The devil nodded in agreement.

"You're intelligent, that's why I like you so much, Simara. You're right, I'm obviously the devil, and I'm malevolent. My nature is chaos, but I feel an affinity with you. Everything about you screams chaos and disorder."

The devil stood in front of her and continued to reason. "I know what they did to you, Simara. I know what you've been through, and I think you and I are very similar. That's why I want to help you get everything you've always wanted. Everything you deserve."

Simara began to waver.

"Why?" The question escaped softly from her lips.

"Because I know all you've suffered, and because it's fun to sow a little calamity around here. I see a couple of faces in your head, people who deserve to die, don't you?" Simara looked down at the ground.

"I figured as much," the devil guessed. "You see, I just want to help you get everything you need to make that special person die like they deserve."

"Why?" Simara asked again, and the devil rolled his eyes.

"I already told you, that calamity attracts me."

"No," Simara insisted. "What do you gain from all this? You're not offering to help me for nothing, are you?"

The devil flattered her. "You see, that's why I like you so much. You're very intelligent. I'm going to ask you a question: Do you know how old I am?" Simara shook her head.

"No? Nothing? Well, I'm ten million years old, so old that I'm dying of boredom," the being said, laughing. "I just want to find a little entertainment among all this disaster they call Earth."

"What do you want from me?" Simara asked, weakening more and more.

"I just want us to play a game together," the devil said, gesturing with his hands as if presenting a show.

Simara was stunned.

"A game?" she asked, surprised. "And how would that work?"

"Oh, it's super easy. We roll some dice, and luck decides which beings you'll have to fight. And if you win, you'll get a lot of power! So much power that you could kill Rigel, Lord Lamlaxs, and all the Lamlaxs you want without so much trouble!"

Simara began to doubt. "What kind of power would I gain?"

The devil's smile widened. "In your case, little Simara, you would gain all the gematomantic powers of all the Miorklaxs clans, from your people," Simara shuddered and looked at him with wide eyes, while the devil reveled in her reaction. "All that and much, much more. That's a lot of power, isn't it, Simara? No doubt."

"How does that work with the powers of the Miorklaxs clans?" she asked, torn between shaking hands or running away from there.

"If you accept the game, I'll give you the 'gemancy' powers of the other six clans so you can add them to the clairvoyance inherited from your Derklaxs clan and the possibility of perfecting them, so you can handle them like never before," the devil began to count on his fingers. "I'll grant you the six most coveted and envied powers in all of Gremen, those powers that your king kills to have."

Simara was perplexed.

The devil extended a cadaverous arm with a bony and decayed hand towards Simara.

"So, what do you say, Simara? Will you play?"

A chill ran through Simara's body as she gazed at the outstretched hand in front of her, waiting for her to shake it. What should she do? Simara felt that if what this being said was true, she had a unique opportunity before her.

"If I play and gain power and abilities, it's because I'm winning the game, but what happens if I lose?" Simara asked.

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The devil slightly shrugged his shoulders.

"You die. And it's irreversible to come back as a living being, but that's a low price for you if I'm not mistaken. I thought I heard you say a while ago that you had nothing left to lose. What's dying, anyway? You'll die someday, but with my game, you could gain the power to kill your cruel villain and die happy afterward. After all, I'm sure you don't plan on doing anything else with your life after that."

"Which villain are you talking about?" Simara looked at the devil's hand with gravity, processing everything the devil was telling her.

He spoke again, smiling.

"Your king, of course. I think this game favors you, but it's your choice. If you don't accept, I'll leave and let you be."

Simara didn't know what to do. She thought about Zinnia, about Olimpia. If something happened to her, her sisters would suffer, but then Simara made the mistake of remembering her mother, Nubia. She remembered her entrails scattered on the floor, her own hands stained with blood, the red stains splattered everywhere.

Simara made the decision to accept, as quickly as Nubia had decided to open the door. She slowly raised her arm until, finally, she firmly shook hands with the devil's putrid hand, which smiled in satisfaction.

As soon as Simara took his hand, the devil's hand squeezed hers with unbearable force, making the girl grimace in pain. Then she could see it. A small, ink-like dot formed on the inside of her right wrist, the hand she had clasped with the devil. The small, black mark pigmented her white skin with a halo of dark, reddish light as the devil's eye sockets appeared darker and his eyes more yellowish under his attentive gaze.

Simara raised her gaze to the dead man, and he slowly released her hand.

"Well, Sima, it's done. You and I have a deal," the devil used her nickname.

Simara hugged her own body and looked at Viko, who watched her expectantly and annoyed.

"What have you just done, you fool?" the cat told her, grumbling. "Now we're in trouble..."

The devil turned to her. "This can help us! Besides... you're not forced to follow me," Simara whispered to Viko, and then addressed the devil, "So, what are the six powers I'll gain?"

The devil was turned around, writing with a quill in an ancient book that floated in front of him.

"Calm down... calm down... You'll understand everything soon," the devil gave the book a few final touches. Then, he snapped his fingers, and the book disappeared. "You'll understand everything, and I promise we'll have a blast!"

The devil turned around, excited, and jumped up and down. He cleared his remaining vocal cords and spoke, pointing at Simara with a finger.

"You'll be my main player, and I'll say whether what you do is allowed or not. I'll be like your rulebook at your fingertips."

Simara was growing impatient. "And what do I have to do to win the six powers of the miorklaxs clans?"

"To win the six powers of the miorklaxs clans, you'll have to face a very long series of challenges, but if you win, little Simara, the reward will be so sweet that it will have been worth all the pain and suffering. Then, you can die in peace," the devil made a gesture with his hand to conclude his speech. "That's... phenomenal and terrifying."

Simara just stared at the fire. The devil smiled, waved his hand, and the fire disappeared. They were left in darkness, and Simara could only see the black color of Viko as a shadow on the floor, right next to her.

The devil's voice was heard through the darkness.

"Let's start right now. I want to have fun. Let's see who you are for now."

Simara's heart skipped a beat in her chest and began to pound rapidly.

"We'll have a lot of fun, Simara Novak. You're the player with the least skills I've ever met. But something tells me you'll grow. Just let me check my book," the devil pointed at her with a finger and then carefully studied the book he had in his hand, reading it.

"As I thought," the devil said, bringing a hand to his chin. Simara felt increasingly desperate. Her idea had always been real, and all her bad thoughts were real.

"I'm good for nothing," she thought sadly.

"It seems you already have a small ally, Simara," the monster said, raising his gaze towards Viko. "Although he's small, you have the first member of your team, your cat."

Simara's heart swelled with happiness and tenderness as she looked at the small black cat by her side. "My friend, Viko," Simara thought, and picked up the kitten from the floor, hugging him tightly against her chest.

"Are you sure, Viko?" the girl asked him.

"You'd die without my help," the cat told her with annoyance and bravado. Simara chuckled but stopped when she realized that, even with his help on her humble team, a cat was a small being. They wouldn't have a great advantage.

"Sir..." Simara called out to the devil, snapping him out of his reverie. "Can you help us in some way... by giving us a weapon or something?"

The devil burst out laughing at Simara's nervous and frustrated gaze. "What? Do you already want to get to that part?"

Simara didn't understand anything.

"Is there more I should know?"

"Of course, much more," the corpse replied. "It's a very long game, and we have a long road ahead of us. But I didn't expect you to ask me for this resource without having started."