To Bargain with a King

"My goal was to shatter the chains that were imposed by the Angelic Race on the universes and other realms."

Ty continued to listen actively, intending to search for any lines of deceit in the Demon's King's words however, he didn't find any as all the words that came out of his mouth were genuine and free of malice or lies.

"I would like to offer you a vessel for the time being, so that it could ease your travels... on foot," the Demon King stated, "it will make things easier for you, at least, that's what I think."

"And what is the catch to this body?" Ty asked, the suspicion in his voice quite evident.

"There isn't any for the time being. I only want to do my best to correct the unjustifiable that has been done to you, however, I am more concerned about this, Kieran, who was with you. Did she share any kind of information while she was trying to save you?"

Confused by this question, Ty bluntly responded to the fact that she had proclaimed herself "a hunter" and had also mentioned something about defending the souls taken away by the vampire, an acquaintance of the Demon King.

"I feared that would be the case. We should expect some company pretty soon, and I believe it will be crucial for you to understand what actually transpired during your confrontation with the Vampire Lord."

Confused and perplexed by the Demon King's words, Ty simply remained quiet, meanwhile, the Demon King summoned an array of light in front of him before starting to replay the events of Ty's death and the night in the park.

The entire event was played before him once again, however, Ty didn't understand what it was for and queried, "Why show me this again? Is there something that I'm supposed to glean after witnessing my death for the second time?"

The Demon King responded, "Yes, it's the dialogue between 'Kieran' and the Vampire whom I hired to collect tainted souls."

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In the video…

"Why don't you just retreat and get some backup?" The vampire's voice echoed before he continued, "You probably have time to do so," before rushing to Kieran, who refused to do so and stood up defiantly.

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As the Demon King cut off the memory clip, it faded into shadows which disappeared in the dimly lit area.

"What was I supposed to get from that?" Ty asked in confusion.

"I will have time to show you more memories soon. But let me tell you, the Angelic People possess a device that allows them to send a distress beacon, it can be either used to call for help or for escaping any situation."

"They have a powerful head captain among their ranks, who has a strong affinity with time magic and his ability, he created thousands of such devices sharing a small porting of his power with every Angelic warrior or fighter."

The Demon King then continued, "However, they were stubborn creatures and refused to request a backup in almost any situation, thinking that every fight was a chance for them to get stronger."

"Once Kieran reported the events, they would probably start looking for my mercenary before finding their way here, whose primary purpose would be to retrieve you, the platinum soul, in order to increase their power."

Ty scoffed at this remark, questioning the Demon King's honesty, and bluntly stated, "I have no reason to trust any of your words. But for the moment, I will do my best to work with you in an attempt to get my old life back through any means."

Upon hearing this, the Demon King displayed a hint of sadness and sighed, "It's a bummer that your trust in me lacks to such a degree, but I cannot blame you."

"However, I will do whatever I can to amend the wrongs I've subjugated to you."

Taking a moment to consider what would be best suited for Ty, the Demon King snapped his fingers, and in an instant, a coffin started to materialize in the area that was between the Demon King and Ty.

"And what is this supposed to be?" Ty asked, looking perplexed as he stared at the coffin.

"This is the body of an old fallen warrior of mine. Long ago, he was a close friend for many thousands of years. I trust that you will take good care of his body, as it is a loan until we can figure out a proper situation and find a way for you to return to your world."

Confused once again, Ty stated, "I thought you said my body was as good as gone, with it being buried and everything else."

"Yes, that is indeed true," the Demon King replied and explained, "However, it's not impossible to reshape a human body as your previous one, among the other available options. I'll inform you about those options once we've investigated the seal that is placed on your soul."

"This body should at least be able to serve as a tool to help with your travels."

"Travels?" Ty repeated, his soul emanating a confused glow.

"Yes, since you still possess a human soul, you have retained the ability to travel between realms. Even with a new body, your soul will remain unchanged," explained the Demon King.

Ty seemed to have a revelation and stated, "So that's the spin, huh? Use me to accomplish your goals in other realms to ultimately unlock that door of yours."

The Demon King chuckled lightly before responding, "No, that gate won't be opened for quite a while. Probably it will take another 1,000 or 2,000 years for it to be completed and even become operational."

"Currently, it's filled with over 30,000 to 40,000 souls of those damned and broken creatures who wreaked havoc and mayhem in the mortal realm. The process of acquiring these souls has always been a rough challenge."

"Nonetheless, I intended for you to retrieve some relics that would benefit you and also help in your journey back to the mortal realm. We can discuss further once you have assumed the new form and can have a conversation, a conversation between the Demon King and a living creature," the Demon King stated with a hint of embarrassment.

After a moment of reflection, Ty recalled the moments from his middle school where he met Jade for the first time and the memory of their promise to always be there for each other flashed in his soul. As those flashbacks faded, Ty was quickly able to determine that this path was probably his best and only option.

"Alright, I'll work with you, just for the sake of achieving my goal. 'Demon King,' eh, so is that really what everyone calls you? I imagined it might get boring to be called the same for thousands of years, doesn't it?"

With a soft chuckle from his booming voice, the Demon King announced, "Oh, you really thought that, indeed, I do have a name, but that's something only a short amount of people know or ever actually call me using it. Someday, when I have made amends for the actions of Erebors, I might let you know my real name as a sign of respect."

Ty agreed and asked a question that was important for him for now, "So, do I just go inside this dead body, or do you need to use your powers to put me in?"

After a short moment of pause, the Demon King shrugged slightly and stated, "You kind of just go into it. I've only seen it being practiced a couple of times, and that's how it has always been."

Surprised at the Demon King's confusion, since this was a unique moment for Ty, as there was something that even such a powerful being didn't know of, his spirit simply floated in confusion for a moment before hovering over the decayed body and falling into it.

Nothing seemed to have happened for a moment as the Demon King watched with enthusiasm before his expression turned into horror as the body's eyes started to glow a bright green before it ignited into a ball of fire as if it being cascaded in black flames. 

The black flame then burned all the flesh and bones of the creature into ashes, eventually even destroying the coffin that confined the body.

As the body and the coffin burned into nothing, Ty's soul again emerged from it, however, this time the mark on his soul burned bright red.

Ty's soul bleakly remarked, "I don't think that was supposed to happen, Mr. Demon King."

The Demon King remained silent for a minute as Ty wondered if he had noticed a tear fall from this guy's face for a moment before he let out a sigh, "I should've expected as much. Whoever put that curse on your soul also attuned it to reject anything that might alter your soul."

"Now, the only other option we have, young man, is if we sign a contract allowing me to take the brunt of the curse's burning attack so that you will be able to maintain a body."

Ty grunted at the thought of signing a contract with a Demon and instantly scoffed, "This must be some plot to get me to lose my soul too!"

The Demon King shook his head and tried to explain, "I am only offering this contract as a means for you to have a solid body. I will not force or –"

However, just as he was about to continue further, the ground beneath them began to shake and the whole hall rumbled as the giant door leading into the Demon King's chamber was slammed open with a resounding thud.

A purple and black portal encompassed the entrance of his door while knowing very well what it was, the Demon King stated, "I guess it didn't take them long to show up after all." 

Hearing his words, Ty quickly made a guess, after having heard from the Demon King so much, "You mean the Angelic race?"

The Demon King shortly replied, "Yes," as he began to stand up, instructing Ty to be careful. "They can be very forceful."

From the portal emerged Kieran, accompanied by three men who looked around the same age as hers and all had black hair, each donning the same gold and white armor, however, each of them had a different color of tapestry along their waist.

The Demon King's firm voice boomed throughout the chamber as he inquired, his tone carrying a hint of annoyance, "What does the Angelic Race want, and why are you all in MY realm?" 

He intended to intimidate them with his voice, however, this turned out to be futile as he got no reaction from them at all, and they all glanced in his direction with disgust in their eyes. 

Kieran made a move as she pulled a creature out of the portal, the creature was wrapped in chains with bruises visible all over his body, blood streaking down his face.

"We have captured the Vampire who was responsible for collecting countless souls and kidnapping the Platinum soul. TURN IT OVER IMMEDIATELY, and we might not make an example out of you to your people."

Her voice was filled with pride as if the one she was standing in front of was someone who wasn't worth her effort.