All Into Ashes

I\'m Zealik Akyrii, I\'m sixteen years old and live on my own. My family, my lover, and the rest of my pack died when I was 14, I was then adopted by Quarez, King of the Demon Empire and was forced to serve, I fell in love with a human named Johnathan, who soon betrayed me when he was turned into a vampire and raped me. I was then put to some test, leting a demon live inside me to observe the world of the empire, and when all seemed grimn when another madman; Soman; raped me, I had found love in hell. And that love soon happened to burn with the rest of my memories, with my fears. I still hold Pae close to me, to my heart, a small bottle of his ashes as a reminder. I have mercy for no one now, I was captured again to the demon empire and endured a hard year serving, it would have made me more afraid, but no, it made me stronger. It taught me to trust no one but myself, it taught me to have no pity, never since then had I felt passion, love, happiness. Only bitter anger had fed my cold heart, I missed Pae, yes. But he was gone, nothing could change that now at all. Necromancers charged a fee I could never afford, and if I could indeed buy then it would be pointless, they would just reborn a burnt corpse, no one deserved that treatment, living life with scars and endearing pain.
No one but Soman, that\'s why I killed him. He begged for his life as I gripped his throat tightly with my claws, he apologized onto his own grave of everything he did to me, the torment, the torture, the lustful pain he rendered to me. I laughed. I laughed in his face as I killed him, watching him writher to floor, he cursed me, muttered tongues of Satan as he tried to condemn me, it only provoked my laughter. Then I finally escaped, killing anyone and everyone that got in my way of freedom, a few innocent demon slaves, like I cared at all. As I stepped outside, looking at the grey sky, the depressing rain falling onto my face, I couldn\'t help but laugh in the irony of it all. Is this what I had waited for? This darkened world, I travelled on my own. And the world was just as horrid as before, there was no such thing as freedom, demons weren\'t allowed in most towns, and half demons especially into the Demon Night Clubs. Some towns were okay as long as I remained hidden, which made me change my attire. A long, blood red cloak that hid my ears and tail, my fangs were alright, everyone thought they were fake and I was a wannabe. This made me very amused at the time. A year I have lived like this, and I continue my journey, to travel the world, to find a home, to be accepted.
I sat at the Cafe\' table boredly, a claw was twirling around in my drink, the cool ice cube twirling around my finger which made me smile thoughtfully as I looked up around the market place people buzzing around, and there was a crowd at the auctioneer block, some slave being sold off to the highest bidder, I smirked slightly. The weak fool, the slave was whimpering, dressed in rags and crying. It was his own fault, he was clearly part dragon by his horns, his tail, his claws ,and he couldn\'t even attempt an escape? He deserved to be sold off. And even through the crowds he stared straight at me with his sky blue eyes, and suddenly I felt saddened, my eyes grew wide and I stood up, rushing through the crowds.I had to help Daku, we\'d grown apart and not known each other for even a day, but he was still a friend to me, I had to help him.
\"Fine price on this boy, 100 gold, do I hear 150? 125? 175?\" The auctioneer was speaking in the stereotype speed of the sort, bids were heard here and there. \"150!\" A man shouted and I looked through the crowd to see who bid. And to my own coincidental events it was Xakrius..in less then a minute two past figures had found their way to me. And Xakrius looked at me and nodded with a smirk. I clenched my teeth at him, how dare he look at me like that. \'I think he\'ll be a nice toy for me don\'t you think Zealik? He\'d be a good boy.\' Xakrius\' voice rang into my mind as he sent the telepathic voice..
\"Two HUNDRED!\" I yelled angrilly, just in spite of Xakrius, and to save Daku, Daku my little orphan friend I met a while back in Madame Plunne\'s Orphanarium, he was the only one who was friendly to me there, the rest of the children made fun of us, but that was fine, we kept each other company, for the small while it was, I was adopted in less then a day, I never got to say goodbye to him, Quarez didn\'t allow it.
\"TWO SEVENTY FIVE!\" Xakrius yelled out through the loud crowd, he looked at me again with a sneer and I glared ice daggers at him as the crowd gasp at such a high raise of the bid. And he just stood there, as if waiting for me to bid again.
And bid I did. \"THREE FIFTY!\" I shouted at the top of my lungs, and to wonder I had gotten tons of money from my victims, I could afford it, I had no bank accounts or anything of the sorts but it never mattered. I always could burn the hole in my satchel. And I always would.
\"Five Hundred,\" he said in a cold voice. the crowd agape in silence, as did I. Five hundred? I could beat it, but was Xakrius this desperate? Maybe he knew that I knew Daku, and would do this in spite of me, to get back at me for some reason. He could always get under my skin, and for a while he did stay in my body back in the empire.
\"One, Thousand, Gold.\" I said through my clenched teeth, all of my money, I would do anything for Daku, reason being he was the closest thing to family I ever had. Everyone else was gone, maybe I could start my friendship back up with Daku. I mearly smirked now at the look on Xakrius\' face when he knew he was beat, his face untwisted as he nodded solemnly, turning away and walked. A triumphant grin played my face as I heard the one word which ensured my victory. \'SOLD\'. I walked up to the stand and handed the man the gold, taking Daku by the arm and quickly walked away. \"Long time no see, eh kid?\" I asked him with a soft smile.
\"Zealik..\" He whispered, wrapping his arms around my waist and hugged me tightly which made me smile again. I ruffled his hair playfully and stroked one of his horns thoughtfully. \"How ya been?\" he asked, looking up at me with those precious blue eyes.
\"Eh, same old same old.\" I replied with a smirk, my fingers twirling in his raven locks of hair, I was too.. ashamed totell him what I had been through. \"ANd you?\"
\"....It was horrible.\" he said, tears in his eyes as he rested his head on my stomach, I knew he could feel me breathing.. \"The man who adopted me, ...he just whored me off, sold me to his friends for a night, he beat me when he heard that I rebelled against them, I couldn\'t help it! I didn\'t want to be.. to be...\" I could see that he stung him to say such words, and I put my arms around him as we walked. \"..used.\" He finished his sentence as he chose his vocabulary carefully. \"Then he put me off on some freak-show..\" he said, words like acid at every bitter syllable. \"People pulled my tail like before, played rings with my horns.\" He said in coldness. \"I was hardly even fed, and then he- my foster, just sold meoff to the highest bidder, and I ended at the market place, and I saw you, and you looked free, and I thought if I could stay with you.. everything would be okay again.\" He said, he bit his lip as he looked down from me, I could tell he was ashamed as I had been before; and perfeclty still was. \"And that man, who you were bidding against, I was so afraid to what he might do to me, so I\'m glad I ended up with you.\"
\"Freedom isn\'t all what it\'s cracked up to be,\" I replied to him sadly, still holding him in my embrace. \"We\'re still hated for what we are, there\'s no acceptance, but then there is no one to abuse us, sell us off for their enjoyment. That is my definition of freedom.\" I finished, slightly lookinjg up into the sky.
\".....I\'m away from him, and with you, that\'s all I\'m concenred with right now.\" Daku whispered slowly. \"I\'m glad we met again.\" And I nodded to his statement. It was good, I had been alone and on my own so long I forgot what it was like to have companionship. Forgot what it was like to ...feel.
\"I would assume you need rest?\" I asked with a coy grin, as if teasing him for being so tired as he leaned against me. He didn\'t catch the joke, took it innocently and nodded. \"We can set up camp then.\" I said as we had been walking through the forest, and I found the perfect spot, a little encircled area, with wood already stacked I assumed it was a previous camp, less work for me then.
He helped me set up camp, I had travelled with the neccisaries for doing so, and I layed out a large sleeping bag (which was usually for myself, but big enough for two) and slipped off my large cloak, and wagged my tail playfully as it tickled Daku, and he giggled like a small boy, but he had aged ,he looked about fourteen now, his sky bright blue eyes made him look more childish, and I did not set a fire, I was still deathly afraid of the thing, that\'s a funny thing that never changed about me, my fear of fire, but I had someone with me this time, a reason. So tonight I was not afraid as he light the fire with his breath, I smiled at his talent and curled up into a ball like dogs usually sleep, and he curled with me, his head rested on my neck. I looked through the fire, not afraid as I held him closer to me. \"I\'m glad I found you, Daku.\" I whispered in his ear. But he was already asleep, and I too as the hour passed. And for one day in my life, I was actually happy.

Chapter 6: end.