Nikolai Travelion — an outwardly sociable, handsome young man of twenty to some, and the dark, mysterious black warlock Travelion to others.

  That was his self-image, at least.

  In his own mind, Nikolai led two very different lives, and had done so since his early teens.

  He came from a wealthy family, had affluent acquaintances he wouldn’t quite call friends, and access to nearly any material thing he could wish for. That kind of life came with certain expectations, however. Being one of three sons of a powerful CEO, he had to act the part — with emphasis on act.

  Nikolai watched people milling about inside, the fake smiles and forced joviality. He sighed and muttered under his breath, “Pretentious pricks...”

  A young woman, perhaps eighteen, was visibly flirting with a man much too old for her — though that man happened to be an extremely wealthy widower. Nikolai watched them link arms and step into the garden, unaware that he was standing still in the shadows. He grimaced in disgust. What was the damn point?

  Yes, Nikolai knew he was privileged, and yes, his troubles were nothing compared to what others might face — but being even peripherally part of what he had just witnessed disgusted him.

  He always had to dress up, do his hair just so. Always a straight back and straight A’s, the perfect image of a young scion. He hated that part of his life; it was all just that — a fa?ade.

  His other life, though — that was where he truly lived, where he could express himself and be his true self. Nikolai was used to people approaching him with an agenda, usually to get close to his family, but online things were different.

  Anonymity was a blessing — a true blessing — especially since he had discovered the MMO genre at fourteen: whole digital worlds filled with adventure and opportunity. Not only could he be anyone he chose to be, but he could actually be someone to people — an equal among equals. If you wanted to join the best players for the hardest challenges, you had to perform, and he preferred that kind of honesty to his real life.

  Nikolai had built a whole persona around his characters. He played several games but was part of a small community that always played together. There, he was simply known as Travelion, and no matter the game, he would roll some kind of spellcaster. Nikolai was a sucker for that sort of thing — mystical arts, arcane might. Master of the elements? No, bugger that. He usually went the darker route.

  Shadows, curses, and demon summoning — now that was the kind of power he liked. Keeping his distance while his opponents withered in agony. That was true power, in his mind. Okay, yes, it was a little messed up, and maybe it said something about him that he liked that sort of thing — but they were just games, so no harm done, right?

  Nikolai sighed and took another sip of expensive wine, not really tasting it. If only he were with the others that night. Instead, he was stuck at the Travelion New Year’s celebration at the family mansion.

  It was a yearly tradition — all his father’s business partners, important clients, and assorted hangers-on invited. His family was expected to be on their very best behavior.

  He cared for his family and had always been close with his brothers, though they’d grown apart over time. Nikolai was the youngest. His eldest brother worked with their father; the middle brother was off in Asia doing charity work. Both respectable men, with respectable occupations — a far cry from Nikolai himself.

  It wasn’t that he was useless — just that he had little ambition. He hadn’t yet found his niche, something to work toward. Expectations weighed on him, but even if he failed, there would be no real consequences. The family had enough money that he’d never have to work if he didn’t want to. Spoiled, sure, but still — Nikolai wanted to work, wanted a dream, wanted ambition. He just didn’t know what he actually wanted from life.

  At the very core of it, he supposed, he was just really lonely. He had online friends, sure, but he struggled to trust anyone who knew who he actually was — or rather, who his family was. He always had to keep up that fake fa?ade of politeness, feign interest in boats, expensive cars, and golf — and frankly, he couldn’t care less.

  You might be thinking, Oh, poor rich boy, complaining about your perfect life, and you’d be right. He was complaining — but everyone had their problems, right? He was still human.

  Nikolai was lost in his thoughts, gazing up at the night sky. He closed his eyes and wished for something different. Something more.

  A voice interrupted his musings, and he opened his eyes to find a tall man standing a few steps away.

  “Young sir, may I take your picture?”

  Nikolai shrugged — not an unusual request at these events — though he frowned slightly at the man’s elaborate camera. It looked like one of those early models on a stand, complete with the huge flash.

  The man was well-dressed, like everyone else: a dark suit with long coattails. But Nikolai couldn’t make out his features — the light from inside was too bright.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  The man looked through the camera, then nodded. “Alright, just stand there. Let’s see that smile, eh? It’s almost time.”

  “Time for what?” Nikolai asked.

  The man straightened, and through the darkness Nikolai caught the gleam of white teeth. “Time to begin, of course. Big smile now!”

  The flash went off — blinding him. But it was more than that. His stomach lurched, like he’d been dropped from a great height, only for the fall to end abruptly. The world spun.

  He cursed, then heard a new voice — gruff, with a slight growl to it. As his vision blurred, the voice spoke again.

  “Well, that was unexpected... Damn it all, it was supposed to be... Oh well, I suppose I can make use of it.”

  The sound came from nearby. He stumbled away on instinct, still half-blind.

  “Oh no you don’t! You stay right there — don’t move!” the voice snapped.

  Nikolai squinted, shapes beginning to form. “What? Damn it, that flash was bloody intense. Would you mind giving me some space!?” he said, annoyance creeping into his tone.

  The speaker scoffed. “It has an attitude, does it? Well, we can deal with that.”

  A burning pain erupted from Nikolai’s shoulder. He yelped and clutched at the suddenly searing skin. “Arg! Stop — no! What’s going on!? Someone stop this madman!”

  Half-blind and panicking, his mind barely processed his surroundings: not the garden anymore, but some kind of study — lined with old-style bookcases, not unlike what some of his father’s friends considered the height of sophistication.

  “Madman!? It has a mouth on it, eh!? We’ll see about that!” the voice hissed, and the pain intensified.

  “Fuck! Stop it, please! It fucking hurts!” Nikolai screamed.

  “You will not stain the air with your foul mouth, demon! Still your tongue, or I’ll leave the curse mark on you for good!”

  He collapsed to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please, just stop hurting me!”

  The pain ceased. “Better! See? A little politeness goes a long way. Now, let’s have a look at you.”

  Nikolai clutched his shoulder, eyes squeezed shut. He panted heavily, tears streaking his cheeks.

  “I’ve never heard of a sobbing demon before... Interesting. Bah — must’ve gotten something wrong. Well, no matter. Ugh, hideous! Almost looks like... Demon, why do you look like one of those damn humans!?”

  Nikolai forced his eyes open — and flinched. The creature before him looked like a large raccoon, or something related. Black fur with a white stripe running up the center of its head, dressed in a silken robe trimmed with gold and embroidered with strange symbols.

  “Oh my fucking God — what the hell are you!?” he blurted before he could stop himself.

  The creature’s curious expression twisted into anger. “I warned you!” it hissed.

  “You can talk!?” Nikolai blurted — and then the pain returned tenfold. He screamed, collapsing to the floor, mind fading into merciful blackness.

  A door slammed open, and the pain ebbed slightly — just enough for him to lift his head. Another creature stood there — female, judging by her softer features and warm brown fur. Her eyes, however, blazed with fury.

  “What in the blazes is going on in here!?” she shouted as she entered. When she saw Nikolai writhing on the floor, her eyes widened in shock — then narrowed with disbelief, and finally burned with anger.

  She pointed toward him. “What did you do, Vitzer Dolun!?”

  The male paled — his fur seeming to lighten — but straightened defensively. “I was reprimanding this demon! It—” Nikolai’s scream drowned him out, and he raised his voice. “It has an incredibly foul mouth!”

  The female raised a hand holding a short staff and stepped forward, warningly. “Stop what you’re doing this instant, or I swear I’ll cleanse you of your very life, you old fool.”

  The male huffed, stepping back. “Fine! But I will not be held responsible when this foul creature opens its dirty mouth again!”

  The pain vanished. Nikolai’s body went limp, collapsing into a heap.

  The female gasped and moved to help him, but the male barked, “He’s in a circle!”

  She froze. “Why!?”

  “It’s a demon, of course he’s in a circle, woman!”

  Her voice rose in fury. “He is no demon, you fool! Have you even looked at him properly!?”

  “I—uh, no... I hadn’t gotten to that part yet. I had to do some disciplining first.”

  “This boy is human, Vitzer! HUMAN! Are you blind as well as demented now!?”

  He scoffed. “He is not human — demon trickery, no doubt. Don’t be taken in by such banal magic.”

  “Don’t you dare lecture me! I’m far more experienced in analyzing creatures than you, and I’m telling you he’s human!”

  Vitzer coughed. “Well... why would I summon a human, Moulin? This ritual was specifically for a demon, and I know I did everything — and I mean everything — correctly!”

  Moulin sighed. “You’re getting worse... Look at him, would you?”

  Nikolai was curled on the floor, still sobbing uncontrollably and cradling his arm. He’d never felt such pain — and the sheer absurdity of it all only made it worse. Monsters, magic, pain... it was too much.

  Moulin’s tone softened. “Please don’t cry. I’m so sorry for what he did to you, but I won’t allow him to continue.”

  Nikolai didn’t move at first, but her voice — so gentle, so utterly out of place in the nightmare — made him look up. Her eyes were filled with compassion and remorse, and that flicker of kindness nearly broke him again.

  “Please... I just want to go home,” he whispered.

  He knew how pathetic he sounded, but for the first time in his life, he was truly afraid.

  She smiled sadly, then turned to the male. “Send him back, Vitzer!”

  Vitzer hesitated, then looked away. “Yes, uh, about that... this wasn’t... that is to say, I... can’t.”

  There was a long pause. Moulin stood, brushed off her dress, then raised her staff. The tip glowed a brilliant white — and the room exploded with a deafening BOOM.

  The male was sent flying through a bookcase, the wall, and the next one beyond.

  Nikolai stared at the chaos in disbelief until Moulin turned back to him with a soft smile.

  “I’m sorry, boy. But at least let’s get you off that floor. How about a nice cup of tea?”