Pain. A burning, aching throb that wracked his entire body and left a dull roar in his ears. His head was spinning, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't focus long enough to concentrate. Flashing colours swam before his eyes, accompanied by snippets of memory that refused to stay still long enough in his mind for him to make any sense of them.
He tried to move, and was rewarded with a fresh wave of pain for his efforts. He did however manage to discern that he was lying on his back somewhere uncomfortable and cold, probably a stone floor from the rough texture against his skin.
It was then that he realised he was stripped bare down to the waist, although he had no idea if he had been fully clothed before arriving here, wherever 'here' was exactly.
He finally tried to speak, to call out to anyone to help him, but he couldn't form the words correctly and only succeeded in emitting a hoarse groan.
It was then that she spoke for the first time.
'At last, you're finally awake...'
He tried to look around and see who was talking, fighting the waves of nausea that attacked him as he moved his head. He blinked rapidly and then screwed his eyes shut before opening them again slowly, and finally began to see his surroundings more clearly.
He had been right about the stone floor; in fact, the whole room seemed to be carved out of stone, a small circular chamber in which he was lying in the centre. Dull light illuminated the room slightly, although no fixtures were on the walls or ceiling and he could see no windows.
He tried to find where the speaker was, the owner of the low, sultry voice that had grabbed his attention, but his vision was still shifting in and out of focus and he couldn't quite place her.
'I thought you would never wake,' she spoke again, as he heard the ominous sound of approaching footsteps towards him.
'You must have been hit harder than I expected...'
He saw her now, or at least some of her. The lights in the chamber were shifting continuously, making the shadows dance and twirl around the form of the speaker, enveloping the sight of her from him. All he could make out were a pair of long, slender legs, bare so he could see the tanned skin. A pair of black stiletto shoes were worn on her feet, the echoes of the heels resounding throughout the room as she approached his prone form.
He tried to rise, needed to stand and ask questions and find out where he was, what had happened. After a moment's thought he also realised he needed to find out who he was as well.
'Poor baby...'
The crooning voice was much closer now, and he looked up just as the shadows before him vanished.
And he saw her.
For a moment, his pain, the confusion he felt, everything was forgotten as he gazed up at the woman who stood before him. She was stunning, literally, with a lithe, slender form that held a suggestion of powerful athleticism. Her tanned skin gave her an exotic appearance, and the short black dress that clung to her curves served to accentuate this.
She had raven black hair that extended down over her shoulders and rested upon her firm, full breasts, and a seductive smile lay upon her full red lips.
'You must be in all kinds of pain at the moment,' she said with a light chuckle, tilting her head to the side as she gazed down at him, bringing her head down closer to his.
'I should know...'
It was then that he caught her gaze, and gasped at the fiery intensity blazing in those eyes. He had never seen eyes so bright, so fierce yet so enchanting at the same time, and as he became lost in those pools of blue luminescence, the memories returned.
Everything returned.
He saw the flames that had surrounded him, could feel their intense heat searing his skin as he had pressed onwards to the goal of his quest. He remembered the smouldering ash that had choked his lungs and blinded his vision, the death grip in which he had clutched his sword with grim determination.
He remembered his mentor, the Seer Knight Alandros, urging him onwards as he led the way into the fiery pit, his gleaming white cloak somehow untouched by any of the nightmarish surroundings. He remembered the symbol of the Order emblazoned on that cloak being the only thing keeping his sanity in check.
But most of all now, he remembered her.
She was different now, assuming one of her human forms that had led so many astray and corrupted so many good people. But those eyes, they had not changed. They were still the horrifically enticing orbs of intense light that had burned into him before, destroying his inhibitions and fighting for his will.
He remembered Alandros's powerful voice breaking her hold on him, urging him to stay focussed and calling the charge to attack.
He remembered a battle, fierce and violent, the likes of which he had never experienced before. Then the flash, the blast that had swept through the air and smashed him into oblivion, where the darkness had welcomed him.
And he remembered the utter, complete despair he had felt as his consciousness left him, the soul searing feeling of failure.
They had failed. He had failed. He, the one known as-
'D-Daelo...' he whispered hoarsely. 'Daelo...'
She smiled wider, clapping her long-fingered hands together in mock applause.
'Well done! You actually know your own name. And here I thought all slayers were complete idiots.'
'Slayer...'
Daelo suddenly remembered what he was and sat up suddenly, ignoring the agony that ripped through him and clutching at his bare chest.
'Looking for this?'
He looked up at her and saw his Rosarius hanging limply from its chain in her grasp, his stomach sinking as he felt hope quickly dwindling away.
'Lovely little trinket,' she said in a conversational tone, watching the soul pendant twist slowly back and forth.
'Completely worthless now though,' she added, giving Daelo a wink. 'Looks like it couldn't withstand the power of little old me'.
He could see she was right. The gemstone set into the pendant was fused and blackened, and the once bright metal was now tarnished and dull. The blast that she had taken him with must have caused it, although to overload such a holy relic with enough demonic energy to destroy it completely suggested tremendous power.
She saw the look in his eyes and chuckled again, the dark, sultry sound causing his head to spin once more. He screwed his eyes shut and forced himself to concentrate, determined to resist her despite her abilities.
'I don't think we've been formally introduced,' she said, holding out her hand with that captivating smile still in place. 'My name is-'
'I know who you are,' he snarled, finally able to string coherent words together again. 'You are evil incarnate, the one who calls herself the black rose. A demoness, a murderer, a seductress, a liar, a succubus,' he spat the last word out as if the very mention of it left a foul taste in his mouth.
'Oh, petty titles and nothing more,' she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
'My real name would reduce you to nothing more than a vegetable if I uttered it, and I certainly wouldn't want that,' she said, trailing a finger lightly down his chest. 'But I prefer to go by the name of Lucia Morgana. The 'black rose' I am known by is merely a moniker created by those who both fear and desire me.'
'No one desires you by choice, demon,' Daelo growled. 'You seduce them with your hellborn lies until they lie broken and lifeless.'
Lucia shook her head softly, chuckling at his words. Then suddenly, without warning, her hand shot out and seized him around the throat, impossibly quick and immensely powerful. Daelo felt as if the jaws of a huge beast had clamped down upon him, and he struggled in vain as his airways were cut off.
'It didn't take seduction or lies to leave that old fool you adored so much broken and lifeless,' she hissed in his ear as she brought her head close to his.
'In fact, it took only a miniscule amount of my power, like batting an annoying fly aside.' She grinned at him as the weight of her words sunk in and Daelo began to thrash about in rage as much as pain.
As quickly as it had happened, Lucia released him from her grip. Daelo collapsed back onto the floor gasping for air, his mind reeling at what the demoness had told him. Alandros? The great Seer Knight, his father in all but bloodlines, dead? It couldn't be. He was invincible. Nothing could even harm the great Alandros, let alone slay him.