War is like a game in a way, to those giving the calls. A big game of strategy, where the most prepared yet most daring wins. Kortac, as any group, any tool, must make itself valuable. So meddling with external forces once discovered wasn't discouraged.

It had been hard and it costed quite a few casualties, but it has been done. Demonic bonds that would fortify soldiers without putting their fate on the line. A beneficial relationship, bordering on parasitic.

Most soldiers refused, but few actually had that choice. Nikto wasn't in that lucky few. The deal was brief, the demon would be a help in the field while also keeping the operator safe. What it needed in exchange depended on each demon.

Nikto remembers agreeing, though he doesn’t remember what it asked for in return. A week had passed and the thing hadn’t spoken once. That’s what keeps him awake tonight. He lays in bed, staring at the ceiling, when something in the room shift. Subtle, wrong. Not a sound or a movement.

Just the sudden certainty that he isn’t alone anymore.