The Demon's Contract

The contract

A casual chatter and occasional laughter filled the room. The banquet hall was filled with people, all relatives gathered to celebrate the 25th wedding anniversary of Matt Bansing and his wife Evelyn. Michael stood a bit to the side with a glass of champagne in his hand and watched his parents talk with his grandmother of his mothers side. The cry of a baby caught his attention and he smiled when he noticed his little nephew had woken up and let his mother know how hungry he felt right now. His cousin was the first in their family to give birth to the next generation and he knew he wanted children of his own one day, but not yet. It was great to see all his uncles and aunts, cousins and grandparents again and he enjoyed being at this party.

None of these people knew what he did outside of college and maybe that was for the best. They would only be worried. Being a demon hunter wasn't without risk, but he was good at it. He was one of the better agents of the organisation. What he lacked in physical strength, and compared to most other agents he really wasn't strong, he made up for memorizing and performing the necessary rituals and spells.

The door opened and a figure dressed in a purple trenchcoat entered. His yellow skin and long white hair drew all the attention to him and the room became dead silent. The purple eyes moved around until they settled on the reason of his arrival.

"Michael," the demon said. His voice was smooth and filled with determination, even if he hadn't stated his business yet, it was clear he wouldn't take no for an answer. His posture had a certain elegance to it, but showed a great confidence at the same time. The confidence of a powerful being who knew no-one in this room could match his strength.

"Xantier," Michael whispered. He knew this demon only through books, he had never met him face to face. The yellow-skinned demon was one of the higher demons and from what he had heard, a dangerous one too. "Weren't you banished?"

"Do you really think they could keep me locked away?" Xantier asked, his voice filled with disdain. He walked further into the room as if he owned the place and he kept his eyes focussed on Michael. These other humans were of no interest to him. "Let us get to the point of my visit," Xantier continued calmly, "I've always wanted to have the soul of a strong spellcaster, so decided I want your soul, Michael."

Michael tensed up. "And you think I would give it to you?" he asked as he moved his right hand towards the pocket of his jeans.

"Of course not," Xantier said as he waved his hand in a dismissive way. He continued to walk over to Michael with an ominous smirk. "No human has ever given their soul freely, but that has never stopped me from obtaining them."

As Michael reached into his pocket to get the charm he needed for a spell or a banishing ritual, Xantier lifted a hand and spoke a single word in a demonic language. The building shook violently and a red band came out of nowhere, curling around the people in the room within seconds. A chasm opened beneath their feet and flames burned vigorously in the bottom of the chasm. The heat coming from it was intense and the room glowed in an orange light. Michael looked at it, there was only one explanation as to why this demon was able to produce something this big with just one word: he had prepared the spell outside and this word was what completed it. If the demon would have started his spell here, he might have been able to stop it. His fingers folded around the charm and he pulled it from his pocket.

"Don't do anything hasty now," the demon hissed. "I have your family in my grasp. They are... how do you humans call it? My hostages. And I will offer a trade, you will sign my contract which will allow me to take your soul when you die and I won't throw them into the fiery pits of hell."

Michael looked at his relatives, he could see their fear and tears. Maybe he could save them. His hand gripped the charm more tightly and he opened his mouth.

"Do you really think," Xantier spoke slowly, but with satisfaction in his voice, "that you will be able to complete your ritual before I release them? All I need is a snap of my fingers, so to speak. Be a good boy and drop your charm."

Judging by the smirk, Xantier knew it would take longer than that, just as Michael knew that. For a brief moment he pondered if he should try anyway, this demon was dangerous and had to be banished. His relatives wouldn't be the only victims. Then he heard his newborn nephew cry and his cousin trying to hush it while crying herself. They would all die. And if they did, who would he have left? But he'd have to give up his soul... but they would die... Could he really do this? But if he didn't... He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "Okay," he whispered as he dropped the charm. "I will sign your contract if you will let them live."

"Good boy," the demon said as if he talked to a dog. As he walked over to Michael, he opened the trenchcoat and retrieved a rolled-up scroll and a pen. "You know how it works. Sign it at the bottom and your soul will belong to me. After that I will let your family go."

With a trembling hand, Michael took the pen and scroll and he opened it. The text was straightforward enough, it said the owner of the contract, Xantier, from now on owned his soul and could claim it when he died. He looked at his family once more and he could see one of his uncles shake his head, but what choice did he have? It was either this or his family. Xantier spoke the truth, there was nothing he could do before the demon would kill them all. He wrote his name at the bottom of the contract and gave it back to the yellow demon. What else could he do?

Xantier took it and looked at the name with a pleased smile, before he rolled it up and put it in his inner pocket again. The chasm closed and he theatrically snapped his fingers to remove the binding spell. With that done he looked at the boy in front of him. "Come," he said to him. "We're leaving to my realm."

"What?" Michael's head jerked up and he looked at the demon. "But that wasn't..."

"Your soul belongs to me," Xantier hissed as he leaned forward. "How can I own a soul if the vessel is not with me?" The smirk he showed was anything but pleasant. "You belong to me now, boy. Your soul and your body. You will serve me until it's time for me to collect what you gave to me when you signed the contract." He pointed to Michael's relatives. "I can always throw them in the chasm if that's what you prefer. What would I care about the lives of humans? Killing one of one hundred makes no difference, but I'm a demon of my word. Come with me and I will not harm them. It is as simple as that. All I want is you."

Michael swallowed heavily, but lowered his head in acceptance. Selling his soul hadn't been an easy decision, it was the most prized possession anyone had after all, but he had expected to be killed for it as soon as he had signed the paper. Instead, he had to serve the demon first. He couldn't even begin to image what that would be like. He heard his father say his name and he looked up at him with grief and fear battling for a place in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could Xantier opened a portal and dragged him along.