The Demon's Pact: For the Price of a Soul

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The Demon's Pact: For the Price of a Soul

The candlelight flickered against the stone walls of the forgotten chapel. Ethan knelt at the altar, his breath shallow, eyes full of desperation. The once sacred place now reeked of sulfur and burnt offerings. He had tried everything—prayers, doctors, rituals—but nothing saved her. Nothing could stop death from taking his sister. Nothing, except… this.

“I know you’re there,” Ethan whispered. “I’m ready.”

A cold wind stirred, though there were no windows. Shadows twisted unnaturally along the floor, coalescing at the altar. From the darkness stepped a figure in a crimson suit, his eyes glowing faintly with infernal light. A smirk played across his lips.

“Ethan Price,” the demon said smoothly. “You call, and I answer. You know the rules?”

“I give you my soul, and you give me what I want.”

The demon chuckled. “It’s always about souls, isn’t it? So dramatic.” He stepped closer, tapping a long black nail against his chin. “What is it you desire so badly that you’d surrender eternity?”

“My sister, Lily. She’s dying. I want you to save her. Cure her. Let her live.”

The demon raised an eyebrow. “A noble request. How tragically human.”

“Can you do it or not?” Ethan snapped.

“Of course,” the demon replied. “But remember this—nothing comes without a cost. Are you sure your soul is worth her heartbeat?”

“Yes.”

“Very well.” The demon reached into the air and pulled out a parchment scroll, blackened at the edges and inscribed in glowing red. “Sign here. In blood, naturally.”

With shaking hands, Ethan pressed the knife to his palm, letting the blood fall onto the scroll. It absorbed the crimson drops greedily. The demon smiled wider.

“Done,” he said. “Your sister will wake by morning, free of sickness.”

Ethan exhaled in relief, a tear slipping down his cheek. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me,” the demon said, already fading into shadows. “I’ll be seeing you… sooner than you think.”

When Ethan returned home, Lily was sitting up in bed, her cheeks flushed with life. She smiled when she saw him.

“Ethan?” she said softly. “I feel… better. What happened?”

He hugged her tightly. “A miracle.”

But deep inside, he knew it wasn’t heaven that answered his prayers.

Weeks passed. Lily grew stronger. She laughed more. She danced in the living room like she used to, spinning to music Ethan barely heard. But something inside him had changed. He stopped sleeping. Shadows danced at the edge of his vision. When he looked in mirrors, sometimes he saw eyes behind his own.

One night, he woke with a scream, heart pounding. The demon was sitting on the dresser, casually flipping through Ethan’s notebook.

“You write beautifully,” the demon said. “Shame it’ll all burn with you.”

“What do you want?” Ethan asked, his voice raw with fear.

“To remind you. Time ticks. You belong to me.”

“You said I had until I died.”

“Ah, but mortals die so easily. One step into the street. One careless fall. Or… perhaps a deal.”

“What deal?”

The demon smiled. “You can escape damnation. Just give me another soul. One pure, one untouched. A soul like your sister’s.”

“Never,” Ethan growled.

“You’d rather suffer eternal torment?”

“Better me than her.”

But the demon’s offer planted a seed of dread. Over the next few days, Ethan isolated himself, terrified of harming Lily or anyone else. He began researching demonology, ancient pacts, ways to escape damnation. Most of it ended the same: death or corruption.

Then he found a name—Isadora. A witch. A woman rumored to have broken her own pact centuries ago. Her name was carved into the walls of the same chapel he had summoned the demon in.

Desperate, Ethan returned to the chapel. He brought offerings—lavender, sage, silver coins. He lit candles and read aloud the summoning incantation he’d found hidden in a forgotten library volume.

The air turned cold. Not like the demon’s presence—this was cleaner, older. A woman appeared, cloaked in midnight blue, eyes silver like moonlight.

“You seek me,” she said.

“You’re Isadora?”

She nodded. “You’ve made a pact. Foolish, but not uncommon.”

“Can it be undone?”

“Few ever try. Fewer succeed. But yes—if your will is stronger than your fear.”

“I’ll do anything,” Ethan said. “I can’t let him win.”

Isadora studied him. “Then come. But understand this: redemption requires sacrifice. True redemption. You’ll have to face the demon again. And the worst parts of yourself.”

Over the following weeks, Isadora trained him. She taught him ancient protections, spiritual discipline, and the language of binding. Ethan meditated daily, fasted, and cleansed his soul through ritual and confession. He even visited Lily and confessed everything. She cried but didn’t turn away.

“You saved me,” she whispered. “Now let me help you.”

With Lily’s blessing, Ethan returned to the chapel. He inscribed the floor with protective runes. Candles burned in every corner. Isadora stood beside him, ready.

“You only get one chance,” she warned. “Speak with clarity. Resist temptation.”

Ethan summoned the demon once more. The creature appeared, cloaked in flame and arrogance.

“Back for more?” the demon sneered. “Or have you brought me a better offer?”

“No deals,” Ethan said. “I’m ending this.”

“You signed the contract. I own you.”

“But I signed under duress. Without full consent. The pact is flawed.”

The demon’s expression shifted. “So the witch taught you tricks.”

“More than tricks.” Ethan stepped forward, invoking the words Isadora had taught him. The contract burst into flame as he spoke, the runes glowing fiercely.

The demon screamed, clawing at the edges of the ritual circle. “You can’t do this!”

“Watch me.”

With one final chant, the circle sealed. The demon vanished in a burst of flame, its shriek echoing into silence.

When it was over, Ethan collapsed. Isadora caught him.

“It is done,” she whispered. “Your soul is free.”

For the first time in months, Ethan slept without fear. He dreamt not of fire and shadows, but of light, laughter, and Lily’s smile.

In time, Ethan began helping others like him. He worked with Isadora, studying spiritual paths, healing rituals, and the ancient art of protection. He and Lily grew closer, their bond forged in the fires of sacrifice and forgiveness.

He never forgot the demon, nor the price he almost paid. But in surviving it, Ethan learned something rare—that even when you sell your soul, it’s not always the end. Sometimes, if you fight hard enough, it’s just the beginning of your salvation.