The Skeleton's Contract

Chapter 2: A Deal with the Devil

The peaceful/stressful days of countless balls were no more. While his parents were still eager to set him up, there were more important issues to worry about. Mainly a threat made by a neighboring kingdom to attack there's.

Honestly, Pierre wasn't sure what to do. His parents were panicking and, from what they were saying, their army wasn't going to be enough to counter the other kingdom's army. Not having anywhere else to turn, he turned to books to see if he could find some solution. For if the other kingdom attacked theirs, it was certain that they wouldn't survive.

He poured over books for days, searching countless scrolls and tomes. And he found nothing. Nothing that was until he found a dusty book laid on one of the top shelves of the library. He blew over the top and at first, he couldn't make out what language it was. Then the text shimmered showing perfectly portrayed English.

After staring at the text for a moment, he opened the tomb and started reading through it. The deeper he got into the book, the more his eyes widened. This book... this book... could be just what they needed.

Staring at one page that contained a ritual. A ritual that if used would summon the devil himself. And the only offering it required was the willingness to make a deal.

Now, he knew that making a deal with the devil was a completely stupid thing to do. But he had searched the entire library in hopes to find something that could help him save his kingdom and nothing. This was a solution. A solution he was willing to take if it meant helping his people.

He started preparing the ritual the next day in secret. No one could know about this. Even if it would save them, it would also create discord within his kingdom, which was something they didn't need. It took him almost the entire morning to set up the ritual but he managed it. And by noon he was ready to perform the ritual.

He stood in front of the circle before beginning to say the incantation.

"Devil, I summon thee, my kingdom in peril be. Devil, I summon thee, I'm willing to do anything if you make a deal with me. Devil, I summon thee." He read the lines he had prepared for the ritual.

A black circle of smoke started rising from the ritual circle. Pierre shielded his eyes until the smoke cleared but when he saw who was standing in the middle of the circle, his jaw nearly dropped in surprise.

"Michael?" He asked in shock.

"Oh Pierre, didn't realize you were the one summoning me." The other said with a charming smile.

"Wha- but- how? What?" He was in shock as he stared at the man.

Michael chuckled before saying. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. I'm Michael, also known as the devil."

"... I danced with the literal devil." Pierre breathed in shock.

"Indeed you did." Michael said with a smirk.

Pierre was still in shock but he finally shook his head and focused back to the task at hand. "Well Michael, I didn't call you here for another dance."

"I figured as much." The devil cooed. "You're kingdom is facing a war that you can't win so you need my help."

He nodded once.

"Well I could take over your problem, but what do I get out of it?" Michael asked curiously as he walked forward.

"What do you want?" He asked tilting his head.

"Hmmm... well I have no use for gold and I have access to almost all knowledge... however." Here Michael paused with a smirk before continuing. "I could use another servant."

"Servant?" He asked uneasily.

Michael conjured a piece of paper and read it out. "In exchange for myself, the devil, taking care of your kingdom's enemy, you, Prince Pierre, will become my servant until a time comes that I release you from my services."

He was a little unsure until Michael slid the contract over to him. Michael gestured for him to read it, which he did. The contract was much more detailed than what Michael had said but then again, he sort of expected it to be. Not only did it detail the deal but it also detailed a way for him to go with Michael freely and keep his kingdom none the wiser.

After reading the contract over a few times, he tore his eyes away from it to look at Michael. The man had a smirk on his face but otherwise looked like he was just waiting for him to say something.

"Is there a specific kind of pen that I need to sign this with?" Michael's smirk got wider as he conjured a black pen.

Sparing one last glance to Michael, he signed the contract with a flourish. Both the contract and the pen disappeared from his grip even as Michael put an arm around his shoulders.

"Come, young Pierre, we have much work to do!" Michael declared and Pierre dutifully let Michael pull him away.