The Forsaken (May be R)

"Your soul would become part of the demon's realm if you died here..." he said. "But... if you survive until the end of the tests, passing all of the tests, I take you back to your realm, and you have one wish..." he said. "That is why I had to put you to sleep... most people cannot consciously go through realms with their sanity in tact." he said. "Go ahead and ask questions... I will answer what I am able to..." he said.

"I'm not most people, as you have already noticed. Could you leave me awake when you take me back?" she asked, only assuming that she was going to pass all of the tests. She had no idea what the other tests would even consist of, yet, she had to at least have hope that she had the ability to get through them. It wasn't the one wish she cared about. It was getting back to her twin brother. The only true family she had left. She knew that he'd be able to sense that she was in trouble. However, she also knew that he would never be able to find her, no matter what kind of equipment that The Directorate had. They had some pretty high tech stuff, but nothing that would detect other realms. In fact, the whole demons of hell thing was still new to them. Even after that demon(or, god of death as he referred to himself as) tried to use her as a sacrifice, they didn't have the technology to reach other realms quite yet.

Clause looked to her curiously. "Aww... didn't you like my little kiss?" he teased her. "Well... if you pass all the tests... perhaps... you are much more different than anyone else I have encountered... Much stronger really..." he said. He stood up. "If you have no more questions, perhaps you would like to see your room that you will be staying in" he said calmly. "Also, I ask that you do not leave your room to wander the halls... there are many dangers here..." he said. "With me you are safe... but even with how powerful you are... your life would be in danger..." he said.

"Like it isn't in danger already? What, are there other demons here that would kill me on sight? Or, rather, do their own tests that would probably give me absolutely no chance of survival?" she wondered, finishing up her coffee, and setting the mug on the table after she stood up. She nodded when he said if she'd like to see her room. "If there are dangers outside the room, then how is the room itself safe?" she asked, following him when he started walking.

"There isn't other demons like me... in this castle anyways" he tried explaining... "And normally the other beasts stay put. However, if you take a wrong turn in the castles corridors, enter the wrong room... you could find yourself in a living nightmare..." he said. "There are some rooms I have warded them from entering... I cannot purge them from the castle, simply because... well... some things are better off not known..." he said, not wanting to know what exactly happened to the bodies of those who failed the tests... "This room, your room, and a few select others have been warded, they are safe..." he said. "But remember, without me as a guide, this place is like a maze..." he said. He wasn't kidding either. The moment that they left the dining hall, they had made several turns down many different halls, all looked nearly identical, save for a different painting or statue here or there.

"Warning heeded." she said, not promising that she wouldn't leave the room. She could tell he was telling the truth. This place really did seem like a maze. However, if she left the room, it would only be for the bathroom. Living through one of her nightmares... well, she'd die inside... she had died inside before, but nothing would compare to being forced to watch her brother die. Before she closed the door, she said to Clause, "One last question..." after a pause, she then asked, "when can I expect to see you again?" she wondered, just wanting to know how much time she had to kill.

He thought for a moment. "Tomorrow is when your next trial is..." he said. "I will take you where you need to go, so possibly tomorrow for breakfast..." he said. "Or sooner... if you ever need me, just call my name... I will be there. I can see all over this castle... with the exception to your room..." he said. "This... is your domain... you can make it look however you like, make it contain whatever you wish, and you have control over anyone inside of it." he said. For instance, I can only enter your room with your permission..." he said. He put his hand up to the door frame... it was as if there was a sheet of glass separating them. "And if you wish someone to leave, you can make that happen as well..." he said. "I cannot see anything that happens in your room, nor your bathroom..." he said. "I'm not a peeping tom..." he said with a little laugh. "I recommend checking out the view..." he said pointing to a large window... her room was quite bare, no bed in it yet. However it would appear when she willed it. "It's really beautiful here at times..." he said before he started to walk off.

Riley watched him walk away for a moment, then couldn't help but wonder why he was being so nice. He was being rude for keeping her here and making her go through all these tests, but at the same time... he was kind about it. She closed the door, then thought of a bed that looked much like her own at the apartment, but this one was all new bedding, new mattresses, new wooden frame, queen size. Then, a seat for under the window, a dresser with a week's worth of clothing, a television, stereo, soundproof walls. Everything appeared before her eyes, exactly where she wanted each thing to be. Then posters of fancy sports cars, the wall painted black... everything appeared, except for the portal that would bring her back to her own realm. Of course, she figured it wouldn't work, but it was worth a try.

She willed a bathroom into the corner of her room so that she'd have no need of going out of her room, then willed decorations into the bathroom. All of this bewildered her. She found it difficult to believe that she actually had complete control of what was in this room, and what happened in it.

After about three hours of watching television and looking out the window during commercials, there was a strange banging that was coming from the other side of one of the walls. As if, there was a room immediately beside hers. She didn't want to see what was in that room, but the banging was getting very irritating. She pounded a fist against the wall, seeing if it would stop..

Clause wandered the halls for a while, going about, making sure everything was where it should be, making sure certain doors were closed... doors that should remain closed for good... He heard the screams echoing through the halls, ones only he could hear, screams that haunted him... He came to a hall, not unlike any others... a stone door... he opened it up and entered his room... it was practically bare, small, like a prison cell There was a window and a doorway out to a balcony... but other than that... nothing. A stone slab with a thin sheet was all he had as a bed.

Then came the part he was dreading... he had seen the shadows creeping at the corners of the room... moving in, seemingly engulfing the room. The door behind him closed. He heard a voice. "You helped her..." it said. "I know..." he replied. "I know I did... but..." he tried to explain, however the voice continued talking. "You gave her a hint, almost acting kind to her... I'll be watching Clause..." it said. "But... you cannot go unpunished..." the voice finished as the shadows started to move over him. Once it engulfed him completely he felt it... pain like no other... he couldn't do anything about it... he knew it would go on for hours...

In about four hours, the pain stopped... he was left panting on the floor... nobody could hear his screams when that was happening to him... there were no visible signs on his body of the pain and torment he went through... the truth was... he was as much a prisoner as she was...

Riley remembered that she had soundproofed her room, so she willed the soundproof walls away, then banged on the wall again, since the noise on the other side kept going. "Shut up!!!" she yelled, "I'm trying to sleep over here!" which really, she wasn't tired enough for sleep yet. However, the noise needed to stop before she even could go to sleep.

"Riley? Is that you? Are you okay?" a voice yelled back. It sounded like her brother, Rhoan.

"Yes, I'm fine." she answered, but then became very confused. Maybe The Directorate had more details than they were telling her. Otherwise, how could her brother possibly be here? "Are you?"

"No, I need your help. Please come over here. Quickly. I can't see anything, I can't tell what they're going to do." he answered.

He sounded a lot like she probably did when she was trapped in that cage. However, what Clause said about some sort of beasts that roamed the halls, that were in some rooms, and something about some rooms becomming living nightmares, Riley backed away from the wall. Now she didn't know what to do. If it really was her brother, she should have been able to sense him there. On the other hand, if it was just one of those beasts, she'd end up in a whole lot of trouble if she went over to that room. "Just chill out. You'll be fine." she said, testing to see. Her brother would trust her word... When her 'brother' called out again for her to come over, "No, they have me pinned down in silver, and I can't move!"

He wouldn't be able to talk if it was really like that. She willed some sort of wall that would soundproof both ways so that she wouldn't be able to listen to him struggle. That question still remained, though. Was it just one of those beasts? She walked over to the bed to lay down, hoping she'd fall asleep before something else happened.

Clause finally was able to stand a while later, he had recovered... but her energy was still quite low... he hated that... the constant pain it put him in. How it left him feeling drained. He moved to the balcony... he wanted to explain what was going on, let her know what exactly she was meant to do here, and why he chose her... Clause felt about with his mind... he didn't feel any eyes upon him... though the halls... they wouldn't be dangerous to him... but... he would attract attention. The sun had completely gone down, his dark wings would be hard to spot in the night sky. He took off... looking for the right window.

He found it, her window. He flew right outside of it, and knocked on the glass... she might not let him in, he would understand if she wanted nothing to do with him, if she just wanted him gone... but he hoped that she would listen... his wings were wearing on him, he was normally a competent flyer... but now... he just felt so tired...

She jumped when something knocked on her window. She got up to turn off all the lights in her room so that she could see what was outside. She saw no balcony, so obviously whatever it was, had wings.

She switched her vision to infrared after all the lights were off so that she could see her way around, and recognized the figure outside of the window. She sat upon the windowsill, moved the curtains around her to she could see only outside with no reflections, switched back to her normal vision, then opened the window. "You couldn't have used the hallway?" she asked, "What do you want?" She was obviously tired now, and wanted to get to sleep, so she was not in the best of moods.

"I... I know..." he said. He didn't want to explain why he didn't walk, why it was less likely that he would be detected by flying... his master was most likely resting now... but he wanted to take no chances. "May... May I enter?" he asked her. He seemed out of breath. "I... I can explain... what... what is going on... I... I had to be careful earlier..." he said, seeming to get more tired by the second.

She opened the window more, and moved the curtains so he could come in. "Yes, you may come in." she said, closing the window once he was inside. Her room was much warmer than the outdoors, so she wanted to keep it that way. "Why's the energy demon, at such a lack of energy?" she asked, referring to him. She still wasn't exactly sure what he was, but 'energy demon' seemed to fit for now.

He panted a bit more, almost collapsing as soon as he entered, he put his wings at rest on his back. He stood up. Energy Demon? He was never called that before. "Punishment... torture... Master... he didn't like that... that I helped you... that hint I gave you..." he said. "It... hurt... but... but don't worry..." he said. "Listen... I can explain now... he isn't watching... he can't see in here very easily..." he said. "But the moment he finds out that I'm here... he will start trying to see through the ward... if he catches me in here... telling you these things... I wont be getting any sleep tonight..." he said with a dry little laugh.

"I'm... sorry... so sorry... that I had to... bring you into this..." he said, he was sincere... "But... I feel it... you... you will be the one... to end all this..." he said. He looked up at her. Almost anyone could see by looking into his bright eyes, he wasn't lying...

"So, if he finds out that you're talking to me right now," she said, locking the window and closing the curtains. She knew how to put up mental barriers, but she wasn't so sure about territorial barriers so that nobody could see into this room either telepathically or by some other power. "would he assign somebody else to do the job, or just punish you?" she asked, asking only one question at a time so that he could at least catch his breath before he had to leave again. "Would I be punished for allowing you to help me? For actually trusting you?"

He shook his head. "Sorry to say... you're stuck with me..." he said. "All he can do... is hurt me... but... it gets worse... the more angry... he is..." Clause said. "If... he catches me again... I don't know what will happen... he can't kill me... but... believe me when I say... there are many... many things worse than death out there..." he said. "And no... you would never be punished... it's supposed to be my job to make sure that... that you fail... any help the... the demon gives would... would be like... a freebie for you..." he said.

"You... can trust me or not... I'm... I'm going to get you out of all this either way..." he said. "I'm... I'm done with this... I'm... I'm done with all this... you see... once the person taking the test succeeds... and their wish is granted... the ties between me and the master will be broken... A demon... can't live without a bond with someone... you will kill me..." he said. With a little laugh he added. "So, you will at least get some revenge on me..." he said.

Riley smirked. This demon was very different from any other 'bad guy' she met. "I see... well... what kind of bond are you talking about? If somebody wrongs me, I like being able to kill them myself, rather than it being done by some sort of rule." she said, truly wondering how she succeeding the tests could change everything in their realm. Perhaps, she could even wish him life, if he wasn't ready for death. That probably wouldn't work though, if demons required a bond with someone in order to live. Of course, she would only ensure he kept life if he actually did help her when she needed it. If she needed it.

"It's... a spiritual bond... but... one of enslavement..." he said. "A demon can only be without a bond during the first 100 years of his life... afterwords... he needs one... it... is most commonly... a spiritual bond... one where he connects his life with another. However... some powerful sorcerers... they are able to enslave the demons... creating a bond... but one that the demon has no control over... they set the terms... determining what the demon is supposed to do for them... or else they suffer a punishment..." he said. "It's... hard to explain..." he said. He felt his legs give out from under him, however he caught himself with his hands, looking up at her. "Right now... I'm practically immortal... however, once the connection is severed... you can kill me... I become mortal for 24 hours before dieing." he said. "So... hopefully that will cheer you up." he said with a little laugh. "Don't worry... when all is said and done... you will have your revenge..." he said.

"What if I don't want to take revenge on somebody that's been helping me?" she asked him, sitting down on her bed. She wanted to go to bed. He wasn't supposed to be here anyway, but he was obviously too weak right now to fly back to his room. She could always let him take her energy, which did not sound like a bad idea now. It would benefit both of them. She tucked her legs up against her, and hugged her legs, putting her chin on one of her knees.

Clause stood back up, leaning on the wall for support. He looked to her. "If you don't want revenge... you can always just leave me to die." he said. "The blood won't be on your hands... this... is actually something... I've been waiting for... for a long... long time..." he said. "I've... been waiting for someone like... like you... to set me free..." he said. Clause looked to her. "I've never seen anyone... so strong... so clever... with such a indomitable will..." he said. "You... are perfect for this... I know... you will succeed..." he said.

Riley finally understood what he was doing and why, as well as her purpose here. "Say no more, buddy boy. Nothing's stopped me before, and I don't imagine these silly tests will either." she said, "However, if you want me to have the energy, the strength, to complete them, I'll have to get some sleep." She took a deep breath, watching him carefully. "I'll even lend you what energy I have right now, so you can get back to your room." she offered, laying down on her bed.

Clause looked to her. "I hope... you are right..." he said. "Many... many people have tried... none have... have managed to finish these tests..." he was a bit surprised though to her offer... he never had someone willingly give him their energy. He moved to her bed, he stumbled a bit... but he managed... He looked down at her and gave her a little smile. "You know... you are the first one to offer such a thing willingly to me..." he said. He leaned down. His lips inches away from hers. He hesitated slightly... he felt someone searching for him... he had time though...

"Good night..." he said to her before pressing his lips to hers. He drained her energy, but it was slow... not wanting to put her right to sleep, but to ease her to rest... like a warmth crawling up her body, relaxing her until she was lulled fully to sleep.

"It's a shame such a sweetheart is not going to stay in my life." she smiled at him when he walked over. She was already under the covers by the time he got there. She definately needed someone like him in her life. "Good night." she whispered, kissing him back this time, feeling the energy ease from her, into him, then falling asleep.

((im gonna get sleep too lol ttfn))

He felt a little better... enough to get him back to his room, but after that, he would need to follow her example and sleep. He looked to her, she kissed him back... he looked to the window, opening it... "If you knew half of the things I've done... you wouldn't call me a sweetheart..." he said. All those things were forced upon him, but the acts of evil was him non the less. He opened his wings and flew into the night sky, making sure to close her windows... letting her room stay warm.

He arrived back at his room, eyes feel upon him, he could feel it. However they left quickly... he wondered what his master was up to... He laid down on his 'bed' and went to sleep... his room was cold... but his wings helped a bit, covering himself...

((kk, see ya ))