[ WP ] You perform a ritual to summon a demon , but instead get a `` Demon in training '' .

*Caution. Attempted to be as disturbing as possible. May have succeeded. * 
 
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 Abe carefully traced the last line in blood. Not his of course. The family that used to occupy this squalid little flat had provided more than enough. Twisted memories ran through his mind, and he let out a giggle of pleasure at the terror and fear that he ’ d seen on the woman, the futile rage and despair on the man, and the uncomprehending horror on what was left of their daughter. The son had made a lunge with a kitchen knife, but that simply meant his blood was the first spilled. 
 
 And that just left the last child. A baby. One that he placed carefully in the second of the five clear spaces in the diagram. It lay there, peacefully asleep now, having cried itself to sleep. 
 
 There was a story behind that diagram, and Abe told it with glee as he rifled through the kitchen for the final ingredients. 
 
 “ Got it from some weird bookshop. I mean, I must ’ ve walked past the place a hunned times, but, y ’ know - I never noticed it. I never saw it until that night. It ’ d been a good night ’ s hunt – took down a young thing – never knew what hit his boozy mind. Had good taste in bourbon though. I ’ d got some of his blood on me – knifing can do that. I ’ s sweet to feel that life-blood pumping out, but it can get messy, y ’ know? 
 
 Anyhow, walking home in a coppery cloud, and it just *looms* outta nowhere. Three in the morning, back alley between nowhere and screw-all, and this place is open? I mean, I thought Christmas had come early. A good hunt *and* a chance to knock over some store? ” 
 
 Abe finally found the salt rocks in the back of the pantry and carefully crumbled them using the bloody knife. Slivers of red mixed with the white crystals, and he shot a careful glance to the ancient tome open on the counter. Yep, that was expected. 
 
 “ Went in, and the place was lit by candles. Candles! Of all things. I mean, I wasn ’ t planning to arson the place, but hey, the night was still young. All the books were, like ancient. Really old – dust and cobwebs everywhere. The guy musta just opened after a long time away for it to get like that. 
 
 And then there was this beauty ” – Abe tapped the tome lovingly, and then turned the page. He busied himself for a few seconds before pulling out some leaves from a satchel. He began crushing them as well. 
 
 “ Just saw it sitting there on some sorta pedestal. So I took a look. Didn ’ t unnerstand it much at first, but I got there. Takes a smart mind to read it, y ’ get? And ohhhh…oh did it ever open my eyes. I ’ d been so slow – so limited! I ’ d been going about it wrong! ” 
 
 Maniacal fervor burned in Abe ’ s eyes as he carefully arranged the reagents. There was only one free space left in the diagram, and Abe went over to the cooling corpse of the daughter. He was silent, barring the grunt of effort as he worked. There was a series of vicious snaps as he broke bone before extricating his prize – the blood-soaked heart. 
 
 “ So I took the thing. Never saw no owner, never took his cash. First time for everything, I suppose. He must ’ ve shut up shop, cause I ain ’ t seen the place since. Never mind. Got everything I ’ m gon na need right here. 
 
 I mean really, this isn ’ t even the endgame. Betcha woulda loved that – that your family was what ascended me to godhood. But nah. I need some stuff that ’ s ultra-hard to get. I mean, this is basically step one, y ’ see! For the Page 300 ritual, I ’ m gon na need the heart of an actual demon! 
 
 Heh. A ’ int been one of them on Earth for hunneds – no, thousands of years! So I got ta summon one, see? ” 
 Abe placed the heart in the centre of the bloody diagram, and then picked up the tome again. 
 
 Excitement fluttered within him. The plan was simple enough, and the steps in the tome were explicitly clear. 
 
 Family of at least five. Check. Torture and defilement before death. Check. Diagram drawn precisely correct using mixed blood. Check. Reagents prepared. Blood salts, check. Heart of a maiden. Well, hopefully check. Crushed nightsbane leaves. Check. Live sacrifice of same blood as diagram. Check. 
 
 “ And once I summon this beast, it ’ s got ta do my bidding. Which according to this, includes giving up anything I ask for. Gon na summon this thing, ask for its heart, and then I ’ ll be all done. Might be a bit unpleasant, but I ’ m also gon na need the horn of a succubi, and that one…it ’ s gon na be fun. Shame you ’ ll miss it really. Would summon it first, but business before pleasure really. ” 
 
 The string of syllables he uttered next didn ’ t make any coherent sense. In fact, they *seethed* with wrongness. They were dark. Black. Evil. Something that should never be uttered in the mortal realm. 
 
 Finishing with a triumphant shout, the diagram blazed with a red-gold energy. The reagents vanished in puffs of foul smoke, the infant at the southernmost point having time to wake and give one shrill cry before vanishing. 
 
 Abe laughed maniacally as the sense of power in the small room grew and grew. It was…indescribable. Every happy kill, every satisfaction flooded back into him and multiplied. His laughter grew almost deranged in its intensity as he sensed *something* drawing closer and closer. 
 
 A wordless demand burst into his thoughts. Would he accept the bargain? 
 
 “ YES! ” Abe screamed. 
 
 There was one more intolerable flash of light. 
 When it faded, he looked around eagerly. The room was subtly different. It took a moment to place, but…he ’ d moved. About three meters, which would place him…. 
 
 Abe looked down. He was standing on the middle of the diagram. A new emotion replaced the excitement he ’ d felt a moment before. Fear. 
 
 Abe tried stepping out of the circle – but couldn ’ t. He physically could not pass the barrier drawn on the floor. His fists and feet just stopped and wouldn ’ t go any further. Abe whirled, trying to see where his demon had gone. Maybe he could order it to free him. 
 As he turned, he saw flash of movement. Panic rose within him until he realized it was a mirror. His face stared back at him. His own face with two black nubs on his forehead. Abe reached up to touch them. They were hard and cool, more rounded lumps than actual horns. 
 
 Panic fluttered within him and he made another lunge for the book, lying just outside the circle. As with the previous attempts, he couldn ’ t reach it. 
 
 Fire bloomed outside the circle, and a vision stepped out. A man in an impeccably tailored suit, with skin a ruddy red color. Hints of an *otherness* whipped around behind him – half-glimpsed horrors that should not be. 
 
 The man picked the book up and snapped it shut. His eyes met Abe ’ s. Black, soulless eyes. 
 
 His voice was rich, deep and smooth. An expert orator. An expert tempter. 
 
 “ Is this really the best this planet has to offer now? Pathetic. For my good deeds, I am the one in charge of training you. ” 
 
 Abe tried to scream. He couldn ’ t.
