I was hunched over the table, having gone over the request again and again. Magnavex had explained how contracts worked and talked me down from some of my more demanding ideas, but these requirements should still give me what I wanted.
Requirements:
Must be harmless, nothing that can harm me, either on purpose or by accident.
Must be loyal to me and only me, not another Eclipseran, nor the other demons. Just me. If someone else gives an order, it should ignore them.
Must be below human-level intellect, smart enough to understand me, but not smart enough to trick me or argue back.
“Okay, I’m ready to write the real thing now,” I told Magnavex, who was sitting perfectly straight despite the long hours of work.
The imp placed a sheet of parchment and a quill on the table. The paper was cream-colored, with tufts of hair clinging to the top.
“Is—is that hair?” I pointed at it. My face drained of blood.
“Yes, my Lord.” Magnavex’s tone was calm, almost reassuring. Seeing my expression, she added, “It is a symbol of its authenticity.”
I tried to steel my voice. “Wha—what do you mean, authenticity?”
Her fingers brushed lightly across the surface. “This is grade A Caprigoyle parchment. The very best.”
Caprigoyle parchment. Not—I didn’t even want to finish the thought.
It was thick, four times as heavy as ordinary paper. The quill beside it was just as strange, the feather as long as my hand. Whatever creature it came from, I never wanted to meet it.
There was no ink on the table. I was almost afraid to ask. “Where’s the ink?”
“There is no ink, my Lord.” Magnavex gave a small nod, inviting me to begin.
I picked up the quill and tried to write, but no mark appeared. I tilted my head, glancing at her.
“You have to break the skin, my Lord,” she said patiently.
Break the skin!?!
I pressed harder. The nib pricked me, and reddish-black ink welled across the page, forming words.
Blood. They write in blood.
I froze, glancing sideways. Magnavex was watching me, her amber eyes steady, her tail stilled mid-sway. She didn’t speak, just waited.
I swallowed hard and kept writing.
Requirements:
Must be harmless, nothing that can harm me either purposely or accidentally.
Must be loyal to me and only me, not another Eclipseran nor the other demons. Just me. If someone else gives an order, it should ignore them.
Must be below human-level intellect, smart enough to understand me, but not smart enough to trick me or argue back.
“Okay… now all I need is the Nether Stone,” I said, looking at Magnavex for confirmation.
“Yes, my Lord.” She snapped her fingers, and the imp placed a large stone on the table.
I took it, uneasy after the whole bleeding-parchment ordeal. The rock was obsidian-black, smooth but oddly misshapen, cold to the touch, yet as I held it, warmth spread into the soles of my feet, like standing barefoot on sun-baked stone.
“Are you sure I shouldn’t specify the type of demon I want?” I asked.
“It is not commonly done,” Magnavex replied evenly. “The best demon for the contract will be made available to you.”
I tossed the stone once in my palm, then struck it against the parchment.
A flash of red-orange flame devoured the page, leaving only curling embers.
And then… nothing.
Until the air around the ashes chilled. Frost formed, then cracked, as the embers twisted in place. Smoke and steam rose, reshaping.
Something small stood on the scorched tabletop.
A dog.
It shook itself, scattering droplets that hissed into vapor. Its fur was an unnatural shade of purple, and its paws and tail flickered with steady blue flame, licking at the air but never burning the stone beneath.
I stumbled back a step. I had done it. I had summoned a demon.
“Magnavex… now what?” I half-whispered, half-shouted.
The dog padded toward the edge of the table and sat, its gaze fixed on me. A neat bowtie circled its neck, and from it hung a small leather-bound book.
“You need to take the book, my Lord,” Magnavex said. “That is your book of contracts.”
My heart hammered. I crept forward, moving slowly so as not to startle it. The little hound wagged its flame-tipped tail.
I reached out, and recoiled when it blew a puff of fire. For an instant the flames curled like a handlebar mustache above its snout.
It lowered its head onto its paws and closed its eyes, the blue flames licking at the book without burning it.
I scraped my chair backward, the screech echoing, but forced myself to lean in again. My fingers touched the book’s spine—
And the dog’s paw shot out, pinning my arm.
I swallowed a scream as its flames wrapped around me. But… nothing.
No pain.
It felt like pushing through a cloud, soft and restless, always trying to pull itself back together.
The hound yipped, a squeaky, ridiculous bark that scattered my fear like the smoke coming from its jaw.
I grabbed the book, unfastened it from the bowtie, and stepped back quickly.
On the cover, in bold letters: LUCARION: DEMON LORD
The page it fell open to read: Hellhound Contract Summon Requirements:
Page after page, the same words. Hundreds of them. No matter how far I turned, the contract repeated itself, relentless. As if the book held only this one commandment, etched into infinity.
Hellhound Contract Summon Requirements:
Cannot be summoned in dangerous situations.
If a dangerous situation arises, the demon may flee.
If ordered to fight in danger, the demon may break contract to disobey.
Summoner Requirements:
Must be harmless—nothing that can harm me, whether purposely or accidentally.
Must be loyal to me and only me. Not another Eclipseran, nor any other demon. Just me.
Must be below human-level intellect—smart enough to obey, not smart enough to argue.
Signature: _________________
Contract Owner: Lucarion
Contracted Hellhound: __________
“I—I have to sign it?”
“Yes, my Lord,” Magnavex replied evenly. “You must sign to agree with the requirements of the summon.”
My grip tightened on the quill. Sign it. Easy. I knew how to write my name.
What I didn’t know was how to write Lucarion’s name. In their language.
I stared at the blank line, my stomach twisting. If I wrote it wrong, would the contract reject me? Would Magnavex know I’m not the real Demon Lord?
Magnavex’s amber eyes stayed on me, calm and unblinking. The dog yawned, its blue flames curling lazily across the book’s leather.
I swallowed hard, raised the quill, and hovered over the page.
“I… I don’t know how.”