Demonheart Boxset 1: Book 1-3

by J. J. Egosi

  “Disgusting!” Alexa said.

  “I knew he was a drinker, but I didn’t know it was this bad,” said Julianna.

  “Wow…that is a lot of drinking. No wonder he can’t get up past noon!” Ursula said, amazed at the sheer quantity of bottles in his tent.

  “Where does he even get the money? He has no job and we don’t give him any,” Julianna said.

  “He probably pickpockets. Dirty thief!” said Alexa, kicking him in the side. The other girls looked at her in shock.

  “Why would you assume that?” Isabella asked with a nervous glance.

  “You rule over a land long enough, you can distinguish the crooks from the mere peasants,” Alexa insisted.

  “You shouldn’t kick him over an accusation, though!” Ursula shouted.

  “I told you I’m good for the money. Now, I’ll get to it when I get to it!” Michael said, tossing and turning.

  He creaked his eyes open, feeling an ache in his stomach. He looked around the tent and found the girls looking down at him. They were mortified and dumbfounded, according to the looks on their faces. He took a deep breath, realizing he was no longer dreaming.

  “Oh, it’s just you guys. I swear, these past nights, all my dreams have been about either me drinking or being chased by weird monsters. Sometimes both,” he said, recalling a dream of himself being intoxicated while being chased by demonic clowns.

  “Well, maybe if you eased up on your liquor consumption”—

  Michael ignored Alexa and instead looked around the tent, glancing at the countless bottles around him.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Let me clean this up.”

  The bottles clanked as Michael pushed them into the corner. It was as if the movement stirred up the pungent smell. He dusted off the dirt collected under them for the girls to take a seat whenever they wanted to.

  Alexa looked at him, lost for words. “You are a curious one, aren’t you?”

  “Hey, apologize for kicking him!” Julianna said, punching Alexa in the arm.

  “I’m sorry I woke you up before noon. I’m a total bitch for that,” Alexa replied, filled to the brim with sarcasm and devoid of empathy.

  “That was you?” Michael rubbed the sore spot on his stomach. “In that case, would you mind sitting outside? For reasons.”

  Isabella smirked. “You just got rejected.”

  “Shut it!” Alexa shouted.

  She took a deep breath, struggling to regain her composure before staring back at Michael. “Jokes aside.”

  “How was kicking me a joke?” Michael asked.

  “You should know it’s inappropriate to sleep in and booze like this. It’s bad for your health,” Alexa said.

  Michael stared blankly at her. “Oh, no worries. My health isn’t that important to me. Thanks for your concern, though. I’ve been thinking of maybe cutting back since money’s so tight. People watching out for pickpockets and all.”

  Michael stood up and kissed her cheek. Alexa looked at him, confused as he made his way out of the tent.

  “What the hell was that? I hurt you and you thank me?” Alexa placed her hand on his shoulder.

  “Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m still kind of mad about that, but you can make it up to me by buying me beers for the next month. How does that sound?” said Michael.

  Alexa looked at him in silence. Not by choice, but because she could muster any words in response. Her eyebrows twitched aggressively.

  “If I can be serious for just one moment, there’s something problematic about what you just said,” Isabella said to Michael.

  “Yeah. You really don’t care about your health?” Ursula’s voice broke as she asked with a frown.

  “Not really. I sort of just go with the motions. Always have. Given my track record, if I were to get sick or die, I’d probably deserve it,” Michael said, nonchalantly.

  “That’s horrible!” Isabella scowled, then smacked her hand against his cheek. “How can you say such a thing?”

  The other girls weren’t too pleased with him either, but the look on his face told them he just couldn’t see why.

  “If you’re that concerned about my drinking, I’ll try to quit. But not before I cash in on that deal with Alexa, first.” He gave her a friendly pat on the head. She snapped and bent his fingers back.

  “We’re trying to tell you something important, you jackass!”

  “She’s right. And it’s not just your drinking,” said Isabella.

  “Your attitude, your sleeping habits, your memory... Don’t you care about any of this?” Julianna asked.

  An indifferent Michael wandered off and rummaged under his pillow to find a whiskey bottle. “What about it all?” Michael replied, guzzling down the whisky.

  “Michael, where were you born?” Isabella asked with a dissatisfied look on her face.

  “No clue,” Michael said, fleeting a look up at her before returning to his drink.

  “And when were you born?” Isabella asked.

  “Who cares? I’m twenty. I know that much,” he replied before finishing his bottle.

  “Michael, do you know anything about your past at all?” Isabella pressed on.

  Michael tossed the bottle to the side. “What are you getting at here?”

  “I think the reason your memory is so bad might have something to do with your drinking,” said Isabella. The other girls nodded in agreement.

  “Wait, hold on. You’re saying I can’t remember my days as an archangel because of a couple of bottles of beer?” Michael was both surprised and offended by the accusation.

  Isabella sighed. “Look, recovering memories from a past life would be difficult for anyone, but downing all this liquor can’t be making this any easier. I think you need to quit.”

  “And you all feel this way?” Michael looking around the tent, seeing the sincerity in everyone’s eyes.

  “Sorry, but you’re only hurting yourself,” said Julianna.

  “She’s right. Plus, you stink!” Ursula added, covering her nose from the stench of whiskey.

  “I know I give you a hard time every once in a while.” Alexa stared into his eyes with a warm gaze that left him shaking. “I do that out of love, believe it or not.”

  “That’s a little difficult to believe, considering you didn’t save me any dinner last night,” said Michael, rolling his eyes.

  “Tough decisions needed to be made.” Alexa took a deep breath. “Not the point. What we’re trying to say is we love you, Michael, and we want the best for you. Please take care of yourself because you matter to us. All of us.” The girls looked at him with expressions of swelling concern.

  Michael looked around, overwhelmed with disbelief. “I matter that much to you?”

  “Of course you do! We love you. Just like she said,” said Ursula.

  “And we’ll help you uncover your memories once we deal with the titans and the Legion of Morningstar,” said Alexa.

  Right, Michael thought. I’ve been drinking so much lately, I’ve completely forgotten to tell them I met Lucifer in that dream.

  The memory of Lucifer sitting in his chamber with the crow mask on faded in and out of his jaded mind like shuffled fragments. It took all his strength to stay focused.

  Maybe I have a problem, he thought, looking down with remorse.

  “Michael?” Isabella tapped his shoulder to assure he was alright amidst his shivering.

  Tears rolled down his face. “Alright. I’ll try. Any suggestions on where to start?”

  “Yeah, start by cleaning your tent. I’ve seen pigpens that smell better than this,” Ursula said, trying not to gag.

  “Got it!” Michael gathered the bottles and filled them in a garbage bag, then took them outside. “Now, what?”

  Julianna took a deep breath before speaking. “I know of a potions shop nearby. They might have something that can help you quit and recover your memories.”

  “You’re not talking about that place in Ruksmounth, are you?” Isabella gr
oaned.

  “I know they aren’t very friendly towards demons, but it’s the only place you can pick up a potion of this caliber on such short notice.”

  “Alright, then.” Isabella sighed.

  “I suppose that works for me,” Michael began. “How much is it going to be, though? I don’t exactly have a ton of cash to my name.”

  “That’s fine. We’ll cover the costs, as long as we see improvement,” said Isabella. The other girls nodded.

  “Really?” Michael’s face lit up with elation. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Julianna smiled. The rest of the girls nodded and mirrored her smile.

  “Then, it’s settled. Potions shop, here we come!” Ursula said, raising her fist in the air.

  The girls nodded in agreement before they returned to their tent to get dressed for the journey. Meanwhile, Michael scampered to the first pieces of clothing he could find and tossed them on with a smile plastered on his face.

  I can’t believe they’d go this far to help me. Michael remembered the days of the townspeople ridiculing him. He still very much felt it. But with his companions, the sorrow was a lot less.

  I need to do my best to clean up my act. Michael stared at the bags of bottles in his tent. Not just for myself, but for them.

  Michael tied the laces on his boots and prepared his sword by his side. He closed the zipper on his way out of the tent, leaving behind garbage bags filled with bottles, a pile of his other clothes, his sleeping bag, and a lingering shadow.

  The human figure of the shadow peered through the walls of the tent with red eyes, grinning maliciously under the beak of a crow mask.

  After around an hour of traveling through the woods, Michael and his friends reached Ruksmounth, a quaint village in the Light Realm with modest architecture and an intimate population of working artisans.

  As they continued to walk its dirt tattered streets in search of the potion shop, Michael noticed many passersby looking at him with disgust, some whispering among themselves and looking the other way, and some even running from him.

  “Hey, what’s the deal with all these people? Is this my doing?” Michael asked.

  “Don’t worry about them. Those guys are probably just jealous. Not often does a man gets to be around even one girl like us, let alone four,” said Julianna.

  “Yeah, can’t say I blame them. I’d be pretty jealous, too. Not sure if I’d make such lecherous eye contact, though,” Michael said, as he noticed all the men looking at the girls with depraved glares.

  “You’re telling me. It’s like they’re undressing us with their eyes,” Ursula said, shivering with disdain as she clung tightly to Michael and Alexa.

  “Just ignore them,” Alexa replied.

  “Are you sure you’re all fine out here, though? Some of these people look super creepy…and dangerous,” said Michael, gulping at the towering and hairy men who seemed to be closer rather than further.

  “He makes a good point. I warned you of this place. They’re probably eyeing us for the slaughter. Perhaps even burn us at the stake,” said Isabella.

  “Burn us?” Ursula’s eyes widened.

  “That’s a gross exaggeration,” Julianna insisted. “We’ll all be fine, so long as we stick together and focus on the task at hand.”

  “Hey, is that the shop?” Ursula said, pointing at a nearby sign.

  “Wow, what tipped you off? The potions out front or the sign that fucking says potion shop?” Alexa said, annoyed.

  “You don’t have to be so mean,” Ursula replied, pouting.

  “She’s right. Let’s go!” Michael rushed towards the entrance as the others followed him in.

  They walked into the shop, then noticed a well-kept young man in his thirties sitting behind the counter.

  “What can I do for you?” the man asked with a warm smile.

  “We’d like something that cures memory loss. Also, if you have something that combats a drinking addiction, that would be great,” said Isabella.

  “Sounds like two sides of the same coin,” the man said with a joking smile.

  “Do you have it or not?” Alexa asked.

  “Don’t be rude,” Ursula whispered.

  “I’m not sure,” the man said with a pensive glare. “I’ll have to take a look, but we rarely have anything like that in stock.”

  The man rifled through the shelves behind him before moving towards the ones under the desk. He opened each compartment, checking the flasks and bottles within each one, but found nothing.

  “Doesn’t look like we have it. Apologies.” The man looked up with a smile.

  Alexa scowled. “Money is no object and we plan on becoming regular buyers of said potions.”

  The man’s face lit up. “In that case, I think there might be something in the back.”

  “Excellent. See to it that these potions meet our exact needs,” said Julianna.

  “Oh, that won’t be a problem. No problem at all.”

  The man entered the back room and closed the door behind him. Michael and the girls looked at each other, shrugging off his peculiar behavior as they waited for him to return with the potion.

  He navigated through an isle of shelves and pushed another door that led him into a dust-ridden room with several men seated around a table. The table had a scatter of cards, gold, and blades.

  “Hey, it’s that pretty boy with the white hair,” said the man from the counter.

  “You mean the guy with those two girls?” The man nearest to him placed his cards down beside his dagger and pile of silver coins. “Didn’t he learn his lesson the last time we chased him out?”

  “Apparently not,” the first man began. “Because this time, he has four girls. All of which are demons.”

  Their eyes widened. They sprang up from their chairs. The scratching of wood against the stone floor filled the room.

  “Is this some sort of joke? Doesn’t that fool realize how offensive this behavior is in the name of the church?” another of the men asked.

  “Dark lovers,” the largest man at the table grunted under his breath. “Cretans from the enemy realm. And a fellow light lover. To think one of our own would betray us in such a manner. In the presence of the church.”

  “What should we do?” the man hardly half his size beside him asked with a squeaky tone of voice.

  “At this rate, he’ll utterly ruin Ruksmounth’s reputation as one of the light realm’s holiest cities,” said another man.

  “Not unless we dispose of him. That just takes the right potion,” the first man began.

  The other men looked at one another. Nefarious grins slowly formed across their faces.

  So, what sort of potion do you think will do the trick? How best can we teach this kid those demons don’t belong here?” another man inquired.

  The first man grinned and grabbed a blackened potion from the top shelf. “You just leave that to me.”

  Michael and the girls helped themselves to the seats in the shop. Michael sighed as the minutes continued to pass without a sign of the shop owner.

  “What’s taking so long?”

  “Who knows? I just hope he’s got something that can help you,” said Ursula.

  “As do I.” Michael nodded.

  The door then opened, and the man came back holding a black potion in his hand. “My apologies. Here’s your potion, as requested. It retrieves memories and helps combat addiction. A rare specimen. Usually two hundred gold, but for you, I’ll do one hundred and fifty.”

  “Rather pricey, but if it’s a two in one, sure,” Isabella replied, putting the money on the counter.

  “Great! Thanks for doing business with me,” the man said.

  “Thank you!” Ursula replied, waving as they walked out of the shop.

  Fools. The man thought, snickering.

  The sun began to set as the five of them completed their journey back to their campsite. Michael looked down at the bottle in his hands. The dark-colored brooding
miasma seeping from the top gave him a sinking feeling.

  “So, are you going to try it out?” asked Alexa.

  “Yes, that was expensive, so it better work,” Isabella said.

  “Alright. I’ll give it a try,” Michael agreed.

  Michael took a deep breath and then swallowed a heavy gulp from the bottle. He waited a moment for the effects to kick in. He stood there in silence, staring at the bottle with relief. Confusion and disappointment seeped in.

  “I guess it doesn’t work. Sorry.”

  “Are you serious? You don’t feel anything at all?” Isabella asked.

  “Nothing,” Michael replied.

  “Maybe you need to drink the entire thing for it to work,” Ursula suggested.

  “Yes, that man was oddly unspecific regarding the proper intake,” said Julianna.

  “Do you think it’ll be fine?” he asked.

  “What do you think will happen?” Isabella asked back. Cold sweat rolled down her neck.

  Michael looked down at the bottle again. He swore he could see something festering within…screaming at him.

  I need to do this, he said to himself. I need to get better. Otherwise, I won’t be the person I need to be for them. Or able to stop Lucifer.

  He confidently nodded before downing the rest of the bottle. He waited, letting the rest of the bottle sink in. Still, he felt no change at all.

  “That’s strange. I still can’t feel anything”—

  A sudden pain spread across his body. He grunted helplessly before storming off to his tent, swiftly shutting himself in.

  “Michael, are you alright?” Isabella asked, standing outside of the tent.

  “I’m fine, I mean, I’m fine,” said Michael, in a series of unusual voices.

  “You don’t sound fine. Let me see what’s going on,” Alexa said, as she unzipped the tent entrance. The girls froze in shock. Michael had transformed into a woman!

  “Unholy shit!” said Ursula.

  Michael covered himself up with a handful of blankets, embarrassed.

  “Don’t look at me,” he announced, trying to disguise his new feminine tonality with a masculine undertone. His mind struggled to wrap around what was happening to him. That, plus the girls talking over each other, turned his panic into a meltdown.