"She wants you all to herself. But you're mine. All mine, until the day you die."
ㅤㅤNeo woke up in the morning with a sharp inhale, his mismatched eyes popping open as he sat forward, waving frantically at his ears to get rid of the breath he felt there. He shivered, still feeling her hot breath on his neck, her sharp talons digging into his chest. Hugging himself, he stared at the bedsheets, his blurry vision slowly coming into focus as his panic slipped away.
ㅤㅤI'm fine, He thought to himself. This is fine. Just a dream, that's all.
ㅤㅤ"Neo!" A small voice called, making him flinch before Daileth floated up in front of him. "Are you alright?" He asked, worry taking over his expression. "You seemed to be having a rather horrible dream, and I couldn't wake you up - even with magick."
ㅤㅤ"I…" Neo started, looking back down before wiping his forehead. "I thought I heard something… or felt something. I'm not sure…" The more he tried to remember what the voice had said, the harder he found it to keep in his memories.
ㅤㅤDaileth gave him a pained smile. "Neo, I think we need to talk-"
ㅤㅤThe rest of the words were lost as Neo felt a rush of nausea. "Hold that thought," He puffed.
ㅤㅤWith that, he stood up quickly and strode to the bathroom, still feeling as if cold claws were dragging across his skin. He staggered for a moment before shutting the bathroom door behind him, stumbling to the toilet. Flipping open the seat quickly, he fell to his knees and began to throw up what little he had inside. What came out consisted mostly of a strange black substance that burned as it found its way through his system, and seemed to sizzle and squeal in the water.
ㅤㅤNeo finally sat back against the bathtub that multi-purposed as the shower, heaving out heavy breaths and looking at the ceiling. Glancing at the toilet, he grimaced, unsure what could have happened to make it look so strange. Shutting the seat with a clatter, he flushed it, climbing to his feet and heading towards the sink. He turned on the water, checking his shirt for stains from the excess before taking it off.
ㅤㅤHe had been washing his hands and face when he noticed something in the mirror. He paused, glancing up, staring at a black mark on his chest. Leaning in closer, he felt along the line, narrowing his eyebrows. He started washing it, hoping it would come off, but it seemed to almost be under his skin like a vein. Grimacing, he dried himself off, put back on his shirt, and warily exited the bathroom.
ㅤㅤWhat surprised him was not just the fact that a breakfast was set on his bedside table, but Raemith was sitting on the couch at the end of his bed as well. The breakfast consisted of strawberry sauce drizzled French toast and whipped cream on top of it. The half-demon stood up as soon as he saw him, smiling before his nose scrunched up and he wafted in front of his face with his hand.
ㅤㅤ"Damn, mate," Raemith huffed. "Ya smell rather strange, my friend. Like, very strange, an' almost kinda gross. What did ya do, roll around in dead skunks?"
ㅤㅤNeo grimaced in his direction, almost immediately upset at the sight of him. "Yeah, whatever," He hissed, striding towards the bed and sitting down. "Get out."
ㅤㅤ"Neo!" Daileth called, floating up in front of him. "I asked Raemith to be here - he knows a lot more about demons and devils than I do, and he even brought you food as a peace offering."
ㅤㅤThe bodyguard frowned. "What does devils and demons have to do with anything?"
ㅤㅤ"Well, ah…" The pixie hummed, frowning as he turned to Raemith for help.
ㅤㅤ"Your little friend told me ye were called Tainted by the Nameless," The hybrid said, sitting back down on the couch. "And asked if Oi could help explain that to ya."
ㅤㅤNeo still glared at him before grabbing the plate on his table and crossing his legs, facing Raemith as he motioned with one hand. "Well, go ahead."
ㅤㅤThe demon leaned on the back of the couch, facing him as well with a toothy grin. "Well, ya see, a Tainted is a simple thing - they are a human, normal human, that has been touched by a devil."
ㅤㅤ"Sounds easy enough," The bodyguard hummed, cutting into the toast and sticking a bite in his mouth.
ㅤㅤ"Not… really," Daileth frowned. "Devils aren't normally the same as demons - see, demons can have a master, who is usually a witch. Devils rather go for warlocks, where they form a pact instead."
ㅤㅤNeo raised an eyebrow. "What's the difference?"
ㅤㅤ"Witches are kind," He continued. "Warlocks… are the direct opposite."
ㅤㅤ"So one's evil, the other's good," The bodyguard said.
ㅤㅤ"Exactly!" Raemith was still smiling. "And that means, you've been touched by evil. Pure and simple. The pacts are different from masters - pacts are more like partners in crime, while masters of demons don't usually need that."
ㅤㅤ"Also," Daileth went on. "Demons are usually summoned, while devils don't always need a summoning circle. That being said, demons don't need a summoning circle either all the time, but it is much harder for them to get to the surface world than devils."
ㅤㅤ"Alright," Neo hummed, stuffing another bite in his mouth and speaking around it. "I've been touched by a devil. Thanks for telling me, but what does it mean?"
ㅤㅤ"Well," Raemith hummed, frowning as he shared a glance with the pixie. "It means a lot of things. Normal demons don't like you, nobody else in the world has your curse, and you have those abilities because of the devil which laid his or her touch on you."
ㅤㅤ"Cool," Neo shrugged. "That all?" The two looked nervous momentarily. "What? Tell me - it's not like I'm dying." They said nothing. Neo paused mid bite. "I'm not dying, right?"
ㅤㅤDaileth mused carefully. "Not exactly," He said. "You just… have a shorter life span."
ㅤㅤThe bodyguard placed his fork back on the plate, glowering. "How short?"
ㅤㅤ"Forty, fifty years?" Raemith shrugged lightly.
ㅤㅤ"Left or in total?" Neo demanded sharply.
ㅤㅤ"In total…" The pixie said softly.
ㅤㅤNeo was shocked into silence - but only for a moment before he glared. "And I'm only just now told about this?!" He exploded, picking the plate off his lap and laying it on the bed. "What the hells?!"
ㅤㅤ"I'm sorry!" Daileth squeaked, appearing ready to cry. "I didn't want you to worry needlessly, a-and you seemed to be doing so well! I thought maybe the curse wasn't that important, or maybe it didn't affect you very much, but it appears bringing you back to life has maybe…" He froze in his fluttering about.
ㅤㅤ"Maybe what?" Neo hissed.
ㅤㅤ"Sped up the process?" Raemith said slowly.
ㅤㅤ"So I have less than twenty years left?!" He slid off his bed to stand up.
ㅤㅤ"We don't know that!" Daileth pleaded. "Perhaps it didn't! Perhaps you're fine, and you're just feeling the aftermath of death! This could happen to anyone! We don't know, because no one has been brought back in the records like that-"
ㅤㅤNeo strode across the room, opening the door and standing to the side. "Out," He ordered the two.
ㅤㅤRaemith got to his feet. "Neo, mate-"
ㅤㅤ"Get out!" He said louder, black tendrils growing across his gloves as he shouted.
ㅤㅤDaileth yelped and sped out of the room, while Raemith glanced at Neo's hands. He seemed suspicious, but the look on Neo's face was apparently terrifying enough to make him slip out of the room. Neo slammed the door shut, locking it quickly and leaning against the wall. He sighed as he looked at his hands, where the tendrils dispersed in black shadows. It only brought forth from him a quiet mumble.
ㅤㅤ"What the fuck is happening to me…"