LXVII - The Demon's Tale

Edward opened the door to Ravenna's bedchamber, and bowed toward the young woman. "Would you like anything before I leave, miss?"

Ravenna thought about the demon's question. "Maybe…yes. Bring a chair, sit with me. I want to know some things."

"Would the lady care for some wine as well?"

"Yes, that sounds lovely. Thank you, Edward."

Edward left the bedchamber, wary of the blood magic that sealed the room against realm-travelling. He soon returned, knocking on the door before entering. The demon approached the bed that Ravenna sat on, placing a tray on the bedside table. Edward pulled up the same red lounging chair that Hellena had used previously to keep Ravenna company during her bath, such as Hellena's company was. 

Edward made Ravenna much more comfortable than Hellena ever did; he was much more composed and less intrusive with his mannerisms. Edward poured two glasses of wine, handed one to Ravenna, and laid across the lounge chair on his back, seeming to be grateful for a break from his servitude. His paper-white skin and snow-white hair gave a stark contrast to the crimson velvet of the chair, making the demon seem paler by comparison. 

"What did you want to know?"

Ravenna crossed her legs, and leaned forward, taking a sip of her wine. "You tried to calm me when I saw Peter in the crowd of the Lost. But first…I want to know more about the Lost. I know Peter is dead, I saw his body after Michael killed him." Ravenna put her glass on the table beside her. "How does he have a corporeal form here?"

The demon turned on his side, facing the woman who had asked him the questions. He propped himself up on his side with his elbow, tracing small circles on the crimson velvet of the lounge chair. 

"So you know about the Forever and you know about our realm. Once a person dies, their soul quickly finds its pathway. I did not get the white pathway to the Forever. I had stolen so much to feed my family. I did what I had to do to survive, which ended up being my death. I walked the black pathway to the UnderKingdom. I left my body behind, which still remained on the gallows. It was an eerie walk, no sounds hit my ears, my footsteps were silent. I came to the end of the path, and waited alone in the darkness."

Ravenna did not realize how far she had leaned forward, listening to the demon's story of his death. Edward's voice, so snakelike and drawn out, sounded so despondent when he recounted his previous life. She settled back, trying not to make the demon uncomfortable with her interest in his tale.

"Master Lucifer emerged from the darkness. I was so cold, but it was nice to feel anything again. He explained that twenty-four hours after my death, I would begin to Shift, I would have a corporeal form again. The cold was the final phase before Shifting. This happens to every soul, regardless of pathway. He said he would be back for me once I had Shifted, he could do nothing for me until then."

"The Lost are unique, compared to the residents of the Forever. The souls who go to the Forever, they regain their corporeal form, exactly as they were in the Human Realm. They do not need to worry about their fate. They were good, and can live their afterlife carefree. As it should be. Once Master Lucifer rose to power here, he thought there should be a better way for the Lost. Every soul that Shifts to regain its corporeal form, he brings them in to the Great Hall, and judges them personally."

Ravenna finished her glass, and stretched out on the bed, mirroring Edward as he stretched on the lounge chair. She had become very engrossed in the demon's tale, never knowing so much about the possible lives after death. Edward did not seem to notice, no longer tracing little patterns in the crimson velvet, but instead tracing the abstract red tattoos on his skin, sadness in his ruby eyes.

"Once I had Shifted, Master Lucifer returned. He guided me to the Palace, to the Great Hall. He sat on the throne, and I knelt before him. I remember the tears. I was so ashamed of my death. I pleaded with him. I told him about my conviction, about the gallows. I told him everything. My master looked so…sorry for me. He told me he was moved, but he wanted proof. And then he revealed the dagger. He took my wrist, and sliced it. Silver drops quickly flowed from the wound, and he collected them in a vial. He cleaned the dagger on his cape, and pierced his fingers. He took his blood that dropped from his fingertips, and mixed it with the silver drops that he had taken from me, my essence, he called it."

"Once he had collected my essence with his blood, he did something to it. I'm not quite sure. Master Lucifer has many powers that I cannot explain. He called me forth, and stood me in front of a fire. He poured the mixture of my essence and his blood over the fire, and my past was shown in the flames. It was fascinating. We watched me steal food from local merchants, hiding the goods under the clothes that were always too large for me, sneaking home to give the food to my family. I never ate until my mother and sister did. My father had abandoned us, leaving me to protect my family."

"Master Lucifer was moved by my story. He offered me his hand, and told me I did not deserve to be Lost. He told me he had a better proposal for me; life as a demon. He had only had one successful demonic conversion at that point, but I was willing to take the chance. I drank a chalice of his blood, while he performed the ritual. By bestowing his blood upon me during the ritual, I was given some of his powers, such as the realm-travelling. The other changes included the complexion; my skin became this pale, my eyes changed from blue to red, and my hair changed from black to white."

"As gratitude for saving me from the fate of the Lost, I became the best servant I could be. I am happy to serve Master Lucifer, and the lord is gracious to me. He treats me well, and often includes me in his outings. When he asks me to get him a drink, it is unspoken that I am to get one for the both of us. I have never known a master to treat a subordinate as well as my lord treats me."

Ravenna sat up, and poured herself another glass of wine, and offered to refill Edward's glass. "So that is how Lucifer determines who becomes demons and who does not. That is why Peter has a body here, even after I saw his body left behind in my realm as well."

"Yes."

"Is that why you know what Peter did to me, and why you knew why I did not want to go near him?"

"Yes. We watched his Essence Fire together, Master Lucifer and I. We had to subdue him first. He was hysterical. That man put up such a fight with me when I tried to take him to the Great Hall to be judged by the master. It had been seven decades since a Lost man had been threatened by Master Lucifer in such a manner."

"What do you mean, he had to be subdued?"

"What a nuisance. Peter had insisted he was from high society and that I was beneath his status. He refused to let me touch him with skin such as mine. I assume he meant the tattoos, which actually signify me as Lucifer's right-hand demon. I earned these sigils. I grabbed the man anyway and brought him to the Hall, where he went on a tirade about his status and wealth, and the master threatened him with his sword, to demote him from Lost to something much worse."

"There is something else a Lost soul can become, rather than Lost or a demon?"

"There is the worst thing a soul can become. Formless. Shapeless. If Master Lucifer so desires, he can strip the Lost of their corporeal form, and the Lost Soul drifts in endless agony. There is no reprieve. Days and nights meld into one timeless, endless state of constant agony and horror. At least for the Lost, there are some days of torment, but some days of nothingness. Some days are spent watching their worst moments in reflecting fires. Some days are simply nothing. To become Shapeless…that is the worst thing I can imagine."

Ravenna shivered. The demon's explanation of the pathways a Lost soul could take scared her, and she wrapped her arms around herself in discomfort.