The Immortal Calamity

I observed my talent as the soft blue light fell on another soldier. He broke into hysterical laughter and was only able to regain control of his emotions several minutes after I stopped using my talent. The more people I treated, the less I understood about what was happening. Every soldier reacted differently. A few cried like Orias. One soldier just smiled sweetly. One started reciting poetry. There was even a soldier who said he was sleepy and just laid down on the ground right then and there. He still had not woken up.

Unfortunately, my newborn innate talent was not strong enough to treat everyone. After treating the nineteenth soldier my small blue flame flickered out. Time would be required for it to recover, and I had no idea how long the effects of my treatment would last.

Despite these limitations, the mood of everyone in the camp had increased greatly. A few arguments still broke out among the untreated, but no fights.

I sat next to Donte as he stared out at the mist, turned almost black by the night. Tears were still running down his face. He had been the first person I treated after Orias, but he still had not recovered from the experience.

I draped a blanket over his shoulders, and I did not stop him as he moved closer to me. he laid his head on my shoulder and closed his eyes. I blushed as I felt his body heat radiating through the blanket.

“I saw my mum,” He said softly, “For the first time since she died, my chest does not hurt when I think about her. Instead… I feel happy. Is that normal?”

“You are still under the effects of my talent. Nothing is normal.”

“Still… Thank you.”

We sat together quietly as time ticked past. The darkness of night enveloped us. The only sounds were the clinking of armor from the soldiers on watch. Donte slowly regained his composer. The tears dried, and I could hear his breathing grow calmer. Suddenly, I felt his whole body tighten. He inhaled a sharp hiss.

“You have done this to me before haven’t you?” he whispered without opening his eyes. One of his arms gripped my shoulder tightly. “It was not as strong then, but when I first found out about Aurielle I felt like this as well.”

His fingers dug into my shoulder. I tried to pull away, but his grip was like iron. His other hand reached around, grabbing my arm with enough force to leave bruises.

“Tell me the truth,” he hissed.

I hesitated for a moment as I looked at his face. His eyes were still shut tight to prevent me from using the talent on him.

“Yes,” I squeaked out, “But it wasn’t on purpose, I-“

“How many times?” he said in a low growl.

“What?”

“How many times have you manipulated me like this? Why did I trust you with the secret of my mum’s sickness after only meeting you once? Why did I follow you back to your house after she died? Why do I… Is everything a lie? Am I just some toy for you to string along?”

“No! I never thought that! I did not even know I had this talent before the day you learned I was also Aurielle. Please, you have to believe me. I never manipulated you on purpose. I swear.”

“Why should I? How do I know you are not trying to manipulate me right now?”

“Do you really think I would do that?”

Donte loosened the grip on my arms slightly but still did not open his eyes. He spoke in soft, half sobbing words, “How can I believe you? How do I know if what I feel is real?”

“Donte, you are the first friend I made. The only friend I have that’s not family. I trust you, and I hope that you can trust me, but If that is impossible and you want to leave, I will not stop you.”

“Leave… Why would I…” Donte opened his eyes, looking at me for the first time. He released his grip, nearly falling backwards. He looked both confused and hurt. “I… I’m sorry. I do not know what came over me. I was suddenly so angry. I do not want to leave. Please don’t make me.”

I reached out, holding his hands in mine. He flinched slightly when he felt my touch, but then blushed so bright red, I could see it through the shadow of the night.

“Of course, I want you to stay. I have never used this talent to manipulate you on purpose, and I promise, I will not use my talent on you again without your permission.”

“I… I believe you. A new talent can be… uncontrollable, but I know my choices are my own, and I choose to stay by your side. I am your knight after all. No matter what, I will follow you till the end.”

I felt myself blush this time and quickly released his hands. I quickly changed the subject. “It looks like my talent is not as effective at suppressing whatever is enraging you and the other soldiers as I had hoped.”

Donte nodded, looking down at his hands with regret. “It seemed to be working at first, but the moment I realized I had felt your talent before I could not control myself at all. I was consumed by rage.”

“I did learn something though. The extreme emotions do not come from nowhere. You were angry because I manipulated you. Istvan was envious of Orias’s position. Orias was greedy for my dagger. All of these emotions probably already existed. Whatever is influencing us is simply enhancing these negative emotions.”

“What kind of creature can do that?”

I paused. I knew what it was, but did not want to admit it. I could not admit it. The worst possible scenario, but the only one where everything makes sense. The speed at which the fog had spread, the extreme emotions, the lack of Demonkin, all of it pointed to a single conclusion. A new Demon has been born.

I could not sleep that night. Plagued by my own thoughts, I did not even try. A newborn Demon would not be as powerful as Envy, but it was way more than I was prepared to handle. The chances of someone transforming into a Demon instead of a Demonkin was a million to one. The idea that Envy could get so lucky nearly made me pull my hair out.

As a newborn, a Demon would not be much stronger than a Demonkin, but raw strength was not the true threat they represented. A Demon had intelligence. More importantly, a Demon can command the Demonkin. What would have been a mess of disorganized beasts, would now become a well-organized army.

A Demon would be able to scheme and strategize against the armies of this world. A Demon would expand the territory of the red mist without Demonkin rampaging mindlessly. A Demon would know to protect the rifts Envy created and speed up his arrival.

I had fought many Demons in the past, and none of them were simple. Driven by obsession and absolutely ruthless, a Demon was a terrifying opponent.

My only advantage was that this one was still young. The rifts were still too unstable to allow a Demon to pass through. This one must have been born from exposure to Lot twenty-three.

If I am lucky, no rifts have formed in this area yet. If a true Demon like Envy was not there to command it, a newborn Demon would focus on whatever obsession kept them from becoming a Demonkin. Hopefully, it was the love of a living family member or a specific object. These small obsessions were easier for the Demon to obtain, and until the Demon eventually destroyed what they once loved they would stay near it.

If their obsession was something big like greed or hatred then there was no telling how the Demon might express that emotion. An unquenchable desire was how powerful Demons like Envy were born. I could not be that unlucky, right?

Through the night, my thoughts went around in circles as I imagined the worst possible outcomes over and over again. When morning came, I was no closer to finding an answer to the many questions rattling around in my head.

I was tired and sluggish, but I made sure to use my innate talent on as many soldiers as I could before we departed. After my conversation with Donte, I knew it was not enough to fight against the mental corruption a Demon naturally radiated, but I would not pass up the chance to practice my new power. It was not completely pointless either. Staying focused on happy thoughts was one of the most rudimentary ways to resist a Demon’s mental corruption. Not perfect, but better than nothing.

After another bout of seemingly random reactions from the soldiers, our caravan moved out. If nothing went wrong, then in a few hours we would reach the city of Téves. No matter how much the Demonkin rampaged in the beginning, there should still be survivors there. If we were lucky, we could even find the missing troops.

I sat on the top of the wagon with my mom and Donte, while Dad and Charly were busy drawing more runes.

The closer we got to the city, the more uneasy I felt. I did not know why, but over the long years of experience on the battlefield, I learned to trust my instincts. I had our wagon stay at the very back of the line of troops. We could barely even see the outline of the closest soldier.

The trees around us became sparse and soon we found ourselves in a large barren field of rubble. The mist seemed to clear as tall stone walls came into view. However, these walls did not stand proudly. They were barely standing at all.

Massive sections of the wall had crumbled entirely. Battlements had completely collapsed. Massive scars littered the wall. The claw marks of Demonkin gouged into the stone.

I crossed my arms close to my chest as I examined the damage. These attacks did not come from within the city. An army destroyed these walls from the outside, but no human army could cause damage like this. Téves had fallen to a siege of Demonkin. The Demon had been here, and might still be.