"I Consecrate my Soul to Thee" Witch/Demon AU

[zauberdecke]

[ There was a very specific reason why Essek was here at this moment.

All around him was gathered components, and within his hand he held chalk with which he was drawing the familiar pentagram that would assist in his mission. For his entire life, he had been gatekept, he came from a long line of witches, all of them female; the power passed down through matriarchal laws and blood-- from woman to woman.

However he was the black sheep, the one who had been given far more power than was comfortable for the bloodline in which it had been strictly locked up. Because of this, no female line could inherit and even right now etched into his chest was a binding spell that was unbreakable though oh, how he had tried. It had been placed there by he who he had been given in marriage to; locked until at which point a female was conceived which would then continue the line downward.

There was nothing more vengeful than a cat who had been caged, and right now Essek Thelyss was out for blood and perhaps even a healthy dose of revenge. There was that intrinsic longing for freedom to do what he wanted, not wanting to be bound by tradition to a familial coven who cared more about the line than him. He wanted to put a stop to it, perhaps even get this angry scar of a sigil on his chest removed, wanting night upon night of assault to end.

He did not care what he summoned, the only thing he wanted was for whatever power he could bid to rise to invoke retribution, to free him. Logically he knew that he would be entrusting his fate into the devil he did not know-- but at this point in time, that seemed far preferrable.

And that was how he had roped Alex into this. Someone who was well versed in the rituals if not well practiced; he could not do this alone because there was so much that could go wrong. Best to have two hands in it, even though he knew that it was not Alex's job to intervene but rather to 'watch' but he was desperate, and Alex knew how much he hated Adeen.

Desperate times called for desperate measures, and it was then that Essek finished the circle and then set his chalk down gently. ]

The circle is complete, the components are gathered.. it is time.

Comments

[internationalrelations]

[Alex took the blade, nodding. They were doing this. It would be fine. This would work out, and nothing dangerous and unexpectedly life-altering would happen.]

Blood spilled, blood shared.

[A breath and he dragged the blade over his palm as well, wincing just slightly before letting a few drops of his blood mingle with Essek's over the amber. It did not occur to him that pooling his blood into a ritual to open a door to some magical and dangerous realm could possibly come back to bite him. Nope. He was only here to support and watch. Yup.]

Ready?

[zauberdecke]

[ Essek was rather hoping that something life-altering would happen to him, he was banking on it. If it did not then he would go back to something unhappy and he would have to come to terms with the fact that no one had heard his plea for help. He was not someone who deigned to ask for help easily, it had taken him a bit of time until he could approach Alex with this venture.

He had to be sure that he would be supported.

But Alex had acted as he had hoped. He nodded as he watched the blood all over the top of his own though not directly touching the amber stone, his own blood nearly acting as a shield perhaps even an insulator. He stepped a few paces back and then spread out his arms and spoke the invocation words. ]

I beseech thee with mine own blood
Dark and Crimson
The key that tides the flood.
Running rivulets, silent plea
Demon, Savior--
In your power, rescue me.
I consecrate my soul to thee
Contract forged, shadows dance
If gate doth open, yours will I be.

[ His voice rose up as the words reverberated, and around then the elements gathered.. first fire and then water.. dark fire and dark water as they both seemed to transpire around the two of them, the chant that he and Alex had poured over together, being sure not to get any of this wrong, both fearing the consequences if that should happen. ]

[internationalrelations]

[Alex offered Essek what he hoped was a reassuring smile. They had this. Essek had this. The entire reason Alex was here was to help the drow, to give him the means to take back his power. This had to work.

If it went wrong, it was entirely possible one or both of them would not make it out of here alive. But it was a risk worth taking. Too late to second guess now, and Alex wasn't one for second guessing. Once he'd decided on something, he did not look back. He would start now.

Instead he took his place directly across the circle from Essek, playing mirror to the drow, balance and ballast and anchor. He hoped.

Their voices joined and filled the chamber.

Alex felt it, the moment the invocation took hold. It was a shiver, the brush of something unseen against the back of his neck before the circle began to glow, a faint light that pulsed with the rhythm of a heartbeat, quickening, faster, beat by beat by beat.

Then all at once, where the amber, blood soaked as it was, suddenly erupted into a column of flame.]

[zauberdecke]

[ Water darkened the shadows of the room beyond the circle just as within the circle it was true that flames did dance as Essek had chanted. He stood their proudly as he squared his shoulders and waited for whatever it was. There was no cowing nor would he bow or kneel, this was not a contract where he wished to be subservient, he had enough of that-- and if the demon, this demon that he had summoned did not accept that? Then he would advocate to be killed right on the spot-- there was fire reflected in those starlight eyes.

And despite the fact that Water was not an element that he had requested, it still came, gravitating specifically toward the Talmascan, just as the Flames were drawn to the Moth and not the other way around. His voice rose up, higher to drown out the flames. ]

Reveal yourself to me!

[ And as he spoke, tickles like waves touched against Alex's back and would sting like a cold fire that was independent from that which lay within the circle.. ]

[internationalrelations]

[Alex did not notice the gathering water, not consciously. He was too busy trying to see Essek through the flame, to make certain that his friend was all right. He almost called out, but thankfully before he did, he heard Essek's voice call out, clear and confident.

He exhaled the breath he'd been holding, only to gasp in the next moment at that stinging touch -- burning but not burning, touched at his back. Eyes wide, he turned to look behind him.]

Who's there?

[No one could be there. They'd been so careful not to be followed. It was impossible.

In the circle, the fire surged, flaring brighter before it began to coalesce, taking on a shape, amorphous at first but slowly becoming humanoid, though still burning. The fire faded slowly, revealing a man, apparently human, pale-skin scattered with freckles. The flame in his hair died slower, leaving its color in the ginger strands as they settled about his shoulders. His eyes, though, they still burned, flame hot enough to glow blue.

The demon, the creature of fire, that Essek had called to himself stood before his summoner. He could see the seeds of his call, the need for revenge and for power, but it was that desperation for freedom in the drow that caught Bren's attention. Different. Intriguing.

He inclined his head, speaking, voice surprisingly soft, words tinged with a strange accent.]

I am revealed, and at your service, Essek Thelyss, scion of Den Thelyss, rightful heir wrongfully denied. You understand the price to be paid?

[zauberdecke]

[ While the flames danced at the center of the circle, and the demon emerged, there was still that which was just on the perimeter of the circle, a shadow that just fanned outside as if defying the very logic of pacts and circles-- as if it was coming in like waves.

And just like those waves, no matter where Alex turned-- he would feel the roll and undulation of waves against his back, edged with dark demonic energy. Something wicked this way comes and it had set it sights on the young Talamascan who stood there looking over his back, thus distracting from what was happening at the circle itself.

No one needed to know what was happening except that particular pact keeper and his demon, it was true. Alex would feel a purr against his ear, throaty and tinged with something completely primal.

Meanwhile, Essek stepped forward though not into the circle itself, not yet. It was not his place to make demands perhaps but he had to make this particular one, his eyes meeting those blue fire eyes as he stood there resolute, perhaps smaller than the demon though that did not detract at all from the core of strength within him. ]

I am aware of the price to be paid, that of my soul-- however Lord Demon, I will not move from one cage to another one. Promise me that shall not be and as my will becomes yours, so too shall yours become mine.

[ No matter what that meant, the beautiful drow stood there with little fear, but also with a healthy determination and stubbornness that was quite in keeping with his core nature.

And in the shadows around Alex would be distracted by the energy, the attention being kept off of that which was happening and with good reason, a pact between Summoner and Demon was after all sacred. ]

[internationalrelations]

[Someone else was here. Something else was here. Alex could feel his heartbeat kick up and he turned his back fully on the circle now, looking around the room with the breathtaking and terrifying realization that no, that wasn't right. He had turned his back on one circle and was staring at another that was coalescing around him, a circle not of his making, not of Essek's making, but a summoning nonetheless.

He heard that wordless sound, felt the way his entire body reacted, goosebumps prickling over his skin, hair raising on the back of his neck, stilling the breath in his lungs. He shivered.]

Who are you? What do you want?

[If its attention was on him, then at least it was not interfering with Essek's spell and pact. Alex would take comfort with that. 'That's right. Focus on me.'

But he needn't have worried. The demon who had appeared in the fire was quiet as Essek soke, taking in the man before him, the stubborn and proud set of those shoulders. No fear, no, save of not finding that freedom. And oh he was beautiful in that defiance.

With a strangely soft smile, the demon extended a hand towards the drow, beckoning.]

There are no cages here. You will be mine, and I will be yours to wield as you desire.

[And then in what was perhaps a surprising gesture, he spoke his full name, handing the power in those syllables to his summoner.]

I am Bren Aldric Ermendrud, spark and flame of the Nine Hells. I am yours to command.

[Well, once the pact was sealed.]

[zauberdecke]

[ The demons were playing the game of divide and conquer, though the Water Demon was finding that it was rather easy to capitalize on the way that Alex seemed to have brought up his sword and shield in defense of the Magic User who was even now walking into that pact, a pact that looked like it was going to be clinched like a padlock locking into place.

The scent of salt spray, of brine would attach itself to Alex's senses, but there was no coolness such as one traditionally expected with the sea, no there was still heat that shivered rather than burned, the soft near intangible footsteps in front of him-- but no one there.

Or so Alex would think, what Alex was not aware of likely was that there was a stone column near and if Alex stepped back even a little bit, he would be caught, he would be trapped.

Meanwhile Essek considered the demon as well as the outstretched hand that beckoned him towards, No cages, and while perhaps it was folly to trust, he somehow did trust the demon who offered him everything he wanted, and all he paid was a price-- those who opposed him would fall and all it would take was his soul.

But how valuable was a soul ultimately when he stood to gain so much more.

So he stepped through the flames and, unsurprisingly, they parted for him-- standing before the demon, he spoke. ]

Very well Bren Aldric Ermendrud, I accept your price and thereby your pact. [ And he would reach his hand out, to offer his hand-- in which he would assume would be the way that the Demon would seal the agreement between them, hand to hand, flesh to flesh. ]

[internationalrelations]

[Alex forced himself to breathe, to tamp down the adrenaline that surged through him, racing through his blood stream. He could smell the ocean, and for a moment it brought him back to his childhood, the first time his family had taken him to the ocean, the immensity of it as he stood there, small and so utterly aware of his insignificance.

He felt that way again. Entirely, utterly insignificant in the face of some force of nature. He held his ground though, shoulders squared, ready to do what he could to see this through in a way that would keep his friend safe.

Well, he mostly held his ground, save for a staggered step back, another, stopped by the cold stone against his back. Trapped.

Bren watched his pact holder step towards the flames, watched the fire part for him, as it always would. His flames would never hurt this man, only those Essek loosed them -- and by extension, him -- upon.

His fingers closed around Essek's gently, holding still as he stepped closer. His free hand lifted, fingertips catching Essek's chin before Bren leaned in, his lips gracing Essek's with a soft, careful kiss. Magic flared around them at the contact, the pact sealed with the action.

Bren stepped back, dropping to a knee in front of the drow, leaning his forehead to the hand he still held.

[zauberdecke]

[ In this moment, that was nearly the same mirroring feeling of insignificance-- and yet for one singular difference in that despite being cold-- it was not precisely threatening, only distantly massive. The waves crept closer toward Alex and then as back hit column, so did from the waves emerged a darkened shadow, a man that was as cool as the figure within the circle was hot.

Blonde and with eyes the colour of the ocean overcast by grey, fine features and curving light blue horns, perhaps even the shimmer of something like scales that were not scales in other lights and then just as Bren's form had done, he was granted substance. ]

Such a good fried you are... that is to be admired however tell me, is there anything you want? [ As power rippled around him in the way of the tides coming in ]

--

[ Their lips made contact, and with it the pact settled around them-- a hum of power suffused Essek as he realized that now he could merely speak and it would be done, his enemies was this demon's enemies. And thus he watched as Bren slipped to one knee before him, like a knight preparing to do his bidding.

It was now for his first command. ]

Night upon night I have had to endure the unwanted advances of Adeen Tasithar-- I want him gone, however I want him gone in such a way that there are no ties that may be found that link it to myself; I want it embarrassing and painful for him, but I also want him to know that it was because of me that he has been sentenced.

[internationalrelations]

[Alex watched in awe more than fear as the figure before him took shape, his own eyes wide as they met those depthless blue ones that looked at him in a way that he could not remember being looked at before. The question surprised him and for a moment he couldn't for the life think of the correct answer.

Because the right answer, the one that he should give that he wanted nothing more than what he had. That he was here to watch and to witness, to chronicle and preserve and--]

I want to do more than watch. I want to be more than an observer.

[Well, that was the wrong answer, even if it was the true one. As if he couldn't help but spill his soul to the being in front of him.]

...what do you want? [Of course he wasn't above being blunt straight back.

In a circle of fire that seemed to be dancing rather than raging now, Bren looked up from his position kneeling at Essek's feet.]

Consider it done. Do you wish to be there? Do you want to see his final breath? Do you want his end to come at your hands?

[What this Adeen had taken from Essek, well, Bren rather thought the drow deserved this first strike of revenge in whatever shape pleased him most.]

[lordfuckleroy]

[ That could absolutely be arranged, or so the pretty blond Demon thought; he had been watching the Talamascan though, though with a careful eye because he well knew the way that the Talamasca operated and thus he did not want to do anything that would put a spotlight upon him that would be irreversible; once things came to the attention of the Shadows, they remained that way.

But right now and right here, he heard the wish and plea to be more than what path he walked and thus he would be quite happy enough to consider that, he reached up to lightly stroke a fingertip against a flawless jawline. ] Why, I want what you want of course.

[ It was impossible to look into those eyes and want anything else, it would appear. ]

--

I want him to die knowing that I am happy, I want him to see me poised to have everything while his disgusting self is stripped to nothing. [ Hard-edged vehemence in that voice as he confesses it to the demon. ]

More than anything, I wish to assist in his demise-- for everything that he has done to me, I want to see his ruin first hand. [ Their eyes met and there was a spark there, a spark of something that would start to burn-- it was the first whisper of gravity and how it relates to the stars and how they too could catch fire. ]

[internationalrelations]

[Alex was aware, intellectually at least, that demons could be impossibly beautiful, but that hadn't meant he was ready for seeing this in front of him. Also his utterly oblivious ass was still unaware that he was attracted to men. He really was a smart man, honestly, just not always about himself. Or his life choices. Like telling a demon his deepest, secret desire to be something more than what he was.

These things had prices.

He lifted his chin at the touch of that finger, trying not to look like he was leaning into it.]

What will it cost me?

[Alex had not been the one to summon a demon. This was not a controlled ritual. This was chaos and he didn't know what it meant.]

--

Then we will have to make sure you have what will make you happy, ja?

[Bren stood then, rising to his feet before finally releasing the drow's hand. The ice in this man. Bren couldn't help wonder if some of it could be thawed, if there was something beyond the edges sharpened by the corner that he had been backed into. That spark in his eyes, so cold, but burning still.

Bren would see it fanned to flame. He would see all of what Essek desired laid at his feet.]

We will take our time and build a trap he cannot escape from.

[He reached out to set a hand against Essek's chest, right above the binding spell etched into his skin.]

First, we will have to do something about this.

[lordfuckleroy]

[ And yet Alex's blood had been a apart of it, it would stand the case that if there were two particles of blood, two demons would probably be there to hunt it out like the thirsty fiends that they were. He very carefully reached for that hand, cupped it and then brought it to his lips where he could feel the blood pound just underneath his nose.

It swirled like an eddying river of life.

And within it he could feel how Alex was chained impossibly to circumstances beyond his control-- there was after all no control in the Talamasca, only doing 'that which' the elders wanted. ]

Your blood did not touch the amber stone, it was not involved-- but it still lay within the circle, Sweetheart.

---

Please---

[ Essek spoke as he felt the warmth of that hand upon his clothed chest, just where his heart was, where the binding spell had been etched into place; it was an ugly thing made of scars where a knife had been edged into him. It was not even an artful thing but it had done the job; a mark of Adeen's possession over him and one which he had been awake for, bound and gagged while he was powerless and humilated.

Hatred burned in Essek's eyes at the memory of it, at how he could still feel it even though it had been years since it had been etched. Because it invoked something raw within him-- it was why it had taken him years to research this ritual but here they were now.

The only one who could break a binding seal was the person who created it, and a demon. ]

[internationalrelations]

[His blood as in the circle. He'd shed it to make certain that Essek was not alone in the power it would require to hold the binding. That alone had been enough to draw the attention of this other demon?

He did not resist as his hand was taken, instead watching with his heart fluttering like a trapped bird within the cage of his chest.]

You came... for me.

[For his blood and for his.] For my soul?

[He could hear the horrified screech of generations of church-bound witches trying to pretend they were something other than what they were.]

--

[Such an ugly, inelegant thing. Not even a lick of talent behind it, crude and crass. A shame for someone like Essek to bear it on his skin and on his soul, a crime really. And one that Bren could see undone. It was within his power, and honestly, he'd have probably done it even without the pact -- but no sense admitting that, was there? He was a soft touch, as demons went.

His fingers curled into the fabric of Essek's shirt.]

Of course. But not here. We will need time and privacy. ...and besides your friend is going to be preoccupied for a while, I think.

[He stepped back and held his hand out once more.] Come with me?

[lordfuckleroy]

You have such a beautiful soul-- it sings in a way that it has caught my attention.

[ It was a vibrant soaring thing made of wings and freedom, it was perpetually hungered for the sky and in that sense, he did not wish to see it stifled or caged, but then wasn't the place where Alex was now a cage? A cage that disguised itself as well intentioned watchers. ]

Do you not desire freedom, Alex Claremont-Diaz?

[ Oh no, this particular blue-eyed demon knew the man's name, even as he pressed a soft and almost elegant kiss against the pulse. ]

--

[ Essek had forgotten of course that Alex was even in the room, such was his pre-occupation with those burning eyes and the promise that lay within. He ran his tongue over his lower lip and spared a glance toward the shadows, cooler than the ones here-- though Essek did not feel any burning.

Perhaps he should intervene but, the man was Talamasca and so perhaps should not be worried for too much. This was the pragmatic part of himself that thought this, not to mention this was what he had come here for, to have this seal removed and Alex would want that-- so he placed his hand within Bren's. ]

I trust you, lead on. [ Like a Queen commanding her Knight, did Essek speak those words ]

[internationalrelations]

[Freedom. The word struck a note in him, a chord that resonated in his thoughts, through his soul like the swelling of a pipe organ in a cathedral. He yearned for it, for what could be -- should be -- his by birthright, something more than watching and chronicling. Maybe that feeling of being caged, the desperate desire for freedom, perhaps that was what had drawn him and Essek into a friendship to begin with

This was temptation. He knew that. But what temptation, freedom and power, offered by the most beautiful creature that he had ever set eyes on. Those eyes were impossible to resist, and the brush of lips against his skin was dangerously soft. The demon would feel the pulse beneath his lips leap, surging into a racing rhythm.]

I want... of course, I want... [But that was the question wasn't it.] Are you offering me freedom? Or will you become a new captor?

[lordfuckleroy]

[ Henry could sense the fascination, but perhaps he was just as soft as Bren; he'd been trained though to bluff it quite adeptly and there was a wry tilt to his lips as he regarded the man with the dark whiskey eyes, and that aura that felt insolent-- there was nothing but a fighter underneath this surface and he liked that-- he liked it a lot. ]

I am offering you freedom, far more freedom then you have now.

[ Even more clearly. ] The Talamasca need never know, I can put my mark on you where no one will see-- and in return I will give you a means to soar above the Talamasca, you will be able to fly, you will see what the world truly is and all the secrets will be laid bare out before you.. do you not want that?

[ His eyes slid up with intensity that seemed to be a demonish par for the course. ]

[internationalrelations]

[Alex knew he should do anything to resist what was so clearly sin and destruction wrapped in those words spun by that silken voice and presented like an irresistible treasure, precious and priceless. Just there within reach for him to take.

If he were brave. If he were foolish. And oh he was both. Alex took a breath, and shut his eyes. When he opened them again, there was a certainty in his gaze, bright and determined. Alex leaped.]

I want it.

[Whatever the cost was, he would live with it.]

[lordfuckleroy]

That is a very good boy..

[ Why did that voice have to sound so sultry and sexy, with that timbre of utter posh, his fingers wrapped around wrist lightly and then he leaned in; oh poor Alex who did not think he was attracted to men, he was going to get a comeuppance this evening when he discovered quite keenly that he was and then he leaned in so that their mouths came in contact, in the way that some demons did forge contracts-- with kisses.

A demon generally was not too picky about contracts, but Henry was and this was fine, the man whom he was making his pact with was exceedingly attractive, enough to make this rather worth it. But this was not a chaste sort of kiss on lips, no-- that tongue slid lightly against Alex's lower lip as it would surely act as a catalyst toward divine revelation.

Henry did not think he was mistaken. ]

[internationalrelations]

[It would be a night for discoveries, without a doubt. Alex had no idea what he was in store for with any of this. He was, currently, too busy wondering why being called a good boy like some eager puppy made something in him twist with a heat he couldn't remember ever feeling before.

And then those lips were on his, and that heat went from a warmth to an inferno that flooded through him. A startled gasp had lips parting for that tongue. Without consciously deciding to, he reached out to grip at the demon, to steady himself as his legs suddenly felt uncertain beneath him.

Divine revelation, yeah, that about summed it up.]

[ausgebrannt]

[A momentary hesitation at I trust you because those were not words demons often heard. Bren wrapped his fingers more securely around the other man's, nodding.]

We will not go far.

[Well. That was relative anyway. Was a small pocket dimension near or far? In any case, one moment they were standing in the ritual circle, in the next the flames close around them, brightening and surging before finally winking out entirely. When they do, he and Essek were standing in a place that was not exactly a place, a room that seemed to be made of smoke, indistinct and unshaped, all potential that would create itself around them for what they needed.]

[zauberdecke]

[ One moment they were in the circle, and the next they were somewhere else, somewhere private. He knew this because of the absence of anything resembling life safe for themselves-- in his nostrils, smoke and a hazy inky blackness outside of it. He did not consider the words he had spoken to be anything great, he did not trust anyone but he had to with this Demon as he'd gone through great lengths to bring him here in this plane of existance.

So he turned to look at Bren's profile, waiting for directives on how to get the seal off.

This was not something that he was eager to show just anyone but he would to Bren so that the Entity that was Bren could take care of it. ]

I would like to leave the Physical Markings there for now, even though it sickens me to have to see it-- once he is taken care of, then we can remove the physical manifestation of it.

[ausgebrannt]

[Bren turned to face the other man, frowning. Around them, the smoke swirled before it began to settle, a simple room, a bed draped in soft blankets, a table and chairs by a window, shelves lined with books, the illusion of sunlight glowing warmly through the window, a fire burning bright and just as warm in a stone fireplace. It was a small, cozy space. The space filling in with what Caleb's mind seemed to think of as home and safety, because this called for both.]

Nein. It's a brutish thing. I do not like leaving it. I would tear it away in its entirety. I can replace it with a glamour, for appearance's sake. If this is acceptable.

[A step closer, and his fingers reached for the fastening of the drow's shirt at his collar.]

May I? [He would need to see it, after all.]

[zauberdecke]

[ This was demiplane and something of a wonder among wizards; he had not been able to create one yet, there was after all his powers which had been limited. He knew that demons had the ability to make their area that of which they wilt, it could bear any shape or form, transmuting the aether into something tangible and powerful. He could've studied this area for hours, gone over it teeth of comb.

For right now though he knew he was here for a far different reason.

A nod of acquiesces as his fingers moved to the fastenings at the bottom of his shirt and started to unfasten it, assisting in the process.

What would be revealed was something that lacked such finesse that it was almost painful to look at. A knife had done this, there was scars against that twilight sky skin-- scars that looked painful and uneven, where the chest had not healed properly at all. It was quite simply a mark of a monster far greater than that which Essek had unleashed. A painful reminder every time he had to use the mirror to dress himself. ] It is acceptable, a glamour would fool him.