The Devil's Bargain

The Contract

In the heart of a forest where shadows spoke secrets to the trees and the moon watched like a silent sentinel, stood a humble cottage. Inside, at the edge of an altar filled with symbols from a world she barely understood, knelt a mortal witch. Her hands trembled as she clutched the ancient grimoire passed down through generations, her lips moving in quiet incantation.

Elara had always known her powers were limited. She was a witch, yes, but far from the legendary sorceresses of her lineage. With magic that could barely heal wounds or manipulate the elements, she sought something stronger. And that's when she made the decision to summon him. The Devil.

Lucifer was a name only whispered in fear, a force of darkness that no one dared to confront. Yet Elara needed him, needed the power he possessed to break a curse that had clung to her family like a leech for centuries.

The room chilled as the air thickened with the dark presence of something vast, eternal. A figure emerged from the smoke, tall, with black eyes that glittered like shards of obsidian and hair darker than the void. He wore no crown, but his mere presence carried the weight of a king - of the underworld itself.

Lucifer stood before her, his gaze sharp, cold, and indifferent.

"You've called me," he said in a voice that held the echoes of a thousand souls.

Elara swallowed her fear and stood, her breath catching as she met his eyes. "I need your help."

"And what will you offer me in return, little witch?"

"I-I'll give you my soul," she whispered, the weight of the words sitting heavily on her tongue.

Lucifer chuckled, a dark, velvety sound that sent shivers down her spine. "A soul? Yours is hardly worth the trouble. But... perhaps there's something else you can offer."

Elara hesitated. "What do you want?"

His smile curved, sharp as a knife. "You will serve me. You will be mine - body, mind, and magic."

Her heart raced. But what choice did she have? Without his help, her family's curse would consume her. So, she nodded, sealing her fate.