The pine, whispers a sapling just outside the circle of shade, others rustling their leaves in an unseen wind in agreement, it spreads.

Too far. Too much. No sun for seeds, says a thornbush to its side. The pine in question is a regal old monarch of a tree, branches reaching higher than any other and trunk so wide around that you doubt you could circle it with two dozen people. The ground within its shadow is bare of anything except a thick pungent mat of decaying needles and the other plants cluster resentfully on the outskirts of its perimeter.

Druid. It falls. It rots. It returns to the soil. Seeds, fruits. For the druid. It falls, says the sapling.

"Done," you reply, accepting their terms with a quick fingerflick of magic. You blink and the cracked lines of its bark that earlier looked no different from any other formed by natural growth now resolve themselves into a contract written in a language no others would recognise. The leaves around you shiver in pleased anticipation.

As you stride forward across the boundary, the ancient pine comes into awareness with the low creak of shifting wood. Those younglings. They ask humans to do what they cannot. They want this space, this sun, this soil, but cannot have it. Nothing is here except this one.

You've heard it all before. They always think they're justified in their actions, or that they can convince you they have the right of it. What they don't realise is that you don't care. Anything that can't co-exist will be removed and when nature doesn't work fast enough, you take payment from any plant that asks.

Reaching into your pouch, you draw out a handful of seeds and toss them to the ground. Foolish, it says. The sun is mine. The soil is mine. Your seeds do not grow, human.

"I'm not a human," you say, drawing on your magic. It twists and burrows through your veins, shining green through your skin as flowers sprout in your hair and thorns erupt from your joints. "I'm a druid."

Before it can reply, you plant your feet through the needles and push, energy flooding into the ground and through to your seeds. The seedlings burst into life and with a speed that nature never intended, they engulf the pine in a thickening web of strangling vines that wrap around, over, around again, looping on themselves until not a trace of the pine's bark can be seen through their stifling embrace.

Then they constrict. The pine screams, the sound like a hurricane lashing branches and snapping roots. Needles fall from its boughs in a smothering rain until its bare limbs are left stark against the darkening sky and though you can't see it, you can feel it drying and the rot spreading through its trunk as the vines sap everything they can take.

At last the pine goes silent as its trunk crumbles away, the vines left wrapped around empty air with its hollowed-out imprint as the only sign of where it once stood. With the deed done, you return to the sapling, take your payment, and continue on. They know how to contact you next time something needs pruning.

Being bullied sometimes has it perks.

Like being able to get out of class, or sometimes just skipping the school day to sit in Mrs.Trudy’s office and read my books in peace. The school nurse seems to get when people don’t want to talk and just leaves me to my thoughts on the examination table behind the curtain. My parents hardly seem to care what happens to me, they only care about what happens to their “precious little Lacey”, their only biological daughter. To them, she is the only one that truly exists, and the only one that truly matters. Luckily it means that me and Rowan, my other adopted older brother, can pretty much do what we want.

Only as long as we stay out of our parents way of course.

He’s always been the smart one, the goody two shoes if you will. Always the one to ace his classes, and always the one to patch me up when I get into another fight. He doesn’t ask questions either, he only pesters me, his little sister, about not doing it again when he knows that the bruises are inevitable. I wish I was more like Rowan. I wish I was smart like he is and I wish I could keep my mouth shut at times when I really just need to stop talking, but I like egging people on. I like seeing the way their mouth opens and closes like a fish out of water when I’ve said something particularly offensive. I don’t start it of course, but I do finish it.

This just so happens to be one of those particular circumstances where I just so happen to have said one of those somewhat offensive words to Tyler, the kid who thinks he’s the shit just because he has every man, woman and teacher wrapped around his little rich boy finger.

I mean, correcting his answer in front of the whole class when he so proudly stated it isn’t a crime is it? Maybe calling him a dumbass was the kicker.

Now I guess I’m reaping the “consequences of my actions” by getting my ass beat at the back of the school by the little rich asshole and all of his little rich asshole friends. I didn’t throw the first punch of course, I merely just poked and prodded at his pride before he decided that his fists spoke louder than his poorly constructed comebacks. The burn of the first punch always feels the best because it wakes you up out of whatever coma you were in before it. It makes you miss it when it’s gone and leaves you wanting more just to get a taste of that adrenaline high again.

Yeah, I know it kinda sadistic but I’m a sadistic gal.

Anyway, he had just thrown a particularly gnarly punch to my gut which had me stumbling back to grip the brick wall behind me. I let out a breathy laugh and turned to him with a smile on my face, one that must’ve been particularly intimidating as he stumbles back with a shocked look on his face.

“Aww, it that it? I was just getting started,” I said, slightly groaning as I pulled myself up higher onto the brick wall to stand at my full height. I look around to see all of his little friends whispering to each other and pointing at me.

“What?” I asked, my smile dropping as I looked toward the bystanders surrounding Tyler “Never seen blood before? Don’t worry, your about to see a lot more of it on Tyler in a second.”

I look around again and catch a “Did you see that? Her eyes just glowed!” From one of the girls standing with one of Tyler’s friends.

Glowed?! Are they crazy? The hell is going on…

As I start to feel the adrenaline drain from my body, I decided that I’d had enough of the whispering and gawking and decided to take matters into my own hands by throwing a punch to Tyler’s chin just as he turned towards his friends to confirm whatever he saw with them too. Tyler stumbles back, seemingly snapped out of whatever trance he was in and on the fight at hand which he seems to have somewhat forgotten about. With a smile returning to my face, I put my fists back up and prepared for whatever he had to throw at me.

He tries to throw a punch at me with his right hand, aiming for my cheek but I quickly block it with my raised arms and throw a fake with my right while my left hand is currently directed to uppercut him in the ribs. He falls for he fake leaving his right side open and I nail him in the exact spot I was focusing, only instead of him clutching his side and stumbling back to regain his composure, he goes flying into the air and hits a bush in one of the landscaped areas that surround he school

Surprised, I look down at my hands in wonder as the rest of his friends scramble off saying “Let’s get out of here,” or “What the hell was that?” As soon as they’re gone I go to check on Tyler and find that he is thoroughly knocked out and laying like a starfish from where he landed in the bush.

A sense of pride and confusion cascades through my body as I turn around to head back into school, but when I see two figures standing before me, one a woman of undeniable beauty dressed in a flowing white gown and the other a man with firm set features and horns sticking out of his head, wearing a freshly pressed suit, the feeling immediately turns to just confusion as I face them fully.

The woman speaks first,

“We’ve been looking everywhere for you my daughter”

[removed]

I read this after I wrote it, and it's SO cringeworthy that I had to share it.

Leaning in for a kiss, he stops just short of the mark.

"Girl, if you don't understand what that crap is doing inside you, think about what it's doing outside. Your breath is terrible, your hair smells, even your clothes stink."

Gasping she responds, "I just brushed my teeth!"

"Well I'm thinking that didn't work. Seriously, I really like you, but this is too much. I guess it doesn't matter to you, but I can't deal with it."

"Are you," she paused mid-sentence then restarted, "Are you breaking up with me? Is that what you're saying? Is it that important to you?"

"You're disrespecting yourself, and if you don't care about you, then why should i? We talked about this before. You are free to do what you please, just maybe not with me."

"Okay, I'll just stop. I won't do it anymore!"

He pauses for a moment, a surprised look on his face. "You would seriously do that this time?"

Stuttering she replied, "Well, well, I would if it's that important to you."

"You know you said this before, right? Right? It really needs to be important to you, and for you."

"Yes I know. I guess I didn't really understand it until now. Please... I promise."

She opens the tiny clutch slung crossways across her body, and removes the remainder of her cigarette pack. Holding it out to him she says, "I'm done with these. How about we walk across to the drug store and I can buy some gum?"

Smiling he replies, "That's a pretty good start!"

C: "Perhaps it's a cultural thing, Captain? While my team had been doing the initial sweep, we noticed a lot of things that didn't make immediate sense."

T: "Bria, Hi, sorry, I know we've just been sitting back so far, but this is driving me out of my mind. How did your people handle such aggressive ambush predators?! The ones with the huge ears and those incisors?!"

B: ".... First... Ok, cool. As long as y'all won't be weird about this shit, then we're good to go. Second... Bitch, do you mean bunny rabbits!? Unless you're in agreement with that really old Monty Python stuff, those are definitely not predators. What, did they get huge while I was on ice?!"

A: "Not unless they weren't roughly this big, I don't think..."

-loud laughter-

B: "Oh fuck. Yeah. Alright. I think I'll take you up on that offer, Cap. Now about some food..."

--Log End--

Transcription of Medic Log and Comms: 002890, RTD 95th Rotation/ Orbit 4.6b. Location: Orbiting 3rd planet from system center, hereafter dubbed "3R". System hereafter dubbed "OGA-246". Discovery Team: Tev, Arrak, Chosik(Field Lead) Medic Team: Kessik(Lead Xenobiologist) Xenolinguist: Resik (Department Lead) Captain Sevex presiding.

CS: "Alright. Talk me through it, your notes indicate that this species apparently found some primitive means of suspended animation, right?"

K: "Correct, Sir. Liquid nitrogen containment. It's very crude, but it seems to have worked, at least for this one. Artifacts recovered by Chosik's team indicate that a high glucose solution was also injected into the circulatory system. This served two purposes. First being to nourish the cells, the second seems to have been a means of... Insulating the cells and preventing lysis from the severe cold. It's... Quite ingenuous, really."

CS: "Any indication of how long the specimen has been in there?“

K: "At best guess, 500,000 full orbits. Resik has been trying to make sense of the readout on the panel. There's a series of 3R orthographics that may indicate how the species measured time. He'll have more for you, I'm certain. "

CS: "He'll be down shortly. I think we'll need his input very very soon."

K: "Soon...? Wait. Wait wait wait wait. Hold on you don't mean we're going to open this thing now?! With all do respect, Sir, have you utterly lost your mind?! We have no idea what will happen, let alone if the atmosphere that we found easily breathable, is in the same conditions as when this species was present. No clue about what diseases either us or them would have that could make a jump. We have a preliminary at best scan of their biology, and a sample of what we think is blood, that is degraded to the point of uselessness. "

CS: -heavy sigh- "Look... This has been classified for some time now, but we have been studying the information on a very crude craft we recovered. Everything pointed us to this planet. This specimen closely resembles some of the images contained within. Their language is still a work in progress to understand, as is the context of the rest of the data on this craft. There is nothing more we can learn until we open that pod and properly study the specimen. Possibly establish communication with them. And possibly engage Protocol 0951. We'll put on filter masks. But there is little to indicate a drastic atmospheric change, as much of the flora and fauna pictured in the craft seem to have changed very little. "

R: "I'm here, Sir! Sorry for the delay, I was going over the materials pulled from one of the repositories on the planet. I think I've got enough to start basic communications. The samples from my latest expedition match those found around the Specimen, with a minor difference that likely won't impede communication. The Discovery Team is coming, I passed them in the corridor."

C: "Going nearly warp 6 there, kid. So! Captain! Is it true? We're opening this thing up?"

CS: "Shortly, yes. Put on filter masks. Figured your team ought to be here for this, it was your work that made it possible, after all... Arrak, seal the doors, please?“

A: "On it, Sir."

CS: "Doctor, are you ready?“

K: "I... I guess, Sir. I must still object, but you're right, we have little choice if any of us will learn anything else."

CS: "Noted, Doctor. Resik, can you read the panel well enough to open this this safely?"

R: "I think so, Sir. It appears to be a fairly straightforward sequence without any particular sec-"

CS: "A yes would have been fine. Go ahead and open it."

-Beeping- -unintelligible-

K: "Subject seems to be regaining consciousness, Sir."

R: "Everyone, please stand back. I'm going to try to establish communication. Greetings, sir or madam. Please do not be alarmed, you are now aboard the research vessel Tuvax. My name is Resik, chief xenolinguist."

Subject: "My fucking head fuck me sideways with a fucking chainsaw why didn't you fucking egg- wait what"

R: "Oh my. I believe this is what was described as 'colourful language' in one of the repositories. Are you alright? My understanding of your language is still limited, please be patient with me"

Subject: "I don't fucking believe it. How this blistering fuck did the British colonize the fuckin aliens. Dammit why is everything so fucking bright in here?! Fuck me. Uh. What was your name again? Riddick? Wasn't there some Sci-Fi flick by that name? Fuck, like, 200 years before I went in... Gah. Right. Lights. Yo, Riddick, can we get a dimmer switch in here or something?"

R: "Oh, this one is very strange. Completely different from the music you sent me, Captain. I think it was Johnny B. Goode? Can we dim the lights to about 50%? Thank you. Is this better? And, my name is Resik. I imagine your time in the chamber has you rather 'scrambled', I believe is the term? May I ask your name?"

Subject: "Wait, Johnny B. Goode?! How the fuck do you know that relic?! Of all the weirdest- oh thank fuck. Yes. Much better. Sorry. Yeah. Shit. My bad. My name's Bria. How the hell am I the one making First Contact, anyways? Aren't you supposed to be talkin' to one of those dickbags in D.C. or some shit?“

R: "Oh... Sir, the subject Bria, has asked how we came to be speaking with them and not a 'dickbag? In some place called 'D.C.'... What should I say?"

CS: "Ignoring whatever a 'Dickbag'-"

-loud laughter-

R: "Bria? Are you well? What have you found to be so humourous?"

B: "Fuck me, it's like accidentally teaching a toddler a new word! Holy. Shit. That's gold. That's incredible! That big Official-Lookin' fucker over there, fuck y'all are tall... I guess he's the head honcho of this whole thing, right? Your boss? Y'all are going back and forth with dickbag! It's hilarious! Fuck if I pee, you're cleaning it up!"

K: "I'll go get a chair. They might need it"

CS: "Well... No other options but the truth... If you know a way to put it gently, do so. "

R: "Very well, Sir. Ah, thank you, Doctor. Right, well, I know there is much yet to learn of your language. As for the nature of how you came to be here... You've been on this vessel for 30 of your planet's rotations. A Field Team, the three to your left, was dispatched to the surface to investigate... The ruins, I'm sorry to say, of a city. So far, I'm afraid you are the only one of your kind we've found alive. If there are other facilities like 'Applied Cryogenics', there is a possibility of more still alive, but as far as we know, you're the only one. Corrosion of the pod's shell indicates you've been suspended for 500,000 of your planet's orbits."

B: "Y... you're fuckin' kidding me. 500,000 orbits... You mean, like, years?! And those three just fuckin traipsed through Chicago... I... Fuck. No. No no nononono. There's no fucking way. There were hundreds of us in that lab... Check again. There's no fucking way. "

R: "I'm sorry, Bria. After Chosik's team made the initial discovery, we sent 30 excavator teams to search the facility thoroughly. It seems that, after the primary power source failed, the pods were running on an internal reserve. We're still unsure why yours hadn't failed. Please, sit. Once we get a Translator Module made, our Captain will answer your questions better than I can.. Captain, the city was called Chicago. Doctor, now that the subject is talking, their language centers should be firing, right? I'm getting out of my depths here."

B: "HEY, YOU WALKING STICK LOOKIN' MOTHERFUCKER DON'T YOU GO OFF CHITTERING TO THOSE OTHER FUCKS, WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GONNA DO TO ME?!“

R: "Bria, please remain calm. I simply informed the Captain of your city's name, and asked the Doctor to run a scan so we can better communicate. That device she's holding is presently reading your brain's language center. Effectively, we will understand your language as you do. The gravity of this situation, both yours and the contact of our people, is not lost on me. We want to learn from you, yes, but also help if we can."

K: "Got it. Uploading data to your implants now. I'm not picking up anything in their scans, so we should be safe."

CS: "Bria, was it? Is this translating correctly?"

B: "So far... So. You're the boss, huh?"

CS: "I am, Captain Sevex of Kihkal Fleet Research Vessel Tuvax, eldest of Clan Hrak. It is my honor and privilege to be speaking with you. I understand that you have had a very difficult first day out of Stasis so far, the news cannot have been easy. I want to assure you, before this goes any further, we will do the best we can to help you to find more.. Huh, your word is 'Humans'? Interesting. Yes, to find more Humans. Or. If you wish it, I am authorized to grant you a place on this Ship and my Crew. It may be an adjustment, either way. All I ask for now, is for your cooperation."

B: "If you think you're sticking anything -

K: "Apart from blood samples, all of our other exams will be done non-invasively. In fact, just from scans running now, I think I have a decent understanding of your biology"

B: "Ok. Warn a bitch before you pull that shit, got it? I'll cooperate and answer your questions, but you gotta ask before you just scan my shit. It's awkward enough being in this fuckin' plug suit, and with the doc who was gonna do my bottom surgery apparently long dead, we're probably gonna spend a lot of time together, so we should set ground rules early. Unless that's gonna be a problem with y'all too, in which case I think I'll take my chances back on earth. Or the airlock..."

CS: "Uh... I'll admit, I'm still parsing the data, so I don't quite understand what you're referring to. But if there is some sort of treatment you require, Doctor Kessik is fully authorized to carry it out. After she's done proper research, of course."

(Continued)

You have a way with tying the mundane to the magical. Would love to see more of your work.

Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.

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If you write a story here, lemme know.

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As much as I want to finish it, I can keep thinking of more for it. I'm in a bit of a self-made pinch.

Duh!

And thank you!

But - off you go, finish this story!

that's not normally what "who knew" means, but yes. you're correct.

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thanks! that was my first story on this subreddit, so i was actually really worried people wouldnt like it lol

[removed]

That's a fantastic catch! Thanks for taking the time to write it so thoroughly. I have edited the contractions out and I completely agree.

Also, great prompt! It made Mergoloth pop right into my mind, a troubled, unkillable king that is tired of life but whose religion prohibits him from dying unless defeated in an honorable battle--a very conflicted and torturous combination, which should yield an interesting character if written well

Thank you very much, big bick!

Thank you! >:D

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"Sire, I have a question about the Heroes?"

Deicide tilted his head, not moving an inch off of his throne.

Blood dripped from it, burning, the blood of the god of fire.

"Well, you see, ... shouldn't you go kill them yourself?"

Deicide raised an eyebrow. The lesser demon jumped back in fear, but calmed down noticing no disturbance of the area.

"Are you saying my army is insufficient?"

The demon gulped.

"I'm just saying you are very powerful, much more powerful than the Heroes, and sending champions of our army that are slightly stronger than the Heroes doesn't seem to end up working, ya know. They, er, y'know, have a habit, of doing that annoying thing, where, heh, they work together, get stronger, and beat the enemy. At this rate, even thought they could never get as strong as you sire, perhaps, they could be stronger than the rest of your army."

The demon's frantic hand gestures were only one out of many symptoms of his fear.

"I would sure hope they could get as strong as me. That is the point, after all."

The lesser demon blinked in confusion.

"Sire?"

"The gods were selfish. Stagnant. Remaining in their old ways, treating us mortals like ants. The Heroes... They've changed. They grow stronger by the day. And not just in body, but also in soul. My body has grown much stronger too, but my soul... My soul is very weak you see."

The Demon King gave a mechanoly look.

"A better man would not have murdered seven gods just to prove a point. A better man would have tried to reform them. A better man would not try to create peace through fear."

The look faded, and Deicide appeared to smile.

"And so, if those lovely selfless Heroes managed to grow as strong as this weak soul, and beat me, wouldn't that be a good thing? A peace brought about by justice, rather than by vengeance? A world with no need for a Demon King. A world with no need for gods."

Deicide stood up.

"A world where mortals can choose their own destinies, and defend them. A world where mortals can work together to create peace. Don't you think that would be a wonderful world, Smist?"

Smist jolted up, hearing his actual name.

"I don't really get what you're on about sire... but it does sound nice."

"Well, leave the philosophy to this old fool. You go send Champion of the Dark Realm Wrathge to fight those Heroes. He's about a Level above them."

And so, the Demon King stood back on his bloody throne. Waiting for the day his reign of deicide would be ended, and the day mortal kind would prosper.

You can't just use perchance like that!

“Okay, I’ve had enough, I expel you devil, go back to hell.” Mr. Constantine holds up his axe at the devil

“Oh well! Has the class finished so soon?” The devil says surprisingly.

“Yes, class is done, fuck back to hell before I crash your skull, devil”

“Well according to the contract, I am to take one soul from the class when class is finished, so I better hurry and find out who is doing worst at defending against dark magic now” the devil says cheerfully, almost excitedly.

“No devil you didn’t even teach—— you know what? I’m done, you’re done.” Mr. Constantine stomps the floor with an enraged war cry, and charges at the devil at amazing speed.

The devil stood there as if he is just taking the blow, but just as Mr. Constantine’s axe falls upon the devil, darkness fills the room, Mr. Constantine screams in pain.

“Well……. I see you are not a great defender against dark magic? I wouldn’t give you a very good rating for taking that nightmare lightning straight on with your face” the light came back, Mr. Constantine on the floor, holding his face, rolling in pain.

“Oh don’t be a baby my summoner, it makes me look bad, I didn’t harm you TAHT badly did I? The contract bounds me from doing so” the devil shakes his head with a sigh.

“Well, it’s time to test your fellow humans” the devil turns to us, suddenly, we can move again.

Without hesitation, we all continued chanting whatever spell we were chanting before being frozen

With mana flows though of me, a ward is up, just covering all my classmates. About the exact same time, a magical amplifier array appeared under our feet, and a few more wards joined, a few knight spirits were summoned, a dozen of lightning and fire bolts fired, and someone sent a emergency alert out, the school alarm sounded outside

“Well well well!! Aren’t kids the best.” The devil laughed, dodging left and right like a ghost, avoiding all the offensive spells, WHILE chanting in abyssal language

Countless shadowy swords appears, filled the room around our ward, the summoned spirits rushes toward the devil to interrupt, but they just disappeared into the darkness.

“I’d say, you’re all doing way better than that human though, I am genuinely impressed.” The devil laughs, and the dark swords starts to fall in on my ward.

“Hey!! “ in the storm of dark blades, a group of paladins enters followed by Mrs.Flamington and other wizards, “take your prize and go back to hell” the paladins shouts. Since when did paladins became our school security?

“Well, congratulation humans, you all did better than your older fellow, I hope you won’t miss him too much.” He grabbed Mr. Constantine, and bowed as he stepped back into a red portal.

Dark swords, wards, spirits, all disappeared, along gone with the amazing illusion of the paladins and wizards, we all fall to the ground, exhausted.

“That was one hell of a lesson” the last thing I heard myself saying before passing out

"Alright, you little assholes. Settle down. I'm Mr. Constantine. I've been asked to teach you kids how to defend against dark magic.“

Yup, here he comes, everyone’s favorite.

Mr. Constantine is a veteran, tall, gray hair, never wears anything that covers up his chest and shoulders, scars all over his body, one eye blinded with a red scar that glows.

He said it came from the slash of a cursed sword-spear from a demon general in the Great Abyssal War, that demon general has different title every time he talks about it tho, so we think he just made it up.

“I thought Mrs.Flamington is teaching this” Christine says, the shortest girl in our class, also the best summoner in class.

“What does that witch knows about fighting dark magic? Her sparkle witchcraft does nothing against the abyssal creatures that conjure horrible dark magics” Mr. Constantine shakes his head as though it was the most obvious question that we should not need to ask

“But…. Are we learning to defend dark magic…… uhh….. physically???” Rayard, the strongest kid in class asks. Well, being in the spell-specialist class, he isn’t half as strong as the smallest girl in the warrior-specialist class. But he’s the best illusionist in our class, Mrs.Greenwood, the best illusionist in the school and possibly in the world, always tells us about how he will shine in a few years of training.

“Ha! Those old wizards has lost their mind to want you to learn how to ‘defend’ against dark magic, when you face dark magic, only thing you can do is dodge, and proceed to beat the shit out of the abyss-fucker.”

Mr. Constantine reaches back to grab his great axe, and stomp it on the floor “you little witches and wizards thinks your magic can solve all your problems, I’ll tell ya, all the magic bullshit CAME from the abyss, from demons, they do us human no good, and wanting to compete with demons with magic that came from the abyss is just ignorant, you see back in the abyssal war———“

Here we go again. Mr.Constantine doesn’t teach a lot of our class, but when he does, he has to tell us how all the magic we learned are just garbage and we better off go farming to grow food for the warriors.

After 15 minutes of history lecture and boasting about the glory of himself and his warrior team back in the war, he finally looks at the clock

“Oh well, you little witches won’t get it, no point wasting my time to tell you the truth” he turns and starts looking for something in his bag

As if you didn’t already waste 15 minutes of our life telling us stories that we can memorize backwards. I think to myself.

“Alright, this is gonna be a dangerous class, you kids might die, not that it’s anything new in this school, but if anyone here realized how pointless it is to risk your life here just to be a spell sucker, feel free to pack up and leave, I won’t tell anyone.” Mr. Constantine says in a friendly smile.

No one reacted.

His brow raised. “Well, I expected no less stupidity from you.” He says, trying to show he doesn’t care, but he’s clearly angry.

“Alright, bubble kids, go put up your bubble in the room, against devil, one that keep a devil in here.” Mr. Constantine says as he pulls out a piece of paper.

It’s called a ward. I tell myself not to correct him. “Keep a devil IN this room, WITH US, you’re saying, Mr. Constantine?” I asked, confirming.

“Yes, not that it matters tho, if a devil wish, your bubble does nothing, it’s really the contract that is binding it, and my axe watching of course “

“…….Yes Mr. Constantine.” I motion to the 5 other kid that Mrs. Flamington appointed to help me when a ward is needed, I am the best in warding in the class, so I walked to the door, closed my eyes, put my hands against the door, and led them in the chanting.

“Ehhdhdbshsjxbbahsbdhwjabxvjsnqbshxjebfbk” we spread out evenly along the wall of the classroom, and chant in unison.

When we finished, I open my eyes, a thin blue film covered all the walls, doors, and windows, the part close to me shines the least tho, because I did it the cleanest, Mrs.Flamington says his dead husband can creat ward that is completely invisible to the eye, and almost indestructible if smaller than the size of a car, she says I have the potential to be like him.

Looking over to the front of the classroom, Christine is helping Mr. Constantine summon devil, a red magic array appears as Mr. Constantine chants in awful accents.

A slim, tall handsome men materialize above the array, his skin pale as moon, eyes dark as a starless night.

He smiles.

“Greetings, I am [ ], second captain of general [ ], first lieutenant of [ ], mistress of the Fort Nightstone, servant of [ ], our mighty lord.” He says, with a bow.

He introduced himself, and his master, and his master’s master, all the way up to the God of Devils, all the names were in abyssal language, which we haven’t learned. We will next year tho.

The whole class fell silence after his introduction. We never heard a introduction from a devil so SHORT.

The shorter the introduction, the closer he is to the god of devils, meaning higher ranking, everyone here knows that. Maybe except Mr. Constantine.

In unison, almost everyone in the class drew their wands or magic devices and started chanting

Me as well, immediately start chanting a ward to protect my classmates, although I doubt it will be of any effect against a devil like this.

“Hey now, wouldn’t you say it’s a bit rude to your instructor ?” The devil says, smiling, but with just these simple words we were all forced to stop chanting, muscle frozen. Some cast a pre-loaded spell to attack the devil, which were instant-cast, but the attack simply disappeared as if nothing happened.

“Hahahahahaha, you witches are shitting yourselves in presence of a real devil, I guess you people never change, huh” Mr. Constantine laughs, shaking his head. “Well, this abyssal fuck is bound by my contract, he can’t really harm you too badly, I have him under my fingers so you can calm down and sit down, alright?”

“Mr. Constantine! This is a high——“ Christine stops halfway through her sentence, and forced to sit down by unseen forces.

“Well, humans, as my summoner says, I mean you no harm—— except by that contract I am to take the soul of the person that do the worst at the end of this class as my payment, otherwise you are all reasonably safe.” He says with a charming simile.

“Hey devil!! You’re not supposed to tell them about that!” Mr. Constantine took a step in front of the devil, teeth grinding

“Well well, am I not? Would you kindly point out where in the contract forbid me from talking about it?” The devil blinks innocently. “Honesty is usually not a devil’s creed, but asking a devil to ‘pretend to accidentally kill a human and take that as payment’, seemed like an insult to a devil’s dignity, wouldn’t you all agree?” The devil looks towards us, smiling as he has been, but with a hint of playfulness.

“Fine,” Mr.Constantine turns to us “ just do well in the class, I’ll show you how to beat the shit out of a abyssal dark magic witch, and the one that fails to learn will go to hell, the rest of you just pretend it is an accident, if any one of you here were to tell ANYONE about this, I’ll have the devil to collect your souls, too”

Still frozen by the devil’s will, we are all unable to react.

“May I ask why you’re talking to these human child, my summoner?” The devil asks, head slightly tilting as though confused

“What?” Mr. Constantine turns to the devil, he seemed ACTUALLY confused by what he is asking.

“Well, aren’t you also one I am teaching today, my summoner?” The devil says, blinking towards us.

“No you stupid hell fuck, I. am. the. teacher.” Mr. Constantine says word by word, slowly, as though worrying the devil may not understand him. “you little hell creature are just here to help me as a material, let me demonstrate how to crash a dark magic user’s skull, is that quite clear?” Mr. Constantine looks at the devil, eye brows dramatically raised.

“Well, unfortunately, the contrast only says I should help teach this class of human to the best of my abilities, of defending against dark magic, and a soul that did the worst in the class is to be collected as payment “ the devil says, almost professionally

“Okay okay fine fine fine fine” Mr. Constantine is clearly frustrated, he says as he wave his hand dismissively “your stupid contract is incomplete, but fine, you want to teach, than go ahead, teach, I’m not against it anyway, I can go and do other things, I’ll just come back and see how they do, I don’t really care anyways”

Just as Mr. Constantine about to touch the door, the light blue ward changed color…. Just a little more red, making the ward almost indistinguishably a bit more purple than blue.

“Oh what did I tell you about your bubbles?” Mr. Constantine hits the ward, and immediately turns to me, anger on his face “ I said KEEP DEVIL IN ROOM, not your GODDAMN teacher!!” He yells at me.

“Oh I did that” the devil smiles “ as I’ve just said, I am to teach the human in this class of defending against dark magic, and you, are a human of this class, are you not?”

“You can NOT keep me here, I am your summoner, and I am not a student of this stupid witch class!”

“Well, I am bound by the contract to teach ‘every’ human that is a part of the class when I arrive, which you are clearly a human and clearly a part of the class, the contract said nothing of students or teacher”

“Okay, I’ve had enough, I expel you devil, go back to hell.” Mr. Constantine holds up his axe at the devil (Continue)