TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains heavy themes of torture. Please do not read this short story if this effects you.
132Please respect copyright.PENANA8hJ1cGrpQ3
Let him be free.
Let him live how the fates see fit.
But he is mine. He is my blood. My kin.
You are born from my spite and loathing. My hate and power.
When the time comes, you will be one with me, child, and nothing will stop you.
The screams of agony echoed along the cavernous walls. The heat was so intense that the rock sweat the blood of those whose lives they had absorbed. The energy and power of the fallen was amplified in this very cave so that the filth that was born could thrive from it; feed from it.
Relish in it.
"Tear them from the walls!"
The shout was accompanied by shrieking laughter and seeped in to the sacs of the newborns, making the living beings in them quiver from the emotion seeping in to them. One in particular tried to claw its way out immediately. The emotions that coursed through it were too great for the thing to bear.
Live.
The demons threw themselves on the egg sacs and squealed in disgusting happiness as they tore through the sticky membrane that hung on the wall.
It hurts. Why does it hurt? My head. What is this? Where am I? Stop laughing!
The thing clawed at its own egg sac even after a sludge demon had torn the bottom out, spilling the fetal fluid all over the marbled floors. It dropped ten feet from the air with a smack to the ground in its own birth fluids, shocking itself out of its newborn stupor.
All it felt was a burning sensation around its neck, and before it could utter its first sound of life, a part of it was taken away, locked in to the deep recesses of its essence. Sputtering for breath and writhing in agony from the burning feeling throughout its body, it was left unnoticed as more younglings were torn from the comfort of their sacs and dropped to the floor. Clawing at its neck with one hand it stretched the other, reaching for something, anything to grab on to and pull itself on its feet even though they were strangled within its own tails.
"Grab that one! The 'firstborn' of this lowly brood!"
After the command was spat out the youngling was yanked up from the floor and dragged through the hundreds of mewling newborns, muck of birth, and blood of the sacrificed. It couldn't focus at anything in particular. Its eyes weren't used to being open and everything was a blur. A challenge to focus even on the things that had grabbed it by its head.
With a sudden move it was thrown at the feet of the breeder, its face kissing the breeder's feet. Before it could move its head up it was painfully grabbed by the lascivious bastard and brought painfully up to meet him eye to eye.
"My," he breathed. "You are a beautiful one..."
The thing blinked its eyes and its first sight was of a sneering goat with jagged teeth and red eyes. Foam dripped from his mouth as he grotesquely grinned from horn to horn. Before it could understand what the breeder said it felt an ice-cold crack on its head that slowly spread throughout its body, hiding its true form in a foreign skin that was too tight. The youngling cried out in pain, making the breeder squeeze its face and bring it to its wobbly feet at last.
My only. My son.
Otep.
"You are branded with the name your sire has chosen for you." The breeder declared. The youngling stared at him in utter confusion, its breathing labored from its lungs being restricted in the skin. "You are hereby known as Otep, spawn of Asvian."
"Take him to the flogs!" The breeder shouted, pushing him roughly back on the ground. Before Otep could even look to see who the breeder was talking to, a noose was wrapped around his neck, constricting his throat so that he couldn't make a noise.
His body naked and his ability to breathe all but taken from him, Otep was dragged throughout the cavern over jagged rocks, slime, and all manner of dirt. Because of the noose he was unable to cry out. The blood to his brain was being blocked. His eyes were getting bloodshot from the exertion and pressure.
Rocks tore at his virgin flesh like dull razors and he could do nothing about it. His captors kept dragging him until they got bored and decided to have fun with their baby victim. Since his muscles were new he couldn't fight back. He had no chance. No choice.
Free.
As they reached the hills that led to the flogging fields they grabbed Otep's leash and tossed him in front of them. They mercilessly grabbed him by his wet and matted hair, dragging him up and loosening his noose. Otep coughed at the excess of air he was able to receive.
One of his captors laughed as his vision blacked out. With a jab at his back that knocked the air out of his lungs yet again, Otep fell forward and tripped over his own feet, tumbling face first down the hill of mud, blood, and death. Something stabbed in to his side making blood gush from his body. Before the youngling reached the foot of the hill, his brain blanked and he fainted.
Awaken, filth!
With a slap to the face that split his lower lip in two, Otep was startled awake. Fear suddenly rising within him, his eyes roved in his skull as he tried to figure out where he was. His arms were bound outstretched at either side of him. His legs were strapped to some pole underneath him, spread eagle. None of the images made sense to him. He had no understanding of what was happening or where he was. All he felt was the fear that he was born with. The fear that called to the only instinct in his being.
To survive.
"Make this one bleed. Make him regret ever falling from that sac."
In one fell swoop and an ear shattering crack, something landed against his flesh and he froze. One more swish, another crack, and this time Otep felt it. Heard it.
Flesh tore from his back and legs and the thorned whip made contact with him.
His jaw sore and popping, Otep opened his mouth and exercised his vocal chords for the first time, emitting a scream that came from the deepest pit of his newfound soul.
Whoosh. Snap. CRACK!
The youngling screamed.
Whoosh. Snap. CRACK!
Another was torn from his throat.
"Harder! Make the whelp suffer!"
Whoosh. Snap. CRRAAACK!
Otep's shoulder popped out of place; the flesh torn open to reveal it being held only by muscle and cartilage. The scream that echoed around the fields drowned out the ones from the others, bringing down a strange and eerie quiet to the morbid realm.
The sound of shuffling feet didn't occur to Otep to stop his sobbing. Instead, he cried harder. With a gasp of pain, he felt his hair being once again yanked at its roots and he came eye to eye with the disgusting creature that brought him to life.
"Do you fear me, little one?" He rasped.
Otep just continued to sob, unsure of how to answer.
"DO YOU FEAR ME!" He roared, making Otep cringe.
"Y....yes..."
With a snarl the creature tore out a handful of the youngling's hair and ordered for more.
More what?
Little green reptilian creatures appeared from the cracks in the ground holding white hot metal shards and sticks with barbs in them.
"N... no. I... I--"
The creatures snickered malevolently and jumped on Otep, pressing the white-hot shards in to his gaping wounds and burrowing them in.
They beat him with the barbs repeatedly, the barbs releasing a poison in to his body that burned him from the inside out.
They tore at his flesh, revealing the muscles in his back.
They tore at his hair, tearing off chunks of scalp in the process.
Whoosh. Snap. CRACK!!
Whoosh. Snap. CRACK!
Whoosh.
Snap.
Crack...
Hours and hours.
Days upon days.
It was the same routine. He still didn't know what food or water was. He only knew the screams of the others around him. The pain that was inflicted on him. For some reason Otep took the longest. The first one born, but the last to break.
After another day of being submitted to countless torture methods; body parts cut off only to be reattached and then broken again. Flesh to be eaten off his body. Violated inside and out in every which way; the rape and annihilation of an innocence not yet realized. After all that, the final blow brought forth the silver the Keepers needed.
Otep hung loosely from his bonds. His face was blank; his magenta eyes unblinking and seeing nothing. The Keepers brought down the whip across his back, the tip scratching at his face underneath his eye. He didn't so much as blink. He cared for nothing.
"The silver! Take the damned silver!"
Otep only felt a soft cool pressure at the center of his back, then there was silence.
"...take him to his kin. He's too strong for his own good."
"An imp? Has this ever happened before?" A new voice. A softer one that Otep had never heard before.
"Not in a long while. This is nothing."
There was the telltale sound of a blade scraping against rock and Otep sighed, his healed wounds opening from the gesture. Suddenly he found himself sprawled on the ground, released from his bonds.
"Come."
Otep remained on the ground, staring at nothing. He didn't understand. He had no idea what to do.
"He hasn't learned anything yet. We've extracted all humanity from him. Let him recuperate..."
"You dare belittle me, whelp?"
"No, I'm trying to make sure that this imp doesn't die when we obviously need him."
"Bah! Out of my sight! He's yours"
Otep heard the demon walk away but again he didn't move. He heard the other make a move towards him but he was suddenly so very tired. "Don't slip away from me now..."
Too late, Otep's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he faded away. Finally able to rest and heal. To begin his life and learn what it truly meant to be born of such a disgusting and untrustworthy breed.
Otep, son of Asvian, demon imp of the 3rd realm.
Nothing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oi, where do you think you're going with that?"
"Respect your betters, Otep. I take what I want when I want, especially from an imp."
Otep just watched as his meat was taken from him yet again by the upper demon. It had been a year since his birth. But only three months since he came out of the caves and his mind was healed enough for him to begin learning. He didn't remember much, nor did he really care to. All he remembered was the dull ache in his skin and bones and then being escorted out in to his new home. Otep and his brothers were taken to a room and were infused with the knowledge of the outside realms.
They were told what was expected of them and that they were going to learn how to "unleash" their inner selves. But for now, every one of them was restricted in to a flesh that was designed to keep them contained until they were ready. They were given names, now they would be given identities. As the knowledge went through Otep he found something that seemed to call out to him. When he opened his mouth to speak, along with the others, they found themselves speaking in strange lilts and accents.
He sighed and walked back to the corner where the food was being kept and tried to scavenge for any modicum of supplement. All that was left were scraps not even fit for the hell dogs. It didn't matter. He'd gone longer without sustenance so he could skip his sixth meal. Just as he turned around to head to his quarters, the Upper-Class bench caught his eye. Everyone was in their human form down here.
It was a way of showing they had power, especially if their appearance was altered. Such as it was with the being that kept staring at Otep. His hair was long and kept in an immaculate ponytail that draped over his shoulders. His elongated ears poked through and were decorated with tribal jewelry, showing his rank as an Elder Keeper. His eyes were too far away to see what race the being was from, but his attire was formal and regal. The giant golden claw that rested across his torso gleamed. Otep suspected he belonged to Level 6 at the least. Shrugging it away as nothing Otep turned on his heel and walked off before seeing the sensuous smile that curved on the Keeper's face.
Another month passed and Otep had finally learned how to do mind tricks, energy/fireballs, and conjuration. They weren't allowed to leave yet. They were all still too young and didn't have the mental capacity to accept an assignment. They always practiced on each other, though. Driving one another insane. Setting each other on fire. Otep stuck to himself. He had actually managed to kill one of his brothers. Not meaning too, though. He had to learn how to drive a being insane. So, he did. Too bad his brother's head literally exploded in the process. Now everyone steered clear from him.
It didn't matter, though. In another year he'd have real beings to practice on and he could finally begin his life outside these walls of death.
Leaning against a marbled wall, Otep stared up at the swirling red vortex of hell. It was hypnotic and he found himself wondering what the outside world was like. He had only seen images. There was nothing of real interest to him, but regardless he found himself questionably curious. Something he hadn't felt.... ever.
"I've been watching."
Otep turned his head slowly to the one who had spoken to him. The voice was vaguely familiar but he had no idea why. It didn't matter. As soon as he saw who it was he straightened and kept his eyes downcast. An Elder Keeper had spoken to him; he had to keep to customs and offend him in no way.
"Don't do that. You are to look at me when I speak, and only me."
Otep did so without question, his eyes meeting the strange star like pupils of the Elder Keeper unflinching. His face was smooth and oval, his hair accentuating the rounded angles of his face becomingly. The golden claw on his chest seem to quiver a bit before it tightened its grip on the Elder Keeper.
"I have been watching...."
Otep swallowed, keeping his gaze fixated on the star pupils. But something quivered in his chest and he felt his own blood course through his veins a bit faster than before. His own heart pounded slightly harder and he couldn't control it.
"For a youngling you seem to be very curious."
No. No I'm not!
"You're not supposed to. Your emotions were bled from you as soon as you were born. So, why?"
Otep just stared, his face blank. He was unsure on how to answer. The Elder Keeper just smiled and reached out a taloned hand. Otep didn't so much as flinch when his curls were brushed from his face and tucked behind his ear.
"I won't force you to answer. But I will get one...."
The Elder Keeper walked off without another sound and left Otep standing alone once again. As soon as his presence was far away Otep sucked in a shuddering breath. For the first time in a year, he felt Fear.
He was dead....
Another month had come and gone. Otep and his brethren were in an uproar. Their seal was extended for another year. They were refused the power to go out to the other realms for such strange and alien reasons. Some turned on each other to release their pent-up power. Otep just stood still, unsure of what to do. He walked away from the uproar and drifted aimlessly through the abyss of his realm. He reached the feeding quarters and just stared listlessly at the empty space.
"Otep."
Hearing his name, he turned around and saw the same Elder Keeper coming up to him. His face seemed brighter and he had a strange gleam in his eye; a small smile on his plush lips.
"Come with me."
Before Otep could even gather his senses his arm was grabbed and colors swirled around him. His eyes roved around in his skull and for the first time ever he felt nauseous. As soon as the swirling sensation stopped Otep fell on the dirt and vomited the bile that had accumulated throughout the day from not having eaten.
"Forgive me. I didn't have time to warn you. It happens when a youngling is still Sealed and they're torn from their realm."
Shuddering violently Otep wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and glared malevolently up at the Elder Keeper.
"Oi, you could have bloody well at least said brace yourself, couldn't you, you twit?!"
Realizing what he had done, Otep paled and clamped his mouth shut. The Elder Keeper simply stared, his lips twitching before he threw his head back in a laughter that echoed around the hills they were in the middle of.
"I knew it! You didn't bleed it all out! You still have the Echoes!"
Otep struggled to breathe and looked around him in confusion. Everything was so green and light. So different from his realm....
He looked up at the Elder Keeper and closed his eyes in defeat as he continued to laugh. Yes, Otep did have Echoes. The Echoes weren't strong, but they were enough to let Otep know which emotion was appropriate for what situation. The Keepers looked for the signs of the Echoes in the imps to make sure they didn't grow in to something more. Otep was caught now. He was petrified of what would happen.
"Hey, now. I took you away from that for a reason."
Otep felt a warm hand underneath his chin and he was gently brought up to look the Elder Keeper in the eye. "Your secret is safe with me, as long as I can trust the same with you."
The Elder Keeper smiled gently and Otep felt his own lips mimicking the others.
"But why?" Asked Otep.
"Because I was there from the very beginning. I know you although you may not know me."
"Sire, this is very dangerous. Where am I? Why wouldn't you turn me in? You're an Elder Keeper! It's your job."
"First, do not ever call me "sire" again. My name is Hellionh. An Elder Keeper is only half of my job..."
"Half? What else do you do?" Otep blurted.
Hellionh smiled secretively. "You'll come to know in time. Right now, know that you are protected. I have you under my wing, so don't fear the others. As for where you are, I thought despite the order for you to be Sealed until the next year, I'd bring you up here myself. It gets dreadfully boring down there, if you ask me. You deserve to see another place. Another...future."
"I am no different than the other imps."
"You're wrong. You are immensely different and I am taking it upon myself to care for you."132Please respect copyright.PENANAv2nDCgwVRp
He bruhed Otep's face gently. "You are mine, and I will have it no other way...."
Hellionh allowed Otep to roam free for a while, answering questions about the realm they were in. What Earth was and why it was so different from the images that had been projected in to him. The longer Otep was away from Hell the more he actually felt instead of feeling numb and emotionless. They were still only Echoes. But they were semblances of emotions anyway. He felt the grass for the first time with his bare feet. The wind in his hair and skin. His curiosity got the best of him and he made sure to smell taste, and feel everything in that open field.
All the while Hellionh just sat back and watched. His own heart raced at the sight of curious innocence even after all the imp had been through. As a demon, Hellionh shouldn't have these sorts of emotions himself. But he had a deeper secret that ran farther than that. There was a reason for everything and when he had first seen Otep, he knew what was to come. Hellionh chose Otep and he was going to protect him as best he could. For now, all he could do was give Otep a taste. Soon, he would give him the feast...
Otep experienced his first sunset before Hellionh declared it was time for them to return to the 3rd realm. It was fine for the imp, though. He had allowed his Echoes to come forward. And for Hellionh, he would do anything that was asked.....
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