As he spoke, demon's smile vanished, like the flame of an extinguished candle. The monster's face contorted in disgust and awe. He began to fidget uneasily, clearly in a state of discomfort. A wide grin spread across Asmoday's face, filled with pride and derision. He had always been intrigued by limits, and apparently he had just crossed the line of the demon that accompanied him.
"I- I'm afraid I cannot fulfill your wish" the creature stuttered.
"Oh. That's an awful shame, I really hoped it would work."
"I don't- I don't understand why…"
Demon looked as if his whole world had just collapsed. As if the male's wish shattered his perception of this world. And partly it did. The creature has seen many things over the millennia of its existence, and not even in the deepest depths of Hell has it encountered a being so…corrupted. He was beginning to doubt whether the wolf in front of him had a soul at all. Indeed, there was no light in the animal's eyes, save for a flash of madness.
"At least now you can say there are wishes you can't fulfill." Asmoday smiled, turning away from his visitor and calmly arranging the vials on the shelf. "And since we both have what we want, I suppose we can part. I'm just wondering how you can come back when you said you needed my soul to do so. Do you need my help?"
"The- The contract has been terminated. Without the contract, I can travel between the realms without limits" demon quickly recovered from the original shock, though his detestation still remained.
"That's great. You can leave now" wolf hissed, urging his guest to leave.
"Are the other wolves… like you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" the male muttered, a bit offended.
"You are crazy. Your idea will fail, it has no chance of succeeding. Shouldn't you at least aware be of this?"
"Oh? I can't believe your utter lack of faith in me, to the point of even questioning my sanity. How unbefitting."
"Well, you are the one with plans so vile that even I cannot bear to think of them. And believe me, I've seen things."
"They don't come easy to me, either. However, someone in this world must be willing to cleanse their sins" the wolf sighed.
He had this look in his eyes, that made the demon wonder just how much suffering he has caused. And his grin made the creature realize, that he didn't even care. In any other case, he would be delighted. However, after the wolf's wish, the demon felt disgust so deep that, were it not for the rules that governed him, he would have been able to murder the animal at that moment, only to spare others from his insanity.
"I wish you never succeed, then. Goodbye, Asmoday. I suppose we will meet again in Hell" The Demon blurted and disappeared with cruel words on his lips.
Vanishing into thin air, the demon left, leaving nothing but a pile of ashes on the seat. It was so quick, that the male couldn't even blink.
The male frowned, staring at the place where the monster had been sitting just a moment ago. He was surprised at the turn of events and extremely dissatisfied. As soon as he heard about the terms of the contract, his heart began to beat faster, and now all his newfound hope was destroyed. What shocked him the most was the demon's reaction. He thought that at least this creature would be able to understand his motives, as a being devoid of much of the morality that constrained other wolves. He could never understand why others cited morale, bashing his plans. After all, he was striving for good.
He was born with this burden, with an understanding of this world, with the ability to fix it. He knew more than others, he was able to do things that no one else was capable to do. If it made him a madman or a monster, that's fine. Someday others will understand his motives, they will understand.
He spent the rest of the day fussing around the lab, completely losing track of time. He didn't even realize the time was passing until he left his studio for some fresh air. Lying on his back on the cold, fluffy snow, he looked up at the starlit sky. Stretching his paw in front of him, it seemed as if he could reach for the stars. He shouldn't waste time resting, work seemed to be calling him, urging him on. However, he was exceptionally reluctant to move. Asmoday realized that despite his constant research and experimentation, he had no time to think. He was created for this path, born to save. And although from the moment he was born, he was considered a huge failure, he could not get rid of his burden. One cannot escape a destiny that was predetermined. He felt like a slave of his own fate. No matter what he did or how much he sacrificed, somewhere in the back of his mind he always had the feeling that it was not his actions that ensured his success, but pure luck. Or that it was just meant to be.
Was he already lost?
In the grand scheme of things, did he really matter? He didn't care about power or strength. But he hated the thought of himself being a pawn in someone else's game. Can his plans succeed if someone else directs his destiny? He dreaded the possibility, though fear was usually foreign to him. But if there was something more powerful than himself, he couldn't wait to face it. He was not afraid of gods or monsters. He had enough confidence in his divinity that he did not worry about any higher beings, even though he himself had been stripped of his holiness.
He sighed deeply, taking one last look at the sky before getting up slowly. The male brushed off the snow that had settled on his fur and thought for a moment, glancing down at the valley. After a moment, he turned, heading to his lab. He realized that he had once again forgotten about sleep and food when, after opening the heavy metal door, a blackout appeared before his eyes. It was not uncommon, he was often too focused or busy to think about such trivial things, and without his helpers hanging around, he had no one to remind him. He headed left to the room he considered his own and yawned as a light candle flame lit up the room. Chaos reigned here as well, with papers, notes, and books scattered all over the floor, to the point where he had to jump between them to find his way to his lair. Upon reaching his corner, he settled down on the soft pillow and curled up in a ball. It wasn't until he laid down that he realized how tired he was. Every muscle cried out for rest, and an unpleasant, burning pain spread through his body. Closing his eyes, he saw the face of the demon he met last night, and he chuckled under his breath, remembering the look of horror on the creature's face when he made his wish.
But everything he did was for the greater good, right?
Right.
Nagroda: 10 punktów magii
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