Dark Souls

The Emptiness

"I am not looking to escape my darkness. I am learning to love myself there." -Rune Lazuli.

By twenty-one, Cole Hunter felt restless. 

He felt empty. 

He felt bored. 

And those seemed to be the only things he could feel. 

In a demon den watching some of his half brethren f**k and fight, Cole didn't even look up when two men crashed into his table. Instead he watched as the two went at each other's throats viciously, clawing each other with their black talons in anger. 

One finally got the best of the other and held him still as he viciously clawed the other's throat out. Everyone cheered as the winner stood up smiling. More of the black ink coating his skin taking over his regular pale skin as the demon died in a bright blue flame. His body turning to ash. 

Some viewed their skin darkening black with pride, showing the demonic blood etching through their bodies. But to him, it was nothing but a curse. 

The man turned to see Cole not celebrating his victory and scowled at the half breed. In retro spec majority of the demons were part human. Rarely if ever there were purebloods anymore. But something about Cole's above it attitude irked the demon, and the majority of everyone knew Coel was not just a demon. 

Kicking the broken table, the demon sneered, "Something up your ass?" Cole looked up at the demon, "Go away," Scoffing not liking the boy's attitude, the demon hissed, "No, how about I turn you to ash with that pathetic demon I just vanquished." 

Everyone edged back slowly no longer cheering.  Cole had come here before. He'd been challenged before, and it hadn't been pretty for the challenger. 

"As I said, go away." Cole didn't even look as the demon approached him and sneered, "And if I don't go away, tough guy? You'll do what? s**t! Because you're a weak little b***h-." Before the man could finish his taunt, his head was removed cleanly from his shoulders. His head rolling on the floor as his body burst into flames. 

Everyone turned away as Cole looked at his arms, the black ink that came up to his foHerm. 

His demon ink didn't move or grow on his skin for some odd reason. He speculated it was because of his witch blood. Either way, he was relieved. 

As Cole seemed to be off on his own little world, the mess that had been made was cleaned up. 

The bar manager had Cole's table replaced and a bottle laid out for him. Cole slipped the men working a hundred and tipped his glass to the manger. While Cole didn't particularly like the way the demon ran his bar, he did have a high respect for Ed. He was okay up to a certain point. 

Drinking his scotch neat, Cole sat back as a women seemed to flock to him. But they all bored him, their sweaty bodies and dirty thoughts not even exciting him. Sighing Cole looked over as one snorted a line and rinkled his nose in disgust. 

Cole couldn't judge persay. He'd done a number of drugs, just trying to feel anything but the vague hollowness in his chest. But when nothing came to him, he just gave up, like how he gave up on a lot of things. 

Walking to the door, Cole nodded to Ed as he left and headed to his loft. 

He was staying in a small town in Kansas, but other than the demon lair he found himself lost on what to do. 

He hated mortals. 

He hated witches. 

He hated demons. 

There was nothing for him anywhere and killing himself was unfortunately not an option. 

He was stuck in this limbo for whatever reason and it f****d with him that there was no escape. No way out of purgatory. 

"Oi you!" Turning slowly Cole faced several burly demons. One was holding on to a human woman who looked scared out of her mind, and all of their skin was almost completely black. 

Their eyes were now permanently black, no pupil or sclera. Their teeth now ragged fangs of feral feasting. 

Cocking his head to the side, he looked at them bored, "Can I help you?" One of them cackled manically as they edged forward trying to intimidate him. "We want to be pure demons. And from the power radiating off you, that could happen. All we have to do is kill you." 

Cole sighed bored, "I'm not in the mood for more ignorance. Leave me be." 

Seeing the human woman crying, Cole looked her over. She didn't seem injuried, just shaken and scared.  "And leave her."

The burly bastard holding her cackled disgustingly as saliva pulled from his mouth, "My little doll? No, she'll be something to break when we're through ripping you apart." He then threw the woman on the ground hard enough to knock her out. 

The seven demons started to attack. 

But Cole didn't feel like getting his claws anymore dirty tonight then he did a few moments ago. Cole held up his hands and chanted, "Me ne de qual suurentaa! " 

Watching their necks snap, Cole sighed and concentrated as the marks on his back burned, "Phasmatos motus incendiarios! " The demons burst into blue flames of hell fire and Cole watched them burn completely uninterested. 

He had filled his quota of ignorance for the day and now just wanted the privacy of his home. 

He turned and started to leave when he heard sniffling. Seeing the human was awake and looking at him in fear Cole started to leave her there. But she called out to him in desperation, "Please, please don't leave me here." 

Turning to face her, Cole sighed, "Fine, come." 

Walking in silence for what felt like hours, Cole brought the woman to his little place off from everyone elses. He poured them a drink and looked over the battered woman. Her clothes ripped and torn, her body brusing from the demons roughing her up. 

"Did they rape you?" 

The woman looked up at Cole with her big blue, her skin flushed and she quickly shook her head. "No, ugh one of them just f-felt down there." Cole snorted as he tossed back his drink, "Lucky you." 

Huffing the woman nursed her scotch as Cole went for another. Feeling her wanting to make a break for it, Cole simply told her, "Hey you asked for me to get you away, I did. You can go," Landing gracefully back in his chair, he sneered, "No need to keep me company darlin'." 

Pursing her plump lips in fear the woman whispered, "My name is May. What's yours?" Cole laughed bitterly. He knows out of the millions of questions she had his name was the least of her concern. "Okay May, you and I both know that's not your real question. What is it?" 

May looked at Cole's black clawed hands and mumbled, "What are you?" Cole smirked and held up his hands, "My skin is black like a demons, but I am just demonic. I am also a witch." May shook her head slowly, "I want to say things like that can't be real, but-." 

Cole held up his drink in cheers, " But you're not an i***t. Look I can tell from your ratty sneakers and lack of clothing you're out late at night," May made a noise of protest but Cole held his hands up, "Not judging but I'm warning you,  demons like to pray on night walkers because they're already out and no ones going to care if a dead hooker is found an alley. If you want to stay out of their line of sight, don't come out after midnight, don't wear revealing clothing, and always have red pepper on you. Demons hate it." 

May finished her drink and mumbled, "I was going inside of a homeless shelter when they grabbed me. I'm not a hooker, I'm broke. Difference...jerk." 

Cole poured them both another, "Well now I know why you're wearing a shirt too small for your body." May looked down as Cole's intimidating eyes bore into hers. His pale green eyes seemed to see through her, they flashed red for a moment before he went and sat down. 

The two sat in silence for awhile, drinking and making small talk until May looked the man over in wonder. "So...did you want something?" Cole c****d his head at her question, "For?" May shrugged, "Saving me, I guess?" 

Cole hummed, "Do I want something from May? She's broke so she can't pay me, she's got no family or she wouldn't be sleeping in a shelter. Hmmm, do I want something from little May?" Checking out her pale thighs, Cole found himself midly interested and nodded, "Yeah, sure. Take your clothes off." 

May slowly stood, she removed her too tight t-shirt and small skater skirt. When she was in nothing but her bra and panties, Cole rolled his shoulders. "Turn." May slowly did and Cole hummed. 

She had a nice ass, pert little titties, and a sweet smell wafting from her. Standing Cole pulled May into his bedroom, and he spent the rest of the night f*****g her. He took her hard from the back not allowing her to look at his monstorous face as he's eyes bled black. His black veins moving under his pale skin as it thought of all the ways to hurt the breakable mortal.

He shot his load up her back and as she doozed beside him sated, he still felt empty. 

Hollow. 

Cole knew May wouldn't wake up from the sleep spell he had cast and stood from the bed. He got dressed, sat at his alter, and used a crystal to determine where to next. Hovering it over the map, it stopped and hovered over a place on the map.

When it landed on a small town in Maine, Cole stood and with one last look back at the mortal sleeping in his bed jumped through a portal. 

When May awoke, she was surpised the man was gone. She walked to the mirror and noticed claw marks on her shoulder she knew he had done and winced a little. Walking into the living room for her clothes, May was suprised to find new ones folded on top of a bag. 

In a neat scrawl on top, it read: Good luck. 

Opening the bag May found money, a weird crystal necklace, and a cannister of red pepper.