This is going to be a very mature fic. There will be cursing, torture, and non consensual sex. I do not condone any of this behavior. If you have issues with it then do not read.

Forsaken

Temptation

Prologue

Mallory blanched as the demon approached her once more, averting her eyes from his grotesque form. She struggled against her bonds to no avail. Hybris grinned maliciously at her fear; proudly display his many rows of razor sharp teeth, as she flinched away from him. The pride demon chuckled mirthlessly, using his long taloned fingers to sweep a stray piece of strawberry blonde hair from Mallory's battered face in an almost revering manner. The young woman hissed in pain as the demon suddenly grabbed her jaw, forcefully opening her mouth as his nails dug into her flesh. He wretched her head up forcing her to look at him in the face, his yellow eyes aglow with demonic fire.

"Come now, pet. We don't have to prolong this. I can take away your pain. I can end your suffering. All you have to do is say yes."

He said in his strange timbre: a sound like three different pitched voices speaking in time backed by grinding metal. He ran his talons down her cheek, caressing her swollen lip. Mallory glared at him, trying to scorch him with the heat behind her eyes. To say she loathed him would be an understatement. No words could describe her hate; her malice. She detested herself for hating so much, but she recognized its value. The hate made her strong: the anger helped her resist. She mustered her courage and spat in his face. His long purple tongue snaked out and licked the mixture of spittle and blood from his chin, his smile widening. He liked it when she defied him. He had said once that it made her more beautiful. She knew she would be punished for her indiscretion later. He would make her scream, make her bleed; make her beg him to stop. She would do all those things, but she would never agree to his terms. To do so was to lose herself, utterly, and everything she was: to literately sell her soul to a devil. Hybris tsked, raking his claws against her exposed flesh. She whimpered as his nail drew lines of blood that trickled down her abdomen.

"So stubborn…so beautiful. Do you not see? How beautiful you are? Every scar, every mark, every wound…more and more beautiful. You will be the highlight of my collection. My pride and joy, if you will. It's an honor to be chosen for this very integral part of my anthology, and yet, you still refuse. I do not understand, pet."

He stated with grandeur, sweeping his hands up as if aghast in melodramatic fashion as he turned away from her. He mockingly placed his hands over his chest where his heart would have lain if he had one, casting a glance over his shoulder on her broken form.

"I am offering you the opportunity to be lovelier than you ever have been in life. To be gazed upon in envy. To be cherished and cared for more than any mortal man could ever dote on you. That is why I have expended such vast amounts of magic to bring you here and yet you only award me with disdain. You are so cruel."

Mallory snorted in mad laughter at his comments, disregarding the pain it caused her bruised ribs as they expanded. His version of beauty was a twisted, wicked thing. He had no interest in her physical form, which was far from attractive. At six foot tall with a stout Germanic build, she had spent her youth being referred to as the "Jolly Green Giant." Always singled out for being too tall. Too small breasted. Too muscular. At the age of thirty the insults had grown more politically correct but no less hurtful. She had long ago resigned herself to being referred to as "cute" in polite company rather than beautiful. None of this mattered to Hybris, however. He barely noticed her physical imperfections being far more fascinated by her battered soul. He desired to add it to his "collection." He considered himself an antiquarian of spirits. Many poor souls were already trapped in the faceted amber crystals that adorned his palace in this realm he called the Fade. It was her soul that had caught his attention and caused him to drag her to this horrid land in the first place.

The crystals had been the first thing she had seen when she was thrown from the shimmering vortex that stolen her from her home. Dazed, she had found herself on the floor of some grand chamber. The very air seemed alive and danced before her eyes in myriads of colors like gaseous vapors. Strange organic structures created the walls and furniture, like overgrown vines that had been trained to grow together. Upon closer inspection, Mallory noticed they weren't plant like at all, but rather fleshly appendages that pulsed with life. She had startled when several tendrils had come free from a nearby wall and snagged a floating gem, rooting it in place in the wall like some gothic fairy tale mirror. A crystal, larger than her, had lazily drifted past as she gathered herself from the floor. Thinking she was dreaming, she had reached out to touch the floating gem only to shrink back in horror when the image of a person appeared inside. The man had copper hair that was layered to gracefully fall over his pointed ears. His lithe naked body was covered in burns that stretched over his entire thin frame. She couldn't see his face, for hands covered it completely as wept profusely, never acknowledging her presence. She had turned to run, unaware of where she was or even where she would flee to, her only desire to escape from what she had witnessed. It was then that Hybris had appeared behind her. The nine foot pride demon towered over her, his black and purple chitinous skin gleaming coldly in the amber light. Sharp thorny projections covered his upper arms mimicking the two long black horns that spiraled from the top of his head. When he grinned at her, he displayed several rows of prominent teeth designed to rend flesh with ease. A sound she hadn't even thought possible for the human vocal cords to produce escaped her lips as he greeted her in earnest.

"Welcome! Welcome, most honored guest!"

He slithered around her with impossible speed, herding her back to the crystal. "What does it call itself?" It asked. Mallory had tried to will herself invisible, but it didn't work. She was unable to answer due to the atrocious croaking noise still spilling from her lips so she just shook her head stumbling away from the creature. The demon peered at her intensely, amused by the sounds she was making. It smiled at her, slowly forcing her ahead step by agonizing step.

"Hmm.. no matter. Its name has already been decided. I am Hybris. Pride demon of the Fade. Collector of rarities."

"Fade?" Was all Mallory could utter in terror.

"Yes, this realm I have so graciously brought you to. But, there's time for that later. Come! Come! I see you have already met one of your brethren."

The demon clasped Mallory on the shoulder as it directed her to face the crystal. It took every bit of willpower she had not to pass out. She stood rigid with fear as his claws dug painfully into her clavicle. The pride demon tapped the clawed fingers of his free hand on the gem, reminding her of a child tormenting fish trapped behind the glass of an aquarium. The talons made a sharp clanging noise as they struck the surface, sending eerie echoes throughout the chamber. "Wake up! Wake up Despair!" The male elf trapped inside the gemstone scrambled away from the demon, but had no where to go as he backed into the other side of the gem. Tears continued to stream down his cheeks as he faced his captor.

"This is Despair." He said turning to Mallory. He pointed to the weeping man in excitement; with pride. Mallory shook her head not understanding.

"His name is Despair?" She asked.

Hybris beamed and told the elf's story like a macabre bard. "That's who he is now. What his name was is inconsequential. He was a farmer: A serf under a powerful human lord. One year his crops were no longer thriving and a harsh winter approached. He had to make a decision to feed his family for the winter on their meager crops, or to use those crops to pay the tariff on the land to the Duke. He chose to feed his family. So the Duke chose to burn his cottage for recompense…with his wife and child still inside! He was unable to save them and their loss overwhelmed him, and thus, he became Despair. He is one of the newer pieces of my collection. Isn't he perfect?"

He released his hold on her and clacked his talons together, enjoying retelling the poor man's loss. Mallory looked at him in horror, not wanting to believe what she had just heard.

"And you keep him here. A prisoner? That's terrible!" She uttered without thinking.

Hybris quirked his head and shrugged. "Is it? He made a choice and that was the consequence. Surely, you understand how cruel humans cans be? What would you pay to right the wrongs other did unto you?"

Her features colored scarlet in embarrassment and ire as his comment twisted the knife already lodged in her heart. Hybris just smiled, knowing his remark had hit home.

"Besides, I offered him a chance for revenge and this was the price." He continued nonchalantly. "His soul in exchange for the slow and painful murder of the Duke and his family. Something he could have never accomplished on his own. A worthy trade if I do say so myself. Well… At least for me. Sadly, the death of the Duke and his family did little to quell his grief. But, here I am, prattling on about him when he knows nothing of you. Tsk. What a dreadful host I am. Despair! Meet my newest acquisition!" He said gleefully, inching Mallory forward with a hand on her back. "Isn't she lovely? Don't you think she's perfect for our centerpiece?"

Mallory turned to the demon in confusion. "Acquisition? Centerpiece? What are you talking about? This is nuts! It's just some stupid dream. I want to wake up! I want to go home!"

She dared to challenge the creature. From the corner of her eye, she witnessed the elf give her a long sad look. He mournfully shook his head and returned to the fetal position, sobbing hysterically. Hybris scoffed in disdain.

"Home? My my, how ungrateful. Why, my dear, you are home. I've got the perfect place all prepped and ready for you. See!"

Mallory found her outrage waning as the demon grabbed her by the back of the neck and propelled her to the center of the chamber. She tried to dig her feet into the ground but he pushed her forward as if she weighed nothing. Several crystals of various sizes and shapes parted before him, creating a path to an immense gem that appeared to be growing from the very ground. The ocher crystal was the only one that appeared as a natural gemstone with a few shards branching out from all sides. It glowed softly with some inner light and Mallory could hear a faint humming emitting from it. The demon shoved her towards the stone, forcing her to brace herself on the formation. When her palms touched the surface, the humming grew louder and the crystal shimmered beneath her hands. She felt an alien sensation, as if her very essence was forcefully being drawn into the hard planes. IA reflection of herself appeared on the surface, nude and softly glowing. Except it wasn't her. Not really. The edges around her form were blurred as if she could fade away into nothingness at any time. Scars marred her body, crisscrossing over her features and limbs haphazardly. The largest ran across her left breast almost down to her navel. Jagged and twisting, the scar tissue formed a mortal wound, for no living thing she knew could have survived an injury like that. Like someone had ripped their heart out.

"No!" She screamed in panic, breaking contact with the gem. Hybris frowned at her, the expression distorting his grotesque features even more than usual.

"Are you not pleased?" he inquired. "This is your home. I made it just for you. To enhance your beauty. You are the final piece of my collection."

Mallory stared at the demon, not understanding. "Collection?" she asked confused, her pitch rising in panic. "I have no idea what you are talking about. More so, I have no idea who you are and where I am. My name is Mallory Kirsh and I want to go back to Florida. Back to Earth! Back home!"

Hybris growled at her; a sound that made her knees buckle in fear. His anger left as quickly as it came, leaving her no less shaken. He seemed more dangerous when he was composed.

"Calm yourself, pet. No need to get upset." The corners of his mouth turned up in a malevolent smile. "At least, not yet." He corrected. "All will be explained in time. For you see, that is all we have here in the Fade. Time. For now, all you need to know is that this is no dream and you are home. See?" He gestured to a golden plaque that was bolted onto the front of the crystal. Deeply etched in to gleaming surface in a compact font was one word: FORSAKEN. The color drained from Mallory's face as she realized the implications. She hardly felt Hybris's hands rest on her shoulders as he whispered in her ear.

"Welcome home, Forsaken."