#demonkid

😇A bit two-faced, are we?😈

The only thing that stood between the demons, the gods and the humans were the craftsman. People who have dedicated their lives to black magic. The school education, as well as the future professional life, turned only to the black magic. Law’s parents had been relatively wealthy. At least it was enough to finance him studying at a black magic boarding school. It was a very difficult and long study. While most of his friends had pounced on parties and youthful passions, he had studied. When Law fell in love for the first time and began a brief relationship, his grades had deteriorated to such an extent that he did not embark on any further love for the future. A little fun in bed yes, but not more than that. After graduating, Law got a job at a reputed company. The first few years of his professional life were exhausting. He got many ungrateful little tasks. For a demon to come into the human world, contracts had to be set up. Well, the demons would attack people as much as they could, but the craftsmen could prevent it. It were the first craftsmen to pull the world barrier after the war. A barrier that prevented the demons from entering the human world. However, this had not been so easy after the war. Their worlds had mixed. Monsters lived among humans, humans became monsters. And gods, and demons, had children born into the human world. It would have been fatal to completely block the demons. That’s why there were contracts. These contracts were set up by the craftsmen. They included conditions and time limits in which the demons could come into the world. But it takes only a small mistake in a contract and a huge disaster could break out. Many demons were incredibly smart. It did not take much for them to get the upper hand. Craftsmen were really not to be envied. Many people did business with the demons. Especially those who lived in the parts of the human world in which the gods spread. Gods had their own view of the world. There were some who were cruel. Normal people who had never learned the art of magic were at the mercy of the defenseless. So they came up with the idea to conclude the strangest deals with demons. If these desperate people were also poor, then some even tried to set up a contract without a craftsmen. Hard to imagine! But these self-made contracts were almost always there only for the demons won. And the gods were still justified by the failure of the people. At the end, the craftsmen were always allowed to clean up. Great. Law sighed at the memory. Clean up and set up contracts. These were the terribly monotonous tasks for job starters. Wasted the first years of his professional life. But the black-haired man had always been diligent. He had quickly risen to higher positions. Oh. What else should be mentioned, that craftsmen were no longer really as human to call. Black magic demanded its price. She fed on the soul. You had to take a lot of soul to maintain the magic. Of course, no craftsman wanted to feed his own soul. Therefore craftsmen were paid  with soul units (SU). SU had become a normal means of payment after the war. As often used as money. Depending on your job or purchase you were paid with money, SU or both. Even if it would be more fatal to lose all his soul than all his money. But those were the worries of the people who had to pay Law. Not his.

Law brushed back his black hair as he walked to the conference room. Today would be a difficult day. They had convened a conference that the demons had categorically rejected for a long time. The part of the human world where Law lived, was called Siedgart. They were ruled by no deity and it was the metropolis of the new world. All important decisions were made in Siedgart’s capital. Politicians did not exist anymore. Only the craftmen, as representatives of humanity. The only ones who could hold back the demons and the gods. Today they wanted to renegotiate who could set up contracts with a demon. In the current state everyone was allowed to set up a contract, as long as both sides agreed. The craftsmen wanted to change this. At least they wanted to make sure that a craftsman had to sign this contract for it to become valid. For years they have tried to convince the demons to a conference to this topic. But they always refused. Surprisingly, they had agreed to it now. That was the chance of humanity. If Siedgart could make such a deal, the other parts of the world would follow suit. Laws company had been able to reach this conference. That’s why her company was allowed to represent all other craft companies. Why Law was there …? Well, one of his bosses, Shepard, had addressed him directly. Because of his quick success and his skill, he wanted to have a craftsman like Law at the table. That was an indescribable honor and Law definitely wanted to do his job well. Next to him on the way to the conference room, were his three bosses and one more of Law’s colleagues. One of Law’s bosses was Jamie Shepard, whom Law had many chances to thank. Shepard was a skeleton. He had lost his flesh more than a decade ago fighting a powerful demon. His mind could be saved, but only the bones from his body. But that did not change his great talent. He mentioned again and again that he used to be quite similar to Law and so liked him from the beginning. A great coincidence for the black-haired. When they were at the room, this was completely empty except for many chairs. In the middle of the table lay the short-term contracts that allowed the presence of those incredibly powerful demons that they would now summon. Law also used his magic to cast a spell that would log every single word in the room. Even those who were spoken in demonic language. Shepard activated the magic of the media that televised the conference. The craftsmen looked at each other again before using their magic almost at the same time. Law created a sharp silver knife and cut it in the wrist. He did not even flinch at the pain. Every contract with a demon demanded blood. That’s the way it was. As the blood of all participants dripped on the contracts, the paper sucked up the blood. A joint signature was formed. It only took a few moments, then it was as if a mirror appeared in the middle of the room. It just stood there as if it had always been there. Their faces were reflected in it. They saw figures approaching from afar. Of course, the craftsmen knew that these figures would not be there when they turned around. They first came to them from the world of demons. It only took a few moments for the first demon to come out. No matter how many times you saw demons in your life, their sight was always terrifying. It had to be said that there were many thousands of different types of demons. There were many more demons than humans, and in the end they knew only a fraction of the species that existed. The first figure to emerge was a wobbly black mass. Pointed, glass blades raced out of the misshapen body. Something like hands and fingers seemed to form again and again and then to disintegrate. Three red-hot eyes looked at them as the demon sat down on the first chair. This was followed by a demon, which the craftsmen immediately dissatisfied. Of course, the demons had brought one. A skeleton came out of the mirror. More specifically, Jamie Shepard came out of the mirror. There was not the slightest difference between the right Shepard and the demon. A doppelgänger. Naturally. Doppelgänger were the worst negotiating partners. The longer they took on the person’s form, the more they knew about them. From the past, to the dreams and after many hours even the way of thinking. They glanced briefly at the right Shepard, but he looked calmly at the demon. After all. The next demon had a repulsive shape. Rectangular like a long block, with four arms, five legs and six eyes. Everything quadrangular. His ‘skin’ was completely white. Many teeth shoot out of the skin to grow. They could not recognize a mouth. However, the real surprise came afterwards. Last came out of the mirror a … human? Well, it had to be a demon. However, in the form of a human. No doppelgänger, no. A completely individual person. That was absolutely impossible …! Law had to admit that he was completely surprised. He was even shocked. He had studied so many years, worked so many years, and yet he had never seen a demon that looked like a human. A quick look at his colleagues was enough for Law to say they were as perplexed as he was. There had always been rumors. That there was a demon-type, which possessed two bodies, to which it could change at will. His original demonic figure and the figure of a human being. A natural human form. The craftmen had never taken that rumor seriously. It sounded too much after the excuse of some people to attribute all evil to a demon. But now the proof sat down in front of them on a chair. The demon looked like a muscular, tall man. With pale skin and fiery red hair. Law was amazed at this hair color. The man had eyes in a beautiful gold tone. Wow. Law had to admit that if he did not know that the man in the dark suit was a demon, he would have thought he was very attractive. He shook his head briefly. What was he thinking? Whether this charisma was natural for this demon race …? When the red-haired demon had come through the mirror, it disappeared behind him. He sat down and with that they were complete. Shepard cleared his throat and started the conference. They clarified the conditions of the conversation and then everyone introduced themselves by name. Law’s lips twitched briefly as Shepard’s doppelgänger introduced himself with Shepard’s voice and name. But it was the usual way. Doppelgängers had no names of their own and no body of their own. They always assumed the identity of their counterpart. The black, shapeless demon introduced herself as Nòrk'dn. Law hoped he would never have to pronounce that name. The square demon did not sound much better. Law understood something like Busteú'nd Ma'gn'gn. He hoped his log spell was powerful enough to write these names correctly. If not, it would at least capture by the magic that televised this conference. The red-haired demon introduced himself as Kid Eustass. A short grunt came from his colleagues, which Law could understand very well. That was a human name. Not the name of a demon. At their reaction came a short laugh from the demon. Law was finally able to determine something that made the demon different from a human. The teeth. The redhead had much more and much more pointed teeth than any human could ever have. Law sighed in relief. Now he had finally seen that the redhead was really a demon and not a human by some strange coincidence. That calmed him down. That would certainly explain why he had to watch it again and again fascinated. This one had a strong attractive charisma. That had to be due to the demon race. Certainly. The conference began. However, it was very different than they had expected. The demons did not seem ready to negotiate the issue at all. They have been discussing for over an hour and they listened to all the arguments, but they rejected them all. Busteú'nd Ma'gn'gn seemed to be the chief negotiator of the demons. His voice was shrill and sharp as breaking glass. The voice seemed to come from the middle of his body. Although clearly male. The voice of the black demon seemed female. She sounded beautiful. Like the voice of a singer. It seemed perfectly abstract that this voice belonged to a misshapen demon full of blades. The demons did not speak much. They only argued, but none that would take them one step further! Law became more and more frustrated. For this conversation all the weeks of preparation and the many sleepless nights …? What was going on here?! The only demon who did not say a word after his introducing was Eustass. Law kept looking at the redhead, but he could not say exactly what he was doing. The demon seemed to devour people with his gaze. He stared at each of them for a long time as if searching for something. But demons were strange. Did this mean something? No one except Law seemed to notice. Suddenly, something sounded that drove Law’s goosebumps over its back. The doppelgänger said something. Not in the normal language, but with the tongue of the demons. The black-haired man could speak a few words demonically, but none of the few he knew came in the sentence. It sounded like a question. Even if it was almost impossible for humans to really understand the demon language. It was the red-haired demon who then smiled. “Soon.” He seemed to be answering something while his eyes suddenly fell on Law. For the first time in this conference, their eyes met. Law felt like he was falling into a sea of ​​gold. It was just a look. Nevertheless, the black-haired man lost so much in it that his breath stopped short. Had he ever seen such beautiful eyes before …? “I would like to point out that we have contractually agreed to speak in the usual language. A renewed violation of this rule leads to a breach of contract. ” The voice of his other boss sounded. Kamilla sat next to Shepard. Her skin was as dark as her hair, while her eyes were a bright green. However, she sounded really upset. Understandably. By now it almost felt like the demons were making fun of them all. They still did not negotiate. They insisted on their stance, no matter what the craftsmen said or offered. However, they kept asking questions that were long and complicated to answer. Almost as … they would try to get as much time as possible. Law did not know why the thought came to him when he looked into the golden eyes of Eustass’s. But it seemed to him infinitely logical. Demons wanted something. They always wanted something. They would never have pledged for the sake of this conference. Law did not know how long he looked at Eustass before he finally looked away. His heart beat unusually fast and his skin tingled. He had to concentrate. After all, this was his chance to shine! The black-haired man cleared his throat as he started to speak with a charming smile: “Let’s argue again. Most of the benefits of contract modification would be on the side of the demons, … ” Even before Law could decorate his lie, a big smile crossed Eustass’s lips. His white, pointed teeth were visible and Law got the re-natural thought, as if he wanted to devour him here and now. The black-haired man interrupted himself. He could not do anything about it. He gathered his magic around him. Danger was in the air. But it was the same with the other craftsmen. Law felt her magic crackle. The atmosphere had completely changed from one second to the next. Only with the grin of the redhead. “Thanks for your time. I declare the meeting terminated from the demons’ point of view. We withdraw for advice and contact you again. ” Busteú'nd Ma'gn'gn declared the conference over. The demons rose and so did the craftsmen, even if none of them spoke a word. They were very tense. They were almost waiting for an ambush or an attack. The mirror appeared again. Without another word, the demons disappeared inside. However, they all grinned now. Extremely smug and satisfied. Eustass was the last one to get up. His eyes were still on Law, his grin seemed to be getting wider and wider. This one said something. With the tongue of the demons he spoke something to … to Law. Clearly. He looked directly at him and said something that made Law shudder, even if he did not understand. The contract on the table began to burn and small sparks of fire began to dance on Eustass’s skin. He had to leave, the temporary contract had expired. The redhead walked in the mirror and then the mirror disappeared again. They stayed alone. Shepard released a spell. Law’s protocol magic and the television broadcast magic vanished. Only a second later, Kamilla grabbed Laws shirt collar. Anger and fear stood in her eyes when he saw her so beside herself, as never before. “WHAT did that mean, Trafalgar?!” Law swallowed. He looked past Kamilla and saw everyone in the room staring at him as if he had become an incarnate demon before their eyes. They wouldn’t think …? Law raised his hands defensively. Very scared. “I do not know! I can’t explain that!” His heart was beating wildly and Kamilla’s angry eyes looked at him for a moment before finally releasing him. “Damn! We should have known! They did not intend to negotiate with us at all! They just made us ridiculous!” Her anger was understandable, and when the murmur started. Law was glad the attention was gone. After all, he really did not know what had just happened. “I also think that the conference had a different meaning for the demons. I think… I think they used it as a pretext to gather information. That’s why the doppelgänger and this … human-looking demon. ” Shepard’s voice was calm. Even if Law could hear the concern. The worry about what they could have done without their knowledge. They argued long before everyone returned to his office. In the end, there was still a lot of work to do before the media like the sharks fell over them. It had been Law’s spell that was responsible for the protocol. Naturally he worked on this first. It was already late at night when the protocol was done. Law felt pure shock as he read the protocol. His air was gone and he was as good as if he had to vomit right away. The doppelgänger had said in the tongue of the demons to Eustass: “Is one of them good for what?” And Eustass had said to Law: “We’ll meet again, Law Trafalgar. You are the one after I searched.”

written by Shadcatmastered

Inktober day 9