I'm in darkness. No longer asleep, I'm too aware. I'm awake, but there's nothing here, just a void. Darkness. I feel like I'm falling, but I don't feel anything else. Or rather, I don't have a body, I can't move my hands, I can't close my eyes, I can only stare into nothingness in any direction.

Then I see fire, just a bit at first, but soon it overwhelms the void. It doesn't hurt, I don't feel warm, I don't feel anything. Eventually though, a figure appears.

The figure is red and horned. It looks like a large devil, but when it speaks, without opening it's mouth, the voice is smooth.

"Hello David, it seems you've met with an unfortunate end. Your soul has been damned to hell. Normally, your suffering would begin, but I've come to offer you a deal."

I think for a moment. I never believed in the afterlife, or souls. I thought when you died that was it, you stopped existing. To me, going to hell would be better than disappearing. But when faced with a choice, I'd rather not suffer. I ask the most relevant question.

"Why am I in hell? I've never killed anyone, I never even killed myself." The words weren't so much as spoken, but thoughts willed to the devil. She seemed to understand.

The devil's eyes look sympathetic. As sympathetic as those red eyes can be, but I somehow doubt the look is genuine.

"You rejected the gift of life. You tried to kill yourself many times when you were younger, and even as you grew older you hated life. Nor is your soul pure, even now you say you didn't kill. You thought about it all your life. You hated humanity, you wanted to kill so many of the people around you, but you barely held yourself back. That restraint isn't enough to keep you out of hell though."

Anger flared up for the first time since coming here. "Because I hated my life, and because I wanted to die, that's enough reason to damn me to hell?"

More sympathy from the devil, this time from her facial features twisting into what I can only assume is meant to be sadness.

"It is not my decision to make. You have been damned, or else your soul would not be here, and it's fate would not be in my hands. Your soul has potential. I already own it, and I could wring out the power, and leave you here to suffer until you are either deemed purified after hundreds or thousands of years, and taken away for reincarnation, or you become a lesser devil yourself. Either way you would lose yourself almost entirely. Whatever you became would be so different from who you are now. Nearly a true death."

It knows what I hate the most. "But what can I offer you, if you already have my soul. And what can you offer me if I'm already damned?"

For the first time, she smiles. "I ask that you serve me, or rather, you make a contract with me. I cannot offer you salvation, only hellfire can do such a thing. However, I can offer you an escape, a continuation of your life. And power. Through your service, we can both gain power. Eventually, you could even become a true devil yourself, and retain who you are, every last drop. Would you like to hear the terms?"

What could be worse than what we already have? Or worse than suffering in hell and reincarnating as a completely different person? There's no reason not to hear her deal. "I'll listen."

"Excellent." She says, flicking her tongue out from her sharp white teeth to lick her black lips. "I offer a sort of reincarnation. To recreate your body, with some alterations, using your soul. However, you'll be sent to another plane above the mortal realm you know. A plane less restrictive on magic and outside influence."

I keep listening, this sounds exceedingly generous. She continues. "I can also grant you power, in order to help you perform services. In exchange, you will help me gain power for myself. Send damned souls to me, instead of other devils, by killing their mortal vessels. And otherwise, to kill my enemies. When you are not called on, you are free to do whatever you wish. As you serve me and gain more strength yourself, I will grant you more abilities to better serve me. Do you accept these terms?"

There's no reason not to. Nothing in the deal sounds bad, I only stand to gain from this deal, since I'd never want to be purified anyway. There's no reason to say no.

"I accept the deal." And I meant it wholeheartedly.

"Excellent." She says, her smile widening to reveal all her sharp teeth, shining in the firelight.

"I'll send you out at once. You will be able to feel your abilities, and your magic as you never have in your plane. But please remember, if you fail to accept too many of my requests too often, I'm able to end the deal and send your soul back to hell. Knowing this, do you still accept?"

I assumed that's how it works, it doesn't change anything. When she said I had to serve her, I didn't think I even had a choice. I doubt I would ever say no. Why would I? She's offered me everything.

"I accept."

Everything went black. Back into the void, but this time, I felt like I was being pulled up. As I went higher, I began to feel a warmth, I began to see colors swirling through the void. And then I felt something else. My body, the ground beneath it. I opened my eyes.

The ground was cold and rough. I looked up at the night sky, the stars were so bright, and the moon seemed bigger here than I'd ever seen it on my world. I sat up and looked around. There was a bundle of folded clothes near the altar I was sitting on. I got up and dressed in the black shirt and pants. Putting on the leather boots that were somehow exactly my size, and covering up with a cloak.

Laid out on linen in the grass were several weapons. Beautiful knives and swords shining in the moonlight. Everything looked so much clearer here than in my world. Maybe my sight is better than it's ever been in this world, in this new body.

As I stare, the blades reflecting the light of the full moon, I hear her voice, and I know her name. Alachia. "Those weapons were left here as a gift, by a follower of mine. He left them here for your privacy. This is your first day on this world, your rebirth. Though this is not your first gift, for I have given you many."

Her voice is clear and gentle, but firm, and coming from nowhere. "Your new life being the first of course, but I have granted you the gift of speech. You may understand and speak any language as a native. You may read any language and write it with a practiced hand. You may see in the dark, through any darkness or flame. I have placed these blessings upon your soul. Changing you, from your mind to your eyes, from your lips to your tongue. But don't worry, your appearance remains mostly unchanged."

Something about her voice was so beautiful, I could listen to her for hours. But the cold night air made me anxious, it had since I was a child. I looked around the clearing in this forest as she was speaking, but my eyes were always drawn back to the blades.

"I see no reason why you've done this for me, I've done nothing for you yet."

"Ah." She replies, a cold but gentle noise cutting through the breeze on the trees. "But you will. I am your patron, and you are my trusted servant. This is a baseline so that you may serve me. And of course, you'll need a weapon."

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"Am I meant to pick one?"

"No, I'd recommend you take them all. It's time to test your first true spell. You simply hold a weapon in your grasp, and bind it in your hand of choice. You need only relax and focus on the weapon, focus on binding it to your soul. After ten minutes have passed, the weapon will be yours to call upon at will."

I walk over and take a long sword. I take it back to the altar and sit down, not wanting to get my clothes dirty in the fresh grass. I do as she said and sit cross legged on the altar. With my back straight, holding the handle in my right and letting the blade rest over my legs. I close my eyes and focus on the blade, I focus on binding it to myself.

I feel magic for the first time, a power inside myself I've never truly felt. I feel the spell as I bind the weapon to myself. It's an easy thing, but I have to stay focused. I feel that if I lost focus on the binding of the blade, I'd have to start again.

Soon it was over, I felt the process had ended. I felt the connection made to the weapon. I opened my eyes. It looked the same, but I felt it, I truly felt it, as if an extension of myself.

I stood and Alachia spoke again. "You may dismiss it and summon it at will now that you've bound it." As she says this, I try. With a thought and some will, it's gone. I do the same to bring it back, and it appears in my hand again, as if it never left, perfectly fitting in my grip.

"That spell will make a blade sharp, and it will never dull. It will be nearly unbreakable as well, tied to your soul and your magic rather than just a physical thing in itself. If you wish to unbind a weapon, you must simply repeat the spell and focus on unbinding it. However, you may have six weapons as of now. You may bind one at a time, or two as a set. You must wait one minute to summon a different weapon, but you may summon and dismiss the same weapon or set at will. I leave you to bind the rest."

I look at the rest of the weapons after dismissing my longsword. There are three daggers laying out in the moonlight. I take the largest dagger first and repeat the process at the altar, binding it in my right hand. Then I bind the last two daggers, clearly a matching set, one in each hand. It takes a bit more concentration, but it doesn't seem to take any more time than binding one. After that I try summoning the various weapons. Switching does take about a minute.

I try throwing one of the daggers. After a while, it disappears. After about thirty seconds of leaving my grasp it disappears. But I can resummon it. After throwing it, I can immediately resummon it at will, but it takes more effort to do so while it's moving. Better to do so after it lands.

I examine the rest of the bundle left by the other warlock. Inside a bag is a map, with the starting point marked on it, as well as a compass and various supplies. There's also a coin purse with copper, iron, and bronze. I'm not quite sure how much it's all worth, but whatever it is, it's better than having nothing but my clothes.

More importantly, there was a pouch inside the bag, made of what felt like very valuable materials with a note attached. "This is a bag of holding. It's space is limited, but carries much more on the inside. It's been enchanted with spatial magic. Even the weight will be far less than carrying everything outside of the bag of holding. The larger carrying bag, even if stuffed, will still fit in the bag of holding, but not much else. Simply put everything you wish into it, then put it inside the bag of holding, then tie the bag of holding to your belt."

The pouch opened wide when I undid the string, and the large bag went inside easily, though it shouldn't have fit, as if going through a portal, being sucked in. But when I took it out, everything was undamaged. I tied the bag of holding to my belt, but kept the larger bag around my shoulders, I still need to look at the map and compass.

"There is a small village to the north. There will be at least one damned soul. Kill the vessel, and you will deliver it's soul to me. You will be able to see the souls of the damned if you focus on them, if you will it. They cannot hide from your direct sight."

"Normally, damned souls are evenly distributed among devils, and there are many devils throughout the hells. But if you inflict damage with your soul upon the vessel, my mark will be upon them for a time, and I will hold claim to their soul when they pass on. Your soul coats your bound weapon, makes it stronger, and allows you to mark them with your strikes. I have given you this ability, but your own power fuels it."

When she's finished I begin heading to the village. I look at the map and continue north for a while, walking. But soon, I feel as though it's wasted. I put everything into the bag of holding and tie it to my belt, keeping only the compass out. I begin running, it feels so easy, even easier than when I was a child. My strides carry me quickly even through the forest. In the dark, deep within the forest, I can see so clearly. Even as I go on for what must've been near an hour, I don't feel tired.

I continue until I leave the forest, and eventually I see the village in the distance. I take my cloak off, it gets in the way. I put it and the compass away and continue, slowing my pace as I near it, finally reaching the village as morning fully breaks, the white light shining down on everything on this cold morning.

I stared at the villagers passing by, focusing on each one, trying to see. Am I meant to see something from everyone, or only from the damned? I wander down the road. It's still early, there aren't many people out, but there are some farms down the road. Hopefully some people should be working. I'll look at the workers then wander back into the village, there's no rush. I've come here early.

Eventually I happen upon a man working alone on a small farm. I can see his soul, a red light at his core. This man was damned. He turns to walk toward the barn, he hasn't noticed me yet. I follow, getting closer and closer. Somehow he hasn't heard me, or at least, he's made no response to my presence.

Maybe he did something horrible, maybe that's why he's damned. Or maybe he just wants to die. I can't know why, but I can't change it regardless. I can only kill him now. Maybe someone could be redeemed if they went on living, or maybe they'd just add on decades or centuries to their suffering. For a moment, I feel bad for my fellow man, being judged by these standards. But everyone deserves to suffer. That's why god made us mortal, that's why people were made to feel pain. That's why we're never answered, we're just left alone to suffer. But Alachia speaks to me. She didn't leave me to suffer. I can't imagine this soul is worth much, but she can have it.

I stop just inside the doorway. He's turned from me, but he seems to have noticed I've blocked off the light. It's too late. He turns to look at me and our eyes meet. The middle aged man looks at me with wide eyes, like a deer caught in the headlights. As if he knows what I'm here for. I lift my right hand up, and his gaze follows it. I summon my blade and bring it down on his chest, tearing it open. I follow this up with a cut across his neck, then stab the blade into his chest. The life leaves his eyes and he falls back as I pull my sword out from his chest. The blood flows into the dirt, and I can feel something as his soul fades away. I can feel it pass through me, into Alachia's hands.

I dismiss my blade, the rest of the blood falling on the ground. I feel nothing after killing him. I could kill everyone in the village if she wanted, if there was a point. But apparently, most people here haven't been damned. So there's no point. Maybe one day I could come back and check on the village again. People change, but often not for the better. I don't know if anyone's ever changed for the better. Just snakes spitting lies. But maybe there are exceptions. Exceptions I've never seen.

I leave and head back toward the village. I still don't see the downsides to this contract. But maybe that's what it's like to get a fair deal.

--------

The Farmer

As I walk back into the barn, I start to feel a chill. Eventually my back feels like it's burning and freezing, and I noticed the light's been cut off. Someone's at the doorway. I can feel someone watching me, something's there, but I dread turning around. Eventually I do, and I meet the man's eyes.

He's a tall man, well over six feet tall, with wide shoulders, blocking out the white light coming in through the doorway on this cold day. Thick wavy locks of hair coiling around his face like dark serpents. Skin white like a ghost, with blood red lips. He's standing just inside the doorway. His grey eyes flecked with silver are boring into me, like he's staring into my soul. Like he can see what I've done.

The phantom reaches up slowly, and I dread the movement, for the first time taking my eyes from his gaze to watch. A sword appears in his hand, as if an apparition itself. Then it cut into me, the sword came down so fast I barely saw it. The movement as ethereal as the man himself. It tore through flesh and bone, agonizing. Just as quickly, my throat was cut before I could scream. Then the sword pierced my heart. As the blow was struck, everything slowed down. I felt the life leaving me, and just for a moment, my vision changed.

The man's eyes were red, and almost glowed in the darkness. His lips were black and cold. In that moment I knew, this was not a man or a phantom, but a devil in the form of man, come to deliver me to hell. As I fell down and my vision faded, I felt something pulling me.

I felt as if I passed through that man's soul, tearing at me, rending me, bleeding me out upon a thousand blades. I saw the man's eyes again in my mind. First grey and silver, then red. Just like his sword. I passed through the darkness, seeing nothing, and feeling nothing but my wounded soul.

Then I felt warmth, then burning. I saw flames, and I fell deeper and deeper into them. My previous wounds became distant memories in these agonizing flames. Each lick of flames rent my soul. I could feel a presence, far more terrifying than the man's consuming me. The man's sword felt almost gentle in comparison.