Demon Witches, they were called, though anti-demon magi would have been more proper.

Hired banishers of evil, they have grown into a profitable industry for the past few hundred years.

From the humble guilds of a few enthusiastic youths, they have grown into a school of their own, the very first school in fact, to teach magic in its proper form.

The Grandmaster of the Demon Witch art, Head Magus Lion, closely watches the school's continuous growth over the years. The recent fledglings that have been enrolling however, continue to use magic to serve their own ends.

Though the Demon Witch art is a very specific study, focusing more on demon capture, control, and banishment, it does not take too much of a stretch of imagination to apply it to more, heinous acts.

Old and frail, Lion was the third Head Magus to serve in the more than 400 year existence of the school, has grown weary and impatient to find a worthy heir.

With the current state of things, none may very well be.

But one day, something else did.

Crashes and thuds followed by cries for help exploded from what Lion assumed to be one of the classrooms.

As he was lowering the book he was reading, a disheveled man came bursting through the door.

"Head Magus!" the man said.

"What the bloody hell is happening Finker?!" Lion demanded, irritated.

"A d-d-d-demon! Carl did it!" Finker stuttered.

"For crying out loud Finker! You are an instructor in a Demon Witch school! Can't you do anything?"

"I f-f-fear it's too powerful for me! I think it's a sovereign!"

"A sovereign?! A student summoning a sovereign?!" Lion stood and marched out, "Get out of my way!"

After exiting the office, Finker overtook Lion as they ran down the hall. Down near the end, it looked like the whole school wanted to peep in from a smoking door.

"Clear out! The Head Magus is here!" Finker called out to them, his arms flailing.

The students ran away as Lion with menacingly loud steps approached. Two instructors and two students were in the room when Lion entered. They were backed up behind a corner, with hands up to maintain a protective ward.

The room was really hot, and when Lion rounded the wall, a large, red skinned demon, with flaming skin, stood at the center of a summoning circle. It looked, disinterested at the huddled group then its eyes widened as it saw Lion.

"Is anyone hurt?" Lion asked, though the words were hard with rage.

"No head master!" one of the instructors answered, then he gulped, "Carl and Culween are not to blame!"

"We will deal with that later! Leave!" Lion snapped, with an angered look.

The four scrambled out, apparently more fearful of Lion than the demon. Lion took of his outer robes and composed himself in front of the demon.

"That won't be necessary..." the demon then suddenly, but calmly said.

"Oh but it is demon!" Lion raised his hand with glowing magics swirling.

"I see you're not in the mood to talk." demon said.

"Talk?! What do you think this is?!" Lion growled in anger.

"I came not to fight, but to offer you, a wish..."

"Wish?" Lion did not lower his arms.

"Call onto me when you are, more amiable..." the demon produced a black mirror from his flames. Then it appeared to be sucked into the mirror until it was no more.

Lion sat in his study in deep thought. He had just reprimanded Carl who was blamed for the summoning. Though he was impressed that a student could summon a demon, and no less a sovereign, still it was against their school's teachings. Carl however, seemed to think he got off easy.

Maybe...

Lion had no interest in punishing students at the moment. The mirror lay heavily in his hand. Is this the miracle he had been waiting for? A literal deal with the Devil?

His age, giving him wisdom to know that no good could ever come out from such a deal, was also nagging him that if he was to act, he must do so soon. Who know how long he had left to live?

He was already way past the normal age of dying. Every breath he took might just be his last. Lion stood, marching out of the room, the mirror hidden in his sleeve.

Using a flying charm called 'Shooting Star' for it was very much what it looked like, a very advanced spell invented and therefore unique to Lion used for chasing down more powerful Demons.

He sped across the skies to a distant mountain range.

The sea wind howled from the caved ruins and caverns that acted like organs in the ancient and assumed sacred grounds of the Wailing Mountains.

Lion strolled through the petroglyphs and carvings of the stone structures. He had read many books about an ancient civilization that once flourished when it made sacrifices to Gods, Gods that Lion thinks, were really Demons in disguises.

The civilization first grew, with each mountain growing into a city-state, with each serving its own 'God'. Eventually, the city-states grew too different and each, dreaming of conquest and expansion, declared war on each other.

Lion instinctively went to the most famous mural in the complex. He had read the books but seeing it with your own eyes was a different feeling in itself.

It was the most controversial of all the stories from the walls, for it featured a 'God' that many believe to still exist. It was the God Maelrawn, the 'God' who could turn into a monster and the one credited for actually destroying the civilization, using its tentacles to drill out and reach within the caverns of the Wailing Mountains.

Lion believed it was probably a tall tale, for 'sightings' of Maelrawn were from drunken scurvy-ed sailors at best. Demons however, were very real. Lion had hoped to see insight in dangers inherent in dealing with demons, but other than this far-fetched account of the Ruins, no literature could be found.

Lion took the mirror in his hand, and weighed it. It glinted and felt warm, as if it knew what was going to happen. Lion with all his old might threw the mirror into the abyss of a cliff, hoping it will be smashed and be forgotten.

But as it was whirling in the air, it burst into hot flames, growing large and flying towards Lion, then finally spewing out the vile demon that it had sucked from before.

"You called?" the demon said, standing in front of Lion.

"I didn't Demon. I don't want to have anything to do with you!" Lion steadfastly said.

"Really? You haven't even heard what I had to offer yet." the Demon said, feigning to be hurt.

"What you could possibly offer me that I would want?"

"Something that every man your age would, youth, power, and immortality."

Lion was shocked, silent. Is it serious? The greedy old man in him, had leaped in delight. He knew what power Demons hold, and those things are indeed within their ability to give, though of course, always with a heavy price.

"Do you really take me as a fool Fiend?!"

"No, I actually take you as a very sensible man. Would you really trust the future of the school to selfish children? And what's more, no one has to know, but I guess you already had thought of that one, seeing were already leagues away from everyone else..." the Demon observed.

"But at what cost? You wish to take my soul?"

"Your soul? And what am I to do with a soul? Nevermore might want one, or a lot, but I certainly don't."

"Then what would you demand if not a soul?"

"I am a very generous Demon, I only ask that you take something of mine, and then consequently shared it with others, that's all I ask." the Demon bowed.

Lion was definitely intrigued. His old curiosity was getting the better of him.

"Well?" he said, when the Demon was silent for a while, "What is this thing that I must share?"

"My soul."

Lion was caught off guard. Being a Demon Witch he was well versed in catching, manipulating, and banishing Demons and Demon souls. Does this Demon know that by offering its own soul to Lion that it essentially was surrendering its existence to him? Lion saw nothing that could go wrong with this arrangement.

"Agreed." he said finally.

The Demon quickly approached without warning then shoved its whole arm down Lion's throat.

Lion immediately regretted agreeing, he knew now he was going to die. The Demon, with it's open palm, pushed Lion's jaw to close over its arm. Fiery Demon blood spewed from the nub that was once its arm as it broke free.

Lion's senses could not take the pain any longer as he fell down unconscious.

Lion awoke to a bright morning. Oddly, his body felt very light and strong, unlike what he was used to.

He was surprised to find himself in his own bedroom. He then almost jumped out of bed, not used to his newly found strength.

He hastily went to a mirror, throwing away its drapes that he usually covered it with, not wishing to see a weary old man wither away day by day.

His mouth fell open with what he saw. He saw a very young man, apparently in his prime, handsome and strong. His legs weakened with shock and fell down the floor. The Demon had kept its promise!

Endless possibilities rushed through his mind. Being a Head Magus seemed petty now.

He quickly went to clothe his stark naked body. Just then, a maid went in his. She screamed a high pitched shriek. Lion instinctively casted a Silence spell on her, then Paralyze to keep her from running. With horrified eyes the maid was still trying to scream.

Lion looked at the maid. She was young and wasn't a bad looker. Lion bounded over her and closed the door. Apparently his youth had given him uncontrollable lust as well.

It was a very long time since Lion had felt the warmth of a woman's body. And as it drew on, his lust seemed to rub onto the maid as she too became vigorously 'cooperative'.

After quite some time, Lion finally went out of the office and into the grounds.

The students and instructors all stopped and murmured amongst themselves as he passed them. As he was about to fly with Shooting Star, a man behind called his name.

"Head Magus!"

Lion turned around to see one of his best instructors, the one closest that he would have named the next Head Magus if only he was not away on 'important quests' all the time.

"Aghanim, when were you back?" Lion looked down on his body, "How did you recognize me?"

"I was trekking down the Feral Road when I saw your Shooting Star. I followed you down to the Wailing Mountains." he said sternly, "It was I who brought you back when you had an 'accident'. I believe you would want to talk somewhere else?"

"Perceptive as ever." Lion smiled. "Try to keep up."

With a powerful blast Lion flew with incredible speed. He looked behind and was surprised to see Aghanim following closely behind. Lion landed on a desert called the Scintillant Wastes.

"Not bad, I didn't know you can cast my Shooting Star." Lion commended.

"I can copy any spell for a time, an essential skill when fighting Demons, something that you appear to have forgotten." Aghanim said.

Lion only smiled. "Have you told anyone yet?"

"No."

"Good."

Lion threw his hands in the air and a tornado of sand suddenly engulfed Aghanim. The tornado then quickly gathered and solidified into a ball of hardened rock.

Lion then casted an Explosion spell on the ball itself, essentially frying Aghanim inside, or so he thought. The smoke from the explosion was blown away by dispelling wind barrier that apparently had protected Aghanim.

"Please do not under estimate me Master, I specialize in duels as you know." Aghanim challenged.

"As am I, I taught you remember?" Lion grinned. The powerful magics he was using was churning in him and he felt a growing 'heat' within him. The heat seemed to gather onto his left arm, as it started to morph right before his very eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot let you live!" Lion groaned, struggling to contain the power.

Aghanim was only silent, his eyes looking alarmed at the now evil-looking arm.

Lion could not contain it anymore. The fires of the Hells themselves seemed to emanate from his arm. He thought he might as well use it. With explosive rage he released then unimaginable power towards Aghanim.

The powerful beam ripped through Aghanim's body as it was instantly incinerated.

Lion laughed with delight with his power as he again flew away with incredible speed. Aghanim's charred body turned into sand, and Aghanim himself reappeared some distance away. With terrored eyes he watched Lion disappear into the horizon.

"May the Ancients help us…" he whispered.

Lion sped through the skies in loops and barrel rolls, intoxicated in his glee.

Then suddendly, he felt his power drain from him, his skin growing wrinkly and his hair bleached old white.

He could not maintain the Shooting Star anymore, and he fell down the shifting sands with a bone breaking crash and tumble.

Lion, dazed and certain to die, again, frantically felt his clothes with his hands for anything that may help him live.

He found the mirror.

"Deeemon!" his raspy voice called.

The mirror, again, spewed fire and the demon materialized before him.

"Call me, Shadow Demon." it calmly and almost sneeringly said.

"Sha...!" Lion gasped and reached, "Help...!"

Shadow Demon, crouched beside him, holding his chin with his index and thumb.

"The deal was that you spread my soul to others, Lion. But not just any old soul would do, not anymore. The strength and power I grant you is in proportion to the power and influence of the soul you 'shared' it with. A maid is hardly a powerful soul, is it not?"

Lion rasped like a fish out of water. Shadow Demon stroked his head.

"There, there. Don't worry; I won't let you die... You may be wondering how else you are going to share my 'gift', especially if you intend to share with anyone that's not a lovely maid. There are quite a few methods but, to be simple, just think of me as an infectious disease, a very potent one at that. But spreading my soul isn't enough on its own; you have to let them know that it's me, that it's my power pulsing through their veins. I want a cult, understand?"

Lion was almost at death's door now, his body sagging. Shadow Demon raised Lion to the air by the head, shaking him like a rag doll. Lion almost passed out when his body was engulfed in flames that did not burn, but rejuvenated him, and he fell to the ground.

As his strength came back, he tried to reach for the Demon for he felt humiliated and used but it was no longer there. The mirror too was nowhere to be found.

Lion took a moment to recount the instructions. Although he did not like being used, he doesn't really have a choice now. And besides, he knows someone at Ultimyr that deserves some 'corruption'.

For years and years Lion had spread the Demon's poison of a soul like a plague and as promised, the Cult of the True Lord spread across the land, infecting the world of magi.

The Insubstantial Eleven sees the cult as a threat but has remained silent for it has grown too powerful too quickly, and its 'secret' nature meant that they were never sure who among their ranks were already corrupted.

Lion disbanded the Demon Witch School and instead became the head of the now powerful demonologists. Aghanim was nowhere to be found.

Lion's once young and handsome features, now grew grotesque and beastly, his skin turning purplish and growing stone like warts and spikes.

His power had an insatiable thirst for all kinds of excess including turning the once guarded and sacred technique of draining mana, once used against demons, into a corrupted feast on the weak.

There seemed no end to Lion's power, until one day, it was all taken away.

Lion was at his 'throne', whoring and torturing as usual, when all went dark and a pillar of fire materialized before him.

Shadow Demon, almost unrecognizable because of his increased size and more monstrous visage than before spoke to Lion not in his usual calm but with a raking and malignant croak.

"Lion! You have served me well, but you have long outlived your purpose."

Lion, with a flick of Shadow Demon's fingers suddenly grew frail and withered and looking much, much older and weaker than what he used to be before they met.

"W...Why?"

"I've no time for you, scum!" Shadow Demon bellowed.

"Children!" Demon announced, "Here is your Lord and Master! Throw away this filthy rag from my throne!" men immediately grabbed Lion and dragged him away.

Shadow Demon went forward and raised his hand.

Ready you weapons and your most potent spells! For tomorrow, we make ready for WAR!"

The whole throne room hall erupted in vicious frenzy and Lion was thrown outside into the mud.

Lion, pale, no, white and frail, his face sunken to a mere skull, dragged himself away into a forest cover. His anger had no peer, but he was extremely weakened.

There was nothing in his mind but revenge but right now, his state seemed bleak. He sucked dry all mana he could find, birds, beast, and magical trees were no match even to Lion's currently pitiful form. Then, he felt a very dark presence.

A very evil and greedy soul was roaming the countryside. Another Demon perhaps? Who summoned this one? But Lion dismissed such useless thoughts for now.

Using what little power he had gathered, he fired a fireball in the presence's direction, and hoped. A feeling Lion abhorred, but he nonetheless did.

An angry and evil scream emanated from a distance and the dark rushed towards Lion with incredible speed. Parting the trees, it was indeed another Demon, but Lion was unsure whether this was a stroke of luck or otherwise.

The pitch black form looked like a floating torso with smoke flowing around every inch of its form. It had a head of a ram's skull and stub at the back that may have been wings.

"You'll pay for that!" the Demon angrily said.

With a powerful blast of black energy, Lion was dead. His soul, leaving his body, he felt himself being sucked into the gaping mouth of the Demon that killed him. The Demon closed its eyes, expecting the sweet nectar of a soul to run down its throat any second now.

But then immediately, it gagged and coughed, and spat the soul back out. It wasn't at all tasty, but horridly inedible, even to Nevermore the Glutton of Souls, the Shadow Fiend. Lion's soul, certainly not meant for heaven, but also now refused by a Demon of hell, went back to its own body.

"What was THAT!?" Nevermore demanded.

"I bear the soul the Shadow Demon. I seek to have revenge upon him!" Lion rasped.

"Who cares about what you seek? The Umbral Pact is in danger! Lord Lucifash must know!"

Nevermore then seemed to suddenly be sucked into the earth like water in a sink. Lion, mustering what little strength he had left, ran towards the funneling Demon and dove in. Lion was thrown into a burning realm of smog, fire, and anguished screams.

Falling through what looked like a jetting tube of fire that snaked across the burning world and it's seas of lava and souls being torn to pieces, Lion felt an unbelievable amount of mana in the evil air.

He sucked and sucked until he had his fill, growing back the monstrous form, that he had a few hours before, but now missing, the Demon hand. Shadow Demon must have sucked it away.

The stream suddenly stopped and Lion was unceremoniously dropped on scalding floor. Nevermore, approached a very tall and dark throne, with a very menacing figure with burning eyes at its peak.

"Master!" Nevermore said, emulating a bow as closed that he could with his half of a form. "I have reason to believe that Eredar threatens to break the Umbral Pact!"

"Eredar?" the seated figure's very deep and guttural voice said, "I should have known, well he was being increasingly absent from his realm lately. Where is he?"

"Somewhere in the woods where I was hunting souls, I think." Nevermore uneasily said.

"You mean you haven't brought him here? And what were you doing there?"

"I was hungry master!"

"Useless shrimp!" the seated figure stood, now towering over Nevermore.

Clad in crimson armor and brandishing a flaming blade, Lucifer grabbed Nevermore by the neck with his free hand and rested the blade on Nevermore's neck. But then it lowered the blade down, looking thoughtful. He threw down Nevermore near to where Lion was.

"Make sure this is the last time you fail me, or I will gut the rest of your body. Lead me to him!" Lucifer said.

Then only noticing Lion, he looked at him with judging eyes.

"And who is this wart you've brought with you?"

"I seek revenge on the Shadow Demon Eredar! I know exactly where he is!" Lion answered eagerly.

"Really? Show me the way wart, and I may consider not killing you."

"I have already died once Lord, but I will dutifully oblige."

With a dismissive hand, Lucifer summoned a portal to the surface, and the three of them marched through. Immediately as the exited however, they were greeted with powerful blasts of magic.

Lion formed a protective palling as soon as he could to ward off most of the blasts. All around, hundreds of mages, and warlocks were surrounding the portal exit. A maniacal laugh came from the back of the magi army.

"You cannot stop me Lucifash! The Oralce had already shown me what will happen!"

"I will be the judge of that!" Lucifer said.

With a great burning arm, Lucifer scorched the ground beneath, and charged the magi line.

Nevermore, with hunger insatiable, let loose blast after blast of his black energy, feading upon soul after soul, then letting loose in a climactic explosion of death all the souls he had in his belly that he cannot contain, killing even more of the magi.

Lucifer, with his towering figure, swiped and grabbed at the magi, eating them whole then later casting the very spell those magi had earlier assaulted Lucifer with.

The magi's numbers where thinning fast and Eredar started to back away. Lucifer pointed a blast of curses towards the fleeing Eredar.

"You are DOOMED Eredar! You cannot escape me!" it bellowed.

Magical sigils appeared all around Eredar's body and on where he stood, but still he ran. Lion, seeing his chance, gave chase.

The churning energies of Hell that he had absorbed a while ago seemed to have a mind of its own, filling Lion with ecstatic joy and power.

His deformation gave Lion inspiration to invent a new spell on the spot, with a short blast of a curse he transform Eredar into a helpless frog, meaning to torture him for as long as he can. This spell allowed him to catch up, but the powerful Demon managed to break free after a short time.

Eredar, thinking that Lion could not possibly follow him, opened a portal to Hell. He was shocked to see Lion following closely in the fire stream. Lion saw this and said.

"I've been to Hell and back before Eredar!"

Eredar gave a weak smile.

"You cannot defeat me in my own domain!"

"You forget. I specialize in killing Demons more than anything else!" Lion answered.

Willing the very caverns of Hell to his will, Lion skewered Eredar with the glowing hot spikes and stalactites. Eredar struggled to break free but Lion merely added more as he also sucked Eredar's mana.

They were finally deposited by the stream onto a random ledge, overlooking a sea of magma.

"Doesn't this seem familiar Eredar? A place eerily reminiscent of this was where you first endowed me with your power."

Lion willed more spikes to permanently pin down Eredar in a spread eagle fashion.

"You will pay dearly! You were nothing if not for me!" Eredar screamed.

Lion willed a spike that went through his throat to gag Eredar.

"I will be taking it back, thank you."

With a hard tug, Lion ripped Eredar's left arm clean off. He then ripped his own arm off and attached the arm in place, casting restorative magics to permanently fuse it. Lucifer and Nevermore, appeared behind Lion.

"Impressive, wart. You have earned your worthless soul, for now... Leave us!" Lucifer commanded.

A portal opened near and as Lion stepped in, he had satisfied grin on his face as he listened to the suffering wails and ripping flesh of Eredar.