Dreaming of The Devil (closed)

[Othermoose]

Balic flew over the mortal realm; his great black wings carrying his mighty form silently through the skies. He searched, as he did every night, for the mind of his beloved who had been cruelly trapped within the confines of the mortal plane. It had been several centuries since he'd even detected her presence. Millennium since they'd been together. Countless years since she'd been stolen from him.

Balic grimly dismembered the soul of the one who'd taken her, again, but the mage's eternal torture did little to ease Balic's pain. He was doomed to wander alone for all of time all because of a mortal's ego and a lesser deity's spite.

Balic screamed in agony, sending his pain and loneliness through the minds of dreamers miles around him. And when his shout was returned, Balic froze. It was such a small frail voice, yet powerful enough for him to hear. Powerful enough to reach him over miles of land and through the wall of a mortal mind.

Balic followed the echo, moving faster than the speed of thought, until he found himself standing in the bedroom of a human child. It's tiny face scrunched in fear, and it's tiny fists clenched in the fur of a plush toy as it tried to fight off the terror of nightmares.

Balic reached out and entered the child's dream. He was surprised to find actual demons haunting the child's sleep instead of the products of her own mind. "This place..." Balic thought as he looked around the landscape of the fear filled dream. This place was familiar to him. He expanded his consciousness outward, and searched the child's mind hoping against hope that his growing suspicion was correct.

"It's her. I've finally found her." Balic thought to himself almost weeping with joy. This mortal child's mind was large. Far too large for a human. Balic dug deeper. She was close; he could feel her. And then he found her. Her true form buried deep and hidden deep within the subconscious of a human mind. Balic knew her affliction now. After centuries of torturing the mage Balic had finally learned the nature of her curse. She no longer knew of her power. She'd forgotten godhood. As far as she knew, his beloved was a human.

Balic flung himself back into the nightmare, and slaughtered her tormentors in a fury of hatred and blood. The child screamed in fear at the new turn of events. Balic's form was more horrifying to her than anything she'd seen in her short life. "What are you!?" She sobbed.

"Calm yourself sweet child." Balic cooed, taking a softer, but still powerful form. "I am not here to harm you. Only free you. Once, many aeons ago we were as one. Husband and wife does our bond little justice. We were happy and free for ages. Then man rose on this plane. They were, and still are, weak and feeble minded creatures. But a rare few discovered power, magic is your word for it. As these mages grew more and more powerful, one discovered the ability to see into other planes. He saw you and desired you. He took several human lifetimes to prepare his scheme. He gained the favor of a lesser god, one who hates me, and together they planned my downfall. Eventually the mage challenged me to a contest for your hand. I crushed the insolent fool, but not his spirit. And that is how his trap was sprung. By killing him, I unintentionally accepted his challenge. And by defeating him, it allowed the lesser God Zelpfrex to entrap you within the confines of mortality. Cursed to live forever as a human unaware of your true nature. But I will free you this time. I have found you, and I will not lose you again." Balic said to the frightened child.

Balic felt the child beginning to awaken from her fitful sleep and push him out of her slumbering mind. "You won't remember it, but I will return to you every night in your dreams. And some day you will remember me." Balic swore before removing himself from the child's mind.

He watched as she awoke, screaming, her long red hair plastered to her face from sweat. He watched as her parents came to her, offering her comfort from her unknown terror. And Balic watched. He watched as the mortal child grew older. He visited her every night, but it was no use. She was not yet ready to be freed from her prison. And so Balic watched.

After several years he could no longer enter her dreams, but he never left her. He watched as she grew and learned of the world around her, forgetting the truth for the lies that humanity accepted as reality. He watched and waited as she began to grow into adulthood.

He saw as her mind began to change. He watched as her eyes began to see beyond the veil of the plane she inhabited. And he watched her first interaction with a human spirit. She was terrified of the man, covered in burns and begging for release from his pain. After she directed him (or at least tried to) to a realm beyond, Balic personally guided the burned man to his realm. Once there Balic healed the man's injuries and gave him whatever he desired as a gift for awakening his beloved's mind.

Soon she gained some control over her abilities, and as she grew older, more strength. She could see any human spirit that wished to be seen, as well as a wide variety of minor demons and entities. Unfortunately she hadn't learned how to distinguish human spirits from the other various beings that she could see. And worse than that (at least for Balic) was the fact that she wasn't powerful enough to see him.

He watched as she continued to grow and learn about herself. She entered college to further her mind, and there she met him. A stupid boy, who treated her as little more than a toy. Balic hated him, even more so when he realized who he was. His beloved was being courted by the descendant of the mage who had taken her from him. Balic had cursed the mage's line with every malady he could create, and he almost wished he hadn't when he saw what his hand had done. The boy was stupid, not quite a simpleton, but very close. His feeble mind thought only of women and the human sport of "football".

Balic didn't understand why his beloved stayed with this creature. Even when she found him with another woman she stayed with him. Balic watched as his love was crushed under the weight of misery by this man that she couldn't seem to rid herself of.

Balic could feel that her return was close. After almost two decades of waiting on her the time was coming. She had finished her studies at university, carrying the dullard with her as she did, and now the two of them shared a small apartment in the city of New York. Balic could sense the strain of stress and misery weighing on her mind. Her powers were growing, and soon there time apart would end. Balic hated it, but he knew she would have to break before she could see him. And he knew that her break would come today...

 

[Othermoose]

Logan awoke with a groan and pulled himself out of Allegra's grasp. "Why's that girl gotta be so touchy-feely about everything? Can't we just fuck and sleep?" He wondered as he watched the redhead roll onto her stomach trying to replace the feeling of warmth she'd just lost. Logan's stomach growled and he got out of bed, jostling Allegra awake as he did. "Hey babe. I'm hungry. Make me something to eat while I'm in the shower." Logan said slapping his half-asleep girlfriend on the ass before walking into the bathroom.

The apartment they shared was nice, even more so since Allegra paid for everything so that Logan could "focus on his football career". In reality he spent his day drinking beer and watching TV, or at the gym flirting with other women. "Damn I'm awesome." Logan said aloud checking out his reflection in the mirror. He flexed his large muscles and slapped his six-pack abs, admiring his physique.

After a few minutes of ogling himself, Logan got into the shower. He washed himself clean, and after about fifteen minutes he was out and drying himself off. "How's my breakfast coming babe?" He called through the bathroom door as he began to comb gel into his hair. After working his hair over so that it looked like bed-head Logan began to meticulously groom his facial hair to look like he hadn't bothered to shave at all.

After his hair had been fixed Logan brushed his teeth and spent another few minutes flexing at himself in the mirror. "Damn I look good. I can get any bitch I want." Logan thought as he winked at himself in the mirror. He pulled on a pair of loose sweatpants, and again looked at himself in the mirror, debating on if he should wear a shirt or not. "Nah. Allegra deserves a nice view." Logan thought leaving the bathroom. "Is my food ready babe? I'm hungry!" Logan called as he made his way to the kitchen.

 

[goofychick]

Allegra enjoyed the warmth of Logan next to her, at least until he thrust her aside to start his morning cleansing ritual. "Why can't he spank my ass during sex instead of when he wants fed," she grumbled to herself. Knowing she had at least half an hour before he finished primping, Allegra rolled over to the edge of the bed and checked her phone.

As the owner of the small bookstore, Books for the UnDead and Other Fine Things, Allegra was always on the lookout for hard-to-find texts, relics of the past, and all-around cool items. She hoped to get a message from another bookstore owner on the coast concerning a ritual book she had been seeking for years. Alas, today was not going to be that day.

After quickly throwing on some jeans, her favorite Green Day t-shirt, and pulling her long red hair into a ponytail, Allegra entered the kitchen to pull a few things from the fridge to keep Logan satiated.

"If only that man didn't eat so much," Allegra mused as she set yogurt, granola, and fruit on the small kitchen table for herself, then started cracking the half dozen eggs for Logan's omelette. If it were her omelette, she would chop lots of veggies and throw in some cheese. But her boyfriend seemed to have an aversion to anything healthy which was a little strange since Logan continued to shoot for a football career.

Once the eggs were almost set, Allegra heard Logan holler once more to check on the status of his food. When they first started dating, she looked forward to mornings with him. Logan always sauntered into the kitchen looking so hot in his workout gear, then he would come up behind her, kiss her neck, and ask what was for breakfast. Now she was lucky if he even said good morning before he started chowing down.

She set Logan's plate on the table and quietly began eating her breakfast, wondering when the relationship had changed and when she had become so complacent.

 

[Othermoose]

Logan walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. He immediately began to devour his eggs without so much as looking at Allegra. After he was about half way through his meal he finally acknowledged his girlfriend. "Hey babe. I'm thinking of going to the gym today. I'll need a ride." He said through a mouth full of eggs. Logan had totalled his car after getting drunk and slamming into a telephone poll, so now he expected Allegra to drive him anywhere he wanted the instant he wanted to go there.

Logan scarfed down the rest of his eggs before standing up. "I'm thinking we should go in about an hour. I'll get you when I'm ready." Logan said completely ignoring the fact that his gym was on the opposite side of the city from Allegra's bookstore and their apartment. She'd be at least an hour late (probably more) in opening her store, but Logan didn't care. "Books are for nerds anyways." Logan thought wandering to the couch and turning on the TV. He flipped channels until he decided on a basketball re-run. "Hey babe, bring me a beer." He called into the kitchen without taking his eyes off of the screen.

 

[goofychick]

Once again, Allegra called an employee to open the store in her absence. "Good grief, why can't Logan get one of his million fans to give him a ride," she muttered under her breath.

Her employee, Dana, asked if everything was alright. "Yes, things are fine," Allegra said with a smile. "Logan just doesn't have his car back, poor thing, so I'm still helping him out."

Since she knew Logan wouldn't budge until he got bored with the game, she figured she had just enough time to take the scented candles and rose-hip oil to her neighbor. The rose-hip oil would really help her neighbor's skin and Allegra hoped the candles would help set the mood for her neighbor and husband.

For some reason, everyone felt comfortable confiding in Allegra. Her neighbor had stopped her while taking the trash out a few days ago and complained that her sex life had taken a turn for the worse ever since she had noticed age spots on her hands and face. Allegra knew her neighbor and husband well enough to know the woman just needed something to boost her confidence.

"Mrs. Wallace, here's the candles and oil I mentioned to you the other day. I think you'll find these are just what you need to get that spark back." The other woman took the basket of goodies, inhaled the scent of the candles, and exclaimed, "Why Allegra, that is just too kind of you. I hope that man of yours realizes what a keeper you are!"

And that was Logan's cue to start honking the car horn to get her attention. "Oh yes," Allegra thought to herself, "Logan definitely knows why he's keeping me."

 

[Othermoose]

Logan watched the game for a little over an hour before growing bored. He'd seen Allegra go over to the neighbor's house "To give mrs. Mrs... Mrs. Whatever some candles. What a fuckin' waste. It's not like anyone would fuck that old bitch. If her husband was smart he'd leave her and get himself a nice sexy bitch to fuck." Logan thought as he walked into the bedroom. He walked to the closet and began sorting through clothing until he found the perfect workout clothing.

Logan removed his sweatpants and replaced them with a pair of dark blue track pants. He then pulled on a tight white tank-top, and finished the outfit off with a pair of fancy running shoes he'd bought with money he "borrowed" from Allegra's purse. "Damn bro! You're going to have to beat the ladies off with a stick." He said giving himself a wink on the mirror.

After spending another ten minutes working on his hair Logan left the apartment and saw Allegra talking to the neighbor woman. "Get your ass in gear babe! I need to get my burn on!" Logan called before walking down the stairs and out of the building.

He walked across the small parking lot and got into Allegra's car. He waited impatiently for a minute or so before honking the horn. After a few moments Allegra walked out of the building and towards the car. "Took your fucking time." Logan said as Allegra got into the car. "Let's go already!" He said impatiently as she got settled.

After a moment Allegra turned the key and started the car. The radio came to life blaring heavy metal music at full blast. "She's mine, mortal." A powerful voice repeated over the distorted guitars and heavy bass-line. After a moment Logan reached out and changed the radio to his normal rap channel. "Damn babe. What the fuck was that shit? You're not going through an emo phase or something are you?" Logan asked her. That type of music just didn't seem like something she'd listen to, then again, Logan didn't actually know what kind of music Allegra listened to, so he could be wrong. "I'm not gettin' any younger here. Drive!" Logan said before turning up his rap music.

 

[goofychick]

Dana really looked forward to her job at Books for the Undead and Other Fine Things. She finally got to put her rare books & manuscript librarianship specialization to some use. And to think her folks thought a library science degree couldn't pay the bills! This was only her first real job after graduating. Fast food just didn't count! She was only a few years younger than Allegra, but sometimes Dana felt she was the wiser one.

Everyone could see what a loser this Logan dude was. Dana wasn't sure what Allegra saw in him. Sure he had nice biceps, but lots of guys who weren't losers did. The guy spent more time on his hair than the entire sorority population of Alabama. He never called or came by the store unless he needed something - usually money.

She tried asking Allegra countless times why she stayed with the jerk, but there was never a good answer. If Dana didn't know better, she would think Logan had Allegra under some kind of spell.

Dana turned on the local college radio station then started to unpack the latest box of rare books. She liked the mix of heavy metal music to jazz and everything in between, plus the college disc jockeys were funny. The current song had a lead singer who sounded like he had been shrieking lyrics for decades. Dana's foot bounced along to the current "She's mine, mortal" tune as she patiently waited for Allegra to make it to the store.