Moving hurt a lot. Breathing even hurt, and the bite marks felt like an acid burn, boiling his skin. At the same time the cool silky skin against his was like an ice pack, numbing the pain away, wrapped like a burrito in a set of leathery wings as if he was nestled in the web of a spider waiting to be its next meal. He woke to the sound of a purring deep in Vezaias's throat. It vibrated his body like a massage. He wished so hard to be able to see Vezaias right now asleep and peaceful, with his luscious crimson demon skin, the red glow of his irises, the slight pout to his lips as he rested, the strong jawline, or each curve of his muscles. Remington sighed trying to rely on memories of these sights. He felt the wings around him flex like independent skin, while Vezaias was suddenly mouthing his neck and licking him like candy.
“Ahh!” Remington huffed reflexively.
“Good morning love.” Vezaias cooed.
“Good morning.” Remington said softly and the lips made a trail along his collar then dipping downward sliding past his nipple for a short vacuumed kiss before diving further down passing his navel.
“Haahhh! Unng…..haaph! Haahh mmm…” Remington was enjoying this attention so much, digging his fingers into Vezaias's scalp and pressing him up and down as he sucked and licked. “Ahhh ahhhhmmmff!” Remington panted harder now, thrusting vigorously and listening to the squishing sounds as Vezaias worked harder to please him.
“Haa, Zay! Ahh ahhhh haahhh fuck I'm gunna…..haah ahh ahhh ahhhh AHHH HAAHHH!!!” And it was over for Remington. He nearly had to pry his own hands off of Vezaias's scalp. He lay there dizzy with pleasure and breathing heavily. Vezaias crawled up and laid back beside him.
“We have shit to do Rem, let's get going.” Vezaias said softly. He took Remington's hand and pulled him up and off the bed. He was very attentive to Remington, helping him find his clothing and dress, then taking him to shower and helping him do whatever he had trouble with while not being able to see. He then helped him dry off and get dressed again, before dressing himself. Remington sat on the bench and waited.
“Zay?” Remington said softly.
“Mm?” Vezaias hummed softly.
“Did you say that you were royalty? Is that true?” Remington asked meekly.
“Heh, let's talk about that later. Come with me.” Vezaias took him by the hand, helping him stand and go through a portal. First Vezaias sought out his brother and Zexich. He had to track the others who were pinpointed to be in the kitchen so that is where everyone ended up. Before Remington could do anything Lux smashed into him, hugging him and immediately bursting into tears.
“Remington! I've missed you so much!” He cried into Remington's neck.
“Uff! Lux! I missed you too!” Remington hugged him back.
“Remington I need you, my schedule is all messed up, I am super manic right now and all I can do is walk in circles! Please help me!” Lux cried more.
“Oh dear Lux, perhaps it is because you have missed several doses of your medication? You need to be consistent.” Zexich said, coming towards him and rubbing his back tenderly.
“I know but I just couldn't leave my room, I was too scared! The only reason I could leave was because Ephraim wanted me to come with him! I've just been completely overwhelmed since I left!” Everyone was now gathered and consoling Lux as he fell apart in Remington's arms, except for Vezaias who was busy observing his group from a far. He waited until they all calmed down before doing anything else. Soon they all focused on him.
“Who's hungry?” He said in an upbeat voice. Lux was the only one that reacted negatively.
“Hopefully not you!” He hid himself behind the others.
“For human food, Lux.” Vezaias looked amused. Lux sighed in relief only for a moment before he was anxious again.
“As long as it isn't poisonous!” Lux yelped while clinging to Remington.
“I will taste your food Lux.” Remington said mildly. Zexich received permission to go and get Lux's medication and bring it to him while Remington sat with him to help calm him down. Meanwhile Vezaias and Ephraim cooked everyone breakfast. Soon Lux was medicated and everyone sat down at the table to eat. They had made a huge amount of food and Vezaias ate as if he hadn't had a meal in weeks. Eventually he got frustrated and quit eating since everyone else had finished much sooner than he had. He got up and began cleaning up the plates while radiating his frustration. Ephraim helped him clean up while looking very concerned.
“What's wrong?” Ephraim asked. Vezaias didn't answer right away but only glanced at Lux who was sitting near Remington and leaning against him for comfort.
“I try to eat human food. Nothing tastes the same anymore. I ate way more than normal. I'm still starving. I know the only thing that will help is human flesh, but I cannot stand to see him suffer, or how afraid he is when he knows I am coming to him for a meal.” Vezaias said looking pained. He turned back to the sink and was quietly brooding. “I supplement with blood from you and from Remington, which can keep me going for longer, but it is not enough to sustain me. I’m sorry, I know it hurts the both of you, but I only do it to lighten his load.” Vezaias said solemnly. Ephraim took his hand gently.
“If it helps you, or if it helps Lux…..I don't mind. I can tolerate the pain for both of you.” Ephraim said softly. “Do you want a drink? You said you were hungry.” Ephraim said, stepping closer and pressing into Vezaias and exposing his neck, a spot that was already bitten and healing. Vezaias could smell the aroma and impulsively cupped Ephraim's jaw to one side then wrapping his hand around Ephraim's waist and jerking him roughly. He sniffled against the warm blood soaked skin feeling his mouth water.
“Are you sure? I hate how it hurts you.” Vezaias mumbled brushing his lips against the tender flesh.
“Ahh….it's…..okay……take some….” Ephraim mumbled feeling aroused. He felt a chill as Vezaias's tongue tasted his skin. “Haahhh…” Ephraim moaned then suddenly it was like icy knives stabbing his neck. “AHHH! Haaah HAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!” He yelped as the old bite was opened up and freshly gushing again. Everyone was now alarmed at the gruesome scene, most especially Lux. Vezaias sucked and lapped up the blood in delight while ignoring the reactions of the others while ramming Ephraim into the cabinets forcefully.
“Vezaias! Huhhh, okay! That's enough! Haahhh!! Stop!!” Ephraim began to struggle; he weakly fought and flailed against Vezaias's strong grip. Lux was now prying Vezaias off of Ephraim's neck.
“AHHHHMfff..” Ephraim tumbled to the ground clutching his neck. Vezaias stood angrily as Lux blocked him from advancing back on Ephraim.
“If you're hungry then take your fucking meal!” Lux shouted, holding out his arm as an offer. He looked angry and protectively stood his ground. Vezaias licked the blood from his mouth and wiped himself with his sleeve.
“No, we have other shit to do right now. Everyone meet in the office in 30 minutes.” Vezaias said addressing everyone, then he left quickly. Lux quickly turned to Ephraim who was cringing on the ground. Zexich was next to his side. Ava stayed at the table as he didn't care enough to move, and Remington was too anxious to try and navigate without his sight.
“You should come with me to the infirmary.” Zexich insisted.
“Hhff, don't be angry Lux!” Ephraim pleaded.
“He attacked you!” Lux snapped back.
“I told him to have some! He was starving!” Ephraim said meekly as tears began to flow. Lux softened.
“It is my job to…”
“I want to help you! I want to help him!” Ephraim sobbed painfully.
“Ephraim….” Lux lifted him to sit up from the ground.
“He was trying to give you more time to heal because I yelled at him for eating so much! Did you see how much breakfast he ate and he was still starving! I just wanted to help!” Ephraim choked out.
“And you did help. I am sure Lux will appreciate it more if you receive medical care for this.” Zexich soothed him. “Right Lux?” Zexich promoted.
“Eh, yeah. Please let Zexich help you.” Lux said seriously. Ephraim nodded.
“I don't think I can stand by myself.” Ephraim said, trying to suppress his pain response. Lux quickly scooped Ephraim up who threw his arm around Lux's neck and then followed Zexich through a portal to the infirmary. Zexich inspected and cleaned, then patched the bite mark, then he examined a few other older bites and scratches on Ephraim's body. They were very easy to spot against Ephraim's snowy skin.
“He is guilting you into feeding him on purpose. You do not have to fall for it.” Zexich said mildly as he began to clean up. Ephraim was quiet.
“Maybe he is. I just want to help Lux.” Ephraim said meekly.
“You don't have to do that!” Lux rebuttaled quickly.
“I know, but I want to.” Ephraim said.
“Even so, Vezaias is very good at manipulation. He can convince people to give him what he wants so well that they even believe it was their own idea. Make your own choices, just do it without believing his influence.” Zexich said solemnly. Ephraim sighed and put his shirt back on carefully. Soon everyone was in the office. Vezaias was already there leaning back in a chair and waiting patiently for everyone to show up. It was quiet for a while as everyone awkwardly waited for Vezaias to say something. Zexich was finally brave enough to break the silence.
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“How very nostalgic, although much quieter than I remember.” Zexich mused. Vezaias shot Zexich an irritated look. “Of course since you have taken the role of leader by force, and we are now under new management, I am sure you have summoned us here with purpose?” Zexich continued very upbeat, to help move things along. Vezaias sighed and stood up and wandered over to the desk to lean against before speaking.
“I am not exactly good at being the leader……”
“Pfff, ha! Yeah okay.” Lux sputtered out in disruption. Vezaias scowled at him. “As I recall it is the thing you are best at. So can you cut to the damn chase already?” Lux said in annoyance. Vezaias looked at him in irritation. Lux ignored this.
“He's right. We all know you have a plan. You wanted us to come here, so tell us what you wanted to say.” Remington said softly. Vezaias sighed and paused for a moment.
“The one mission objective that I have to enter The Overworld and…”
“Excuse me? What is The Overworld?” Zexich quickly interrupted.
“It is where my kind are forced to survive. No more interruptions. I will save time at the end for a Q&A session.” Vezaias looked annoyed. “I need to access The Overworld. Zex is going to build a portal to this world however he said directing the portal to the correct place would be the most difficult part. Zex also said he will need help doing the work that needs to be done to complete the objectives he has to do, starting with recreation and then building this portal so I will assign the following schedule. When we wake, we will have time to go to the gym, Lux will need his medication, we will have a briefing if necessary to talk about what progress has been made and what comes next, then Lux and Ephraim will go with Zex to work. Remington, Ava and I will be spending some time in reality, when we come back we will also help do the work. Then we will finish and eat again then conclude the day. We will stick to this schedule until the work is complete. I just called you in here to make sure we are coordinated and on the same page as far as information and what I will expect from each of you. That is all I need to say, now if you have any questions…” Vezaias explained.
“Oh I have millions of questions!” Zexich perked up looking intrigued.
“I do too.” Remington said.
“Can I have a cigarette now?” Lux asked.
“Ugh, for fuck sake. No smoking yet, Zex, pick a question.” Vezaias directed while Lux groaned.
“Oh, ehem, what exactly is The Overworld like? Is it similar to the human world? Are there many of your kind there? What sort of…”
“I said; one question!” Vezaias snapped.
“Ah, the first one then.” Zexich looked amused and leaned forward looking interested.
“It is barely inhabitable. The sky is like a barrier. The lower the altitude the hotter it gets. I suppose humans could not survive on most of the planet. In the highest altitudes it is livable at approximately a constant 80 degrees. This is the area where my kind live. We have one major populated area. There are only a few hundred well fed demons that live there, and perhaps several thousand who live just above the starvation mark. The rest of my kind, that number near a million, starve and are forced to live in a large pit below the fire line. We banish all the starving there as they become ravenous beasts that are out of control. They cannot die of hunger or of fire and they will endlessly suffer there until they can be fed.” Vezaias fell silent. Everyone seemed captivated.
“So the fire of the planet does not hurt you? You are fireproof?” Zexich asked, looking awed.
“In this body I cannot say that I am, but in my true form I cannot perish from heat. It does however have an effect on me. I burn soul energy faster the higher my temperature is. My body does not naturally produce its own heat. I believe you call it being cold blooded. I gather my heat from the world around me. When I am cold my body's metabolism slows, when I am warm my body's metabolism quickens. I can withstand temperatures hotter than melted steel, but then I would expend my soul energy nearly in an instant and become much more dangerous and out of control. This is why the planet isn't an ideal place to live. The planet reaches temperatures of upwards of 300 degrees in the lowest altitudes. I have also suspected that is why I’ve been so hungry lately, as Vezaias's natural human body stays at a constant 98 degrees.” Vezaias explained. Zexich looked fascinated.
“So the cold does not kill you?” Zexich asked.
“No, I will expend less energy, and become much calmer, and in extreme cold go into somewhat of a hibernating state but I will not die.” Vezaias said. Zexich was even more intrigued.
“Can you tell us what your royal status is like?” Remington asked curiously.
“I am the crowned prince of my kind. My father is the king. As you would imagine, it isn't often there are any changes in our rulers, as my father has been alive for thousands of years. Nor will he ever grow old and die, but in the very unlikely case that he were to perish, or willingly forfeit his crown, I would be the next king.” Vezaias explained. “….if I were to perish, the next in secession would be my younger brother, only until I produce my own male offspring who would be the crowned prince and heir to the throne after myself.”
“And since you are gone what will happen? Do they know where you are?” Remington asked, looking very infatuated by this.
“They don't know. I left, into the chamber to feed and didn't come back. I'm sure there will be political fueled fighting over my disappearance. It's going to be a headache to return to. My brother's supporters are probably having a celebration over it.” Vezaias sighed.
“Why is that? Is there political unrest?” Zexich asked quickly.
“Some support my father's continued reign, others hope he will perish so that I may take his place. Others hope for my brother to overthrow us both. With my disappearance that is one less obstacle in his way, until I return that is.” Vezaias said seriously.
“Now can you explain what it was like for you to fuse with Vezaias and how you first experienced coming to the human world? Do you and Vezaias completely share awareness? I am only asking this because sometimes I think I am talking to him or other times you, but it isn't always clear who is who when I am talking to either of you.” Zexich asked overly curiously.
“When we returned to living it was as if I lost all consciousness. I do not remember arriving here or how long he was here before I emerged, although it couldn't have been terribly long. I gained my first conscious moment when Vezaias tasted blood for the first time. I am sure it was my subconscious presence that influenced him from the start, my hunger tainted him violently and that drove him to taste. Once that happened I could catch glimpses of what he was doing.” Vezaias paused and looked at Remington. “…the first moment I remember was during a very violent intimate moment with you Remington. It seemed like you were being punished for something that you did with Ava….” Vezaias explained. Remington looked emotional remembering the moment after being confronted about what he had done with Ava just after Vezaias had forced Ava to leave with their Gran. “He felt my hunger growing, and he bit and tasted your blood. I know he felt how it instantly satisfied the hunger that he couldn't satisfy with human food.” Vezaias said seriously. “My awareness began at that moment and only grew stronger each time he consumed more blood. Eventually he configured a way to feed the hunger with flesh after Lux arrived. It started with one finger at a time and then a whole hand…” Lux was now looking sick from the details. “Each meal satisfied him, but I know he was devastated over it each time he ate. Meanwhile I grew even more awareness, the flesh strengthened me much more than the blood. Up until then Vezaias was able to utilize some of my physical body as if my skin were an armor. Then finally he let me emerge completely after some coaxing from Ephraim to reveal how serious the situation at hand was.” Vezaias fell silent. Everyone was absorbing the information. “I suppose if you wanted to know which of us is which, I could give you a cue if you are not sure. I will simply tell you it is bright out, but then I expect you to call me by my actual name.” Vezaias said seriously.
“And what is your actual name?” Zexich asked.
“My name is Prince Solaris Draconica Novasian.” He said very nobly. It was silent for a moment.
“And which of these names should we call you by? All of them?” Zexich asked respectfully.
“Formally many of my kind call me Prince Solaris. The few who are informal with me call Solaris or Sol.” He said.
“Are you comfortable with informality? We are your subordinates after all.” Zexich mused.
“Solaris is fine.” Solaris said mildly. Everyone was quiet again.
“What will happen, if you are successful in your mission to free your kind?” Ephraim spoke up. The question was the elephant in the room that nobody had wanted to acknowledge.
“I would have thought that was obvious.” Solaris said seriously.
“Humour us please.” Lux looked irritated over this.
“How many humans are in existence currently?” Solaris asked.
“Probably over 8 billion.” Ephraim said seriously.
“A million of my kind are starving. It would take several million bodies to feed them all. We would need this amount of nutrition at least once a month. Of course once my kind have access to the human realm, things will quickly become political. There will be strategies debated upon as to how to go about feeding everyone. A big issue that will be discussed would be how to sustain our kind, without wiping out our food supply completely. Of course human extinction would be something we would want to avoid, however humans would suddenly drop a huge step down on the food chain.” Solaris explained. “I would keep my word that Vezaias and whomever he chose to aid in this mission, to be granted protection. None of you will have to fear for your lives. As for the rest of humanity, they would be fair game and we will structure a way to distribute nutrition to as many of my kind as possible.” Nobody spoke now. Solaris gave them all time to process this information before he moved things along.
“It's time to work.” He ordered standing up straight and ushering his team to the laboratory. They spent the next hour finishing the next recreation on the menu. Zexich had the process down to a science, with little effort now as he had perfected his method. Soon the printer was active and the new synthetic body was nearly finished. Zexich was anxious and urgent to finish this recreation as it would be the second time that he would be recreating Sigil. When the printer was finished Zexich prepared to bring life to the new body. He placed the crystal and waited for the convergence to be finished. The rest of the team stood quietly behind him as he worked diligently until the end of the process.
“It is finished. He will wake up very soon.” Zexich looked emotional. “And with this crystal, will he remember everything?” Zexich turned towards Solaris to ask.
“Up until the moment I plucked the crystal from his body. There may even be awareness beyond that because these crystals seem to transmit information without connection. In other words he will be exactly himself.” Solaris said seriously. “When he wakes, you would do well to explain my expectations. I will automatically shut off his talent to manipulate emotions as I find this too dangerous to risk allowing him access too. If he is hostile or insubordinate in any way I will simply kill him and enjoy the nutrition. Otherwise if he is cooperative, he may live and be part of our team.” Solaris said, crossing his arms and watching Sigil carefully as he slowly showed signs of waking. Zexich turned to watch him stir and regain awareness. Soon his eyes slid open, and he was awake with fright as if reacting to an attack but then a moment later he shifted to look at Zexich who was already silently crying. He sat up urgently to pull Zexich into his arms. They embraced desperately for a long moment, as Zexich sobbed into his chest.
“I thought I had failed to protect you, and you would have been killed alongside me.” Sigil was emotional and silently shedding tears of relief.
“Apparently I am just the right combination of unthreatening and useful to be allowed to live.” Zexich weeped painfully.
“What has happened, I cannot feel you, there is a lapse in my awareness. What of the invasion, and the others?” Sigil was urgent now for information.
“There is much I need to explain.” Zexich began just as Sigil realized the opposition was standing not far away and most alarming his demonic murderer in the forefront of the group. Sigil quickly reacted to exit the bed ready to defend Zexich and attack.
“Wait my love! Do not engage! I must explain the situation first!” Zexich pulled him trying to break his sudden focus. Sigil summoned his Joyful Treasure ready to fight. Zexich quickly jumped in front of him holding him back in desperation.
“Do not attack! You will only die again! Please let me explain!” Zexich shouted in a panic. Sigil paused in his defense and waited anxiously for the information Zexich was trying to tell him.
“My love, you cannot attack. Please. There won't be any need. You must accept this. We are under new management. You do not stand a chance to change it. We must submit to this if we want to continue to live. I have since found answers to the mysteries of our suspicions. If you calm yourself, drop your weapon, and listen, I will explain.” Zexich urged him. Sigil was tense and did not trust the demi-demon across the room, but he did trust Zexich. He let his Joyful Treasure vanish and tried to relax.
“Explain. I am very impatient.” Sigil said not taking his eyes off of the team.
