Work Text:
I
There was a time when all Gaismagorm saw was endless blue.
The winds would blow gently on his scales. The sun providing warmth to his glorious wings. When he would grow tired, he would lay on the soft grass, shielded by towering trees. All was well for him. He had everything.
‘But what if I tell you that you could have more ?’
And then everything was history.
II
Gaismagorm couldn’t remember how he got here. He couldn’t remember when he had lost his wings.
Here, in this desolate chasm, was only him and the parasites that cling to him. No more were the light rays of the sun, instead in its place was the chilling cold. The grass and the trees he once knew were no longer, and now in its place were hard and dirty soil.
It was only him and the parasites that cling to him.
That was when the hunger began.
III
The chasm was vast, not unlike the sky.
Each passing day, Gaismagorm’s hunger grew. His familiars, gnawing his scales, would urge him to feed. And so began his new life. He would burrow his way to a new territory, send out his familiars, and proceed to feed on what they have collected. Some days it was good, others not quite. So he kept burrowing, until he found the perfect spot.
That was, until, a visitor took notice of his presence.
IV
The visitor was nothing like Gaismagorm had seen before. Then again, what could possibly have he seen other than darkness and rocks?
Silver, glimmering scales, adorned with gold. Its wings a deep purple, spread like a cape. It was almost like meeting royalty, and frankly speaking, he was puzzled. What could a beauty like them possibly have business with him?
‘So you are the one who has caused chaos within my realm,’ the silver beauty growled, disgust written in its face. ‘For your transgressions, I will slay you, foul thing. No longer will your subjects hurt anyone.’
Now he was even more puzzled, and even slightly fascinated. ‘Oh? A knight, descending themselves into the Abyss, to deliver judgment to those who are evil? How laughable.’ Was hunger a sin now? When did primary need become something to condemn?
‘No matter. Come, my dear. Let us dance.’
V
He was called Malzeno. Those who live above revered him as a knight.
He was noble, graceful, and formidable. Despite Gaismagorm’s advantage on his size, Malzeno possessed great speed and nimbleness, something he did not have at all. It infuriated him, just as much as it intrigued him.
And so that cycle of fighting and fleeing began. For every time a whiff of Gaismagorm’s scent was picked up, Malzeno would descend and drive him away once more. It was macabre. It was beautiful. It left Gaismagorm wanting , and with every fight that occurred between them, he would leave a piece of himself to the dear knight.
The Qurio.
VI
When the day came when Gaismagorm was not seen as a threat anymore, Malzeno had already succumbed to the corruption. The same gnawing hunger the Devil had felt.
‘What have you done to me?’ the silver knight woefully growled.
The Devil’s eyes crinkled, as if he was smiling, mocking. ‘A gift, before we part ways, dearest.’
Malzeno wanted to scream, to tear the Devil apart, to leave it into a bloody stain on the cold dirt. And yet, he knew it was too late.
With that, he ascended once more. There was no more spectacular and gruesome display of power and domination. No more words left said and unsaid. It was done.
VII
History mentions that Malzeno won that day, where he successfully drove off the Devil and stole its powers.
But who was it that really got the last laugh in the end?