My eyelids fluttered as the murky haze of sleep began to lift. I stretched, expecting to feel the familiar cool sheets of the quarters against my skin. Instead, my fingers brushed against something rougher, something wholly unfamiliar. I bolted upright, my heart pounding in my chest, threatening to escape. The room around was dimly lit, casting long shadows that danced eerily on the walls.
On instinct I to reach for the sides of the furniture to turn on the lamp that usually sat by the bedside, but my hands grasped at empty air. The small table beside my bed, where I usually kept it, was missing. my breath quickened as I scanned the room. 'This wasn't my room.' I thought as I squinted to look around. It wasn’t even part of my living quarters.
The walls were metallic, and the air smelled faintly of oil and something else I couldn’t quite place—sterile, almost antiseptic. The bed I had been lying on was narrow, with a thin, scratchy blanket. There was a single door on the far side of the room, and no windows. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up, feeling a slight dizziness as I did.
My mind raced, trying to piece together what had happened. The last thing I remembered was… a shiver ran down my spine as I recalled everything that had happened.
I looked moved cautiously toward the door, my bare feet padding softly on the cold metal floor. It slid open silently as I approached, revealing a long corridor lit by dim overhead lights. I stopped, listening for any sounds that might indicate where I was or who had brought me here. I took a step out of the door, looking at the long corridor in front of me before I decided it was not worth it and went back inside.
*
I had become accustomed to the silence that enveloped the old manor at night. Tonight, however, something felt different. The air was thick with an otherworldly presence, a sensation that prickled my skin and set my heart racing. I laid in her bed, wide awake, staring at the intricate patterns carved into the ceiling, when a soft, almost imperceptible rustling drew my attention. It was something I had come to do in my free time. The servants come with food, I get myself cleaned up and then go back to staring into space.
I sat up, scanning the room, I looked out the window it was not yet time for a meal.
The shadows in the corners seemed to shift and twist, forming a shape that gradually became more distinct. A figure emerged from the darkness, small and lithe, with an aura that radiated both power and subservience. I suddenly could not breathe as my breath was caught in my throat.
"Who are you?" I demanded, I asked with a steady voice despite the fear that knotted in my stomach.
The creature stepped forward into a beam of moonlight. He was barely four feet tall, with skin the color of smoldering coals and eyes that glowed like embers. Small, curved horns protruded from his forehead, and a pair of leathery wings were folded neatly against his back. He bowed deeply, his movements fluid and respectful.
"I am Kharon, my lady," he said in a voice that was surprisingly soft and melodic. "I am your personal servant, bound to you by a pact sealed in the depths of the Abyss."
I blinked, my mind racing to comprehend the situation. "A servant? Bound to me? I don't understand. How did you end up here?" I said looking around. The servants usually brought the food through a door and they looked… well.. more humany than this one.
Kharon straightened, his eyes meeting mine with a bit of confusion." I am sorry my lady, I thought his grace would have told you about..”
He looked at my face perhaps seeing how much I was in fear so he decided to use another different method. “I used to be human, just like you,” he said giving a sad smile
That seemed to ease me up a bit as I felt my muscles relax.
I motioned for him to continue, my curiosity up despite the unease that lingered in her chest.
"I was once a mortal man," Kharon began, his gaze distant as if recalling a memory from a lifetime ago. "In a small village, far from the reach of great kingdoms and mighty lords, I lived a humble life. I was in love with a woman named Elara, a beauty whose grace was unmatched. We were to be wed, but fate had other plans."
He paused, the pain of the past evident in his expression he had somehow forgotten himself and moved to sit on the bed. "Elara fell gravely ill. The healers could do nothing, and I was desperate. In my despair, I sought out forbidden knowledge and discovered the dark arts. I learned of a ritual that could save her, but it required a sacrifice – a soul offered to the king of Hell. I was desperate and I could not let her die, so I did it"
my eyes widened involuntarily "Sacrificed your soul?"
Kharon nodded solemnly. "I did. I performed the ritual, offering my own soul in exchange for her life. I had to. She was with child, my child. The demon who answered my call was amused by my desperation and accepted the pact. Elara was saved, but I was damned. My soul was torn from my body and cast into the Abyss, where I was transformed into what you see before you."
"elara? Did she not look for you when you were not there? Did she live long?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes, my lady, she did. Although I did not expect that she would marry my best friend a week after I had departed and then I realised that my sacrifice was for nothing." Kharon replied, his face looking sadder than the last few seconds
I took in a deep breath trying to process the weight of what I just found out and looked at kharon not seeing him as a demon but given everything for love.
"I... I don't know what to say, "I admitted "I am so sorry you had to go through that."
Kharon bowed his head. "Its fine, I have had a few thousand years to get over it,” he said smiling at me at least tried to but it just came out as him flashing his fangs at me but this time, I was not fazed, not even in the least. “ I just wanted you to know that I am not a monster and you need not be scared of me. I am here to serve and assist you in any way I can. You need only command it."
I nodded slowly. "Thank you, Kharon. I appreciate you telling me this. But, I still need sometime processing having a servant and all."
Kharon inclined his head respectfully. "As you wish, my lady. I will be nearby should you need anything."
With that, he stepped back into the shadows, his form blending seamlessly with the darkness until he was gone. I lay back down, my mind awhirl with thoughts of the demon. Sleep, when it finally came, it was filled with darkness only this time, it was not overly bleak a man with the most attractive eyes and muscles was in it.