Kyle couldn't completely shake off his concern for the thing that his sister had become, smoldering as she was in the middle of the road less than 10 feet from Marisa's fender. He couldn't tell if she was alive or dead.
Standing near her by the side of the road was a wizened old human figure, tiredly but intensely pointing a bright sword at the fallen demoness. He turned the weapon on Kyle and it began to glow a dull blue.
"You!" he rasped. "You're the one who unleashed that foul curse!"
Kyle played dumb. "Curse? What curse?"
The old man sneered. "Foolish boy. You have no idea what you're toying with, do you? That curse is no game. It was used by Evaine, the wicked man who founded this town 200 years ago. He made a pact with Hell so that he would be able to give his people a choice: they could either obey his commands or be turned into whatever shape he desired as punishment, usually livestock in those days. Yes, he regularly consumed his own people."
The old man coughed, then continued, "The church got wind of Evaine's perversion and sent a detachment of templar knights--yes, they still existed then and do to this day--to purge his so-called civilization and seal away the curse, wiping all traces of its existence from the world. But it's still here, isn't it? The words used to invoke it may have changed, but the intent is the same. I'm the last descendant of the knights who kept watch over this place."
Kyle felt a chill run down his spine. "Look, I just found a pamphlet in a curio shop that told me about it! I just wanted to teach this girl at school a lesson, so I turned her into... I turned her into a demon."
"A demon!" the old man's veins twitched with fury.
"Yeah, but only she was supposed to be able to see it and I didn't think she'd be able to infect other people!" Kyle protested.
"Fool! The curse is a wicked, evil thing with a will all of its own. Any desire you ask of it will be twisted to an outcome favorable to it and its unholy masters. By changing this girl into a demon, you've given it an opportunity it's never had before--to literally bring Hell to Earth. That creature I just smote is a true warrior demon. You must be punished for your sins." The old man's sword erupted into flame.
"Wait! Can't I use the curse to undo all of this?" Kyle asked in a panic.
"No, you idiot, have you not listened to a word I said? The curse will always be bent to Hell's will, even the most innocuous, carefully worded invocation can breed disaster! The only choice is to purge all those who have been infected... and all who know of the curse," he took a step forward.
"Please, give me a chance to redeem myself!" Kyle begged.