Voices echoed in his head. They whispered to him, "You're weak. They know that. That's why they are bullying you. You know it to be true too. You're weak. That's why you are hiding instead of confronting them."
"That's not bad. A weakling should know his place. That is wisdom. You know your place. That makes you wise. But you are still weak. You will still be beaten."
The voices rang in his mind over and over again. "You are weak. You are weak. You are weak."
They laughed and they mocked him over and over again. He couldn't stop them and he couldn't ignore them. He couldn't deny what the voices said either. It is true. He is weak. But knowing it has not done him any good. There is nothing he can do to change his situation. What use is the repeated mocking if the only thing it gives him is a headache?
"But what can I do?" He whimpered as he held his head in pain.
The voices became silent immediately. His headache subsided too. He thought he was hallucinating when a single clear voice spoke to him. "I can help you. You are wise. You have asked for power because you know that you are weak. So I will give you power. I will make it so that no one can ever hurt you again."
Wonderful promises poured into his mind in a clear and coherent manner. There is no chance that he didn't hear them or misheard the promises. He heard them loud and clear in his mind. So he heard what was said after the deluge of promises, "All you have to do is swear allegiance to Carnage. Give your all to me and I will give you strength beyond your wildest dreams. You will be untouchable."
That is a tempting offer but it is also highly strange if not suspicious. The boy thought the whispers he was hearing were his inner voice. But this voice is completely different from what he usually sounds like in his head. He is sure of it because the whispers have become very clear. He can sense the difference accurately. They don't echo anymore and they don't hurt his head. It is as if he is dreaming. He might wake up soon and all of these will disappear.
The promise of power is too alluring so he asked even though he might be dreaming, "What do I have to do?"
The voice answered, "Just say 'I swear my everything to Carnage'."
The boy is not so smart but he isn't exactly stupid either. He understands the implication of the oath so he knows that he will be swearing himself into slavery. But he is already a slave. He is a slave in his society. Males are not just second-rate citizens, they are slaves in his society. They are only maintained for procreation and menial labor. It is the females that are the warriors. So he is a slave and he will never have access to power.
Besides, this oath means nothing if he is dreaming. And if this is actually real, there is no way he will pass off the opportunity to gain power. If this oath will grant him power, then he will take it.
So he swore. "I swear my everything to Carnage."
The voice in his head began to laugh. It is a diabolical laughter that rang out from within the boy's head, into the world, and throughout the settlement of the dark elves. Everyone around could hear the strange laughter that seemed to be echoing all around them.
It is obvious that CARNAGE is very excited. It has finally gained access to the plane.
The voice said, "What a stupid boy. You have made the right choice. You have made CARNAGE happy. So I shall grant you what you seek."
The boy sold out his soul for nothing. He didn't ask for anything at all. He just up and gave his everything to CARNAGE free of charge without any conditions. CARNAGE can choose to fleece him but it needs someone on the inside to open the door. So it granted him what he wanted. It granted him the power of Carnage.
A blood-red crystal appeared in front of the boy. It seemed to have coalesced out of raw moonlight from the red moon above. The crystal shone with a bloody light that illuminated the bottom of the bed. It shone on the face of the frightened boy.
"Take it. It is what you want." The voice told him.
CARNAGE can force him to take the crystal but it didn't. It needs the boy to maintain his will. Robbing him of his Will will turn him into a mindless spawn like the feral blood clones. CARNAGE doesn't want a mindless spawn so it urged the boy. The boy overcame his fear and touched the crystal. The crystal melted on contact with his finger and flowed into his body.
The boy screamed out in pain. His scream echoed throughout the settlement while the voice in his head continued to laugh. So the scream and the strange laughter mixed in and echoed everywhere together. The dark elves in the settlement were startled and confused. They were afraid but they didn't run. It is understandable that they didn't run. But they should have.
He began shedding tears of blood. His skin cracked. Blood bled profusely from those cracks. His screams grew louder as his body tore apart and blood pooled at his feet. The blood spread away from the boy. It seeped outside the room and covered everything. It turned into an ocean of blood that submerged the entire settlement.
Everything living within the settlement died immediately. They were buried and their life force was taken from them. They died before they drowned. Their flesh desiccated within the blood leaving behind empty and dry husks.
Then the blood receded back to the boy. It formed a cocoon around him. This cocoon has veins on its surface. Blood is pumped through the veins in synchronization with the thrumming of the cocoon. The cocoon is beating like a heart. It is also glowing ominously with the same red light as the red moon.