Page 84 of The Misfit Mage and His Darling Demon

What? I ground my teeth, recalling every demon that sought to challenge the devil Beelzebub in his mortal coil, believing him—me—weak and easy prey. It was difficult, but I slaughtered every foe and sent them to a true death, far out of the reach of their devil and home for resurrection. Still, I wondered too much, too long, if I carried a false bravado unbefitting of a devil. It turned out Eligos had learned the truth of my life and tested the limits of my power for the better part of a century. It wasn’t until the 1800s Diabolics learned to avoid me. To think I resented Mora, believing it a part of her whispers and tests and manipulations.

I approached the memory of Eligos, seething and panting heavily against his untarnished armor, the armor I did well andtrue to ruin. “Fuck you. You sent five hundred demons to their deaths.”

Give or take. Plus, I couldn’t know if he was behind every demon who challenged me, seeking glory in their newfound freedom or retribution for their fallen devil at my hands—not my hands, but hands they believed were the cruelest devil. Hands that wrapped around their throats and choked the lives from their being, shattering their essence, devouring them entirely, and casting them into the oblivion of death.

“Yes, we created the orbs as a trap for you,” Eligos said, turning his head while in his own memory. “But you haven’t gotten to the best part yet.”

I shuddered. How did he move within his own memory? I’d never experienced such a thing. It shouldn’t be possible. He was self-aware while reexperiencing his own recollections? No. He should only be able to observe, not interact. Even the best mages couldn’t handle both. And this type of memory exploration came more from their saturation magic than it did our essence.

The room swirled, twisting into an intoxicatingly painful surge of rage and anguish and destruction. I relished the high of the memory, lost in the blissful whirlwind of chaos until the room settled and everything stopped just in time for me to lock eyes with Magus Remington, only it wasn’t Magus Remington. No, he was still young and sweet and filled with hopes and dreams and deceitful kindness. This was Abe, my friend, the one who believed Diabolics could co-exist with mages and Mythics.

I averted my gaze, even if he couldn’t see me. Not really, since I was a phantom in this memory.

Still, his youthful face, his boyish expression, his haunting resemblance to Wally sent a shiver down my spine. How I hated the magus who lured me into love. Into what I deluded myself into believing love could be. It was a lie. I knew that now. Abenever accepted me. He teased me. He promised me things. He lied to me. All for his ambition.

Why was I seeing this memory? This was my memory, right? How did Eligos enter my memories?

Was that the purpose here? Eligos must’ve sought something buried in my past so he could exploit it—that was why he melded our minds and memories during the battle. I wouldn’t allow it.

“You think he’ll actually use it?” Eligos circled Abe, cloaked by a Diabolic shroud, so his presence remained hidden from the mage.

“But of course,” Novus said, appearing out of thin air, revealing himself to Abe through a flicker of glittering lights.

Abe stared wide-eyed as Novus extended a hand holding a Diabolic orb. Not just any orb. The one which Magus Remington trapped me inside for nearly fifty years. The prison which removed me from the world. The Fae spoke to my mage captor in high-pitched tones, each piercing syllable something from the Sylvan language.

“How do you expect him to follow through on the plan?” Eligos scoffed, pulling Novus into the confines of his shroud, leaving Abe with the orb as his eyes curiously studied the symbols etched along the glass. “You gave him a message and washed away the memory in the same motion. Fae and their incessant need to remove all recollections of their presence.”

“You Diabolics truly do lack finesse in every way.” Novus tilted his head, whispering melodies to Remington. “We Fae make our moves delicately, precisely, and unbeknownst to lower beings. I’ve whispered inspiration, feeding his ego, fueling his passion, and sparking his curious desires. He’ll trap the devil as his ambition dictates. He’s already sought it, craved for a way to rid the world of the filth that is Beelzebub.”

Eligos… Novus… Not only had they created the orbs and given my prison to Abe, but they had whispered the idea inhis mind. I shook from the revelation. No. Abe was cruel and spiteful, taking glee in mocking me when alone together in the repository. Had that all come from the Fae whispers?

“My words will echo in his subconscious, fanning the flames of inspiration to his dream.”

“It’d be easier if we took this false devil ourselves.”

“No, it wouldn’t,” Novus said. “He possesses a lot of strength, more than we’ve been able to rightfully observe. We’ll allow the mage and Collective to contain him. I predict betrayal of the heart is an easier thing to exploit than the shock of a Diabolic and Fae working together to bring this devil down.”

I backed away, pressed against a wall, wishing to experience no more of this awful memory.

“In a few centuries, when our tests are fully completed, I’ll retrieve the devil from wherever the Collective decides to store him,” Novus explained. “In the meantime, we can relax knowing the mages have security no one but the Fae themselves can break through. And none of my fellow Court members have even a musing of curiosity for Diabolics like myself.”

Centuries. They had planned to keep me locked away inside the repository, the vault, for centuries rotting inside that orb. But the coup against Magus Remington as Chancellor Alden and that misfit Ian conspired had led to my early release.

“When you got out ahead of schedule,” Eligos said, breaking the mold of his memory and stomping toward me. “I convinced Novus it was necessary we collect you ourselves. You were once again being a loud tyrant, having decimated Seattle after some childish tantrum.”

“That wasn’t me.” I snarled.

“You were also bound to a mortal with too many enemies for Novus or myself to account for, so he agreed it was best we keep you stored inside the villa until the right time to enact our plan came.”

“And what is your plan?”

“To take that fragment of devil essence in your possession and create a weapon strong enough to pierce and kill devils.” Eligos conjured an illusion of his golden lance—its transparent form indicated that much. “Adding it to the Diabolic essence I’ve already gathered and cultivated, I’ll be able to enter Bael’s realm and slaughter my first devil.”

Of course, since Bael was one of the few devils who kept his Hell doorway open for any demon to come and go as they pleased. If I had to guess, he wanted to use my piece of devil essence to defeat and contain a full devil so he could finally pass through sealed Hell realms such as Beelzebub’s.

“Precisely.” Eligos’ voice echoed, not from his armored helmet, but a rattling inside my head. His words beat against my skull, soft whispers slithering deep within my very being.

He’d gotten into my thoughts. I roared, resisting his intrusion.

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