"Rab, I am listening." Sirius intoned, pacing back and forth around the wide space of his gilded room.

He was barefoot.

Luna, Sirius's now official lover, was with him, sitting on the edge of his bed, looking at how anxiousness was oozing out from her lover.

She smiled, finding it quite a novel feeling.

She was no longer wearing her maid dress. Instead, a simple robe that barely reached her knees framed her sinful, curvy body. It was sleeveless, off-shoulder, colored in the favorite color of Sirius. Blue.

She crossed her legs atop each other, her two palms behind her as she leaned on them, watching the First Prince with a faint smile.

If Sirius was not so focused, he would have noticed that Luna wore nothing to hide her private place.

That would not surprise him. Luna had a weird kind of kink.

"Can I hear him, too?" Luna asked, interrupting Sirius in his reckless pacing.

He halted his steps at her voice, then craned his neck to spare her a glance.

Their eyes were transfixed together before Sirius strode toward Luna, his steps suddenly eerily steady. Approaching her, he squatted down in front of Luna, then rested his head on her lap.

Luna's smile blossomed like a well-nurtured flower. She shifted her legs so that Sirius could be more comfortable. Next, she straightened herself and began to caress his hair.

A soft and comfortable silence followed, broken only by the sharp nails of Luna creaking against Sirius's scalp.

He loved the sensation so much.

Then a voice echoed.

"Master," Rab said, its voice like the snarl of a fox and at the same time the huff of a boar. It was bizarre.

"Southeast, in the depths of the Pit of Flesh. That's our destination," the parasite continued.

Both Luna and Sirius creased their eyebrows in unison. The destination was far away. They were in the north, and they were supposed to go all the way to the southeast?

"What is there?" Sirius asked, turning his body so that his back was between Luna's legs. "And what even are you, Rab?"

"Since the beginning, you have said nothing about yourself. That makes me unaware of who you are. And that, I don't quite fancy, darling."

"You are a parasite, okay. You give me power, okay. But what are you first?"

Sirius's voice was edged with something dangerous.

"Something compelled me to unconsciously accept you. As strange as it might seem, my mind was too muddled to ponder. But now, I need answers before going."

The First Prince liked adventure, but not to walk in complete blindness. At the very least, he needed to know the thing that lived inside him before taking a step out of his empire.

Rab fell silent. Suddenly, Sirius's forehead began to wiggle and twist. Next, the flesh tore open, letting out a small blue slimy creature.

Luna watched with open displeasure at the sight. She never liked the parasite.

Maybe because it was suspicious. Or maybe simply because it lived inside her prince, something she would have killed to have the power to do.

The two lovers changed their positions. They stood up, letting Rab rest on the bed, while they watched it.

Rab seemed to take a deep breath — a weird sight — before speaking once more.

"You are right," Rab said. "You need to know who I am to be ready for what's about to come."

Luna and Sirius said nothing, listening.

"There are many ways, many names I can use to describe myself. And one of them I already told you, master."

Sirius arched his left eyebrow.

"I am a being created by the sins of all that exist," it continued. Somehow, its body was shining.

"I live in the deepest part of the world, in a place few have set foot in. And even fewer have managed to escape without losing themselves."

"I did not tell you my name, for telling it meant binding myself to you. Names have power, master. That sentence is even more true for us."

Sirius was getting impatient. Yet he smiled crookedly, feeling the approach of a huge reveal.

"Tell me, Rab," he urged.

"Of course, I will, master," Rab said, then paused. Next,

"I have been betrayed by my own kind, by my own subordinates. Thus, I became the one standing in front of you."

"But before all of this, I am one of the Original demons, among the oldest and strongest."

SSHHH—!

Sirius and Luna's eyes widened. An invisible power erupted from the parasite, coating the whole chamber.

"I am Duke Agares, the Demon of Ancient Tongues."

The room quivered, the power descending upon the two lovers like a fall from heaven. Their chests tightened, breathing becoming a luxury they could barely afford.

Luna's knees buckled, about to kiss the floor, only to be held by Sirius. The First Prince stood there, his blue moon-like eyes shining with cold luster.

His back was hunched, but not for long. With creaking intensity, Sirius forcefully stood tall under the crushing pressure.

His back nearly broke. His teeth were ground to dust. Blood was trickling down from his nose and lips.

He didn't care.

None shall make him bow his head.

He could bow for family. But never in the face of power.

"So," Sirius whispered, covering Luna with his power to protect her, "that's who you are. A demon?"

"I thought they didn't exist."

"We are the least surprising thing in these worlds."

Sirius and Luna said nothing.

The parasite, a fragment of Agares's rotting corpse, nodded next. "Now you know who I am. And I bind myself to you, Sirius Asterion. I will give you my obedience, respect, and power. I will guide you toward your destiny."

"In exchange, follow me to the Demon Realm."

At that instant, one could almost hear the sound of a wheel turning. Slow at first, then speeding up.

"And bring me back to my former glory," Agares finished.

The turning wheel went faster, but still awkwardly. The cogs were all in place, except one important one.

Sirius stood there, watching and listening. He could feel a power rolling outward from Agares. A power that was slowly covering him up, waiting only for his word to enter deep inside.

Names were power, the demon had said.

Sirius understood now why.

He lowered his head and looked at Luna. She was also looking at him.

Their eyes were transfixed on each other. No words came out. Yet all was said.

Luna clenched his hand, making her lover smile.

Sirius turned his attention back to Agares, his face splitting into a sharp smile.

"I accept," he said.

There was no turning back now.

Immediately, the power seeped deep inside him. At the back of his right hand, a sigil began to be etched.

Finally, the Wheel began to turn more swiftly, smoother. All cogs were in their place.

And just at that moment…

DING!

The Will chimed.

{You have taken the first step toward your destiny. It is a path of no return, O Child of the Moon.}

{You are born from the First Celeste, the Unsullied One, yet you are walking toward the most impure and wretched of places.}

{Be aware of what you become along this path.}

The Will paused, then…

{You have received a new title.}

{Title: The Demon-Binder.}

{You have bound Agares, the Demon of Ancient Tongues.}

{You have obtained one ability of Agares.}

{Ability: Lost Language of Demons.}

Sirius looked at the words of The Will. He sensed an ominous weight behind them, one that made him uncomfortably shift under his feet.

But then he shook his head, steadying his heart by accepting whatever cost this path would demand. He stared at his new title, then at the ability, before mechanically turning his head toward Agares.

They shared a long silence, then…

"Parei ng niou dem?" Are you ready to go?

Luna and Agares winced at the voice.

For Luna, it was mainly because of how uncomfortable it was to her ears.

Agares winced at Sirius's terrible accent in the demonic language.

"Yes," he nodded next.

"I am ready."

—End of Chapter 373—

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