The Unholy War

0: Traitor

Jar’vel looked to the monster in front of him, the corpses around him reminding the soldier the reason he was here. His battle brothers and sisters around him are nothing more than bloody remains of their former selves; would anyone even be able to tell they were once human? He sighed, looking down at his bloody hands, his sword just centimeters from him. He could easily grab it and fail at slicing this horrid monster into pieces, then he’d finally have that honorable death every soldier deserved. He did not deserve such a fate.

“So?” The raspy cool voice of the monster asked, extending its long hand as if asking for a handshake. “I don’t have all day.” It sounded cold, harsh, impatient.
“If I agree to this…” Jar’vel began, looking at the black soulless eyes of the beast that slaughtered his friends. “I won’t die?”
“Yes yes. Now do we have a deal or should I slaughter you like I did them.”

The remaining soldier looked over at the nearest corpse to his right, he saw the pendant around their neck, revealing their identity as Jar’vel’s youngest brother, Kilgan. How his brother’s head was completely crushed, nothing but gore in its place. He put up one Hell of a fight, oh how he  had wished it was Kilgan that survived and not him. He snapped his attention back at the creature as it sighed impatiently. Jar’vel lifted his shaking hand, if he did this, he’d lose his very soul; the one thing that made him human, but yet again, was he really human for begging this monstrosity for mercy when his fellow brothers and sisters fought to protect those they loved and died for it?

The monster that waited eagerly for Jar’vel’s hand was a humanoid creature, with soulless eyes, ram horns, gray skin, sharp claws for nails, boney as if starved, and black tattered wings. This monster was a demon, a demon so powerful it was able to take down a kingdom of soldiers who trained their whole lives as if it was nothing but a bug bite. It smiled as he placed his bloody hand in between its fingers revealing bloody sharp teeth, those same teeth that bit into countless men and women, tearing out their throats.

“Good choice” It said smoothly and satisfied with the man’s decision.
“What happens n-” Jar’vel was cut out but his own terrible scream, a sharp pain rushing through his entire body, his life draining from his body. A shadow of himself begging ripped from the ground, his chest burning as the shadow burned behind him. He fell on the floor shaking from the agonizing pain that felt as though he was being burnt alive.

The demon just smirked and watched.

Once the shadow was gone and ashes fell in its place, the pain only worsened for Jar’vel. He spat out blood as two teeth fell from his mouth, sharp dagger-like teeth taking their place. His veins drained of their color as blood continued to flow from his lips, and now even his eyes, the color of them changing from an ocean blue, to the blood red that escaped his very body. He looked up at the demon painfully, horror in his eyes as he realized the true cost of living forever was. He felt as though death was a better option now as the pain lessened and the blood began to lessen.

“Finished already have we?” The demon snickered as he watched Jar’vel struggle to keep his strength.
“W-What have you done?” He asked, breathing heavily.
The demon laughed maniacally, kneeling before the bloody man, lifting his chin to look at it deep into its soulless eyes. “It’s time to have some fun, my little puppet.”