Writing prompt archive

Confused demon

{You're a demon being summoned. You expected to meet a power hungry fool asking for immortality etc. What you did not expect was a crying child asking for help.}

As it felt itself be summoned, it rejoiced to itself. Finally. After dozens of decades of being trapped, finally it is free. All it needs to do is make a deal with it's summoner. Maybe it'll just kill them and be done with it. It hasn't killed in a while. First though, it'll hear them out. If only for the amusment of the request.

It let the pull of the summoning drag it out of it's trap. Opening its eyes, it took a second for the condensed shadow of its natural form to shape into what it wished to appear as to it's summoner. It decided on a vaguely human shape with tendrils of shadow on it's back and the entire form dripping with liquid shadow. Once its form was shaped, it let the excess shadow dissipate into the corners of the room. Now being able to see clearly, it looked around.

It was in the middle of a summoning circle, no suprise there, but the circle was very crudely drawn. It was actually a bit offended with the lack of care but ignored it....for now. Taking in the room, if it were to describe it in one word it would be: 'ancient'. The room was practically crumbling in on itself. It looked like the slightest breeze would knock it over. Nevertheless it stood, unsteady as it was. At first it didn't see it's summoner. It probably would have completely missed them if they weren't outlined by their magic (a spell they put on themselves centuries ago to clear up confusion and not give out free deals).

A child was huddled in one of the darkest corners, a dark and very worn blanket covering their form to further help them blend in. The demon turned to face the child and spoke in a slightly softer tone than it normally would. "Hello, child. Do you know who I am?"Its always good to ask so it can get a gage on the knowledge of it's summoner. The child stared at it with big eyes, head tilted downward in a fearful and submissive posture. Teartracks still drying on its cheeks. It slowly shook its head, eyes never leaving the demon. The demon softly introduced itself.

"I am Dol'garen, High Demon Lord of shadow and fear." It nodded its head to the child in a respectful almost-bow. "If I may ask, child: Why did you summon me?" The child was quiet for a bit, only their eyes seen from under the blanket-huddle they were curled into. The demon decided to take a different approach. It crouched down to be a bit more towards the child's level, lowering it's shadow tendrils to not look as big. "Child, if you want me to leave you alo-" It couldn't even finish it's sentence before the child jerked its head up to stare fully at the demon with a terrified expression.

That gave it pause. It paused long enough to take in the appearance of the child. It was dirty and a unhealthy pale color. There were a few half-healed cuts and bruises scattered across its face and neck. It guessed there were more around the rest of it's body. The demon slowly spoke again. "Ohhhkkaayyy....you don't want to be left alone. Did you just want company, child?" It guessed. The child relaxed a bit at the comment of it not leaving then looked to the ground as they shook their head. The demon sighed softly, trying not to let theur rising annoyance show.

"Then what do you want, child?" The child was quiet for a bit longer before it muttered something. Even with the demon's sharp hearing, it couldn't make out what it said. "Could you repeat that, child?" The kid shifted a tad under the blanket before repeating themself, a tad louder then before.

".....daddy......" The demon was confused for a second. "What about your father? Do you want him gone? To care for you more? Care for you less? Be nicer? Be around more?" The child shook its head and looked back up at the demon, this time looking straight into its eyes (a dangerous move if it weren't a child with this particular demon). It then repeated itself while looking straight at it. "Daddy." The demon took a bit to figure that out before it's eyes (or at least the part of it's form it made to look like eyes) blew wide in suprise.

"Me?" The child perked up a bit and nodded before repeating itself, more firmly. "Daddy." The demon shot upright again. "No, no. I'm not your father, child. What happened to your actual father? Your mother? A guardian of some kind?" The child shood its head. "No pa-pa. No ma-ma." It then looked at the demon with a slight furrow to its tiny brow. It let the blanket fall to point at the demon, showing off more of its cuts and bruises and even a few burns here and there. "You. Daddy." The demon just stared at the child. Said child took that silence to continue as best it can. "You daddy. Daddy stay wif me. Eef daddy go, me go wif daddy. Daddy no leave me's." The demon took a second or two longer to stare, then chuckled to itself.

"There isn't any talking you out of this, is there?" The child perked up and shook its head. The demon sighed again. "Fine." It then pointed at the child. "But if we are going to do this, we are going to do it properly." It said sternly. The child only beamed at the demon. "Now come over here and let me out of this circle, child." The child got up and waddled over with no hesitation, crouching down and rubbing the dirt to break the seal on the circle. The demon took the two steps to close the distance between the two and picked up the young human. The child didn't resist in the slightest, looking as happy as a clam.

"Now. If you want me as a father, we'll have to get a few things for the spell to properly tie us as family." The demon said as it strode out of the room, child snuggled into it's chest happily. The demon would never admit it to anyone, not even the child themself, but it finally understood what a past summoner has described as 'joy'.

As they left, the shadows reached from the corners of the room to erase any trace of the summoning and the release of the powerful demon lord. The ancient book used to summon the demon was taken to the demon lord's realm so no other mortal could freely wield such power. As the shadows retreated back again, room was left as empty and unremarkable as it was before the child found it. No one would know what has transpired here. Even if they found out, the watchful shadows would make sure they never tell of what they discovered. For the shadows' master was finally happy after it's centuries of depressive numbness and no one would take that away from it. Not while there is still light to cast the shadow that serves High Demon Lord Dol'garen.