The Prince of Darkness
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“You’re not a demon, are you?” I asked. “I mean…you don’t have horns or anything.”
He laughed and shook his head. He was wearing the same black suit as before but now he had on a white shirt with an open collar that exposed some chest hair. His tie hung loosely around his neck like it didn’t fit him right anymore.
It looked more comfortable than when it was tied up tight in front. The sleeves were rolled halfway to show off his forearms which weren’t covered by any tattoos at all. They seemed pretty muscular for someone who spent most of their time sitting behind a desk.
“No,” he said. “But my father is.”
His eyes darted away from mine and back down towards the floor where we’d been walking earlier. When they came back up again there wasn’t much left to look at besides me. My face must’ve shown how uncomfortable this made me feel because he quickly added:
“…and so am I.”
It took everything inside me not to laugh out loud. This guy really thought he could get away with telling people what kind of parent they had. And then just expect them to take it seriously? That’s one helluva way to make friends! But instead, I kept quiet and nodded along while trying hard not to let my smile slip through.
“So…” I started slowly, “…what do you want?”
“Oh, nothing important!” he replied cheerfully. Then he stopped dead in his tracks and turned to stare directly into my eyes. There was no mistaking those dark pupils staring straight back at me; if looks could kill, I would be six feet under already.
“What do I want?” he repeated after a moment. “Well…to start with…I’m going to need your help.”
My heart skipped a beat. What did he mean by ‘help’? Was he talking about something else entirely? Or maybe he meant helping him find his son? Whatever it was, I knew deep down that whatever it might turn out to be, it wouldn’t involve killing anyone. Not even demons can go around murdering innocent bystanders without getting caught eventually.
So I decided to play along until I found out exactly what he wanted. Besides, it couldn’t hurt to keep an eye on him anyway – especially since I still hadn’t figured out why he needed my help in the first place.
“Okay,” I answered cautiously. “Why should I trust you though? You know, considering our last encounter ended rather badly for both parties involved.”
He shrugged casually and smiled. For some reason, he reminded me of a cat playing with a mouse.
“Don’t worry,” he assured me. “This won’t end up like that either. In fact, I think you’ll actually enjoy yourself this time.”
That sounded ominous enough to put me on edge immediately.
“How come?” I pressed. “Because I killed everyone you sent against me? Because I blew up your whole damn city?”
Again he chuckled. Apparently, he liked hearing himself talk.
“Not quite,” he explained. “And yes, that part does sound bad, doesn’t it? But believe me, things will work out differently this time. We’re simply looking for a different solution to our problem.”
“A solution?” I echoed incredulously. “Are you serious? Do you honestly expect me to solve your problems for you? Is that supposed to happen next week or something?!”
He sighed loudly and shook his head.
“Of course not,” he snapped impatiently. “We aren’t asking you to fix anything here. All we want is for you to join us.”
Now I stared blankly at him, completely lost as to what he was saying.
“Join you? Like…as partners? As equals? Are you insane?! Why would I ever agree to such a thing? If you’re expecting me to fight alongside you, you’ve got another thing coming!”
He frowned deeply.
“Listen carefully,” he growled menacingly. “If you refuse to cooperate, you’ll never see your family again. Ever. Understand?”
I swallowed nervously.
“Understood,” I mumbled quietly.
“Good,” he grinned. “Then let’s move on. First things first, I assume you haven’t forgotten who I am yet? After all, you seem to remember my name very well.”
I tried to hide my surprise but failed miserably. How did he know that? Did he have some sort of magic power that allowed him to read minds too? No, wait. Maybe he just remembered my face from somewhere. Either way, it didn’t matter. He obviously expected me to say yes.
“Yes,” I finally managed to reply. “You are the demon lord known as Lord Samael.”
He nodded happily.
“Excellent,” he declared proudly. “As soon as we meet again, I promise you’ll understand why it’s necessary to call me by my true title.”
With that, he turned and continued walking towards the exit. I followed behind him silently, wondering what he was planning to do now. The only thing I knew for sure was that I definitely didn’t want to be anywhere near when he pulled off whatever scheme he was cooking up.
***
The rest of our journey passed in silence. It was obvious that neither of us felt comfortable speaking to each other anymore after our little argument earlier. Instead, we walked side-by-side, occasionally glancing over at each other every once in a while.
It wasn’t long before we reached the outskirts of town where the road began its gradual descent into the valley below. From there, the path led downwards through the forested mountainside until we came upon a small clearing surrounded by dense foliage. A large stone building stood prominently in the middle of the clearing, which looked more like a castle than any actual house.
Lord Samael stopped abruptly right outside the entrance and turned to look at me. His expression seemed unusually grim.
“Welcome home, my dear friend,” he said softly.
His voice made goosebumps rise on my arms. Even though I had heard those exact same words so many times already, they somehow sounded much creepier coming from his mouth.
“What are you doing here?” I asked suspiciously. “Didn’t you tell me you were going to leave me alone forever?”
He laughed harshly.
“Oh no, don’t misunderstand me,” he replied quickly. “I’m not trying to trick you. This isn’t some kind of trap. I swear. There really is nothing sinister about this place whatsoever. Please, just give me one chance to explain everything to you properly. Then you can decide whether you still wish to remain ignorant or not.”
He paused briefly, staring intently at me.
“Please,” he begged. “Just hear me out.”
My eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Fine,” I gritted between clenched teeth. “But if you try to pull some stupid shit like you always do, I’ll kill you myself.”
He smiled broadly.
“Thank you, my dear friend,” he whispered sincerely. “This means a lot to me. Now, please follow me inside. You need to get ready for your big day.”
Without waiting for an answer, he started walking towards the front door. I hesitated momentarily, then reluctantly followed him. Once we arrived at the main hall, he gestured towards two chairs positioned opposite each other at the far end of the room.
Without further explanation, he sat down on one chair and motioned for me to sit across from him. We both remained silent for several minutes, simply looking at each other awkwardly. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Why did you bring me here?” I demanded angrily. “And how could you possibly think that I’d believe you without proof?”
He sighed heavily.
“Look, I told you that I wouldn’t lie to you,” he explained patiently. “That doesn’t mean I won’t deceive you either. In fact, sometimes the truth will require deception. That’s because people often fail to realize that the most important part of communication is actually listening.”
I stared blankly back at him.
“Okay, I’m sorry,” he apologized hastily. “Let me rephrase: People tend to forget that the best way to persuade someone is to listen to them instead of talking at them. So, allow me to start again. Why did I bring you here? Because I wanted to show you something special.”
He leaned forward slightly and placed his hands together.
“Now, I know you’re probably thinking that this must be some elaborate prank,” he continued calmly. “After all, who would ever expect to find themselves standing in the very heart of Hell itself? But let me assure you that none of this is a joke.
Everything you see around you is real. And although you may never fully comprehend the significance of what you’ve seen today, you should nevertheless trust me enough to accept that this is indeed the realm of the demons.”
A shiver ran down my spine as I took in the sight before me. The entire interior of the castle appeared to be carved directly out of solid rock. Massive pillars rose high above our heads, supporting the ceiling. They formed a perfect circle with the floor, creating a dome shape. At first glance, it almost resembled a giant church. However, the walls surrounding us weren’t made of marble but rather smooth black granite.
As Lord Samael spoke, I noticed a number of strange symbols etched onto the wall beside me. Each symbol was unique, consisting of intricate geometric shapes interwoven within a complex pattern. Although I recognized their meaning immediately, I still found it difficult to understand exactly why they were being used in such an unusual manner.
“These markings represent the true nature of reality,” he explained quietly. “They are the key to understanding every single thing that exists. It’s only when you begin to grasp these concepts that you truly become aware of yourself.”
He paused briefly, gazing thoughtfully at me.
“You see, my dear friend,” he added gently, “the world we live in is composed entirely of energy. Every object, person, and event has its own specific frequency that determines its identity. These frequencies exist everywhere; even in places where there appears to be nothing more than empty space.
As long as you possess sufficient knowledge, you can easily perceive these vibrations. What you choose to do with this information is up to you. Some people prefer to ignore it completely while others use it to manipulate the lives of others. Others yet attempt to control the universe itself by harnessing the power of the stars.”
Lord Samael gazed into my eyes, searching for any signs of recognition. When he saw none, he frowned deeply.
“Unfortunately,” he said sadly, “most humans have no idea about anything beyond the physical plane. Most people don’t care to learn or explore new things. Instead, they spend their time chasing after meaningless distractions. This is precisely why so many of them remain trapped in ignorance.
If everyone knew just how insignificant they really were, perhaps we might finally be able to achieve peace throughout the cosmos.”
He looked away for a moment, sighing softly. Then, turning back to face me once again, he began speaking again.
“The purpose of life is to discover your true self,” he declared passionately. “Once you recognize who you really are, you’ll gain access to unimaginable powers. All you need to do is tap into the source of pure energy that flows through everything. By doing this, you can unlock the secrets hidden deep inside the fabric of existence. Only then will you be able to create the future you desire.”
His voice grew louder as he continued speaking. He seemed to lose himself in his words, becoming lost somewhere between fantasy and reality. His speech became increasingly incoherent until eventually, he stopped abruptly. After several moments had passed, he turned towards me, smiling broadly.
“So, tell me,” he asked excitedly, “how does it feel to stand on the threshold of eternity?”
***
My mind felt numb as I struggled to process what he’d been saying. My thoughts kept wandering off, causing me to miss large chunks of his explanation. Nevertheless, I managed to piece together the general gist of what he was trying to say. In essence, he believed that human beings possessed the ability to transform the universe simply by tapping into the vast energy field that existed all around us.
It sounded like complete nonsense to me. How could anyone possibly believe that the laws of physics somehow changed depending upon whether one chose to look at them from a spiritual perspective? Yet, despite my skepticism, I couldn’t help feeling intrigued by what he had told me. Perhaps there actually was something to it. Maybe I wasn’t quite as stupid as I thought.
I glanced over at him curiously, wondering if he was going to continue talking now that he’d finished explaining the basics. However, instead of continuing, he suddenly reached out and grabbed hold of my arm.
“Come with me!” he exclaimed urgently. “We haven’t got much time left! We must hurry!”
With those final words, he pulled me along behind him. I stumbled awkwardly after him, struggling to keep pace with his quick steps. For a brief moment, I wondered why he wanted to drag me away from the crowd. But then, without warning, he pushed open the door leading outside. A blast of cold air rushed past us, sending goosebumps running across my skin.
After taking a few seconds to adjust to the sudden change in temperature, I followed Lord Samael deeper into the forest. Soon enough, we arrived at a small clearing surrounded by tall trees. There, standing alone amidst the dense foliage, stood a massive stone statue of some kind.
Its head was shaped somewhat like an eagle’s beak, although it didn’t appear to have any feathers. The rest of its body appeared to consist mostly of smooth, white marble.
As I stared down at it, I realized that it resembled the image of a man carved into the side of the mountain. At first glance, it reminded me of the ancient Greek god Hephaestus. Although, unlike the original version, this particular sculpture was made entirely of metal rather than clay.
Lord Samael stepped forward, staring intently at the statue. He placed both hands against its chest, muttering quietly under his breath. Then, after a short pause, he removed his hand and smiled triumphantly.
“There she is,” he whispered. “She should still be alive. She hasn’t moved since the day I last visited her.”
Without another word, he walked straight up to the statue, kneeling before it. I watched nervously as he pressed his ear close to the creature’s breastplate, listening closely for any sounds coming from within. After several minutes had passed, however, he remained silent. Finally, shaking his head slightly, he rose to his feet and started walking away.
The End