An armored man knelt in a dimly lit cavern, the only light being the moon's coming through the singular hole in the roof.
His body was littered with fresh wounds, blood still dripping from his missing left eye, while his right was a dead blue, his breathing was ragged as he spoke.
"I, I have come... to make a wish." He croaked out, flinching as something in the dark replied.
"T̸e̸l̸l̶ ̸m̷e̴ ̶w̴h̴a̸t̶ ̸y̵o̵u̶ ̸d̵e̴s̵i̸r̷e̶,̸ ̵a̵n̴d̶ ̸I̵ ̴s̸h̶a̶l̷l̷ ̶g̶r̴a̴n̷t̷ ̸i̷t̵.̵" The very air hissed in revulsion, the sinister voice cracking as if being suppressed.
"I... I wish to be able to fulfill my promise." He forced out, sweat dripping from his chin as the mere presence of the thing descended upon him.
"A̸n̸d̶ ̷w̵h̷a̶t̶ ̷o̵f̷ ̶t̸h̶e̵ ̸p̸r̵i̶c̴e̵?̵" It asked, its tone made it seem like it was grinning.
"My life. My suffering. My happiness. Everything." He spoke with finality, resigning himself for whatever the creature has thought of making him do as the price.
The creature was silent, for a few moments, and it worried him.
A sheathed dagger slid towards him from the darkness, hitting his knee.
He could feel how wrong this weapon was, the energy it radiated so vile to the point that even if he was not a Paladin, he could see how cursed it was, even if he was still a child shackled in slavery, he would still try his best to run away, to hide from the weapon laying near his knees.
Against his very instincts, he picked it up and unsheathed it.
It was beautiful, engravings so detailed it would not be out of place in an extravagant noble's display, gems so finely cut and combined with the handle and its guard that it seemed as if it was made by something inhuman.
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'Ah, it is.' He thought, scoffing in irony.
"S̶t̶a̶b̷ ̶y̵o̵u̸r̷s̵e̸l̷f̵ ̸i̷n̷ ̶t̷h̴e̸ ̵h̴e̸a̸r̶t̴ ̸w̴i̶t̷h̴ ̸i̸t̵,̷ ̴a̸n̴d̶ ̸y̴o̸u̵r̶ ̴w̵i̶s̸h̷ ̷w̷i̷l̵l̶ ̵c̸o̴m̴e̷ ̶t̶r̴u̷e̶.̴ " The creature would speak once more, the voice seemingly closer to his ears, yet everywhere at the same time.
"What will... happen to me?" He asked, still focused on the dagger, and how it gleamed when it hit an angle with the moonlight.
He did not think he would get an answer, after all, he was the one that came here to beg, the creature would not have any obligation to answer, it did not even have the obligation to indulge him, but it still did for reasons he would never know.
He was surprised when it actually answered his question.
"Y̶o̸u̷r̴ ̷w̴i̷s̷h̸ ̷w̶i̵l̵l̷ ̸b̷e̸ ̶f̷u̸l̶f̵i̸l̷l̴e̷d̴,̸ ̴b̸u̷t̴ ̸y̴o̸u̶ ̶w̷i̶l̸l̸ ̴s̷u̷f̶f̵e̷r̶ ̸f̷o̶r̸ ̸e̵t̷e̴r̷n̴i̷t̸y̷,̶ ̵l̶i̶f̴e̶ ̵a̸f̵t̵e̷r̶ ̴l̸i̸f̶e̸ ̵a̸f̵t̴e̷r̶ ̸l̴i̶f̸e̵,̴ ̸y̸o̶u̶ ̸w̵i̶l̴l̵ ̷b̷e̴ ̷d̵o̷o̴m̸e̸d̸ ̵t̷o̶ ̴r̸e̶p̶e̵a̶t̶ ̷i̷t̸,̶ ̸y̵o̷u̴ ̷w̸i̶l̷l̶ ̷n̷e̵v̶e̴r̵ ̵h̶a̷v̸e̸ ̵a̷ ̵p̶r̸o̵p̵e̶r̵ ̴r̵e̵s̴t̶,̶ ̷y̴o̶u̷ ̵w̷i̶l̸l̵ ̴n̶e̷v̸e̵r̷ ̵h̴a̵v̷e̶ ̵p̵e̸a̷c̷e̴,̶ ̸y̶o̸u̷ ̵w̶i̶l̸l̷ ̷n̴e̶v̸e̸r̶ ̸h̸a̷v̸e̵ ̴c̵l̴o̵s̷u̴r̵e̶.̵ ̴Y̵o̴u̷ ̷w̶i̸l̴l̶ ̸o̷n̴l̴y̴ ̶f̵u̷l̸f̴i̸l̵l̸ ̸y̷o̷u̶r̸ ̷p̶r̷o̷m̷i̵s̷e̸ ̵u̴n̸t̶i̶l̸ ̴t̷h̸e̷ ̴e̷n̶d̸ ̸o̸f̸ ̶t̸i̶m̶e̵.̴ " The creature's voice seemed to become excited, unsurprising, he thought.
He took the creature's words to heart, and he found that he did not mind all that much.
In his opinion, it was not even that bad.
"I see... then I shall accept." He agreed, putting the sheath on his lap, he grabbed the dagger with his hands and rested its tip near his chest, with just a single thrust inwards, his heart would be penetrated.
And that's what he did, wordlessly, he plunged the dagger into his heart, and he no longer lived.
As he fell to the ground, the creature's presence disappeared, as the dagger's gems glowed an otherworldly hue.
Hundreds of colors condensed into one, erupted from the gems, illuminating the entire cavern for mere moments before slowly disappearing.
As soon as the light completely faded, so too, did the man's body.