Mareland 3
I loved @whump-galaxy ‘s prompt (here) and I ended up writing this piece for Mare Land. Salarien is a real cutie.
TW://slavery, human trafficking, abuse, implied and explicit, locked up, burns
Rogue quickly discovered they had to hide Salarien.
When they first got to be their master’s apprentice they were thrilled. They weren’t from a magical upbringing but their parents were happy about their child’s powers. They wanted to use take advantage of them as much as they could by showing their magic and getting money out of the passerby’s pity. But when Rogue turned out to be not very understanding of how to control it, they grew scared. So when the offer came, they sold them off to a rich magician without them knowing. Told them he was taking them as their apprentice.
Before Rogue went with their new master, they hugged their parents and promised to be back soon. Waving goodbye as they excitedly walked by his side.
They tried stuff out of pure curiousity. Everything was new and exciting and their master would watch attentively as they practiced. Despite the ocassional mistake, they were good at magic. Maybe it was because they were too good that they pushed them to the limit.
So when the ceremony of contracts came, Rogue was to summon a special class demon to form a contract with.
Rogue stood in the middle of the room, inside the circle with a vase filled with their blood and chalk. Their master’s other apprentices stood by, already finished with their contracts, watching what kind of demon the master’s favorite would be able to summon.
The boy, barely fifteen at the time, whispered the spell with a hand extended before them and suddenly, the flames in the room turned black.
Rogue recognized immediately they had not summoned just any demon. Not even one of the ten their master had chosen for them. They had called the god of creation Imarillis themself.
“Oh?” A cold voice whispered “It’s been millennia since a mortal could call my name. Who was able to summon me?”
The scent of acrid ammonia filled their nose as a smoke snaked around them. The smoke curled and stopped by their face, before humming unhappily.
“How were you not given a name, child?”
The young magician let out a calculated exhale. “I have chosen one for myself, my lord”
“That, I know” The demon told them, a smile in their voice that made Rogue feel a certain warmth. Attentively, Rogue watched the smoke uncurl and form a body in front of him. Elongated, without any orifices but the mouth, the eyes covered by a web of fingers. The demon had six arms, each holding a tool of their own except the two crossed over their chest.
“You’re discontent with what you were given, Rogue. Unhappy with what you lack. A creative mind always wanders the limits of reality. You gave yourself a name because what was your reality wasn´t to your satisfaction. Despite being deprived of one of the most basic elements of existance, you persevered”
Not knowing what would be an appropiate response, the boy bowed at the creature, before their chin was lifted to look at the smile in the demon’s face.
“…fu, fu. The world is cruel enough to take from us what we love and need, but we don’t let down a challenge to prove we are stronger than that, don’t we, boy? We shape reality in order to make it suit us better” The demon was blind, but it didn’t matter to the demon of creation when their hands were enough. The demon cupped the boy’s face in their hands, and passed elongated fingers over eyelids, then over their lips and nose. “Those deprived of the most basic are easily drawn into the charms of creation. Pure and theirs. Envy shows in each creation to alter reality” The demon gripped tighter on Rogue´s chin, forcing them to look up to their face, the fingers covering their eyes retreating to let them see the five set of minuscule eyes.
“No matter what reality you live in, it won´t stop your greed for a world shaped around your desires”
“Will you eat my greed and grant me your favor then, Imarillis?”
The demon of creation laughed. A soft rumble that chilled Rogue to the bone.
“Are you sure you’re ready to receive my gift?” They whispered, their hands now sliding down their arms, another hand, the one closely folded over its chest moved closer, revealing a knife.
“Yes” the boy extended their arms.
“Very well” was the last thing Imarillis said before it began to carve the contract in Rogue’s skin.
Rogue massaged their hurting arms absent mindedly before Salarien rested his clay hand over it.
“Hurt?” The golem asked, clumsily rubbing its arm against the bandages. Rogue’s lips stretched in a smile.
“I´m ok. It´s just a scratch” they told the small golem before it turned its head back to the bandages.
“There…there” the small creature said, warming Rogue´s heart.
The apprentice rubbed a finger over the golem´s head. “Thanks” they said as the small golem perked up and for a flashing second, Rogue thought it was smiling.
“Rogue! Class´s about to start! Come down here!” Their master called making them jump out of the chair and hurriedly put together their things before they lost their patience again. Before they went through the door they saw Salarien trying to follow them.
Rogue crashed into their own desk trying to save Salarien from jumping down the table. “DON´T DO THAT!” They yelled at the small clay figure that trembled with their screams. Salarien felt a tug in their heart, but put them in the ground “Sorry, just, stay below the bed, ok? It´s safer there” they said before closing the door behind them.
please read the tags for further cw