The Wish Demon

A wealthy grief stricken king who wanted to change his reality.
For his wife had fallen deadly ill, her days nearing their end.
Tales had spread of a large monster that granted wishes residing within the largest mountain within the vision from the castle grounds.
The kingdom’s monarch decided to take the risk in the hopes to find a way to safe his wife.
Two suns and two moons had passed before the king reached the beast.
On the night of the second moon the king arrived, standing eye in eye with a large demon.

“What is it you wish for?” Spoke the large being, it’s golden eyes fixated on the king in armor.
The monarch hesitated before speaking up.
“I wish to change reality.”
The golden eyed demon listened to him.
“Heed my warning mortal for this gift comes with dire consequences.” He warned.
“I will deal with them, just please fulfill my wish.” Spoke the desperate ruler.
The beast opened his claw to the king, within it’s grip rested a golden gauntlet.

The king thanked the beast as he accepted the item before setting off.
Two more suns and moons before he arrived back home.
Upon his return he was told the bad news.
The queen had succumbed to her illness and no longer was among the living.
The grieving king ordered to be left alone with her and once his servants had left the chamber his attention was placed on his companion.
With a touch and a glowing light the gauntlet did it’s work.
The king was shocked as the queen rose up to sit straight up.
Her normally warm brown eyes were blank and void of any life behind them.
No matter how hard the monarch tried to communicate with the one whom he loved, no reply was given.
The king was furious, why had it not worked?
The chamber was locked and with a swipe of the gauntlet and with a second swipe he returned to see the golden eyed demon.

“What is it you wish for?” rang the voice of the beast as he watched the king emerge from the portal.
The king enraged spat out the words; “Why did it not bring her back?” as he pointed to the gauntlet.
“The answer is simple.” The one with golden eyes stated. “The gauntlet has no control over the souls of beings. It brought your wife back, just without a soul.”
He was angry that this was the answer but calmed down enough before speaking up.
“I wish to control life and death.”
The golden eyed demon nodded calmly.
“Heed my warning pawn for this gift comes with dire consequences.” He warned again.
“I will deal with them, just please fulfill my wish.” Spoke the enraged ruler.
The beast opened his claw to the king, within it’s grip rested a silver dagger.

The monarch took the dagger, and said his thank you.
With a swipe of the gauntlet the way home was formed.
As he returned the queen still sat there, not having moved an inch.
The king played a little with the dagger piercing his wife’s chest with it and retracting it.
Inflicted was the wound  that soon was glowing and healing up as the life returned to those brown eyes.
A gasp as she looked at her loyal companion, memories being filled in as a scream escaped her lush lips.
Had she truly seen the depths of hell before being forced back to the living?
This surely wasn’t the one she loved for he would never wish to have power of this kind.
“Whom is thou beast?!” She exclaimed.
The monarch was hurt to say the least.
A light touch of the gauntlet was made as the king tried to change her mind, he was far from the bad guy here.
The gauntlet however did not work.
The king was furious, had the gauntlet refused to work again?
A touch to the bed as it changed shape, fabric wrapping around the queen to hold her on the bed, covering her mouth to muffle her terrified screams.
A swipe of the gauntlet was made as he went back to see the golden eyed demon.

“What is it you wish for?” rang the voice of the beast as he watched the king emerge from the portal once again.
The furious king yelled out towards the demon; “Why can’t it make her stop fearing me?” as he pointed to the gauntlet.
“The answer is simple.” The one with golden eyes started. “The gauntlet has no control over the freewill of beings.  It can’t control how your wife thinks or feels.”
He was furious about this answer calming down enough to matter out his next wish.
“I wish to control the minds of people.”
The golden eyed demon grinned lightly.
“Heed my warning minion for this gift comes with dire consequences.” He warned once more.
“I will deal with them, just please fulfill my wish.” Spoke the furious ruler.
The beast opened his claw to the king, within it’s grip rested a bronze pendant.

The monarch grabbed the pendant and muttered out a halfhearted thank you.
With a swipe of his gauntlet the portal home formed and was used to return.
Upon arriving he stepped over to his wife, held the pendant in front of her eyes before barking his command. “Do not fear me, love me instead!”
As soon as the last syllable left his lips the pendant emitted a bright glow.
The queen’s eyes becoming half lidded as her fear seemed to wash away.
With a careful touch to the bed with the gauntlet the fabric retracted to free the lady from it’s hold.
Her attention shifted towards the king and the pendant in front of her.
Believing it to be a gift for her from her husband was enough lead to try and take it from his grasp.
This was not the plan at all.
The ruler forcefully tried to get it back from her.
A fight broke out between the two and ended as the pendant fell to the ground and cracked.
Free will returning to the lady as she let out a scream, horrified the men she used to love was willing to go to these extremes.
“Who are you, you beast!”
Words that were hurting just as much as a dagger to the heart and the king considered his reply.
But in his silence an idea dawned on him, why not reverse time till just before she passed away, he could save her in that point in time with the gauntlet!
He stepped back and swiped his claw in the air to reverse time.
But in the end nothing happened.
Again?! This was the third time the gauntlet had failed to work!
A momentary glimpse cast towards his wife as he lowered the gauntlet before mumbling out a soft “Go.”
The queen didn’t need to have told to her twice as she hurried to the door, unlocking it and fleeing the chamber.
A swipe of the gauntlet was made as he picked up the pendant and went back to see the golden eyed demon.

“What is it you wish for?” rang the voice of the beast as he watched the king return once more through the portal.
The king no longer held back his rage as he roared out; “Why did it not reverse time?” as he pointed to the gauntlet.
“The answer is simple.” The one with golden eyes started. “The gauntlet has no control over the flow of time. It lacks any ability to manipulate or change the way time flows.”
He was furious about this answer.
“Why can a gauntlet that can change reality not change those things? Unable to bring back the death, control the mind or alter time?”
The demon tilted his head lightly as a sly grin curled on his lips. “Because only a god should be allowed to do all those things with a single item or touch.”
The king fell silent before speaking up again.
“I wish to become a god.”
For the first time the demon didn’t full fill the wish as he sharply replied with “Wish denied.”
“Why can’t you do so?” The king asked far from pleased with the answer he had received.
“Only gods can create gods and we demons are short of that power despite powerful we are.”
The king accepted this answer as he considered.
What would be the most powerful thing with abilities far beyond what a mortal could do besides a deity?
“I wish to become a demon.”
A loud laughter emerged from the golden eyes beast.
“Go and remove your armor my equal.”
The king was rather confused by this, no warning? No new item given to him?

The armor was removed piece for piece, the king shocked that he apparently had turned into one already.
“What is the meaning off this?”
The king said, wanting to know the answer.
The golden eyes beast leaned forward, face ever so close to the king before speaking in a surprisingly angry voice.
“Everything in this life has a price. You change reality and the gauntlet in turn changes you as payment.”
In a fit of refusing to believe and rage the king took hold of the dagger, ready to take down the demon.
However before the king was able to, the beast took hold of him, raising him from the ground.
“Not even wishes are free.”
Not a second later after the last letter had left the monster’s lips or a metallic crushing sound filled the air.
The monarch no more than a crushed being, soul claimed by the demon who had been fulfilling his ‘wishes’.

And so time moved on.
The king searched for till people gave up, having lost hope of ever finding him.
The demon remained watching the gold, silver and fixed bronze items for the longest of times.
This all ended the day a man appeared in his cave.
In his hand an odd machine that the demon had never observed before.
With a loud bang the machine ended the demon’s life.
The special fabricated bullet having struck right between the beast’s eyes.
The demon hunter and finished his mission and it appeared that he would walk away with some nice loot.
Each of these items getting sold on the black market, their powers long forgotten in the sands of time.
The pendant, dagger and gauntlet were passed on from owner to owner.
That was at least till the gauntlet ended with it’s current owner.
A young grief stricken hedgehog who wanted to change his reality.