*Crack*

*Boom*

Lightning flashed, and thunder boomed from a distance, yet its mightiness spread over the entire Celestia City, which stood behind the invisible double barriers protecting its people.

From what you may ask. 

Well, the struggle for supremacy between demons and humans, which had lasted over two millenniums, had seen the two parties stalemate. Each war brought each side to both victory and defeat, accelerating the need to gain more power over the other to have a clear winner. 

"Move your asses, dammit!" a feminine voice snapped, irritated, ordering the small group of men and women behind her to fasten their pace. 

"Pfft! Why is she acting like she's our superior? We're all in the same rank," another woman muttered a complaint. She held on tightly to the rifle in her hands, which weighed at least twenty pounds, while they followed the dark path made eerier by the tall bushes and the trees towering above them. 

Everything about this forest felt off, but they could only move forward, all eager to complete the task given by their commanders, which was to retrieve the Holy Water. 

This was a special task completed every decade to collect the Holy Water from the Holy Spring located deep in the purple forest. It could also be said that it was humanity's greatest weapon against the invading demons which was believed to be a blessing from the gods. 

"How much further do we need to walk? I'm so fucking tired already," a male from the group whined under his breath, loosening his grip on his weapon. 

"Shut up and stay alert!" a second male reminded him as he rushed past him. 

They were all here to clear the path for the second unit which was not far behind. Here to prove themselves worthy of joining the elite rank. 

A dangerous missing that would claim at least the lives of half of them or even more. But such a small sacrifice for a noble course was one's greatest honor towards mankind. Or so they had been made to believe.

As they continued walking under the eerie shadows cast by the moon through the branch gaps above them, the female leading the unit suddenly came to a halt. 

"Hold your breaths," she instructed in a fierce whisper. "Cover up your heartbeats, now!"

Something was approaching them from the east but they could not tell what it was. All she was certain of was that it meant no harm; thus, there was no need to engage it in battle and risk drawing high-ranking demons before they got to their destination. 

*Sssssssss* 

The hissing grew closer with the thunderclaps long settled. There was not a single sound to obstruct the hiss of the demon beast slithering its gigantic body six feet from the oath they occupied. No crickets to chirp, no owls to hoot, it was just the thick silence hanging in the cold atmosphere, adding to the mystery of this forest ventured only by the best. 

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As the seconds ticked away, the group felt themselves alone once more, free of any demon to fight off. 

They knew that they had to conserve their mana for the fights that mattered.

***CELESTIA CITY

A dark-haired seventeen-year-old boy stood by the window of his bedroom. His eager eyes were fixed to the north where the proud Celestia mountain stood in all its glory. 

"It's time!" he squeaked excitedly before spinning around and rushing to the door. 

Once he had locked it, he turned to the large summoning circles he had drawn in the floor with his very blood. 

Tonight, he would summon his own demon so he could prove to everyone at the academy that he was also capable.

He was already seventeen but had yet to awaken his mana. This alone had already caused him to go through endless bullying from everyone else. 

Once he managed to subdue a demon to a contract, he would find his childhood crush just so she could know he was also capable like the rest of them.

"Stand in the middle," the teenager muttered, reading the instructions from the worn-out book in his bandaged hand. 

"Mmm...this easy? Will this summon a greater demon?

"Oh well, if it fails, so be it. I'll just give it a try next year again." 

He tossed the old book on the bed to pick up the normal gold dagger resting there. 

The instructions had been simple: draw the circles with the summoner's blood, stand in the middle of the circle, and then offer blood from the most sacred part of the body. Which part exactly? It wasn't specified. So he went for his chest. 

For this ritual, he had already prepared the necessary items, including healing pills made by the best alchemy faction in the city. 

A small stab in the chest wouldn't kill him since he had already taken the pills. 

They might have cost him a year's savings, but such a price would be nothing when he would finally summon a powerful demon. 

"Close your eyes. You can do this. Grandma wouldn't have left me this grimoire if it's dangerous."

A sharp sting chilled his body as the tip of the dagger began piercing his flesh. 

Little by little, the boy pushed it in further, gritting his teeth to hold in the pain. 

It was worth it, he would keep reassuring himself as he inched the danger deeper and deeper with confidence. 

Blood started flowing down the blade to finally drip down on the sigils he had drawn. 

With each drop, a part of the sigils lit up in red. And with each part lighting up, the ritual was starting to play out, drawing in mana from the air and the ground beneath it as well as the person standing in it. 

But when it could not draw anything from the teenager, it began drawing his blood in its stead.

The drop turned into a crimson rope that was tugging from his chest and into the sigils without ever ceasing. Malice energy lifted from the red glowing sigils to fill the room, further agonizing the boy. 

He couldn't breathe.

His entire body felt paralyzed. All he could do was watch his blood flee his body as if it had found a better place to be. 

Not even the hands on the dagger were functioning. This only left him incapacitated, watching his life fade bit by bit right in front of him. 

'Stop. Stop.' He could only speak with his thoughts but there was no one to listen to him. It was just him and the summoning sigils he had drawn willingly. 

As the last of his blood left him, his now lifeless body thudded on the floor, eyes peeled open, void of any will. 

Without realizing it, he had willingly sacrificed himself to summon a demon which he knew nothing of. A demon that could potentially be of the higher ranks. 

*Whoosh*

The blood began whirling around the sigils at a frightening speed to create a Whirlpool that was at least eight feet tall. 

*Crack*

The angry sky outside continued crackling as the ritual reached its peak. 

"Chris?" A male voice called knocking on the door. "Are you okay in there? I hope you've locked your windows. It seems like it's going to be a little stormy tonight. We don't want anything happening while we're asleep."

Silence. 

If only he had knocked a little earlier. Maybe he could have saved his son from the demise he had brought upon himself. 

With his lifeless eyes staring hollowly at the ceiling, his father's words could no longer get to him.

Dreams unrealized and hopes vanquished, his soul remained trapped in the sigils, unable to leave its vessel.

All of a sudden, every sound died out, both from within the room and outside. It's as if the thunder had also faded like the bloody whirlpool now vanishing. 

Like a veil lifting, the whirlpool fully disappeared, leaving behind a six-foot-two figure standing at the center of the whirlpool. With long flowing red hair, bright crimson eyes, and dressed in a long black coat, the demon looked like a model from the previous century. 

He blinked, taking in the strange vision before him: a chandelier, odd clothes lying around, odd-styled furniture, and the modern computer screen that stood on the desk. 

"This is...?"

*Knock-knock*

"Don't forget to turn off the lights when you sleep, alright?" 

Silence. 

"Alright buddy. Good night."

A farewell indeed. For gone was his son after summoning a demon that was forbidden by all laws of the city and mankind. He was...Lucifer.