(A/N): This story was done in collaboration with a special friend of mine: Andorah.
If you guys have a bit of time, go check out her page on Facebook: Andorah's Art.
She does some quality Overwatch shipping comics.
We had a lot of fun working on this and apologies for the delay.
This was supposed to be a Halloween Special for the Junkenstein Event, but real life got in the way.
Hopefully, you all still enjoy it!
Satya's Lullaby
Prologue: The Summoner Of Flames
~ o ~
If music be the food of love, play on.
- William Shakespeare
~ o ~
"Everything is ready my lady."
A subtle laugh, half way between a cackle and a chuckle echoed throughout the room.
"Excellent. We'll move into the village tomorrow. You've served me well Minda."
The veiled servant bowed obediently to her mistress.
"I aim to please you however I can my lady."
"You're excused Minda. Keep me informed of anything else that develops."
"At once my lady."
The servant bowed once more before disappearing in a whirl of black smoke.
"My lady. Would you like me to open the portal to the village?"
She nodded slowly as she took a seat on her throne.
"Has anything interesting happened?" she asked.
"No my lady. The only thing that may be of interest is that some kind of celebrity has arrived in town. He is apparently very well known." replied the servant.
She placed a hand on her chin, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Show me this bard." she replied.
"At once Mistress."
The servant opened a book in front of her before chanting a spell. After several seconds, a portal appeared in the middle of the room to reveal the inside of an inn.
"Do you require anything else my lady?" asked the servant.
The shook her head, her attention focused on the portal.
"Ensure I am not disturbed. I wish to be alone for a while." she said.
"As you wish."
The servant took her leave as the sorceress returned her attention to the portal.
"What is this...bard they speak of?...It is not something I am typically curious about. But perhaps it could be something amusing to pass the time."
She raised her hands and channeled some magic in order to move the portal's location, allowing her into the tavern portion of the inn. There, she noticed a relatively large crowd sitting around large tables. She raised her eyebrow upon noticing a man standing on a makeshift stage, put together with stray barrels as boundaries and several crates to elevate him. The man was adjusting a string instrument...something that the mistress had never seen before.
"...What is that contraption? And how does one use such a thing?"
The man twisted what appeared to be small knobs at the top of the instrument and plucked on the strings with his focus on the sound. He continuously repeated the process until he smiled in what appeared to be satisfaction.
"...Twisting those knobs appears to alter the sound from that instrument. Interesting..."
The mistress rose from her throne and approached the portal for a closer look. After weaving fresh magic through the air, she focused on the man who was getting ready to sing.
He was dark skinned and was wearing a simple dark brown tunic, complete with matching trousers and a belt that housed several pouches. He also wore a dark green cloak that was fastened around his neck, stretching roughly half way down his back. The mistress wasn't able to discern his age, but he was at least in his mid twenties. He had mid length black hair, tied neatly into cornrows with the exception of two braids, which hung over his forehead. He wore a pair of glasses and had a light beard, along with very small traces of a mustache.
He stood roughly an inch higher than the mistress and the more she looked on, the more intrigued she became. She then snapped her fingers and within three seconds, one of her servants came into the room. Upon realizing that her mistress was looking at her expectantly, she immediately bowed down.
"How may I be of service my lady?" asked the servant.
She turned to the servant before pointing towards the portal.
"Who is this man?" she asked.
The servant got to her feet before nervously looking into the portal. She nodded.
"I believe he's a wandering bard, a famous one at that." she explained.
"A bard?" asked the mistress.
The servant approached her before pointing towards the instrument he was holding.
"What he's holding is called a lute. It is a string instrument capable of producing wondrous melodies in skilled hands. He has a reputation of being one of the best with the instrument across the land." she explained.
The mistress put a hand to her chin, now genuinely curious about this man she had never previously heard of.
"What is his name?"
"If my sources are correct, his name is Lucio."
The mistress raised her eyebrow.
"That's...a rather unusual name." inferred the mistress.
"It is also a powerful one; he's known throughout all the land as one of the masters of the lute."
The mistress smiled.
"...I'm interested in learning more of this...lute." she said.
The servant looked nervously at her before clearing her throat.
"I don't mean to overstep my boundaries my lady...but you've never shown an interest in human activities before. Is there a reason you're curious?" she asked.
"The sound he produces from that instrument...it's very soothing."
The servant smiled and looked into the portal, only to see that Lucio had finally sat down and was now holding his lute close to him.
"It appears he is about to begin his performance, this ought to be nice." she said.
The mistress sat back down on her bed and watched with keen interest.
"Thank you all for the warm welcome! It's great to feel the energy in this place and I honestly didn't expect to be performing tonight...but for all of you? I'll do it!"
The mistress was caught off guard by his charismatic voice and upon noticing how excited the onlookers became, she smiled slightly to herself.
"He's able to lift everyone's spirits with just his voice...he hasn't even begun to play yet."
"This is a piece I wrote during my visit to the mountains. It's not the most uplifting of my works...but I hope you all enjoy it!"
The bard took a comfortable position on his stool and after taking a deep breath, he began to play the lute. Initially, the mistress had no idea what he was doing...but after a few moments, she began to see the flow of notes come together. It took a few more moments...but soon the mistress found herself subconsciously rocking to the melody. She closed her eyes and started to get lost in the gentle music...until she heard him begin to sing.
I find myself going back in time when I close my eyes
I see us watching the skies
Reminiscing about what we had, us holding hands
While I sang you sweet lullabies
But now the summer is gone and it's hard to move on.
Because now I'm on my own
All these old memories
Coming back to me
I'm thinking there's got to be a way
So I'm heading on out
Off to find my way to you.
No I won't mess around.
I swear that I will see this through.
The sun will rise and we'll bid farewell to forever
All our happiness will only be a dream
So darling won't you stay with me
Because all these seasons aren't the same without you
In the darkest times you'd always light the way
So darling won't you stay?
Flowers start to dance, welcoming the spring time.
The fields endless, summer's waiting on the sunshine.
Dazzling moonlight, just wishing you were here this autumn night.
Should winter arrive, I'd still be waiting for a sign.
The mistress gasped softly, now suddenly feeling a strange warmth begin to fill her heart. This was a feeling that she hadn't experienced in what felt like a lifetime. She couldn't figure out what the warmth meant and after listening to the bard's words for a little longer, she shook her head and closed the portal with a snap of her fingers. The servant turned to her, now looking concerned.
"Is everything alright my lady?"
"...Yes Jina. Everything is fine. Leave me to my thoughts."
The servant bowed obediently to the mistress.
"Should you have any need of me, do not hesitate to ask my lady."
The servant then took her leave as the mistress approached a large mirror. She took a look at her form and for the first time in a very long while, she examined herself.
Dragon scales covered her just about every inch of her upper body with the exception of her face, though it had the same ashen gray color as the rest of her body. Her deep yellow eyes were also reptilian, signified by the slits. She then gazed upon her hands, realizing that her nails were once again beginning to get longer.
"...I don't have a lot of time to claim more souls. I can't let this distract me...but why does this man's music have such an effect on me...it's almost as if it's taking my pain away…"
She took another deep breath before walking out to the balcony of her castle, gazing out toward the village that was lit up with lantern light in the distance. She then looked back towards her quarters, specifically at her bed as she sighed softly.
"...How long has it been since I've been able to sleep?...I cannot remember the last time a bed had an actual use to me."
Her thoughts drifted back to the fateful day over one thousand years ago, when her life took a turn for the worse.
~ o ~
One Thousand Years Ago
"What do you want from me?!"
She tried her hardest, channeling magic wherever she could but it was no use; her hands were pinned by seemingly unbreakable bonds.
"What do I want you ask?...An interesting question."
She looked around to find the source of the voice, only to find no physical form.
"I've had my eyes on you since the day you were born. Your family is a line of talented mages...but you were a cut above all of your kin. You were talented from the day you were able to chant your first spell."
Her eyes widened, now feeling very violated considering that this entity seemed to know everything about her.
"You wanted to help others with your talents. You wanted to make your village a better place and give the children things that you weren't able to have during your own childhood. A very noble cause...but I'm not interested in what you want."
Suddenly, a large green flame materialized out of seemingly nowhere and after several moments, the fire expanded and in its center, floated a charred skull. She gasped audibly.
"...A-A-An infernal?!" she gasped.
The skull smiled in a rather disturbing manner.
"A prodigy indeed...but let's cut to the chase. I'm here to offer you a chance to do something to keep your life. My original intention was to kill you because we here in the demon realm see the kind of threat you pose. Instead, I'm taking matters into my own hands."
The skull immediately rushed to her forehead and after a moment of chanting, the green fire engulfed her.
"You will have a chance to keep your life...but in order to continue to live in this world, you must collect souls. We have no interest in how you acquire them, but human souls are the rarest of delicacies...should you fail to sacrifice enough souls, you will become my vessel."
She knew all too well what being a vessel would mean…
It meant becoming the gateway into the world of mortals for any and all demons who wished to cross. She would no longer be a human…
She would let them into the world.
~ o ~
What started off as one of the best days of her life quickly took a grave turn for the worst when she happened upon a man in the woods who was unconscious.
Her good heart defied her instincts to not get involved and she approached him to help him...only to realize that it was an illusion. It was a trap laid by an infernal, a demon that was commonly associated with h Initially, the demon wished to kill her but upon seeing her talent with magic, the demon instead decided to place a curse upon her.
She would be able to stay alive and keep her consciousness as well as her memories...but in exchange, she was required to sacrifice souls to the demon realm. Failure to do so would cause her to become a vessel for the infernal, which would allow it to open a gateway to the depths of Hell itself. This was known as the Infernal's Ultimatum. It was an infamous curse in the magical realm and for good reason...because no one has ever successfully purged it.
Anyone afflicted by the curse would initially have no discernible physical differences from an average person. However...as the curse continues to corrupt its victim, they transform into that of the associated infernal's true form. For the mistress's case, the infernal that curse her was a dragon. As time passed, she became twisted and heartless, justifying her actions by noting how cruel humanity could be. It didn't take long for her to be known all across the land as an evil summoner who unleashed demons and creatures to destroy villages, assassinate kings and manipulate human society.
The mistress was forced to do the demon's bidding for nearly 1000 years. She had seen entire eras come and go, countless lives begin and end...and emotions that she gradually became unable to understand. The Infernal's Ultimatum numbed her capacity to feel for others and soon...the mistress became the most feared summoner in all the land.
She became the terrifying Summoner Of Flames.
Lyrics of the song Lucio sang belong to Sapphire's English cover of Shiki No Uta by Nujabes.