Journals, audio logs, and the Dark Secrets of Dr. Midnight Himitsu. An ongoing detail of the Demon Mastering Doctor.

[BigBacon]

This will be an ongoing post as secrets and files slip into the public on the arrival of the new hero in town, Dr. Midnight Himitsu. Keep in mind I'm not an expert writer etc. I also operate very stoned at normal due to things. So take with salt. Also feel free to talk about it here as I go.


The TV news would flicker on the screens of every TV, Computer, and mobile device capable as the city tuned in for the latest Expose. The anchor would speak in a persuasive and threatening tone to announce the topic.

"Dr. Midnight Himitsu. A new hero? Or a demonic hedonistic terror from the past? Tonight we bring to you journal excerpts from the Doctor himself. We have had these documents tested and have verified the dates written within. Later we even have the Doctor himself confirming all as true and explaining more of his past as he to tries to make himself a home in Paragon City."

The cameras would shift and the anchor would turn to face them as in the back ground images of the Doctor fighting "crime" is displayed. 
"Many have seen this new hero on the streets proudly wearing his costume covered in occult symbols. Nothing we citizens haven't seen before. But what makes this mad man worth noting IS the past he carries. And at his TRUE age he carries a very long past. Would anyone watching tonight be shocked to hear he is over four hundred years old? Or that he has changed his name several times over the centuries? And he may even be older as the longest record we could verify comes from 1642. All of this is in the very journal entry we will now read to you." 

The screen would change to show the pages of a journal on very aged paper. The anchor would now read the pages as they are shown for other to read along with the flowing perfect cursive hand writing if they can:


August 1642

 

                     Ten years. I haven't kept a record since the night I quit being a healer but even then they were but scraps of paper I ended up losing track of anyways. I decided to make a new record again though. I know not how long I will keep it this time though what is time to me anymore? I still remember thinking I could heal the world. Oxford wasn't easy. Even more difficult taking on three specialties at the same time but thanks to the strong will power I inherited, I managed it. I was still a fool. After ten years I saw only the worst of humanity. I lost the path of the healer, disgusted by every patient I saw. Though I gained more than enough samples to make up this travelling oddity show. I rather like this job. I go from town to town showing off human oddities retrieved from former patients.  Adults blush, children try to get inside only to scream and run. I can honestly say it was the only benefit of being a Doctor of Gynecology, Proctology, and Urology with a surgical removal specialty had. But I digress. The only draw back is the loneliness. No family or friends made along the way, Another letter got to me today as I left France asking me to retrieve the only thing left of my family still sitting, waiting for me back home in London. My father was a scornful man but in the end the only thing left of the estate when it burned was that silly tome the family had kept for time immemorable. Father forbade me from ever reading it but maybe I shouldn't let it go to the highest bidder. It will cost me all I have to pay off the debt of the holders fee but something has been pulling at me all night back to London.  Fine. I will sell off my samples and retrieve the tome when I return to London next month. 

 

 

The reading would be interrupted by the Anchor announcing the first commercial break. 

Edited August 27, 2024 by BigBacon
Stoned. Very very stoned.

[BigBacon]

The commercial break would end and the anchor would return announcing the continuation of the journal.

September 1642

 

              It is done. I have paid the debt and the family tome is in my hands. I had to seek shelter at the local chapel for the time being. I don't know how I will produce an income now. I have no oddities to show, nor capitol to open a new practice. The only thing I have left are the clothes I am wearing, an old half burnt trunk, and this tome. Lord knows why I had to buy it back. I assume it's just the family record or something. Most of it seems written in Latin, of which I know little, and the first numbers I see that look like dates go back to 1009 AD. So I spent every pence I had on a book I cannot read but at least dates back maybe four hundred years. I guess I will need to take it to a book dealer or so to find someone to tell me more about it. Maybe it's worth more than I think. Although the symbols in the book... They are haunting my dreams now. I feel compelled to keep this book on me at all times. Like I should never show it or sell it. But how will I live? What will I do? No harm ever came from reading a book right? Perhaps I will ask the Father if I can stay and learn Latin from him so I can read this thing myself. I may be able to provide help here to make some living money. Yes if the father will have me I will learn Latin and then read this book. Maybe it has the answers I seek. It may take some time but if I devote myself to it I should be able to pick it up in say six months time. I fear this may all just be a maddening mistake but this compulsion. It feels like a divine hand is gently pulling me towards this goal. Like the angels of heaven want me to do this. I must do it. I must follow this unseen hand that pushes me towards destiny. 
 

October 1642

          The month has sped by and so has my progress. I have gained a position helping the local mortician at night and during the day the Father has agreed to teach me Latin. I will not read a word of that book till I can fluently read and write it. I have decided to not take it to any local shop. When I try to its like the book itself doesn't want to leave my room let alone my hands to show a shop keeper. The images in my nightmares now seem to pulse and quiver. I see rivers of fire and blood, Screams echoing into the darkness, the heat unbearable, The immortal king of vampires cloaked in red and wielding a giant silver canon roaming the earth with his army of stolen souls, The remains of the dead stitched together into a hulking golem reanimated by science, A king in yellow that any who gaze upon him are instantly sent mad, A being of pure fear dressed in a suit with never ending tendrils, A burned man with a demonic claw slaughtering children in their dreams, 2 masked juggernauts with giant knives who stalk young adults but will kill any who come across them, A insane marionette and his puppets who walk and kill on their own, A gold puzzle box that releases demons upon those seeking the greatest of pleasures, A child's toy brought to life by a killer's soul contained within, Undead roaming the earth eating brains and turning their victims into more of the undead, A tome made from human flesh releasing dead like beings unto the world, And last a horrifically disfigured man who skins his victims and wears the faces to hide his diseased and rotten face. I fear I see the end times. That this is the future that WILL be if I do not act! But I shall not fear for the unseen pushes me harder now to read the secrets laid within this ancient book. I know the salvation of the world shall come from this. Or least that is how I feel. No I cannot be wrong. Whatever is pushing me so hard cannot be anything but the divine father himself. He WANTS me to, no NEEDS me to unlock this enigma and bring its secrets to light. For only they can subvert the events that will make this future our only one. The book tells me I will become a hero of this world if I want to be. No more time shall be wasted. I will focus on my studies until I can fulfil my destiny. 

 

 

The anchor would interrupt the reading with another commercial break.  

Edited August 29, 2024 by BigBacon

[BigBacon]

The anchor would come back on the screen announcing the resuming of the show but his face was more concerned looking "We now return with our Expose'. But a word of warning. This may start to become concerning for younger audiences. Please for your children's sake you may wish to have them leave the room. The month of December becomes graphic."

 

 

November 1642

              I have not slept in days. I pour myself into my studies now not only of Latin but of other subjects as well. The book now drives my mind. It tells me to learn of alchemy, of runes and spells, religion and spirits. of the planes of the divine and the infernal, Of God and Satan as well, well beyond what I have learned in my life or at school. I must confess... I did not pay the Father this month's rent, nor last months either. I was driven like a man possessed to procure books. Books I can read now. The lesser key of Solomon started it all. I saw it in the library hidden away in this house of God of all places. But it's pages were faded and damaged beyond use. I walked all of London looking for another copy. I walked for hours, no days, searching every shop of every kind for the knowledge I am pushed to learn. Every burrow, every block. Damnation I even resorted to just knocking on doors randomly asking random people about it! I could not stop myself.

 

            I sold off my coat, top hat, monocle, everything even the old trunk just to get more money. I have nearly no clothes left. I must clean what I wear every night just so I have under garments to wear. What drives me to this madness? I keep asking myself are the nightmares real? Am I just losing my mind? Ever since this book came back into my life I have been guided to obtain this lofty goal. An unseen hand has pointed me to where I need to go and tells me what I need to learn. There is a power hidden in this book that I must KNOW how to control BEFORE I even read it. I hear whispers in my ear. They tell me that just reading the book will not be enough. I must walk the path of King Solomon and learn how to harness lesser powers before I can even think to open the family tome. But I do not fear. A package arrived at the church for me while I was out today. The marking on the box show stamps from all over the world it seems. It was like this box had been processed through every courier office in the world. And by some writing on the paper I would guess some places without offices as well.

 

          I had to pay the Father my last shillings to cover the postage he had to pay for himself. His face was full of disdain and I know it is over the lack of payment as we agreed so for the first time in my life I did something sinful, at least to my mind. I lied to the Father. I told him I was just so wanting to follow the path of the Lord I had been giving money to poor and using what little was left to continue down the path of our Lord and Savior. Though my stomach burned with the lie the Father seemed to believe me. His face softened and became more sincere. With a smile he told me he understood and even gave me my shillings back. He dismissed the need for rent and told me that as long as I followed the path of the Lord and was bolstering my devotion I could stay for free, he would try to help feed and clothe me and he would forgive the debt as well. As long as I at least gave anything during Mass and helped with cleaning and cooking chores.

 

         This one lie so sickening and wrong had gotten me free board, some food, and the Father's continued support. I feel so sick over it but the feeling fades as I returned to my room and opened the parcel. To my astonishment the book I was seeking was on top! Not only the book I sought but five others and they were not copies but hand written! One on Herbology beyond what they taught in school, Another on Runes and sigils, their meaning and use, The others scare me. One book claims it is the definitive book on demons and all things Infernal. None of the hand written books have an author's name but I swear I know the hand writing! It feels familiar and almost comforting to read despite the contents.

 

          Why must I learn of the Infernal if my goal is salvation of the world? Perhaps the Tome wants me to learn how to fight against the demons by studying them fully. To learn of weaknesses and how to defeat each king, baron, or duke of hell so that the future I saw is averted. I must take the next step. Inside the box was a smaller ornately decorated silver box which contained various candles of different colors as well as a few black ones that seem to have ash or something mixed with the wax, labeled powders and herbs in vials, talismans, amulets, a worthless plain iron ring, and more. I have found the lowest class of rituals and spells to practice with and will do so when I can. The only thing not contained in the box was any sort of letter or any explanation as to where this gift from God came from. For now I will just take it as another sign I am on the right path. 

 

 

 

After the lengthy entry another commercial break would take place.

 

Note from Big Bacon:

Now that I am not stoned I want to take a moment to ask people to please leave feed back if you feel like it. I write daily to try and improve my skills. Side note I am not going the extra mile to use accurate terms, words, or spelling from 1642. Kinda lazy but its a level I dont want to go to yet. I am at least making sure that most of what I am writing is somewhat accurate. I could not get a clear answer of if a postal system was available in London in 1642 so I changed it to a courier. I enjoy writing and constructive feed back. I came up with this story back in my DCUO days but never acted upon it. I like CoH more than DCUO so I brought him here to try and make friends and join a new community since I have 0 social life due to medical issues. Anyways I hope people are enjoying the story so far. 

Edited August 29, 2024 by BigBacon

[BigBacon]

The commercial break would end and the anchor would return announcing the continuation of the journal.

 

December 1642


         Merry Christmas to our so called lord and savior... I have been practicing the spells and rituals I had been sent. Each time I master a new spell it is like a new level of knowledge if bequeathed to me. I can see the demons that walk among us now hiding in plain sight. When I focus my gaze on them it as though they feel me and vanish. Some I have seen lock eyes with me and I swear they run in terror. I am seeing things in this world that were never meant to be seen by mortal eyes. Spirits walk the church at night. I hear them move hear them cry. "Father why am I still here? Why can I not talk or touch my children to let them know I am with them? Why am I being tortured?" the ghost mother cried at the alter. So many trapped earth bound spirits walk among us. Ignored by their god. I have grown cold to these cries. I had to or I would be driven mad! I no longer fear walking at night alone in London. I have seen what should cause true terror, what should drive a man of his senses, what should break any mortal into a sniveling pile of useless excrement, and yet I remain as strong as I ever was as a surgeon. It is like my past helped make me strong enough to bear witness to what I see now. My studies with the Father are almost over. The book, still calling to me, waits under my pillow. The final answers waiting to be released. But I fear I have already found more answers than I should have ever needed.

 

 

           You see it is not what I see now that causes me fear. It is what I do NOT see. I see no angels. No heralds of the father. No heavenly choir nor anything one could say pointed to existence of the divine as I now see proof of the demonic.  During my rituals I protect myself by evoking the names of the arch angels. When I do I FEEL them with me. There is divine power in this world. Yet they do not protect us here without being summoned? I have seen no angels protecting someone, or even confront the demons among us. And the issue is many of who I have seen accept the demons. I followed one demon last Saturday night back to where I have been working at night. Now normally the mortician is working alone on the weekend but I followed the little rotund demon in to my boss in the morgue below and looking through the crack of the door the demon just entered I saw a horrid scene. There was a dozen or so demons and the things they were doing to the recently dead I cannot even detail. Words do not yet exist that can convey the abuse of every sin I saw being committed. And in the midst of it all hacking up a body like a butcher was the mortician! Laughing as he accepted gold coins from the demons in return for his service.

 

             What I thought was vomit rising in my gullet turned out to be something much better. I feel like I stepped out of my own body and observed everything with a bowl of snacks. Like I was seeing a play being done in front of me. The hero burst forth from the door and in an instant cast a spell to banish all the demons back to hell. I had issues with just using that spell to banish one demon and here twelve were sent back with his bellowing voice. The villain quaked in fear as he had been found out and begged not to be turned in for what he was doing. The hero boldly strode up with his hands ready to cast another spell or maybe just strangle the poor man. As he closed in he snatched the gold bag from the doctor and bellowed his order.

 

         "From now on you will repent all evil and return to the ways of the lord. I will not kill you though I should on the spot right now for what you having thrown your lot in with them but I will spare you under the condition that you repent and rebuke them from now on!"

 

        With that the hero walked out and I returned to my body. I still have that bag of gold coins hiding under my bed. I did not see the doctor in church the following day and returning to work the following night I found him hung in his office. He left a note saying he just could not fight against his demons anymore. Hidden ledgers and records show he was selling bodies and parts to the local medical schools but nothing else was found about what I had seen. Though I did not tell the officials. The man had suffered enough. But I come back to the issue I see now. The lack of the divine among us. And I feel I have come to one of two conclusions. Either one offers no comfort and only bring more questions. 

      As a Doctor and as a traveler I have seen no miracles. Nothing I could not explain easily or scientifically. Yet demons walk among us. I have seen horrible things that should never have happened. Things I could never explain with the same mind even before I gained my new sight. A young healthy mother and wife having a minor surgery to remove a minor something or other and dies. Bleeding was controlled perfectly. Incision perfect. Clamp perfect. Removal underway and Spasms, convulsions, and she dies. No answer. No reason. She's dead on my table and I have barely started my surgery! I was cleared of any legal wrong doing in the end but I never got what I really needed. The answer. But I have seen demons now and I know one had to done something to that woman that took her lie. But how can I prove what cant be seen by normal eyes. I cannot wake everyone to what is around them. But I know what I can do. I can continue down this path and fight them. Not just them but all evil in this world. I'll use whatever power I gain to do what the divine seems unwilling or unwanting to do. For the answer is either the divine cannot help us or they will not help us. We use words, names, and such to repel demons but we always have to summon or invoke them. Demons are here and already walk around freely and unnoticed and so as they please. The divine do nothing. So even if this power is dark or demon in nature I can use it for good. I will do as I did in college and push myself to my absolute limits to learn and master all I can. Soon the next chapter will begin. 

 

After the lengthy entry another commercial break would take place.

 

[BigBacon]

January 1643

 

         I had other things to write about for the month. About mastering simple spells and incantations to move coins from ones pocket to mine. Of more demons seen and ghosts to detail. None of it matters. For you see I finally opened that dreaded book. I am now able to not only read and decipher the text but to see past the ink into the magics bound within. It's a ledger. A record of every member of my family to sell their souls to a demon for some deal. For power. For wealth, for foresight, for hindsight... Every member from my father to his father down the line to the earliest member of my family detailed in 1009 AD. Not one of them resisted the demons and instead sold themselves into hell. Well not quite. Inside the tome is the ritual and contract details brought back from the crusades by my ancestor. There is a clause in the deal. No souls can be claimed and must remain in limbo until the family line dies. If a single soul from my blood dies a sin free life and proceeds through the pearly gates the contract is broken and all souls are sent through. If the line ends in sin then all souls are claimed by the dark lords they dealt with. The second the first deal was made our line was cursed to the allure of the demonic. We are drawn to use a special ritual created by a blood pact with another entity. The trade gave us access to dealings with powerful demons should we choose to use it but by the deal unto itself we are drawn to use it anyways as it was our blood used to create the ritual. 

 

       I am faced with a disheartening truth. I have already gone too far. I have already started to taint my soul with the seeds of darkness. I do not know if I can be saved anymore. I take solace in the fact the escape clause can still be used. My sister still lives and thrives at the nunnery father sent her to in her youth. If any of our line would qualify it would be her. That makes my choice much easier. I too shall continue in the tradition of my family. Normally it seems our linage always waited until they fathered at least one child. But as only I and my celebrate sister are all currently who are left I just need to make sure I die before she does and we should all be saved. I need to think hard on how I word what I want to ask for in trade for my soul but I think I have a plan. With all I have learned enough from these books and spells, these rituals and seances, that I have gleamed a plan. If I do this correctly I could stand to gain incredible power in the arcane or more. It will be a gamble so I will plan as much as possible to minimize risk. I will take the next month to gather the needed reagents and find a proper place to perform the ritual in piece. Again I think I have the perfect spot already in mind. No one has been there since the fire and I know the cellar still remains untouched. I am sure father used the same location in his youth as well. Yes his name and what he sold it for is also in this record of my families dark dealings. Hopefully I will live long enough to write March's entry.  I just hope that if I do not that this accursed book is never seen by my sister's eyes. That she is never tempted to do what I am going to do. 

Edited September 3, 2024 by BigBacon

[BigBacon]

February 1643

 

 

           It has been barely a fortnight since my last entry but things are moving quickly. The reagents and supplies have been stored in a hidden room in the old estate's cellar. I found an entry in the family's cursed ledger showing where it was. It was the room my father used to converse with demons. It still bears scorch marks of a deal gone sour proving once and for all it was his arrogance that destroyed our wealth, name, and home. It was easy enough to repair the circle and prepare the room for use once again. The stars themselves seem to be aligning to bring about my destiny as a freak blood moon is predicted to form on the very night I plan to open the portal. I have memorized the ritual and contract down to the smallest details. The ritual is designed to summon forth specific demons by name but I have found a detail that if no demon is named it will contact the most powerful demon available to make the deal even if the user normally would not have the skill or prestige to demand a demon of that level. I know my limits and know what demons I would be able to influence a deal with as I am but this could provide a short cut. If I could normally only summon a duke this could lead me to the higher limits of general or king and if I am to gamble with not just my own soul but those of my family line if I fail I want to make sure I get the most for it. And after much research into the demonic realm, gleaming information through various contacts I have made through my own workings with magics and summoning I think I know how I can use the contract itself against the demon I summon. I will just need to barter for enough power and enough time.

 

              The contract grants the summoner powers to call upon from the demon depending on the rank of the demon summoned. The demon will reside in a pocket dimension inside a simple iron ring, just like the one sent to me, and will grant their power in exchange for time. Once your time is up the ring breaks to free the demon to claim the soul of the summoner and his entire families line should it end in sin. I simplified the above as I realize I may very well be making a detailed account into my fall into insanity and death should I be wrong in all of this. I do not want to temp others with full details anymore. There are no safeguards anymore. Once I start the ritual it must be completed. I have enchanted a pen that writes what it hears into my journal, a marvelous cantrip I'm using now. With it I will write my next entry as I perform the ritual itself. The spell requires a vast amount of the summoner's fresh blood, enough to push them to beyond saving. So if it is my last day I want it written down for some strange reason. I feel a voice in the back of my mind this may still just be a form of mental illness I am suffering from. A tiny calling of doubt that holds me back from giving all into this delusion and pulls to try and bring me back to sanity. If this is just my descent into full madness I will say to my sister now. I am sorry. 


 

Edited September 29, 2024 by BigBacon

[BigBacon]

The news anchor's face would appear on the screen with a grimace. "We would like to inform the audience that we have censored some of the following journal entry. We here at Paragon City News do not condone the summoning of demons or other worldly apparitions. Luckily the good Doctor long ago removed the full instructions so that no one may try to follow in his foot steps. We warn one last time that this entry is not safe for children under thirteen years of age and should not be viewing this without a parent or guardian present. We here at PCN are not to be held liable should our warnings not be headed. We now continue,

 

February 1463 Second Entry

 

 

            The pen is recording perfectly. I have made sure it has plenty of ink this time and will also write more details now. I feel like I have waited for this night my whole life. Tonight where we should have no moon showing instead a crimson orb floats high in the sky above. Everything is in place. The incenses and candles are burning, I have started drinking the potion, my wrists are slit and filling the grooves mixing with the ash and wax, The metallic copper taste in the air and the potion are dulling my senses. I recite the words of power to cast the spell to proceed. In perfect rhythm I never miss a syllable. My life is slipping away as the last of the giant sigil is cast in my blood. I am losing cons. Cons. My mind. "Something is wrong. This isn't right. I was wrong. I was wrong. I don't want to die here. Alone. Found with out these mad ramblings. I don't want to. I don't wanna. I don't. I don't. I don. I don. I. I. I." I could not hold onto my mind nor hold my eyes open any longer. As I bled I closed my eyes and felt my breathing slow still reciting the words.

 

             I know not how long my eyes were shut nor how I commanded them to open but as I started to regain my senses I felt I was no longer alone. As my eyes crept open and tried to adjust to my low blood state I could see a massive shadow now looming on the other side of the giant circle of summoning that was now full of my blood, wax, and ash now hardened into a special crest. I had to drive all fear from my mind and wait as it took in its situation surrounding it being summoned and how. I could feel it's eyes piercing through my very being looking at my soul as well my current state. I still could not identify what demon had answered my demand to come forth and make this deal. All I knew right then was that I was about to die if I did not perform the ritual correctly. As I felt my soul start to disconnect from my dyeing mortal shell I heard a woman snickering before a jolt ran through my spirit pulling me back together and jump starting my heart. 

"Such a crude, old ritual. I haven't answered a summon like this is a few centuries." 

The feminine voice called from the darkness.

"So this is the part where first I have to stop your stupid mortal self from dying. So here drink this,"

With a snap of it's fingers a wine bottle appeared in my hand but I cut too deep into my arms. With slashed tendons I could not hold onto the bottle to bring it to my lips. I could feel the pity and disgust this demon had for not just me but the entire human race as it watched me fail to drink from the bottle. With a sigh and another snapping of fingers the container would levitate and pour itself into my mouth. The pure ambrosia that made it's way down my throat was beyond any wine I had ever tasted before. If one could drink comfort, happiness, nostalgia, and love this would be the result. A warming sensation started in my stomach before spreading through out my entire being and I felt as though I had regained not only my lost blood but I had also restored long lost vitality. I continued to drink as I felt my body become fully invigorated and I rose to my feet grabbing the bottle from my lips and ripping it away. I felt my eyes quickly adjust but could still only see a pulsing shadow on the opposite side of the sigil I now stood on. I had to quickly regain my composure. Right now any fear, and weakness will cost me dearly in the bargaining phase. I could feel it observe me and feel it laugh the feminine laugh inside my head. 

"I have invoked my bloodline's ritual and demand to know what demon now stands before me."
The woman's laugh and voice rang out again.

"So you did not name a demon you just summoned the most powerful? I am flattered that you would such caution to the wind and you are very lucky that this was a night I wanted to piss off my husband."
"Husband? I don't understand."

As the shadows let the form take shape a gorgeous woman wrapped in a long silk cloth barely covering her lower private area walked from the fog towards me before draping her arms around my shoulders and kissing my cheek. 
"I am Lilith. Mother to all Succubae, Second in command of Hell's army. Queen of hell as my mate is Lucifer,"

 

 

Having taken a moment to regain myself from finding of all the demons that could have been summoned Lilith was now in my circle. 

"Why did you answer my call?"

"I told you I was pissed off at my husband and decided to prove to him making a deal for a soul isn't as hard or tiring as he bitches about it being. By pure chance I heard the call of your ritual and here I am. So let's get the details out of the way. Please tell me you have read the contract you're about to agree to."
Taking a deep breath I found courage returning to my voice.  

"I have. The deal is for time. I call upon any of your powers I want in exchange for an agreed upon amount of time running down. The more I ask for the faster time runs out. Until then you reside inside a pocket dimension inside this iron ring. The power will only work for me, The ring can be summoned to my finger at any time, You will be undetectable from any power, demon, person, anything while inside the ring. While you are in the ring not only can we talk through a form of telepathy I can actually enter the pocket dimension inside the ring. If I am using none of your powers the timer does not count down. When time runs out then the ring will shatter and release you to claim my soul. That sum it all up or did I leave anything out?"
Lilith giggled in response to my courage.

"Very good. I know of your family line. Most of them have been rather foolish in the past. I see this fruit has in deed fallen far from the family tree with you." 

"Thank you. So now shall we discuss power and time?"

"Ooh let's" 

Another snap of her fingers and a table appeared with the contract now laying flat on it with an ink and quill next to it. Another snap and we were now sitting in two very comfortable  easy chairs.

"The first thing we shall discuss is just how much of my power you wish to use as your own."

I was quick to cut her off. 

"As much of it as possible."
An evil smile crept over the demons face. A smile that revealed that no matter how much you may think this is a beautiful woman in front of you it was still indeed a demon in disguise. 

"Ahh so you want to what destroy the world in one fell swoop for us? You know the more you ask for the less time I will give you. For access to everything I will only give you twenty hours worth of time. You won't get much done but you can get a lot done."

I shook my head at the number. That simply wouldn't be enough and it was time to do what most of my lineage would never had the nerve to do. I took a deep breath and using all my courage and guile started the bargaining dance.  

"No. That simply will not be enough."
"Well I could go to twenty one,"
"Don't make me laugh. You really think I don't know all I am worth?"
She let out a laugh so loud it shook the wood structures above.

"Your worth? You think you KNOW your WORTH?! You are one pathetic tainted soul. A drop in the infinite deluge of souls that is the human race only worth whatever we demons deem what a pile of excrement like you is worth at the time of a deal. I should rip your skull out with your spine still attached just for the audacity of thinking you were worth a deal with me in the first place. Ten hours take it or I undo the healing and watch you bleed out while death comes to claim you."

It wasn't courage that echoed out in response. For the first time since the day Father kicked me out of the family home for deciding to become a doctor I let my anger take over. Once that fire ignited something just told me to let it loose on this demon. If anything would beat her back maybe it was this. I never expected The Queen of hell herself but her power would be perfect for my plan. I just needed enough time to attempt my plan. Without enough time then I will be screwed. So out came my full rage.

"Listen here you demonic tramp! You already tipped your hand more than you know! You are desperate to one up your husband with a quick and easy deal. You let me die no soul for you. You go back with your tail tucked betwixt your cheeks and have to suffer him. We both know I am not just bartering my soul but those of my family stuck outside he gates. If My line ends in sin the last demon to strike the deal gets all four hundred and ninety nine souls on top of mine making it a smooth five hundred souls you would bank making for a very good middle finger to Lucifer. All that for thirty hours and not a minute more."

 

       

             One could hear the gears turning in her head as she worked every angle of what I said looking for any argument to use against mine. I forced my face into one of pure stone as she scanned me for any chinks in the armor to strike, any weaknesses to exploit, any bluffs to call. I gave her all the time she needed before she finally called out in frustration.

"Thirty?! I didn't give MERLIN thirty hours and you think you are better than MERLIN!? You will take Twenty five hours and that is all!"

Not enough was all I could think. I needed to push just a little bit more. 
"Now we are talking like business partners. Five HUNDRED souls to rub in your husband's face. You can give two more hours. Twenty seven hours, not a second more, and I promise not to even put a fight. I will hold your hand and skip off to hell ready to receive my punishment for all eternity."

A smirk came over Lilith's face as I finished my last offer.
"You sly little mortal. We both know of the escape clause. And that I would have to wait for your line to end while you're stuck in Limbo But as for balls you have a marvelous set on you.  I will enjoy making you into my personal play toy once you come down and join us. Alright I agree to twenty seven hours." Taking the pen from the empty bottle she stabs the palm of her hand piercing deeply and letting her blood flow. As she presses her bloody hand to the contract the blood transfers and takes the shape of her personal seal on her designated signature line. Seductively Lilith licked the blood from her hand showing the wound already healed. 
"Your turn lover. Just put your blood on that line and you'll feel my power penetrate you. Don't resist just let it in. Just lay back and take every inch until you think you can't take any more then we will merge to one."

With that seductive look she handed the pen over. I did not hesitate. Stabbing my palm I squeezed the wound to get a good amount of blood ready and pressed it against my own signature line. The blood absorbed into the paper contorting and leaving only my full signature signed in my own blood. 

 

        The contract rolled itself up in the demon's hand and vanished in a poof of smoke. Lilith walked up to me and kissed my cheek with a wink.

"Twenty Seven hours lover. See you soon."

Holding up the ring the hell spawn appeared to be sucked into the iron band. In a moment the demon was gone and the ring remained floating in mid air. I plucked the ring from the air and put it on my left ring finger. I felt no different and for a moment almost gave into the thoughts of I was just losing the last bits of my mind. That was until she spoke from her hidden refuge inside the ring. 

"So what is the first thing you want to do? To use one of my powers just think about what you want done and my magics and my guidance will make it happen."
Reaching out like he was about to open a door a knob would appear in my hand as I started to turn it thinking about where I wanted to go.

"First I think I will take the advice of many a scorned lover or angry business partner and go to Hell"

With that I stepped through the open door into the infernal realm.



The announcer would interrupt to announce the warning again followed by a commercial break. 

Edited September 10, 2024 by BigBacon

[BigBacon]

The news anchor would welcome everyone back to the final parts of the journal. "But we assure you we have much more to go over. Al the way up to 1880s when the "good" doctor mysteriously vanishes for one hundred years. Join us as the Doctor himself confesses all about that period of his life. But for now we continue with the journal of the damned doctor.

 

 

             Amazingly though the pen I had enchanted was pressed between the pages of my journal it still recorded everything that transpired during my trip to the demon realm into the following pages.

 

            By merely thinking of the realm of the infernal and opening the door the room started to feel boiling hot. Walking through the portal I was consumed by the heat and felt myself pulled through time and space, like I was being reeled in by a fisherman who had hooked my brain and was bringing his prize in with all haste. As the darkness let go of my senses I could hear the screams of the dead and damned, smell the brimstone and excrement around me. I was a living mortal standing in the center of Hell itself now something that was upsetting to the very balance of the universe. Yet here I was. As I walked through the land taking it in it didn't take long to notice things almost right but not. Trees made of stone. Above in the sky was a ceiling of stone where the stars should be and light is generated by pulsating veins of lava. Mysterious creatures seemed to peer around corners but for now I use only enough power to survive as a mortal in hell. Lilith prods my intensions as I continue to ignore sights that would torture most mortal eyes.

"What do you seek in Hell? To "stop" Lucifer? To free some tortured soul? Steal an artifact?  

"That is for me to know. The less I have to trust a demon the better."

I could hear her giggling ringing in my skull at the statement.

"I think you need some perspective. Even now your sand is counting down. Every grain counting down till I claim your soul. In this deal I cannot read your mind nor stop whatever you want to do. Sure I can scream at you but all you have to do is force your will to silence me. You have all my knowledge and power at your command and yet you worry so much about having sold your soul you are unsure weather to trust a demon or not. The contract was signed by both of us and I am bound to your will until its completion. Not only can I not stop you I am contractually bound to help you. So give in. You already made the deal. Being afraid to use my power because it will "corrupt" your soul is moot. Experience all you can in the, twenty six hours and fifteen minutes you have left. All you have to do is ask and you will receive."

 

 

         I stood frozen in the fires and screams of Hell. She was right. If I continue blindly I will surely run out of time before I find what I am looking for. Truth be told she was right. I was scared to give in and use all the powers I had bartered for in hopes of subverting my fate for as long as possible. But that was what this trip was about. I need to delay payment for as long as possible. Closing my eyes I reached out for an invisible door knob again.

"Take me to the master of the demonic forges. The one who makes equipment even for Satan himself."
Obeying my command the door formed and turning the knob opened into another region of hell. The moment the door opened a typhoon of air even hotter then I ever dreamed possible threatened to launch me across the planes of existence, only invoking more of Lilith's power kept me standing and allowed me to walk through the door, but its a double edge. The more power I use the faster my time will run out. It didn't seem right. 
"Demon. I bargained for twenty seven hours. I have used hardly any power, only enough for a mortal to survive here. How have I lost an hour without even touching your full power."

"This contract was not of my creation. It was a very old and outdated contract from the crusades. You will get a full twenty seven hours of continuous use no matter how much power you pull. I think you mixed up details. You get less time for more power during the deal. Not now. You can use as little or as much of my powers as you like the deal is for how much total time you get. You can use my weakest powers for the whole time, or all of it it matters not. Only if you use none of my power will the sand stop. At that point you can go years without losing time. Perhaps like your father you use the powers you gained to influence trade deals. Or like your great grandfather who called upon the demon each time he was about to die to save his mortal shell. The only thing you cannot do now is have children. The deal has made you sterile in all forms. Hence why most waited till they had someone to continue the lineage or would at least serve as the family trump card to save them all. You have made the deal with no safeties left. There is no one to save your blood line now and when your deal is up all five hundred souls are mine. As for the missing hour. You summon a door to a portal and it takes time to travel by portal. Maybe from now on you try instant teleportation instead?"

 

                  I could hear her laughing again. Oh how I hope this plan comes to fruition. I want to see her face when the smile turns to anger. I had to hold back my own anger at her making me waste a hour but I had bigger worries. Since I had moved through the door to the forge master and it had taken me thirty feet or so from a massive black smith forge surrounded by two huge piles. One pile looked to be equipment to service the other piles of equipment to serve as material to repair the first pile. The sounds of hundred of hammer slamming into anvils filled the air like a chorus of steel. In my youth I had learned to love the song of the blacksmith during an apprenticeship I used to pay for my first doctorate. Had fate taken me down another path I surely would have continued with it instead as the work was endlessly fascinating to me. To take a piece of steel in all its strength and durability and make it bend and shape to my will was cathartic. Ironically the path the gods put me on now not only has me returning to blacksmithing now but also has me forging my own destiny. I must put forth again that I have no idea if this will work or not but the rewards far outweigh the risks. Either I will succeed and become something new or I will die and it will no longer be my problem.  Wasting no more time I walked into the open air forge and looking for its master. 

 

                  Even after all the demons I have seen and dealt with, all the ghosts I have detailed, the horrors and beauties I have seen since having my eyes and mind opened seeing the forge master at work reminded me there are still levels I have yet to scratch. He stood over twelve feet tall, his skin was a mix of his natural crimson skin tone and black from the soot and ash of the forge's fire. Cloven hoofs kept him upright with only an apron from waist down served as his only clothing. His six arms were muscled beyond belief swinging hammers and using tools each almost the size of a man themselves. Yet his speed was unhindered by these massive tools. He moved like a blur as his multiple sets of arms worked on several projects at once. Repairing this sword, making a shield, polishing a breastplate, all tasks taking only moments to go from nothing to perfection. Even his long snake like tail was holding tools as he worked and his huge ram like horns drew my eyes as their size alone looked like they could gore several men with little effort, which served as a reminder to me just where I was and what exactly I walk among now. I had only barely stepped inside and took this moment to dispel what little doubt I had left. 

"Demon I want to ask you something before we continue."

"Ooh the mortal has a question for me. What little nugget of knowledge do you need?"

"How can I be sure I am not just in the throughs of Dementia or the delusions of psychoses? Is this the real world I see now or just the insanity of a madman?"

"You wait till now to ask?"

"I was not sure I wanted the answer till now."

"Reality is subjective. Are you currently talking to a demon or a voice in your head? Yes. Is that a demon or some form of madness personified? Yes. Is there an almighty creator who made all of this? Yes. Is any of this real? Some people don't see the world as reality through their eyes even though they say they see all the same things we all do and say that that is reality and not what the first sees, others see what other people can't and say that that is reality. I am sure someone would comfort you with just saying yes this is real but the real answer is so complicated it would take all your time to answer."

"So what is the answer than?"

"Reality is what you make it. What's it matter now anyways? Could you really deny everything you have seen and done? Given the chance could you knowingly turn around and go back to what you were before?"

I took a moment to let her words sink in.

"You cannot lie to me can you?"

"I can evade you but I cannot lie. I can refuse to answer but I cannot lie according to how we are bound."

Whoever reads this. If it be because you follow in the same path or because you seek knowledge of how my mind works or worked. A collector, a thief, a student, a novice, whoever reads this know that this was the moment. This was when I gave myself completely over to my madness. There was no way I would nor could knowingly go back to a mundane life. It was with that conversation I gave myself fully over to this plan. At this point I could have still left and rationed my time and used the demon to live a long and powerful life. No matter what I did I could use the demon to become the best. A blacksmith, a politician, a leader, a warlord, a conqueror, a healer, no matter what I chose I could have rationed out my time and rebuilt my lineage save for an heir. I COULD have but I didn't. The demon bound in my ring didn't know it but it just encouraged me to raise my middle finger to god and to fate. 

 

 

 

 

The anchor would come back onto the screen, "Due to the extreme length of these entries we are taking another commercial break as well as allow any guardians or parents a chance to put the children to bed or take care of other needs, We will return shortly."

Edited September 11, 2024 by BigBacon

[BigBacon]

The news anchor would come on again. Let's face it. Anyone left watching is here to see it to the end, doesn't care who is watching with them, and lost interest in whatever the host had to say long, long ago.

 

             I cannot describe the feelings that washed over me as I silenced that last little voice of doubt in the back of my mind. I felt a rush almost like a drug course through my veins and my mind felt like I had just awakened from a long forced sleep. I wasn't holding myself back anymore nor would I ever let anything else do so as well. I feel like I was back in school when I pushed myself to learn as much as I could as quickly as I could. The thrill of chasing endless questions only to find the answer needs forty other questions be answered to understand it. That was why I failed as a doctor. The thrill of solving the puzzle was over. The "fail proof" answer normally came down to "cut it out or off and hope they live." With no questions I wanted answers to, and there are plenty I can die and rot happily in hell without ever learning the answers to, there were no more late night chasing down old tomes, or performing experiments to test proposed cures, no curious specimens to observe, dissect, and study. But the human body holds no interest to me anymore, the puzzles and enigmas contained within fill me only with disgust. After all the spells and rituals, following demons and recording ghosts, it all drives me towards an answer to a question I have yet to figure out needs to be asked. Honestly now's not the time to figure out what to do with my life as it may end very abruptly if I fail at my next gambit. 

 

         It took surprisingly little effort to walk towards the forge master but before I could open my mouth the demon spoke over the chorus of steel.

"My time is a precious commodity. I don't need stupid information. I don't care who you are. You are a mortal alive in hell and you sought me out for a deal of some kind. I have 3 rules that must be obeyed before I even consider hearing out any bargains you want to try to persuade me with."

The demon didn't miss a beat with his work nor did he stop to even check if his guest was comprehending. It was as if he was on auto pilot with his work being his soul focus and the words echoing out from his chest in almost a monotone reciting of a passage.

"Rule #1 we can pass. You're a mortal and I can sense a high level demonic presence from you. I don't need to ask at all as its high enough to pass a credential check.

 Rule #2 There are limitless ways to create or enchant something. You sought out the pinnacle practitioner of these skills among the demonic and the divine, nay in all of creation. So it better be for a damn good reason. If it is obscenely beneath me or otherwise would just waste my time you will face my wrath. 

Last is Rule #3 Before you try to barter your paltry one soul take note that all hell forges burn hundreds of souls a cycle. I care not to torture or maim souls only to do make sure I do not fall behind in my work. Your one has no power over the numberless consumed by the hell forges. So you may want to rethink what you are about to offer me if by some small chance I accept the job you want done."

 

         As if waking from his trance the demon snapped to attention before spitting some fiery phlegm in my general direction which I decided to take as my que to speak.

"You are correct in that time is precious. I come looking to have a simple band of iron enchanted in a specific way to a degree only you can accomplish."
"Quit trying to stroke ego and move on meat bag."

"I will not tell you right away how I want it enchanted but I know what I offer will be well worth the deal as in the end it will be an everlasting joke to fate, the gods, and all of creation and you will get something I am sure you have never had."
His words twisted and stewed inside the mind of the master demon in front of him. I looked for any signs on his face to try and gauge his mood. Anger, intrigue, boredom, anything but he was as the demonic metals he worked. The silence seemed to drown out the sounds of the hammers and tools the smith used at lightning speed. I was about to abandon my plan when he finally replied. 

"You have my interest in the project but only if my pay is as good as promised. To find something I have not had that I actually value? I only hold back my wrath so that I may hear you out and possibly receive a hearty laugh before I rend your soul from your body and toss it into my forge. So go ahead and make your offer and let's see just what your fate is."

I kept my heart calm and was called back to my travelling side show days when I tried to interest the crowds. I pulled down deep and gave the single best performance I have ever done.

"I offer you a day off. For twenty four consecutive mortal hours I will work your forge and you do anything but work the forge. When you get back not only will you not have fallen behind I will even catch you up. I will reduce that huge pile of work by at least half."

 The demons laugh drowned out any other sounds but I remained steadfast in my words. When he gathered himself he noticed my serious demeanor.
"Something doesn't add up. Never mind your a human in hell and other little details. Your body. Every inch, every drop of essence I can smell. All of it tells me you're hiding something. A little trick you're waiting to spring on someone. You know if I take the deal I have to return. If the forge was to grow cold and the work pile up it will mean my ass. Normally I would demand you tell me what you want done and tell me why a simple iron band is worth all the trouble. But in all of my existence I have never had a moments rest to myself.  Very well I will take your deal. Get over here and take over. The moment you do the timer will start."

 

         Calling upon all the power I had bargained for I felt my body grow in size to match the forge master's though I did not gain extra limbs. My speed increased to compensate and I quickly took up the tools and started to repair equipment and polish the demonic steel of weapons. 

"I'll be dipped even with only two arms you are actually faster. And you ain't even sweating yet. Alright time to take a much deserved break."

The demon would leave me alone to work while an hour glass appeared in his place. I kept working the forge and just focused on this new task.

"What is your plan mortal?"

It had been so long I had forgotten Lilith was still with me.

"I plan to upset the balance of the universe."

"And how exactly are you planning to do that?"

"Thanks to you I have the power to do as I told that demon. He alone can enchant items to be immune to Divine light and Demonic hellfire."

"So you are going to do what exactly?"

I knew what the Queen of Hell would react with when she found out. I smirked as I knew she could not stop me now that the gears were turning. 

"I'm going to have the demon make this ring indestructible to any power no matter the source. If the ring cannot break..."

I heard her horror as her mind wrapped around my plan.

"Then I am trapped inside and our deal can never be completed... I would be bound to you until the universe itself ends..."

"I am immortal thanks to your powers. I can be reborn from any injury anywhere I wish. We are about to enter into a long business arrangement. I am going to use your powers to fight against evil. Stopping it from claiming as many innocent lives as possible. I don't work for God. Hell, I don't even like him right now. You think seeing all the demons on earth tore down my faith? No it just changed what I have faith in. Then it emboldened it. I have faith that all this world needs is a hero. For all his folly in life my father used to repeat one phrase to me as a child and now I understand it. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” I never understood how an angry, violent bastard could say something like that. But now I get it. He wasn't a good man. He couldn't do something but he saw I could. He never wanted me to do what I had done but knew if I did it wouldn't be for the same reasons as my blood had before me. I can do something. If God and the Divines won't fight here to protect and save us, if they cannot fight then it is up to we humans. And if no one else is willing to take up the sword then I will."
"God himself will not allow a contract to be abused in such a fashion. The powers of creation themselves will come to stop you!"
"Let them try."

 

[BigBacon]

After credits rolled the audience would be confused. Was that the end of the journal? What about the interview and audio logs they supposedly had? No words would come till the following week. As many tuned in to watch the latest superhero expose's. When the anchor would come on the screen he would first apologize for the show cutting out as it did the prior week but there were issues the studio needed to overcome. The camera would pan out and Dr. Himitsu himself would be sitting next to the anchor with a large toothy grin. The anchor would turn to him. "The good Doctor here actually had to show up himself in order to restore peace. Doctor would you like to explain the delay in our reporting?" Nodding Midnight would start to explain:

"Over the course of four centuries you make a lot of enemies. More so in my line of work. And even more when you make them yourself. In my journal were remarks towards my sister the nun. The one who would die and save out family line as long as I died first. Well in a long story short format my sister and I no longer see eye to eye. We had a fight, I saw she wasn't the one to save us as there was the sin of wrath lurking in her soul which meant she would not be sent through the gates. I did...Something... and now she shares my fate. Only able to die once I allow it."

"Wait how did you just do something and she shares your fate?" The anchor seemed seriously confused.

"We had a fight and I made her immortal. It's a touchy subject with us. I mean she didn't get to die as a nun and I damned our entire family line to hell once I finally decide to die. So yeah its a sore subject."

"Wait you damned your family line?"

"Well with no one to die without sin anymore they are all just kind of waiting outside the gate for when I decide to let the demon free and then all of us will go to hell. But she started the fight."

"She started a fight that caused you to condemn your family line to irredeemable damnation? What was the cause?"

"Her sins. On her death bed mere hours away from joining the rest of our family I was preparing to free Lilith first so that the contract's clause would save me as well when she started to speak. Talking about her life of hating me for what I had done, I will sum it up but her heart was full of nothing but wrath, pride, and lust. The demon allows me to see the darkness of ones soul. Like you sir. It's a shade of charcoal gray I would assume you have sinned a few times in your life."

"Woah woah woah. What I do in private..."
"Relax my friend. It was a joke, You are clean. If you died right now, save by your own hand, you would be permitted to walk through the gates."
"Well that's kind of a relief."
"My sister however proved she was not going to be the one to save the family. So with no heirs left I decided to take action to... change game. As she fell into a coma for the last time with only the sweet release of death only a ninety year old nun can take peace with I did somethings and well now she and I share the same fate. And she still hates me for it. I mean I get it. But she still doesn't understand that her death would have only sealed our damnations. Well we tussle from time to time and that's what happened during last weeks broadcast. She figured she finally found me again and launched an all out attack. She's fled again so we should be safe for now."

"So we can continue next week?"

"Yes yes. Tune in next week where we will continue with my journals."

"Thank you again Doctor. Now on to tonight's show. 

[BigBacon]

The news anchor would come on the screen with perfect timing, right at the top of the hour. 

"Good evening tonight we shall finish the first journal of the Good Doctor. Now we have foreshadowed some of the darker times Dr. Himitsu has faced and some questionable actions as well. We want to calm our viewers after a long email campaign against continuing this topic. With me Is Dr. Himitsu himself.  And he has some words for those watching at home."
The camera would pan to the Doctor in his crimson and black attire ready to bear it all. With his trademark side smile he would speak again. 

"Citizens of Paragon city. I know seeing someone commanding demons and dark magic may seem off putting. To hear that in this ring..."

The camera would focus on the simple polished iron band on his left ring finger, 

"Is the essence of the queen of hell, Lilith, may make me seem in league with them. But I assure you I have and always will fight for justice and peace. I swore an oath after my trip to hell and deal with the forge master. One you will see for yourselves when we get there. I may have done questionable acts in the past but they were never against the forces of good and were always done to save as many as possible. The creator once told me. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one." I took those words to heart but it wasn't for three hundred years or so that It never sunk in. It as in 1887 I made my first questionable act. It saved an untold amount of people but cost me one hundred years in isolation. All will be revealed soon."

The anchor who had been sitting on the side listening looked quizzically at the Doctor. 

"I do have one question. Why now? Why reveal all of this now? That you have been in the shadows working against evil since 1463. Being a super hero for that long and all the good and bad you have done. Why just simply come to us and hand over all this information?"

With his side smile still on his face but showing the fatigue he has always hid behind that beaming smile. 

"I'm getting tired. Think about how you were at 20, 30, 40, 50 years old. Well for me you just need to add a zero to the end of each one. 200. 300. 400. 500 years old.  Just because I am immortal with eternal youth doesn't mean I do not tire of the fight. I have been known to take off the ring and live as a mortal would from time to time. The last time was when I returned from the void in 1986. When I arrived back in London I took the ring off and lived as a normal man. I had a home, a couple of dogs, it was peaceful. But it wouldn't last. It always ends the same sadly. No matter how much peace I want it never lasts. Sooner or later another demon, disaster, or villain comes along that no matter how long I hold out I end up putting the ring on, reclaiming my identity, and join in the fight once again. But its always draining on me. My only true weakness is my will to continue the fight. Once I fully commit to releasing Lilith its over. The contract MUST be fulfilled, eventually. But the more time that goes by... I have had over thirty "side kicks" as you would call them. I called them family. I have worked for an innumerable numbers of teams, leagues, guilds, groups, all dedicated to fighting for justice. The only true arch rival I have is my sister as all the others time eventually did what none of us were willing to do to permanently stop them.  It's strange feeling visiting graves of long dead super villains and having fond memories of them."

"You have fond memories of super villains you fought?"
"Yes. When you have been alive as long as I have you start to see the larger ripples of actions. Have you ever heard of Baron Myster?"

"I can't say that I have."

"The evil baron came to power in the 1600s. I was part of a team then and we quarreled several times with the Baron. He could conjure vast mists of deadly poison or if he so wished he could have used that power and made a wall of life. What I mean is in his home country he used his power to make life flourish. Dead crops came back to live, the sick were healed, the weak became strong under his powers when he wanted to his mists to be beneficial. But his plan was to smoother the rest of the world in a thick black mist of death. How does one get a fond memory of this man? During our last fight one member of my team finally broke through a mental block to save another member of the team. Long story short they ended up married with children and retiring to live in peace until they passed. All because we took on the Baron together." 

"I can see how some fond memories can form then."

"But the one thing I can never have is dangled in front of me again. Peace. Love. A wife. I can never have these things. The closest thing I get to an eternal ally or partner is Lilith and even that is limited. Unless I transport to her pocket dimension in my ring I cannot do anything but talk to her. It is only inside the ring can I at have contact with someone who has been there the whole time."

"How has your relationship with Lilith changed over the years?"

"She was mostly silent for a few years. Only talking if I had started the conversation but over the centuries we have come to a mutual understanding. We both came to realize that in truth we only have each other now. I have spent many nights inside the pocket dimension learning from and talking to her."

"You've spent nights with the queen of hell? Like as in...?"

"I have never been seduced by the demon. I have never slept with her nor do I intend to ever go there."

"I am sorry Doctor but I am getting told we need to take a commerical break and then we must continue with the journals. 

[BigBacon]

Coming back from the break the announcer would remind people that in the last journal entry Dr. Himitsu was manning the demon forge in return his ring would be altered.

 

 

           Even as the hourglass counted down I lost myself in the work before me. It was actually cathartic. Here I was using skills and knowledge I gained working a forge in my youth again. In another reality I like to think I took up the hammer instead of the sword but that is not what happened here. Lilith quit speaking to me completely but could not deny my her power. Steadily I called upon even more to increase my work flow. Soon the mountain of work to be done was a hill then a mound before becoming nothing more then a tripping hazard. The sand ticked down, the work slowed, and soon I found myself cleaning and sweeping the forge in between pieces. Soon the last granules of the sand inside the hourglass fell through and the demon returned. The look of utter shock on his face was almost worth selling my soul. 

"Y-you did it? You finished the back logged AND..."

He took a moment to close his many eyes and take a deep breath before he spoke again.

"Okay human. Tell me what you want done."

For the first time since making the deal I took the ring from my finger. It felt so heavy in that moment. Like I could feel the weight of what I was about to do and it was far beyond what it appeared. I rolled it between my fingers for a moment before I used my thumb to flick it towards the demon who caught it in his hand as it whizzed by. Using his demonic sight the forge master tried to discern anything that would make this loop of iron special but with the contract in place not even he could tell Lilith was trapped inside screaming to be let out, to be obeyed, to not be fooled by this mortal's request. All he could sense was a blank iron ring waiting to become something more.

"Alright human. It's a pure iron ring. What do you want done to it? Whatever you want done must be worth trading your soul just for it."

I spent weeks thinking of how to word this. It felt like I had uncorked a Djinn and all it would take is one wrong word in the wrong place.

"I want this ring to never break. Do not underestimate my demand. I want god and Satan themselves be unable to break this band. No power in this universe or beyond may never so much as scuff that ring. No curse, contract, bargain, nor deal. Only upon my willingness to finally give up my soul to all damnation, to finally let it end, can the ring break. Do you understand? I want this ring to last till the end of all time, through the rapture, Armageddon, and Ragnarok if I so will it. Not even the power of creation itself will be able to destroy this ring." 

The demon waited for several minutes before he looked back at me.

"I don't like how this smells. But I made the deal. What you want... It is not something that can be easily done even to such a simple item."

From behind the demon it's tail hands him a scroll of runes. 

"I mean looking at all this that needs to be done so precise... It would be my finest work if it is even possible to me."
"You are in debt to me. You must do it."

"Don't remind me. Alright let's do it. It's your soul."

"What does that mean?"

"Worse case is I break the ring now. Whatever reason you don't want it to break will come to pass."

 

            I didn't say anything as the demon got to work by tossing the ring into his forge. I watched as the ring turned into a vibrant purple instead of the normal red I would expect. The demon grabbed the ring with his fingers before dropping it into his palm. He crushed the ring between two palms as he did what I asked. I know not exactly all the demon did but soon the ring was back in my hand in perfect condition.

"There you go. Only by allowing yourself to die can that ring break. Until then the universe can end and all that will remain is that ring." 

As I put the ring back on my left index finger I felt a shock run through my body. My sight was blinded by light for a split moment and when my eyes adjusted I could see everything around me had stopped. As if time itself had been frozen. I heard a voice boom out and hit me almost like a wall of force.

"Doctor. It is time we talked."

I felt something hook onto me and pull me through what felt like a pin hole. I was pulled and stretched and forced through the hole and when the horror was over I was standing in a room. There was a man sitting at a desk facing away from me looking at what appeared to be a window and pushing on something with his fingers in front of him. As I moved close I could see the alphabet on the rectangle in front of him and when he pushed the letters it would appear on the window in front of him. It was like he was writing but not. I could not make out the words that were appearing but soon he spoke. 

"Hello Doctor."

"W-who are you?"

"I am your creator."

[BigBacon]

               I had expected demons, angels, even God himself but here I was now supposedly standing in front of the creator.
"Your creator."

"W-what?"

"Your narrative that started this part of the conversation. Your history is mainly steeped in my actual world history with you added as my creation mixed into it. I did not create everything. Just your part of the story."

 "Are there more Creators then?"

"There are an infinite amount. Those who came before and those who will come after. I am your creator, for now. I may be your only creator or someday you may end up being driven by another's hand. But don't worry about them. They may come or go but you and I. You were born from a part of me. A part that needs help."

"How can I help you?"

"From your perspective? Just live."

"Just live?"

"I can't tell you everything. I can't tell you if you'll fall in love, how much loss if any you will suffer, what friends you have had or will make. What mistakes you will make or what may finally cause you to break the ring."

"So what can you tell me?"

"Your story will be as long as I can make it. But not everything is up to me."

"But your my creator. How can it not be?"

"Your story is unique as in though I am your creator through living you will meet others who have their own creators and will. Some will want only luck to decide an outcome..."

"And how lucky are you?"
"To put it in terms you would understand without me making you, I should be in a sanitorium due to just my luck with women."

"That's not reassuring."

"It's not meant to be.  But you see it doubles back to you. I want to try to use you to heal me."
"And all I have to do is live?"

"That's right. Once I get over the little hump of having too much anxiety to play with the other Creators you will start to live a life. Every choice you make, every action, every life saved or lost, it will help you to grow and through you growing I am hoping it will allow me to stitch my mind back together a bit more."

"I don't think I follow."

"We'll there's more as to why you are here."

"And that is?"
"It's about the powers you just gained by making the ring unbreakable."
"Let me guess too much?"

"Think about stories from your youth. Of knights riding off to slay a dragon etc. Now how good would the story be if right from the beginning the main hero has essentially unlimited power he can call on at any time. Any sort of trouble and just poof he and everyone escapes. right from chapter one you know that the hero will have no trouble fighting anything let alone one dragon. And as it goes on you realize the hero has no weakness. There is nothing that will stop the story from ending with "he killed the dragon and anything else that stood in his way." What kind of story does that sound like?"

"Sounds like a dull story."

"Exactly. Well the problem is with all the power you just gained. YOU are that hero. No weaknesses, nothing to stop you from instantly winning with almost zero effort and that is why you are here. No one wants to be involved in a life of always being over shadowed by the great Himitsu."

"And the point of me is to interact and live with as many people as possible to help you heal right?"
"Again nail on head. So there are two ways we can go about it but I want to hear from you."
"It seems like you are about to make the choice for me so why bother?"

"Well that's just it I am stepping into you for a moment with thanks to a herbal medication I use. See I can either use very very clever writing to fix the problem. Make you more interesting, downplay your immortality add a delay to it something."

"Or I can give up some powers?"

"I'm glad I made you hyper intelligent."

"I rather enjoy being highly intelligent, so thank you."

My creator smiled at me and stood up. He put a hand on my shoulder and I felt an immense calm. Like a proud father was congratulating me for having a child or something. But something still ate at me.

"Why go through all this and bring me here and talk to me directly if you can just step into me?"
"It was an exercise in writing I thought of and wanted to try. A creation having a conversation with it's creator."

"it is kind of humbling."
I saw the smile start to fade a little.

"You are not the first nor will you be the last of my creations. But I am proud of everyone of you I have made. Someday you may even meet others I have created and though I have hopes you will have a marvelous life full of ups we all know life has to have ups and downs so to will your story and again I won't be in control of all of your story."

I smiled back at him and put my hand on his shoulder in return. 

"I think about all the bad I have had in my life and how my story has been. I can't say I am thankful for all of it."

"I wouldn't think you would be with things like an abusive father, mother died in child birth, other things I either can't think of or haven't thought of yet."

"But I feel oddly humbled that you took the time to create me."

"You may not always be. Also I will be removing your memory of this encounter. I will replace it with another memory that will remove a lot of this and just sum up the changes etc. Make it sound like it came from like a creator's tribunal or something. Don't need you having mental issues later from meeting one's own creator."

"Thank you? So how do we go about this power change thing?"

"Well we are going to go over powers you possibly got and I'm going to think as you and neuter some down. I will also add some weaknesses we won't reveal until later."

"If it's to help my creator and helps me make friends then I will do it."

"That's the idea. To make you and me friends. So were going to shorten your list of magic. Not that I may not have you train and perfect other schools later but for now Lilith gives you Arcane magic, you have a mastery over dark magics that involve fear etc. and command forces from the netherworld. Also I am going to throw in another school you can't use now at all but will learn it eventually when you have a lot of free time on your hands."

"Do we need to go over all of me out loud?"

"Well no but lets talk a bit of some of the fun changes. Being queen of the succubae and tied to lust etc. I fear many may fear a forces sexual vibe you no matter gender."
"I kind of understand how that can be off putting."
"Yeah so you'll just not inherit that. The big thing is the immortality. So we add a weakness that hinders it, use clever writing, and change how it works depending on how badly hurt you are as well as some other things and I think we can make it work."

"Sounds alright. Are there any other big issues you need me here to talk about? You know my mission and you know as long as I get to do it for as long as I can I'll be happy."

"You'll eat those words several times. Just a warning."
"I figured but you get the point right?"

"Of course. I think Lilith can relay any other big changes but this was a very interesting writing experience."
"So what happens now?"

"Now I send you back and you go on living while I hope I can heal enough to give you chances to do what you need to do."
"Whatever has caused you so much pain. I hope I can help heal some it. After all, I am a doctor after all."

"And a damn fine one in your time. But now let's wrap this up and get you home. Though it will be written and read from your journal you will not remember it nor give it any more thought than you would a fruit fly flying past your head outside on a beautiful spring day."

I didn't know what to do in this situation so I just reached out to shake his hand. 

"I hope you have a wild and fun ride my creation. Maybe you will even help me find real love. Who knows?"
As his hand gripped mine I awoke in my bed with only undergarments on. Looking around everything seemed like a normal, cold, sunny, February morning sunrise outside my window. I gazed down and on my left ring finger was the iron band. Surely the timer was nearing its end I thought. So I got dressed and went outside. As I pointed my face towards the magnificent warmth of the sun I summoned up as much power from the ring as I could and waited. I waited to see if the timer would run out. if the ring would break, and if this was the end of my life. 

Edited September 29, 2024 by BigBacon

[Force Redux]

Thank you for sharing your creation 😊

[BigBacon]

23 hours ago, Force Redux said:

Thank you for sharing your creation 😊

I have written many stories, joined many RPs in other games, and have hid behind many masks to try and stitch my mind and soul back together. You are the first to comment on anything I wrote. Thank you. I honestly didn't think anyone was reading and was just using this as an outlet to pour my emotions into pages again. 

[Force Redux]

5 hours ago, BigBacon said:

I have written many stories, joined many RPs in other games, and have hid behind many masks to try and stitch my mind and soul back together. You are the first to comment on anything I wrote. Thank you. I honestly didn't think anyone was reading and was just using this as an outlet to pour my emotions into pages again. 

 

As with yourself, I find creativity a healing process. I do enjoy when it's shared and appreciated!

 

You never really know who's enjoying the creativity. Sometimes it's done silently. 😊

Edited September 29, 2024 by Force Redux

[BigBacon]

Thank you.

[Force Redux]

I love the movie references in the first list... especially Army of Darkness!

[BigBacon]

4 hours ago, Force Redux said:

I love the movie references in the first list... especially Army of Darkness!

If you missed any or couldn't figure one out let me know. It was also a nod to later when Lilith says "I cannot lie to you." All of these things will happen... to be created with movies and other medias he would have no knowledge of. So really they never lied, 

[Force Redux]

16 hours ago, BigBacon said:

If you missed any or couldn't figure one out let me know. It was also a nod to later when Lilith says "I cannot lie to you." All of these things will happen... to be created with movies and other medias he would have no knowledge of. So really they never lied, 

 

Thanks. There's a lot of reading and a lot of fun ideas. I'm reading a post or two a day in between workouts and work

Edited October 1, 2024 by Force Redux

[BigBacon]

The anchor would interrupt the doctor after he had went silent and closed his eyes. When he spoke the doctor jolted back to reality.

"So you met the one above even god himself? And what happened next? Please there are so many questi-" 

The doctor rose his hand to take a deep breath and shake himself of his thoughts.
"As the creator said I don't have any memory of meeting him. And I know he was aware the pen was still writing. I have gone back and read the entry numerous times. And it beings me solace. It settles my inner demons and puts me at rest."

"How? Why?"

"Because I know that I know the answer to a great question. I now know the meaning of life for every soul on this planet."

"You know the question that has driven men insane, launched crusades, built kingdoms and destroyed them? Are you willing to share it?"

The doctor regained his trade mark side smile and look of peace. He took a deep breath before he spoke.

"The answer has always been right there in front of our eyes. It is the one answer that makes the most sense. If there is a god who created us, if there is a creator above him that did, it all boils down to one word. Live. Our purpose is to live. No creator has greater pride then when a creation keeps going. Be it a book, movie, story, person, place, thing, nothing matters more to a creator then for his creation to live on. The creator told me himself he only wants me to live. By living I touch lives. I make some lives better and punish lives that should be in order to try and get them to be better. But the answer no matter if you are good or bad is always the same. Live your life, write your story, see it to its end. Maybe you'll say or do something that you live forever. Maybe you do nothing. But you lived. Even if you think you did nothing I guarantee if you were a good person you touched lives. So be good. Touch lives for the better and live. "

"Remarkable words. Please bear with us as we take another break," 

[BigBacon]

The camera would return but it was almost like the anchor and the Doctor hadn't noticed the que.

"Can I call you Midnight or...?"

"You know most friends now call me Midy so go ahead."

"Thank you, Midy. Your costume is very distinctive with all the Occult symbols and the Crimson red. It's very flashy."
"Well truth be told I can alter the look by will. If I reverted to each pieces normal appearance I look homeless."

"Homeless? How so?"

"Well each piece is from a very powerful sorcerer or magic user from the past. The cloak was Merlin's, The clothes were Rasputin's robe, The hat-"

"Let me guess Alister Crowley's?"

"No. It belonged to a famous magician from my youth, Duglaz the magnificent. Not everything is dark magic my friend. After meeting the creator rules had changed. I am still immortal and bound to the demon should she become free but I was banned from most powers of the demon. I still hold my mastery of the arcane but that is just one of many circles. On top of that I learned about the limits of Lilith."

"Limits?" The anchor took a drink from his cup. 

"Yes. I can only depend on her power for so long. It's the hourglass from before just reused in a new way. She is like a battery, use her too much and she needs to recharge. And giving access to a power at full strength vs bolstering a power I have is easier. So I have spent centuries mastering other forms of magic, as well as training my body and mind. It's easier to raise a five to a ten than a zero to a ten."

The anchor nodded in agreement as the Doctor spoke. 

"But you are always immortal right?"

"Yes that will always be. But depending on how drained Lilith it can make my regeneration take longer."

"And is it like Dr. Who? Do you change your appearance and body when you do?"

"No. What would be the point of that? That's silly to change body and personality every time. How do I know what I would turn into? No I can reform from nothing. I can be disintegrated by a spell or machine and I will reappear either close by or somewhere safe close by in as long as an hour or as short as instantly."

"Wow and you're immune to pain as well?"

Midy was about to speak before the anchor had an intrusive thought and stabbed a sharp pencil into his arm making the good doctor shout out in a string of censored expletives as he shot from his chair, the anchor in shook with a "I may be fired" look on his face, as the doctor started to stomp around as he removed the pencil, blood pouring down his sleeve and dripping onto the ground, and grabbed his arm using magic to heal his wound. Facing away from the camera he would straighten out, clear his throat, dust off his coat, and calmly sit back in his chair.  

"As I was about to say. NO. I am NOT immune to ANY pain. I feel everything. The demon is one who enjoys feeling pain so she cannot block only intensify the feeling of pain."

"I am so so sor-" 

Himitsu raised a hand to stop the anchor from speaking. In fact he had used a cantrip to stop the anchor. 

"You are forgiven. Most people see super beings and think like comic books where the best feel no pain and can shrug off nukes. I on the other hand am one of the few who can describe the exact feeling of having your molecules ripped apart and sent on the seven winds. I'll some it up. Three out of ten don't think I will willingly do it again."

"You seem to have a wide sense of humor and some you shared with me off camera I would have to say is pretty dark."
"My friend when you live as long as I have and seen so much horror you realize just how little some things matter and then I use humor to warp the meaning of somethings just to make it easier to cope. It's not that I take things lightly. Just sometimes all you can do is laugh at the darkness and sometimes that laughter makes the darkness question just how dangerous you are."

"Back to the clothes. When you go off duty do you change into more current looking clothes?"

"I never go off duty. I don't need to sleep but one hour every three days, I eat only to stop hunger pains, I form no emotional attachments to people as I will outlive them. For all intents I am alone in this world against evil."

"But you used to be part of teams in the past right?"

"I helped when people came looking for help. I never considered myself part of those teams. Its a solitary existence. I will admit I am always lonely for human contact but I have Lilith to talk to at least and I can slip into her dimension to have some form of contact."

"But you've never had sex with her right?"

"NO I said. Jesus Christ! What is with you and that topic?"

"Well she is queen of hell and master of all the cubises out there right? And your description of her makes her sound very attractive. She's basically a slave to you and you are still just a human it's hard to believe you wouldn't... You know... Knock boots a few times."

Himitsu just looked at the anchor with a blank stare for some time.

"I have heard of this thing called the internet and the things you can find on there. You spend too much time looking don't you?"

The newsman looked more like a twelve year old being shamed by his father. 

"I don't judge my friend. Just remember Lust is a sin. And though she may be a "slave" I still need to keep her happy. There are rules like she cannot lie to me but that does not mean she has to speak. If she is upset with me she may keep quiet when she knows the answer I pour over my limitless archives looking for."

"Limitless archive? May I ask further on that?"

"Certainly. I have my own sanctum in a pocket dimension and the library houses some untold thousands of tomes I have bought, traded for, written myself, or otherwise acquired over the course of my career. One could get lost for a lifetime in there if they didn't know the secrets of traversing my infinite library."

The camera man would wave at them as the anchor noticed now that they were recording and it was time for another break. 

"Oh it appears we um need to take a break. We will be right back."
"Wait we were recording all of that? I apologize for the words I said earlier then..." Himitsu was looking very embarrassed, 

[Force Redux]

I'm really enjoying this....ty

[BigBacon]

Thank you. My weakest skill is writing and formatting dialogue. This was a suggestion from a friend of "Write an interview". I hope I have been improving so I can rewrite my novel again and hopefully fix it all... after rewriting the 3 none sensical parts...