With the dagger safely stowed away, Hubertus found himself standing by the roadside again, the hum of passing cars and distant city noises surrounding him. There was a glaring problem: he had no clue how to get back to the Abyss. Summoning a portal was beyond his capabilities. He was, effectively, stranded.

Unless… he mused, there was another way. His thoughts drifted back to the office lady and how she’d summoned him through the Hive. All she had said was "answer the call," and it had worked. Could he do the same to reach Carl?

Hubertus grinned at the thought. It was worth a try.

“Call Carl,” he said aloud, a hint of doubt lingering in his voice. For a heartbeat, nothing happened, and he almost dismissed the idea. Then—low and behold—a strange buzzing began to echo in his mind, a pulsating hum that seemed to vibrate through his very being. It worked on the first try.

Hubertus chuckled, both in relief and amusement. Moments later, the buzzing ceased, replaced by Carl’s familiar voice, sounding faintly amused and slightly distorted, as if coming from far away.

“Hi, Hubertus. Did you finish the job?”

Hubertus nodded instinctively, despite knowing Carl couldn’t see him. “Yes, I did. But there was a problem. A second demon showed up—seemed to be after the artifact as well. I managed to get away with it and delivered it to the client. But now I’m stuck here. I can’t create a portal on my own. Can you get me back to the Abyss?”

Carl’s voice rumbled with something like approval. “You handled it well, Hubertus. Hold on, I’ll open one for you.”

Seconds later, a portal shimmered into existence before him, its swirling energy casting faint light onto the pavement. Hubertus didn’t waste a moment—he stepped through, the cold tendrils of abyssal energy wrapping around him as the world shifted.

Stepping through the swirling portal, Hubertus found himself back in Carl’s training room. The demon stood waiting, dressed in a stretched, slightly comical-looking tracksuit that contrasted sharply with his formidable appearance. Carl’s leathery black skin rippled, shifting to deep indigo as violet flames danced along his curved horns. His bull-like face twisted into a wide grin at the sight of Hubertus.

“Congratulations on your first summon,” Carl said, his voice rumbling with satisfaction.

“Did you get the ability?” he asked, eyeing Hubertus with interest.

Hubertus nodded, a smirk forming on his lips. “Yes,” he said, recalling the strange warmth that had spread through his body during the summoning.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

A vivid memory surfaced: The warmth had begun in his chest, radiating outward. His fingers had tingled, twitching involuntarily as a sudden, sharp clarity filled his mind—an echo of melodies, the feel of keys beneath his fingertips, a mastery he had never earned, but now possessed.

The piano man had looked drained as the glow of the summoning scroll faded, his glassy eye reflecting the moonlight. “It’s done,” he’d said, his voice hoarse. And it had been done. The ability was his, embedded in his mind as if he’d trained for years.

Flexing his fingers now, Hubertus felt that phantom sensation again, the familiarity of piano keys just beneath the surface of his consciousness. His lips curled into a smirk. “It wasn’t easy, or—wait, maybe it was,” he added, the smirk widening into a confident grin. Though if he were honest, there were moments when he felt entirely thrown off—especially after being summoned by that odd piano man, with no idea how to vanish dramatically without damaging his nonexistent reputation.

Carl chuckled, his horns flickering with faint flames of amusement. “You pulled it off. That’s what matters,” he said, his deep voice carrying a note of approval.

Hubertus’ grin grew sly. “Oh, and look what else I’ve got.” He reached into his cloak and pulled out the toothbrush, which had now transformed into something resembling the dagger he had delivered earlier. It looked identical—the jagged, blackened blade etched with glowing crimson runes—but this one was different. Hubertus could feel it, the pulsing energy that he had absorbed from the real artifact.

Carl raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. “Is that… the same dagger?”

Hubertus smirked. “Not quite.” He held it up, the crimson runes glinting as if alive. “The real one is with the piano man. This one? Well, let’s just say it’s a copy… with all the real power.”

Carl’s bull-like face contorted in surprise, then a broad grin split his features. “You used that trinket, didn’t you?” He pointed at the toothbrush-turned-dagger. “I thought that thing was just a joke!”

Hubertus chuckled, twirling the artifact-copy. “The trinket’s not so useless after all. I used it on the original dagger—siphoned off the energy, and turned it into a copy. The piano man has the powerless husk, and I have this.” He tapped the blade, the energy within thrumming like a heartbeat. “The true power, all to myself.”

Carl let out a deep, rumbling laugh, the violet flames along his horns flaring brighter. “You cheeky bastard. You pulled one over on the piano man?” He sounded both impressed and amused.

Hubertus nodded, his grin widening. “Why should I hand over something so valuable for a simple ability to play the piano? He thought he made a good trade, but he doesn’t know what he’s missing.” He looked down at the dagger, the glow from the runes reflecting in his crimson eyes. “Besides, having the artifact’s real energy might come in handy.”

Carl slapped Hubertus on the back, nearly knocking him off balance. “You’ve got guts, Hubertus van Schnecken. I like that. It’s exactly the kind of thing that will get you far here in the Abyss.”

Hubertus slipped the dagger back into his cloak, tucking the toothbrush handle carefully away. The job was done, and he’d come away not only with the promised ability but also with a stolen advantage. Whatever lay ahead, he felt more than ready for it. The Abyss had its rules, and he was learning how to bend them to his will.

Carl’s grin faded slightly, his expression turning serious. “You’d better watch out, though. If the piano man ever finds out…”

Hubertus shrugged, his eyes glinting with mischievous determination. “He won’t. By the time anyone realizes, I’ll be too far ahead for it to matter.”

Carl nodded, his grin returning. “That’s the spirit. Now, let’s see what kind of trouble we can stir up next.”