The Pact
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Lunchtime went much faster with the two friendly adventurers around; Zaria almost didn’t realize everyone was done eating because of the riveting conversation. Eva was called to the alchemy lab immediately after lunch, so Starlight and Gemma offered to walk with Zaria back to the bedrooms. Apparently, their rooms were close by since they were all part of the same party.

The three didn’t speak for most of the trip. Normally, Zaria would’ve preferred this, but it was so off-putting after seeing how boisterous her party members usually were. 

She eventually had to break the silence. “Thank you for your company.”

Starlight smiled. “I am thankful for your company as well.”

“Y’all realize we don’t have to be so formal, right?” Gemma said. “We’re all friends here. Or I’d like us all to be.”

“I think I’d like that, too…” Zaria said. “But… we just met today.”

“Yeah, and I’ve already decided I liked you today.”

“You also have left fine impressions on me as well,” Starlight said. 

“Oh? Well, um… I like you both, too.”

The rest of the walk was silent again, but this time, Zaria found it comforting.

 


 

Zaria spent the rest of the day unpacking. 

Sometime after sundown, Starlight and Gemma knocked on her door to invite her to eat dinner. When it became obvious she wasn’t up for the crowded mess hall, the two offered to just bring a tray of food to her room after they ate. 

One final hour and a dinner break after that, Zaria’s half of the room was completely set up. Eva was still gone, so the room had the same quiet solitude as back home. 

The familiar peace also helped Zaria slip seamlessly into her nightly routine. She studied her magic text until it was bedtime, and after throwing on her baggy sleeping clothes, she switched to more recreational novels before slipping into a well-earned sleep. 

 


 

Zaria rose from her bed. Her room was dimly-lit despite the lights still being off. When she checked outside, the window revealed nothing but pitch blackness outside. The longer she stared, the less she seemed to be able to see through the window. She looked around the rest of the room, yet she couldn’t pinpoint a source of light. 

The wizard pulled her blanket up to cover herself more. “Eva…?” 

A groan came from under the covers of Eva’s covers. Instead of her short, skinny friend, there seemed to be a taller and thicker figure. However, if the moderate difference in build hadn’t given it away, the real source of alarm was a tail with a heart-shaped point dangling off the side of the bed.

Zaria reached out to summon her staff to her hand, but when she looked toward her desk, it wasn’t even there.

“Oh, whoops, my bad,” the stranger’s voice said.

The staff suddenly appeared in her lap. Zaria dismissed her shock then immediately used it to surround herself in a magical barrier.

“Just throwing up defenses? That’s different.” The stranger sat up, still bundled up in the blanket so only her head was revealed. Her skin was an intense red, and sharp horns jutted straight up from her temples. But her face was soft and round with a mellow expression, framed by messy curls that reached well past her shoulders. The contrast almost disarmed the vigilant wizard. “Not that I’m complaining, I guess. It sucks when adventurers start attacking me when I just want to talk.” 

The stranger yawned. “Guess I’m still tired. I had to work overtime to make this room because I didn’t realize you’d be sleeping in a new bedroom. Plus, you go to bed way too early. I was hoping to get a longer nap in.”

“I’m sorry,” Zaria said reflexively.

“Nah, you’re fine. It just means I get to talk to you sooner. So… ‘sup?”

Zaria had many questions but wasn’t sure where to start.

“Oh, just pick a random one. You usually sleep… eight hours, right? Like a good wizard girl.” The stranger giggled. “We have plenty of time.”

“You have psychic magic?” As soon as she made the revelation, the wizard immediately noticed a faint magical presence touching her thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m too lazy to turn it off, and you’re too new to this to block me out. I can pretend I’m not reading your mind, though, if it’ll make you feel more comfortable.”

“Um… yes, please.” 

The stranger giggled again. “You’re so polite. Oh, that reminds me! Where are my manners?” 

The stranger started to stand atop the bed. She seemed to be wearing a sleeping gown under her blanket, but as she rose, it clung to her torso and morphed into a dress shirt that was buttoned up to the third button from the top. As the blanket fell from her shoulders, it shrunk and split into two halves. One gripped her hips and transformed into a tiny skirt, and the other turned into a vest. “My name is Alice.” She gave a curt bow.

Glancing down, Zaria realized she was wearing her suit from before. Well, whatever this situation was, at least she could just pretend it was a business meeting; she knew how to act at those. Zaria sat up on her bed then returned the stranger’s gesture. “Aza… Zaria. Um, just… Zaria.” The name felt foreign on her tongue but a strange ease washed over her. “I’m a novice wizard.”

“Wow, that’s so cool! I bet you study some neat forms of magic.” She winked, and Zaria could feel the psychic presence a bit stronger in her head for a second. Almost as if it were… nudging her? In her brain? Zaria made a mental note to do more reading on telepathy if she got the chance.

“Right… So if this isn’t my room, where am I?” Zaria asked.

“Oh, um… Well, usually I don’t wanna overexplain it. Most people aren’t familiar with psychic magic, after all. But for some reason, I think you’d understand.” Another wink. “You’re still sleeping in your new bedroom, but I stretched your consciousness into my plane.”

“Another plane?” Zaria eyed Alice’s horns. “Hell?”

“Ugh, no, not that stuffy place. I’m a demon, not a devil. This is the Abyss.”

“Oh, that’s… better?”

The demon girl shrugged. “Depends on which territories you visit. I’m biased, but I think my region is pretty chill. Plus, lust demons spend the most time around you mortals, so we’re probably the easiest to get along with.”

“I should’ve guessed lust demon!” Zaria pressed her palm to her forehead. “Natural psychic powers and a humanoid appearance should’ve been a huge giveaway.”

“Aw, you’re fine. You probably are just stressed from, well, being brought here without a heads up first.”

“Thanks…?” Zaria bolstered her barrier spell after realizing how relaxed she’d gotten around her captor. “So why did you bring me here, anyway?”

“Oh, oops, I forgot to get to that. Alright, so as you probably know, a soul isn’t sent to our realm unless they’re like ‘evil’ or whatever. But like, those types of people don’t usually make good lust demons. That’s why we lust demons have been popping in on people’s dreams trying to recruit people to willingly join us to bolster our numbers. As compensation, we’ll let you live half of your original lifespan in your material plane, but you’ll have our support to help you achieve your deepest wishes.” 

“So you’re trying to make me trade away half my lifespan?” 

“Well, we’re trying to trade for you. We want competent—and cute—workers, but most people aren’t ready to just pack up and move to the Abyss immediately. That’s why we offer to help you solve any unfinished business first.”

“I still don’t see how this is supposed to tempt me into being corrupted into a demon.”

“Woah, ‘corrupted’ is a strong word. No one labels being turned into a celestial creature—an incredibly similar process—as ‘corruption.’ What a disgusting way of describing it.” Alice stuck out her tongue like a horrible aftertaste was stuck on it. “All we really do is expose your soul to abyssal energy until it adapts to safely exist in the Abyss. You can negotiate for what kind of body you want. In fact, since we want to recruit you to the lust demons, we can just teach you to shapeshift into any body you want.”

“Wait… Any body?”

“Yes, any body.” Alice sat at the edge of her bed. “Zaria, I’ve been a lust demon my whole life. Really, that means I’ve got to live as me, whatever name or gender or any other label I think… I know fits me. It’s my greatest privilege, and when I applied for this recruitment job, my goal was to find people who needed this privilege. I can’t imagine what it’s like being stuck in a situation—in a body—that just doesn’t feel right.”

Zaria’s felt a sharp pain in her chest. “Oh.” 

A pause.

Eventually, Zaria dropped her barrier and put down her staff. “I should think about this.”

“Yeah, no prob! I can come back—”

“I should think about this, but…” Zaria looked down at herself. She was back in her baggy pajamas, but underneath, she could feel the wrongness of her form. “I don’t want to think about it any longer. I’ll make the deal.”

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