At the time, she had not known. Her consciousness was developing, her intelligence infantile, and she had not yet understood the concept of ‘self’ or ‘identity’ or ‘desire.’
Things were simpler, all those years ago, when her only desires were ‘food’ and ‘sex.’ In those years as a young named nightmare, she desired little else, and soon, in between ransacking villages and abducting male and female alike to sate her desires, a stroke of chance, a random mutation occurred. The ability to understand, perhaps, that ultimately, all creatures, nightmare and Alamirian alike, desired simply those two things.
All struggles and all pursuits were after those two things. All wars and all stories. All fables and all legends. Life itself was only made possible or sustained through those two simple desires: ‘food’ and ‘sex.’
Take away food and all creatures perished. Take away sex and no creatures were born, thus all creatures perished still.
It was clear, upon meeting him, that he was like all creatures. He desired those two things. The first, she had given willingly. The passion and fervor at which he desired the first told her that he had been deprived of it for a long time. The words he uttered, she remembered, however fuzzy and conflicting it was to have memories of events that both did and did not happen, told her that at his core, he was not like the rest.
He had fears. He understood his limitations. He was vengeful, petty, arrogant, headstrong. He simultaneously believed himself to be strong and to be weak. He desired death yet so very desperately he clung to life.
He was as his name, and as his power. Duality – two contradicting natures.
Yet, he was simple. He was innocent. Almost childlike. He believed her words, without doubt, or hesitation. It was a shame. Alas, he was young. She knew he could not have lived for perhaps a century – no, not even half of that. In several ways, he gleamed with intelligence, but ultimately, his weakness, she knew, was the same as many a man.
She had two different memories of the day. In one, he had been present, sitting in her Quarters all day, reading and pouring over book upon book. In another, he had ordered Onna to bite off her fingers, and redecorated the entirety of Fort Zyvar to be complete with streets of gold and his golem soldiers.
Both of those two things had happened, as Fort Zyvar was as she remembered it, with streets of gold, and her books had laid on her table, so he had been there, reading through them.
In the memories she had of him taking Onna with him into the forest, she assumed he was merely of to indulge in more sex. He seemed the type. When he had not returned for several hours, she knew then that something had gone wrong.
Then, in the memories she had of him being with her all through the day, pouring of her books, he admitted having gone to fight Giggles.
“The child!”
Had he truly, somehow, believed himself capable of handling Giggles alone? Had he not known, that he was to face an Elder One like herself?
It was fine, she realized. Fortunately for her, he had not realized the true extent of their contract. Of what it meant for her to fully subjugate herself underneath his rule. He was her Master, from now till death, and she, his slave.
For a simple exchange, a Demiurge was forever bound to her, and she, bound to him. Oh, surely, he must have believed that her slavery was to his benefit, but he was wrong. In truth, he offered to her far, far more than what she offered to him.
A fully realized Demiurge was a true horror to witness.
She shuddered, the memories coming back to her. He had been everything Janus was not, and at the same time, everything he was. She banished aside the memories, making her way, instead, singlehandedly to the spot where she knew she would find him.
Thus, at the entrance to Krvavi Lagoon, her lips opened.
“Under the authority of my Master, Demiurge Janus, I command you –”
She lied, when she told him she could not fully utilize the words of the Mothertongue.
Dismantle.Domain(Krvavi_Lagoon) = True
“Dismantle.”
[Recognizing Command Prompt…]
[Analyzing…]
[Checking Authorization Level…]
[Authorization Found.]
[Demiurge: Janus]
[Command Authorized.]
Reality shuddered as the order came to be in existence. Her Master, sadly, did not understand the true merit of the power he wielded. There was satisfaction in rending aside the troublesome barriers holding Krvavi Lagoon, and sauntering her way, straight within it.
“How many years has it been, lovelorn one?”
Giggles stood atop the motionless lake, four hooves, half-man half-horse. With his right hand, he stroked down his braided beard, hollow eyes trailing her movements. He was as she remembered, aged, old, humorless. The being destined to see the final laugh had not always been this way. No, he had not. She remembered him, in the several centuries past, filled with ambition, passion, humor. Every word he uttered would never fail to elicit a smile, every action he made would bring her to laughter.
She disregarded the memories. “Where are they?”
“Lovelorn one, has it been a hundred years? Two hundred?”
She pressed her lips. “Where are my darlings?”
“Hundreds of years past, and you send your new pet Demiurge to take my Domain. Did you believe this one that weak, or did you believe the humorless one to be that strong?”
“Janus is a Demiurge. You know how powerful they can be.”
“Yet, the humorless one did not fight like a Demiurge. Did not act like a Demiurge. This one expected another Morpheus, instead, this one got an overconfident fool. He was weak, lovelorn one. For a Demiurge to be so weak – truly, it is a joke this one will not soon forget.”
“Where. Is. He?”
“Gone, lovelorn one.”
“Do not play games
