Work Text:
Jay was dizzy to the point where he was completely out of it. He didn’t know what was happening around him. His body felt weak, his arms and legs turned jelly yet he heard everything all at once. A blood-curdling scream echoed throughout an open field followed by something that sounds terrifying — making his skin prickle and the hairs on his neck stand.
And then, there was silence — completely ominous and eerily quiet. The atmosphere was heavy, shrouded in a thick layer of suffocating air.
He had managed to open both of his eyes after a couple of failed attempts. Even his eyelids felt heavy as though it were filled with lead. He was trying to turn his head to his side but even his neck hurt, strained even.
He tried to just focus on his breathing first, maybe he can try to regain energy and strength.
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. He did this a couple more times before a guttural scream breaks the silence, forcing his adrenaline to course through his veins and giving him enough push to lift his body up.
And then there it was again, the weakness in his knees — slowly creeping up again as he saw his friends’ lifeless bodies swimming in the pool of their own blood.
He could not believe his eyes. No, this has to be a dream, he thought as he forced himself to look around, mustering all of his willpower to look for the assailant. Much to his dismay, nothing— no one else was there. Aside from the bodies scattered all around the field.
Jay had been the first one to hear about the series of onslaught in the neighbouring town. Never had he realised the seriousness of the catastrophe of the situation when the news first broke out. He thought that it was just a handful of murderings. Nothing could have prepared him for the annihilation of the entire village.
A wind swooshed past him, knocking him out of his stupor. The wind faintly smells like iron—almost smells like blood . He was about to turn around when he felt something so sinisterly behind him. Making him freeze instantly in his place.
Beads of cold sweat cascaded down from his forehead, the hairs on the back of his neck stood, his jaw started trembling in fear. He can feel the aura of the person— creature— responsible for the demise of his friends and his fellow villagers. It was far, yet with every step that it took, he can feel the aura getting stronger.
The teenager stood still, calling on to every God he knew from his extensive study in the past. He prayed hard, so fucking hard, as he started preparing himself for his demise at the hands of something he has yet to find out.
He prayed and begged for his and his friends and his fellow villagers’ lives.
Just as the creature closed the distance between them, everything came to a halt. It was quiet once again, but not as eerily as it was before. Jay had the chance to turn around to see what was responsible for the onslaughts.
His heart nearly jumped out of his chest as he came face to face with a monster, almost demonic in appearance. It looked like a minotaur ; only it had a long leathery tail, talons for fingers, a torn thorn protruding from just one side of his head, red glowing eyes, horse’s legs, and long sharp fangs.
The monster was covered in blood, and it smelled awful—almost like rotten meat. But what struck him the most is how everything around him seemed to have been frozen in time. With the little time he was spared with, he jumped a few metres away from the monster worried that it might start moving again. He desperately looked for something that could help him stab the creature and pierce it right through its heart— considering it had one.
“J-Jay…” croaked a boy near him, he struggled breathing as he desperately clutched the gaping hole in his stomach. From the looks of it, a chunk of the said boy’s muscles had been ripped from his stomach. His lips trembled, vile slowing coming up from his gut as he stared at the current state of his friend.
“Sunghoon!” Jay rushed to his aid. Big, fat tears streamed down his face as he racked his brain for ways to stop the bleeding but with each passing second, Sunghoon coughed up an inordinate amount of blood. He helped his friend apply pressure on his wound, hoping it would buy him time to lessen Sunghoon’s blood loss.
Jay cried in frustration. When the news of the onslaughts broke out, he vowed and swore to protect his friends and the village… turns out he was just all talk.
With his last glimmer of hope he could cling to, he shut his eyes close. Desperately praying for someone or something would help him— them . He didn’t stop praying even when his throat started feeling sore and scratchy.
A wind so strong suddenly blew past him, knocking him out of his position. He turned to where the wind blew away from and saw wisps of black smoke swirling around—almost creating a cyclone. The earth shook and the ground from where the black smoke was coming suddenly cracked, creating a fissure from where black lightning shot out from. Then, a black figure suddenly moved at the speed of light, flying past him and then… it was gone.
Jay was about to tend to Sunghoon again when a boy looked over his shoulder, he had a terrifying aura around him and Jay couldn’t move a single muscle in his body.
“Eh?” The boy said, if not for the fact that he had a terrifying aura, Jay would have thought that the guy had an angelic voice. “If you don’t help him, he’ll eventually bleed to death.” The guy must have sensed the panic settling in his stomach.
“I’ll make you a deal.” The guy stood and walked in front of Jay, who was still frozen from his fear-induced stupor. With his strength failing him, he had a hard time looking at the guy in front of him. Still, he tried to focus all his energy into meeting the intense gaze of the person (Was he human, to begin with? He has never met someone of this stature).
As he looked up, he was met by a pair of fiery golden eyes with pitch black slits like that of a cat’s. Nothing about this guy screamed human. Sure, he’s got a human body but his aura is a thousandfold more sinister than the minotaur-like monster a couple of feet away from them. His presence alone can make anyone cower in fear. He’s got this air around him that makes you feel suffocated, trapped in a tight glass jar—craving for oxygen to fill your lungs with.
He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. Fear and terror coursed through his veins, evoking more horrendous emotions for him to feel. He stayed incredibly still when the guy moved, crouching down and holding his face with his cold yet soft hands.
“My, my. Where are my manners?” The guy asked rhetorically. “I’m called by a number of names and titles, but my real name is Dorian Grey. I’m called Sunoo by the Koreans. And… I am the Demon King.” Dorian said nonchalantly.
“May I ask what name you go by?” He asked Jay, looking deep into his soul, altering the emotions he was feeling so that he could respond very well to his questions. Jay could feel his fear and nervousness fading.
“M-my name. Well, my name is J-Jay.” He stuttered. How could he have summoned a demon king to the human world?
“Alright, Jay. Are you ready to make a deal?” Dorian asked, standing straight and tilting his head to the side.
“Do you wanna save your friends and your village?” Jay nodded.
“Do you want that monster killed?” Jay nodded aggressively.
“Are you willing to do everything I ask you to do?” He nodded for the third time — not weighing the consequences he might face in the future, but what other choice did he have? He was desperate. “Then make a pact with me.” Dorian said, extending his right arm forward to help Jay get up on his feet.
“I vow to adhere to everything you say and want me to do.” Jay said as he took the demon’s hand. Once the pact was complete, a bright magical circle glowed beneath them, archaic inscriptions were written in the circle. Wind blew up from the circle before the light went out.
“Very well.” Dorian said. He lifted his hand and casted magical circles over the lifeless bodies lying on the ground, including Sunghoon’s. Jay looked around and saw the bodies reverting back to their original and healthy state.
Dorian then walked sluggishly towards the monster. He tapped the monster’s head and it started moving again.
The monster roared before swinging his arms toward Dorian who was quick on his feet. He jumped a few feet off the ground and landed behind the monster. Displeased with his lack of aim and precision, the monster turned around and attacked Dorian head on. Its sharp claws opened and went straight to scratch the demon’s shoulder, barely grazing the skin but was able to cut the shirt he was wearing.
He dodged whenever the monster would lunge at him, going in circles, seemingly exhausting the monster’s energy and strength both in hands and feet. When the minotaur-like creature slowed down, Dorian approached again, still walking sluggishly, as if gauging the monster if it was going to attack him again at full speed.
And it did.
Dorian could have just ended the monster’s life instantly but what’s life without fun, right? The monster kept lunging at him, throwing punches here and there, trying to leave a scratch on him—anything that could inflict pain on the demon but he’d always leave unscathed.
The demon chuckled, amused at the lack of precision that the monster was showing.
“How about you give me a real challenge, huh?” Taunted Dorian. The monster growled in annoyance, dropping to its knees and started shaking. No. It wasn’t shaking, it was morphing into something else, its demeanour completely changed. Without any ounce of hesitation, the monster’s talons elongated and attacked Dorian. With little time to react due to its increased speed, the talons pierced through the demon’s arms.
Dorian gasped, not because he was hurt but because he got wounded. If there’s one thing that he hates the most, it is getting wounded from a battle. He gritted his teeth before his eyes began glowing, he was emanating such immense energy that the monster seemed to have been immobilised just by Dorian’s heartbeat.
His speed was beyond comprehension, it’s as if he teleported in front of the monster. He smiled at the monster, before gripping both of its arms tightly and ripping it from his torso and shredding them with his bare hands. The monster screamed in pain as his blood spluttered everywhere. While still distracted from losing both of its arms, Dorian kicked it on the stomach, making the monster tumble backwards and lay flat on his back.
Jay trembled in fear as he watched how Dorian slowly incapacitated the monster from afar. After ripping its arms, the demon tore off one its legs, breaking it to pieces so that it could never be attached together again. He did the same to the other leg—mercilessly tearing off its limbs.
He ripped the skin on one of the legs and got a chunk of the flesh. He stepped on the monster and crouched down, placing his hand around his jaw before forcefully pressing his fingers on the monster’s cheeks, prying it open. As soon as its mouth opened, the demon shoved the chunk of flesh in his hands down the creature’s throat.
He never let go of its jaws until it consumed everything he had given. Nothing could satiate the demon’s thirst for violence than making his foe eat their own flesh and drink their own blood. He had a crazed look in his face, enjoying the agonizing screams coming from the monster.
Jay thought that it would end there. To say that Dorian was ruthless is an understatement. He had an insatiable appetite for violence and knows countless ways of demonstrating it.
Dorian raised his hand and stabbed the monster right down the sternum, slicing it open up until its stomach. He laughed as the creature helplessly squirmed beneath him. The screams, wails, cries—they were all music to his ears. He enjoyed watching those who challenge him suffer unspeakable consequences that lead to their demise.
The demon then eyed the exposed organ and started ripping it from the monster’s body. First the intestines, then the liver—until the only organs left were the lungs and the heart. He picked up the discarded intestines and tied around the monster’s neck, tightening it until it begged for air. But that wasn’t just what Dorian did, he made small incisions on the lungs of the monster, making sure that one way or another, it’s not going to have any oxygen.
The monster struggled under him, body thrashing still despite the inordinate amount of blood it has lost. With some of its ribs still intact, Dorian snapped one and jammed it right through the skull of the monster, piercing its brain right through.
Dorian felt the monster gradually lose its strength until it stayed completely still. Then he smiled—his bloodlust being satisfied completely. He stood up before incinerating the monster’s body… Jay walked up to him and watched with him while the body went up in flames and turned into ashes.
“Thank you, Dorian.” Uttered Jay as he stood behind the demon, resting his head on the latter’s shoulder as if he wasn’t cowering in fear earlier. The demon turned around and held the human’s face and uttered…
“From now on, I will protect you and those who are close to your heart.”
For a moment, Jay had forgotten that Dorian— Sunoo— wasn’t of his nature. He had forgotten that the guy in front of him is capable of annihilating the entire population.
Because…
Jay felt a connection. As if there was an invisible string connecting them to each other with a pull so strong, he cannot help but be reeled into Sunoo’s presence.
No matter how demonic his aura may be.