It started as a dream, like most things do. He was in absolute darkness; wind whipped at his clothes and tugged at his hair. Then an eerie calm came over the dark place, and a faint smell of brimstone entered the air. Slitted, glowing yellow eyes with red pupils appeared out of the darkness and hovered around the man.

"I have held up my end of our...bargain...it is time that I take what is now...mine..." A dark laugh echoed throughout the entire darkness.

The man, for that was who dreamed, cringed at the sound, his soul shuddering in this place- and the one before him.

"It's not time yet, it can't be!" He cried out against the voice.

"It is...It is indeed time..." Soft steps echoed towards the man and the eerie yellow and red eyes came closer.

"I have kept your son's heart stable...and I have kept him alive...today would have been the day he would have died if not for me...-I- am the one keeping him alive...not you...not your science...not your doctors...I. And I can easily let him...heh...slip...with a single glance away...you wouldn't want that, now would you?" A smirk could easily be heard in the being's terrible voice.

The man shuddered, and found in himself a strength of will to argue with the terrible devil before him.

"You can't take him from me! He is all I have!"

"He will still be with you...is that not what you want...? And you yourself agreed to this bargain...will you back out now and give up your son's life?"

"No...You knew he will not be that same, I did not know of that which is residing in him- which you planted!" The man yelled, and the anger of the beast rolled over him- and he felt it pulling at him, drowning him- consuming him.

"That in itself is your son's fault...I had not planned on it becoming its own being...it was only intended originally as a way for me to measure his growth...not only did he lock it away...it seems some of my demons took a fond liking to him through those inventions of what you call 'modern day'. You instructed the doctors to implant a...what do you call them?...Ah yes...a...pacemaker, I believe...to keep his heart going in case of emergency...but a demon seems to have taken a liking to it..." The being chuckled darkly. "He has become melded with that machine and my own implant...and formed something else...something that I have no control over...Did I know he would be different? Yes...I knew. Perhaps a bit more cynical...but that should be a welcome change compared to the thick headedness he normally displays..."

The man bristled, but felt the creatures intent- and knew he had lost- had never had a chance of winning.

"My own...doing?" The man whispered sadly...a single tear slid down his cheek, and the creature laughed- knowing it had won. The dream-place disappeared and the man awoke in his own world...

Somewhere in the world, a boy stirred- then slept on, and the Darkling locked within his soul awoke at its Master's Call.