Deep underground in the labyrinth Hell, the demonic plane where all demons resided at one point or another, there was a large mansion isolated from the other buildings, located on top of a hill. The manor was mammoth in size, much larger than most of the others, and painted to match the shadowy atmosphere.
Inside of it, those demons that had not been dispatched to bring Michaelis back were busy preparing for his return, though many of them were rather irritated about it. It had taken long enough for Michaelis to leave and now he was being brought back here again. Knowing their master was not about for the moment, they complained bitterly to each other about this turn of events.
"I don't understand it," one muttered, as he moved about in Michaelis' old room, making the bed, a petulant look in his beady eyes. "Why does our Master want him back here? He's old enough to take care of himself now."
Snorting, a demon with red hair and black eyes looked over from where he was polishing the furniture, removing the layers of dust that had accumulated while Michaelis had been gone. "Personally, I think Master wants him repay his debt finally," he replied, pausing in his work. "Michaelis was just an abandoned waif that Master found on one of his travels; Master felt pity for him because he was near a baby at the time. Master kept Michaelis from getting killed until he could fend for himself; Michaelis owes him for that. He should be able to answer the debt by now."
The first demon exchanged a look with the second, his dark eyes narrowing slightly. "It's about damned time. Michaelis shouldn't have left before he paid back that which he owed our Master. Without him, he would have died all those centuries ago."
"We all know that," the second dryly said, smirking a tiny bit. "Personally, I can't wait to see Michaelis get his comeuppance. Let's finish up and be done with it; the sooner we're through, the quicker we can get out of here."
Nodding in reply, the two demons went back to work, getting Michaelis' room ready for his return. They knew that whether or not Michaelis wanted to come back, he would be brought back; their Master had sent some of his best out to fetch Michaelis, willingly or not. The only question was how long it would take for those demons to track down where Michaelis was on the human plane.
Within his office, the Master of the mansion sat at his desk, ignoring the paperwork in front of him in favor of remembering the past. He remembered, too clearly, the day he had found that tiny demon child, managing to live when many demon children did not. It was a sad fact that most demons left their offspring to fend for themselves at far too young an age and abandoned them; most didn't survive.
Those red eyes had showed an indomitable will to live; the skinny little demon, no more than a toddler and dressed in rags, had been fighting several larger and older demons who obviously intended to have sport with him. As the child bit and struck at them, he never wavered, getting back up even when he was knocked down repeatedly. Seeing such a spirited youngster had moved the demon Lord to save him from his foes, for even though the odds had been severely against him, the young demon had never wavered.
Centuries had passed since that first meeting, and Michaelis was much older now and undoubtedly very close to his first mating time. Because he had taken the child in, the Lord knew that Michaelis could bear a child. Any children that Michaelis had would never be abandoned; the Master was sure of that. Michaelis cared deeply and felt things more strongly than most demons, though he'd been taught to keep all that hidden beneath a haughty exterior.
Consequently, the Master intended to find a suitable mate for Michaelis. It was for the young demon's own good; not just anyone would suffice. It had to be a male demon possessing both great strength and an indomitable character to ward off any who might0.
