"You brought Elves this time?" Elfric snorted.
The strap fell down his shoulder to hang aimlessly at his wrist. A second look at them made him question his own words; they looked every bit human, but what just happened made him question it.
"Not exactly," Zeph confessed, throwing a glance over his shoulder at the two men behind him.
One of them had a sword hanging on his back, dark hair similar to the color of his eyes. His face was stripped of any emotion that a human could give, while the other stood with his hands crossed over his chest. A cheesy smirk spread across his face as if the only thing that was stopping him from leaping forward was the redhead between Elfric and him.
"They are every bit human," said Zeph. "Just with a little touch here and there."
"What?" Elfric uttered in confusion.
"Come on, for fuck's sake," said the man with the creepy smirk while running a hand through his hawk dark gray hair.
"Ash…" Zeph mumbled under his breath loud enough for the man called Ash to hear him.
"You only make a move when I say so."
"Oh, please," Ash scoffed. "I'm not your little hound that you leash and unleash as you please, Zeph."
"Oh, I'm not, but I have orders from the one who holds your leash," Zeph hissed.
Elfric could see that he was unpleased with the whole situation. Maybe even more than Elfric did. But right now, Elfric had no time to worry about all these men quarreling with each other; he had his own mess to deal with.
Elfric was lucky to get away from the last time, but he had a feeling that he wasn't going to be that lucky this time.
Not when he was up against…them.
A feeling inside him was telling him that they were in another league compared to the men from before.
Elfric saw how Ash snorted as he stood down. Whatever Zeph meant by his words, it worked in making him stand down. Elfric was thankful for those extra minutes that it brought him.
If he was going to summon Orathan anyway, then he might as well do it now.
'Orathan, if you are there, then this would be a great time for you to show up,' Elfric called out inside him as he closed his eyes.
And before he could beg anymore, he felt it happening…he saw it happen.
Everything came to a stop; time stopped.
Everything was on pause. Elfric watched as the three men in front of him froze, like puppets on a string that stopped working. Somehow, he found was calm through it all and waited for it, and it was not long before he saw that dark silhouette forming before him.
He still got the chills as he watched a shadow stand in three-dimensional space, looking right at him as if he was a living thing…
Elfric couldn't even decide if he was an entity or if he was just something that took the form of whatever or whoever he possessed.
"It didn't take you long to decide, Elfric Woods," Orathan said, the voice was coming from thin air, echoing in Elfric's chest.
"I would really appreciate it if you stopped appearing…naked in front of me," said Elfric. "Don't you…have a form?"
Orathan chuckled; he saw the way his shoulder rocked from the intensity of it, and it still gave him the creeps.
He saw how the silhouette's head looked over its shoulder. "I think my form is the least of your worries right now," he stated.
"But…" he stopped. Shifting forms as if he changed his clothes. Again, Elfric was standing before himself – a reflection of himself.
"If this makes it more comfortable for you, then it's the least I can give you," said Orathan. "Now, did you make up your mind?"
Elfric took a deep breath with his eyes closed, waiting to see if he was going to step back now that he was really taking the step, but no.
All he could see behind his closed lids was pure determination.
He nodded once.
"I'll do it," Elfric answered. "I will take your power for my own greed, to fulfill my goals."
"That's a nice step," said Orathan, rubbing his jaw.
"Very nice indeed. But now again, what is it that you want so badly that you would trade your soul with?"
He took a couple of steps, closing the distance between them.
"I want power," said Elfric.
"Power to overthrow those who abuse their power. I want to make this world a better place."
Orathan chuckled, and it gradually turned into a loud laugh that echoed around the dimension that they were locked in. Clearly, he was mocking Elfric's words.
"I don't see what's funny," he stated.
"Oh, please excuse my rude behaviour!" said Orathan.
If his voice was one thing, then it would be excited. The pure satisfaction in his eyes was something that Elfric could only see in the hunter's eyes as he played with his prey. He could have his share of a laugh before having his ego satisfied.
"I have been asked to do a lot of things, but…I was never asked to make the world a better place!" He exclaimed.
"You amuse me, Elfric Woods! You caught my attention back then, and you haven't proved me wrong since." His eyes were dark with lust. It was nothing less than terrifying. Watching lust being reflected back at you through your own eyes.
It made Elfric realize just what he was dealing with, which made him believe that what he wanted was something not impossible – well, not anymore.
"I never said that I want you to do it for me," Elfric stated, destroying any hope for Orathan to think of him as easy prey.
"I'm not very fond of the way you take all over me, leaving me in some locked vessel as you have had your share of fun."
"Do you have any other way you reach your goal without that, Elfric Woods?" he crossed his arms over his chest, amusement was vibrant in the color of his eyes that were a duplicate to Elfric's.
"You give me your power," Elfric said, locking gaze with his own eyes. "Don't overwhelm me with them. Teach me."
Orathan scoffed in disbelief.
"You can't do that?"
"Not that I can't," Orathan replied, hating that he was being underestimated.
"It's a question of, can you handle it?"
"Then we are set," Elfric exclaimed, holding his hand out to seal the contract. To tie himself down to his own cause.
The cause was residing inside him somewhere, and it started floating the minute he felt that he had what it took to do it.
Orathan looked at Elfric's held-out hand and then back at his face. He could help but laugh sadistically.
"THAT LOOK!" he covered his mouth as he felt himself numb with the pleasure.
"That look of determination! The will to fight that you humans have with your short lives and weak bodies! It surpasses even those of demons, making us wonder why God gave you such a thing when you are a race of weaklings."
As he ended his breakdown of pleasure, he leaped forward, jumping right at Elfric, leaving him no time to react, pinning him to the ground with a hand gripping harshly over his face.
The feeling of the human heart pulsing in Elfric's veins reminded him of the fun that awaits him with this little, unusual summoner. The summoner had no idea that it was him in the first place.
"You…" Orathan breathed out as he kept his firm grip on Elfric's face.
"Me…we are now bound till you satisfy that greed of yours. You offered me a soul and I will gladly take it, Elfric Woods…"
"With this…our bond is made."
Light burst out of Elfric's shirt, a burning fire that was burning down into the skin on his chest.
Engraving the seal of the devil onto his body, marking him to be forever in bondage with the devil.
He screamed in pain; he figured that that was the least of it. The pain was going to be with him forever; that was the bigger price of the contract.
His hands grabbed onto Orathan, who was on top of him, pinning him down as he enjoyed watching the seal engrave itself on his skin.
"Your soul is now mine," Orathan whispered lustfully in Elfric's ears, his hot breath sending shivers down his spine as he tried to recover from the burning pain.
"G-Get off me," Elfric struggled to sit upright, shoving his duplicate off his body.
"I never said I would give you my soul."
Orathan blinked in confusion.
"Are you making sick jokes now that I'm tied to you, Elfric Woods?"
"Do I look like a humorous guy to you, Mr. Satan?" Elfric growled as he pulled himself to his feet.
"I can't understand you, humans, when you talk like that," Orathan frowned.
"You want a soul…it's none of your business whose soul I will be selling."