The devil revealed himself, with a sly smile forming on his lips.
"Huh? ...the devil? what do you mean, devil? Where am I? What is this place?"
The devil decided to take the understanding approach with him, recognizing he was disoriented by the sudden environment change.
"Hmmm...so many questions. Let's keep it simple."
"This place...is known as the realm of the abandoned ones," the devil said with a smirk.
"(Abandoned...)" the soul recalled the goddess staring at him in disgust and abandoning him to disappear.
To the soul, it was a reminder of his current fate.
To the devil, it was his first card well executed already
Then he approached the soul teasingly
"That's right, you are all alone - cast aside - to disappear into nothingness."
"But lucky for you, I just so happen to be a... generous collector of the discarded."
As the devil approached, the soul regained his focus and stepped back cautiously
"Wha-what do you want exactly?" he asked, slightly concerned
"Oh, not much. Just a...little give and take; scratch your back, you scratch mine sort of thing," the devil responded casually, trying to dismiss his true intentions
"I don't trust you-"
"Yes, trust, of course. You see, it is a fundamental flaw with humans, the concept of trust," he interrupted
"Huh?" the soul was confused about where the devil was going with this
"Without trust, you act with caution; with trust, you act without," the devil said
"But trust is not that consistent, and so...you risk it all the same."
"Which begs the question... why not simply act cautiously, with or without trust?" he continued
"What are you trying to say?" The devil's rambling was going over the soul's head.
"Ahh, but I digress. let's rectify the problem of trust."
The devil smiled and stretched his hand casually forward towards the soul, as a blurred visual of his memories appeared above them, playing like a cassette tape.
"In your maiden life, you lived as a human called Lionel."
"Plagued by misfortune from the very start, your mother died during childbirth."
"Father got addicted to drugs, and you were bullied all the way to college."
"After that, you interview for over 14 jobs before landing your first paycheck. However, shortly after, the company went bankrupt"
"You put up your home to get a loan from a bank but was scammed out of the money by your 'friends.'"
"Summoned by this bank to renegotiate the terms, you played martyr, protecting a little boy caught in the crossfire between 2 distinct gangs, robbing the same bank."
The soul stared in disbelief as the devil gave a damningly accurate account of his tragic life as Lionel
With a flick of his finger, the visuals changed to his next life.
"Then, in your first reincarnated life, to exact karma upon the fate you had suffered in your previous life, you treated the life of Nopheal Moreas as that of a recalcitrant prince."
"Abusing your power to manipulate those underneath you to do your bidding until you were betrayed and slain by your knight as punishment for your misdeeds."
The devil concluded - "Need I go on?" he said with a sly smile.
"..." the soul remained silent
"Good, silence speaks volumes, as they say."
The devil resumed his approach, but this time, the soul didn't step back
"Now that we've addressed the problem of trust, let us get to the matter at hand."
The devil stopped within arm's reach of the soul
"You seem to tend to defy fate, so I am willing to give you the chance to succeed this time by offering what the goddess and her dear council will not."
"And what's that?" the soul asked bluntly
"A 2nd chance at reincarnation," replied the devil
The soul's eyes lit up at the promise
"Yes, it is within my power to do so as well, just as I have proven it is within my power to know all that they know about you."
"I'm also willing to go one further, by making you stronger, better, preserving both of your memories to sweeten the deal."
"(Whoa! Even the goddess didn't let me keep my memories of Lionel in my life as Nopheal...)"
"Should you accept my offer, all that will be yours, and you would've escaped damnation."
The devil said, tilting his head at the soul's dissolved hand, a reminder he's not left with much choice here
This got the soul thinking
"(tsk...he is the devil, isn't he? Knowledgeable, and already presenting to me a deal too tempting to refuse)"
"(If I do refuse, I'll probably resume where I left off, with my body turning to dust.)"
"So, what's the catch? There's always a catch with you, isn't there?"
"Hm-hm-hm," the devil chuckles. "Whatever happened to the concept of trust?" he said.
"Don't play coy with me, devil. Your deals never end well for anyone. So, what's the damn catch?" the soul asked again
The devil stood silent for a brief moment, then spoke
"In return for a 2nd reincarnation, you shall become my vessel; whatever I say, when I say it, you will obey."
"With every ounce of your being, you shall see to its realization - that is my deal," the devil replied sternly
"...pretty vague, isn't it?" the soul asked
"So is the life you get to live. A fair trade, wouldn't you agree?" the devil smiled
"Hardly, but let's assume that is the case; why me?" the soul asked
"Irrelevant," the devil replied
"I disagree. Without knowing the full terms, how can I ensure the integrity of our contract?" the soul countered
"I make the deal, you accept it or not. That is how this goes," said the devil
"If we were to dive in all irrelevant plots, they'll be no end to our scuffle. So, make your choice; you barely have enough time left."
The devil reiterated, this time with a frown.
The devil has all the time in the world, but he does not; the soul knew this all too well.
"tsk"
He knew he couldn't afford to mess up anymore.
But he wasn't prepared to dive in blindly either
"All I want is a fair deal. Whatever happened to the concept of trust?" the soul said and stared straight into the devil's eyes
The devil looked deep into his, as his frown slowly fades into a cunning smile, then a light chuckle
"hm-hm-hm. I knew you were an interesting one. Let's just say you understand the nature of vices as well as I do."
"Vices?..."
"Though not the only one, you're among my best. That is all I'll be willing to share with you, promising more if you accept my offer."
"(Still doesn't paint a clear picture...but I can work with this...I think)"
"So, I'll ask one last time, what's it going to be?" said the Devil
"...(If I say no, it's game over. If I say yes however, I get a chance...)"
"(The devil is never to be trusted, but If I can use his offer to somehow prove to the goddess and her council I am a changed man...they may help me outsmart him)"
"(But I'll have to be careful. As powerful as he is to pause my damnation, I'm pretty sure it'll be easy for him to restart it all over again...)"
The soul clutched his hand into a fist and stared at the devil with zeal in his eyes, then spoke his piece
"Fine! I accept your offer, devil."
The devil lets out a wide, malign smile and then bursts into chronic laughter
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, VERY GOOD!"
"Huh?" The floor beneath the soul's feet trembled
A mysterious sigil appeared at the back of the soul's remaining hand, his right hand.
It burns despite being on a soul, he could feel the pain when the mark bulged.
"Urgh...it hurts."
"Only for this brief moment, to seal our deal and, of course, as a warning, should you ever dare to defy the terms of our contract."
"..." the soul scorns at the devil who smiled cunningly
"But I'm sure you wouldn't be so stupid now would you, my dear vessel," said the devil
"Yeah, whatever. So, ready to meet your end of the bargain?" the soul asked
"Hahaha, so impatient. I like it," the devil said and folded its hands.
"Tell me then, how do you want to restart your life?" the devil asked
"(Lionel was a gullible fool, and Nopheal was an arrogant bastard. I have to do better this time)" the soul thought for a moment
"I need a new start, a fresh start" the soul answered
"Hoh...interesting. While this will put the schedule back a bit. I guess I can adapt the plan."
"I'll give you your fresh start. That said, it's time to rewind. Come to me, Chronos!"
A being dressed in a white cloak, holding a giant clock, appeared beside the devil almost immediately.
"Chronos here will help meet your conditions, and when the time is ripe, I'll join you in your new life."
"Okay... and how will I be able to tell?"
The devil smiled
"I'll find a way. For you see, knowing you and your alignments, I can appear to you as the most seductive, lustful, and charming woman of your dreams or-"
"If you reincarnate as a woman, I'll be the best friend you never knew you needed...or, of course, your Prince Charming."
The soul couldn't help but let out a light chuckle
"Huh, so even the devil can't tell for sure," the soul commented
"We don't know everything about you creatures, and that is why we tempt you," the devil said
"We tempt you to learn, we tempt you to evolve, we tempt you...to manipulate," the devil concluded with an evil grin.
The last statement was a timely reminder to the soul that despite what just happened, he's still very much dealing with the devil here, not a friend.
"(I can't lose focus. Taking the devil lightly should be the last thing I do)"
"Now then, would you reincarnate as a boy or girl?" The devil asked
"(Maybe I can get him to let out more about himself and the deal if I push some decisions his way)" the soul calculated his move
"I leave the choice to you," the soul responded, much to the devil's amusement
"hahahaha, very well. Chronos!"
"Yes, my lord."
The hands on the giant clock started turning, and a faint glow with molecular particles resonated around the soul, making his environment look ethereal, dreamy, calm
"I feel...my essence strengthening," the soul said as his lost arm and toes were recovering
"We shall meet at the other side, until then; remember our deal." The devil pointed to the sigil on the soul's right hand and smiled
"..." the soul nodded, and then the glow grew bigger and consumed him before vanishing completely, taking the soul with it.
"(...Good... A fresh start, and until the time I meet the devil, I need to do whatever it takes to prepare. I'll need all the power and knowledge I can get to outsmart him or defeat him and claim this life for myself)"
The faint light was finally consumed by the darkness.
"(Now, bring on, my true reincarnation!)" the soul revels at the prospect ahead of him