwards.

"Ahh!!... Why me?!!.... It hurts!!!.... Ahhh!!!" He began to roll on the floor.

"That's twice you've failed me now isn't it?" Vladimir's voice rang loud in his mind once again. Dodo hastened to return back to his kneeling posture.

"Dodo." He called loudly, this made Dodo's body to shudder just by the fact of hearing his name in his own thoughts.

" I do not tolerate failure and it seems failure is the only achievements you've made ever since I sent you on this task," Dodo's body began to shiver as he heard Vladimir's words.

"O evil one. Please... please forgive me. Give me one more chance, I'll prove to you....ahh!!" He felt an indescribable pain in both of his arms this time around as he tries to flatter Vladimir.

"Forgiveness will be the least of your worries by the time I'm through with you," Vladimir confirmed.

"Eii!!" Dodo squealed, not minding the fact that he had yet to fully heal.

"What was our last agreement Dodo?"

"To ensure that at least one out of the three becomes the Emperor of the human realm my Lord," Dodo replied.

"Now tell me, do you think anyone of them is capable of accomplishing this feat?"

"No my Lord, but I believe this one could...." Dodo was talking before a sudden outburst of laughter diverted his attention.

"Haha.....haha, so that was your plan all along. Interesting, very interesting. I like it. But....." Dante guffawed as he rose up from the floor.

"What insolence!!" Vladimir interrupted, his rage was felt by the words he uttered.

"It seems you do not know who you are talking..."

But this time around, it was Dante who chimed in "It seems YOU do not know who you're messing with,"

The aura pressure surrounding Dante was increased once again but still he didn't kneel before Vladimir.

"A weak mortal dare to....." Vladimir's tone was beginning to sound irritated.

"You are right. I am weak. Too weak to really cause a threat to you right now. But, I will not stand idly by as you aim to claim what I clearly want," Even though the pressure pressing him down was twenty times the original one used on him, Dante stood up with his fist clenched tightly.

His veins were threatening to pop out. He was upset by how weak he was but he wasn't going to give up just yet, not when his journey had barely just begun. His mind was made up, he was going to have to get stronger.

After all, now he had confidence in the believe that they were others way stronger than him and he wasn't going to sit behind any longer. No matter what happens, he will have his way.

"Oh? Is that so?" Vladimir increased the pressure surrounding Dante once again.

"The human realm belongs to me. It is my domain. I will rise to the pinnacle of power and claim this domain as mine. I will never yield to the likes of you." Dante responded, his mind unwavering and his eyes fixated on Vladimir with clear killing intent. He was going to get stronger and his target was standing right in front of him.

Currently, he was using every ounce of will power he possessed to stand before Vladimir with his hair glowing white and floating in contrast to the law of gravity.

His entire being was coated with tendrils of lightning and every vein that popped glowed in white. On top of his forehead, three miniaturized glowing demonic royal sigils reflected on it.

With the right sigil glowing in purple and the middle and left sigils glowing in red and white respectively.

Vladimir noticed all this and the faint golden light that flashed within Dante's eyes didn't escape Vladimir's gaze.

'The Emperor Eyes?' His heart trembled a bit as he thought those words.

"You aim to use me as your pawn in getting what you want right? But the reality is this, you've made the wrong choice in cursing the Lustwood household. I am an hindrance to your goals and I will kill you,"

Hearing his words and noticing how Dante withstood his pressure that was worthy of bringing immortals such as his himself down to their kneels. Vladimir couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Haha.... Finally!! Someone worthy enough to satiate my boredom, " Vladimir said as he continued to circle around the ring of fire before stopping in front of both Dante and Dodo.

"Dodo!!" Vladimir yelled.

"Sire!!"

"Bring an end to his two siblings, as expected both were unneeded for my great plan,"

"Yes my Lord," Dodo replied and vanished from the spot he was.

Vladimir noticed how Dante's gaze was still fixated at him and so he said.

"Don't worry, you'll be join your siblings soon enough but not now. Once I've been summoned to your dimension, I'll come for you and I'll render you helpless as you watch how I make your girls my plaything.....,"

With Vladimir still having more words to say, he didn't have the chance to say so before he felt a fist hitting directly on his face.

*Boom!!* Vladimir skidded towards the wall upon Dante's sudden punch.