Eric
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Eric woke up coughing up blood. He had a major headache but had more trouble breathing than anything. He could barley move his arms or his head. He looked around at the room he was in, concrete and brinks. When he looked up, the ceiling had one light bulb that did not even help with the darkness surrounding him. When he tried to sit up a pain spread across his body making him clench his fist. He looked down his chest and went into to shock at what he saw. His bare chest was covered with wet and dry blood, and some of his ribs were probing out from their correct positions and sticking through his flesh. Then it hit him like a speeding train, the pain. He felt like clawing his own eyes out, it hurt so much. This pain never subsided and he could only just sit there and cry.

When he tried to move it hurt, when he tried to breath normally it hurt, hell when he blinked it hurt. So for a few minuets he just sat there reveling in his pain and agony. Then he turned onto his side quickly, but the pain still came in waves that nearly knocked him back into his original place. He left the new pain pass, this position seemed to take off some of the pressure on his chest and move it to his arm, so the pain dulled down.

He looked around the room and noticed Ash still resting in his cot. The boy didn't look much better, his arm had been smashed and the bone was going into his chest. Eric tried to call him but all he could muster was a dry wine. So he sat there and watched whatever he could see: Ash, breathing, and blood dripping down onto the floor and running down the drain. The only thoughts going through his head were: Where was he? Who put him here? and How was he still alive? While he contemplated these things he saw Ash begin to move.

Ashburn
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Ash's eyelids slowly flickered open, grogginess clouding his sight. His head was throbbing, hard, but nothing compared to the pain in his arm and chest. Using his arm that was not in pain he wiped the sleep from his eyes and try to look around him. He tried to sit up, but the second he tried his chest flared angrily and throbbed so hard it brought tears to his eyes.

Ash fell back hard and cringed as he waited for the pain to go away, cursing in French loudly. After the pain subsided to a tolerable Ash decided to try and figure out what happened. As he moved his head to take in his surroundings he froze, he didn't know where he was. Heart racing Ash struggled to take in all that he could see. A concrete ceiling, chipping paint, a single light above him (the kind you see in an office but without the case).

Ash's gasped breathing became more labored as be fought back panic. He craned his head to the right and saw finally a source of comfort. Placed on a green folding cot beside him was Eric. The comfort soon began to fade as his eyes took in the horrors before his eyes. Eric's shirtless form revealed several ribs jutting from his chest, looking like frightening in some demonic monster. Blood poured from his open wounds onto the floor, mixing with... 'wait mixing with?!' Ash thought in a panic. Eric's blood appeared to be mixing with blood coming from his direction, and he could see blood dripping from the edge of his cot.

Adrenalin pumping Ash sat up, the pain dulled by his adrenal secretions. Across from his cot was a wall of mirrors, spider webbed with cracks and dull but still usable. Looking back at him was a sight that drained the blood from his face. His bare chest displayed a large symbol (the size of closed fist) crudely carved into his flesh, and a gaping hole that was bleeding profusely with every breath. His right arm had been clearly shattered, with one bone sticking out so badly only a few inches were in his body.

All attempts at staying calm failed as he let out a loud scream that echoed in the tiny room. The terrorized shriek was greatly amplified by the concrete room. All dignity forgone Ash fell back and loudly cried, from both pain and the horror of seeing both him and Eric clearly mangled.

Eric
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Eric watched as his friend screamed in horror after looking at him. Do I look that bad? He thought with a chuckle that sent pain through out his body. He started to cough and each one brought on even more agony that the last. Once his fit was over he sat there and stared at Ash, that is all he could do in his condition and when he tried to speak all he got out was "A..s-" and then the coughing came back.

His arms were in to much pain to move and every breath felt like someone was punching him in the chest. This sucks, so much pain. And were are we anyway. He tried to move his neck to get a look at him self and that hurt too. When he got as far as he could go, he saw why Ash had screamed. There was a not to well drawn symbol, it looked like some one let a child take a knife to his chest. The his ribs were poking out from his chest. Seeing his bones coming out of his chest sent him into a moment of shock, so he sat there very still in complete silence.

Ashburn
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As Ash's sobs became weaker he turned to look back at Eric. He felt horrible for scaring his friend, but every time he tried to talk his torn open lung bled harder so he was forced to settle for a painfully sorrowful look.

Mabel's cussing soon interrupted his thoughts, as she opened the metal door behind Eric. She was holding what appeared to be three chocolate milkshakes in her left arm and was holding the doorknob with her right. She did not look happy.

"What the bloody h*ll Ashburn!" She shrieked "For somebody with a puncture wound in his lung you sure as h*ll know how to make a racket!"

Ash tried to retort but again found his broken lung to be uncooperative after the strain of his sobbing fit. So he just glared at her, seeing as how she was clearly their captor.

"Oh don't give me that look you little sh*t" She replied to his look. With a sigh she said, more softly "Well I guess I can't blame you."

Mabel set the shakes on a metal table and leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "I guess I owe all of you an explanation." she sighed "This won't be easy to hear but you all know I am not a liar." Looking up at the ceiling she began

"There are things in this world that live in the shadows. Things that are so powerful they were hunted by early men out of fear, because they can bring an end to civilization without seemingly any effort. They are called many things; creatures of the night, devils, monsters and more. Many religions blame them solely for all evil in the world. For this reason they hide. They hide so they may know peace, and let mankind believe them dead.

"They call themselves demons in English speaking countries, as they have no name of their own. They take many forms, from those who look beautiful to forms that give nightmares to mortals. They are very real and all have a real effect of the world. However mortals have gotten them wrong; most of them are good and kind, though a few are bad."

She turned to look Ash and Eric in the eyes "Take this words well because you and I are these creatures. We are the creatures of the shadows. Your sickness in life has been caused by your demonic soul fighting your human bodies, and the mark you now bare has unsealed your soul and will allow it to keep you alive. You should all be dead, but your demon soul (the very sore of your being) is keeping you alive. Even now it is changing your bodies to your true forms."

She turned to the metal table, and put the shakes back into her left arm "I know this is hard to believe but I am also a demon. I know you will require proof but for now all I can offer is this" at the end of her sentence she hit the table in the middle with her bare arm, her strength splitting the table into two "You three will also have this power once you are done, but for now you must eat."

She then set one milkshake beside each boy and put a straw in their mouth. Though once she got to Zack she frowned "Looks like dish jockey here is in a coma. Well that's one less kid to entertain" She said. She set his shake on the floor (as there were now no tables) and went back out the door for a moment, coming back in with an IV stand and an empty bag. She dumped the milkshake into the bag and stuck the IV needle into poor Zack's abdomen (presumably the stomach) and left it. Ash winced in pain at the sight, not just the IV but the smashed remains of Zack's face.

"I'll leave you alone to process what I told you, but no more crying Ash. You aren't a baby so grow a pair and man up." She said as she left, closing and locking the metal door behind her
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Time Jump (One Week)

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At first Ash had doubted Mabel fully. She had to be crazy. There was no way demons were real, much less that he was one of them. But as the week progressed his doubt had begun eroding away. His body was healing amazingly fast, especially since Mabel had done nothing more than stuff milkshakes and blended grilled cheese down their throats all week (6 times a day). He could feel his lungs sealing and by the end of three days he had even better use of them than he had for years.

His arm was taking more time to heal, but even as he lay on his cot he could feel his broken bones snapping and popping back into place. He had watched for days as his protruding bone was literally sucked back into his arm and the wound closed. His resistance to the idea was almost gone.

Ash turned to Eric and ventured a smile and spoke for the first time all week "Eric? Are you feeling ok? I'm worried about you" he paused and averted his eyes "and what do you think about what Mrs. Mabel said?"

Could he really be a demon?

Eric
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Eric listened as Mabel gave them their revelation. She had just told them that they would become demons. After she left so many questions swam through his mind; What would he become? Did his parents know? How would the adjustment be? So many questions and not enough answers, it is not like he could talk anyway. So he sat there in silence with Ash and Zachary's lifeless body. Something tugged on his heart when he heard the boy was in a coma, it was not like he knew Zachary for a long time but Eric felt that this experience brought them closer together. With his thoughts a mess he picked up his milkshake and drank it. Vanilla, out of all the flavors why vanilla?!
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One Week Later
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Eric didn't know what was going on with himself. He didn't know what to believe but something in Mabel's statement must have been true. His ribs started to heal over the next week and were no longer poking out side of his chest. The silence was killing him, Ash had not said anything to him the entire time, so Eric thought he just didn't have much to say. He still thought he could not speak, so they sat in silence most of the time not saying anything to each other, the only thing that could be heard was Zachary's heavy breathing.

The whole time being down here, Mabel had been giving them milkshakes and Cheese Shakes (blended grilled cheese) as Eric had begun to call them. The woman had made it certain that Eric would never have another taste of Vanilla again or another grilled cheese sandwich in any form. His thoughts only go worse, so many what if's and he just wanted some answers to his condition.

Eric was sitting up in his cot, it did not hurt to move anymore, when he saw Ash look at him with a smile for the first time in a long time. "Eric? Are you feeling ok? I'm worried about you, and what do you think about what Mrs. Mabel said?" Eric was filled with joy, his only companion had spoken to him. He let out a sigh of relief and looked up at Ash. "I..am..fine." He said with a dry voice, not talking for a week had a affect on him. "Don't worry..about me..and I don't..know how to feel..about her." He said and then started to cough. Once he stopped he looked up at Ash and smiled. "How are you..feeling?" he asked, but his mind went back to Mabel. The woman did split the thing in half, what if she was right? Then what did that make me and Ash? What would we become?

Ashburn
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Ash smiled gently in reply "I'm ok I guess. I haven't much a right to complain compared to you" he looked at Eric's chest and flushed.

"But I have to admit that I never want to smell vanilla or grilled cheese for the rest of my life" He chuckled weakly

In fact Ash was feeling weak still, despite his attempt to look strong. Ash groaned as he sat up, using his left arm as a prop. Sitting on the edge of the cot he looked over at Eric. Somehow his presence was comforting to him and had made this experience borderline tolerable.

"You know this whole thing has made me think" Ash said slowly "If she is right... Well..." A slow tear ran down his cheek and hit the scarred symbol on his bare chest "My mom... well she died a little bit ago... doctors couldn't figure it out... she'd always had asthma and well... suddenly her body just stopped... everything... if this is true could she have been saved?" He asked looking Eric in the eyes, Ash's blue eyes dripping uncontrollably. Ash hated to be selfish, but he had to open up. This idea had been eating away at him and he needed an outside thought, and he trusted Eric.

(OOC: Since this is a conversation could you reply in PM like you would on here? That way we don't have a ton of short posts. Once we are done I will just copy them all into a single post.)

Eric
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Eric saw the pain that Ash was going through and wondered how he could relate. Both his parents were still alive and well, and although they got into the occasional dispute, overall they had been a complete little family. He looked at Ash and his heart cried out for him. Eric could not stand up so he just sat up again and stuck his arms out.

"Hey come here, you look like you need a hug." Eric didn't know what else to do and when he was feeling down a hug always did him good. He agreed completely with one thing; Not another grilled cheese ever again.

Ashburn
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Ash smiled through his tears. "Sorry to get all emotional, its just... well if this is real I'm sad she had to die."

With a grunt of effort Ashburn managed to get off the cot, his right arm hanging limply by his side. Although the pain had subsided it still had not healed enough to be used and he could only coax one his ring finger to move. Ash gently hugged Eric back, before realizing something that had just occurred to him. Awkwardly reaching into his right pocket with his left hand he felt around until he found what he was looking for and puled it out.

The pill box was a small white plastic unit, rounded with a cheap plastic lid that said "Meds-to-Go". Ash struggled for a moment to open it one handed to reveal the white pills inside, Aspirin.

"I'm so sorry Eric. I forgot that I have these for my joint problems, do you need one?" Ash asked, sitting back on his cot as the fatigue really hit him.

Eric
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Eric looked at the bottle. He was in a lot if pain but for some reason it was the only thing keeping him anchored in reality. "No I'm fine....thank you though."

He wondered what was next for him and Ash, would they be destined to stay in this box under lock and key.

"Hey Ash....What do think is gonna happen next?"

Ashburn
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Ash lay back down on his cot, placing the container in his left pocket. His fatigue reduced slightly as the cot took over the burden of his weight.

"I'm not really sure man. If we really are demons I'm guessing we will start going through puberty round two, extreme edition, after we finish recovering." Ash chuckled at the thought

Mabel
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"I'm taking food to the owners" Mabel loudly shrieked over the noise of the kitchen. A few "yes ma'ams" made it to her ear as she made her way out of the kitchen. She felt no problem lying, after all its not like she could say she had three employees locked in the basement. Balancing a tray with two grilled cheeses and one blended grilled cheese she checked that nobody was looking and then headed into the basement.

The door to their "hospital", as she called it, had a heavy duty lock on it and two metal cross bars. She had wanted to make sure it would stay closed through their whole transformation. Using her free hand she easily lifted the heavy beams and set them aside, the lock made a loud click as she unlocked the door.

Entering the room quickly she closed the metal door behind her. The three boys were still in their beds, but obviously in better shape. Ashburn had almost completely recovered, and only had left a still mending arm, luckily the transformation on him had begun so he was to fatigued to do more than stand for a few moments. Eric's ribs had receded into his chest but evidently he was still sore. For them she had brought the solid grilled cheeses (after all who doesn't love grilled cheese?) as a reward for their recovery.

Zack was still in a coma, but was progressing none the less. His face was half mended, though no skin had regrown at all. This left his face resembling a tuxedo cookie with one side normal and the other wide a mass of muscle and skinless. His eye socket on the shattered side had been covered over by the muscle. For him she had brought the blended shake, since he was still being force fed directly into the stomach.

"Well today is a special day." She said blandly, not sounding the least bit excited "You two have recovered well enough to eat solid food. Congrats." she said, setting the plates of grilled cheese on their stomachs.

"You also get your first lesson in being a demon" She said, a little hint of excitement creeping into her voice "I was going to wait for scar-face over there to wake up but I guess he just loves his sleep."

Leaning against the wall of mirrors she began, her tone taking the characteristics of a military briefer, direct and to the point.

"The Biology of a demon

"A demon is considered fully developed when their heart stops beating, as it indicates that the human body has totally ceased to exist and the soul has taken complete control. The soul, as you have probably guessed, is the source of all a demon’s powers and energy. It self-replenishes by pulling energy from the world around it, but this is a slow process and when a demon is low on energy they must sleep while their soul recoups.

"A demon technically has no need to eat, breathe or drink since their soul provides all the energy for the body. However, as a vestigial leftover from your days as a human, you will still crave food and oxygen. It is much like drug withdrawal and many demons prefer to just avoid the discomfort and will do these things out of habit. The exceptions to this are some radical demons that resent anything human and refuse to take part. According to them the strong cravings, headaches other symptoms go away after about two centuries or so. Sleep is not even really needed if you keep your energy output very low.

"On that note a demon is essentially immortal. Since the body has no mortal “needs” our bodies can regenerate using the soul’s energy, even lost limbs (though you do have to eat to regenerate limbs but that it a matter for a different lesson). As long as some part of your body remains, and your soul, you will always regenerate and recover. Though major damage can take weeks to repair.

The only way to kill a demon is to use up all of a soul’s energy. Once all of a soul’s energy has been used up the demon is dead even if the body is in perfect shape otherwise. You most likely will faint long before that point, but for those of you with special powers using them recklessly is an easy way to get killed. It takes a lot of energy to use your powers, and if you make a major display of force you may very well extinguish your soul."

Before anything could be asked she took her empty tray and left. Locking the door behind her, leaving the boys to digest the information

Eric
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He sat there with a piece of grilled cheese hanging out of his mouth. He was star struck at her revealing, and Eric had not meant to let her leave the room with out some questions. He stood up to fast and got light-headed, but by then she was gone. He looked at Ash and chuckled.

"Well what do you think it will be like when our hearts go stop." He was really trying to find a bright side to this situation but it was not coming.

Ashburn
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Ash sat up and leaned against the wall, the cool cinder-block feeling nice against his warm skin. He sat silently for a moment and thought over what she had said. Lost in his thoughts he mindlessly munched on the sandwich, not even really tasting it but still glad it was solid food. Eric's chuckling pulled him out of his head.

"Well I'm not sure really" Ash said thoughtfully and slowly "If our souls are eternal I'm guessing we would barely notice, after all its not like we are aware of our hearts beating on a normal day."

Ash paused to take a few more bites of his grilled cheese

"The part that really grabbed my attention was the bit about powers. I wonder what she means by that? Will we be like spider man or something?" Ash said playfully, imagining himself trying to chase down bad guys stuffed like a sausage into a skin tight costume "I hope the costume is optional if it is, because nobody wants to see this in a full body speedo" he quipped, gesturing at his skinny body.

Eric
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"A speedo doesn't sound to bad." Eric said with a smile. He thought about the etarnal souls part but the thing that really caught his eye was the poawers too.

Would they have the same kind? Or would he be able to some crazy stuff? "I get you though, but something else that was on my mind was our looks. I know she did not mention it but I don't want to look like this the rest if my immortal life." He said as hebgestured ri his body. Eris had no problem with his body but if he had to be immortal he would want some thing a little extra.

"Well when do you thin she is coming back."

Ashburn
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He blushed at Eric's speedo comment but tried to hide it "Well to answer your first point I know what you mean." Ash replied, it wasn't that he hated his body. He really did like it for the most part, but if he had to spend an eternity with it he wanted something that made him smile. And right now he just seemed so average, minus the long black hair.

"I'm not really sure. Maybe to pass the time we should get to know each other better? After all we are stuck with each other for at least several months"

Ash finished his grilled cheese and set the plate on the ground, wincing as the movement stretched his still mending arm. He was quite interested to learn more about Eric, the German-American that seemed deep yet knowable.

Eric
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Eric thought about it, he had not learnt much about Ash even though they worked together for a while so why not do it now. "That sounds good considering the circumstances, what do you want to know?" He saidnafter he choked down the last of the milkshake. These things were gonna kill him, if the whole demon thing didn't.
Ashburn
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Ash smiled for moment as he thought carefully. "Well I am very bad at interrogations" he quipped " maybe I could just start with mine? From there maybe you will have an idea"

Ash took a deep breath as he collected his thoughts and began

" I was born in Montreal, Quebec in December of 1993. I do not remember too much about my early life, though I do remember how much I loved playing in the snow. When I started going to elementary school I begin to have health to have health problems. At first I didn't really notice, I still got to play with my friends and nobody seemed to worried. I guess that is the special thing about being a child, you never see the bad in things. Everything is a joyous adventure to be had. Well anyway at age 6 my parents decided to take me to the doctor apparently I was getting sick too often. It was true of course I caught every bug that went around Plus several that didn't, throughout the time I just considered it free days off. The doctors couldn't figure it out and since my mom had always have the same problem it was just assumed to be bad genetics.

" well to move on at age 12 my dad got transferred to the United States. Somehow he convinced my mother to move to Alabama and all of us to try and learn English. I actually caught on fairly quickly, since in Canada I had already been studying English for my entire school career. This was also the time that my health really took a turn for the worst. I developed asthma and was always suffering from allergies, and I don't mean light sniffles I mean hacking cough and inhaler usage every day no matter what medicine the doctors tried that particular week. Believe me they even tried importing some random s*** from China, all that did was give me an allergic reaction ironically. Despite my limitations I joined a band obviously I could not play a wind instrument, that would be a very quick suicide, so I took up the cello. Laugh it up but I was a damn good cello player and even competed at state. When I graduated my parents were worried about me leaving and living by myself, especially my worry wart mother. She knew I was smart, or at least you claim that was. I guess not being able to run around and play I had become too fond of my books. Honestly besides the cello all I have are my books. I couldn't run and play sports and in Alabama that's all that mattered. I guess I just love learning so I became friends with my books, the only people but never talk back and to never laugh as I used an inhaler. But returning to what I was saying earlier I went to school up here to get my degree in engineering. I have a weak spot for mechanical things and thought is a good major for me and I ended up working here a few months ago after my last job fired me for having an asthma attack in front of the CEO. Not exactly the highlight of my life but I guess if I were not working here I might be dead. Like my mother, who died last month"

Tears entered his eyes as he spoke in a choked voice " the doctors never figured out what's wrong with her. It just seems like everything was failing. One of her lungs two strokes everything. Her whole body seem to be attacking seem t to be attacking itself. Its just beyond tragic you know? I can't help but think maybe she was a demon to. If she had been unsealed she may have lived." Ash pulled his legs close and buried his face in them "I can't believe I actually believe this craziness"

It took a few moments for him to regain his composure but when he did Ash looked at Eric sheepishly "I'm sorry. You're miserable enough without my moaning"

He blushed slightly when he looked into Eric's eyes.

Eric
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Eric had been listening the entire time. Ash had developed his problems long before Eric he, he was a trooper and now Eric knew why he had that deep look in his eyes. "I am so sorry you had to go through that. You are stronger than most I know, a lot would have just been given up a long time ago. Sometimes the moaning is what you need to get through this kind of struggle."

Eric looked back at his wit soft eyes he then began to speak. "Well I was born in New York, New York June 23, 1996. But I did not grow up in America much, my father was German and my mother was American so my childhood was split between the two. Every like three months or so I would be back out here with my mother on some new venture, staying with some relative or another, or in Germany with my father "learning" how to be a well sophisticated man. You know, all the time they spent away from each other, I always wondered about the integrity of their marriage. But it turns out they were happy and met every few months to exchange me and get together, they had one of those arranged marriage thingy." He had a confused look on his face because till this day he still did not understand their relationship.

"Anyways, I started getting sick at 5, I had some kind of heart defect and suffered my first heart attack at 6. That was not pleasant at all, and I was in the hospital for months under "watch", but in truth the doctors could not find out why, at such a healthy age I would have a advance condition. Not to soon after I developed asthma, and sever anxiety. Being an over excited little kid just fed the anxiety and made my attacks more common. Originally it used to be stressful situations but now it is just at random. My parents had me with every doctor they could find and each one could not find a solution, so my mom settled with one, sports. When her and my dad heard that they jumped at it, my mom was happy t have found a manageable solution and my dad was happy to have a athletic son. We tried the oblivious one, football, but it was to much stress on my body, my dad deiced on volleyball, wrestling, soccer, and baseball. During my middle school and high school years was the most amount of time we had ever spent together. after I had gotten sick he had become distant because he did not know how to help. Sports weren't that bad, helped me tone out very well, as you can see, speaking of that I need to get Mabel to bring me a shirt." He said as he slapped his chest lightly and picked up the "rag" she had given him to wear.

"But I digress, my youth was not that bad. most of elementary and middle school I was home schooled by private tutors. My dad got fed up with that and demanded I go to a high school for my final years. That was fun, people were nice and the nurse and me became best friends." Eric said with a light chuckle.

"I have only had three heart attacks in my life. The first I have told you about, but the second was in 6th grade when I tried to play football. We were doing tackling drills and I got hit a little to hard. The doctors said the sever trauma to my body is what brought it on and that I should not try playing again. I don't remember much though, getting hit and then blacking out, then waking up with the tubes and machines beeping all around, and then having one parent their depending on my location a the time, my mom because I was in America. I was in a coma for 5 months from what I was told, and not once did my dad visit me, but hey who wants to see me lying in a hospital be right." By now Eric had this look of hate and anger in his eye. He had never told anyone about this, his deepest darkest feelings towards the man.

"My third attack was my fault. I was in Germany with my dad, you know their is always a learn difference between the Americas and Germany in my life. When I was in America, everything was warm and fuzzy, the family liked me and we all got along, but most of my incidents happened there. But in Germany, it was cold and rough, and I will tell you why. So I guess that my great grand father and mother were Aryan Nazis and my grandfather was a supporter. So when they heard that he married and in-peregrinated an American woman who did not follow the blonde suite, most were not happy. They called me all sorts of names, some of his family even think I am not his son because I look nothing like him. He is blonde with blue eyes, I have neither so something must be wrong, or is it that I look to much like my mother. Well either way they don't like me and hate my mother even more, although my dad's sister is really nice to me, her name is Aunt Helen. I never asked how my dad felt about his heritage, but from what I was told he went through a short phase, but now he tries his best to cover up his lineage as much as possible, so that has to speak for something right." Eric said this with a nervous tone and rubbing the back of his neck, most people did not take to well tot eh information he just shared, and always began to judge him because of family history.

"Wait what was I talking about again? On yeah, my third attack. Well I was in Germany and had been playing volleyball. But I was being stupid and not watching diet and the doctors kept telling my that if I don't start to eat some more that I could have another attack, but I was to focused on keeping my weight down for wrestling and not on my health. Well first game of the season and mid-serve I fell out, started to spasm on the court and well the rest follows suit. Ambulance is called, I get to hospital, they hook me up to machines after I stabilize and then I make people wait. When I woke up from this one though some things were different. I had been asleep for 9 months, that's the longest ever in my history, and I woke up to my father crying. Can you imagine, the man in your life who has never shown any kind of emotion but you wake up to him crying at your bedside. Well it turns out the reason dad was in tears, was because he had signed the paper work to take me off of life support two hours before I had woken up, I think he was waiting for my mom to get their or something like that. After I had woken up and was taken back to America by my mother, we did not speak again and have not since. She won't let me and he has not tried so that is it I guess." Eric always got frustrated when he spoke about his father, the man made him mad all the time and at the mention of his name his blood began to boil, but he could not quite figure out why. Eric had already forgiven him and put what happened behind him but still his dad was a sore topic for him to discuss.

"That was when I was 17, so like 2 years ago, and I have been better. I don't play sports any more, still work out, but no more sports. I should say thank you. For letting me verbally throw up on you. I have not shared these feelings with anyone so to finally talk about them has taken some weight off my shoulders." He stood up and stretched, then looked at Ash. "Now I feel like a jerk, the most I have said to you ever and it's all about me." He sat down again and continued to look at Ash. "So ummm....what is your favorite movie, book, color? I think we should get the obvious stuff out of the way before Mabel comes back with more life changing news."

Ashburn
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Ash gave Eric a reassuring smile "Don't worry about it man. I know what its like to be an outcast, I am just sorry it was your family that made you feel so."

With a groan Ash managed to get himself into a standing position, causing stars to flash before his eyes. Ignoring Eric's later questions Ash just reached out and gave him a hug, though most of his weight was shifted to Eric because he was so weak. It was all that he knew to to right then, after all talking seemed to pointless when Eric was obviously hurting.

"I'm sorry you had to go threw that. Its not fair, I'm just glad you're alright and you're stronger for it" He said softly, just hoping that he was somehow making Eric feel better, even if just to make him feel a little better after all he had suffered.

Time Jump
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One Week

Ashburn
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The past week had proven to be as difficult as promised by Mrs. Mabel. A few days ago his right eye had begun to feel very sore, like a massive pressure was building up inside of it. The pain brought tears to his eyes and when looking in the mirror he could see that it had turned a shade of blood red. That had given him a total panic, and it took Eric and Mrs. Mabel in tandem to get him to calm down.

Adding to is agony was the pain shooting up and down his body as it felt like he was being stretched. He had already grown a full inch in a week and his body was growing larger. Even though it was still lean muscle had begun to grow a larger chest, arms and other muscles. He was beginning to look more like a swimmer than a lazy gamer.

The only thing that was keeping him sane was being able to talk to Eric, even if it was in a hushed tone to avoid making his migraine worse.

Mabel
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"Hey ma'am, have you heard from Ash or those other guys recently?" a young black chef asked Mabel. He was average by most measures, five foot eight and small paunch from eating his own creations at home, but had a gentle deep voice and soft eyes that showed his worry.

"Oh them?" Mabel asked dismissively "Those three idiots quit after that whole customer fiasco. I guess they couldn't handle a couple of pissed customers" silently though Mabel patting herself on the back for having the foresight to move Ashburn's truck into the owner's garage. They never used it and were only to happy to help cover up what was really going on. After all the last thing this joint needed was a bunch of cops snooping around, no amount of charm could make corpse dogs not do their jobs.

"Are you sure?" He prodded gently "It just doesn't sound like Eric or Ash. That washer maybe, but not those two."

"Look Devon I am not paying you to manage payroll so don't worry yourself over it." She replied coldly, her eyes shooting daggers into his very soul "People come and go all the time from here, its not unusual. Now fix me two cheeseburgers and a vanilla milk shake. The owners are going to want lunch and it isn't going to be my ass they fire if they go hungry."

Chills shot down Devon's spine at the look and silenced him. He quickly did as she asked and brought her the food quietly. Without so much as a thank you Mabel left the kitchen, and after making sure nobody saw her, went down into the basement.

After opening the door like usual she locked it behind her and went to stand in the middle of the small room.

"Ok boys I figure you need some meat to grown big and strong so I brought burgers. If you don't like them then shut the f*ck up because I don't give a sh*t." She said as she put the plates in front of Ash and Eric, setting the shake in its usual place to be force fed into Zack. She wouldn't admit it but she was worried. His soul had a weak presence and seemed as if it wasn't replenishing fast enough to sustain the energy it was devoting to fixing its body.

"Its time for lesson two of being a demon. Seeing as how you're both starting to transform I will now be giving you daily lessons." She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms before beginning the lesson.

"The Transformation Stage

"The transformation stage of development is the time between the ceremony that unseals the soul and the time your heart stops beating. It is often said to be a defining time in a young demons life because it is the most trying. It much resembles human puberty, though compressed into a matter of months or weeks.

"Humanoid type demons (those who resemble humans) have the shortest, due to the limited changes. Terror types demons (those with virtually no resemblance to humans) have the longest with some lasting up to four months.

"The first phase is the preparation of the body. During this time the soul mends any injuries or health problems. For most people this is only a few days, but for you guys it has obviously stretched out nearly two weeks because you were in bad shape even before falling down the stairs. This phase is the least painful and is trademarked by extreme fatigue and low mind activity.

"The second phase is when the soul prepares the aesthetics of the body. This stage is most noticeable in humanoids because they have the most human traits. Hair color, eye color and other basic traits are subject to change during this time. Although more painful than the first phase you will notice more energy and less fatigue due to the low key nature of the changes. It is also possible you will experience a growth spurt if your true form is notably larger, and the same goes for weight gain/loss.

"The third phase deals with organs and is, generally, incrementally more painful than the last. Since demons do not have a shared anatomy this phase varies greatly. Humanoids sometimes do not even notice this phase however since they experience few if any changes. Most humanoids will lose vestigial organs through self-cannibalization but nothing too severe. Terrors however will be the ones that find this stage the most painful. Depending on the scope of the change you may lose almost all of your organs, including your sexual organs. Though the digestive tracts remain in place, for unknown reasons, as well as the brain, heart and lungs (though these can change shapes and locations). Don’t worry about your c*cks though boys, because only ghouls can lose theirs. Even then it is a rare occasion.

"The final phase is universally considered to be the most painful, torturous even. This is the final transformation and your bodies will be changing rapidly and dramatically. Wings, horns, talons and other traits emerge at this point as well as changes to the skin. It is this phase that you will lose your human appearance, as I sense that none of you are vampires (who are the exception to this rule)"

Mrs. Mabel looked at the both them them calmly "Now do you have any questions kiddos?"

Eric
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The last week in this "dungeon" as Eric began to call it had been hell. His body was acting all weird and he had been in growing pains, something he had not been feeling for a long time since puberty. The thing is it hurt like hell, he had grown at least two inches and muscles he thought he would never see again had started to come back in, but tighter and firmer, the felt like rock.

The pain hurt a lot in his heart and lungs, it was hard to breath and do extra actions. Ash had been a god-send, their small conversations had kept him sane and he tried to do his best with helping Ash cope with the pain he was feeling.

After Mabel came in and gave her grand speech about their wonderful re-birth. Eric huffed and only had two questions. "How long will it take to finish? And When do we get to leave this room and walk around?" He said as he munched on his bugger and shake, she had finally started to bring him his beloved chocolate. He looked at Ash wondering what was going through his head.

Mabel
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Uncrossing her arms Mabel stuck her hands into her pockets and took a more casual posture. This was clearly going to take a while.

"Well I don't have a firm answer for you Eric. To either question" She said, sounding surprisingly compassionate for a woman who had locked three men into a room for weeks "I guess I should begin by telling you that I am a telepathic demon. A vampire to be specific. My special ability allows me to read your minds, and also your souls.

"You Eric are a Guardian class demon, which is a type of terror. What this means for you is your transformation will be longer than Ashburn, who is a humanoid demon. I won't say what type he is because I can tell he doesn't want me to" She said looking over at Ashburn who was looking away embarrassed to be called out

"Anyway..." she continued "I can not read what your final form is but as a guardian you will most likely be significantly larger than you are now, and have dramatic changes to your form. I would guess a couple of months, and Ashburn a month and a half since his soul seems to prefer to do a slow and steady change rather than fast and dramatic.

"Now for your second question I will have to provide you some insight into the demon world. We demons have a long legacy, at least as long as homo-sapiens have existed or soon after. During this time we have established many traditions and some of those traditions have become laws enforced by other demons. Although we lack a true government, these laws are basically understood regulations all demons follow and enforce. Its kind of like social customs for humans.

"The most important of these have to do with transformations" Mabel looked at the ceiling to avoid their faces "You see each of you either has a father or grandfather that is a full realized demon. These men are responsible for ensuring you transition into demons, and were supposed to be watching you for your whole lives and turn you before you were at risk of death. Or if not them another member of your demon family. Somehow the three of you got lost. I have no idea how, but right now there are many demons that would kill me for transforming you. Unsealing your soul is a sacred rite I have taken from your families. This is unforgivable and I am stuck with the risk of what they will do when they find out.

"But that isn't your problem. Nobody in demon-kind would blame you for what I did. Right now I am trying to find your families, because they are supposed to help you transition into demonhood. So the answer to your second question is again that I do not know. It will be at least a few months since we can't transport you while you are weak, and maybe even after your transformed you'll be stuck here until I can find somebody to pawn you off on."

Ashburn
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Ash stared in silence as Mrs. Mabel gave her revelations. Not only did she reveal that Ash was a humanoid demon (something he had been hoping for) but that he had a whole family in this new demon world. A family that had abandoned him to rot in this cold cellar without even watching him.

But it also answered a major question in his life. His mother had been adopted, and even though she knew her biological mother she had refused to answer anything about his grandfather. All she said was she was a scared teenage mother and had put Ash's mother up for adoption as soon as she was born.

"That mother f*cker" Ashburn mumbled as tears started running down his cheeks "THAT MOTHER F*CKER KILLED MY MOM!!" he cried shrilly

"He could have saved her! He could have unsealed her! But he let her die! He abandoned his own daughter and grandson!" He sobbed into his lap, his burger sitting untouched on the end of his cot

Mabel
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Mabel reached her mind out gently to read Ash's, and trough the connection she could feel his pain. It was a pain that was so deep it even hurt her leather thick heart. Ash had always felt proud of his family, and never even though anything bad about his unknown grandfather. Through the connection she got flashes of memory. Ash playing with his mom in the swings, Ash naming a stuffed bear "grandpa" and giving it to his grandma. So many memories of a full and loving childhood, all lived with him thinking his grandpa was some mysterious good guy. Ash had even dreamed he was anything from a secret spy, to a guardian angel.

A small smile crossed her face at the irony. Ashburn was a fallen angel demon, and she could tell he would be a good one. A gentle heart combined with a fighting spirit would make him a hell of a demon. Looking at Eric she gestured with her head towards the sobbing kid sitting on the middle cot. After all she sure as h*ll wasn't going to be able to make the guy feel any better.

Eric
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Eric was listening to what she had to say and began to shiver at the mention of him being a Terror. The jumped at the out burst of Ash talking about someone who had killed his mom. He had a thought as well, both his grandfathers were still alive but which one was the demon. What if it was the one he did not like on his fathers side? He always thought the man was from hell, and him being a demon would make a lot of sense.

Then he saw her motion towards a sobbing Ash on the cot. He did not know what to do so he got up with, great pain, and sat next to him on the cot. "Hey Ash, I know me saying its ok is not helping. So I will say its not ok, and you have the right to grieve and be as angry as you want. Or you could stop swimming in that endless pool and come back to the surface with me so that we can get through this and move on, so that if you really want, take your revenge or find some kind of closure."

He did not know if what he said helped but he said it while he had Ash in a deep hug with his head on top of Ash's while he stroked his back. He looked at Mabel with sad eyes letting her know that they needed a moment, and some time. It's not like they were going anywhere.

Mabel
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With an sign Mabel took Eric's hint, since it was certainly not subtle.

"Just put your plates by the door when you're done." She said annoyed as she left and locked the door behind her

Ashburn
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Ash cried on Eric'c shoulders for what felt like ages, but was probably only about ten minutes. Eric was right of course, crying wasn't going to accomplish anything. And most certainly Eric didn't deserve to be dragged into his problems. With a sigh he looked at Eric.

"I'm sorry man. It just doesn't seem fair, ya know?" He said trying to sound calm, despite a quiver in his voice "I guess in some way it is nice to know the truth though. In a morbid way I guess I just needed to know why she died. But gramps better have a damn good reason for not being there for us." He said with a forced chuckle

Wiping his tears on his arm he leaned against the wall behind his cot, reclining against its cool support.

"So a Terror class huh? Well on the bright side you'll look pretty bad ass when you're done with this mess. Apparently I'll either be a Twilight reject or some angel" Ash said with his warm laugh. In truth he was glad to be apparently a humanoid class demon, at least he might still be able to see some part of his current self left after this was done.

Ash made a silent promise to himself in his head. He would not complain for the whole phase. Whatever he was going through his friend would have it much worse, and for longer. Eric deserved his support and Ash felt bad to have complained when it was obvious someone else had it so much worse.

"Maybe you'll get some luck with the ladies" He said playfully "I hear chicks like a man thats tall, dark and handsome."

Ash gave his trademark warm laugh as he imagined a bunch of girls swooning over a ten foot tall Eric. Though the thought made him hurt a little inside, he ignored it. This was time for Eric to be cheered up. With a deep gulp he swallowed his emotions, about his family and anything else.

Eric
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Eric looked at his friend for a long time before he was sure that Ash was really ok. Then he shook his head at the comment about his grandfather. When Ash mentioned the Terror thing he shivered slightly; she said that he would be in eminence pain and for a lot longer that Ash, that would suck for Eric and he knew it. But one thing was for sure, the only way to get out of this box was to suck it up and deal with the pain.

Right when Ash was mentioning the ladies thing Eric got up and chuckled awkwardly. He had not thought about girls or guys for that matter for a while, relationships in general had been taboo while he was here for school. But it what he said made him uncomfortable, but Eric could not find out why. He placed there plates next to the door, and tuned and walked back over to him. "Well I don't know about all that, I don't think I really appeal tot he ladies that much." He said as he at down and looked at Ash with a smile.

But if you looked in his eyes you could see that something was really bugging him, and that was his transformation, and what he future held if they got through this alive. Things would never be the same.

Ashburn
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Ash smiled back with a cheesy grin that almost looked comical.

"Eric don't be so hard on yourself." Ash said gently "You're perfectly fine now and whatever form you take will also be beautiful. After all, Mrs. Mabel said our demon form is the true form of our soul. This means all the good and bad manifested physically I assume. And somebody with as much good as you have in you couldn't possibly be ugly in your soul. You've forgiven people for things that are just evil, and been nothing but nice since you got here. If your body is truly taking your soul's true form its beauty must be blinding."

Ash turned on the cot and sat on the edge, feet on the floor, eyes straight ahead looking into Eric's eyes.

"I find when faced with a challenge it is best to focus on the end result. In this case we will be full on demons, beings of eternity. Imagine what it will be like to live so long. Think about the people we will meet, and the adventure that means for us. We get to talk to people that can tell us first hand about Rome, Egypt and ancient China. People that have wisdom we as humans could only dream of accessing. And we have all the time in the world to do what we want to do. This is just a blink of an eye compared to the adventure that awaits us after this, and I'll be here for that whole blink. Going through it with you." Ash extended out his right pinky to offer it in a pinky swear "I promise to stay with you for this whole mess, as long as you need me. Even if Mrs. Mabel tries to drag me out of here."

Ash smiled widely with his crooked grin and nodded his head towards his extended pinky. Eric was a good friend after all they had been through thus far, and Ash's loving nature refused to allow a friend to suffer without him there for support.

"If you accept me for who I am and what I am becoming I promise to accept you for who you are and whatever you are becoming."

Eric
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Smiled brightly at Ash's words of confidence he stuck his pinky finger out and took Ash's. "I promise to accept you for all that you are and will become. and to be there with you the whole entire way of this journey." He said with a smile. Eric felt like a little kid who just got praised by mom, he even thinks he was glowing from his friends kind words.

Eric had never had a friend like Ash, but what he said about his soul is another thing that made him shiver. He looked at the floor and started to worry. He had a deep darkness unlike any other and now it would be reflected by the end of his change. Ash said that he would stand by Eric but doubt is now moving through his entire being now. He did not know if this would affect their relationship. It scared him to the core that Ash might be afraid of his true colors.

He clenched his stomach in pain. These pains were getting worse, they were ripping throughout his whole body and all he could do was take it. In a weird way Eric felt that a small saving grace was that he knew that they would not be ending anytime soon

Ashburn
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Ash's smile quickly turned into a look of concern as Eric began to clench his gut. His worry was abundantly evident on his face as the book worm got up and walked the two steps over to Eric's cot and sat beside him.

"I still have that Aspirin in my pocket if you need some." Ash offered as he pulled out the mini altoids container he used to hold his pills. His side gave a sympathetic twinge of pain at the site.

Ash of course was not sure if it would help at all, after all its not exactly like pain medication was ever designed for transformation into demons. All he could do was try to help.

"Maybe if we talk I can distract you from the pain?" Ash said with a forced smile

Time Jump 1 week

Devon
_________________

"Devon its time to bring the owner's their lunch again" Mabel said, her voice thick with boredom

Devon, who had up until then been vainly trying to clean a grill with more rust than an industrial yard looked back at her. He studied her face, looking for a clue as to if she was telling the truth. Over the past few weeks he had become more and more suspicious of the goings on of the diner. The cloaked diners, silent owners, unsanitary kitchen and now three kids (two of whom seemed to like their jobs) had quit without notice. On the same day the owners demanded to be brought food, which they had never before requested. And three meals at that.

The whole thing seemed off to him, and made a knot in the pit of his stomach. But he was careful not to let on. Devon offered a smile and said "yes ma'am" before starting the grill back up.

"What will it be today?" He asked, opening the fridge to pull out ingredients.

"Cook up some pancakes. I don't think they've had those recently" She replied absentmindedly looking around "I'm going to go check on the diners. Just put the plates on the bar when you're done"

Devon quietly waited for her to leave, then quickly tossed some of the pre-made batter onto the grill before silently leaving the kitchen. It was a slow day so he was the only chef on duty, a detail critical to his plan. He knew something was up, his instincts had never led him astray before, and he had to find out what.

The pancakes would take about 5 minutes to cook, which gave him just enough time to sneak out into the back and complete his mission. For the past few weeks the owner's garage next to the restaurant had been closed up, which would not have been notable except it had always been kept open for Mabel to park in. Though now her white Ford was parking with the rest of the employees.

Devon's heart raced as he turned the corner of the building to the side entrance to the garage. The door was well aged, with sun faded red paint hinting at its former color. Beside it was the outside stairs to the owner's suite, the condo above the diner that was only accessible via the creaky and well worn wood steps be stood by. Afraid the owner's would hear him, he pulled a small screw driver out of his pocket. With shaky hands he quickly unscrewed the two threads holding the lock in place. Without their support the cheap brass lock fell quietly on the dirt below.

The door opened quickly with his hand, as he pushed it in. Thin sunlight streamed through the door revealing its contents. The walls were bare, except for a few shovels and basic tools hung on the opposite wall. But Devon did not notice these tools, because through the light he could see an old pickup truck sitting inside the one car garage. Even with the dim sunlight he could tell that it was Ashburn's the Alabama license plates (long expired) looking back at him.

With a start he quickly closed the door, heart racing loudly. Running back to the kitchen he stopped to catch his breath.

"Why is his truck here? And where is Ashburn?" He silently whispered to himself. The smell of burning pancakes quickly reminded him what he was supposed to have been doing for the past five minutes. With the speed gained by years in the kitchen he quickly plated the cakes, which were black and burned one one side (this side he put down so Mabel wouldn't notice).

He set the plate down on the bar and paused to settle his mind, and ponder over his new discovery.

Mabel
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After spending several minutes chatting with customers, including a short ghoul that had some funny stories to share, she went back to the kitchen. Without a second thought she picked up the plates of pancakes and shakes and took them downstairs as usual.

Locking the door to the transformation room behind her she followed her usual routine, handing the boys their plates and taking he position at the front of the room. Today would be a special lesson indeed.

"Sorry I haven't had time for another lesson. Apparently a bunch of vampires from Canada decided to stop in town and eat here every day, so I've been busy. If you don't like it tough. Now then since I have been delayed I'll just give you three lessons at once today to get you up to date. Don't interrupt me because I will just be doing them all in a row.

"Special Abilities

"Roughly 85% of demons have special abilities. These are defined as powers that are not found among the population as a whole. The dispersion of them seems to be random, as people within the same family can all have different powers. It is believed that these powers come from the innate ability to manipulate your soul and alter its form. Obviously this is limited based on your soul’s energy level and is a good way to kill yourself if you are not careful. As I have said before, if you use all your soul’s energy you are dead. Period.

"Getting accurate numbers about special ability dispersion is difficult. Many demons choose to keep their powers secret, in case they need them. It gives them an element of surprise, and makes it difficult to anticipate what they do. As I’ve said most demons are good, but when we go bad we go really bad. Now then, these powers are not being listed in any particular order so don’t read too much into the placement.

"The flames of hell is one of the more stereotypical abilities. A demon who possess these abilities can produce flames by superheating the air until it combusts, obviously this can be extended to superheating other materials such as wood. This also gives them the abilities to produce lightning bolts. As a part of their ability their bodies are essentially fire proof, and heat proof. This was proven when one particularly adventurous demon, a vampire, attempted to commit suicide by jumping into a volcano. His attempt failed miserably and all he managed to do was burn off his clothes.
Death reaping is quite possibly the most morbid of the abilities. Once an animal, such as a human, stops living a demon with this ability can control the empty puppet that remains. These “meat puppets” if you will are completely mindless and will continue to decompose. When controlled they pull on the energy from their puppeteer’s soul to animate their bodies, however they cannot relay information. They can only follow direct orders that the puppeteer can give telepathically. Obviously this power is what led to the human myth of zombies. A ghoul death reaper in early Rome tried to take over the empire using reanimated human dead, and failed miserably. The hot humid climate of Italy quickly rotted his army to the point they were unusable before he even finished taking the first city. He was shortly executed by his fellow demons for exposure.

"Soul Shredding is the rarest of abilities. It is so rare that some demon philosophers argue over whether it should be combined with death reaping, since they share similar attributes. Like death reaping a soul shredder can control animal/human bodies at will, limited only by the power of his soul. However, there is two big differences, the first difference is that a soul shredder can possess even a living creature, or even a rock or tree. He/she can see through its eyes and hear what is a round it at will as if it were a part of his/her own body. The size of the soul part depends on what you wish to do of course, a bigger piece is needed to control a living creature, and a smaller piece to simply animate a rock or hear what is around it. Now you may have noted I said “size of the piece of soul”. This is the second difference, a soul shredder literally tears a piece of their soul out and puts it into a person or object. This is irreversible because a soul once split can never be put back together. I won’t go too far into detail because this power is so rare that some even wonder if it is a myth.

"Guardian’s Blessing is the most predictable ability. All guardians have it as part of their genus. It gives them a unique portfolio of powers, all of which revolve around their unique role and biology. A guardian is ten times stronger than other demons, in terms of soul power and physical strength. To compliment this power they have skin, or outer shells, that are tougher than tanned leather. Some even are said to have skin as hard as plate metal. A guardian also has a few minor abilities reserved for their “soul partner” as the guardians call them. A guardian once bonded can communicate through a mental link to him/her and truly feel their every thought and emotion. They can also always identify where their partner is to within about a kilometer or so. Since their life relies on their partner’s life this has served them well historically.

"Telekinesis is the second most common over all ability, and my personal favorite. A telekinetic demon has the ability to read people’s minds and souls. It comes in handy when trying to determine threats and intentions, but a trained demon can tell if their mind is being read. Demons with this power serve an important cultural function in our society because we can tell people their soul names. I’ll elaborate more on that later though.

"Coming in at about 20% of the population, and most vampires, the power of “temptation” is the most common. All types of demons can have this power but for some reason vampires seem to make up the majority of the population with this power, which probably inspired the vampire stories humans tell. Temptation gives a demon the power to seduce mortals with ease. To your preferred gender (or genders) you are irresistible and fill their hearts with desire. This makes them putty in their hands and can be easily coaxed into anything. It virtually melts a victim’s free will. The most famous example of this is Vladimir Dracula, who I am sure you’ve heard of. He used his charm to maintain power over the hearts of his people (both genders since he was bisexual) even as he tortured them for his amusement. Obviously this figure inspired most of the vampire myths because unlike most vampires he had a literal lust for blood and was a powerful figure.

"The final abilities is called “Illusions”. This power is a bit of an oddity because it is theoretically harmless. It gives a demon the ability to project illusions into a person’s minds. So they can make people think they are in a big mansion, when in reality they are in a slum for example. An illusionist cannot change reality though, so your touch will be able to reveal the truth to you if you’re a victim. Imagine that somebody put a tv in front of your eyes and you can smell everything you see on that tv and that pretty much describes what it is like when those powers are used on you. A few well known magicians have actually had this ability, basically standing on stage and making them think they saw the impossible. However this con has been much reduced since the advent of television, since cameras can’t be fooled.

"Guardian Class Demons, this means you Eric

"Guardian class demons are the oddest of all the demon types. At 5% they are the smallest percentage of demons and many things about them seem to defy the rules of demon biology.

"Guardians are massive in stature, with some being as tall as 15 feet. They often look fearsome, with fangs and horns being very common features. Unlike the rest of demon kind all of them have special abilities. They are 10 times stronger than an average demon and have skin as tough as tanned leather (some as hard as steel plating), and about half of them have a SECOND ability (a trait virtually unheard of outside of guardian class). Their souls have the distinct ability to heal ten times faster, making sleep unneeded and giving them the ability to ignore almost all rules of energy management the rest of us must follow.

"They however do have one weakness, and it is a big one. When a guardian meets their “soul partner” as they call them they form an eternal bond with that person. Upon a single kiss their soul is tied to their partner’s forever. A guardian and their partner have the ability to connect mentally (though it is not telepathy since it can only be used between the pair).

"A guardian can only be killed by the death of their “soul partner”, and this gives guardian culture some unique traits. Guardians generally fall under two types. The first type are called “bondsmen”, they are either bonded to a partner or actively seek a partner (apparently being unbonded makes a guardian feel hollow and empty). These are the majority of guardians since their instincts are to find the demon to whom they are destined to be with forever (It should be noted that they can only bond with demons that are not guardians)

"There is a notable minority that actively fights this instinct though, the “lone men”. They travel the world alone, hiding from all life for fear of becoming “mortal”. Fighting their instincts comes at a great cost however, after a century of fighting their natural urges they begin to decline into insanity. Many wander the frozen north and south of the planet in a daze, a hollow shell that is immortal but does not live. Every moment is an agony.

"The unique traits of guardians mean they don’t have any of their own centers of population. They can be found among every population, as they stay with their soul partners. Though they are often the more isolated population centers since it can be hard for a guardian to pass as human.

"Vampire Class Demons

"The most common class of demon we vampires are currently thought to number at about half a million demons, over double the second most populous class. Vampires look the most like humans, and can easily pass.

"Vampires are generally at the upper end of height for humans, but rarely pass six and a half feet. We are seen by many mortals as extremely beautiful and this complements nicely our most common power of seduction. Vampires have earned the nickname of the “urban demons” since our population centers are in areas that are highly populated by humans.

"Areas such as the American northwest, Canadian southwest, upper Scotland and Moscow are hotbeds for vampires. Since we vampires have strong eyesight the sun can prove blinding, forcing us to be nocturnal like the rest of our demon brethren.

"Even though we vampires tend to live in close proximity to each other, it is unusual for any organized movements to happen. We are often well integrated into human society and are a very loosely knit class. Many vampires view themselves as separate from the rest of the demon family tree, since we are the only group that can truly pass. This leads to many “playing human” and just ignoring demons as a whole. This mentality has proven to be problematic in the past, when one of us is discovered. Since vampires live in population centers and in close proximity when one of us is caught often whole families get hunted by humans as a result. This has happened several times throughout history, the most famous example being the Salem Witch Trials.

"Oh I forgot to mention that humanoid demons will change form about every century, often in congruence with human evolution. This goes for vampires and fallen angels. The changes are subtle, often things often things such as height. So even after these changes a humanoid demon is still obviously the same as before. For example my last change was about fifty years ago and all that happened was I grew half an inch.

"Fallen Angel Class Demons

"Fallen angels are the second most common class of demon, after vampires, and currently have about 200,000 members. They are named such because a required feature is a set of wings, which can either be feathered or more resemble bat wings. Fallen angels are a humanoid type of demon, and as such strongly resemble humans. However, they can have difficulty “passing” because in addition to wings they can have horns, fangs, and other body features than can be hard to hide.

"Like vampires they tend to be more social, banding together in small to medium sized groups. They generally prefer areas that are either very mountainous or very isolated plains so they can fly without being seen. They come in all personality types and it can be hard to make any generalities about their social traits. Those who settle down into areas mostly live in groups that are only fellow fallen angels and even establish governments. Though these governments are weak and serve more as an authority to keep rebellious demons in line, they are a source of pride among the fallen angels because it is unique to their class.

"The largest of these groups is in northern Quebec along the shore. The “clan”, as they call themselves, is about 25,000 and they are far spread throughout the countryside and islands away from most humans. They meet once a year to elect a leader, and form a yearlong militia to enforce laws among demons. Like most fallen angel governments they tend to butt heads with other demons classes who want to live in the area but not follow the government.

"The largest concentration outside of Quebec is in Europe, especially northern Europe. According to their mythology they are native to this region, and even inspired the angels of myth taught by Catholics to this day. It’s sort of a running joke between them and a point of humor for all demons."

Mabel paused for a breath for a moment before asking

"Now are there any questions?"