Lucifer's Deal

Future Part 1: The Not-so-happy Reunion

Later that night, Lucifer led me to the lowest dungeon where he used to teach me magic. However, once I stepped inside, I froze in my tracks because of what I saw. Beth's body was levitating above a table in the middle of the room. Though I couldn't see her chest moving to note that she was breathing, and she looked paler than usual; she looked like she was merely sleeping. She looked so peaceful and content.

Lucifer stood beside her and opened his book of spells. He turned to me and smiled that semi-friendly smile that I hate and said "Are you going to come over and help me, or are you going to simply stand there?" I realized that I had been standing there with my mouth wide open, looking like an idiot. I quickly came back to reality and walked over to him; never taking my eyes off of Beth. Honestly, I was worried about her and how this spell would affect her. But, I quickly put those thoughts away and focused my attention on the spell that Lucifer was preparing.

I had read about these kinds of spells, but he never would let me use one for two reasons; he didn't think I was powerful enough to handle it, and there wasn't much use for them. Unless someone was being reincarnated or was only supposed to die for a short time then come back like Beth was supposed to do. Well, he was finally going to let me help with one of these spells; I'm just sad that it had to be because of this.

I tried to take a look at the page with the spell on it, but Lucifer stood in front of it and held his hand out in front of me as if asking me to give him something. I must have had a very confused look on my face because in an attempt to explain he said "In order for the spell to work, I need a blood sacrifice. However, since I don't have a chicken or any other small meaningless animal, you're the closest thing I have. So, I need your wrist, please". He paused before saying please as if that would actually help him, and regretfully it did. I handed over my wrist as he grabbed the blade.

Just as he sliced my skin, I remembered how he needed to accept my blood back in 1652. I tried to pull away but he had too tight a grip, so I just decided to ask, like a coward, "How will you take my blood this time?" He reached over for a bowl and said "Do not worry, Madeline, I needn't drink it for this spell. I merely need a bowl of it, to sprinkle around Elsabeth's body." For some reason, the feeling of distrust and fear had washed away and I filled up the bowl with my blood.

Once it was done, I tried to pull my hand away, but he kept holding me. Then he raised my wrist to his face and smiled a wicked smile. I figured he was going to drink from me again so I said "You said you wouldn't drink from me", while still struggling to getaway. He pulled my body close to his, and I froze. Then he slowly raised my slashed wrist to his lips and simply licked my wound once. I felt a slow, vague but sudden burst of pleasure, and then it was over. I looked down to see that my wrist was healed, and all of the blood was gone; to hide my amazement, I lowered my arm and put it behind my back.

Then he took the wooden bowl with one hand and started sprinkling the liquid inside across Beth's body with the other. All the while he was saying something in Latin. I couldn't hear him all too well because he was whispering, but it sounded like he was saying Mors Angelus Solvit. I've learned to speak many languages throughout the centuries, one of them being Latin. Roughly translated, he was saying The Angel of Death releases you. The more he repeated those words the more conscious Beth became. Slowly I saw the color come back to her soft flawless cheeks, and I heard her blood start rushing through her veins. Then after Lucifer set the bowl down on the stand next to the table, and repeated the words a final time, she sat up straight; looking as though she had just had a nightmare.

I sprinted over to her and wrapped my arms around her neck; scared that if I let go I was going to wake up from this dream, or she was going to disappear. Unfortunately, it had to end, because I had to tell her about my second deal with Lucifer. I let her go and turned to him, giving him a look that said Go away. "I'll give you two ladies a moment to catch up," Lucifer said this and left the room. I turned back towards Beth and tried to hide my tears of seeing her again; while she wasn't coughing up blood.

Suddenly, she brought me back to reality by ranting about the situation; saying things like "What the hell is going on? I died, and now I'm back. How the hell am I back?" I must have had a guilty look on my face because she changed to a disappointed and demanding voice and said "Maddy, what did you do?" I looked back into her eyes and told her the whole story about how I looked at her scroll and saw that she wasn't supposed to die in the first place, so I was willing to give up my life on Earth so that she could live again.