Jason narrowed his eyes. ‘There are two possibilities for my current situation. I might have been rescued in time, and I am currently dreaming. Judging from my clear train of thought, this is unlikely. The other more likely possibility is that I really have died, and I am in some sort of afterlife. From the gloomy appearance of my surroundings, this is most likely hell. No surprise there.’ He chuckled.

From the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed a being, standing atop the water. He immediately turned around, lowering his body in a stance to either fight or run. ‘Hmm. An unknown being? Unknown abilities. I’m sure that there was nothing when I looked around just moments ago. Red skin, horns, sleek, predator-like figure … Most likely a demonic being of some sort. Definitely more powerful than I.’

After a lightning-fast analysis, he straightened his back and wore a large smile, as if he was delighted to meet the creature. He bowed low, one hand to his chest, his etiquette and mannerisms the perfect picture of a subordinate greeting his superior. “Hello, there. I am Jason Mendalez, how may I address you?”

The creature chuckled. “You are an interesting one, Jason Mendalez. I am Azazel, Lord of all Devils, Origin of Sin.”

Fear seized Jason’s heart. The moment the creature, no, Devil, spoke its name, a deep and primal terror awoke within Jason, a fear of the being before him encoded in his very soul. As much as he prided himself on having a calm, rational thought process and perfect acting skills, he could not help but shudder in fear as sweat rolled down his back. He resisted the urge to run and kept his head bowed. A small part of him hoped that not looking at the Devil would decrease the terror he felt radiate from the Devil’s body.

“I have been watching you for a while, Jason”

‘Shit. That can’t be good.’

“You are quite an interesting human. You do not have any morals, and you delight in the suffering of others. This is a very unusual trait, for humans that is.”

“I-I see…” Jason fought to keep the tremble out of his voice, trying his best to sound as deferential as possible.

“This is a trait, that is normally found in devils, not humans.”

‘I don’t like where this is going… Fuck, fuck, fuck! What does he want with me??’

As Azazel spoke in a deep, slow tone, Jason’s rational mind slowly started to break down under the invisible pressure and aura of fear that the Devil seemed to radiate. Somewhere deep in his heart, he screamed in rage and indignance, to be reduced from a proud, elegant man to a quivering piece of shit before the being before him.

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Azazel smiled, his eyes narrowing for a moment. “So, you have caught my interest. Jason, would you like to make a deal with me?”

Jason raised his head, shock plastered on his face.

“A-a d-d-deal?”

“Yes, Jason. A deal. I shall allow you a second chance at life, a great opportunity that many can only dream of. You shall be reborn as a devil in Hell. In exchange, you will be my servant, and follow my every command. Rejoice, Jason Mendalez, for this is the greatest opportunity of your life.”

‘What!? Reborn as a devil? What should I do as a devil? And follow his every command? It’s clear I will be his slave. Well, it’s obvious I have no choice, do I?’

After ruminating for a moment, Jason tried his best to put up a smile, and went on one knee. “Of course, my Lord. I am grateful for this chance, and I accept your deal.”

The Devil, Azazel, grinned widely, his lips parting far too widely, exposing jagged teeth. “Good. At least you’re a smart one. As for what a devil should do? Well, we require souls for sustenance, and we make deals with mortals to get them. As for the rest, that’s up to you to figure out.” As he spoke, he flicked his fingers, and with a spark, a flaming contract appeared, floating above his clawed hands.

He handed the contract to Jason.

“Press your hand on the contract, Jason.”

His tone was polite, but it was clear that there was no refusing him. Jason took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and shoved his hand into the flames. He screamed as the flames of the contract burned his body- no, his soul, as it made a mark on the contract. He collapsed to the floor, sticking his hand into the dark waters. Panting and groaning for a while, he collected himself before getting up and facing his new Master.

“How may this humble servant serve you, Master?” He gritted his teeth and put on his most ingratiating expression.

Azazel chuckled as he snapped his fingers, the contract disappearing into nothingness.

“Tell me, Jason, what do you think would be the best idea for entertainment?”

Jason glanced up, confused. He thought about everything Azazel said, hoping for a clue of what best to say.

He spoke slowly and concisely. “I believe that watching the suffering of others is the best entertainment, of course. To that end, I think that allowing the prey to have hope before crushing it is the best. The ‘hunt’ as I would call it would be a long, complex process, much like an opera drama or a story. Leading on the prey and manipulating them, drawing others in and allowing interactions and tensions to rise, before finally claiming them all at the climax would be the ideal hunt.”

“Well said,” Azazel smiled, “you have decent taste, mortal.”

“Thank you, my lord,” he forced out.

“Well then, my command to you is,” Azazel grinned, “entertain me.”

He flicked his fingers once more, and Jason felt his body fold nearly in half as a massive force pulled him away, away from the pool of dark water and red lights, away from Azazel, into the darkness.

Jason lost consciousness as the world faded to black.