A dark name

Pandora darted to the main road that would lead her to The Gallerya, if she started running, she might make it in ten minutes, which was enough time before the seven hours in the morning mark.

She was about to start off when she heard another pair of heavier footsteps following her from behind, so she quickly turned, halting on her way to the public ritual which was probably already in the king’s speech part. Her hair fluttered in the light breeze she made when turning to meet the mysterious stranger that was now in front of her.

“So, I don’t really know why you know me or why you licked from my wound, you depraved demon fanatic. But I really need to get going, it would be a pleasure as well to amend our ends someday and I would gladly do, you just need to leave your appointment with my secretary, and I will meet you when I dispose of time.” Pandora lied and turned once again on her way to the main plaza not bothering to see the demon fanatic’s reaction. She have heard of crazy religion obsessed people that wanted to or straightly believed they were demons and tended to adhere to some of their known habits, not that we could precisely know since demons in Crescentia where a rare sight being the only way to sight them a bound to that of a contractor which needed to be a Star Chosen and top of that Star Chosen didn’t share the fascination of showing off their demon contractors. She didn’t want to bother herself with this matter, so she fastened her pace not enough to be running but enough to draw her breath short.

Pandora didn’t identify herself as an athletic nor a fast runner, after a few minutes of striding through the main road and taking the alley ways shortcuts this revelation came up to her once more forcing her to slow the rhythm she was going for.

When turning to the right onto another alleyway which was much narrower than the last one she had just gone through, gasping she bumped hard on a hard chest that was just in the middle of the narrow alley, not having way from either side of the once again stranger’s tall presence she was left with little choice but to stare back up to him once more. Meeting the dark gaze of the man, remembered her of the illusion she had viewed before where she could have felt in every cell of her body that what was standing before her was a demon in every aspect possible. Now it was just a human looking attractive man with dark as night hair locks that fell to his eyes, gracing his eyelashes, with deep black pupils that from Pandora’s angle could almost denote into cobalt blue specks inside the deep and swallowing voids.

She had to admit he was quite the catch.

“I apologize if I left the impression of being a depraved demon fanatic before lady Pandora, but I would rather skip your secretary and would like to directly amend our ends.” The night man said calmly as if he hadn’t just mocked all of Pandora’s last exchange.

“And by amending our ends, I mean finishing the ritual.” He finished.

Pandora was getting creeped out by the unusual exchange that was happening between them, but still she couldn’t move an inch from her pursuer’s front as if she had been locked in place.

“What? What ritual?” She could not recall making any contact with religion fanatics even less being part of their rituals in the last eighteen years of her life.

“The summoning ritual, my lady.”

She couldn’t be more lost in what was happening, what could the stranger mean by summoning ritual? Was he talking about the public demon summoning that was going to be happening on The Gallerya? Still, it didn’t made sense that the handsome dark man talked to her regarding the event, she was no one, unless…

“Ehem...” Pandora cleared her throat with her fist covering her mouth. “Well, this is the first time something like this has ever happened to me,”

As she fluttered her snow touched eyelashes and looked up straight to the night man, she could notice the slight sign of confusion in his deep emotionless gaze.

“In another moment I would’ve gladly accepted your offer, noticing you’re clearly a… well equipped man. For now though, I have to decline as you can see I’m in a hurry since the event must’ve already started.”

The night man remained still, unmoving from Pandora’s way.

“My deepest apologies but I cannot allow that. The completion of a ritual must be done for the balance between realms to keep still, and for it to be completed I need you, my master to sign the contract.”

“Now, look here. I remember I left myself clear with my answer before and declining you, such a fine man is sadly a shame, even though your wording for hitting off is odd, I can willingly keep on with your play but not now. If you keep on with this, I must report you for stalking.” Pandora finished off, hard on her tone.

Not wanting to keep arguing with a handsome stranger at seven in the morning she charged to his right side so she could avoid his big build in the middle of the alley, or she would have just done that, except for the fact that Pandora could not move from where she once felt locked in place. That feeling she had before was not just mere coincidence, she had been locked in front of the stranger.

“Excuse me, but this is going too far, you can’t just lock my feet on to⁠—” Pandora glanced down to her feet so she could see how they were glued on to the pavement with whatever kind of artifact the man before her used, but she couldn’t see any sign of glue on her shoes, on the other hand she was viewing how dark moving threads creeped from her feet, as if shadows under her soles grabbed onto her and denied her feet’s free will. As if it was… “⁠—magic.”

Now she straightened her head as fast as she could blink, eyes wide, not believing the current situation she was forced upon. She searched through the narrow alley for another perpetrator in the scene, there had to be another source of the magic, another someone. Magic itself in Crescentia could only be shaped from two sources, a Star Chosen, and Pandora was water clear sure the current contract rituals hadn’t been performed yet, meaning the new Star Chosen children were not capable of calling magic as of now, and the Star Chosen before them if not dead were at least seventy year old humans, but the last source that can bend magic to their will are the very much cores of the magic’s origin, a demon.

The realization falling into place before her, Pandora was no longer looking for someone in the silent and empty alley, she was wide eyeing the man that was standing still before her, his expression still unaffected.

“I sense you now noticed what my origins are, lady. And before I’m the source of more misunderstandings, I must clarify that I’m unable of feeling human emotions such as those you refer to as the roots of love. Meaning, that certainly I’m not hitting you off.”

“Are you a demon?” Pandora said almost whispering to herself, but she knew the man in front of her could very much hear her.

The mysterious dark man just nodded not needing to say out loud what now was evident.

Now the image of the dark creature she had seen before came alive within her recent memories, the obvious connection snapping into place, that which had been before her was the true shape of the human man in front of her.

“But… But it doesn’t make sense, how is this even possible, why is it that you are roaming in Crescentia’s realm freely? Moreover, where is your contractor? What did you mean by singing the contract with me?”

“Well lady Pandora, it would be a pleasure to answer every and each one of your doubtful and curious remarkings. As it seems you are not aware of what happened for you and me to be tied together. But first we need you to finish the ritual, as I can’t remain much longer within human’s boundaries without facing the terrible consequences of an unfinished soul contract, for you and me.” He talked in a still matter, looking as if he did not care of the forthcoming consequences he was talking about.

Looking like she would not dare to even blink for him and would prefer to stand there waiting for the sight of a demon to disappear or for her eyes to slowly dry out, Pandora did not reply, nor did she retort for him.

“We are bounded, by a contract. From now until the day your last human breath becomes one with the breeze and it takes with it your conscience, life and even your soul.” He said slowly explaining to the clearless dumbfounded female human child.

“Undone it cannot be done.” He recited knowing this was what was forming in Pandora’s thoughts. “Shall you become tied with me for your limited mortal eternity, and I will grant you my power,”.

Dark fuming imposing looking threads, even more powerful than the ones that tied her feet to the ground —or were tying as Pandora didn’t know if it was his power or her growing fear that kept her in there—, came out. She could feel the buzzling dark magic that could surface from the night man, maybe the dark creature from before was really standing in front of her and not an attractive looking dark young man.

“In return your soul shall be mine, depleted once you be, devouring you should be my last task as your contractor, lady Pandora.” He sounded dark, maybe even famished.

For a change, Pandora could finally control something of her body and swallowed that clump that forewarn to choke her with her own saliva. And managed to say out loud, almost ignoring the previous threat.

“I— I didn’t bring my s—stamp with me.”

“Then we should go retrieve it, am I right?”

The dark man stretched his hand showing her his palm. He had tender and long fingers, lovely, they were like a pianist’s, agile, slim and… deadly looking. If he tried, he could easily wrap those fingers around her neck and single handedly tear the life out of her, slowly, cruelly but beautifully. Still, she stared and placed her hand on top of his, their palms touching, his fingers slowly but tightly griping her small hand.

“What is your name?”

His eyes starred with the blue cobalt deepening into her very soul, already acclaiming her, making the silent promise. She had a feeling even before he spoke that she already knew his name, even how it sounded coming from his lips.

“Nocte, my lady.” Night, how clearly fitting for the darkness that he was.