A Hunter's Curse (Closed o/o with Nyx)

Nathaniel frowned at Ember, staring at his kids. He felt his face looking down at his bloodied fingers. He wiped the blood on his pant leg. His hair was a tangled mess, red blood mixed into the blonde nest. His stern gaze fell upon Ember’s face. Nathaniel swallowed harshly, leaning onto the door frame. The room was spinning, everything turning upside down. He took a deep breath. “I am fine, dear. Typhon decided to fight me for the throne. I got a little banged up. Nothing too bad.” Nathaniel saw a small blob move toward him, something wrapping its little hands around his leg. The words barely reached his ears. He was disoriented. “I-I am.” Nathaniel’s vision folded in, turning black as he fell against the door frame, hitting his head on the frame. His body slid down onto the floor.

Percy watched his father fall, hugging him closer to Ember. He was scared. First, his mommy was abducted, then his daddy blacked out. He nuzzled into his mother’s neck. “Is daddy going to be okay?” Percy mewled.

Nathaniel was out like a light. The cut on his face continued to bleed, spilling dark blood all over his suit. It wasn’t a pretty sight. His other wounds had slowed or ceased their bleeding, but the one on his face continued to bleed freely with no sign of stopping. Nathaniel didn’t hear Ember or feel her touch. He laid limp. The guards outside the drawing room peered in, looking down at their downed king. They didn’t seem to react, instead one picked up Nathaniel under the arms. They nudged Ember away, the other guard picking Nathaniel up by the midsection. The other guard let go of the fallen king, Nathaniel’s head leaning onto the shoulder of the guard that held him. The guards glared at Ember, taking their king to his bedroom to recover.

Percy started to cry, shaking as he ran over to his mother. He didn’t understand what was happening to his father. He just wanted to see dad, but his dad was taken away before he could reach his mom. “Mommy… Is daddy alright? Is he going to wake up again?” Percy whimpered, tears catching the corner’s of his lips. “I’m scared.” He clung to Ember tightly.

Percy fought back against his sister. He didn’t want her embrace. He wanted his mom and dad. Using his power, he pushed Rose away a few feet, tears running down his face. “I want daddy!” He screamed. Percy stood still, watching his sister before running out of the room, following the guards. Well, at least he tried to. Not until a certain demon got in his way. Percy swallowed harshly, whimpering as the force loomed over him. A strange blue fire engulfed the scene.

The guards brought Nathaniel to his room, laying the king in his bed. They didn’t know what to do, they were guards after all, so they called forth for Lilith. Lilith, however, was in a foul mood. “Why is it when I am-” she looked down at Nathaniel. “Oh.” The guards simply nodded, leaving the room to guard the outside. Lilith heaved a breath. This was not a good situation. None of it was.

Percy shied away from Typhon, scared of the demon who was grinning at him with bloody teeth. “It’ll be okay, boy.” The demon sneered. “I’ll make the pain go away.” Percy froze, his fear instinct kicking in. He instinctively threw a ball of hellfire at Typhon, making the tall demon curse out loud. It had blinded the discord demon, but not for long. Percy turned his head to see his mom, whimpering as Typhon stood over him. The discord before clasped a hand around Percy’s mouth. Percy struggled, tears of frustration running down his face. He wanted to be with his momma and his daddy. He wanted for this to be over. Typhon moved a dagger with a chip in it to Percy’s throat. “It was nice meeting you, little one.” Percy screamed, little markings spreading through his tiny body. Hellfire consumed Typhon, making the demon drop Percy. While he screamed in agony, Percy ran over to his mother, hugging her. “Can we go see daddy?” He questioned.

Lilith looked Nathaniel’s weakened body. It was strange. It was like he was resorted to a mortal form. Wounds weren’t healing and illness took him. Sweat beaded down Nathaniel’s forehead, his face consumed by fever. There was only on object that could kill a demon like this. Haiti’s knife. “Is there a piece still stuck in you?” She pondered out loud. If she couldn’t heal him, he might be dead in a day or two. She needed the book of damnation. “Sleep well, my dear king.” Lilith placed a hand on his forehead, disappearing to find the book and something else.

Percy yelped when he was picked up, clinging to his mama as she booked up to his parents bedroom. He looked around, terror filling his innocent eyes. As soon as he was put down, he wandered over to his father's side of the bed, looking at his daddy. A small mewl came from his throat as his little hands gripped onto Nathaniel’s cool, but feverish skin. “Daddy, please wake up.” Percy laid his head on the edge of the bed, frowning before Ember grabbed him again. Sequels of protest came from him. He wanted to be with his parents, but instead, he was put somewhere safe with his sister. Not fun!

Nathaniel moved slightly. He didn’t open his eyes or make any drastic movements. He leaned in Ember’s touch exposing his slashed cheek more. “Ember.” He mumbled, wincing as she tended to his wound. It stung like hell, the wine seeping into his bloodstream. “It hurts.” Nathaniel whined. He wasn’t new to pain, but this pain was awful. A demon shouldn’t feel pain like this. Not this harsh. Lilith reappeared in a huff. She had the book, but not the other things she needed. She looked down at Ember, placing the black book on the bed. “I am incredibly busy. You need to wait.” She seemed stressed, looking from Ember to the book. “You know what to do.” Lilith gestured to the book. “I need to go check on something! It is quite serious!” She disappeared. Nathaniel opened his eyes. The bright blue was dull. Not a good sign.

Nathaniel shifted uncomfortably, squeezing Ember’s hand. It was weak compared to his normal strength. He looked pitifully weak and pale. His eyes didn’t shine like they used too. He seemed more— human. “Ember.” He whispered. The wound stung the more she pressed into it, causing him to cry out loud in pain. Heat spread throughout his face as the stinging went deeper under his skin. Nathaniel could feel his fragile body. The knife reverted his body into a mortal state and once it was that of a mortals, it was hard to reverse. “Lilith cannot—“ He heaves a breath. “Help.” Nathaniel closed his eyes, feeling a sharp, jagged pain in his chest. It unsettled him and he flinched. He opened his eyes to glance up at Lilith. She seemed worried. “Yes, yes. I know where Typhon is. He’s not outside. He is elsewhere.” Lilith sighed. “You’ll figure out how to use it. It’s the only thing that can reverse the effects.” She disappeared for good. Nathaniel peered over to Ember. “I can help you, dear.” He tried to sit up, but failed.

Nathaniel leaned his head to the side, letting her clean the wound. He gritted his teeth, the pain numbing his face. He leaned into her touch, groaning from the banging in his head. Nathaniel could feel his body grow weaker by the second. He felt vulnerable, almost mortal. He was turning mortal. Nathaniel didn’t want this. “I-I can. Trust me. I’ve dealt with the book before. Please.” His voice seemed strained, just as weak as his body. Nathaniel gripped her hand, lifting himself into a sitting position. He laid back on the pillows, sighing heavily. He took the book from Ember, opening it carefully. The spine made a creaking noise, slowly breaking apart, but it mended itself. His hands shook, his eyes scanning over the yellowed pages of ancient language. Lifting his finger, he pointed to a line in the book, his entire arm shaking slightly. “T-That… that is the thing… the spell needing to be said.” The fever got worse, consuming him completely. Nathaniel leaned his head on Ember, shutting his eyes. He could feel himself fade. Fading ever so slowly to end up dead in the next few days.

Nathaniel nuzzled into her neck, whimpering from the pain. “I know.” He murmured. He looked pitiful. Almost like a sickly child. The blood started to cease, and he moved his hand to her stomach. He kept his head positioned on her chest. Tears fell from his eyes, his grip getting weaker. “Ember. I am dying. You might have to accept that. Tell our kiddos that I love them.” Nathaniel paused. His vision was getting blurry, but he tried to make out the picture in the book anyway. “There is more. To reverse the dying, you have to use the ceremonial knife. It- it is like a coin. It is used to kill, but also to restore.” He summoned the knife with the last of his power, wincing at the pain it caused him. “You n-need to say the spell, then stab me with it in the chest or stomach.” Nathaniel’s voice was weak. His body slowly went limp. “Please. You need to do it.” He whispered, closing his eyes as he kept his hand on her stomach.

Tears dotted his fever ridden cheeks. It took a lot out of him to cry, his eyes dimming faster. “I love you, Ember.” He weakly kissed her on the neck. “I’ll always love you. Please take care of Rose and Percy. They’ll need their mamma until they're adults.” He moved closer to her side, laying the knife on her. “There is no chance of me surviving this, Ember. It’s a small chance. Even if the timing is off, I could still die.” He reached back out for her hand, placing his on her midsection now. “They won’t be orphaned.” He rasped, his breath getting shorter. His movements slowed. Nathaniel’s head and hand when slack. This was not a good sign. Ember needed to act quick. Very quick. “You will always be my love.” He whispered.

Nathaniel nestled into the new position, leaning his head on Ember’s lap. “I’m scared.” He whispered. This was the first time he had said those words, and they were poison upon his tongue. “I-I can feel everything dying. It’s not pleasant.” His words were breathy as if his lungs ran out of air. “I love you.” Nathaniel whispered. His head went slack, so did his entire body. The knife slammed into his chest, blood threatening to spill out of the wound. Nothing happened for the next minute or so. Nathaniel’s body was still, the life in it gone. Then, the knife began to glow, and a strange magic seemed to entire his body. The fiery patterns of a demon lord appeared on his skin, glowing a bright red and orange. Horns sprouted from his head, the tips glowing a wrathful red. A small breeze moved his hair and the book vanished.

The knife fell out of the wound, somehow working itself out of the wound as Nathaniel’s body naturally closed up the wound. He took a deep breath. The book reappeared at the king’s side. A flush came back to his cheeks, his body returning to its former glory. The piece that was inside of him had been disintegrated. Flicking open his eyes, he stared at Ember. His eyes were glowy, just like how they once were. “Ember?” He pondered.

Nathaniel nuzzled into her, moving his head out of the way. He tried to keep his horns out of the way. They could poke her or hurt her harshly. He looked at her face, using his hands to push her face up to face him. “I’m alive, Ember.” He kissed her, wiping the tears with his thumb. “I am not dead. The process just takes a minute to start. It’s okay.” His eyes were a glowy blue, sparkling in the harsh, red light. The horns disappeared and so did the markings. He snuggled up to Ember, keeping her company. Percy ran out from his hiding spot, climbing onto the bed. “Daddy!” He beamed, looking at Nathaniel. Percy hugged his dad. Nathaniel wrapped his arms around Percy. “Hey buddy!” He smiled.

Nathaniel smiled. He kept wiping her tears away, kissing her passionately. A smile consumed his face, his fangs showing slightly. “Am I that interesting to you? My face is not very detailed.” He had his patches of burn scars, freckles dotting his cheeks, and sweeping blonde eyelashes. His eyes were sparkling, his blonde hair was tangled, and his lips were thin. He placed his calloused hands on her face, pulling her in for another kiss. Nathaniel opened his eyes upon realizing his children had come out of their hiding spot. A blush grew on his cheeks and he slowly pushed Ember away, embracing Percy in a hug. A big smiled was etched across his face as both of his kiddos came to greet him. “Hey there, Rose.” Nathaniel rubbed her back slowly. “Are you kiddos okay?” Percy tackled his father, giggling. “We’re okay now! We ran into a big, scary demon, but I burned him!” Nathaniel’s face turned to curiosity. Was Percy finally starting to use his abilities? Had they awoken so soon? Nathaniel knew Percy’s abilities would be wild and out of control since he was young. “You’re starting to awaken your abilities!” He ruffled Percy’s hair. “We'll have to start training.”

Nathaniel watched Ember leave, a pang of sadness in his chest. The knew he had to go comfort her, but first, he had to answer Rose’s inquiries. He looked up at her face, smiling softly. “Yes. I am better now. As for what happened— something very harmful entered my system and almost killed me.” That was the sad reality. No sweetening the truth or dumbing it down. The kids had to know. Sitting up, Nathaniel ruffled Rose's hair. “I’ve got to go help your mama, kiddo.” Percy backed away, sitting on the bed nicely. Nathaniel pulled Rose into a hug, trying to release her grip. Once he got her to stop clinging, he put her down on the bed. “Don’t go anywhere.” He steely told both of them, making his way to the bathroom.

Nathaniel reached the doorway, looking down at Ember. She was curled up, crying to herself. Nathaniel crouched next to her, placing a gentle hand on her back. “What’s wrong, dear?” He questioned. She didn’t seem like herself and it concerned him.

(You didn’t say)

Nathaniel pushed the door open more, wrapping his arms around Ember. He kissed the top of her forehead, nuzzling into her cheek. “You’re very stressed out, my love.” He removed her hands away from her stomach and picked her up. “Let’s get you laying down and resting. You need to get your stress levels down, dear.” Nathaniel walked over to the bed with their kids, placing her down in it softly. Percy clung to his mama, sensing her distress. “Mama, are you okay?” He whimpered.

A small bang at the door shook the room. Then it got louder and the door split in half. A big, burly demon stood at the entrance with a xiphos sword in hand. He was snarling, eyes targeted toward Nathaniel, Percy, and Rose. There were dead bodies outside the door. The guards. Nathaniel whipped his head around. “You guys have to go.” With a clap of his hands, two demons appeared. Ender and Lilith. Ender scooped up the kids while Lilith scooped up Ember. They disappeared into the forest on the mortal plane. Nathaniel summoned his scythe. “Let’s get ready to rumble.”