As day and night passed, those lingering shadows haunted me relentlessly, making me sick. At first, I hoped it was just my imagination, but it soon became clear it was something more—a twisted fate I couldn't evade. I couldn't blame anyone but myself; my insatiable curiosity had led me to this dark place. As days turned into restless nights, my lack of sleep began to take its toll on my body. My parents noticed the changes in me, but I evaded their questions, withdrawing further into solitude.

I searched the internet desperately for any information on books like the one I had encountered. Some sources were vague, others outright false. Amidst the torment, the faint shadow that occasionally appeared before me now stood in front of me, motionless.

"Uh... hello?" I asked tentatively.

"Hmm... follow me," it said in a crisp voice barely above a whisper, close enough that I almost didn't hear it.

I followed the shadow to another chamber in the mansion, one I had not explored before. Inside, we found a secret room. It was bare, save for an old diary covered in dust, its pages brittle and fragile.

Approaching cautiously, I opened the diary and began to read.

**Diary Entry:**

"I made a mistake that harmed not just me, but others. What I'm about to recount is no mere tale—it's the grim reality of my life," the diary's first entry began.

"I was simply a millworker in the kingdom of Rihvan. The meager wages from my labor were not enough for my family to survive in this vast kingdom. That's when I came into contact with those people. They promised me wealth and power, saying that joining them would change my family's fortune. Naively believing them, I joined their cult.

"They were not what they seemed. It was a cult obsessed with reviving a dark entity they referred to as 'the devil'. They blamed all the world's problems on followers of the divine, believing them to be corrupt and self-righteous. One fateful night at an abandoned altar, they conducted their final ritual.

" 'Is everyone here? This is the day we've waited for, for years,' said the person wearing a cloak to almost a hundred people gathered. Strange symbols adorned the walls and floors of the altar.

" 'Sir, the divine forces... they're here,' stuttered the lookout stationed to watch for such emergencies.

" 'About time they showed up, but it's too late. Complete the final ritual, and everything will be set,' declared the cult leader.

As they neared the completion of the ritual, divine forces intervened, laying waste to everyone present at the altar. The air crackled with unearthly energy as the divine beings descended upon the cultists, their powers overwhelming. I hid behind a pillar, watching in horror as the cultists fought desperately against the divine wrath.

The leader of the cult, a fanatic with eyes full of madness, refused to yield. With a defiant roar, he raised the devil's book high above his head, shouting incantations in a desperate attempt to complete the ritual. But the divine force was relentless; beams of celestial light pierced through the darkness of the chamber, striking down cultists left and right.

In the chaos, I saw the cult leader, consumed by his obsession, confronting one of the divine beings. The clash was brief but intense, a battle between darkness and light. The divine force, radiant and fierce, struck the cult leader with a bolt of pure energy, sending him sprawling to the ground. With a final defiant scream, the cult leader fell silent, his body still amidst the carnage.

As the divine force cleansed the altar of darkness, I remained hidden, trembling with fear and awe. The chamber echoed with the aftermath of the battle, the smell of burnt flesh and lingering magic thick in the air. It was then that I realized the enormity of the forces I had unwittingly become entangled with.

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"After the divine forces intervened and laid waste to our gathering, I barely clung to life. Using the bodies of fallen cultists to shield myself, I survived the onslaught. When the divine beings finally departed and silence fell over the scene, I crawled from beneath the dead, shocked by the massacre I had witnessed.

"Dragging my battered body towards the lifeless body of the cult leader, my blurred vision fixed on the ritual book. Desperate and terrified, I hastily recited the incantations from the book in a bid to summon the devil.

"As the blood pooled around the bodies in a sinister circle, a sickly arm emerged, followed by the devil himself—a shadowy figure with horns and a face cast in darkness, grinning madly.

" 'Hahaha... finally, after years, I can feel the air of this world,' he chuckled to himself, his voice chilling. Upon noticing me, his gaze turned predatory.

" 'Well, well, what do we have here? A rat?' he sneered, his clawed hand tightening around my throat.

" 'I... I am the one who revived you. Heed my words and grant me wealth,' I managed to choke out, terrified yet desperate.

" 'Hahaha... a rat dares to order me?' he mocked, his grip tightening.

"But then, a twisted smile crossed his face. 'But you could be useful. He must have sensed my presence. I don't have time to waste.'

"With those words, he healed my injuries completely, leaving me feeling rejuvenated but utterly powerless before him.

" 'Now, grant me wealth,' I demanded after summoning all my courage.

" 'Why should I do that for you?' he mused, a malicious glint in his eyes.

" 'W-what do you mean? I summoned you! You must obey me!' I protested, fear creeping into my voice.

" 'Oh, no, rat. You summoned me, but everything was orchestrated by those fools lying dead here,' he said with a cruel smirk, gesturing to the lifeless bodies around us.

Shocked and horrified by his revelation, I felt like my world was collapsing. This devil was beyond my understanding, and I was just a pawn in his dark game. He granted me temporary wealth and prosperity, but soon, my family began to suffer mysterious deaths. When he threatened my newborn son, I confronted him, desperate for answers.

Shaken to my core by the devil's revelation, I stood frozen, staring at the carnage around me. The devil's laughter echoed in my ears, his words sinking into my soul like poisoned arrows. My newfound wealth and prosperity suddenly felt like a curse, a grim reminder of the price I had unwittingly paid.

Desperate to protect my newborn son from the devil's wrath, I clutched him tightly, tears streaming down my face. "What do you want from me?" I pleaded, my voice trembling with fear and grief.

"I want you to create something for me," the devil replied calmly, his voice sending chills down my spine. His clawed hand inched closer to my son, a cruel smile twisting his dark features.

Fear gripped my heart like a vice as I realized the gravity of his demand. "Why are you doing this?" I managed to choke out, my voice cracking with emotion.

"Humans are mere pawns in the game between me and the gods,he also uses you and now it's my turn" he chuckled darkly, his eyes glinting with malice. "Now, write the devil's book, and i make it indestructible. If you refuse, your son will suffer the same fate as other."

At that moment, my wife, sensing the imminent danger to our child, stepped forward with unwavering determination. "No," she said firmly, her voice steady despite the fear in her eyes. "I won't let you harm our son."

Before I could react, she stepped between me and the devil, shielding our child with her own body. "Take me instead," she pleaded, her voice breaking with emotion. "Let him go. He's just an innocent child."

The devil's eyes narrowed, considering her offer with a calculating gaze. "Very well," he murmured, his voice dripping with sinister satisfaction. In a swift and merciless gesture, he struck out with his clawed hand, piercing her heart with unnatural speed.

"No!" I screamed, horror and anguish ripping through me like a dagger. I reached out to her, but it was too late. My wife crumpled to the ground, lifeless, her sacrifice sealing our son's fate.

Tears blurred my vision as I held my child close, trembling with grief and rage. The devil chuckled darkly, his presence looming over us like a malevolent shadow. "Write the book," he commanded coldly, his voice echoing in the chamber.

With a heart heavy with sorrow and fury, I reluctantly took up pen and parchment, my hands shaking as I began to inscribe the devil's incantations. Each word felt like a betrayal, a pact with darkness that condemned us all.

As I worked under the devil's watchful gaze, a sense of hopelessness settled over me. I had unwittingly unleashed a horror upon my family, and now, I was powerless to stop it. The devil's book took shape before me, its pages filling with ancient symbols and malevolent verses.

When I finally completed the cursed tome,the night already passed and the devil grinned wickedly, his eyes gleaming with triumph. "Good," he sneered, snatching the book from my trembling hands. "Remember, you are mine now. The book binds you to me, and there is no escape."

With those chilling words, he vanished into the shadows, leaving me alone with the lifeless body of my wife and the weight of my guilt.