Forsaken By The Gods, I Made A Contract With the Demon King

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Name: Levias Drake

Rank: Demonic Follower

Patron: The Darklord of the Endless Abyss

Affiliation: Mercenary Federation (E-rank)

Crest: Demon who met God

Demonic Core: Nascent-Essence

Demonic Essence: 377/1000

Trait: Demonic Soul

Trait Ability: Demonic Transformation | Domination

Dominions: Noir (Black Wing of Lunacy)

Innate Ability: Shadow Self | Lunacy

Artifacts: Eternal Vigil(Fallen ) | Key of Lunacy (----) | Blaze (vile) | Ring of the Fallen (Fallen)

Avatars: —

Inheritance: Tuatha De Danann (Incomplete - 1/5)

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I stared at the two essence cores glowing softly in my palm. They pulsed with a sickly green light, still warm from the Corrupted Treant's body. Before absorbing them, I needed to make sure I was truly safe.

I have found a cave for that purpose, but I needed backup. Blindly absorbing essence in such a dangerous place is not a very good choice.

"Come on out, Noir," I whispered, channeling a thread of shadow essence. The air around me darkened as my shadow began to move independently, twisting and condensing until it took shape.

Sleek black feathers materialized from the darkness, followed by intelligent eyes that gleamed with recognition. The raven-like bird emerged fully, its form a perfect blend of shadow and substance.

Noir landed gracefully on my outstretched arm, tilting its head to examine our surroundings before turning its attention back to me. Despite being a creature born from the power of the Abyss itself, Noir had always shown an almost puppy-like affection towards me. It nuzzled against my cheek, its feathers surprisingly soft for something made of shadows.

"Missed you too," I said softly, running my fingers through its ethereal plumage. "Been a while since I could safely let you out, hasn't it?"

The bird let out a soft, understanding caw. Our bond had grown strong over time, and sometimes I swore Noir understood me better than most humans did. But now wasn't the time for sentimentality.

"We need to check out that cave," I explained, pointing towards the dark opening at the base of the hill. "Think you can do a quick sweep?"

Noir spread its wings in response, taking flight with supernatural grace. Its dark form was nearly invisible against the dimming forest as it approached the cave entrance. I watched through our shared connection as it investigated every corner and crevice. The cave was surprisingly deep, but thankfully empty – its previous occupants had either moved on or been killed by the Treants.

Once Noir confirmed it was safe, I made my way inside. The cave was cool and dry, with a narrow entrance that would be easy to defend. More importantly, it had a small chamber near the back that was perfect for meditation. Natural crystals in the walls gave off a faint blue glow, providing just enough light to see by.

"Perfect," I muttered, settling down in the chamber. "Keep watch, will you?"

Noir took up position near the cave entrance, its phantom-like form blending perfectly with the shadows. I could trust those keen eyes to spot any danger long before it reached us.

Finding a comfortable position, I closed my eyes and held the first core against my chest. The absorption process required complete concentration – any distraction could cause the essence to flow incorrectly, potentially damaging my channels.

Taking a deep breath, I began breaking down the core's outer shell. The essence within responded immediately, dissolving into pure energy that seeped into my body. The sensation was both familiar and strange – like drinking ice-cold water after being thirsty for days. It filled my essence channels gradually, each pathway expanding to accommodate the new power.

When the first core was completely absorbed, I immediately reached for the second one. No point in taking breaks – I needed every advantage I could get in this place. The second core's essence felt different – thicker, more resistant. It took more concentration to break it down and absorb it, and by the time I finished, sweat covered my forehead.

[You have absorbed demonic essence]

I let out a long breath, seeing the message and opened my status, once again.

-----------[Status]-----------

Name: Levias Drake

Rank: Demonic Follower

Patron: The Darklord of the Endless Abyss

Affiliation: Mercenary Federation (E-rank)

Crest: Demon who met God

Demonic Core: Nascent-Essence

Demonic Essence: 457/1000

…..

-----------[Status]-----------

40 essence per crystal, it wasn't huge, but in my situation, every little bit helped. At least now I could maintain my transformed state a bit longer if needed.

Noir glided back to me, landing on my knee and looking up expectantly. The bird could probably sense the increase in my power. I smiled, scratching under its beak the way it liked.

"Yeah, I'm stronger now," I said. "But we're going to need more than just raw power to survive this place. Ready to do some real scouting?"

Noir's eyes gleamed in response, and it spread its wings with anticipation. I focused my essence, activating our shared connection.

"Phantom Flock."

The shadows around Noir rippled and multiplied, splitting like cells under a microscope. Where there had been one bird, there were now dozens. Each phantom copy was less substantial than Noir itself, but they would serve perfectly for reconnaissance. Their shadowy forms filled the cave chamber, each pair of eyes reflecting the faint crystal light.

"I need you all to spread out," I commanded. "Find anything unusual – especially any sign of Lyssandra or any humans. Watch out for the Treants, and pay special attention to any patterns or markings you find. The more we know about this place, the better our chances of surviving it."

The phantom ravens took flight silently, streaming out of the cave like a river of living shadow. Through my connection with Noir, I could receive impressions of what each phantom saw – not complete vision, but enough to piece together a picture of our surroundings.

The forest through the ravens' eyes revealed secrets I hadn't noticed before. The luminescent fungi growing on the trees formed intricate patterns – not random growth, but deliberate arrangements that pulsed with hidden meaning. The territories of the Treants were marked not just by fungi clusters, but by invisible lines of essence that the ravens could see clearly.

One phantom discovered the remains of what looked like an ancient temple, its stone columns wrapped in corrupted vines that seemed to pulse with a heartbeat. Another found a clearing where the ground was covered in spiral patterns made of withered vegetation, the designs shifting slowly when no one was looking directly at them.

A third phantom located a stream that seemed to flow uphill, its water glowing with an inner light that made me glad I had brought my own supplies. Several others reported strange crystalline formations growing out of trees, each crystal containing what looked like frozen moments in time.

But most concerning were the things they found moving in the growing darkness. New creatures were emerging as night approached.

After an hour of scouting, I called the phantoms back. They dissolved one by one, their gathered information flooding into my mind through my connection with Noir. The original Noir remained, moving to perch on my shoulder and press reassuringly against my neck.

"This place is worse than we imagined," I murmured, reaching up to stroke its feathers. "But we've faced impossible odds before, haven't we?"

Noir's soft caw might have been agreement or resignation – sometimes it was hard to tell with him. But having him here made the oppressive forest feel a little less threatening. Together, we'd survived the depths of the Abyss itself. We could handle this verdant hell.

Currently, I have different artifacts on me, which are helping a lot. Fallen Ring for example was constantly recovering my essence at an increased pace, although it was not to the level where I can regenerate essence in movements, it was helping nonetheless.

Anyway, I began setting up simple wards around the cave entrance – nothing too powerful that might attract attention, but enough to wake us if anything got too close. Tomorrow we would head for that mysterious structure on the horizon.

I was very tired of the things that had transpired and wanted to take a quick nap when I had the time.

As I finished the last ward, I glanced at Noir. "Get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be interesting."

The bird fluffed its feathers in response, settling into a more comfortable position on my shoulder. As night fell completely outside our little sanctuary, I couldn't help but wonder what else this place had in store for us. The Evergreen Hell certainly lived up to its name – but I had a feeling we'd barely scratched the surface of its horrors.

---***--- Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire