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"Your mind is drifting again Juh'ra, what is it that weights on your mind this time?" Asked Kalam, his deep voice sending shivers down Juh'ra's back.

"It is nothing of importance, my lord," The orc was quick to reply, his throat burning with the half lie.

Kalam's fangs flashed under the purple light of the candelabra, each tip looking sharp enough to pierce metal with ease. A large finger pointed towards the table, where upon a board crimson pieces outnumbered marble ones three to one.

"I don't think so. I remember you being a much better player than this. You even won at times."

Acid burned at the back of the former king's throat and a sour taste spread through his mouth. His legs trembled under him, hidden by the circular table, though Juh'ra doubted anything could be hidden from the demon in his home. The orc gulped, his voice coming out with clear strain. "I wouldn't want to impose on your kindness my lord, surely you have more important matters to worry about."

"I'll be the one to decide one my friend." There was a cold edge to the words, a roughness that ate at Juh'ra's resolve. "Really Juh'ra, you must be a masochist. What could be so bad you hide it from me? Don't tell me you fell in love with me."

The demon wolf's guffaws drowned any other noise in the room, his robes threatening to break with each breath. The orc joined with a nervous laugh of his own, cold sweat running down his back as he prayed for the demon to move on. Piercing red eyes banished that hope. The orc hands clenched into fist when the demon's mind brushed against his own, the message all but clear for the orc.

"I can understand if you did but unfortunately for you, I don't think of you that way."

"It is very unfortunate indeed my lord." Juh'ra said through gritted teeth, the brand on his stomach burning like coals.

"Yes, indeed it is. Now, speak your mind my friend before your insides turn to ashes."

The chilling touch of compulsion pushed against his mind like a shield wall. His brand burned hotter on his stomach, forcing a moan out of the orc's lips. The moment of distraction proved fatal for the orc's resistance, the demon's magic forcing the words out of him with cold detachment.

"It is my family my lord. I worry about them, if they're doing well or if they have all died."

The demon leaned back into his large seat, the dark wood groaning in protest while a soft humming came from the horned wolf. The orc turned his gaze away, heat coursing through his veins. He focused his eyes on the rest of the grand room and searched for anything to distract him from his shame. From the regal paintings that moved on their own volition, to the finely crafted furniture. They ended up on the crystal window at the far end of the room, the transparent material powdered with the white of snow and ice.

"It's only been a year Juh'ra, I'm sure they're faring well. I gave you enough time to prepare, did I not?" said Kalam with a smug tone, red eyes daring me to defy them.

"You did my lord, and for that I thank you." Juh'ra admitted, his heart twisting with conflicted emotions. "I just keep worrying about them, surely you understand a father's worry."

"I have never been a father Juh'ra, how do you expect me to know how you feel?"

"My apologies my lord, I only meant--" Kalam cut the orc off with the raise of one clawed hand, the demon wearing an amused grin.

"I know what you meant. I may not have had children of my own, but I did watch over yours as they grew. Almost makes me wish I could bring them here."

Juh'ra eyes widened, his body growing deadly still. "My lord, you can't--"

"You have no right to tell me what I can or can't do Juh'ra, not anymore."

The orc bit his lips until the ferrous taste of blood filled his mouth, his body trembling with impotent rage. Kalam stood up, his large frame towering over the former king.

"Once you took me on your travels, showed me the world and taught me its way. Back then, I followed your every word and believed every one of your tales. Do you remember those days Juh'ra? When we lived on the edge of a knife? Do you remember what you promised?" The floor shook with every step the horned wolf took, his silver fur reflecting the sinister flames as he trod a path behind the orc. Green fingers dug into the woof of the chair, the former king's heart pounded heart against his chest.

"I do my lord. I thought you had forgotten."

"I forget nothing about those days, they were the best of my life because you were by my side Juh'ra. Though in those times you were only Juh The Exile." the demon's voice was full of longing, his words sweet like honey. "Together we both rose to power, no one could stop us, and so, the night before we won our greatest battled, you promised to be with me, forever."

"There's no forever for a mortal, my lord." The demon's hand grasped the orc's shoulders, sharp claws pressing against the thick skin without breaking it.

"You're right, no mortal could live as long as I could. It's a good thing you're not a mortal anymore."

The orc's heart skipped a beat and nausea rose from his gut. "Wha-- What do you mean Kalam?"

Kalam chuckled darkly, a single claw tracing a path from Juh'ra's shoulder to his neck. "You didn't think you'd live this long without a little bit of help, did you? I've been changing you bit by bit ever since you signed that contract Juh'ra. Your long life, your prowess, your unerring memory, none of those would have been yours if you had remained a simple orc. So I remade you into my own image, put the seeds of corruption in your soul and helped them grow over the years."

"You, you couldn't have, our contract--"

"Said I'd do everything in my power to fulfill my end of the bargain. Everything. And so I did. Didn't you wonder why you came here so meekly? Why you didn't bring your heroes and your armies? Did you think it was your honor, your virtue, your word that brought you here?"

Chills ran down the orc's body, his mind running out of words. Memories of his final days as king flashed through his mind. The ceremonies, the dinners, the processions, the speeches. They all seemed so distant and empty. Kalam's muzzle came to rest by the orc's ear, the scent of blood and death reaching the king's broad nose.

"I know the truth of your heart Juh'ra. I know you didn't lay with anyone for years before coming, because no one got your blood pumping. I know you ate less than even the youngest of your children and could still throw grown knights to the ground with ease. I know you haven't visited any temple in decades and the last time you did, your feet were burned for weeks, And I know the lie you told before you came here."

The words left Juh'ra's lips, tears streaming down his face. "I'm going to stop the awakening of the Demon Lord."

"Yes, that one. Extremely simple but fitting. Now, now, no need for tears. I'm not so cruel as to deny you a little mercy myfriend. A few spells here and there, a bit of lighting and a couple of earthquakes were enough to sell the story. I even threw 'your' charred corpse outside the 'ruins' of my castle. Your legend shall live on."

"Kalam, please, tell me one thing." the orc begged with a broken voice, his world shattered beyond repair.

"Anything for you Juh'ra, anything."

"My kids, all of them, they weren't-- They weren't demons, were they?"

One clawed finger forced the orc to look upwards, right into the demon's fiery eyes. Juh'ra let out a whine, his brand glowing a deeper red the more he stared into those piercing eyes.

"No, they weren't and they aren't. My contract with them forbids it."

"Your...contract?"

"You really didn't think you were the only one I approached, did you?"