A wet, rasping sound shuddered through the air as the Fae male sprawled on the hard, earthy ground took a breath. His limbs shook, sweat dotting his brow, and his grey eyes dim in the veiled prison walls around him.

The skin on half of his face had melted. The muscle and tendon lay exposed, blood carving down the remains of his neck. His half-burned black silk tunic , clung to pieces of seared flesh.

He stared at the thick, clouded walls that crawled above him with tendrils of white mist, encapsulating him in a hallow prison. Rage burned through his chest in hot coils, but he couldn't move. His bones screamed with every twitch, his face tearing with every breath.

Chest quivering, he took in a strained drag of air. Blood sputtered from his lips, and he choked on the copper liquid, a trail of fire going down his throat. His body convulsed, drowning in his own blood, back arching and fingers clawing the ground.

He forced his body to roll onto its side and threw up. Bright red blood and saliva dribbled from his mouth as he gasped for breath. Falling onto his back again, his body went numb as he stared at the prison ceiling.

A sudden chill fell over him, slicing through the cold that had already seeped into his body. Forcing his head to turn, his eyes fell on the figure that appeared from the mist.

Bone-thin limbs were shrouded in a simple black robe, and sallow skin was framed by snow-white hair. Deep, blood-red eyes stared at the male with a dark curiosity.

The Fae coughed again, blood wetting his lips.

Thin lips curved, and a heinous smile gleamed while blood eyes darkened.

'Wha…?' The male's words were brittle, his throat contracting with every sound. 'What are—' His words faltered with another cough.

The creature's head cocked and it walked over to the Fae, hovering over his body.

'Death becomes you,' it said quietly in a low, haunting voice.

Looking into the bloody depths of the eyes that watched him, the Fae forced his words out. 'Save…me.'

A savage gleam lit up its red stare. The creature vanished into black mist, appearing at the Fae's feet on all fours. It crawled up the burned body with quick movements, hovering over melted flesh. A black tongue poked between razor teeth, and it dragged it across the exposed muscle with a hiss. It left a glistening trail, cackling when the Fae jerked under him, a cry of pain snapping through the air.

'It will cost you,' it said.

The male's eyes raged with a burning hatred. 'I…don't…care,' he bit out with a gasp.

Dragging the crooked ridge of its nose across the male's face, the creature asked, 'What do I get in return?'

'Everything.'

Fingers lengthened with bony ridges; nails turned to claws that dug into the melted flesh. The creature forced the Fae's jaw open, smiling at the cry of pain.

'Deals with the dammed and dead are soul binding, Elf.' 

A low hissing echoed around them, and the air became a capsule of ice as it opened its mouth. Its jaw expanded to unnatural lengths, bones cracking, and a thick black tar sapped from its mouth into the male below it.

Gagging, the elf sputtered and choked. The tar slid down his throat like hot coals, his body igniting in a scorching blaze before turning glacial. His eyes screwed tight, limbs contorting, back arching off the ground.

Dragging a claw across the male's lip, the creature smiled, licking the tar from its finger. Standing, it watched the male take a steady breath, his limbs shuddering once, then stilling.

Grey eyes turned black, opening to stare at the creature looming over him with predatory intent. He sat up, his fingers going to his face, ghosting over the ridges of scars that puckered the once melted flesh.

Standing, the male was eye-level with the creature, and something pulsated beneath his skin, dragging razor-sharp talons across his bones. His skin rippled with anticipation, a cynical smile turning up his mouth.

'I tell you this, Elf,' it said with a voice that echoed around them. 'I will collect my pets, and when I do, I will collect your debt.'

The male's black eyes faded to grey, the scars pulling at his mouth when he spoke. 'What is my debt?'

The same heinous smile gleamed coldly, and the creature ran his claws down the male's face.

'Everything,' it hissed.

Whorls of black spiralled under the male's skin. He felt those talons carve into his bones, but he didn't feel pain. He felt starved. The demons inside him whispered with promises, wants, and need. A chill went through his limbs. They wanted blood.

'Your name, Elf,' the creature demanded quietly.

A jilting smile lifted the Fae's mouth. 'Balwin.'

'From light to dark, you are now soul-bound to me, Balwin of the Fae. You will see me again, and I will collect what is mine.'

The creature vanished into a black mist, the remnants of its pointed smile lingering before disappearing entirely.

Balwin lunged for the creature, falling through the shadows, grasping at nothing. He was alone, surrounded by the walls of white fog that slithered around him.

Like an iron into the fire, his blood boiled with a wave of ravaging anger. A snarl cut through the silence, and he swiped a scarred hand through the fog. Their spindled fingers teased him as they parted, only to knit back together.

His hands sliced through the walls, digging his way into the white abyss, only to return to the patch of dirt he had started from.

Balwin's chest heaved, nostrils flaring with rage. The demons within clawed at his insides, his heartbeat ticking the seconds that went by. His head went numb, and a roaring filled his ears, fingers balling into fists. His nails cut into his palms, blood dripping to the ground.

The demons pulsed beneath his skin like a final stretch of his control, and the tether snapped.

His scream ripped through the prison walls that barely moved in acknowledgement.

The screams echoed around him before fading, and he fell to his knees, the cut of stone digging into his flesh as blinding hatred settled in his bones. And with eyes as black as night, he stared into the white mists and waited.