Beatrice blinked slowly, her blue-painted lips parting as she tried to make sense of his words.
"A couple seconds?" She asked, uncertain if she had heard him right. "What do you mean by that? If taken literally… what exactly do you get out of just a few seconds of my life?"
Dante didn't answer right away. He sat back in his chair, and simply smiled. The glow of the monitor reflected faintly in his eyes, its screen flickering to life before him.
Across it, a familiar message began to type itself out in a cold mechanical font.
It was none other than Virgil.
"As of this moment, Administrator, you possess 100 Strands of Negativity as your starting reserve. Additional strands may be earned through the actions of your Avatar.
Be advised: unless a proper contract is established, Beatrice Artabell is not considered an Avatar.
To initiate a contract, you must first engage her in a Game. Games can only be played three times per day per individual.
Please explain the conditions to the player beforehand.
Available Games: [Heads or Tails], [Rock Paper Scissors], [Hangman].
If the Administrator wins, the participant becomes an Avatar bound by contract. If the participant wins, they will earn a chance to spin the Wheel of Dreams."
Dante read the message in silence, his smile widening with faint amusement. "Interesting." He murmured under his breath. As he looked at Virgil the computer whose only purpose in life is guiding him like a teacher would a student.
The Wheel of Dreams... the name alone carried a mythic quality to it. He scrolled further, and more lines appeared on screen, as if Virgil anticipated his curiosity.
"The Wheel of Dreams is a sub-ability tied to Lordship. It contains infinite possible skills and blessings, some minor, some capable of altering the world itself.
However, each ability carries an inherent flaw, or rather curse to it's being.
Winning an ability from the Wheel automatically grants the participant the title of Spirit Warrior, even without a bonded Spirit. However, they may later wager this ability in future games against the Administrator. Should the Administrator win, the ability will be absorbed into their own arsenal."
Dante leaned back, lacing his fingers together as he looked over at Beatrice. She was watching him cautiously, her hands folded tightly in her lap.
There was a storm behind her violet eyes, mostly fear, desperation, and pride.
He could almost see the threads of her negativity woven around her like a dark aura faint, trembling, but potent.
A woman desperate for a miracle, too proud to beg for it twice.
He gave her a small smile that was neither cruel nor kind.
"You asked what I meant." He said finally, his tone calm, in this moment. "Well let me explain either way... What I can offer isn't simple charity, Lady Beatrice. So just think of it as an opportunity of a lifetime."
She tilted her head, a lock of purple hair falling over her face. "Opportunity?" She said nervously but eager for said opportunity.
"Yes." Dante rested his elbows on the desk. "You said you want power, didn't you? Something that could change your fate. The ability to fight back against the world that branded you as failure. His words struck closer to her heart than she would have like to admit, and she stiffened and listen. "I can give you that. But my gifts come with a price tags, and I don't like other spirit does like mere sacrifices, in my unique case, I deal in wagers."
Beatrice frowned. "You mean like as in gambling?" She asked, and Dante said back to her.
"Call it what you will." Dante's tone lightened. "Here, everything revolves around a game. Win, and the impossible bends for you. Lose, and you pay what you offered, or what I asked of you."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "And what happens if I lose?" He gave a small shrug. "Then I take what is mine. Whatever you're willing to stake or course."
He paused deliberately, letting the idea sink in. "But let's start small. Let's call it... a few seconds of your lifespan."
Beatrice's confusion turned to frustration. "A few seconds of my life wouldn't mean anything."
"Of course it doesn't mean anything, think of it a as me being generous, so even if you loose." Dante said softly. "You won't loose anything at all." Then his voice dropped lower, almost teasing. "So what do you say, willing to play a game with me."
He didn't elaborate any further. He didn't need to.
Dante turned back to his computer, tapping the side of the monitor.
"So." He said. "Shall we make things interesting?"
Beatrice stared at him for a long moment. Her instinct screamed that this was wrong, that she was walking into something dangerous, something far beyond her understanding.
But she also remembered the faces of her family, the disdain in her stepmother's eyes, the laughter of her half-siblings, the hollow pity of her father who had never once called her daughter in public.
She clenched her fists.
"Alright I will do it. What kind of game do you have in mind?" Dante smiled faintly. "Simple ones. The classics of course." He pointed a finger at her, his eyes glinting with unease.
"Heads or Tails. Rock, Paper, Scissors. Or Hangman. You win, you get your wish granted. You lose, I just want to have fun."
"Those are children's games though." Beatrice muttered. "Yeah and so?" Said Dante.
"You really are a weird spirit." Beatrice said out aloud. As Dante chuckled quietly. "I strive to be fun, so if I am weird then it just means I am doing good."
The computer hummed faintly, its light washing over the two of them.
Dante the rose from his chair and extended his hand toward her.
"So!?" He said, his voice calm, and composed. "Do we have a deal?"
For a long moment, Beatrice said nothing. She just stared at that hand, the hand of something she didn't understand, something that could make or unmake her with a word. Then, slowly, she reached out and took it.
"Fine." She said. "Let's play Head or Tails!?"
Dante's smile deepened, the computer flickering in response as if acknowledging the pact.
"Then let's begin." Dante said as a coin appeared between Dante's fingers, glowing faintly gold. "Well then Lady Beatrice Heads or Tails"