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As I stood outside of the summoning circle, crafted to perfection out of crisp white chalk, my whole body began to tingle in anticipation. I had spent decades honing my craft – the art of dark magic – and now that study, those hours of studying tomes late into the night, had finally paid off. I had sacrificed so much in my life time – potential romantic relationships, close friendships, I had eschewed them all – in order to reach my summoning zenith. This was no ordinary demon that I was aiming to reach, after all. I wanted the demon of all demons, the fallen angel, Satan himself.
And after my years of patience, of repeatedly working my way through the demonic ranks, I finally felt as though I were ready to meet the big boss, you could call him. I had been mocked relentlessly for decades over my obsession with the Hellaverse; I had been shunned, bullied, tormented, but it was all absolutely worth it for this very moment. The greatest encounter of my life. I was a mere wizard, after all. An intellectual one, yes, but a magician nonetheless. And a mortal one at that.
But now I had the opportunity of a life time, an opportunity which I had fought for tooth and nail. I deserved this, I really did. I repeatedly told myself this in order to combat the self doubt that was creeping into the corner of my mind. I was usually a self assured fellow but this scenario was special. My life's work come to fruition.
My grimoire rested upon its dark wooden stand in the attic, the place where all of my true work took place, open on the necessary page. It was full to the brim of ancient symbols that had taken me far too long to translate. It had been an arduous journey but one that was most definitely worthwhile. Now I was an expert in foreign languages – arcane or otherwise – and embraced the various cultures that came with them. I happened to enjoy a challenge and this was one of the almighty variety. Perfect.
But I had no more time left to dilly dally. Whittling away the hours would not bring me any closer to my ultimate achievement, after all. It was now or never. I closed my eyes, half hoping that I would not fall asleep for I was absolutely exhausted from my efforts, and took a long, deep breath, gathering my courage around me like some sort of elaborate armour.
I exhaled once more before beginning the necessary incantations, making sure that I pronounced every single syllable properly – any error, no matter how minute, would cause absolute chaos – as I did so. I was so wrapped up in my precise wording that I never noticed at first that something was happening in the empty space inside my summoning circle. That was, until I heard a melodic voice speak, my spell of concentration shattering as it reached my ears.
My eyes immediately darted forwards to the source of the surprisingly sensual sound. I must confess that I had expected the ruler of Hell to sound more...gruff. But who was I to judge? The pitch of my voice was far from being baritone, after all.
“Greetings, mortal.” He said, waving awkwardly with his left hand.
This man was full of surprises, it seemed. The certainty in his voice was not aligning with his actions. I was taken aback, to say the least.
“Greetings, almighty king of Hell.” I bowed low before him, hoping to diffuse the tension in the process.
“I have a name, you know.” He said, unimpressed by my theatrics it seemed.
“Apologies, oh Sata--”
“Call me Lucifer.” He said brusquely, waving away my words, my attempts at pandering towards him.
“Okay, Lucifer.” I said, wrapping the name around my tongue as though it were the tastiest treat. “I am---”
“Another mortal who has gotten far too big for their britches and believes themselves to be on the same level as I. Believe me, you are not the first and, unfortunately, you will not be the last. However, you do have a certain edge about yourself that trumps your predecessors.”
“And what might that be, your hi---er, Lucifer?” I asked, curiosity controlling all of my other emotions as though it were their master.
“Well, you are quite cute.” He flashed me a toothy grin. His pointed teeth looked far from scary as he said this, and I swore that I could even detect a faint blush on his pale cheeks.
Then the effect of his words hit me fully. Had he just called me...cute? I was many things. Wise. Clever. Witty. Determined. Driven. But aesthetically pleasing in any way? Absolutely not.
I did not want to be rude and ignore the comment but I was honestly unsure how to respond. What would typical demonic etiquette be in such a strange situation?
“You are welcome.” He said, tearing me away from my thoughts. I must have been silent for so long that I had been impolite without even meaning to.
“Huh?” I questioned, having lost the thread of that particular conversation.
“Never mind.” He shook his head, golden locks streaming down and framing his handsome face.
“Sorry.” I hung my head, feeling extreme embarrassment at my rudeness thus far. “Forgive me. Please.”
Was I really asking the ruler of the underworld, of Hell, the epicentre of evil, to grant me forgiveness?
“Of course. But on one condition.” He replied, eyes flickering with mischief in its purest form.
“What condition would that be?” I asked, suddenly feeling afraid.
Was he going to ask me to become his servant? To free him from the circle so he could bring a reign of terror to the human world? To my world?
“Do not despair, I am not asking for any form of freedom. Not for me, anyway.”
“And what does that mean?” I responded, interest fully piqued.
“This may shock you but I do not have any desires to exit this circle, your world holds no appeal to me. Not any more. Except for one factor. That being...you.”
“Me?” I gasped.
Was Sa---Lucifer flirting with me?
“Yes, you. Step into the circle. Let us explore the endless possibilities that could stem from this simple action. Allow me to take you to Hell with me. You will not regret it.”
“You honestly want me to go to...Hell? Literally?” I asked, aghast at the very thought.
“That is exactly what I am proposing.” He replied, tone even. “I assume that you are an avid reader and what you have read about me and my domain has been...less than flattering. But Hell is not the epicentre of evil. Far from it.”
The fact that he used my own innermost thoughts against me made me experience a pang of guilt. Had he heard the rest?
“Yes, I did read your thoughts. Unfair, I know, but being amongst demons has to have some perks.”
Wait....did that also mean that he was aware that I had deemed him---
“Handsome? Yes.” He interrupted with a grin. “So, how about it? Are you willing to take a literal leap and return to my home with me? You said that you loved a challenge, after all, and integrating yourself by my side would be one of epic proportions. Just cast aside all of these wildly wicked assumptions that you are harbouring regarding me and my people. You have now reached the peak of your mortal profession, after all. Unless you desire to meet with God himself, that is?”
“Oh, hell no!” I scoffed, suddenly embarrassed by my poor choice of wording.
“Well then, take my hand and away we shall go.”
“But...why me?” I asked, suddenly feeling unsure of myself and my abilities, every ounce of confidence dissipating at once.
“Simply put, you intrigue me. On multiple levels.” He said, tone oozing absolute honesty. And I believed every word.
“Well, the feeling is most certainly mutual.” I responded, reassured. “Ah, I might as well. What do I have to lose, after all?”
“Only your soul.” He began to chuckle – the spectacular sound reverberating through the entirety of my body - and I joined in, as I leaped forward from my position of safety right into the very centre of the circle itself, crashing into Lucifer's shaking form as I did so.
He was completely correct, after all. I had indeed reached the pinnacle of my profession and now I needed a brand new adventure. One in a far warmer climate. There was nothing – and no one – holding me back. Therefore, I would travel forwards, taking every new, unique challenge in my stride.
“Let us depart.” Lucifer said, once he regained his balance, grasping me firmly by one hand and clicking his fingers with the other. Almost immediately, our prior surroundings began to swirl around and around, and we both blinked out of existence. On Earth, that is.
Hell was a completely different story. I aimed to clamber up the social ladder here just as I had in my home land. Soon everyone would know me by name alone. Alastor. A demon overlord like no other.