Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Pride, Sloth and Wrath, known by all, despised by many.

Always prone to rear their heads wherever demons walk the earth, their spread both a mystery and a science. Copulation with demons all but ensures a blessed bloodline, whilst marriage between Blessed Ones preserves the purity of the Sin in question for generations to come. Though this theory of inheritance may have been proven time and time again, it does not provide explanations for the birth of the so called ‘Awakened’. Children born with Sin, yet neither their parents nor their forefathers knew the touch of demons. Their birth still begging the question: What are the actual triggers for one to be born with Sin? Their environment? The presence of demons? Or maybe even the will of the Gods themselves? For all the mystery that shrouds Sin and its spread, one thing has been proven true over the ages.

Never before, in recorded history, has there been one to wield both the powers of Sin and Virtue.

- Second chapter of the Great Book of Demons.

I closely inspected the grooved patterns on the floor for any inconsistencies.

Satisfied with my work I stood up, eyeing the summoning circle before me. It was small but intricately made, a mix of different, runes, shapes and lines, assorted in such a way to channel the flow of magic. Around it lay a larger, but equally intricate circle, a ward net. Its patterns and shapes filled with strange arcane symbols that illuminated the empty but shadowy basement in a dark red hue. Despite its larger size, it had taken far less time to make. Earth magic had a way of speeding up these things. But that wasn’t the hard part. It was the smaller summoning circle inside of it that had taken the better part of a year.

I looked down at my callused hands, recalling the many months of hard work that went into preparing this ritual. The forming of the ward net required a precise control of earth magic that bellied conventional wisdom. Its construction made me into a husk of my former self, pouring mana incessantly into every line I drew, every symbol I carved. Not to mention the horrible mental and physical exhaustion that came along with mana depletion, just thinking about that period started to give me the shivers.

Though it was nothing compared to the grueling experience that followed afterwards. The many months that passed, as I slowly but surely chiseled out the summoning circle pictured inside the grimoire. I knew my father’s resourcefulness, but the debts he must have made acquiring something this valuable fill me with unease to this very day. It lingered for years in the back of my head, whilst driving me to fix even the tiniest of mistakes with earth magic, redoing parts all over again by hand till I got it just right. I was not about to waste this opportunity given by my father, only fools would squander such gifts by cutting corners. And I’m no fool. The grimoire had been very clear about the summoning circle: It needed to be done by hand, and it needed to be done right. No blemishes, no scratches, no nothing.

I gave my work a last inspection before steeling myself for what would come next, my hand tightly grasping the iron locket hanging around my neck. Failure was not an option, only success would bring me closer to my goal. Soon we will be together again. A quick prayer was all I needed, as my hand pulled the steel dagger from its sheath. It was simple, yet well made, the years of wear and tear concealed by regular maintenance. I gave it one last look as my other hand grasped the ornately carved golden goblet that lay at my feet, its surface adorned with numerous etched runes. Not that it came cheap, in fact, it came at the expense of my carefully hoarded stash of currency, saved up over many years of hard work at different venues. And a little bit of time spend finding someone to make the goblet. Something which was surprisingly easy. If you are willing to pay double for no questions asked, that is. What proved to be the hard part was convincing my inner Greed that it was worth it. Not that it actually worked, just looking at the goblet made me feel small pangs of regret. Still, those feelings would not stop me from achieving my goals, the sharpened dagger already resting on my right wrist.

“This time I will not hesitate.” The words had barely escaped my lips as the dagger’s tip sliced the skin open from wrist to forearm. Blood trickled from the wound as I hissed in pain. My mind tried to ignore the burning sensation, whilst I steadily collected the dripping blood with the goblet. That’s enough blood. We don’t want it to overflow, now would we? My body sprang into action as I quickly moved to place it in the exact center of the summoning formation, carefully cradling my arm to avoid staining the circles with my blood.

With another few steps I was standing outside the circles again. I quickly hovered my left hand above my right forearm as I channeled magic into it, urging the flesh to mend as I stemmed the bleeding artery. The burning pain quickly receded as a cool sensation started to envelop it, fingers spasming whilst muscles repaired. I channeled some more magic into it, just to be sure, before wiping away the blood on my forearm, the skin beneath now as good as new.

Satisfied with the results, I closed my eyes to focus, retreating within myself according to my father’s teachings. Minutes went by as the red hue of the warding net grew fainter, the low humming noise it made grew more distant, until all I could see and hear was nothingness. Slowly I opened my eyes again, greeted by a familiar black void that stretched in all directions. Its vast darkness pierced by numerous lights of various colors, shapes, and intensities. Some moved, whilst others were stationary. Some brightly shone, whilst others were but a dim glow. Nevertheless, its spectacle never ceased to amaze me. Except till the headaches show up…

Speaking of headaches. An intense burden began crushed my mind, its intensity waning as I swiftly reduced the range of my perception. It caused distant lights to snuff out of existence, making the closer ones that much more detailed. Not now, there’s work to be done. I had neither the time nor the mental energy to spare for spying. So, I dismissed these newly shaped lights until my perception could only see what was in front of me. A darkness that was driven away by a single dome of bright red, arcane energy.

Numerous runes and symbols slowly drifted across the reddish dome, its color contrasted by the golden goblet shaped light that lay in its center. I prepared myself with a few slow breaths as I took up a grounded stance, my mother’s old saying softly resounding through my head. One shot is all you need. With my resolve firmly rooted I began channeling mana into the goblet, more precisely the detailed runes, a veritable bottomless pit as I felt it steadily taking it in without any signs of abating.

It did not take long before the engraved runes flickered to life. Gradually, mana began to overflow from its etchings, the magic saturation leading a new life of its own. Green light slowly snaked away from its base, diligently following the twists and turns memorized in my head. My eyes intently focused on the green glow spreading before me, looking out for any inconsistencies in the distribution of light. Lowering the flow of mana to the parts that grew bright, whilst increasing it in those that were dim. I knew that my mana reserves were average at best, so I needed to make due with what I had. A pinch here, a drop there. More time passed as I carefully applied the magic evenly into the circle, not willing to waste even a single drop. I persevered in my control, knowing I could not keep this up for long. Even now mental exhaustion began to creep upon me, thoughts clouded as I stifled an upcoming yawn.

More minutes passed as I battled to ignore the effects that mana depletion brought. Don’t rush, remain in control. I reminded myself as my eyelids started drooping, my legs beginning to buckle as fatigue threatened to overtake me. Patience endures, speed falters. I reprimanded myself as the fear of failure tempted me to cut corners, afraid that I could not last any longer. Be precise, be perfect, be patient. I grinned at myself, the truthfulness of my mother’s wisdom reflected in the runes that started to shine all over the summoning circle. Their meaning unknown, but their purpose apparent.

Each rune that sprang to life lessened the amount of mana I needed to pour into the goblet. My burden steadily declined with each green rune that flared brightly within the summoning circle. Their careful placement fed and reinforced each other, revealing the circles masterfully made design for all to see. I wonder who designed this thing. Not that I had time to contemplate it, my body feeling unusually heavy.

With a groan I slumped to the floor, legs floored with exhaustion, my head still fixated on the thing before me. I did it. I actually did it! An intricate dome of bright green light, laced with countless archaic symbols and letters, pulsed with life before me. Its light waxed and waned with rhythmic intensity as the sound of a heart beating echoed across the void. Even the warding net couldn’t contain the energy oozing out of this circle, each pulse bringing a tingle to my skin, my hairs standing up from the thick mana around me. All I could do was give a quick prayer of thanks to my father as I basked in this feeling of power.

Time slowly passed by, my limbs gradually regaining their former strength as my depleted soul greedily absorbed the enriched mana environment around it. Breaks over. Back to work. I could already feel the beginnings of a nasty headache worming its way into my skull. Not planning to kill myself later due to a lack of concentration, I retreated within myself once more. Gently, the slow rhythmic beating grew fainter by the second, the sound replaced by a familiar damp smell filling my nostrils.

When I opened my eyes I was standing in the basement again, the dark red hue of the ward net now contrasted by the bright green of the summoning circle that lay within. Its magic now almost invisible to the eye, except for the dimly lit runes etched into the smooth stone floor. Be that as it may, the hairs of my skin still stood straight up, courtesy of the thick mana now present in the air. I couldn’t help but smirk at the sight before me. A mere son of Shapers had just managed to create a summoning circle that would draw envy even from the high Bloodlines themselves. I wasn’t going to settle for failure on my first attempt. Frankly, I don’t have the time for it.

My lips parted as it spewed forth the harsh guttural tongue that was written in the grimoire, the memorization of its pronunciation, the result from years of training, research, and repetition. The language that covered its pages a thing of ancient history, heralding to before The Great Sunder. My father had scoured libraries, greased palms of priests and nobles alike, all to slowly put together its alphabet piece by piece. The true meaning of the words that rolled of my tongue still escaped me, but their tone and intensity revealed the dark purpose for which they served.

As the words of my second verse echoed across the basement, a thin crack started to form in the air. Its size slowly grew as it hovered over the summoning circle. Each syllable that passed my lips fueling its further expansion, the very air crackling with power as shivers went up my spine; amplified by mana so thick, it made breathing difficult. Then came the third verse, followed by an unholy tearing sound resounding through the basement. The crack burst open, revealing a distorted black void. Its newly formed gaping maw reverberated a strange sound, almost as if the very air was being sucked away. I payed it no heed, opting instead to steadily chant my way towards the fourth verse, careful to avoid stumbling over each pronounced syllable. As the mana around me rapidly siphoned away, I ignored the urge to speed up, the last words of the third verse gradually resounding through the room.

No sooner had I started reciting the fourth verse than the summoning circle started shining in recognition. Arcane runes, etched into the floor, brightly flared with green light as the sucking sound started to diminish in intensity. My continued chanting slowly but surely twisted the distorted void into a large black oval shape, its edges stubbornly expanding in different directions, before being pushed back and encased in a green hue. Don’t get sloppy now. I mentally steeled myself as the fourth verse slowly stabilized the portal before me, my mind preparing for the final stretch of the summoning process.

It all hinged on this last part. The grimoire clearly stated that one needed to recite the fifth and last verse repeatedly until the ritual was complete. A single mispronunciation or a lull in concentration would result in the portal going haywire. Having seen the strength of the magics at work, I was under no illusion as to what would happen in case of failure. The Burrows would count itself lucky, if the district was still standing come morning.

Though its more likely that some would throw a celebration instead…The joke helped calm my nerves, before I slowly began chanting the fifth verse. My lips meticulously emphasized each word, tongue tingling as I worked my way through each line. A weird feeling in my throat gradually developed into a strange warmth; causing each repetition to sound louder than the one before, the heat intensifying with every rehearsal. I tried to remain patient with stoic determination, hoping that this was only temporary. Unfortunately, I was proven wrong. The heat showed no signs of abating. Even worse, its intensity slowly ramped up to ever more painful levels. Why did that damn book not say anything about this! My mind reeled in panic as the sixth repetition of the verse caused my throat to feel like it was on fire. Its booming reiteration a complete disaster, emphasized by the few broken words that did made it past my lips. Dread rapidly replaced anger, as I saw the green hue encasing the portal start to falter, before fading away mere seconds later. Fuck.

“Wakey wakey,” a raspy voice said. “Good thing I stabilized the portal before you blew us all to kingdom come.” My eyes snapped open in reaction, before I doubled over in sudden agony. Pain flared in the back of my head as I found myself slumped against the cold stone wall, relief flooding my system when I realized that I was still alive. Though it did nothing for the dull headache that assaulting my mind. What happened?

“I don’t feel so good,” I said, whilst groggily standing up. My muscles refused to cooperate in exhaustion as my throat felt like I had swallowed sand by the buckets.

“Took you long enough,” the earlier voice replied.

I rapidly swiveled my head towards the source of the sound, instantly regretting the decision as I lost balance before stumbling onto the floor. “God’s be damned!” I croaked in exasperation.

“Now now, no need to insult me,” a voice in front of me snickered. With great effort I lifted my head, only to see a strange pale creature in the distance. “Don’t look so mortified, you’re not much to look at either,” it smiled back in obvious contentment.

Is this what I think it is? A further glance told me everything I needed to know: humanoid frame, large pointy ears, clawed hands and feet, small wings on its back, the thick smooth tail sweeping behind it, and finally the pupil-less yellow eyes staring back at me, like two bright suns tracking my every movement. Demon. “Yes!” I shouted out loud, my body finding new strength to scramble upwards, only to have a better look at the thing before me. Its looks far less intimidating now that I finally stood up, mostly due to the small size it had even from this distance. Not that it seemed to care, as it met my gaze with a bemused smirk, the odd protruding fang reminding me not to let my guard down due to its height. You prepared for this. I quickly numbed the icy feeling of fear as I reminded myself of my meticulously made ward net, its red hue granting me courage as I strode forward.

Yellow orb like eyes followed my movements with interest, its large bat like ears lightly twitching with each step I took towards the thin red dome, only to slightly rotate towards me when I stood before it. I mentally sighed when I took a good look at him. All that work for this pipsqueak? My size towered over him, the comically large ears being the only thing to surpass my belt buckle, though I had to admit that I was a good deal taller than the average man. Courtesy of blessed blood. Though the difference in height made me more comfortable, that did not mean I would grow lax in my safety. The demon may have looked small, pale, and sickly from a distance, I did not let that fool me. Close up I could clearly see the hidden daggers that it carried, each of its fingers and toes adorned with sharp hook-like claws, twenty natural weapons to tear up those stupid enough to underestimate it. And I’m not stupid. I warily eyed the creature as the two small slits where his nose should have been rapidly opened and closed, tail and small wings sporadically twitching as it loudly sniffed the air, its previous smirk widening to a smug smile.

“You’re a mixed one, aren’t ya?” It simply stated, my sudden flinch eliciting a small chuckle from the creature. “Knew it. My guess would be a mixture of Greed and Patience.” If I didn’t know any better, I would think that this little runt could read minds. “Don’t look so surprised. It’s quite easy to figure out if you know enough.” It slowly started to walk away from me, opting instead to lean on its tail near the summoning circle. “Firstly, you reek of Greed, yet your eyes possess the icy blue of Patience. Secondly…” it pointed at the green runes. “Your mana is green, yet I don’t sense any Envy. Lastly, you possess an Angelic Virtue, yet you summoned a demon.”

With a defeated sigh I closed my eyes. The annoying feeling, like something was stuck in my eye, lasted a couple of seconds before I opened them again. The demon lacked eyebrows, but that did not stop it from expressing a triumphant look when confronted with my other eyes. “Possessing both the serpentine yellow eyes of Greed, as well as the icy blue eyes of Patience,” it smirked. “Your parents must have been very naughty people.” A knowing smile now plastered all over its face.

Fuck it. Direct and honest was going to get me further than skirting around the issue. Besides, the little runt proved to be far more perceptive than his looks indicated. “Yeah, I’m a mixed one,” I stated. “Got any problems with that?”

It quickly waved his hands in defense. ‘’No no no, not at all, I just like being proven right. Having said that, there are more important things to currently discuss.” It leisurely stood up before making its way towards me. This is it. I reflexively clenched my hands, sweat rapidly forming in anticipation of what was to come. The moment I’ve been working for all these years. Eyes fixated on the demon now standing before me. Don’t let him word the pact to its advantage. My mind kicked into overdrive as the demon started to speak the all important words. Stay vigilant. “You must be drowning in pussy with such a bloodline.”

…

…

…

“What?” I blurted out.

“You know what I’m talking about,” it said before giving me a knowing wink. “The sheer amount of cooch thrown your way must be exhausting. All these nobles clamoring to partake in that bloodline of yours.” I could only stare in disbelief at the demon, my dismayed face only eliciting a further barrage of vulgar questions. “You know… Beaver? No? What about Fanny? Ehm, Front Bum? Still nothing? Ham Wallet? …Meat Curtain? Aha! Pink Sink! Come on, how could you not know that one! Shame Cave! Stench Trench? Tuna Town!? …I’m only asking how many Wizard’s Sleeves you’ve sheathed, you damnable idiot!” My lack of response only fueling its further disappointment as it began to facepalm.

…

Seconds ticked by as the demon let out an audible grown of defeat, though its dismay didn’t last any longer than that; quickly replaced by a sense of child like curiosity. “Just to clear things up, exactly how old are you?” it asked.

Why would that matter? Not that that thought stopped me from answering. “I became sixteen years old as of last week.”

I was taken aback by the sudden twinkle in its eyes, its tail swiping the floor with obvious excitement. I especially didn’t like the way the creature was currently eyeing me. “You’ve never kissed a girl before, have you?”

Again I flinched, my mind quickly coming up with words to defend myself with. “What does that ma-”

I never got to finish my sentence as the demon started to laugh uncontrollably. The continuous sound of laughter filling the room for a good minute, only broken up as it gasped for breath to hurl insults my way, “HAHAHA, oooh, oooh, summoned by a sixteen year old, kissless virgin!” The demon began gasping for more air, before dropping to its knees to repeatedly prostrate itself before me. “Oh mighty king blueball, please don’t smite this lowly servant with your powers of Chastity!”

Faced with this display, anger the likes of which I haven’t felt in ages overtook me, “I summoned you all by myself, you little shit!”

The demon abruptly stopped laughing. Serves you right. Before laughing even louder. “Make him stop!… I can’t breathe!… I can’t breathe! Ooooh, ooooh, is this how I die!?” I could feel the anger bubble beneath the surface of my skin as the creature crawled over the floor, sporadically gasping for breath, only to recover enough air to speak again. “I can just picture it before me!” it shouted, before standing up, palms facing outwards with a serious face pointed at the ceiling. “VIRGINS OF THE WORLD! GIVE ME YOUR ENERGY!”

Calm down. Caaalm dooowwn. I closed my eyes as I focused on my breathing, unsuccessfully trying to block out the loud nuisance currently rolling on the floor from laughter. In and out… In and out… Remember that its a demon, he’s just trying to rile you up, waiting for you to do something stupid. Don’t give it the satisfaction. The anger gradually abated with every breath, until the dull pain in the back of my head was the only thing remaining. Grab the grimoire, get my head checked and let it calm down on its own. I diverted my attention from the nuisance currently clamoring for air, flopping and gasping like a fish on dry land. Albeit even uglier. Several minutes into my search I began to rub my eyes. That blow to the head must have been harder than I thought. Focus, it must be here somewhere. With renewed concentration I began meticulously scanning the room anew.

“What are you looking for, did you drop your manhood somewhere?” the demon giggled.

I ignored the obvious taunt, opting instead to voice a question of my own. “I suppose you haven’t seen a grimoire lying around somewhere?”

The demon raised a figurative eyebrow, before pointing its tail towards a certain spot on the floor. “You mean that thing over there?” My eyes followed to where he was pointing, the red hue in the room only revealing a small pile of ash. Ash? Why would he point a- A sudden realization caused me to dash towards the pile, praying to be wrong, only to be met by bitter disappointed as I touched it. It’s still warm. I frantically began to sift through the ash, ignoring the searing sensation in my fingers, hoping to recover at least a piece of its ancient knowledge… but my search came up empty. Gone. It’s all gone… I just sat there on my knees, dejectedly looking at the remains of a priceless treasure. I’m sorry father.

A sudden voice snapped me from my daze, “Kid, if you got time to mope, you got time to form a Contract.” I looked over my shoulder, only to see the demon standing before the dome with its arms crossed, exuding a imposing presence at odds with its small frame. He’s right. My hand instinctively sought the locket around my neck. Only by moving forward can I bring back that what was lost. My fingers brushed its smooth iron. I will bring them back. Renewed vigor willed my legs to move, my gaze now firmly settled on the demon before me. All of them.

“At least you found your backbone,” it stated as I moved closer. An approving look now settled on its face, its earlier outburst all but forgotten. A final step brought me in front of the demon, the red dome being the only thing to separate us. I pulled out my steel dagger with a practiced motion, before placing its familiar edge on my forearm.

“Anything you want to add before I make the Pact?” I asked.

The demon sneered in disdain, “Put away the knife, kid. I said Contract, not some barbaric blood ritual.” With a flourish, a puff of smoke enveloped its hand. It quickly dispersed, leaving behind an oddly colored scroll. To my surprise it poked the scroll through the ward net without any effort, looking at me with impatience as my mind tried to register what just happened. “Just grab the scroll already!”

I hastily put away the dagger as my other hand snatched the scroll, almost dropping it on instinct due to the paper giving off an uncomfortable warmth. As I rolled it open, the demon began to list some instructions, “The terms of our agreement are on both sides of the page. Take your time reading them, before signing on the dotted line.” I gave the demon a weird look, before inspecting the scroll again. The entire front consisted of a weird mixture of black and gray, contrasted by a rectangular box of white, wherein was written but a single line: I, Gob, shall follow the commands of Marcus Ashwood until the end of his days.

“Gob, how do you know that my name is Marcus Ashwood?” I asked.

“Well you just told me,” it replied. I suppressed a flare of annoyance, before focusing on the scroll again. I’ll command you to spit it out later anyway.

I turned the scroll over, only to be met with the same mixture of black and gray. It monotonous color only broken up by two similar, albeit very small, white boxes in the bottom corners, both empty except for three simple dots. “So, ehm, how do I sign this contract?” I asked.

Gob just lazily stared at the booger currently stuck on its finger. I don’t even want to know where he got that from. Before flicking it on my robe. You fu- “Just put your thumb on the empty spot before channeling your magic,” it simply mumbled, before continuing the exploration of its nasal cavities. The things I’m going to force you to do will be foretold for generations to come.

My thumb started to channel mana into the box with a vengeance. I’ll make you squeal in just a moment. A sudden jolt of pain interrupted my torture fantasies, causing me to flinch, an audible ripping sound resounding through the basement as I pulled my thumb back. I quickly looked at it, it seemed to be alright, though it felt quite numb to the touch. I turned towards Gob for explanation, only to find him inspecting the scroll closely with some weird extravagant monocle. Scroll? I quickly glanced towards my other hand, the scroll now gone from my grasp. How did he even- “Seems like your signature,” Gob voiced. I looked back, Gob’s thumb now pressed on the other box, the strange monocle nowhere to be seen. Wait, where did the monocle go?

Only a few seconds passed before Gob pulled its thumb away, accompanied by the same ripping sound from before. With a satisfied grunt it threw the scroll into the air, where it began to hover as black fog began to wisp around its edges. Not again… With a sudden burst, pure black light shot outwards, muting all my senses, but the burning pain that seared every inch of my being. It was intense, but lasted only briefly, the black void quickly dispersing as familiar smells, sights, and sounds filled my mind. I think I’ve suffered enough for today. The blackness now replaced again with my basement, plus one ecstatic looking Gob.

Please don’t make me regret this.