An unclear depiction of Dahrynirr.
-[Picture Above]

Chapter 4. A Study on the Incubus System of Nomenclature.

     "How..." Levi struggles to place his words. "H-how can you be real?"

He can feel heat emanate from the big body behind him, realer than any feeling of fear or doubt that he has at the moment.

     "I don't understand," he says in his cool and rough voice that doesn't find a hard time wrapping itself tightly under Levi's skin.

     "You're not human, you...you just appeared out of nowhere...you have wings!"

     Levi tenses and is sure his soul is about to leave his body when he sees something coiling at the front of his face. It is all he can do not to let his legs give out. "I have a tail too," the creature says before the tail literally disappears into thin air. "You are a lot calmer than you were the night before, so if we are done describing my physique, I suggest we get to the reason why I'm here."

     "But you have a tail," he replies. His voice is almost dropped down low to a whisper.

     "There are several beasts in this world as I've heard, and they all have tails. Why does this frighten you?"

      "B-Because you're a man."

     "I certainly am not human."

Levi shakes his head and makes frantic movements before moving a safe distance away from the creature. He then faces him while shaking his head. "Whatever, you need to do, it isn't happening. I suggest you just take your leave sir."

     "Take my leave?"

     "Yeah. You should go, disappear...whichever you prefer. The faster the better."

The creature is suddenly across the room and looming over Levi with his grip tight on his chin, and their faces inches apart. "Fine."

The only way for the creature to actually leave is if they have sex, like he has said many times. So right at the moment, he is making it happen. This realisation hits Levi when he starts to feel that familiar pull towards the creature, fighting with himself not to lean into him.

The creature doesn't make it any easier when he gently runs his fingers down Levi's face on his cheek. This was someone so far more experienced in intimate acts than Levi is. His hand is steady, and so is his gaze. He knows exactly what to do, Levi can feel it. There is no uncertainty in his touch, or wavering in his actions. It turns him on to no end, but he cannot be sure if it is really him or some kind of compulsion making him feel that way.

Levi suddenly gathers enough strength to pull away. He is so overwhelmed that it is hard to believe that he has managed the feat.

"How are we to do this if you keep resisting me?" He asks and for the first time, Levi gets the smallest hint of frustration in his voice.

"We aren't doing anything. Or going to. You know what, let's establish a few things...if we aren't getting rid of each other soon...because I'm not agreeing with your methods. We might as well learn a few things about each other."

The creature takes two steps back, then pins Levi with another intense gaze. This one causes him to swallow, then look away briefly before deciding that he is not going to be so easily swayed and looking back.

Levi clears his throat. "First, can you harm me?"

"Not physically," he answers like he is expecting the question already.

"What do you mean?" Asks Levi skeptically.

"I am bound to you. Not that it is in my interests, but I can't raise a hand against you, unless you want it."

Levi wonders if what he means is close to some sort of master and servant relationship, where this creature in his living room is his humble and loyal servant.

"It is somewhat like that," the creature says. "But I can assure you human, the word humble, makes no sense as to what I am."

"You just read my mind," Levi utters his disbelief, ignoring the shiver that runs down his spine after hearing that response.

"I did not. I only felt for the unique emotions attached to your thoughts and tried to decipher them. Which I suppose I did correctly," he replies.

This is a lot for Levi to accept, so he clings to the silver lining that offers him some sort of relief. "But you can't hurt me."

"No, but I can influence your mind which can lead to control of your actions. I can deflect your thoughts, make you change your mind about certain things. I could make us see eye to eye."

Levi thinks that if this is the case, then it is a little odd that the creature is not taking the advantage. "But?" He asks.

"You surprisingly have a strong mind. It is difficult to sway it. And...you are undoubtedly interesting."

Levi takes offense to this. "Surprisingly?"

The creature crosses his arms across his broad chest. "Human minds are extremely manipulatable, very delicate things you could say. In your mind right now, I can feel it race. You're thinking too many things at the same time, if I offered you peace, even without knowing it, you'd readily agree to whatever I wanted. If I held your single most important thought and made you focus on it, and focus on me, you'd do what I wanted. You'd want to do anything for me, and I wouldn't have to lift a finger. That is how simple you creatures are."

     Ouch, (for the human race.)

In the next few seconds, Levi feels his mind go completely quiet. It is so peaceful, like the silence after TV static ceases. He has never felt anything close to this in his life—this type of calm. Tears threaten to sting his eyes while his knees threaten to buckle.

"There it is," the man before him says. He doesn't even understand how he got there, or when, but his voice feels like cool water running down his parched throat on a hot day. He could listen to it all the time. "Your curiosity. The most important thing in your mind right now."

Being the reason for his curiosity, only the creature fills out every corner of Levi's mind. His hands shake as they grip him. He doesn't know, nor does he decide if it is out of pure need or only to steady himself.

"Human," says the creature, his voice so tempting, completely alluring. "We have to have sex."

"Yes... yes we should... we really–"

It is a struggle but Levi finally pulls away from him after hearing what he says, his own words betraying him. The sudden withdrawal causes pain to shoot up his head. Levi quickly cradles his head between both his hands and bites back the cry of pain that wants to escape his lips.

First, he is falling down, and next he is weightless, circled by the heat coming from the creature's chest, holding him to him. "Need...to lie down..." Levi struggles to say.

The creature walks to the couch and sits down, dragging Levi to sit on his lap and lean against him. "You really are interesting," the rough, and yet velvety voice says.

"It really...  hurts."

Levi feels the hands gently stroking his temple to ease the pain. It feels like magic. "You should not have acted so rashly. If only you had asked, I'd carefully detach from you."

"Why?" Levi asks. What he means to ask is why is it so painful, but the words remain clogged somewhere in his throat, refusing to surface.

Thankfully, the creature explains anyway. "Your mind was constantly thinking many thoughts at once before everything else disappeared and it went quiet. When you tried to escape, both with your body and mind, you shocked all of those thoughts back at the same time. That should be painful. It is a wonder you are still conscious."

Levi groans and breathes hard against the hard and wide chest that is wedged against his face.

"Better?" The creature asks.

Levi nods, nuzzling his chest this time. The creature tenses up for the first time, in what could pass as slight nervousness...but Levi doesn't feel any of it. He is only interested in stealing more warmth from the solid chest.

When the pain subsides, Levi jumps away, realising that he cannot be so vulnerable with something he cannot even understand. All it would take was such a moment, and he could snap his neck. ...no wait, he can't hurt me. Levi stands a few feet away from the man-creature-thing on his couch. They both regard each other suspiciously.

"What are you suspecting?" The creature asks, although he seems distracted, like there are more interesting thoughts in his head regarding the human looking at him.

Most of his hair is swept back, but that doesn't stop a few strands from falling forward, past where his small horns are protruding from. This time, Levi refuses to get scared by them. ...can't hurt me...can't hurt me...

"What is your name?" He asks while crossing his arms, trying to feign confidence.

The creature stares at him for several long beats and Levi is almost convinced that he will not answer. But when his hooded expression disappears, he straightens. "I am Keltyryrs Wraxrryn."

Levi first nods, then it takes him a few seconds to understand that he has absolutely no idea what the creature just said. "What?"

After trying to understand how the name should be pronounced for about three more times, Levi makes up his mind. "I am going to call you Kelt."

"Kelt?" The man questions. "How insulting."

"It is your best chance," says Levi. "Or I'll butcher whatever that name is, a thousand times over."

Kelt looks grumpy at his sudden nickname, like humans thought they knew better and went around naming things as they saw fit. Impish, overly-confident things, they were.

Levi's expression softens when he looks over at him. "There's a lot we still need to understand, about each other. I'm thinking we should call a truce," Levi says.

"We are not at war."

Levi rolls his eyes. "I know. Let's just agree that until we find a solution to this...situation, we'll be civil with each other. I'll let you live in my house."

Levi doesn't even know how valid his last statement is. He doesn't even think he can exactly kick the creature out. Much less force him to do anything.

Kelt chuckles. "I have already given you the solution, human."

"My name is Levi, and no, I do not accept that solution. We'll find another one."

"There isn't–"

"There has to be," he says. Two pairs of eyes meet, hazel brown ones filled with determination and the others narrowed and hard, black as the night he appeared.

He stands still for a moment before speaking. "I'll indulge you for now."

>>><<<

     Levi goes ahead to show Kelt the strange book that appeared in his new apartment, but all the while, cannot stop thinking about the words that were thrown at him.

I'll indulge you for now... Levi cannot get it out of his head. Did that mean that when the creature no longer found him interesting, he was going to influence his thoughts and make him sleep with him? What if he killed him after he was done, for being difficult and putting him through all the trouble in the first place? How–

"I am not going to kill you, human." Kelt calmly says next to him. He is waiting expectantly for the book Levi mentioned that could have somehow started this whole mess.

"I can't be too sure," Levi replies. His life does not really feel like a guarantee at the moment. Nor from the moment the man with wings flew at him from his window.

"I give you my word," the reply is flat.

"I don't know you. How do I know your word is good for anything?" Levi says before quickly locating one of the boxes he had thrown the book into when he didn't know what to do with it.

"An incubus cannot break a promise," says Kelt matter of factly.

"So you're promising?" Levi asks hopefully.

"Hm, I'll have to think more on it," Kelt says seriously, stringing out his frustration.

"See?! I knew you'd still kill me anyway. I can't trust you...I knew you wanted me dead."

Kelt is amused. His lips twist into the smallest of smiles. The thing that spooks Levi out is the small fact that the smile is cruel. Whether he is doing it on purpose or not, he cannot tell. "I promise I won't kill you," says Kelt.

Should Levi believe in his words or not? He decides not to reply to that while mentally crossing his fingers. If it ever comes down to killing him, he'd ask to call Archie one last time and tell him that he loved him, and that he was the culprit who burned his favorite sneakers (by mistake) and pretended to hail insults with him at the 'person who did it'.

Kelt lets out a very small chuckle and Levi pretends not to notice. Did he read his mind again? No, he couldn't exactly. But might as well.

The book is exactly how Levi last saw it. Snapped tightly shut and unable to open, like glue had been slathered onto the once open page before he dropped the book into a random box, waiting to ask Archie if it belonged to him. His fingers trace the edges of the book as he shows the back of it to the creature in his house.

"This is a Binding Grimoire?" Asks Kelt.

"Here we call it a book...yes."

"You used this to summon me..." Kelt speaks and Levi cannot tell whether he is asking a question or not.

Levi looks like he does not appreciate the choice of words because everything happened differently in his opinion. Additionally, it isn't like he went looking for the book...it just appeared on his table out of no where. He wonders why he even read it. "I was just reading what it said, not summoning or anything like that."

Kelt takes the book from his hands and for an unknown reason, Levi makes it a point that their fingers do not touch. Levi then observes that the creature's fingers are long and beautiful, the nails on them darkened towards the edges, almost turning into pure black but not quite. He watches them for more time than is necessary, until it makes him uncomfortable and he looks away.

Kelt on the other hand, does not seem to notice any of this. He studies the book more intently, turning it to its front. "This particular one, you're certain?"

"I do not have a collection of weird looking books, so yes. I'm sure. It was just there, lying on the table after appearing from no where. It was the strangest of things."

Kelt made a low sound before clenching his jaw. "Fuck."

"What?" Levi asks, suddenly scared. "What?"

"Do you know what this is?" Kelt's expression grows grim as he asks, tracing the blood red crystal pulsing at the center of the cover of the book, then withdrawing just as he had, as if the book would bite him if it could.

"Gee, what do you think?" Levi asks with sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"This is the Grimoire of Dharynirr," mutters Kelt gravely, like the title of the book by itself is a tale better left unsaid.

"So basically, the book of one of your ancestors?"

"Dharynirr? He is only two hundred and three years old."

"I'm sorry, did you say only?" Levi gawks at the demon. "And just how old might you be?"

"Four hundred," Kelt says. "I suppose you are much younger than I am, but surely four hundred is not that surprising. You should be near one hundred and ninety."

"Well excuse me if I look that old."

Kelt shrugs. "You are...offended? Why?"

"Who is this Darlin?" Levi asks to avoid answering his question.

"Dharynirr is an incubus born with too many gifts. Born powerful, perhaps too powerful. Although he has been missing for a while now. None of us know exactly where he is. Exactly one hundred years ago, Incubuses were being killed..." Kelt looks like he is moments away from shivering, like he does not want to talk about it. Like it was more than just that. "As a last resort, we had to...make a few sacrifices...and Dharynirr modified one of the most ancient of texts to create his Grimoire. Do you know just how hard it is to alter ancient text, to manipulate it so completely that is becomes loyal to you?" Kelt shakes his head and continues. "This changes everything. Sex will clearly not solve this conundrum. This is the most unpredictable Grimoire to exist in over two thousand years."

Levi twists his lips. "Unpredictable... so that's why I'm in this situation. A stroke of bad luck."

     "Human–"

     "Levi."

     "Levi," Kelt says with a hint of impatience, and a tiny deflection like the name is foreign to his tongue. "Luck has nothing to do with this. The Grimoire of Dahrynirr never makes mistakes. Not even a tiny error. This Grimoire was Dahrynirr's loyal servant, and even now, it will continue to be loyal to him. I cannot tell why it chose to appear to you but there's a big reason that you needed it. Perhaps a purpose for my being here."

     "And that purpose is to have sex with me...no, no. Why would I summon a creature to have sex with me?" Levi asks, very frustrated.

     "It is known for a fact that humans are the only creatures to do the most stupid things."

The second ouch for the human race.

"Can you hear its cry?" Kelt asks and Levi shrugs. "The cry is vulgar and wrong, as if it's crying backwards," his eyes are closed as he listens. "Rebirth?..."

     Kelt closes his eyes and looks like he is transported back to an older time. His head moves a little as if not to miss any sound wave, his lips pressing together in concentration. Levi only hears the sounds of traffic outside his window. He doesn't even know if Kelt still knows he is standing right next to him or not. Levi observes his face...it is an angular face shaped by hair falling in every side of it and ending on his shoulders. He has deep set eyes that are now closed but if open, would be dark as black. As they are closed, Levi notices his long lashes against his dark flawless skin. His horns only seem to add to his beauty, as hard as it is for Levi to admit.

     When his eyes travel back to the lashes, Kelt's eyes crack open, and suddenly they are looking right at each other. If Levi could escape at this moment, then he would. But thankfully, Kelt speaks.

     "Dahrynirr...I cannot comprehend what he is saying, the message is too cryptic, far too complex right now. A Grimoire being compatible with a human is unheard of. I don't know why it chose you, nor why you summoned me but–"

     "Like I said, I just remember reading the words. Innocently I mean," says Levi. "So what is it that you are saying?"

     "We're bound to Dahrynirr now, and whatever his grand plan is. The Grimoire will not disappear nor open, not even if we have just sex. It is ostentiferous. You will most likely be in danger of the G'Lorendar or the Army of Vanuus, sworn to destroy Dahrynirr and everything connected to him."

     "Why does a man need a whole army to hunt him down?"

     "An army against Dahrynirr is laughable. But the Army of Vanuus is not just any army," says Kelt. "They are traitors mostly, rogues, some of which I helped train. A mere human cannot survive if they decide to set their sights on you so I suggest you comply with the only solution at hand. I will return to where I should be, and deal with this. And you will be safe, like none of this happened."

     Levi looks like he'd much rather puke. Why did all this have to happen to him? He didn't ask for any of it. An army or some kinds of demons coming to harm him? What the fuck did he do? And what solution was this creature talking about? Why did he have to do anything? Levi thinks harder about it.

     "Any other solution will be better than the first one, let's do it," Levi says and Kelt looks a little surprised.

     Kelt nods. "It takes six days to prepare for Niamhnai. We'll start from–"

     "What is a Meow-nai?"

     Kelt's lips twitched slightly. "Niamhnai, the mating ritual," he says like there's nothing more natural than that.