Target to a Demon

Chapter One

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that" (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Two new moons later

Matthias Deciptur stood tall in front of his mirror, straightening the black tie that went with his usual attire of a jet black suit. His father had preferred the classic mundane look over normal princely attire. Matthias, a spitting image of his father, felt as if he were looking straight at him. He only had subtle features of his mother's, like her round cheek bones and porcelain skin. Despite the differences, he was as handsome of a demon as his king of a father.

"Matthias." Phantos had cooed to his son. "I need to talk to you." he wasn't facing the boy, only simply peering over his right shoulder. "Meet in my study in ten."

Matthias recalled the encounter only ten minutes before and now stood outside his father's study. Nothing ever made his stomach churn, but meeting his father like this always sent a series of butterflies through his stomach. There was no one more important to him. No one he wanted to impress more.

He lived for his father.

Quite literally at that. Matthias' mother was an angel, making him the perfect balance of an immortal child. His father planned out his birth years before he was born, stating Matthias was going to be the 'chosen one' and that they would 'rule all dimensions' together.

As for Matthias' angel mother, his father let her go when Matthias was two. He didn't remember her, but every time his father spoke of her, he had a twinkle in his blood red eyes that he only got when talking about Matthias. He believed his father truly loved his mother, even if it were by default. But to his mother, he knew, Phantos was not a lover, but only her captor.

Matthias went to knock on the dark mahogany door in front of his vision only to be met with air as Phantos opened the door. He grinned wildly at his son, pulling him inside and sitting him down.

"What is this about?" Matthias asked, puzzled. He was usually able to read his father's desires, and he took an educated guess; "Is this about King Christopher's land? It's been months, father. Why haven't you made a move yet?" Matthias truly was curious. For as long as he could remember, his father envied the white haired king for the magic his land possessed.

Phantos closed his eyes gently, a grin plastered on his face. "Ah, you never fail to amaze me. See, that is indeed the issue at hand." he reached over to his long desk, grabbing hold of a letter. He handed it to a puzzled Matthias, and Matthias opened it with ease.

"What?!" Matthias exclaimed, reading over the letter. "An invitation for the queen's coronation at Crestview?" he asked, referring to the name of the country that once belonged to King Christopher. He stared at his father in shock, raising both black brows. "But, how? Who-"

"Great minds think alike." His father interrupted him.

"A secret child." Matthias gasped. All of his life no one outside of the kingdom knew Matthias ever existed. He was just another name erased off the papers, never meant to exist. 

"At least to my knowledge. I understand now. He was hiding her." Phantos said, looking bored as if he'd thought about it a million times.

"From you." Matthias understood. How dare some lowly piece of rubbish king make a fool out of his godly father? Matthias was enraged, and he understood Phantos needed something from him. He was willing to do anything for Phantos, and he could do it in secret, which was why Phantos kept him a secret in the first place.

Phantos stood up now, taking a swift step with every stride. He circled his son, eyeing him carefully. "You would do anything for father, correct Matthias?"

"Anything. Anything and everything." Matthias was on the edge of his seat now, his wide crimson eyes matching his father's.

"The girl..." he began, eyeing the ground. "Grecia." he spat as if the word were poison. "Is your age, give or take a year, and she's quite beautiful." He set a hand on Matthias' shoulder, bringing his lips down to his ear and dropping his voice to a whisper. "Porcelain white skin, long monochromous hair... maturing curves..." he spoke against his ear now, causing Matthias to shiver. His face was red at the thought and he swallowed, his throat dry. He had barely been exposed to girls except for the ones his womanizer father would often bring home. He tried to picture what the new queen looked like, and finally spoke;

"Where are you going with this?"

Phantos stood up now, a smirk dancing on his lips. "I want you to make her love you."

"Wh-what?" Matthias stammered, looking up at his father in shock. "What are you talking about? That's mad!"

Phantos crossed his arms. "I don't care how you do it. But you won't be you. You'll just be some random immortal being. Befriend her, woo her, I don't care. But there is a catch."

"What is it?" Matthias asked. This had to have been the most absurd request Phantos had ever given him. Was he out of his mind?

"You have to kill her."

Matthias' eyes widened even further. "Why can't I just kill her at first? Why do I have to make her love me?"

"Because," Phantos began. "We don't know where she came from. We don't know what she's capable of. You have to find that out, to find out her weaknesses. She'll tell you if she trusts you. And that's when you deliver the final blow."

Matthias began to piece it together. His father had a point. He thought of King Christopher and the way he had raised his other children. They were ruthless when it came to protecting themselves, and despite loving a good fight, Matthias wasn't confident enough in his powers to do so.

"Have fun with it! Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky." Phantos teased his son, winking.

Matthias kneaded his thighs, his face red. "Please stop."

"Oh lighten up." Phantos waved his hand. "Will you do this for me, Matthias?"

He didn't have a choice. He wanted to please his father no matter what, even if it meant changing his whole identity to make some girl fall for him. It could be fun, after all. What was the worst that could happen?

"Of course I will." He nodded.

"Good." Phantos leaned back down to his ear, a smile on his face. "Make daddy proud."