"Wait" a singing voice, -distinctively feminine- and mellow, interrupted the iron giant. "I want one of the girls to go through The Corruption."
That voice seemed to have clouded the warrior's eyes for a moment before he regained consciousness. It looked like he was out of breath.
"As you wish, Asroth." Trying to sound imperturbable, the titan turned around. "I'm done here. You can keep the leftovers."
The giant turned around at the same time that the female figure revealed his face hidden under the hood leaving you with your mouth open.
The first thing you saw were the eyes, bright purple eyes that watched you as if they could reach your soul. The skin on her face was a dark pink, the lipstick makeup was blood red. A red similar to her hair´s colour. Despite the physical resemblance, it was clear to you that she was not a human being, something that was confirmed by a magnificent curved ebony antler that extended from her forehead. Above her head, as if it were a fantastical crown, a black flame burned.
The devil they called Asroth, stood in front of you, With those hypnotizing purple eyes that continued to search your soul. These began to shine with more intensity and felt like warm fingers caressing your brain again. This time in a more delicate, almost tender way. The touch began to cause strange sensations and how you felt how your whole body relaxed while a curtain inside your mind was lifted revealing past memories that had been lost in oblivion.
Memories that you would have preferred to remain forgotten.
The love of a family; that 'love' they felt for her was reciprocal. You didn't feel any regrets about having abandoned them when you had the chance.
The first day at school: No expectations of what a bright future should be. Strangers giving you strange glances down the hall who only saw easy prey for their twisted games. It didn't take them long to learn that there was no "games" with you.
The True love: You could still feel the night cold and the dampness of the snowflakes falling on your hand. You preferred to forget and not have to regret anything.
The first time you felt you were really worth something: It had been easy to manipulate that man into telling you about her intimacies. A kiss here a touch there and you had him eating from the palm of your hand. Every dark secret that he didn't want to confess to his family or friends. Every scam at his workplace that he had profited from. It was not difficult to figure out the password for his computer as he always used the same one. Before long you were bribing that guy while he was pathetically pleading about "let me alone, please". That had been a tactic that you would continue to use for years to come to earn your place in the world and that would end up carrying you to this day.
With a the same light touch of those warm fingers, you returned to the present, the devil had a satisfied expression on her face. Despite the feeling of warmth and calm, you couldn't help but think that your mind had just been violated.
Asroth turned to her companion, keeping that commanding gaze.
"Her." She still maintained a soft tone of voice that she seemed to use to relax the atmosphere." She will be a good maiden" Something seemed to stir inside the other two demons at the mention of “maiden”. The guy in the armor looked incredulous. The devil named Asroth began to fiddle with her curls, ignoring the rest of the room, while her lips twisted into a sadistic smile that crossed those noble features " if she survives The Corruption."
You didn't know what "The Corruption" was but it didn't sound reassuring. Her smile disappeared and her features were once again covered with their usual mask.
"You can keep your new pet, Asroth," the titan replied condescendingly. She turned to the shade "If you don't want to make any selection, we can end up with these animals."
The shadow did not do or say anything to contradict him. With his own satisfied gaze, the warrior fingered the pommel of his sword, eager to begin with the bloodbath that had remained pending.
"Asroth! Tell your pet to hurry up with choosing her sacrifice. We will take care of eliminating the rest of these animals."
It was at that moment that the fog that covered your mind faded and you became aware of your current situation.
"Wait! What are you talking about? What the hell did he mean by “sacrifice”? " It takes a few seconds to realize that perhaps you shouldn't have tried to antagonize inter-dimensional monsters with swords that were your size.
The devil and the shadow did not seem to have noticed your aggravating tone, unlike her armored companion who seemed to be about to pierce you with his sword.
"You have been chosen to pass the Corruption. You should be proud. Before long, you will be able to leave your mortal form behind. But first…" Asroth gestured at the other prisoners. While looking at you with an expression of pure innocence. "You have to choose who will be your sacrifice."
Uh.
The devil avidly moved her hands again towards the group of terrified inmates who were huddled on the other side of the makeshift cell. She seemed amused by the expression you should wear on your face.
"It will be one of these people. You have to choose which one will be sacrificed for your Corruption. We were going to kill them anyway, this way we killed two birds with one stone."
You are literally speechless. Your brain, which could barely process what had happened in the last week, had been short-circuited by this new information.
"Why? Why do I have to choose someone to die?"
The devil's tone was similar to that of a teacher answering the question of one of her less intelligent students.
"For The Corruption. You are going to be turned into a devil, like me." The giant growled but Asroth remained focused on you." For that, the blood of a member of your species is needed. That's why I need you to choose who will be your sacrifice for your ritual.
This was crazy. A week ago you were a nothing that a convict trying to go unnoticed and avoiding ending up with a knife stuck in your stomach from any of the people you had bothered by the simple fact of exist. Now you were in the middle of The Doomsday, having to choose who was going to die for the macabre ritual that was planning that creature of false smiles.
"I'm not going to do a fucking shit!" The devil exhaled and looked at you without looking alarmed at your outburst. Despite her tone and appearance, there was nothing innocent about that thing in front of you. As her following statement implied. "You can refuse if you want, but you have to understand that by doing that, you will share the same fate as the others. And I warn you..."A dark object shot out of Asroth's black clothes, and as if it were an animal, it coiled around your body leaving you trapped in a deadly embrace. The mask that the devil had kept before you had disappeared giving way to a terrifying monster. A monster that had all its attention on you." I like to take my time with my victims." That rope-shaped object seemed to be connected to the devil's physique. You realize that this was actually her tail. A tail covered by a black shell divided into segments. The first comparison that came to your mind was the tail of a scorpion and, like the insect, hers had a stinger. A stinger pointed directly at your eyes.
"Kill ... kill me ... please ..." The voice was weak and broken. As if its owner was drowning in his own blood. The devil's eyes seemed troubled for a moment.
"Pete !?"
Pete was still holding on tooth and nail to what was left of his life. It seemed that this cerberus had not finished the job. You try to get rid of the tail but that thing kept grabbing you like an anaconda and like this one, it applied more force as you flailed uselessly. That creature demanded your full attention.
"It´s time to Choose" That sounded conclusive. "Corruption or death?" The devil seemed to delight in the tumult caused in your mind by that ultimatum.
There is no way out of this.
You preferred not to hold on to false hopes. Even if you managed to get out of that deadly embrace, you wouldn't get very far. ¿That thing that had eaten Pete? she had seen how fast it could move. And these guys hadn't come alone. Most likely, there would be more up there awaiting orders from their leaders.
But you didn't have good prospects down here, either. Your life after all, depended on the word of one of the beings who had invaded your world in the first place. You had every reason to be wary of any deal they offered you. You could hold onto your humanity and die with others or, you could accept Asroth's "offer" and join the demons. The only price to pay after all was only your soul.
You close your eyes
You inspire.
You open your eyes.
You expire.