It was dark. The darkness felt solid, but at the same time, liquid, there was no way to move in that place. Seris felt as if she were submerged in a thick and infinite water.
She tried to breathe, but couldn't, no, she couldn't even move her body, if she even had one in that darkness.
Seris floated in that place for an unknown amount of time. Until a presence cut through the darkness. She couldn't see it, but she could feel it.
There was something watching her, it was strange and ancient. It seemed to have invisible eyes that looked at her from all directions.
"You brought me here… but you have nothing to offer me."
Whatever that thing was, Seris heard its voice pass through her soul, it was icy, without gender or emotion. Even though it didn't go through her ears, she understood that voice.
"Your soul is… rotten. And only because of that, you're still alive. But don't think you haven't lost anything. A price is always paid."
Seris tried to speak, to ask what it was, who it was, but she couldn't, her mouth didn't exist there. The being seemed to smile at this, she felt the emotions through the surrounding darkness.
"A fragment of you was taken. You won't notice it anytime soon. In fact, you may never notice. But what you lost will one day be missed."
Seris suddenly felt a chill. She didn't know where, since she had no body, but she felt it, it was terrifying. But at the same time, she felt a curiosity and strange excitement. Wasn't that what she was searching for?
"Do you want what you lost back?" the entity whispered.
Seris couldn't respond, but the entity seemed satisfied.
"Bring human souls. Let's form a pact. Rotten soul. And one day what you lost will be yours again."
…
..
.
With a jolt, as if she had woken up after many years, Seris opened her eyes.
In her vision, the white ceiling of the hospital appeared, a typical coldness of a reality far too mundane. The regular beeping sound coming from the monitor beside her made her want to smash it now.
She tried to move and realized she could, though she felt tired. But at least she was better than the last few days. The pain that had been ravaging her body had simply vanished.
Turning her head slowly, she saw him. Ayren was beside her, sitting on a chair beside the bed. His face was lit by the light of the cellphone. His eyes were focused on the screen and didn't seem focused on her. And without even turning to her, before she could say anything, Ayren spoke.
"So, you finally woke up." His voice was calm and, deep down, happy.
Seris swallowed hard, looking at him, and then spoke quickly.
"Ayren! Did you also make a pact with a demon?!"
Ayren stopped what he was doing as he turned off the phone screen and looked at her. His eyes were still the same, but Seris saw something she had never felt in him before. They really shined a little now.
"If I said yes… would you believe me?"
Seris hesitated for a second but nodded.
"I believe. It's impossible for someone to change so much in a few days, Ayren, you're like a new person. So it must've been something similar. I also managed to summon a demo… something like that. And that's probably why I'm here."
Ayren put the phone in his pocket, setting it aside while looking into Seris's gray eyes.
"Can you explain to me? What happened?" Ayren was taking it seriously. He knew Seris wasn't one to lie to him, and now he had reason to believe in demons. After all, he himself was something unexplainable.
"Do you remember back then? We sometimes used to research and watch videos about demonic rituals in various mythologies, especially the old ones. The weird videos, the old books from that… place. Do you remember? I… always liked those things more than I let on."
Ayren nodded slowly while listening, and hearing about that certain place, a bad memory returned, but he didn't care now.
"I do remember."
"Honestly, Ayren, the time with you was one of the few good memories I have from that place. Something that made me feel a little more alive."
"For the past three months, I've been suffering from horrible pain all over my body. I didn't know what it was and wasn't in the mood to come to the hospital. But for some reason, I knew I was dying and that it would happen soon…"
"And because of that, in the last three months, I started creating the symbols. I wanted to test it, even knowing it wasn't real. I made the symbols and the invocation rituals of all the demons. All of them. From every mythology since antiquity that I could find. Some didn't even have names."
She bit her lip but spoke, seeming excited about it.
"I used animal blood and even my own when I coughed up blood. I turned my room into a complete altar. I studied every detail. And then finally finished everything yesterday. I was going to talk to you before that. But I felt like my body wouldn't last any longer, so I decided to do the summoning."
'So that's why the room smelled so horrible. How many animals did she use to paint the whole room?' Ayren thought, but said nothing, looking at her happy smile.
"And Ayren, as soon as I finished… I did it. It worked." Seris, said with a proud smile.
Ayren still remained silent.
"You really summoned something?" he asked her, without any sarcasm.
"Yes, but I have no idea what it was. It wasn't like any known mythology described. But it was there. Actually, it was in my mind. I passed out before I noticed anything. But in my dream, it told me strange things…" Seris looked into Ayren's amber eyes and asked,
"Do you believe me?"
"Yes, I believe you. I definitely believe."
"And you? Did you also summon something?" Seris asked a little excitedly.
Ayren looked away from her and looked toward the window. Seris had slept for a whole day, and now it was dawn again.
"Something like that. But don't worry too much about it. Focus on your recovery."
Seris hesitated a little but called out to him again.
"Ayren. The demon… it said a part of me was taken. Something that will affect my life, even if I don't notice. And it said that if I want it back, I must deliver human souls in exchange for what I lost."
Ayren looked at her for a few seconds before finally answering. He walked over to the window and from there saw, several blocks away, a man in a suit punching a woman in the face before walking out the door.
"I have no idea what you should do. But… I'll support you, whatever you decide. You've already helped me a lot, and I could never repay you, but now things have changed." He said with a slight smile, trying to hide the faint disgust at what he just saw outside.
'He… Ayren.'
"So, you can smile too." Seris said, flashing a smile that showed all her teeth, one of her fangs jutting forward.
"Thanks! Ayren."
"Rest a little more. I'll be back in a few hours, and we'll talk more. I'll bring clothes and something for you." Ayren said as he said goodbye and left the room.
Already outside the hospital, Ayren walked through the still-damp streets from the night before. The sun was starting to show now.
"Demons, huh…"
"If it had been a few days ago, as much as I wanted to believe her, I would've thought she was crazy. But now… what is this?"
"Is this what they call excitement? I always imagined the world as a dull place. We both always imagined what it would be like if different things existed in this monotonous world, didn't we? Seris."
'Looks like we were heard, huh?'
He stopped in front of an almost extinct newsstand. With just a quick glance, he saw all those sensationalist headlines about politics and crime that he always thought were completely irrelevant. And now he thinks even more so.
"The world… seems more interesting than I imagined. And there's probably a lot more hidden than what appears on the surface."
He then thought about himself.
"Could the ads also be the work of some demon?"
He frowned slightly.
"No, I don't think so. Nothing answered me, nothing demanded anything. On the contrary… I'm receiving more than anything I could offer."
Ayren looked up at the sky, seeing some birds calmly flapping their wings.
"Maybe, if I help Seris, I can see her demon one day. And ask if it knows anything about me. Or about the ads." Ayren smiled slightly, thinking about the idea.
Then he headed toward a clothing store he saw about to open from the corner of his eye.
"I should buy some clothes for her. And change these homeless clothes I'm wearing too. Right?"
'I need a new cellphone too…'
"Decided. When Seris is discharged, we'll go to the mall. Buy a phone, clothes, and whatever we need. We're special now, aren't we? We need to act like it." Ayren laughed at himself thinking that he really had changed. It was kind of fun.