I approached the scent.
Quiet. Deliberate.
I merged with the shadows, using my affinity for darkness to erase my presence. I waited, counting the seconds to ensure the coast was clear, then slipped deeper into the cave.
The air was thick. It felt like the lungs of a demonic beast.
Then, a voice.
Feminine. Clear, despite the constant rhythm of dripping water echoing against the damp stone. I crept closer until the source came into view.
She was a demon. A succubus.
Green hair. Mismatched eyes—one pure white, the other a void of black. Two dark horns rose from her skull, adorned with gold rings and jewels. She was striking. Dangerously alluring.
Her posture alone was a provocation. I felt my blood heat up, a sudden surge of arousal hitting me like a wave.
"Natasha, this is your last chance," the demon said. "Give me the summoning ritual."
Beside her sat a woman in chains.
She was a mess. A jagged wound tore through her abdomen, the flesh mangled and raw. Her face was a map of random, ugly cuts. Her white dress was ruined, soaked a deep, heavy red.
Human blood. Just as I thought.
But what was a human doing in this layer? The Abyss usually suppresses them the moment they step inside. And more importantly, why was a demon trespassing in our territory?
I prepared to back out.
Suddenly, the human's eyes snapped toward my position. A split second of eye contact before she looked away, making sure the demon didn't notice.
My instincts screamed.
She had sensed me. Even in that state, even while I was shrouded in darkness, she knew I was there. She was significantly stronger than me.
The demon spoke again.
"Why won't you surrender, Natasha? Your sect already sold you out. If it wasn't for that seal they placed on you, I never would have caught you."
I couldn't look away from the succubus. Every word, every shift of her body was calculated seduction. It was an irrational pull, an urge to step out and do something reckless.
Natasha let out a raspy, broken laugh.
"My sect betrayed me? Unlikely. You're far too weak for them to bother."
The demon didn't argue. She responded with a series of brutal slaps. The assault lasted minutes.
When the demon finally stopped to catch her breath, Natasha smirked.
"Is that all you've got?"
For a second, the succubus's face twisted into something hideous before she forced a calm mask back on.
"You're stubborn. Fine," the demon said. "A deal, then. I don't want your magic. I don't care about your father's inheritance. I just want the ritual."
She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"Refuse, and I'll summon a Demon Lord. You know exactly what happens next. Don't you?"
Natasha's expression tightened.
"Before I agree," Natasha said, "tell me. What is your relationship with Patrick? Who are you?"
The demon sat down, sighing.
"My name is Laura. A succubus, obviously. As for Patrick? Our relationship was built on a single thing: deception."
She smirked.
"He wanted to betray you from the start. I just seduced him and pointed him in the right direction. It was almost too easy."
I watched from the dark, silent. I didn't know either of them.
"So you set up the magic circle?" Natasha asked.
Laura laughed.
"Patrick didn't want to kill you. He wanted a slave circle. He wanted to own you. He promised me plenty in return, but he had no idea you were carrying a rare summoning ritual."
Natasha's fists clenched. Pure frustration.
"I'll give it to you," Natasha said. "But we form a contract. In the name of the Master of Contracts."
"No," Laura snapped. "The Master of Contracts favors humans. We do this in the name of the Abyss."
"Do I look stupid?" Natasha's voice went cold. "A contract in the name of the Abyss between a demon and a human? Not happening."
She paused, staring Laura down.
"I thought about using the name of the Scourge of the Abyss, but that would probably kill you instantly. So, it's the Master of Contracts. Take it or leave it."
Laura went quiet, calculating. The Master of Contracts was biased, but he rarely intervened. He cared about expanding his reach, nothing more.
"What do you want?" Laura finally asked.
"Patrick," Natasha replied. "I want him dead within a month of my passing."
Laura tapped her chin. "Difficult... but doable. Fine. Let's sign."
Laura pulled a contract and a strange pen from her bag. She wrote her terms and pushed it toward Natasha.
Natasha hesitated, then began to write. On the final line, she inscribed the name: The Master of Contracts.
The paper burst into flames instantly.
Natasha let out a heavy sigh of relief. Laura, however, broke into hysterical laughter.
"Finally! I have everything. Patrick gets nothing, and I get to eliminate a human talent."
She grinned, baring her teeth.
"Thank you, Natasha. Now. The ritual."
Natasha took out another scrap of paper. She wrote it out and handed it over.
Laura snatched it. She began to read, scanning the lines to verify the ritual's authenticity.
But as she read, the world shifted.
Her vision blurred. She watched her own body collapse to the floor, the paper still gripped in her hand.
Then, the darkness took everything.