I Sold My Soul for Chocolate

Chapter 4

He nodded, his body relaxing, and took a step back. “Good. I assume you would like to know how I came into possession of your soul, would you not?”

I managed a nod. All I could remember from that night was rain, a chocolate bar, a feather, and...

Memories suddenly flooded back into my mind, in the form of pictures, scenes. Raum. Raum was there, talking to me. I reached for the chocolate he was about to eat. And then, he made the star symbol on my wrist appear, as it did on his own. Afterwards, a single feather falling onto the ground.

“I sold my soul for that chocolate bar.”

“Indeed. I typically do not make pacts, but your stupidity lured me. Even for a child, it was incredibly dumb. Now I own your soul.”

The weight of the world suddenly crashed onto me. What happened when one sold their soul to a demon? I could remember bits and pieces of what my friends had shared. You don’t get an afterlife, you get infused onto the demon, becoming nothing, or something like that.

It was horrible.

“Well, if I’m already doomed, then why would I do anything you order me?” I asked. Raum raised an eyebrow.

“I might have underestimated your intelligence. If you do exactly as I say, I might break the pact and let you keep your soul. Fail to execute my orders, and your life will end.”

“I understand,” I said, my trembling lessened now that he was a bit further away and I could avoid his gaze.

“Good. Accept the invitation and tell nobody of this. This is your first task, human.” He flicked his wrist again, and the door swung open, the sound of the party flooding in. “Goodbye.”

I didn’t cast him another gaze as I dashed out of the room, my heartbeat crazy and my breathing heavy. The door closed behind me as I stumbled, barely catching my balance.

I felt sick.

Like angels of heaven, I saw Liney and Argal run towards me from the crowd, worry clear on their faces. Argal noticed I wasn't feeling well, and was already holding me up.

“Kay, what the hell happened? Where were you?” Liney asked in worry, and I noticed her mascara had smudged. She was crying. I tried to shoot her a grin, my heart still racing furiously and my mind unable to function.

“I got lost. In the crowds. And that thing I drank really hit me hard, I was all over the place, looking for you guys, but I think I was just going in circles, or something,” I said, the lie coming out of my mouth smoothly. “And then, vampires happened again! They kept trying to pull me towards them, I barely escaped.” I felt horrible for lying. But what else was I supposed to do? If I told them, sure, I’d feel better, but I’d die and get infused into a demon. I had a feeling he’d know if I broke the deal. I simply had to do everything he said and make him release me.

And I needed to know whether he was telling the truth. I really hoped not. There wasn’t a chance I was so idiotic as a child. But the longer I thought about it, the clearer my memories became, and the pictures turned into a video. I needed to do some research.

I always had a memory of eating a banana-flavoured chocolate bar on a rainy day next an oak tree, but I never really paid any attention to the memory, assuming it was me with Zehna or me with my aunt.

But after meeting Raum, I remembered more. I remembered his evil grin and those terrifying blood-red eyes.

“You look like you’re about to pass out, Kay...” Argal whispered, brushing a finger against my presumably pale face.

Liney’s face was full of tears again. “Kay, I’m so relieved you’re okay! I- I can’t believe I failed you again, I failed to protect you again, I’m so sorry! I will never forgive myself!”

I felt absolutely horrid for lying. The already enormous weight over my heart got even bigger. I felt like I could just break and hit everything in my vicinity.

“No, Liney, don’t say that! It’s my fault. I- I didn’t follow Argal. I saw this hot dude in the crowd and stopped, and when I looked back, Argal was swallowed by the crowd.”

Liney slowly broke into a smile. “Oh, Kay! I always said boys would be our downfall!”

Argal sent me a guilty look. “I’m sorry I lost you, Kay. I should’ve waited for you, but one second you were there, and the other you were gone! That time-distortion elixir really didn’t help me much, either. I felt like three days have passed.”

I smiled, wanting to laugh, but I had a feeling I’d barf.

“Can we go home, guys?” I asked, and both of them nodded in concern.

“Of course, of course! We’ll get you home so you can rest right up. I’m paying for a cab!”

Only that I wouldn’t be resting. I’d be reading up on demons, and how to get rid of one.

***

“Well, what if I told you that you can have this chocolate... in exchange for your soul?” The demon asked, his red eyes flashing through the rain. I took a step back before my gaze fell upon the chocolate bar in Raum’s hand.

“Deal,” I said, grabbing the chocolate from his hand.

I shook myself awake, my whole body feeling sore. The sun was blinding me, and I grunted in annoyance, looking down at the carpet I was sitting on. Old books on magic were sprawled around, some pages marked. I could barely remember what I had been reading after Liney and Argal brought me home, quite expertly masking the fact that we had been at a party. I remembered finally finding a chapter on demons when I dozed off.

And it was now morning. I had let the night go to waste...

I quickly opened the book that was closest to me and began searching for the chapter frantically, knowing it was only a matter of time before Zehna came to wake me up. Looking up information on anything magical online was a deathtrap, because 99% of it was made-up and written by clueless humans. And I couldn’t get a pass to join the Magical Net, because I wasn’t a supernatural. I was stuck with dumb human internet.

I finally found it, near the end of the book. An excerpt from Ars Goethia, containing a list of demons. There were apparently 72 greater demons, classified as kings, dukes, princes, marquises, counts, knights, and presidents.

Raum was demon number fourty, a count, with fourty legions of demons under his rule. Whatever that meant.

But he was one of the seventy-two.

I was screwed. How the hell did a greater demon find me, of all people? Why me? Why someone like him, why couldn’t it have been some no-name demon? And not some super-powerful great earl? I couldn’t understand half of what was written in that damned book, so I decided to do some searching on some backstreet human-internet pages.

The current status of Hell, updated daily.

The uprising was unsuccessful, most of the offenders had fled and there is an active search ongoing.

Emperor Baal, the head of the infernal forces, remains ruling for five-hundred consecutive years and remains the most powerful. The balance of power among other demons remains the same, apart from the most recent promotion of Raum from Count to Duke.

I felt my whole body freeze. The situation managed to get a lot worse, if this shady website was to be trusted.

Oh, this was bad. Kay, you’re an i***t. A huge, dumb, i***t.

“Kay! Come down for breakfast!” Zehna’s voice cut through my thoughts. I quickly got up, my heart hammering again. I messed up big time. Who knew what Raum even wanted from me, considering he was super powerful and probably could get anything he wanted without even trying.

I always had breakfast at the cafe, since every day was a workday, and I never woke up as early as Zehna. As always, I sat at the smallest table in the corner, closest to the counter, and waited for Zehna to bring me whatever was ordered beforehand. It was a little game of ours, and I ate differently every day. I liked mostly everything that Zehna sold, so whatever I got, I liked.

After a few minutes, Zehna appeared from behind the counter with a plate of pancakes, and I grinned. That was exactly what I needed to get my mind off of my troubles.

“Good morning, sleepyhead!” Zehna said, placing the plate in front of me.

“Morning, Zehna,” I said, trying to keep my voice cheerful. There were barely any costumers present, so I didn’t need to yell to be heard.

“Oh,” she said, pulling out an envelope from her money pouch. “Before I forget, there’s a letter for you.”

I raised my eyebrows in surprise and took it from her hands. It was just a plain, white envelope without any indication of who might have sent it.

“Come on then, open it, I haven’t got all day!” Zehna urged me, and I smiled, the intrigue taking over me. I carefully opened it, and pulled out a matte black letter that was inside.

Confused, I opened it, and then felt as if a truck had hit me. I could only stare in disbelief, my heart hammering inside my chest and feeling as if I was about get a heart attack.

“What is it?” Zehna said, and snatched the letter away from my hands. I watched her jaw drop and her eyes budge.

“D-dear Kay Frost, we are pleased to inform you that you have been invited to participate in the entrance examination of the International Supernatural Academy.”

Our eyes met. “Kay, how? What does this mean?”

“I have no idea, Zehna. I don’t have magic!” I said. But I knew exactly what this was about. Accept the invitation. It was Raum’s doing, I was sure of it.

“See, here it says that great magic has been recognized within you,” Zehna said, pointing to a sentence underneath. “If this comes as a surprise to you, show up at the entrance examination an hour earlier.”

I felt like I was going to pass out. Breathing was becoming increasingly difficult. There was no way I could go. People died at that academy’s entrance exams. Especially those with no magic!

“This is amazing, sweetheart!” Zehna wrapped her arm around me, an expression of pure joy sitting atop her face. “You’re also magic! I’m so proud of you!”

The weight on my chest got heavier.

“Y-yeah. I’m just surprised, is all. Do you think I should go to the entrance exam?”

Zehna nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! Look, it’s tomorrow already! It says to be in front of the 7th Tooththief street at seven am sharp. So you have to be there at six.”

I felt pure fear course through my veins. There was too much going on.

“I can’t do this, Zehna,” I said, and a loose tear fell from my eye. Then another. And another, until I was full-out crying, with Zehna’s arms wrapped around me in an attempt to comfort me.

“Shush, sweetie! You’ll be okay! You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I’m proud of you either way, you are such a beautiful, talented girl!”

I tried to make the tears stop, feeling embarrassed. I didn’t like crying. Especially crying in front of someone. I moved away from Zehna and wiped my face with my sleeve. Why was all of this happening to me? Why was I such a stupid child?