> Why are the elves attacking us? We convened with their diplomatic party and sent them back with a positive response!

>

> - Former ruler of Konigsreich, Herr Albrecht

I wake up and and open my eyes but see nothing but dark. A sensation of frost and moisture is completely encompassing. Immediately the pain returns from head to foot and every bit of me is screaming in pain. The cold seeps into me and it is somehow worse than the pain. It overshadows the pain and sinks down to my bones, no, it goes further. It reaches beyond the material and into my very soul. It’s enough to make a man give up and accept his fate. The embrace of the progenitor and re-entering the cycle of reincarnation would be better than the chill, and the pain.

As soon as the though of giving up enters my mind, I see the face of my daughter. The promise I gave her at the border of our village as I left for the front, that my service this cycle would be my last. To return and put my weapons down. To leave the fighting to the younger men. And, much to my chagrin, to introduce her to a cute boy of which I would approve. I smile as the memory flickers across my mind. I’m alive if barely. I must make it back.

I set the cold and pain aside and focus on my breathing, focusing on steadying it out and trying to obtain a complete breath of air. From there I tense my muscles and find that the material around me moves and light beings to filter in. I try to move my left hand and grind my teeth together finding that it is still lame. My right arm is more mobile and I’m able to slowly dig myself out of the now collapsed trench.

Dig.

Wiggle.

Turn.

Dig.

Unfathomable time passes and I make my way out of what was fated to be my grave. The heavens still glow green with the aftermath of the world’s intervention. I hear nothing but the moaning of the yet-to-be corpses of my comrades. The scent of life and earth, death and burning flesh, and a whiff of sulfur reach my nose. Finally managing to roll over, I see a field of corpses and not much else. I spot the melted abomination from beyond still wriggling and writhing.

I push myself up to a sitting position and hear a noise behind me. Turning around, I find myself facing what would be a beautiful woman, if not for her dark blue skin and the black abyss like portals where her eyes should be.

“Hm? It looks like Ygdie missed one.”

Her voice rings out across the field. It would have been a beautiful and melodic voice but for her visage and the worsening chill reaching further into my soul. She looks at me and smiles, revealing the sharp and predatory teeth. I finally notice the horns on her head parting her long, straight black hair. A set of four reaching to the sky, appearing as spires, ending in fine points. My eyes widen involuntarily. My mouth moves before I can think about it.

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“D-De-Demon!”

I will admit, this isn’t my best moment. What are you supposed to do when a being like that turns their attention to you? It took all I had not to just pass out again. The pejoratives we used for the sorcerous races, demon, devil, what have you, feel minuscule compared to the being in front of me. If I survive, I will reserve them for the true horrors out there. And then she continues speaking.

“While I am more closely classified as a devil, you are technically correct, the best kind of correct. One thousand kingly treasures for you!”

Her horrific smile widens as she approaches. I try to ask why she is getting closer but only one word manages to leave my lips.

“Wh-Why?”

I involuntarily shiver when she begins speaking again.

“Hmm, why? Isn’t that the question we all want answers to? Why are we here? Why were we created? Why do we suffer?”

“I collect souls to survive and increase my power. Stopping by while old Ygdie is blinded by his own smiting is a good way to collect some souls and not get myself also smote in the process. You could call it a gentle touch, something the horrors from beyond, thankfully, don’t seem to get.”

She reaches me and gently squats to get closer to my level. The odious smell of sulfur fills my nose.

“You are one lucky mortal. Your will to live is strong enough to keep your heart moving even with a bit of your soul missing. It’s actually quite impressive…”

She touches my face with her clawed fingers, cutting and cauterizing at the same time, leaving a trail of burnt flesh. I flinch back but the heat emanating from her is almost a relief from the growing cold coming from my deepest parts. She looks out at the few bodies still left on the field.

“My collection is progressing too slowly just trailing after incursions. You will soon die of a collapsing soul if not repaired. We will make a pact. I will plug the holes in your soul. In exchange, you will provide me with a portion of the souls of the beings you kill.”

My arms give out as I collapse, looking up at the face of a true demon, a devil incarnate. I can feel the truth of her statement. The pain has already left. Only the cold remains as it continues to deepen. I think of home, of Isolde.

“Will I be able to return home? Will I see my Isolde again?”

Her smile widens beyond human limits. My heart falls, I feel as if I’m making a metaphorical deal with the devil. I suppose the truth is that I actually am. She reaches out her hand and responds.

“You will only be able to return home if you accept my deal.”

Even with my mind in the state it is, I notice that she didn’t answer the second question. Worry begins to consumes my mind and my fear for the one in front of me is replaced with concern for my daughter. Will my Isolde be fine? Is she in trouble? Did something terrible, unthinkable happen? I want to sprint straight home to see her.

Her eyes wrinkle. The smile becomes genuine when she realizes that I noticed her omission. What is left of the fear in my heart is replaced with anger. I do not like being manipulated but for my daughter, I have no choice. I reach out and grasp her proffered hand. It burns worse than a hearth poker left in the coals. I grit my teeth and say:

“I accept”

Her smile reaches the lobes of her ears. All of her teeth are sharp.

“Then sleep while I work. We don’t have much time left.”

She touches my forehead with a claw and the world goes dark.

I dream. My home is on fire. Isolde is nowhere to be found. The devil’s laughing cackles in my head. And then, nothing.