I awoke to silence, alone, my naked body wrapped in the multitude of thick blankets that layered on top of my bed. I could feel the familiar hum that now resonated from beneath the Y-shaped scar on my torso- the room felt painfully empty without the entity that haunted me. My mind, however, was not on the scar itself, but the being responsible for its presence. I found myself drifting into thoughts of the previous evening as I lazily adorned myself with what loose clothes I could find on the floor beneath me. These thoughts would have disgusted me no more than a month ago, for the belief that primal cravings had always been a pillar of my very existence. I was better than that. But, my mind wandered back to the thought of him. The absolute, consuming presence of his being enveloping me. I had been perfectly analyzed, had every secret desire met. Taoxhul had delivered control over my life in a way that I now craved- I found the one mind capable of dominating me, and the realization was more intoxicating than any scientific breakthrough I had made in my time. 

I hobbled my way down to the terminals, the science of my own subjugation was the only science that mattered anymore. Time felt infinite as I revelled in the strange discovery of the new addition that Taoxhul had made to my flesh, I scoured over scans and images- coming to the fond realization that this was not only a part of me, but an interface for him to bypass my mortal needs…rest, hunger, breath- all things to be overridden by this divine implantation. Taoxhul was not only my Master- but my literal life support system. 

In the afternoon, he accompanied me to the lounge once more. His body was draped in heavy velvets, the light danced across the material in the golden lighting of the room. His form was enormous, and beautiful; and he made no comment of our encounter the previous evening, merely resting on the brocade chaise lounge near the window. As he watched me read, I noticed an unusual new development in his behavior- he was constantly making some kind of physical contact with my body. He would not look at me, unless my attention was turned away from him, but I could feel his eye on me as I delved into the multitude of medical texts before me. 

Later that evening, after a full day of research had left my organic frame trembling- Taoxhul summoned me to the sun room downstairs. As I made my way before him, he stood with his back to me facing the viewport, looking out onto the Null beyond my tower. 

“Rest.” he commanded. 

He didn’t send me to bed, instead I sank to my knees to the floor- feeling his energy pulse through the scar as my body succumbed to his control once more. All I could do was ogle him from my position on the floor. A shadow enveloped the space as he crossed the room to me with the silence and imposing presence of a collapsing star. He did not lift me, but knelt; with a devastating tenderness, he lifted my face, tilting my head back to expose the fork of the scar peeking out over the collar of my shirt. In his silence, he pressed his forehead into my chest- his crown of horns framed my face, and I felt the immense pressure of his skin sink into my own.

“You are thinking of things that belong to us only,” he whispered, his voice cradling my cochlea, sending a cool shudder down my spine, “And you are allowing your frailty to interfere with the memory.”

Taxhoul stood partially, guiding my chin upwards with a pointed claw, “While your efficiency has improved, your vessel is a frail construct; bound to the triviality of organic decay.” he continued, “This form will fail. Your kind, when the flesh is spent, are subject to the whim of petty celestial governance…the current rulers of the lower Abyss are corrupt and short-sighted. They will attempt to classify you, to process and change you.” The look in his eye was intense as he gazed upon me, “Your mortality is the only remaining flaw remaining in our equation, the only thing that leaves you vulnerable to the judgement of fools. If you want this, this eternal contact- it must be made permanent. You must transcend the frail vessel and join me in a form that can stand the finality of our true domain.” 

I had studied religious texts of the world for years, not once did I even fathom that any of the wondrous claims held any truth. The overlapping details that could be rationalized and chalked up to worldly misunderstanding, sure- but the thought of an afterlife, much less some kind of divine court, had always been dismissed. It was too fantastical, and the mortal mind is always seeking some kind of explanation to the unknown- even if that explanation was impossibly grand. My world as I knew it, was coming undone with each word this being spoke to me.