Page 154 of Ashes of Aether
Once more I continue to search the shelves. I briefly consider the crystalline sword, but I doubt it’s more powerful than my father’s staff. And even that failed to defeat Arluin.
No, I require something else. Something more terrible than Arluin.
My fingers stop on the spine of an obsidian tome. Chains wrap around it, binding a dark crystal to its cover. The stone is so black and glossy it looks like pitch. We magi frequently solidify aether into crystals, and it appears this substance is dark magic’s equivalent. The shadows oozing from the stone confirm my suspicions.
Despite the chains, the book offers little resistance as I open it, aside from its hefty weight and bulky size.
The wordsGrimoire of Demonic Incantationare scrawled across the first page of parchment. Whoever wrote this book—I can see no name anywhere—was in a great hurry. Either that or their handwriting was awful.
The Abyss is ruled by the Void King, a being as ancient as the gods, and the most powerful Malum were created shortly after the Primordial Explosion of Aether, the splitting of light and dark magic, and the formation of the three planes of existence: the Heavens, the Abyss, and our world of Imyria. The dark energies of the Abyss continue to birth new Malum, and there also exists a second type of demons, formed from the souls of fallen mortals.
On the next page, sketches of demons are etched in black ink. They possess wings, horns, draconic wings, multiple heads and limbs, cloven hooves, claws, forked tongues, and all manner of other ghastly things. Some are tall and thin, others are short and round. Some appear humanoid, others bear resemblance to beasts. Though they are vastly different, each is as horrifying as the next.
I then come to a diagram of multiple circles—eight in total. A large one is featured in the center, and seven more are scattered around it. Some intersect with each other, while all intersect with the middle circle. The diagram almost appears to be a map, though it’s unlike any I’ve ever seen.
My gaze reaches the short paragraph at the bottom of the page.
The Abyss is formed from eight sub-planes, with the largest ruled by the Void King. The other seven are commanded by his lieutenants, who are known as Void Princes. Each realm shares its name with its resident Void Prince, and represents the cardinal sins: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride. Demons value only strength and cunning, and the most powerful command their legions. These seven Void Princes risk being overthrown by rivals at any moment.
This book provides far more detail than any of my tutors ever did. All I knew until now was that the Abyss is home to the most nightmarish horrors one could dream and that it is ruled by an ancient Malum known as the Void King. But I stand against necromancers, not demons. It is doubtful any of this information will help me defeat Arluin and save my father.
Unless...
A nefarious idea takes root in my mind. Terrible though it may be, I don’t question it. I continue flipping through the pages, until I finally reach the section I seek:Demonic Summoning.
These pages contain sketches of ritual circles, filled by pentagrams and triangles and other shapes. Some are complicated, others are simplistic. All are designed to summon and bind demons, though only complex patterns are capable of controlling the most powerful ones.
To summon a lesser demon, one requires three reagents: a soul-gem as payment for the demon to cross the veil separating Imyria from the Abyss, a summoning circle to act as the gate through which it will enter our world, and the blood of the summoner to bind the demon to their will. The summoner also requires the true name of the demon they seek to enslave, and they must use dark magic to invoke the spell ‘Kretol’morish,’ followed by the demon's name. For example, if one wished to summon a demon named Norrazax, they would use the incantation ‘Kretol’morishNorrazax.’
My fingers linger as I turn the page. The instructions are clear and I should in theory be able to follow the directions and summon a demon of my own, but a lesser demon will be of no use against Arluin. The formidable amulet around his neck made him powerful enough to defeat my father. I need a demon so fearsome it eclipses Arluin’s strength. Maybe a Void Prince would suffice.
The thought of summoning something so vile and wicked—let alone using dark magic in the first place—chills me to the bone. It is forbidden by all of Nolderan’s laws. If I summon a demon, I will break all the teachings of the Arcanium. I will be no better than Arluin and his necromancers.
But if I were only to once use dark magic to summon the demon, and if my intentions were pure, then wouldn’t that make me different to them? Wouldn’t my reasons make my actions justifiable? Nolderan has fallen, and my father’s body and soul are enslaved to Arluin’s will. I have been a mage for just one day. Without the strength of a formidable demon, how else will I ever stand a chance?
This is my sole hope, and I am desperate and broken enough to seize it.
Zephyr stirs in my lap. As I glance down at him, bitterness fogs my throat. It feels as if these thoughts are betraying him and all that I am. Despite the heavy tome in my hands, I don’t think he yet realizes what I intend. I shouldn’t do this, but I also can’t do nothing. And if I don’t do this, what else can I do?
I turn the page and then the next. The book continues to discuss the process of demonic summoning. Three paragraphs later, I arrive at a section on summoning more powerful demons—including Void Princes.
The greater the demon, the greater the price to summon it from the depths of the Abyss,the book reads.The summoner must pay with their own blood. In the case of Void Princes, though they are summoned infrequently, the spell requires an additional reagent: the summoner’s soul. This price is to be paid upon death, and the soul will be bound to the Void Prince as the Void Prince is bound to the summoner during their life. No matter whether the summoner dies within a day, year, or century of binding the demon, the price remains the same. The Void Prince will be free to do as they please with the soul, for it shall belong to them.
At that, I close the book with a deafening thud, my breaths heavy in my ears. Zephyr looks at me and then lowers his head back onto the worn fabric of my skirts.
Summoning a Void Prince might be my only hope of freeing my father and defeating Arluin, but it also means eternal damnation. If I choose this path, I will forsake my own soul. Until the end of time, I will belong to whichever monster I summon. I will become a monster myself.
The cost is heavier than I expected. Of course, I never imagined summoning a demon—never mind a Void Prince—would be easy. But damning my own soul? It’s a price I don’t know whether I’m prepared to pay.
I could leave this chamber now, return the tome to its shelf and pretend I never glimpsed its contents, but where else would I go? What else would I do? Nolderan is gone, and everyone with it.
Though this path may be wicked, it offers me direction—purpose. If I decline, I will wither into nothingness. I must seize it before I lose myself.
I set the tome on the chair’s arm and roll Zephyr from my legs. Once more I search the many shelves. Though this book was informative, there are still two more facts I require: the method of channeling dark magic, and the name of a Void Prince so I may call one from the Abyss. If I can learn the true name of the Void Prince of Wrath from these shelves, I am certain that demon would prove the greatest weapon against Arluin.
I find an introduction to conjuring dark magic first. In fact, there are several inside this chamber. I choose the thickest tome, hoping it will provide the most detailed explanation.
The search for a Void Prince’s name takes me far longer, though I expected as much. From subsequent books, I learn that the true names of the Malum are known only to them as they come into existence. In the Abyss, names are the greatest currency, and demons may reveal the names of others to the mortals who summon them. For the demons who are not Malum and were once mortals themselves, it is their mortal name which holds power over them.