False Compact

***

The pentagram howled as the occultist completed the ritual. In a surge of smoke, the demon materialized, red eyes gleaming and adroit. Twisted lips curled into an unnaturally wide grin, revealing sharp teeth that suggested an inhuman hunger.

The summoner, triumphant for but a moment, quickly felt a bone-chilling dread. The demon's eerie smile hinted at a malevolent intelligence. With a voice that was not a voice, the creature promised power.

Compact made, the demon's grin widened, leaving the summoner paralyzed with terror.

The room quivered with malevolent energy, and the shadows seemed to converge upon the summoner's trembling form. The demon's eyes glowed brighter as it fed on the summoner's fear, absorbing their very soul. A ghastly scream pierced the air.

The magician's life force withered like a neglected flower. His body crumpled to the ground, a lifeless husk.

The demon, eerie smile aglow, ascended in a vortex of shadow and pale fire, leaving the lifeless summoner in its wake.