The Dead Masters - Scarlett: The World We Own
You might find life in the Society as normal, but outside the thick, metal walls were not even a life form. Maybe one can find another place like the Society, but that would be far, far away, and nobody was sure that one can slip through the frozen plains, the rampaging hailstorm and the chilling wind, before one reach another surviving place. Forget reaching there; surviving was deemed impossible.
This world had come to its end.
This is the explanation of the Wise Ones, when asked about the prolonged winter and absence of any life forms within miles. The world had turned into a white globe of ice, unaccommodating of life. They claimed that the atmosphere was already razed, and thus, although sunlight could reach Earth, it was constantly escaping, and thus the ice quickly and unnaturally melt, and will then freeze again any moment, falling as heavy hailstorm. Oxygen was, as the studies had stated, present in the air, but there was no telling whether this condition can continue.
Whatever the reason may be, people already accepted the fact that their warm, blissful days were then only memories, and what lies ahead was hardship and difficulties, for God himself had punished mankind and would completely destroy humanity soon. How then, Scarlett wondered, did the Society survived in this situation for over twenty years?
The answer may lie within the thick, ancient book opened in front of her. The room was lit only by green orb; an illumination that left the room almost as dark as the starless sky. The silence filling the room would give goosebumps, but Scarlett was used to such setting. In such a mysterious room, Scarlett was staring intently at the book, probably trying to decipher the ancient language written. She the gave out a shrug, closing the book. It seemed that the next page onward were much harder than the previous ones.
"Is there a point in reading with such darkness?" she asked herself.
However, it was stated in the first pages of the book that the important text in the ancient book cannot be read without the vile rays of the Orsaic Orb; a green orb that hardly light up the room. She could feel her eyes becoming blurry if she used such dim light for too long, for not only it fails to ward away darkness, but there's also something evil about the orb that somehow played with her sanity. Nevertheless, she gambled it to reach the secret behind the survival of the Society. What's so fun about occultism without risk, anyway?
So far, the only conclusion Scarlett could draw from what had been understood was the the survival of mankind was possible because of the 'Demon of Contract'. 'He' was referred to by many names: 'demon contractor', 'contract demon', 'devilander', and many more. This former ruler of the demon world was, at that very moment, believed to be walking on Earth, seeking desperate men to make a pact with him and give him what he wanted. As the world was already ended, it is inevitable that many people was desperate; plea such as 'please let me survive' or 'please let my family lives' were indeed common.
For every wishes, the cost had always been the same if one is to make a pact with 'him'; living sacrifices. Of course depending on the magnitude of the plea, the number of the sacrifice required differs. The person would only need to state the name of the person to sacrifice; and the demon would take the soul of the sacrifice himself. However, one cannot choose an enemy or a stranger, and the demon was said to twist the mind so that the person making a contract would sacrifice a person dearest to them.
Once a person became a sacrifice, an inscription will be placed by the demon on the body, until the day of relinquish. Only certain people with high spiritual power could see this inscription. Further details of the inscription was possibly written in the following part of the book, so Scarlett was unsure about it. However, this conclusion had drawn Scarlett into one big question - who had made the contract?
Apart from the pact, the book also mention about an event called the 'Hell Colosseum'. It was a form of entertainment for the demon. Again, she was in the middle of such article when she found the language gradually becomes more difficult. She was left wondering about such event.
"I can tell you more about it," was the voice of an old man, as though he had seen through Scarlett's mind.
A sudden appearance of an unfamiliar old man had frozen Scarlett. There was such an evil pressure around him that she was unable to even show her surprised reaction. She was left staring at the old man, whose face was not clearly seen due to poor lighting of the orb. But even without seeing his scary face, one could tell that the old man emits a dangerous, murderous intent.
"I am the person you had been curious about for this past months. I am the very existence described and explained fully in this ancient book. Aren't you happy? I am the 'Demon of Contract'."
The declaration had evoked mixed feelings in her heart. True, she was quite excited to witness the existence of such great demon, for she was undoubtedly a fan of the underworld, the admirer of the untouchable. However, it would be a lie to say that there are no fear involved; something so pressurizing implied nothing but vile danger and lump of hatred and evil.
"What do you want?"
"Eheheh, don't be so rude girl," he then moved to pat her head, while keeping his face hidden in the shadow. She then realized that it was not the intense demonic aura that kept her from reacting; it was the flow of time disrupted by such overwhelming presence. Outside, the falling snow had become a floating white wisps. The clock was never ticking; indeed, time had stopped. "As an apology, I'll give you a free information regarding the 'Hell Colosseum', but only for a bit."
However, now that Scarlett was free of the binds of the disrupted time, the first thing she did was to ran away in fear, unconsciously taking the orb as she ran, leaving the demon alone in the darkness. This didn't seem to bother the old man.
"In the eternal darkness called the 'Hell Colosseum'," he started, as if reciting of poem, "broken souls of humanity shall face despair and death, for only one would survive and lived to see another day." The old man stepped slowly towards her, sending chill down her spine.
"And the broken soul was: Durge Eltiorra."
Was it because of sheer fear? Was it because of pity, knowing that a friend had such a tragic fate? Was it because of the possibility of being unable to see him again? Was it love? She truly didn't know. What she knew was, tears was rolling down her cheek. Was there really not a way? She didn't even fully understand what this 'Hell Colosseum' did to the Society. But if only one could survive, she truly wished for him to win.
That's right; a wish!
Standing before her was the very existence of wish-granting creature. Although demonic, the fact that your desire can be granted always stays within the mind of Scarlett. She could feel her common sense blurring, her mind confused, her body drained of energy. If she could only move her mouth, she could make a wish, and at that moment she was filled with the intention, the desire to save a friend - she wished she could be more. The desire got the better of her.
"Please... Please let me participate in the 'Hell Colosseum'...."
Though she knew that only one could survive, she didn't mind sacrificing herself for the one she truly loved most. She could help him survive till the end, and then bow before him and offer her very live to him. Yes, that was plausible, she thought to herself. Thus joining the event could help him. Yes, she could save Durge. It was indeed a relief to know that all her occult knowledge could be put to use. Durge, she could save Durge. Her vision was filled with the illusion of his face, smiling as he thanked her. She would do anything and everything for him.
"The sacrifice?"
She could feel her eyes bulging out of shock. How could she be such a fool? The demon stopped inches in front of her, his bloodshot eyes telling her that she knew the rule. It was foolish, but no matter how hard she plead for, a contract could never be returned, especially against an existence beyond herself.
Durge? It was Durge. The only reason for the wish, the very man she wanted to save, was undoubtedly the sacrifice the demon wanted. As a wicked grin struck her vision, she could only deny such cruel fate, such idiocy, and she really wanted to scream, even if nobody was to listen to her. Durge, no, she wanted-
"Durge..."
The old man let a terrible laugh. The rumor that the demon would twist one's sanity was proven that very instance, for Scarlett had not realized what her whisper had done to her own wish. The old man retreated, and when he was fully covered by shadow he disappeared. A clang of blade followed next; a dagger of immense demonic power fell in place of the demon. Scarlett could do nothing but fall to her knees, realizing that the very instant she wished to the demon, she had lost everything. Only her sobs filled the viscous silence.
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