They say light is born from darkness—that without the shadow, there is no shine. One cannot exist without the other. You cannot seek the light until you’ve known the dark. So learn your darkness. Only then can you discover your light.

  –

  “Please! Please—I beg you—”

  Miya sobbed, hysterical. But mercy did not dwell in this room. For God shows mercy and he was no god. It was not within him to show mercy.

  Clutching at his legs, desperate, Miya trembled. She had no idea: every plea only sealed the contract tighter.

  He knelt before her. Cold fingers closed around her shivering hands. He gently raised her chin and wiped her tears away with all the grace of a lover. But his voice was ice.

  “A contract is a contract. I kept my promise. Now, you keep yours.”

  Miya shook her head, eyes shut tight. If she opened them, the horror would become real.

  “Your masterpiece,” he said again—this time, firm. Final.

  She opened her eyes. Her reflection greeted her from a full-length mirror: a woman carved like marble. Golden hair tumbling down delicate shoulders. No blemishes on her porcelain face. Green eyes, now reddened by tears.

  She had once been proud of this beauty. But now, that pride felt like a curse. A mask torn away.

  And him. God, him. She met his gaze. Cold, steady. His soft blonde hair, which seemed like the first gentle rays of the sun, and his cold dark honey eyes, which almost seemed red in this light. Ethereal . Other worldly. No wonder they called him the morning star.

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  He reached into his coat and pulled out an object. Her eyes widened.

  “No. No! You can’t. I—I won’t—”

  He tossed it at her feet without a word. The silence was more terrifying than any threat.

  Hands trembling, she picked up the cutter. Snapped the blade open. Metal caught the light, gleaming—bloody, bright. The sight hit her like a flood. A thousand memories crashing in at once.

  “How did you... I didn’t mean—she was jealous! They all were! Just like you!”

  Her rage erupted. She lunged at him.

  The floor split open.

  Screams poured from the abyss. Voices from her past.

  “Miya! Miya, stop! Help! I beg you!”

  The rage collapsed into fear. Her legs gave out. She fell to her knees. The fiery gates of hell opened before her, and beside her stood the reason why.

  The screams clawed at her skull. Memory blurred with madness.

  She couldn’t take it.

  She picked up the cutter. Met her reflection one last time.

  Beautiful. Always beautiful. No one could take that away.

  “Go to hell!” she screamed.

  The blade slashed. Blood splattered across the marble like paint on canvas.

  Her body hit the floor with a heavy thud. Her face fell first into the fire, then the rest followed. The pit swallowed her whole. The silence afterward rang louder than the screams.

  He pulled out a paper—her contract.

  Top Priority Soul #1.

  “One down,” he muttered. “Six more to go.”