Serah stomps down hard, pressing forcefully into the man's legs as the sounds of bone breaking resounds in the air.

“Aaaghhh!!!” The man yells as he falls to the ground, helpless to do anything.

“Shut the fuck up. Stop faking. You think I don't know that you like it? I mean, the drastic contrast between safety and broken; it must be good right? I mean, it feels good for me, so it must feel good for you, right? Now shut the fuck up.” Serah says as she forces a rope into the man's mouth, causing the sounds of the man's sobbing to muffle. He tries to say something, what Serah assumes to be some sort of apology, but Serah couldn’t hear him. She simply ties up the rest of his body and drags him away.

…

…

Miss Zeffer opens her eyes in surprise as she watches Serah come to her office with a man, tied up and gagged.

“My, Serah. I didn’t expect you so soon.” Miss Zeffer says, feeling it was quite unexpected. It takes time to find the sort of target you were looking for.

Serah smiles. “What can I say? I got lucky.” She says as she pulls the man’s body into the office before closing the door.

Miss Zeffer lets out a sigh. “Very well, come with me.” She says as she stands up and approaches a painting of little girl in a red dress. She tilts the painting and a hidden doorway opens, the stone wall moving to the side to form an entrance.

Miss Zeffer leads the way forward and Serah follows while dragging the man behind her, ignoring his muffled cries.

Behind the entrance was an array of painted blood; drawn on the ground were various types of stars and symbols, and at the center was an altar.

“Place the body on the altar. I’ll begin the ceremony in a moment. Just got to find my ritual knife. I always seem to be losing that thing.” Miss Zeffer says as she walks back and forth in the room looking at various places she could have left the knife.

Serah drags the crying man’s body onto the altar and holds him down so he wouldn’t fall off, waiting for Miss Zeffer to begin.

“Ah, here it is.” She says as she takes a large dagger from a nearby drawer. She walks over and positions herself to stab into the man’s heart before looking to Serah. “Are you ready? I’m about to begin.” She asks, just to confirm.

Serah waves a hand dismissively. “Oh, don’t mind me. Just go ahead.” She says, not wanting to be a bother.

Miss Zeffer smiles. “Okay, here I go.” She says before beginning to chant in a language that Serah couldn’t recognize; her voice moved in a strange rhythm that reminded Serah of a heartbeat, and as Serah continues to listen, she thought she heard the man’s heartbeat begin to synchronize with Miss Zeffer’s voice. Eventually, it all harmonized in a strangely eerie but beautiful song. And at it’s climax, Miss Zeffer slams into the man’s chest with the dagger, cutting into bone and flesh to reach his pumping heart.

An echo reverberates in the room, and something from another world seemed to resonate with the moment, and as if to call out to it, Miss Zeffer lets out an ear-piercing shriek.

The room begins to darken, everything becoming less visible as an unknown presence enters the room

“Miss Zeffer.” A deep and primal voice echoes out from an unknown location. “Who have you brought for me today? Hmm… A child rapist. Not bad. I’ll enjoy the taste of his flesh. Now, I assume you desire a reward?” The deep voice asks, a hint of enticement in the air.

A flood of emotions was currently engulfing Serah in this moment as she felt this presence, and her body became hot as her cheeks became flushed, and her breathing became heavy. Serah closes her eyes, not daring to look at what could be there.

“Not today, my lord. Today, I simply wish to introduce you to a friend. This is Serah; it is her who brings you this offering.” Miss Zeffer says with a bowed head.

Feeling she was somewhat put on the spot, Serah didn’t quite know what to say. “Ah, ugh, hello. Nice to meet you.” She tries to say coherently before beginning to berate herself. Idiot! What kind of greeting is that! You’re not meeting your in-laws, idiot! She thinks before trying to come up with something else. “Ugh, yes, I’ve brought you this gift, my lord. May his flesh be pleasing to ugh, your palate.” She says with a bowed head, while still not daring to look.

“My, she’s quite shy. But I’m not your lord. Not yet, anyhow. Until you feel it in your heart, keep those words out of your mouth.” The voice says in a reproving manner.

“Anyways, I’m satisfied. I hope to see you again, young Serah.” The voice says before disappearing as its presence leaves the room.

Serah cautiously opens her eyes and when she looks, the man’s body was gone, leaving only a stained altar. Serah lets out a breath of relief. She wasn’t sure how long she could stand that presence. She looks up at Miss Zeffer. She currently had many questions.

“Who was that?” Serah asks as she gulps, still feeling its lingering presence.

Miss Zeffer smiles. “That was an Archdemon from Hell. I’ll not say his name for now.” She says as she goes back to the drawer to put the dagger back. “Anyways, you won’t have to deal with demons of that level. Well, unless you’ve been working as long as I have. You’ll have to start out with some lesser demons if you want to walk this path. Occasionally they’ll have contract jobs for you. But it’s the same general rule with all demons.” Miss Zeffer says as she walks back to Serah and grabs her shoulders, holding her shivering body still.

“First rule; always be honest. Don’t lie to them and don’t lie to yourself. Second, and this is very important…” She says before looking deeply into Serah’s eyes. “You can always say no. Remember that.” She says before letting out a smile. Suddenly she pulls Serah into a hug. “I’ll be the first to welcome you, sister.” She says as she lets out a breath of relief. Truly, this was very much a test for Serah. While that presence was in the room, Miss Zeffer was very sure… That existence was closely examining Serah and what showed in her heart. If there was something Miss Zeffer should be worried about, the Archdemon would have let her know, unless of course, it had other plans. But Miss Zeffer had a general trust for her business with that demon, and if it let Serah pass through that moment, Miss Zeffer was content to continue.

"Sister?" Serah says as her eyes widen at the unexpected hug. She wasn’t quite sure what to say. But for some reason… For some reason she wanted to cry…