“Next Nightborns. They’re called shadow demons.”
“Let me guess,” Di interrupted, “they turn into shadows.”
“Yes.” Di’s jaw dropped as I continued, “They also control the shadows and have black mist. Soulborns don’t have powers. Their purpose is to torment the worst human souls in Hell. Nightwalkers, well, they are demonic creatures that came to be from corrupted entities.”
“I need a notebook. Wait, no! I need you to write a book for me.”
“A book, really?”
“Of course. How am I supposed to remember all of this?”
“You will remember it, won't you?”
“I will,” he confessed with a shy smile, “but think about how cool it would be to read it in a book?”
“You and your books,” I made sure my voice showed how happy I was that he was talking with me about his passion, “I may write it if you want.”
“Really?”
“Anything you want.”
He stared at me for quite some time but didn’t say anything.
We spent the rest of the drive talking about demons. I told him the truth. Even though I knew a lot, there were also things I didn’t know. I left that place when I was young. There was more to be learned and seen.
Di seemed most worried about the Fireborns and the Nightwalkers. I didn’t have the heart to explain to him how they were no threat to us. Starborns and Nightborns were the ones we should be worried about, and I couldn’t help but worry that I was taking him straight into the clutches of Starborns.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said reassuringly.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You don’t need to. I can see it all written over your pissed-off face.”
“I’m not pissed off,” I argued back.
“I know you aren’t. You’re just hiding that you’re worried behind your glaring. What was Adam like?”
Adam was the demon who saved my life and to whom we were going now.
I was grateful for the change of topic, “He wasn’t like the other demons. He was responsible for training us.”
“Training?”
“Yes. Up until their fifteenth birthday, demons develop their powers. Adam was one of our trainers. He was strict, of course, but he acted differently toward Darius and me. He didn’t try to tear us apart like some of the others.”
“He cared about you?”
“Careis a strong word for a demon in the underworld. Things are different there, remember?” I thought back to our time with him, how he tried to help us escape, “But yes, I think he cared.”
After that, I told him a bit about Darius. We were brothers, but we were also very different.
While I tried to follow the rules, he was the rule-breaker who constantly got us into trouble. Of course, I always followed him to ensure he made it out alive.
While I had dark hair and dark eyes (most demons do), he had light brown hair and amber eyes. I wasn’t sure if this made him feel different. He didn’t have a familiar which also made him feel like something less. I always tried to tell him he was a Starborn and powerful, regardless of whether he had a familiar or not.
It hurt speaking about my brother, but Di was there for me. It made it a bit easier. I wanted to talk about him. I hadn't forgotten him. I would never forget him, but before, it was too hard and suffocating to let out anything about him. Now, I wanted to remember the good times while also feeling the pain.
“Thank you for sharing your brother with me, Dagon.” A gentle smile grazed Di’s lips, but I didn’t miss the mist in his eyes. “I would love to hear more whenever you’re ready.”
