Unlimited

Darina Grotto, 2017

Summer, 2013. Moscow. Just a young redhead girl. Just an amazing and unusual meeting. The meeting which thwarted plans and dreams of the young redhead girl, Victoria. And totally untypical love that got under the girl’s skin. What if she mustn’t love? Horrifying! What if she mustn’t want? Dangerous! And what if Victoria really wanted to love? How to live when suddenly as if touched with a wand everything became unusual including the redhead girl? In a Moscow beautiful summer, one beautiful day Victoria made a mess of things that led her into apocalyptic troubles.Содержит нецензурную брань.

10

^th

June 2013 (Monday)

It was about 11 am when Victoria woke up and immediately got the mystic figure into her consciousness.

Having no thoughts of taking a shower, combing, having breakfast, the girl rushed to the laptop. She was carefully looking for the information about incubi and succubi, God and angels. She didn’t understand what exactly she was looking for, but all her inward nature was yearning.

‘Doesn’t fit, no…’ Vic whispered, crazily jumping from page to page. ‘No. Nonsense. Rubbish. It can’t be. Never believe…’

After an hour and a half of searching Victoria could calm herself down: she wasn’t crazy, and insanity didn’t threaten her. There were a lot of stories on internet whose authors hardly could be called of sound mind. Despite of that the girl had face the demon and his abilities personally she couldn’t believe in what was written on web-sites.

Suddenly among the piles of advice, stories and spells, Vic saw a black angel icon, often appeared, whose owner commented each site, mocking at those or other comments.

‘That’s interesting now’ the girl clicked the link and turned out to be in the personal profile of a man, called himself as a “magician”.

Vic sent him a message and was about to run to the bathroom when the laptop sounded in an intriguing way.

Unknown Person: “What’re you looking for?”

Victoria: “For something that will help me to keep near a demon or…to make him run my commands.”

Vic texted and looked at the screen. Ten minutes passed but there was no answer and being upset the girl went to freshen up.

Olga Vladimirovna was at work, the flat was empty. At such moments Vic felt free. Nobody watched what she did, what she ate, how she washed herself, why she did that. There was no needless advice.

Having backed to the room with breakfast and tea Vic sat down with a flop before the laptop. There was a little envelope on the semi-dark screen, exhorting to open it. She wasn’t long in coming.

Unknown Person: “A demon? What demon? There is a special spell for each level demon. Indeed, tiding up a demon is a dangerous idea.”

The girl shrugged her shoulders and texted an answer.

Victoria: “Why?”

Unknown Person: “Because there is no spell which can untie a demon. You tie him to yourself for all your life.”

Having read the message Victoria got happy. She was ready to spend her life with Kharon, she believed that her life began only when he was with her.

Victoria: “I don’t see any danger.”

Unknown Person: “Then you’re another idiot from sites who believes in magic and fairy tales. Put your thinking-cap on, what a demon would like to be tied to?

Victoria: “What can he do?”

The girl was silently looking at screen and waiting for the intriguing strange to answer.

Unknown Person: “Eat away at nerves. Kill. Do in. Anything rather than to get rid of. And he can get rid of if you’re dead.”

Vic frowned. Not a good perspective cropped up. She didn’t really want to be killed by the demon. She dreamt to be loved by him and not only at nights. But she couldn’t make up how to hold featherbrained Kharon near herself.

Victoria: “Can you send me the spell?”

Ignoring all the warnings Vic hoped in her heart to get the spell. Having seen the person texting her heart started madly beating, having some pleasure in fabulous future.

Unknown Person: “I didn’t get what demon you need?”

The girl sighed. She didn’t want to tell a stranger that her heart craved for tiding an incubus to herself. Feeling of shame pinched her throat from time to time.

Vic turned to the window and pursed her mouth thinking how to get the necessary spell.

Victoria: “There’s no special demon. I just wanted to read spells and find out what and how to do. Study information as it were. For example, how to tie an incubus to…”

Victoria sent the message and, full of hope, stared at the screen. Fifteen minutes later the stranger sent no answer.

‘Shit!’ the girl used a vulgarity and was about to switch off the laptop as another envelope appeared on the screen.

Unknown Person: “Incubus? This is the most foolish idea that I’ve ever heard. If you wanna study demons, first of all you’d buy the book “Demonology”. There are all the demon descriptions. Read Crowley, LaVey, Lemegeton. Secondly, there’s a very rare book written in Old English with no date nor title. There are spells about succubi and incubi. I’ve got it. I can scan it…not for free.”

Victoria read the message couple of times. Old English. How was it possible to read such book? What book was that? No date, no title.

Victoria: “Not for free — how much then?”

Unknown Person: “Ten thousand.”

The girl opened her eyes wide. Was the stranger in his right mind to fix the price?

Victoria: “It’s too much. I don’t have so much money.”

Unknown Person: “The information inside of this book costs much more. I fixed too loyal price. I’m sorry, but I can’t sell it cheaper.”

Victoria closed the laptop with anger and crossed her arms on breast. “I can’t sell it cheaper.” It irritated so much. Why did it cost so much? Why did she have no money at just the right time? Damn piece of injustice.

There was cold for some time breakfast and tea. Vic was sitting in the same pose and thought hot to get the cursed spell. Then she jumped up, dressed and rushed to The Russian State Library. There should be some data there, at least? Anything.

Vic was walking along The Garden Ring Road, turned to The Arbat Street and in twenty minutes later she should come up to the library.

The crowd met her halfway. Smiling tourists were examining the architecture and took photos of it. Expensive foreign cars flew by, filling the street with deafening growl. Funny pigeons ran over the road and picked up glums, trying to swallow with gluttony and with no epicurism understanding. There was dust in the air, shone in the sun rays. The breeze moved it in and out. Whitish planes glowed the sky, leaving the ghost traces. The world kept on living. It didn’t care about a soul, that lost its way, as well as university didn’t think of it. Nobody wants to take part in giving instructions except parents, but they do it in so uninteresting and dull way that children don’t want to listen to them. Life goes on. No matter what happens, no matter to whom it happens, life is here! It takes its course.

People speak different languages everywhere. People laugh, people cry. People sit on the asphalt road, hats are near them where defaulted throw-money is. People sing, draw, pretend to be robots, sell and gad about. They are at The Arbat.

Victoria was moving along the well-known narrow street, having decided to get any information about demons.

‘Hey, girl!’ a young Gypsy took her hand. ‘I read your hand and you give me what you don’t need.’

‘No!’ Vic said roughly, getting her hand out of strong grasp. ‘I’m not interested. Thanks.’

The Gypsy frowned.

‘A cross is on you.’ The Gypsy said and let her hand.

Victoria stopped and turned to the Gypsy.

‘Cross?’ she asked scarcely. ‘I’ve got one thousand roubles. Tell me.’

The Gypsy came up to the girl, took her hand and stared at the palm.

‘Here is money.’ Victoria took the piece of paper folded in half.

The Gypsy was gazing at the cover with lines palm. More than ten minutes passed before she started speaking.

‘The hell is following you, love.’ She whispered. ‘Take away your money. I can’t see your future.’

‘What do you mean you can’t see my future?’ Victoria pricked up her ears.

‘The cross on you is a crossway where you are now. You must take one of suggested ways then I’ll be able to see your future. But now you’re standing at gaze as another one. Your future isn’t definite.

‘What do you mean the hell is following me?’

‘A crossway is always bad and strong omen, symbolizing sinister forces. It means you’ve been suggested a choice and your task is to make a right one. The hell usually gives a chance to choose. If you’re on the crossway and standing at gaze it means only one thing — you’ve been stirred into action.’

Victory almost stopped breathing. It is terrible when a stranger says that hell is interested in you. Of course, it’s terrible. Head is whispering with no stop that it can’t be. Empirical materialism denies every remarkability, idea, molecule and atom that can’t be caught. Common sense. How often do you call for it? There is only one steadfast faith — the faith in own common sense. If it starts frustrating, surrender people see it and label you an insane.

Victoria wanted to dream that someone was sophisticatedly kidding her, but circumstances didn’t allow.

‘Where should I step?’ Vic muttered, giving the money to the Gypsy.

‘No, love, you can’t buy this. I’m not ready to travel this path for you. It must be your choice. I don’t need the money of the person whom the cross is on.’

The Gypsy shook her head and kept on calling people, promising to read their hands.

Being devastated and lost, Victoria was following with her eyes the Gypsy. Her feeling ran high. For a while she lost the thought of Kharon, of his indescribable beauty, of his mind-blowing embracing, of lips, kisses which she would be hardly capable of forgetting.

“This is not me who it happens to. No. I don’t believe…” Victoria persuaded herself being the centre middle of Moscow… Life went on around.

Suddenly Vic realized herself to be at The Arbat. There is one of the biggest book stalls there in Moscow. Alcoholics sold rare books for a song. Without a moment hesitation the girl went ahead, looking for books.

Sellers of different knowledge were not so far. There was an aisle full of huge pile of books. They were coloured, gray, doomy, thick and thin, flabby and new, unpresentable and those you could hardly force your eyes away from.

Vitoria swarmed the books, looking for something… and she found. It was a flabby book titled “Demonology”. Vic bought it for some cash and ran to the nearest bench.

Preoccupied with clear impatience the girl was turning the leaves of the book to look for the only name and everything about it. But there was nothing. Nothing! No word about Kharon and his activities was there. There were a lot of names, demons and their descriptions, unending number of symbols and figures, dead language, Arabian, demon hierarchy, spells and treatment… But fortunately, there was something about incubus.

Firstly, they are really demon. They can take shape of anything. They can turn into any animated object: a human, an animal, it can be a materialization of the most daring demon fantasies.

Incubi prefer to share bed with women, that means they are male. Demons, who prefer men, are succubi. Both, succubi and incubi are on pretty high level of demonic hierarchy.

Incubus must get the permission to do what he’s going to. He will be sure to ask if he is wanted, if he can do that or this, if he is allowed. If a victim agrees then her number goes up.

Their professional service charge isn’t cheap. As a rule, it’s a deal, terms of which are given a passing mention to, and a victim is ill-informed as she is under the sway of Morpheus.

Both incubi and succubi choose their victims while they are sleeping. They come to people at nights, when their minds are not active to lull vigilance easier.

The real succubi and incubi existence isn’t described. Probably these demons can walk among people, but they send all their power to a sleeper.

A short warning — whoever would appear before a human, incubus or succubus, don’t forget that it’s a demon and even being beyond dream borders he is very dangerous and easy to make a human suffer.

You can try to get rid of a demon with the help of a pray. It’s not very useful method but you could try. A tie with a lustful demon is considered a serious sin, there’ll be no forgiveness for it.

A pray can help in that case if a victim doesn’t have time to agree the deal. If he or she said sacramental “yes”, that’s all. The deal is concluded and there’s no turning back. It doesn’t matter what feelings a human had when agreeing the deal, if he was raving or being in oblivion. You can’t negotiate with hell and cancel the deal. In this case there is no Supreme Court nor Arbitration Court.

Everything that you have put on a cast when agreeing the deal, you will never get back under no circumstances. If you face a hell representative, you should always keep in mind the first axiom — no turning back. No law works against demons. They crap on everything.

The second thing you always keep in mind while working with hell that there’s a barely noticeable chance that the victim will be a beneficiary after the deal. This is predictable. The point is that demonic hierarchy representatives charge too high for their services. It’s impossible to come to The Prince of The Dark and give him two thousand roubles. Hell doesn’t work for money! Victims will have to pay with something more interesting than pathetic parallelogram pieces of paper. Some deals can cost a life.

Communication with demons is also nice to have — they are open to set the cost and promises; they’ll never take more than they asked.

The third thing you should follow up is that any creature, agreeing the deal, absolutely craps on his so-called partner! Demons don’t have a team, they work for themselves. Even more they will care less about the person who agrees the deal.

To lie to a hell creature is a bad idea. If a creature is not of lower level, one hundred percent it knows what happens within next fifteen minutes, it could read any thought, which dare creep into head, finds out any plan before it’s going to be executed.

The fourth, hell doesn’t have remorse and it’s no use to appeal to it. Don’t ask anything and don’t stare in surprise. You should just accept this fact. They don’t have remorse. No matter how hard people will try to make them pay attention to remorse, it will be useless. Demons don’t care. A human suffering will never have effect on demons but only in a good way.

Victoria was bound up in reading. She was so much interested in getting known these guys, that she almost forgot earlier she had wanted to find some data of incubus.

The last item in bold fonts with exclamation marks warns: any essence, having come from hell, is dangerous for a human’s life.

Vic closed the book and stared straight before herself. She looked calm but preoccupied. But none of passing by people could guess how scared she was! None of them saw her hands be almost washed out by shivering. Palsy was slowly possessing the girl, covering her lambs with numbness. She had only one question: how far I’ve come already? Was there any turning back?

Having true fear of unidentified Victoria understood that ghost world was very interesting not to give up on it. She’d been living for 20 years rejecting every mysterious being. She had a certain world view where there was no place for a mystical cell. Her conception of modern world development consisted of materialism. Suddenly an opportunity to get something new appeared and she wasn’t able to leave it behind. Fear wasn’t important but interest was too much!

Vic took the phone kept ringing in her pocket.

‘Listening to you, mum’ the girl said tiredly.

‘What’s wrong again, Vic? Why’s there no answer?’ the strong voice sounded on the cell.

‘I’ve been at the preparatory meeting.’ Vic lied before you can say knife. ‘There was another one before the exam. What did you want?’

‘My God, your meetings… So, I accept daily duties today, my colleague asked to relieve her, don’t wait for me. There’s food in the fridge, you know where money is if you need something.’

‘Mum, stop it, I’m not ten and this is not the first time when I’m alone.’

‘Fine, I’ve warned you.’

Olga Vladimirovna hanged off and left her child alone.

It was the nicest thing to know that she was going to be alone at home. Nobody would give advice and push and she would belong to herself. It was really nice!

The girl went to a café, thanks God there were lots of them in the street where she ordered dinner and immersed again into searching for information in Internet. The dinner was getting cold, Vic was drinking only coffee, with her eyes fixed on the phone screen.

Between endless advice and arguing the girl found name Lucifer.

Everything that she had read about Lucifer, she got that he absolutely knew how to tie a demon. Moreover, he was a Lord. Besides, he was interested in communication with people. Victoria was sure that Morningstar would help her. But there was no spell in Internet at all.

There was only nonsense: blood, the number thirteen which had unclean connection to Lucifer, if it did, unending number of Pentacles, black candles, crosses, texts of a level better than Bordeaux’ ones. Even Victoria, who wasn’t experienced in practical magic and knew nothing about its theory, understood that described rituals were nothing more but just junk. It was just funny pastime.

The girl remembered her black book which had been bought from the old woman at Lubaynka. Victoria didn’t look through it: all her attention was drawn to the dropped-out piece of paper in Latin.

Ah hour and a half later Vic was in her room, having reached no library. She turned the pages of the dilapidated book, studying and reading it.

By the end of the book Vic had run into the chapter titled “Fero Lux”. Something told her: here was it, Lucifer in his own person. A well-built man with huge wings behind his back and with no face was depicted on the page

‘The Fallen Angel’ Victoria muttered looking into the picture.

The girl switched on the laptop and texted to the stranger from site.

Victoria: ‘Do you know how to summon Lucifer? I need it…’

While Victoria was waiting for the answer, she kept on looking through the book and found something else — “Summoning Lucifer”. Having read the spell, Vic got upset: she seemed to have set a great issue.

Firstly, Lucifer is an original president of hell. To gain Lucifer’s hearing is a chance probably one to thousand, better to say to millions. He just will not come.

Secondly, if for some unexplainable reasons he comes then the caller can get into troubles. A person who sees just a little toe of Lucifer’s foot, can see nothing in his own life. He can just stop a human’s own existing.

Thirdly, Lucifer is very insidious and has no intention to have fun, that’s why the magician must outwatch every little germ of upside-down ideas.

Fourthly, it was the ritual. The spell itself wasn’t scared for Victoria yet. And, the spell was the most inoffensive thing in the whole process. A person who’s waiting for a meeting with Morningstar, must decide in advance, what exactly he or she is ready to sacrifice for the long hoped-for meeting. Even if one’s ready to sacrifice both, life and soul, as well as the body, another important question I asked point-black: does Lucifer need that the human is going to suggest him?

Victoria was thinking for a long time what she could suggest to The Falling Angel if he agreed to come to her. How much could she pay for unknown future?

A little envelope appeared at the dark screen.

Unknown Person: “I hope you’re kidding me? Do you know who Lucifer is? Do you have any ideas what end of the session you can get?”

Victoria: “Yes, I do, I do. I’m ready to pay, I just need him to come.”

Unknown Person: “He won’t come to you. He doesn’t come to the greatest.”

Victoria: “Do you have the spell?”

Victoria was getting angry. She had already read all those precious and warning words in Internet. Why were they so afraid of Lucifer, asking “do you know who he is”? It was just Lucifer. An angel. Angel of God. The former Angel of God. Yeah, he was powerful. Even more than that. Yes, he could kill but a brick could, too! Another thing to look for a meeting with Lucifer was just asking for troubles. But while living one could get into troubles. Or Lucifer’s appearance in a flat was too obvious issue that’s why mind whispered to give up the idea?

Victoria’s mind whispered only one thing: “I want Kharon to be with me…”. It was like a nursery school conflict when children got their so-called adult problems known, a teacher came up to help them, like Morningstar should help Victoria.

Unknown Person: “I do, if you give me a weighty argument.”

Victoria: “A weighty argument? I’ve got into an argument with one of his subordinates.”

Unknown Person: “Funny. Are you going to call for Lucifer in the guise of a judge? Do you think he’ll support you and wag his finger at his subordinate? Don’t be stupid, babe.”

Victoria: “I found a ritual in my book. What do you think, it will work?”

Victoria attached pages scans and sent to the stranger. Then the world immersed into a deadly silence.

The girl read the text again. You must burn three candles, put a bull heart in a silver dish, wait up to three am, write “I pay… for the meeting with you”, seal — it has to be an index and little fingers prints with own blood. After having read the spell you have to stab a knife made of a black steel into the bull heart. Lucifer has to appear in shape of anything and confirm the deal. Then you have to blow two candles. One has to be kept on burning. If one of them is blown out for any reason, you stop the ritual — no one comes. If Lucifer comes the first thing that you have to do is to draw in bull blood a cross on your chest. It works as a defence from the devil.

Unknown Person: “I’ve never heard and seen anything like this. Where did you get it?”

Victoria: “I bought demonology book from an old woman… the book is very ancient.”

Unknown person: “Hm, that’s interesting… Do you wanna have a deal? You scan your book and I scan that one you’ve asked for. Barter. Deal?”

Victoria smiled. Of course, she agreed. She needed any information about demons… about their King.

Unknown Person: “There’s a beautiful text in your spell. When and where will we meet?”

Victoria bit her lip. Right now, whenever else!

Victoria: “Your ideas?”

Victoria was scanning the book and waiting for the envelope to appear like manna from heaven. The stranger asked her to meet at 8 pm at Okhotny Ryad metro station. Victoria had less than three hours before meeting to finish scanning the book and get the destination point.

The book was very thick and every minute later the girl was getting more nervous to be late. She tried to do every movement maximum quickly to save time. She needed no necessary moves. She needed speed. She had to have time and get scan of the manuscripts.

Time pressed when Victoria finished scanning the last page. She put on a jacket, grasped her knapsack, USB flash drive and rushed to the underground.

June did its part. The underground wasn’t too much crowded: many people were on their vacations, students were at home studying examination cards. Victoria forgot completely about her exams and diploma. So, it happens like that when love and passion appear all the other feelings and deeds have to be got out of head.

The stranger said that he would be waiting for her in the middle of the Okhotny Ryad metro station. He would be wearing a white shirt, jeans, cap and gymshoes.

Without too much struggle she recognized the young man among the crowd. He was staying, leaning back on the rail, pulled his cap over his eyes. There was a closed right-angled box in his hand.

‘Hi’ she came up to him.

She didn’t feel any hesitation as she just needed the information.

‘Hi,’ he answered and lifted his eyes.

His eyes were of very beautiful colour. They were chestnut-coloured but also seemed to be of some wine-red colour. Yes, his eyes were too beautiful, but one couldn’t say the same about his face. He had an eagle nose, curve thin lips and bulged out cheekbones.

‘What’s your name?’ he asked.

His voice was pleasant one could listen to it for a long time.

‘Vic, and yours?’ she gazed into his eyes trying to understand any thoughts.

‘Sergey. Now I know your name. And before I wanted to call you just crazy.’

‘Why?’ Vic smiled.

‘Could a sane person want to call for Lucifer?’

Victoria lowered her eyes, hiding the smile.

‘Have you printed your book?’

‘My printer has run out of colour. I’ve got a USB flash and my laptop to prove that it’s not empty.’

‘Foreseeing that’ the guy mystically smiled, ‘I’ve got my laptop, too. Let’s go to a café to work if you agree?’

‘Sure, let’s go.’

They got to Manezhnaya Square, found a cosy bar and took coffee. There were two laptops on the table. The young man was looking through the files on the flash. With a happy smile Victoria was swarming in the copies.

Even on the scanned pages she could see that the book didn’t belong to the XXI century. With no problem she found the necessary spell how to tie a demon to. The girl got into the ritual.

‘Where did you get this book, you say?’ Sergey asked, clicking the scans.

‘An old woman sold it.’ Victoria was busy with her own business.

‘It’s a good book. I’m sure there’s only one version of it… Keep it in safe.’

‘Where did you get yours?’

‘My great-great grandmother left it.’

‘Are you a witch?’ Vic asked amazed.

‘A witcher. In the 6^th generation. I’m studying to be a witcher. You, on the contrary, seem to know nothing how the magical world is organized.’

‘I don’t conceal it. I’ve discovered this world since recently. Honesty I’m not still sure that it really exists. It’s too much unusual…’

‘You have lots of time to make sure that another world exists. You’ll understand that we are always observed. We have guardians, they guard us. Surely, you had such moments when you wanted to take a step on the road and in the nick of time you stepped back. There were good reasons why. A car rushed out of the corner at the last second and if you had taken that step, then there’d have been coronach at your home. We have those who misdirect us. Bogies, witches, pucks and water spirits, all of them are real. Why do you need Lucifer, by the way? What a dispute does he have to settle?’

‘Nothing. I just wanted to ask him for help.’

‘To ask Lucifer himself? I’m not sure he’ll want to interfere in the petty crime of the lowest level demons.’

‘What is he so busy with? Formalizing vacations and recalculating?’

Sergey looked at the girl and smiled.

‘If he were, people wouldn’t be so afraid of him. You can find an active ritual in the scans which I gave you. I don’t know if that ritual which you sent works…but you can try. But I advise to start from mine. If Lucifer doesn’t come, you’re doing something wrong.’

‘What if he doesn’t want to come, is it considered to be?’ the girl cautiously asked

‘Maybe it is…But there is no “he doesn’t want” in demonology. If you call, then a spirit must come. If you call in a wrong way, a spirit, probably, won’t come but it gets you’re calling him, anyway.’

‘Have you ever summoned Lucifer?’

‘No, I’m not so cocky and bold to come into a contact with Lucifer himself. It’s too dangerous. There’s also information how to tie a demon to. Be careful with that.’

‘Yeah, I’ve got it. May I get your phone number to connect with you if something goes wrong?’

‘Are you getting to be friends?’ Sergey smiled again.

‘Well…’ Vic was confused. ‘Yes, I think, I am.’

Of course, she would be against a friend-witcher when she almost got directly across to The Dark World.

They exchanged phone numbers and went out to on their own errands. Victoria was burning up the road home at rapid-fire pace. She wanted to tie Kharon to her. Then he was going to be near her, supporting and protecting. His face didn’t come out of her head. She was buried under devilish beauty press and weight. Vic didn’t know his personality and his soul if he had the one, she just saw his face and felt his touches. It was enough to bog down in marshy quagmire of love.

There was a cup of hot coffee. The midnight. Victoria was seeking for the needed spell and she found it on one of thousand pages. She needed next components: to draw a pentacle in a circle, five candles. She had to picture the demon’s seal, which was going to be tied to, in the pentacle centre. Then she had to depicted planetary symbols in the corner, begin with Uranus in the upper corner and against the clock there should be: Mars, Saturnus, Neptune and Pluto. That was all. And the last was to read the spell at every pentacle corner.

Victoria couldn’t believe her eyes. Could that be really all? There was no need of nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis’s legs, boiled with psychrolutes marcidus’s gills, no need of flowers which died out last century…there was need of a couple of pictures and easy spell. The girl was glad not to call Lucifer and communicate with him indeed as collaborate in any way. She was glad to manage on her own. She couldn’t even believe in it.

Despite that it was midnight, Vic didn’t think of sleeping. What a sleep when her mad dream was about to float into reality?

The girl was tracing the even circle with a piece of chalk on the floor, then a pentacle in it. All the planetary symbols were found in Internet. Kharon’s seal was on the paper in the book. There were lots of candles at home.

As soon as all was done Vic started reading the spell in each corner. When she finished reading the last lines in the northwest corner, a man appeared on her bed. He was looking at the floor. There was solid disappointment on his face.

Vic gave a start of surprise, having seen the man on her bed. The man kept silence. Victoria looked intently at him. She didn’t like his countenance, but she liked the feeling she had in the first seconds when the demon appeared.

‘Kharon…’ she whispered.

Suddenly the window opened because of unexpected mad wind. The candles were blown out one by one. The light twinkled and was gone. The scans flew up, curling into an amazing whirlwind. Pens, pencils, brushes, small objects began to turn under the unusual wind pressure, fluttering the red hair, endlessly throwing it on the eyes.

Victoria was nervous. She was scared. The boisterous weather in the flat pretty enough frightened the girl.

‘Kharon!’ she said louder, trying to get fluttering spikes away from her face.

The wind didn’t stop. The man, keeping the deadly disappointment on his face, was sitting and looking at the drawn pentacle. He didn’t see the scared girl.

‘Kharon. Please…’ panic tears ran down her cheeks.

Fear almost provoked hysteria. The girl was shacking. There was no light, but the feeble moon threw off its rays at the sad demon’s face.

Having heard “please” Kharon finally lifted his eyes and stood up sharply. The rough weather wasn’t going to calm. The wind was getting stronger, pieces of paper were flying, light twinkled sometimes.

‘What are you doing?’ he asked in a sepulchral voice and looked down into her eyes.

At that moment Victoria understood what to be feared meant. There was a real fire in the demon’s eyes, and the tongues of fire seemed to be about to break away and burn it all down the tubes. His hands, holding the girl, were deathlike cold. His lips were pale-blue-violet colour, compressed so strong to turn into a thin thread that was going to tear.

‘What are you doing?’ he asked his question again, pressing her shoulder stronger.

Victoria was staring at the flaming fire in the demon’s eyes, being afraid of looking away.

‘I…’ she stuttered.

‘You.’ The demon’s voice thundered in her ears.

‘I wanted to see you’ at least Vic lied and closed her eyes.

Kharon grinned but didn’t let the girl.

‘See me?’ he asked. ‘Do I have to trust you? A human child… full of ancient malice… You’re lying!’

Slowly the rough weather in the house was coming to rest. The mad album pages, wrinkled and torn in places, began to get down in a gentle leaf fall; the wind calmed; but there was no light still.

‘I…’

‘You’re shaking…’ the demon tucked her fluttered hair behind her ear.

‘You’ve scared me,’ Vic answered, gave a sob, trying to relax in the divine beauty arms.

‘You want to tie me to, don’t you?’

Having noticed no her complain, Kharon stared into her eyes, waiting for the answer. Vic turned away and took a sigh to calm down her animal fear swarming in the depths of her soul and consciousness.

‘No…That means, actually, yes… Kharon, I don’t know what to say…’

‘Tell me the truth. Do you know what the truth is? It is what you have here.’ The demon touched her chest. ‘And here,’ he put his finger at her temple, ‘here’s a lie…’

Victoria said nothing, was scared to look into the man’s eyes. He’d been still holding her shoulders, silently demanding her responsibility for her actions. But there was nothing of that.

‘Fine. You wanted to tie me up.’ Kharon confirmed. ‘Did I not tell you that it’s impossible? Did I not tell you that it is a very bad idea?’

He pulled the girl closer to himself, fixed her eyes on her. The ferocity in his eyes came down but the fire had been burning still. The demon was angry.

‘I beg you…stop it. I wanted to tie you up because I can’t get your face out of my head! I can’t get your hands, pressing my waist out of my mind… I can’t forget these feelings. Your voice… Oh my God, your voice! I’m getting crazy when I hear it! That’s why I wanted to tie you up to! A night ins’t enough for me…Isn’t enough.’

Vic was sobbing, showing her true face, baring her desires, letting the demon sink into her ocean of first-born feeling.

‘Did you want to be my girl?’ the demon asked coolly.

Vic nodded her head, trying to calm down.

‘It is impossible. All the people are equal for me and the price is the same for everyone. You cannot bargain with me. The terms were established, and I think only Lucifer is within his right to change anything.’

‘A night is nothing.’ Vic repeated insistently. ‘I wanna get all not only sex.’

‘Sorry.’ Kharon smiled and dropped to the bed.

He unbuttoned his shirt and gave the girl a mysterious look. Being numb she gazed at his body. The man touched the bed sheet, gesturing her to lie near him. As if she were high, Vic was gazing his bare torso, at the moves of his eyes, hands, mouth, quirked at the corners. Her breathing was becoming heavy, the heart was beating stronger.

‘What’s it with me?’ she asked quietly, making herself turn away from Kharon.

Next second he jumped up, pulled off the shirt and the girl appeared in his mind-numbing embraces. She was losing her mind slowly and silly.

‘It’s called Lust, dear. My favourite sin,’ Kharon was whispering, ‘A night is in return of your life. Admit it…’

There were the gentle hands, velvet lips, words, soft embraces, kisses…

‘Listen,’ Vic said with no opening her eyes. ‘No. it’s a wrong deal.’

Kharon started back from her and the severity, appeared on his face, made the girl be nervous again.

‘A wrong deal?’ he asked in surprise.

Getting angry, the demon couldn’t believe his ears. He seemed to be growing before her eyes, some smoke was supposed to be behind his back while his face was getting coloured in red wine. The girl was enveloped by desperation.

‘I can kill you. Just for nothing. Just right now. Then you’ll get nothing at all! Can you feel your legs getting full of cement? Can you feel it getting frozen, depriving you of moving? Two minutes and it’ll cover your lungs, filling them with hardened concrete… Just two minutes left.’

Her heart was beating as if it was mad because of fear. It was so terrible to recognize your own body with each second to stop reacting to nerve impulses, feel your own legs getting hardened and then they stopped feeling, and you were going to fall somewhere down. At that time a sinister look of a creature, came from inferno, was devouring your face with suffering on it.

‘A minute left… Now it’s a stomach.’ The demon was staring at the girl. ‘I am so tired of your games. Come to me, go away, a good deal, a bad deal. Whom have you found in me, a Seraphim? You, a human child! How dare you, offspring, disturb me from my deeds? Bargain with me?’

A simple fear couldn’t describe the girl’s feelings. There was fear agony and despair. The demon didn’t touch her, and a real hell started its existence inside her. A lump in her throat prevented her from making any sound and thoughts about mercy was eternally turning in her head.

Suddenly everything stopped. The heaviness, tonnes of cements left her body, agony died down. But anger didn’t leave Kharon. He silently watched the girl, grasping the air. She was crying because of offence and weakness, impossibility to get what her heart had been yearning.

‘God forgive me…’ Victoria got on her knees, put her hands over her face and burst into hysteria. ‘What am I doing? God, I beg you… Our Father, which art in heaven! Hallowed be thy name…’

She was praying, clinging onto her tears, burrowed her forehead into the floor. Kharon was looking at the crazy picture, then hunkered down and took the girl by the hand.

‘Our Father? Seriously?’ he asked severely, ‘do you really think it works?’

‘I’m agonized!’ the girl wept. ‘My feelings for you… I’m betraying God! If you exist, then He exists! I want Him to get you out of my head! I don’t wanna think of you anymore, I don’t wanna see you anymore. I don’t wanna you touch me anymore… But I can’t master unruly my feelings… God will help me!’

‘God?’ Kharon kindly looked at Victoria and with implausible grin. ‘Victoria,’ he kissed her, pressing her to himself. ‘You will not call me again. You will not do, even try to do any magic on me. You will not even think of me until you are ready to give me what I’m asking… or I shall have to kill you.’

Kharon didn’t stop kissing the girl, her tears, her lips and cheeks. She was listening to his forbidding and by every second, by his every word she understood her be getting worse and worse.

‘I shall not see you anymore, good-bye’ the demon whispered.

Victoria opened her red eyes: she was alone. Suddenly she was broken through with electricity. It was a dawn, mess was in the room like tornado and earthquake had been there, the pentacle was in the floor, candle wax was everywhere, pages were thrown about… Vic was sitting on the floor and weeping.

Was Kharon right? Was it a lust or a love seed for something forbidden? Was it love for a creature which didn’t deserve to be loved actually? That man… He was so charming, so handsome and attractive to be the truth. The heart fell in love with an ideal skin at that time her mind endlessly whispered about true essence. He just mocked her. You and a thousand-year-old demon? Love? Who do you think you are, dear?

Reality. Welcome back. How many people begged God make them face the reality? To show them what was really going on in the world? Victoria begged God take her out of harm’s way where her heart was bogged down. But He didn’t hear her. Probably because she was so quietly asking Him, and she didn’t really want the reality. Uncertainty confused the minds without bringing stability.

Crying, wiping her tears away, hating herself, Victoria was washing the floor, destroying the trace of the Sabbath. She put the candle ends into the cases, placed the scan pages. Broken-hearted, with sunrays caressed the earth, Victoria went to bed. There was emptiness again. No dreams. No visions. Inanimation…