Ten Years Ago
The temple was still. Only the faint flicker of the ritual candles disturbed the heavy darkness, barely enough to illuminate the smooth lines of the boy's body where he lay upon the stone altar. Zhongfu wasn't sure how long he'd knelt here, surrounded by the priests he'd slain, but it didn't matter.
It was too late. He hadn't been fast enough.
His son lay lifeless on the cold stone, his pale face almost glowing in the dim light. A gaping knife wound stretched from the space over his heart, all the way down to his navel, splitting his smooth flesh. Blood ran in thick rivulets to pool beneath him, and it was still warm where it soaked into Zhongfu's robes and coated his hands.
Zhongfu's eyes burned, but no tears would come. It wasn't fair. Ruanlin had barely begun to live. He was so young, still innocent. Only eight years old, and now...
"My, my... Isn't this a tragedy?"
The voice cut through the darkness, seeming to resonate from every shadow in the temple. Zhongfu didn't flinch. There was nothing left in him to fear, no matter who—what—spoke to him in the gloom. After a moment, he heard the subtle touch of footsteps behind him. When he turned his head to look, a man towered over him in the flickering candlelight. And yet... he wasn't a man at all. No, Zhongfu thought, No man has eyes like that.
The creature stared back at him with a gaze like fire, bright and golden with slit pupils of pure black. "King Zhongfu, isn't it?" The thing smiled, revealing razor sharp canines between red lips. When Zongfu said nothing, a deep, echoing laugh rumbled out of its chest. "The great king himself, come to save his precious heir. Such a tragedy..."
"You're the demon," Zhonfu said. A dangerous thought had begun to form in his head. "The one they wanted to summon."
"Demon King Varis, at your service." The creature gave a mocking bow. "I'm so very honored to meet you, though I suppose you had no choice in the matter." He stalked over to the altar, dragging his fingers through the blood. The claw-like nails left deep gouges in the stone, but there was no sign of any effort in the creature's relaxed, almost casual movements. It was only when the demon began to lick the blood from his own fingers that Zhongfu felt renewed fury stirring in his gut.
"Stop that!" He barked, moving as if to grab Varis. The demon laughed, easily avoiding his reach.
"So angry," he taunted. "Why shouldn't I have a taste? After all, the little princeling belongs to me now. They saw to that." Varis gestured carelessly to the fallen priests. "Though you did make quite a mess of my loyal followers. I'm not sure if I should be impressed or annoyed."
Zhongfu grit his teeth. The thought of his son—of Rualin—belonging to this monster filled him with such white-hot rage that he thought he might choke on it. "How dare you?" He rasped. "I won't let you. I won't let you have him!"
Varis cocked an eyebrow. For a long moment, he studied Zhongfu in silence, and then his lips curved into an eerie smile again. Slowly, he leaned forward until Zhongfu could feel the demon's breath on his face. "I'm afraid that's not up to you. But, well..." One of his claws moved to brush a lock of hair out of the king's face, tracing a line down his cheek. "Maybe we could come to some kind of... agreement."
"What do you mean?"
"I hold your son's soul in my hands," Varis said, lifting his palm between them. The flickering light of the candles illuminated a small, golden ball of flame nestled there. Zhongfu's breath caught in his throat at the sight, and he couldn't help but reach for it. Varis' fist closed. When it opened again, the flame was gone. "I could destroy him utterly with the barest flex of my power, or... I could bring him back to you. For a price."
"Anything." Zhongfu didn't hesitate. "I'll give you anything you ask for. I have men, wealth, land..."
Varis laughed. "I have no need for mortal trinkets or the blood of a few soldiers." His tongue darted out to lick his lips, revealing the fork in its tip. "What I want, King Zhongfu, is a promise. I will return your son to you. I will give him life and allow him to grow to maturity. Let's say... ten years, hm? That seems appropriate. And at the end of those ten years, he will be mine. And I don't just mean for the rest of his measly human lifetime." The demon's grin widened. "I want him for eternity."
Zhongfu felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. He struggled to draw a breath, trying to think past the roar of blood in his ears. His eyes darted back to Rualin's body, cold and lifeless. Could he do that? Condemn his child to such a fate? Ten years was surely not worth the price. They would be gone in the blink of an eye. And yet... Zhongfu was only a man, after all, with a selfish heart. After the death of his wife, Ruanlin was the only family he had left.
"What..." Zhongfu began. He swallowed thickly, struggling to force the words out. "What will happen to him?"
Varis laughed, as if it were some sort of joke. "That should be obvious. Haven't you heard what they say about demons?" He smirked, cruel and sharp-edged. "We're always so terribly pent up, King Zhongfu. If your princeling grows to look even half as lovely as you..." Varis grinned. "He'll make a beautiful bride, very well taken care of in my demon court—forever."
He winked, and Zhongfu's stomach lurched. "I... I can't..."
"Of course," Varis sighed. "I understand. What kind of father would agree to sell his own son's future to a dirty, conniving demon?" He opened his hand again, and the flickering ball of flame reappeared. With two fingers, Varis gripped the soul between the long talons of his fingernails and began to squeeze. "I'll just put him out of his misery then, and be done with it—"
A cry tore from Zhongfu's throat, involuntary and desperate. "Wait!" The demon paused, raising an expectant eyebrow, and Zhongu continued, breathless, "What about me? Just - just take me as your bride instead. Surely that would be easier for you? There's no need for this!"
"Oh, but what fun would that be?" Varis tsked. "You've lived a full life, King Zhongfu. Experienced the pleasures of the flesh. At eighteen, your little princeling will be so very fresh. Can you imagine?" He hummed, releasing Ruanlin's soul again. "The sweet cries he'll make as I take him for the first time..."
Zhongfu's teeth clenched. "Stop it," he hissed, "You disgusting, horrible piece of -"
Varis growled, a terrible, deep rumble of a sound, and for a moment Zhongfu felt fear lance through his chest—but in the next instant, demon's expression smoothed, and he rolled his eyes. "Yes, alright, that's enough. Obviously I'm not interested in him as he is now. I'm hopeful that, by the time I return, he'll have aged like a fine wine. Ten years seems like more than enough of a buffer to produce satisfying results. And like I said, I'm assuming he'll take after you, eventually. Really, it's such a disappointment to waste such a fine figure on mortal women." One of the demon's hands caressed Zhongfu's jaw. The king jerked away with a sneer, but Varis didn't seem offended—only amused.
"So, I've told you what I want, and I'm starting to lose my patience. What is your choice?"
"I..." Zhongfu hesitated. What could he do? What other hope was there of saving his son? He'd already failed him once, and the thought of losing Ruanlin forever...
"Fine!" His voice shook. "I agree to your terms."
"Excellent." Varis clapped his hands together once, a sharp crack of sound in the quiet temple. "The deal has been made. Your son's life belongs to you... for ten years, that is." A sudden breeze rose in the room, ruffling Zhongfu's hair, and then in a blur, Varis was beside the altar. His clawed hand moved to cradle the back of Ruanlin's head, lifting him to rest in the demon's lap, shockingly gentle. For a moment, the cold mask of indifference slipped, and there was something almost... soft in Varis' eyes. "Come now, little prince," he murmured. "It's time to wake up."
He pressed the palm of his hand to Ruanlin's chest, directly over where the wound had split his flesh. Varis' lips began to move, and while Zhongfu couldn't hear the words, he could feel a sudden tension in the air that made his skin prickle. The ball of flame, Ruanlin's soul, reappeared above Varis' fingers. It seemed brighter now, more vibrant, and as Zhongfu watched, it slowly sank back into his son's body.
The demon's voice grew louder, and Zhongfu could finally make out the chant; a strange, foreign tongue he didn't understand. The words seemed to fill every inch of the temple, and they held a power that made the hairs stand up on the back of the king's neck. Ruanlin's flesh began to glow where Varis' hand touched him, growing brighter and brighter until Zhongfu was forced to look away, shielding his eyes with his arm. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the light faded.
Zhongfu looked up to find the demon had vanished. His son's body lay at rest, undisturbed and... healed. Even the gore marring the boy's skin had disappeared. The only difference was a strange, black symbol now branded over Ruanlin's heart. When Zhongfu drew closer, he clenched his teeth against a surge of despair. The mark was a circle with three jagged points like a claw extending from it, one dot between each. Varis' sigil. The same one painted over the door of the temple in blood.
A constant reminder of Ruanlin's fate.