I will return

28

I woke up suddenly, startled by a noise. At first, I felt ridiculously foolish for allowing myself to be surprised, but that feeling of embarrassment was quickly replaced by intense excitement. There it was, in front of me: the Daemon Ritus, shiny and repaired after weeks of hard work.

I looked at it for a moment, enthralled, until I decided to try it. I snapped my fingers, and the device opened immediately, just as I had imagined. I thundered again and it closed with the same precision. A satisfied smile spread across my face. This was real. The Daemon Ritus was complete, and he controlled it with complete mastery.

No matter which part I touched, the artifact showed no adverse effects on me. This was different, more powerful and safer. I opened the artifact once more, and the jam jar, where the souls had been trapped, began to glow. I watched as those souls were sucked back in, screaming in despair as they were returned to the Daemon Ritus.

I snapped my fingers again and the souls, like obedient puppets, returned to the jar. The cries for help echoed in my mind, but I didn't care. The souls were nothing more than a means to achieve my goal. I looked down on them inside the jar and they murmured pitifully, but I knew they weren't enough. "You are not enough," I said, almost spitting out the words.

I needed more. Many more souls to carry out my great plan. I approached the list of those who were close to the Daemon Ritus, their names etched in my memory. I checked the places, and then I saw it. There was a small town nearby, filled with unsuspecting people, some of whom had already felt the power of the artifact when I was in my transformation.

A wicked smile crossed my face as I put the jar away and got ready. "It's time to work," I whispered, before heading out to complete what I had started.