A Deal with the Devil (Ongoing)

The rain had turned the cemetery soil to mud, but the cold mud was nothing compared to the chill in Est's chest. Battered, breathless, and huddled against a crumbling headstone, he listened as the fading laughter of his bullies finally died down in the distance. They had left him for dead. His body burned with pain, but the deeper ache was the agonizing realization that no one was ever coming to save him.

Then, the ambient noise of the night the whistling wind, the distant city traffic vanished into absolute, unnatural silence.

The air grew heavy with the scent of ozone and sweet ash. Shadow lengthened around the gravestones, stretching toward Est until a pair of dark leather boots stepped into his line of sight.

"Pathetic, isn't it?"

Est forced his swollen eyes open. Leaning casually against a marble monument was a figure shrouded in an aura of terrifying grace. Curving obsidian horns swept back from his dark hair, and large, leathery wings cast an imposing shadow over the drenched grass. Yet, his face was striking, flawless, and completely devoid of human weakness. A dark, crimson-tipped tail flicked lazily behind him.

William stepped closer, dropping to one knee so he was eye-level with the shivering boy. He extended a pale hand, his golden eyes glowing faintly in the dark.

"They treat you like a monster just for being beautiful," William whispered, a subtle, dangerous tilt to his smile. "So why not let a real one help you?"

Est could barely breathe. "Who... what are you?"

"Your only option," William replied gently, though the air burned with his underlying power. "Have a deal with me, Est... I will show you how mercy is."

by WilliamEst803 🤍