When God said Let there be light and creation was made, something else was born, that being Darkness equal to God, while normally they would have fought. Ending with darkness being sealed away, this time God and Darkness fought, but while Darkness could not create, it could destroy itself to be able to create.
So God and Darkness, while fighting, made a truce; God will help Darkness cut itself, then they will have their own realms. God will have heaven, and the Darkness was cut into 4.
One piece will be locked in a nearly inescapable location, another will be sent to hell, and the last two's locations are unknown, with only complete darkness known.
With Earth will be free to be capable of good and evil, and that is the beginning of the world, while the other beings/primordials made their own creations different from heaven and hell.
(A/N: This was just a thought/synopsis for a story you can use this and the Darkness is Azathoth)
-Hell-
It was a dark red on the streets of Ira. Here, countless buildings of wildly varying architecture, gothic towers, well-kept houses, rust-eaten structures, and high-rise apartments and buildings fight for space, defined by the red sky above.
The inhabitants were as varied and mismatched as the buildings they dwelt in. Demons, imps, and creatures of nightmare moved through the narrow walkways.
Their bodies had a wide array of looks: some bore magnificent, spiralled horns like mountain goats, others had short, wicked points erupting from their temples, and a few had sets that curled menacingly from their jaws.
Their forms were equally diverse, from the hulking, broad-shouldered 'Brutes' who were both fat and tall, their skin the texture of rock, to the slender, twitchy 'Imps' who are both skinny and short, with bodies stretched out.
While others have goat-like legs, serpentine torsos, and chitinous armour plates were all common sights in this bustling, terrifying melting pot.
In a shadowed alleyway between a house and a forgotten shop, a figure huddled. It was a teen-like demon, barely more than a silhouette in the deep shadow. His features were sharp, his black hair framed a pair of modest, pointed horns that grew directly from his forehead, and a long, sinuous, snake-like tail twitched faintly beneath him.
He was curled into a tight ball, his thin form barely covered by a tattered ensemble of what looked like a black snakeskin shirt and matching pants. He shivered violently, but the trembling was not only from the mix of cold and hot but also from pain.
A sudden, amplified voice tore through the silence of the alleyway, cutting through the bustling of the district. It boomed with a theatrical tone.
"Hear ye! Hear ye! Come one, come all to the grand arena of the Wrath Region! Tonight, the iron gates are open for a fresh round of savage spectacle! Witness the clash of what everyone can find in the Gladiator Ring!"
The source was a towering, imposing demon, standing at 6 feet 8 inches tall, his skin a deep, blood red; the curator for the arena. He was unnervingly well-dressed, his massive frame clad in a meticulously tailored, charcoal-grey suit that seemed completely out of place against the district's filth.
His own horns curved forward from his powerful jawline, framing a mouth that held a permanent, cynical smirk. He paused, scanning the passing crowd of residents.
No one stopped, no one even seemed interested. With a sigh, the curator adjusted his cuffs and leaned into the microphone again, his voice dropping to a more persuasive pitch.
"However," he continued, his yellow eyes gaining a predatory glint, "if you're feeling especially desperate, or perhaps lucky, consider this proposition: Join the Fights. If you step into the ring and emerge the victor of a fight just one, you earn not just glory or the thrill of battle, but a tangible reward.
You will receive five days of guaranteed shelter and food. So, step up if you think your meagre strength can carry you to victory!"
He let the promise hang for a moment, then added, his tone sharpening with a grim tone: "But know this! This is the Gladiator Ring of the Wrath Region! We pay in full, win or lose. If you lose, there is no second chance. If you lose, you die; that is the only price of defeat."
The cruel tone of the announcement was like a jolt of electricity to the shivering figure in the alley. The teen-like demon slowly, painfully, unfolded his limbs and pushed himself up.
His movements were stiff. He was shorter than most of the passing demons, standing at approximately 5 feet 6 inches with pale skin, golden snake-like eyes, and he looked kinda thin for his height.
He approached the curator, stopping directly beneath the towering demon.
"I would like to join the ring," he stated. His voice was not fearful or pleading; it was flat and even as if he wasn't going into a fight for his life.
The curator slowly looked down at him, his large head tilting in consideration. His gaze was clinical, assessing the boy's slim build, the subtle tremor in his stance, and the clean but clearly recent nature of the scars visible beneath the edge of his snake-skin shirt.
The injuries were closed up, yes, but the pain was still there. Another desperate soul, the curator thought, stifling a yawn and a hint of disdain.
Without a word, he reached into the inner pocket of his suit and withdrew a single piece of parchment.
It was a standard liability waiver written in infernal script, which essentially means that the signatory or their associates understood the terminal risks involved, relinquished all legal claims against the establishment for injury or death, and they entered the arena at their own peril.
"Sign here, little boy," the curator said, offering a pointed pen. "It simply affirms that you know what you are getting into, and that we are not liable for anything that may or may not happen to you."
The teen took the paper and the pen. He quickly read the scroll, making sure there weren't any secret clauses; he just quickly scribbled his signature.
[Kaelen Nightingale]
"Good. Follow the signs through that door to get to the waiting room, and then when you hear your name called, go out umm'k," the curator instructed with a patient tone like he was talking to a child, pointing with his finger toward a heavy, reinforced steel gate beside the stage.
"Welcome to the Gladiator Ring, contestant. Try to make it interesting before you die," he said, like he had rehearsed it before, then ended with a teasing tone, not even hiding the disdain
Kaelen simply nodded, not caring about the disdain from the man, handed back the signed paper, and walked toward the dark, disappearing into the depths of the competitors' staging area.
When he passed, a light washed over him, but he did not notice it because it blended in with the lights of the corridor.
As Kaelen walked down the corridor, following the signs to the waiting room, he arrived to find many demons. Some imps were practising their skills, and some goat demons were fighting over a succubus.
She was looking at her nails but also discreetly checking out the competitors. A large, rock-like demon just sat, head down, waiting for his name. Other demons also waited, minding their own business.
"Hey, the fuck are you looking at, you little punk? You see something you like or don't? I don't give a flying fuck, just look somewhere else, you shit face," an imp hissed. Seeing a pale teen looking at him, the imp grew agitated and approached, trying to scare the kid off to reduce his own competition.
"Hey, leave the kid alone, little imp. He looks weak; he'll most likely die when he enters the ring, so let's let him have a somewhat peaceful rest of his life," the succubus interjected. She walked over to the imp and the pale teen.
The two goat demons, who were angered that the attractive succubus had left to protect another male, also approached, though they intended to harm the teen, not help.
"Thank you, ma'am, but I don't need your help," Kaelen stated. After saying that, his snake tail wrapped around the little imp's throat, pulling him close to his mouth. His canines grew and bit into the imp, which struggled with his golden eye glowing.
Kaelen used his arm to help keep the imp still until it stopped moving. He then released it, and it fell to the floor. The other demons looked surprised, but some, aware of the imps' trickery, just waited for the teen's downfall, and the 2 goat demons just backed away, not wanting to die over a sluty succubus.
As Kaelen walked away to find a place to sit and wait to be called, he sensed something and lashed out with his tail, but it missed.
"HAAAAA take this, you fucking brat, die, die, die, die, HAHAHAHAHA!" The imp, now wielding a knife, lunged at Kaelen. Just as he was about to be hit, Kaelen extended his claws and moved so that the knife would only hit his shoulder, while his claws would hit the imp's centre mass, or his chest, for dummies, a fatal strike.
However, before either attack could land, the succubus stopped both with her bare hands, leaving both the imp and Kaelen in shock.
She said, "Now, now, my darlings, leave this for the ring. My Moth- ahem, boss would not be happy with me if I just let the contenders cause trouble or die before getting to the ring."
The imp still looked on in shock even after being dropped to the ground. Kaelen now understood why she wanted to help him; she was an employee of the Gladiator Ring. Realising this, he tried to pull his hand out, but it wouldn't budge. Seeing that she let the imp go, he wondered why she wouldn't release him.
"You little one, I will be betting on you, after seeing that trick you pulled." After saying that, she leaned in very, very close, having her hands over the teen's neck, but she was 5 inches taller than him, so it was a little weird, but it was to ensure only he heard what she was about to say.
"So if you even think about fucking losing, I will save you from death, then give myself a dick or get the biggest dildo I can find and fuck your asshole up so bad that even when you're dead from the fucking they can still see your insides, ok?" she said with a deadly but beautiful smile and a cheerful tone, making it even stranger.
Kaelen simply looked at her and replied curtly, "Understood."
"Perfect, now I will give you some time to rest up. You will be going last, so have fun," she said loud enough for every other demon to hear in a pleasant tone as she walked away.
When the demons heard what she said, they all looked at Kaelen with anger, but they wouldn't or more accurately couldn't do shit because after she left, other guards arrived.
They could only glare at Kaelen, but he looked unfazed and sat down to rest, for while he appeared undisturbed by her words, he was shaken deep down.
Kaelen leaned back against the cold stone wall, his gaze fixed distantly on the commotion of the waiting room, yet seeing none of it.
The previous level shock from the succubus's threat had faded for Kaelen.
But for the rest of the demons, a layer of cold calculation went through some of the smarter demons, and rage, shame, lust, and fear from the less intelligent demons.
He saw the look of pure, undiluted anger coming from the other demons, especially the two goat demons and the imp, who was now being tended to by a fellow low-life, his face pale with humiliation and fear. They saw him as a favoured contender, a target, perhaps even a potential meal, given the nature of this place.
'Favoured.' The thought was bittersweet. It wasn't protection she had offered him, but a transaction that would mostly benefit her. She hadn't saved him from that brawl; she had seen his skill and made her bet, but she did help by giving him some time to rest and make up a few strategies.
The casual brutality of her warning was still disturbing, not because of the nature of the threat itself, Kaelen had faced far worse simply staying on the streets, but because of the feeling that she would completely act upon her threat, that easiness in her voice that she could do it and no one could stop her was scary.
It was a forced promise, made with a pleasant smile, and it chilled him more than any snarl. He had secured a reprieve from dying on the cold streets of the Ira or the region of wrath, only to be bound to a commitment far more terrifying: he could not lose.
Losing meant something far worse than death; even though he had grown up on the streets, he wasn't a demon born from the lust region, or so he thinks, but he wasn't gay or liked it up his ass if it was up to him; anyone who insinuated that would be punished with death, depending on who they were.
He closed his eyes briefly, concentrating on his breathing, the slow in-and-out designed to settle the adrenaline that had spiked with the imp's second attack. The imp had been a fool, predictable and clumsy.
Kaelen's reaction while good, but it had been impulsive, a risk he can't afford to take again. He had wasted energy and drawn unwanted attention.
His strength was not in brawling, but in speed and exploiting openings. The succubus, whoever she was, had seen enough to single him out.
'Why me?' His appearance certainly didn't scream 'champion.' He was smaller than most, pale, and lacked the massive horns, heavy musculature, or raw demonic energy of the rock-demon and others.
He was a normal demon, maybe even a half-breed, judging by his less-defined features and lack of overt infernal traits beyond his snake tail, pointed horns and growing canines.
But perhaps that was the point. An underdog bet, a dark horse. Or, more likely, she had simply observed his quick ability against the imp, recognising his talent.
The noise of the waiting room, the sharp, metallic sound of the imps' practice weapons, the low, guttural arguing of the goat demons, the occasional heavy sigh of the rock-demon began to filter through his focus. He had been given time. He needed to use it. Not to rest, but to prepare.
He subtly scanned the room, cataloguing the contenders.
The Rock Demon: Immense, slow, like a tank. Target the joints or the head if possible. Likely relies on sheer durability.
The Goat Demons: Fast, horned, probably fighters who rely on charges and grappling. Need to stay out of their close-quarters range.
The Imps: Small, quick, unpredictable, often sneaky and relying on cheap tricks or poison. Low durability.
Other demons: Some have fire, others with water, and unknown elements. Be careful and keep a distance till finding a clean hit.
Conserve: The succubus had made him the last combatant. This meant he would fight potentially injured people or fresh opponents who had just witnessed the brutality of the fights before him. Either way, he had the advantage of watching their styles.
Finally, get to that room and have peace for 5 days: His ultimate goal remained unchanged, but the stakes had been drastically escalated. He wasn't just fighting for his life and comfort anymore; he was fighting to avoid the succubus's personalised attention.
The guards began to move, their heavy armour scraping against the stone floor, signalling the start of the events. The first name was called, a deep sound booming through the speakers. The tension in the room instantly heightened.
Kaelen lay back on the cold wall, letting the chill seep into his skin, then into his bones, then into his blood, and finally into his core, his heart, looking at the TV screen as he watched the fight between a small ash Imp with small wings, horns on his forehead and tail and a tall, muscular fire demon with long horns coming from his jaw and a tail with a spike on the end.
- The First Fight of the Night -
The atmosphere in the arena was thick with anticipation. Above the roar of the crowd, the announcer's voice boomed, amplified by magic:
"Ladies and gentlemen, lesser demons and devils, welcome to the main event! Prepare yourselves for the first fight of the night, a dance of destruction! In the red corner, we have the fiery tempest, the blazing terror, the unstoppable force: The Burning Scourge!"
A wave of intense heat radiated from the centre of the ring as the fire demon entered, its grin catching the light.
"And in the opposing corner, the silent storm, the ethereal menace, the master of dust and shadow: The Ash Wraith!"
The crowd's excitement spiked as the ash imp took centre stage.
In the ring, the Ash Wraith turned his wings into ash, the fine, grey powder erupting and letting it spread out in a 5-meter radius.
"A clever opening move from the Ash Wraith! Establishing his advantage by creating a defensive perimeter of ash! The Scourge will have to get through the cloud to close the distance!" The Announcer said, giving a bowing announcement to the crowd
The Burning Scourge just let its hands, tail, and teeth catch on fire, the flames burning with a blazing intensity, and rushed toward the imp.
"With no hesitation from the Burning Scourge! He engulfs himself in fire, turning his body into a weapon of fire! The heat should be enough to repel the ash!"
The fire demon bellowed a challenge: "Face me, shadow!"
The imp, seeing this, turned his whole body to ash and dodged the attack, reforming a meter away.
"Incredible! A complete dematerialisation! The Ash Wraith is turning himself into the element! The Scourge's charge was utterly and completely useless!" the announcer said in a teasing tone as he called the charge useless.
The imp then tried to send the ash into the fire demon's body.
"The Ash Wraith seeks to suffocate his opponent! A brilliant strategy to extinguish the internal flame of his opponent, thus extinguishing the external flame!" the announcer said with growing excitement.
But the fire demon just let out a ring of flames to stop it, creating a brief, explosive shield. "Not a chance!" he roared, and then he rushed towards the imp again. As he was rushing towards him, he sent out a fireball.
"What speed! What power! The Scourge unleashes a projectile, forcing the Wraith to commit!" the announcer shouted, leaning into the microphone.
While the imp tried to move, it had its arm hit and started to drip black blood, and it yelled out in pain.
"Agh fuck! Damn you! That fucking burns you, pile of shit!" and then brought back the ash, forming them back into wings and flew up.
"A direct hit! Blood on the floor! That's the first wound of the match! The crowd is going wild, folks! The Ash Wraith is injured but retreating to the skies!" the announcer declared, milking the audience's reaction.
While all this was happening, the crowd was screaming, excited by the fight and even more by the blood.
"Did you see that hit?!" a woman shrieked, her voice filled with glee at the pain of the imp.
"More! Give us more!" a deep voice bellowed from an older fire demon from the stands.
"He's bleeding! Look at the blood spray out! Get him, you beast! Get him!" The cries mixed into an ecstatic, unified roar as the crimson liquid hit the sand.
"My coin's on the Burning Scourge! Finish him!"
"He's tiring out! Exploit the weakness, fool!" a man roared, shaking his fist, being one of the few cheering for the imp.
Seeing the crowd happy, the fire demon extinguished the flames on his tail and teeth, and then engulfed both his arms in flames and went back towards the imp. He looked up and mocked: "Come down and fight, you fucking pussy!"
"The Burning Scourge is focused, preparing his next assault! The aerial advantage belongs to the Ash Wraith, but for how long?" the announcer questioned dramatically.
Seeing this, the imp felt fear for its life and ran away. "This isn't over yet!" he muttered under his breath, and the cat and mouse game started with the fire demon sometimes hitting the imp, but also getting some ash in its lungs.
"A high-stakes pursuit! The Scourge lands a glancing blow, but watch out! He's inhaling the Ash Wraith's well ashes! That could come to bite him in the ass later on!" the announcer warned, his voice low with suspense.
As the imp started to get tired, it made a final battle cry, turning around and running towards the fire demon, yelling: "I'm done running! Come and get me, you pile of shit!"
"A desperate move! Is this his final charge, or a calculated strategy?!" the announcer yelled, his voice cracking with anticipation.
Seeing this, the fire demon had a big smile on its face and taunted the imp: "Is that all you've got? Come on! I'll roast you alive, you fucking weakling!" and ran even faster, even though it was also tired, but what it did not expect was the ash from its flames turning on him and stabbing him in the chest and making him bleed.
"Unbelievable! The Scourge's own flames have betrayed him! The Ash Wraith used the ash from the Burning Scourge's own flames to hit him! Now he's wounded and bleeding!" the announcer screamed in shock.
But still kept moving because he was almost about to kill the imp, shouting: "I've got you now! Die! Just a little more!"
But the unexpected happened, the ash in his lungs turned thick, not letting him breathe, and the fire from his arms went out, and then he fell, gasping for air.
"He's down! The ash has solidified in his lungs! The Burning Scourge is suffocating! His fire is out! This is the end!" the announcer proclaimed with a solemn tone.
The imp, seeing that its plan worked, extended its claws and stabbed the fire demon's heart, which is its core, for all its demonic energy, and the fire demon died. The imp pulled his claws out and whispered. "Never underestimate the aah you shit face, now you're fucking dead you ass."
"It's over! The Ash Wraith has done the impossible! The crowd is on its feet! What a devastating victory with trixes and stratagy!" the announcer shouted, his voice booming over the crowd.
Seeing the twist, the crowd went wild, screaming and cheering, shouting: "What a match! Unbelievable! An absolute masterpiece of a fight!"
"And that concludes the first match! The next contenders are being prepared! Place your bets now!" the announcer said, grinning at the microphone.
But it's not like the imp was unscathed. The arm that got hit was burnt to a crisp. The fire demon kept firing at it, and it had other small burns on its front and sides, but 3 big ones on its back, and it won and went to a resting station.
- In the Waiting room, Kaelen POV -
Seeing how the imp won, I thought deeply about how to make the next fight better for me. That little imp's victory, based purely on strategy and exploiting his opponent's weakness like his arrogance and element, was an important lesson.
I realised that while I don't know the full extent of my own demonic abilities, like what element I may have or if it may be something else, I still have the tools I was born with. I still have my snake tail, my sharp horns, my lethal claws, my crushing teeth, and, most importantly, my brain.
My physical attributes give me options: the tail for speed, balance and and a little range, the horns for gorey headbuts, the claws for tearing, and the teeth for a decisive bite when close or to give them a scare. But against a stronger foe, or one with a powerful elemental attack like that fire demon, relying only on brute force is idiocy.
I will need to make a solid strategy for whoever I am facing next. It won't be enough to just rush in. I have to study my opponent, find a weakness in their abilities/technique or just themselves, like arrogance in their approach, just like the imp used the ash from the fire demon's flames.
I need to use the environment, and every inch of my physical form, to my advantage. My brain is my most formidable weapon, and I will use it to make as many tactics that will guarantee my survival and victory.
[End of chapter, please support me on Patreon to get early chapters, and have a blessed or wonderful day/night. This is my first novel, so please give comments to help me get better.]