" That."
Darzirak pointed at Little One and Little One instantly started squealing, happy with the sudden attention as he rolled around the bed.
" Why is the baby all alone in a room with you?"
Joey questioned with an accusing, fearful tone as he stare at Darzirak with wide eyes.
" WHO THE HELL IN THE RIGHT MIND WOULD LEAVE A BABY WITH DEMON?!!"
Joey's mind screamed demanding the answer as his lips locked shut, knowing better than to be rude towards High Lord Darzirak, whisperer of nightmares, creator of dreams, Master of the fourth level of hell. For without envy there wouldn't be jealousy nor greed. Without turning green in envy of what one doesn't have, one can't be jealous of something that lack of and can't open the vacuum of greed.
A situation can occur without the others. Jealousy can happen without envy or greed but just as the storm clouds can occur without rain and lighting, doesn't mean that rain and lighting aren't apart of it. Envy is like the water within rain, a powerful magnet that draws the storm clouds and the lighting. A factor that has the highest rates to cause an effect if enough time is supplied.
Just like lighting is unable to strike multiple times on its own, no other demon can stand long against Darzirak when it comes to greed or jealousy and especially Envy for he made it's building blocks within dreams. If only he stopped chasing his own dreams, then maybe he could have the world at his feet.
[ "How different would the world be? Without the ultimate dream?" ]
Such horrific terror all compact into a little shadow dog, left alone with a toddler in an isolated narrow room. Joey silently moves between Little One and Darzirak, his back protectively shadowing the toddler. His eyes glued to Darzirak as the demon turned his paw into a huge pair of scissors, slowly cutting away at the black fabric in his paws.
The snipping sound echoing throughout the room, sending goosebumps down Joey's arms as his hand hovers over the hilt of his sword. His mind racing, worrying and knowing there was nothing he could possibly do against that demon. If he fought, he would surely lose and if he ran, the demon could teleport. Even though he knew, he still could find it in himself to stand there an watch Darzirak unleash whatever horrific plans he had for the toddler.
" Why is this baby alone here with you?"
Joey repeated and Darzirak stopped cutting. The demon turned and stare at him with those huge blood red eyes. Eyes that saw through Joey's soul and grinned showing all his sharp white teeth. Joey took two steps backwards, his legs hitting the edge of the bed. Little One being close enough finally noticed Joey's tensed body.
" To play, of course."
Darzirak replied as he titled his head.
" Play?...."
Joey wondered and imagined the games a demon would enjoy. The type of play that painted such a gruesome picture that only belonged in the final level of hell. Suddenly something touched Joey's back and he jolted. Spinning around quickly with a drawn sword, in a flash of shadows something leaped at Joey's sword.
" What the hel... HELLO JOEY?!"
Darzirak screamed as he held back Joey's sword shielding it from Little One.
" What is wrong with you?! The helmet you doing drawing a sword at a toddler!"
Darzirak scolded as his paw pushed the blade away and his tail that was wrapped around Little One slowly began to unfurl. Little One squealed in delight as he started pull away at Darzirak's tail.
" The... game you... "
Joey whisper as his voice trembled and gave out.
" Huh? Spies, of course! We are going to spy on Amon's date."
Darzirak grumbled as he showed the black spy mask he made earlier. It took a moment for Joey's mind to finally click, that instant his body lost all strength crumbling to the ground and dropping his sword.
" I almost..."
Joey whisper in horror as he stared at his hands, realising he almost injured Little One or worse just because he let his imagination spook and get the better of him.
" We are going to be the most brilliant spies of all! One for you."
Darzirak announced as he puts the mask on Little One's face.
" Gosh why do you look like a little racoon?"
Darzirak wondered out loud as Little One touched the mask on his face and started laughing out of happiness.
" And one for you."
Darzirak stated as he puts the mask on Joey. Joey touched the mask on his face and looks up at Darzirak in bewilderment.
" Oh! You look like a raccoon too... But a big one."
Darzirak grinned before turning back to Little One's.
" Master Darzirak...I... "
Joey trailed off, he turned away, scrunched up his face as he fisted his hands in anger. Anger at himself.
" The worst demons do not exist in any physical plane ... They exist only in the mind."
Darzirak remind, Joey opened his eyes and turned back to the demon.
" Darzirak is a demon and yet why? Why at the same time, he is not?"
Joey silently wondered to himself before smiling at the demon's back, grateful Darzirak isn't truly or fully one in the standard of hell.
" Alright! Come on now enough horsing around!"
Darzirak declared as he jumped onto Joey's foot. A sharp pain ran through the leg before a quick relief when Darzirak leap onto the bed. Joey bit back a groan and held his foot with both hands. Darzirak without mind, draped Little One over Joey's shoulder. Joey from wrapping his hands around his foot quickly changed to wrapping his hands around Little One. Instantly Joey felt safe, he wondered why for a moment, examining Little One careful and noticing a very thin blue barrier around the toddler.
" A level 1 barrier? I guess it can protect him from small bums but definitely not a fall from the bed. Why have such a weak barrier?"
Joey wondered out loud as Little One studied Joey's face and started touching Joey's nose.
" Cause it has the passive ability that made the protected feel safe."
Darzirak answered as he leaped onto the bookshelf.
" Ah... That makes sense. There's no way any baby would feel safe with such a powerful scary demon. "
Joey nodded with much understanding. Darzirak couldn't help but puff out his chest extremely proud of himself before remembering Little One... didn't fear him at all. For Shayna (Emma's daughter the small gazelle) and Richard (Shayna's best friend the lion) both of them were extremely afraid of Darzirak during their first meeting. Which was why Darzirak had to cast a spell on himself to hide his presence and have been doing that before approaching them ever since but Little One...
Little One... Only felt uncomfortable during their first meeting and after seeing the demon with Amon, Little One treated Darzirak like a fun to pull...toy?... friend? That doesn't return any toy given to it. Which is why whenever Little One plays with Darzirak, he never lets Darzirak touch any of his rock collection, knowing that Darzirak wouldn't return it back. Which made the demon sad, from an intimidating high rank level demon, he has become nothing more than a fun toy to be pulled at for Little One.
" Ah... How the mighty have fallen."
Darzirak muttered softly to himself with his head hung in shame and did a short walk of shame towards the window.
" But then again this is the path I chose. This is the life I want with Little One... With this team and what I want to contribute for this situation."
Darzirak realised before feeling extremely happy with himself.
" Come on, Big Raccoon! Small Raccoon."
Darzirak opened the window allowing a burst of the cold night wind to breeze in.
" We have a mission to accomplish!"
The demon chimed and leaped right out the window. Joey instinctively dashed to the window, sticking his head out and looking down out of shock and worry. He found Darzirak completely fine as the demon scratched himself like a dog.
" Oh, right. He's a demon. "
Joey muttered to himself feeling a little foolish for forgetting.
" Why didn't you use the door?"
Joey questioned as he shifted Little One in his arms, holding the toddler in a more comfortable way.
" Our target will see us coming if we used the stairs."
Darzirak beckons with a waving paw. Joey, tighten his grip on Little One.
Now come on! We are missing all the intel! "
Darzirak urged with a beckening paw. Joey only then noticed the long way down from the window and no ledge or pipe or nearby tree to help him down and on top of that he was carrying Little One.
" Hmm... Seconds thought he might be a true demon after all."
Joey joked with a laugh as he climbed out of the window with one hand holding Little One tightly and the other holding the ledge of the window. With the strength of his muscular arm, he lower himself as far as his arm could stretch before planting his feet against the wall and letting go of the ledge to do a back flip. With ease he lands right on Darzirak using the demon's soft body to softened his landing. Little One squealed in delight at the suddenly backflip.
" Off! Off!"
Darzirak barked before slipping through Joey's feet and moving a distance away from him.
" Why didn't you just use, shadow walk?!"
Darzirak demanded and he laid on his back like it was aching from breaking Joey's landing.
" Ah... I thought I wasn't supposed to use your powers unless it's absolutely necessary. "
Joey titled his head as he tried to calm Little One down and keep the excited squealing to a minimum before someone heard them.
" This is an emergency situation. You are allowed to use all my powers as I see fit. Now shadow blend into the wall and keep Little One from making too much noise. We might be detected before we can even see our target. "
Darzirak grumbled out the last part as he disappeared into the shadows. Joey did the same but the shadow world suddenly rejected the upper half of his body.
" What the?"
Joey wondered for a moment before realising that the shadow world was rejecting Little One. Already seeing Darzirak round the corner and entering the inn through the main entrance, Joey stepped back out of the shadow world and used his shadow to cover himself and Little One. Having no other choice, Joey hunched down keeping to the shadows and walk up to the entrance.
" That's sounds delicious as well."
Amon commented as Aella laughed. Joey noticed Amon and the barmaid, Aella sitting at the table closes to the stairs.
" The whole cook book might become our menu like this."
Aella smiled as Amon laughed at her joke. Joey scanned the rest of the area and noticed Dr Storm slumped in the corner asleep.
" That doesn't sound too bad either!"
Amon grinned as he wrote the words Menu on a piece of parchment and stuck it on the cookbook, showing Aella. Joey quickly sneaks towards Dr Storm, making sure to keep his body low and hidden behind the shadows of the table.
" No! There's now way I can cook that much!"
Aella shook her head as she laughed out her words. Joey placed Little One on Dr Storm's lap using the sleeping doctor's coat to hide the toddler before hiding himself within the Doctor's shadow.
" Why are we spying on Amon?"
Joey silently wondered to himself as he scanned the area once more for Darzirak.
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