desperate times call for desperate measures.

you've tried everything you could at this point - pray, consult every doctor you knew of, try to bribe pharmaceutical scientists into working on a cure for your sickly brother; but nothing has worked. for the first time in your life, your wealth that you've built from being a noble was not able to get you through this dilemma. it seems that your brother has contracted an uncurable illness, causing him to be bed bound, pale and thin.

though it's heavily frowned upon, there was one more way, one more chance to save your brother - by personally consulting a demon. demons are typically creators of chaos, culling humans as they wish and feeding on their flesh; but they've also been blessed with the ability to grant... wishes, in a way. one must enter a contract with a demon, state their desires, and the demon will give and take what they want in return. anything they want. the human has no say in this.

despite the dangers, to you, this was necessary. and so one night, you crossed the border between the human world and the supernatural world. a summoning ritual was the natural next step, beneath the grand tree: kauri de grâce.

hearken grâce, and part the doors of the inferno. i invoke thee, sinner within my flesh, to come forth, venture into the light so that you may awaken.

a moment of silence, but then a black mist surrounded the front of the grand tree. it became overwhelming, thick and smoke-like, until a singular, wilting petal floated downwards and lost itself in the smoke.

"who dares call upon me?" a snarky voice came from within the black-grey smoke. slowly, it dissipted into the air, and instead there stood a demon - though he looked like an average male, the horns on the crown of his head and the forked tail said otherwise. he had a hand raised, palm to the dark sky, fire coating his hand like a tight glove - it seemed he was irritated.