The Damned Demon

It was past midnight here when he resumed his quest and saw that Grace had put the doll in her room as if she had prepared for him to return. 

Grace removed her spectacles as she looked at the demonized doll, "I slept enough for all these years. Why should I sleep more?" She said with a half-smile, her voice subtly trembling with a certain emotion.

Asher knew what she was hinting at and said, "I know I told you to think about it, but I also thought about what you proposed. So I am willing to agree, but only if you become a part of my cult."

Grace let out a chuckle, "A cult? Aren\'t you too young and weak to start one with me?"

She then narrowed her eyes and said with a distant gaze, "Nevertheless, I have no interest in living once I finish what I should have done a long time ago."

"Really? Instead of going on a suicidal run, why not stay alive and keep an eye on your grandson from the shadows? I can give you the means to do that. Just because you will take care of Gary doesn\'t mean Remy won\'t come upon another Gary in the future. Gary\'s son is just another example," Asher said with a shrug.

Grace\'s eyes glowed upon hearing his words, as her expression became vacant.

Asher could see she was deeply contemplating it and said in a resolute tone, "Anyways, the choice is up to you. As you guessed, I am new to this, and I want to start my own cult. But if you aren\'t willing, I am afraid there will be no deal. You just have to find some other demon. But by that time, I doubt Remy would be alright, especially with his buddy messing with his life. I am sure you know that too."

Grace slowly closed her eyes, her lips subtly shaking. 

After a few moments, she opened them, her eyes looking cold and determined, "Alright, little guy. I will join your cult if that is what it takes," Grace thought she could finally rest forever after putting her pain and burdens to rest. However, she also didn\'t want to leave her grandson alone and thought that it would be better than not being there for Remy even if she had to sell her soul to a demon.

As he said, she can protect Remy from the shadows and prevent any tragedy from happening to him, unlike what happened to his parents.

She knew the consequences of becoming a cult member and the things she might have to do. Still, after everything that happened to her, she was willing to accept them.

Asher smiled and was glad she finally gave in.

"Here you go," Asher said as he laid out a parchment paper which was a deep shade of red with a texture that felt like smooth and polished leather.

Since he was going to do an important deal, he bought a legendary-grade reaping contract from the Contract Master he consulted. However, it did cost him 1000 Life Crystals, which made his pockets burn.

Just by touching it, it would feel cool to the fingertips since it was imbued with intricate magic.

And just as the faint light coming from the windows struck it, it shimmered and glowed, making the intricate markings on the paper stand out.

Grace noticed how the edges of the contract were even lined with fine gold filigree, adding to its luxurious appearance, and commented with a amused look, "What a fancy contract. You did all this just to add a clause?"

"Just trying to make sure nothing goes wrong, and this contract comes with some benefits for you as well. Why don\'t you take a look?" Asher pointed his hand at the contract. Unfortunately, he can\'t use any contract above level 10 unless he gets stronger. Apparently, more powerful contracts need more powerful blood to activate.

Grace held the contract in her hands as she carefully took a look,

[ Item name : Infernal Vellum ]

[ Level 10 ]

[ Grade : Legendary ]

Effect: +5% STR, +5% DEF || If you have Fire pathway, you will take 5% less damage from flame attacks

Bonus: Reaping a soul grants you +10% Life Crystals

Passive: Undetectable by anyone below level 11

//

- You will receive demonic power as per the likes of the Grantor

- You won\'t be able to use the borrowed power against the Grantor

- You will not interfere with the Grantor\'s plans or activities

- The Grantor can possess your body at any time and for any duration

- You will obey the Grantor\'s commands without question or you will be forced to

- You will surrender your soul to the Grantor upon signing the contract

- This contract will be deemed void if the Grantor harms your grandson

//

Grace grinned as she said, "You had really thought this through compared to before, even if you didn\'t have to. Since that last clause is included, I can live with this," Saying so, Grace pricked her finger against the sharp edge of the scroll, making a drop of her blood fall on the contract.

As the droplet of blood hit the parchment, the ink that was previously invisible began to glow with a dark green light, and the scroll trembled in her hand as if it were alive.

Suddenly, an unseen force grabbed hold of the contract and pulled it from Grace\'s grasp.

Grace had her lips parted as she saw the scroll float in mid-air, the dark green light intensifying and an eerie whisper filling the room.

The ink on the paper started to shift and writhe, forming letters that Grace could not understand. 

She watched with wide eyes as the letters began to twist and contort, taking on the form of a demonic language.

Suddenly, a bolt of dark green energy surged from the contract, enveloping Grace in a pulsing aura of demonic power.

Her eyes widened as she felt a wave of exhilaration rush over her as her body was consumed by the energy, her mind exploding with newfound knowledge and power.

But her eyes trembled when an intense burning sensation spread within her body, causing her to convulse in agony.

"Urgh…" It felt as if her entire body was on fire, with every nerve ending tingling with unbearable pain.

Her vision became blurry, and she couldn\'t focus on anything except the searing pain that wracked her body.

The radiant mana inside her struggled to fight against the demonic power that was consuming her.

After all, radiant mana was completely opposite in nature to dark mana.

It felt like a war was raging within her body, with her being the battleground. The pain was so intense that she thought she would pass out, but it seemed like the demonic power would not allow her to escape the torment so easily.

It was like a poison, spreading through her body and corrupting everything it touched. It felt like she was drowning in a sea of fire, and there was no way out.

But she refused to let out a scream, gritting her teeth so hard that it felt as though they would shatter. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she fought to maintain her focus, her hands balling into fists as she attempted to ride out the agony.

Asher inwardly held his breath, hoping this old woman won\'t die from the battle going on inside her. He knew this process was getting quite agonizing for her because his demonic power was too weak compared to her mana circuit. So it would take even more effort for his demonic power to fight back and suppress the radiant mana which exists in every cell of her body, even if it was in a weakened state.

Only when the demonic mana successfully suppresses the radiant mana can it be said that the human got successfully demonized. It would also mean that demonized humans will continue to decay from within unless they were given enough sustenance, which only gets costlier as time passes.

However, Asher was impressed to see Grace using her own willpower to fight back her original mana. It would be no less painful than trying to cut out every cell in her body.

In a way, it was a good thing her mana circuit was in a weakened state. Otherwise, he felt there would be no chance at all.

Seconds turned into minutes, but the pain persisted as if the radiant power within her was determined to break her as punishment for accepting demonic mana into her body.

Her body trembled, and sweat dripped down her forehead as she struggled to maintain control. 

But she drew upon her own inner strength, determined to push through this agony, especially since she had suffered worse for all these years. She refused to crumble now.

And as if the radiant mana within her was overwhelmed by her determination, it gave up and let the demonic mana possess her body.

Finally, as the pain began to ebb away, Grace let out a ragged breath, opening her eyes, and for a moment, the world seemed to be a different place. She could feel the dark power of Asher coursing through her veins, and she knew that she was now something different, no longer just a human.

As the energy began to fade away, her skeleton and eyes briefly glowed with dark green light, and the parchment scroll disappeared into thin air, "That...tickled more than I expected..." Grace mumbled weakly with a lopsided grin, her vision blurry and her head heavy.

Asher immediately got a pop-up in his mind,

[ You have successfully created a Cult ]

[ +200 Rating Points ]

[ You have successfully gained a new Soulservant ]

[ +600 Rating Points ]

Name: Grace Eleanor

Level: 30

[ Would you like to name your own Cult? ]

"Yes. I want to name it \'Coven of the Damned\'," Asher said as his lips slowly curved into a satisfied smile.