Thedore?
The daemon’s eyes glowed with a strange hue behind the mysterious (and silly) mask. Was he smiling beneath his stoic façade? Only god would tell. He nodded acquiescingly and spoke, but his voice was unlike before. It was as if a whisper echoed into the depths of the man’s soul, lingering into the recesses of the mind like a cancer.
“Very well.”
His clothes and body began to swell and boil, dissolving into a single homogenous black form. It was both physical and spiritual, both ethereal and of flesh. It was as if body and soul had merged into a single form, yet split completely and utterly.
It had no shadow, or rather its shadow overlapped like a fog over the bulbous mass of nigredo, cloaking it with its dark tendrils. Blue circuits stretched, glowed and connected along the humanoid body, much reminiscing of machinery.
Its only expression was a comic caricature of a smile, its one and only glowing azure eye was wide open like a mask. Or perhaps, this was its one and only expression, the true form of V̵͛҉̣̜͚̤̭a̶̬̯̮͂̀͆n̠͖̞͓̼̑ͦ̅g̲̫͓̺͔̃̔ͣ͗͘u̳͌ͪ̓̊ͤ̀a͐̇͏̶̭̮͔̰ṟ͓̹̈́̄d̉ͧ̓͗̚͏̨̫'͚̬̪̗͊ͬ͠ṡ͇́͂͗ͨ̇ͪ soul shaping the daemon into a form of its resemblance…
But its metamorphosis was not the only notable difference, for as soon as its one eye turned to gaze into Relius Clover, percussion reverberated along the entirety of the castle, slipping into the man’s being like a heartbeat.
That…there was no denying it. It was its heartbeat, the black beast’s heartbeat. Not that black beast, but the one that was standing in the room.
Immediately, a surge of numerous chains erupted from the demon’s eye, shooting all over the room at once and enveloping the area with their essence. Speed, distance, space, time and casualty itself bent and twisted in a kaleidoscope of possibility, each resulting in the man’s heart being pierced by the demonic binds.
However, there was no wound. The chains penetrated the man’s chest from every direction without harming him, their form being spiritual rather than physical; a single chain remaining that connected the demon to the masked puppeteer. Once that shattered, the last bind coiled like a serpent into his heart and bound it completely.
A single lock emerged from his heart before vanishing like a mere illusion, but it was no such thing. His soul had been bound to the demon’s contract. No matter what the scientist tried, no matter how many times would one tamper with the lock, it would not break or weaken that easily. For once the man accepted the snake’s embrace there was no longer any escape. This was the true nature of the Serpent.
And it spoke.
Enforced cooperation, it is my one true ability. Although it is nothing but a cheap imitation of its true function, it is no less potent. As soon as the conditions are met, it is impossible to escape the lock. You are now bound to me by a contract, Relius Clover. I have no immediate need for your services. You may do as you please, I don’t care what you do to this place.
