The Bargain

The Consequences of our Actions

To deal with devils is a crime of the highest. what is been done tonight shall go down in history as a terrifying curse upon the earth. God would squirm and his throne if he knew what it happened, what great laws had been broken.

Nevertheless we can’t change the past, but we can learn from it.

Deals never arise from contentedness, they come from discomfort, pain, and possibly torture. How to summon a beast is a terrible secret. A secret guarded with the upmost importance.

Devils are born from the corpses of angels. Like a phoenix they rise from the blood of the most pure creatures in existence as an evil beyond mortal understanding.

The beauty that once existed in angels could never be found in such an evil, that is why they must take upon such grotesque formations.

Their twisted skin, their gnarled bones, the beady and soulless eyes. Blackened by hell’s flames, their body is calloused and hot to the touch.

But they have a unique ability amongst paranormal creatures, the ability to assume the appearance of the angel that they were spawned of. This grants them the option to trick others with a beautiful face, but don’t be fooled, for that is just a mask.

All of this is a preface, so you can understand the story I have left for you. So you can decipher my code, and perhaps fix my mistake, and be safe, Lailo. - G. S.

You set the letter down, processing what you just read. It was from your aunt Gail, who hasn’t been heard from in almost a week. She is a professor at a prestigious university where she studies religious philosophy. This letter is unorthodox, she was always a very modern person you felt.

You put the letter down to ponder her words. There’s another page attached to it but you’re already confused.

Why is she talking about demons? What of this is useful information? You figure you should read the rest of the letter to figure that out.

Unlike the first paper it seems to be handwritten. Very odd.

And lo it read:

Lailo I know this must be confusing but you must listen to every word. There is a darkness looking to overtake the world around you. Where you call home there is a nexus for evil energy. Churning and swirling it grows ever present with each passing moment. You possess the means to stop this evil from taking over, but to do so I’m afraid of what you may become.

I fear for you every day, and I know if I were to ask you to proceed with this it would certainly put your life in considerable danger.

But this threat is too great.

You must seek the man named Dante, he worked with me at the university, he will know who you are and how to help you.

Do not fear him, he is simply misunderstood.

I have little time, I must go now.

Good Luck my Angel.

At the bottom of the page there was a small drop of crimson. You shudder to imagine... She needs you to do this. Whatever this is.

You must be strong.

__

The university of Calthos is very large and regal collection of buildings. Interconnected and surrounded by dark green woods, set against the chiseled white marble walls. An imposing figure at first glance, but to you it is a comfort if not a reminder.

You make your way to your aunt’s office, it would be locked if you hadn’t already had a key.

The room is dark but as you flip on the light you can see that the place is just as clean and orderly as it always was. You can see the leather armchair where you used to read while she worked. Pleasant memories fill your mind immediately followed by a sense of fear.

You shake your head and get to work searching through her papers. Specifically looking for the name Dante. It doesn't take long to find his name, he seems to work with her a lot. There's a picture on her desk of you and her. It was taken a year ago at the local zoo. You had went for her birthday. You miss her a lot. She took care of you when your mother left and your father couldn't.

A tear fills your eye and as it falls the door opens to reveal a person who seems to be your age. They throw you off a bit because at first glance you can't tell their gender. Their face is sharp and their body is lean. They wear a heavy coat and a weird beanie. It looks like it's been patched up a lot. Their eyes, despite the bags underneath them, pierce you. Their eyes are yellow like a cats.

"Who are you?" they ask. Damn even their voice sounds neutral.

"Lailo, who are you?" you ask defensively. Their eyes narrow more. They step through and inspect the room a bit. After a moment they respond with, "Dante."

"My aunt knew you, but I thought you were a professor or something," You say a bit confused. They don't look much older than you so they can't be a professor, after all you're only 23.

"I'm not a professor, but I am on my way to that, I'm a student here," they hold out their hand for a handshake. A weird time to offer a handshake, but I guess I take it. As soon as you take their hand they pull you in close to their face. You can smell the coffee on their breath, and the cologne on their jacket.

"What did she tell you, in her letter?" Their eyes held a certain intensity to them. The blue green shine captives you. It compels you to tell them everything they want to know. Before you know it you’re describing, in detail, what the letter said. The words flowed from your mouth without thought. Every piece of information you had spilled forth as though you had been waiting to say it all this time and had just now been allowed to.

After a short tirade you come to your senses. Your mouth feels dry and your throat feels scratchy. You don’t understand what came over you, but one thing is for certain. The person who stands before you is not who they seem.

Their face is turned away in deep thought. When you ask what happened, what did they do, they don’t respond. Not even a twitch of the mouth or eyes. Their hand, long and lithe, holds their mouth. After a minute of deep introspective thought they turn sharply to face you.

“We should go to coffee.” And suddenly without thought you were following them down the street.