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Arrangements were easily made, the other knights were naive, pliable to the point he could just ask them for the paint and candles: no questions asked. Right now, he stood in the middle of the forge room. The old tome felt forbidden to hold. His hands thrummed with an electric energy one could only attribute to magic.
One moment, Zelos stood before the crude summoning circle, hastily drawn and adorned with blue candles. The next, a bright burst of cerulean flashed before him, clouds of smoke pouring in to obscure his vision.
He had planned on summoning a foul beast of a demon, the most powerful demon stated in the tome he discovered. One that could grant him all of his desires, propel him to be the strongest in the world. With its power, he cou- would be the best.
The demon, he envisioned, would hulk over him: colossal and powerful. A force to be reckoned with, one that earned it the title, the name,
‘’Mephisto.’’
The smoke seemed to stop moving for a second, Zelos could now make out a vague silhouette of a figure. It stood still, almost as if sizing him up. He felt eyes trained on him. With battle- violence ingrained in his blood, if he had to fight this demon to get his desires granted then it would be one he couldn’t lose.
He raised his sword-
‘’What do you want, mortal?’’
Vision growing less cloudy as the smoke dissipated into the air, he could finally make out his summon.
Mephisto was not at all what Zelos imagined him to be, where muscles should have bulged, a great lack thereof was present. He was skinny, scrawny, tall yes but his jagged horns certainly added more than 9 inches to him. Without them, he would be barely high enough to reach his nose. The candles which shone a bright orange before now casted a flickering blue light.
‘’Getting distracted, hmm? Are you so afraid that you’ve forgotten how to speak entirely?’’ The devil snickered, the flames that surrounded him flickered brighter. He was… mocking him. Zelos burned at the thought of that.
‘’I want to make a deal with you.’’ He spoke through gritted teeth. Through his helmet gaps he could make out how the devil's eyes crinkled at that. Mephisto gave a wry smile as he leaned back, resting his weight on one hip.
‘’So he does talk.’’ He muttered, ‘’Anyway, I’m guessing from this.. less than standard summoning circle you have some knowledge about this procedure works but not much?’’ Mephisto adjusted his eyeglass and waved a practised hand, blue flames trailing it. A piece of blank parchment materialised into his hand.
‘’I know enough. You can give me anything I want.’’
Zelos' gaze followed his hand. ‘’For a price, of course.’’ He finished quickly. Glancing down, he noticed the cerulean hands that sprouted from Mephisto’s body. He observed as they twisted fiery fingers around his hair, an action unbefitting the devil's overall demeanour.
After a long moment of stretched out silence, Mephisto finally replied. ‘’You should know, as a demon, I can see the inner workings of your soul.’’ He extended a pale grey hand towards the knight's warm chest, tracing the indented groovings.
‘’Your strengths, your weaknesses, your burning inferiority complex.’’ His palm pressed against the armour. ‘’I see it all.’’
Zelos stiffened, a tingling warmth spreading where the demon touched his chestplate. What was he doing? Is this an attack? If it was, he was a fool, it would not take long for him to completely sever the head from the demon's body. As long as he dealt with the flaming hands first.
‘’Ah- ah- ah!’’ Mephisto teased, the cerulean hands curled around Zelos. Dainty yet stronger than he anticipated, cyan fingers locked him in place.
‘’If you do really want a pact with me, dear knight,’’ He lifted a hand and covered his giddy countenance, ‘’You have to give me something most precious to yourself.’’ In their minds, they both knew there was only one answer.
Zelos bellowed a smug laugh. ‘’Easy, I offer myself then! In exchange you, Mephisto, shall give me all of your power so I may smite my rival and all of those who stand against me.’’ He opened his clenched fist, the multitude of hands loosened enough to where he could stretch out an open palm to the devil.
‘’Deal?’’
Mephisto’s eyes lit up with an emotion Zelos did not recognise, he didn’t even think it was a human emotion. If it was, the mixture of desire, excitement and elation that fostered in the devil's eyes conjured one single word: ecstacy. He ambled over to the paralysed knight, closing both hands around the outstretched palm.
‘’With my power, you will have the power to acquire anything you wish, drink from the tallest chalice, slaughter and begin the endless victory against your rivals- enemies- anyone who opposes you. As my price, you will be bound to me in and for eternity. Nothing can ever break this link. Neither death nor penance can save you now’’
The hands seemed to cage Zelos in ever further, glowing blue where they connected with his body. A feeling like electricity grew stronger and thrummed in his nerves. He watched with a sadistic glee as he felt the newfelt power seeping into his bones
‘’Good, I was never one for repentance anyway.’’
An overwhelming feeling washed over Zelos, compelling him to kneel at the devil's feet: a sick inversion of worship. Mephisto’s eyes narrowed at his sudden reverence, a wavering fire hand coming to tilt Zelos’ chin towards him. To both of their surprises, he yielded with utmost obedience.
‘’With this pledge, my soul is bound to you alone.’’ His voice was soft, almost vulnerable.
In response to his sentence, the devil said nothing. Only opting to tilt his head and peer into the depths of Zelos’ soul. From deep within, the knight could feel something stir. At first, it was only a mild discomfort but as the silence grew so did the pain.
It was a gradual ache, beginning from his heart
His insides burned.
A churning, aching, retching pain clawed its way through Zelos’ organs: heart, lungs, liver, nerves, stomach- It took every ounce of strength not to bring up his sword and pierce the eyes of the demon, his pledgee, in front of him. Anything to rid himself of this pain.
But all stood still in the eye of the storm. Zelos could hear nothing but the blood rushing in his ears and Mephisto’s silent words he could not catch, for his body grew weak and faint. His armour pulled him down so much more now, the added weight of his sins bearing gravely on his body. But soon, he would grow used to this. He had to.
‘’I’m not one to pass up such a deal with such an exciting person such as yourself,’’ Mephisto caressed the side of his pledger's helmet, Would this one be different from the rest?
He peered at his knight through half lidded eyes.
‘’Don’t disappoint me, Zelos.’’