“Sorry,” Wheeler stammered, though he wasn’t exactly sure what he was apologizing for.

“Do you know how long I waited for someone to finally summon me?” the figure snapped.

“No I--”

“Centuries! I waited centuries! And for what? For a stupid kid to just randomly trip--”

He was interrupted by a loud croak. Wheeler quickly knelt down, cupping his hands for the large toad to jump into.

“You’re right Mister Pumpernickel, he is being kinda rude.”

“Oh great, and now you’re talking to a toad with literally the dumbest name I’ve ever heard. This just keeps getting better and better,” the creature muttered.

“I’ll have you know that Mister Pumpernickel is an extremely dignified name for a very distinguished toad.”

“Oh yeah? Name one distinguished thing your toad has ever done,” the creature said dryly.

“Well he’s…” Wheeler thought for a moment. “He’s...um...it’s a work in progress.”

To this declaration Mister Pumpernickel croaked in agreement.

The creature sighed heavily. “As much as I hate this, you did actually manage to summon me so I’m obligated to make you an offer. I’ll only make it if you’re actually interested though. If not, I’ll happily go back to my bottle.”

The toad leapt onto Wheeler’s shoulder, letting out another small croak.

“Hmm, it seems Mister Pumpernickel wants to hear what you have to say,” Wheeler said with a grin. “And if he’s interested in your offer then so am I!”

The creature’s eyes narrowed. “You’re listening to the advice...of a...toad…?”

“Of course!” Wheeler stated firmly. “He’s my deepest confidant.”

“Oh yeah. Cause that’s totally normal.”

“You're sorta mean, did you know that?”

“I’m a demon, kid, it’s part of the job,” the creature replied dryly.

Wheeler’s eyes widened in shock. “Wait! You’re a demon!?”

“Yes,” the creature said sharply. “I was getting to that.” He let out a little huff before continuing, not even waiting for Wheeler’s response. “My offer is simple. I grant you a wish and in return I get your soul when you die.” Wheeler’s eyes grew even wider at the words. “Now, I know sacrificing your immortal soul is a pretty big deal. It’s something that you can never take back; a choice that will stay with you for the rest of your life. This might just be the most important decision you ever make. With something as monumentally life changing as this I’m sure you’ll need plenty of time to think it over--”

“I’ll do it!” Wheeler cheered.

The demon just stood there a moment in stunned silence before finally uttering a single, “what?”

“I said I’d do it,” Wheeler repeated, grinning from ear to ear.

“I obviously heard what you said,” the demon snapped. “I mean, what the hell is wrong with you? You can’t agree to something this serious that easily.”

“But you said I’d get a wish, right?! I need a wish more than anything right now.” His gaze flickered down to his hands. “Honestly, at this point I was already willing to do just about anything.”

The demon thought for a moment, crossing his arms. “Desperation huh? I suppose I can work with that.”

At his words Wheeler began to bounce up and down excitedly, the toad hopping around in a little circle on his shoulder.

“Now hold your horses, kid. Let me explain how this thing works before you get too ahead of yourself. We demons can’t grant the impossible. For example, let's say your wish was to get a girl to like you. We could give you all the traits you’d need to woo her, but actually winning her heart would fall upon you and you alone. We can only grant you the tools - we can’t make things happen out of thin air. Understand?”

Wheeler nodded excitedly.

“Okay, so with that being said...what’s your wish, kid?”

Without missing a beat, Wheeler gave his answer. “I want to be the most powerful witch in the world!”

“Hmm, interesting wish,” the demon murmured. “And a wish I can actually get behind. It’s certainly something worth summoning a demon over.” He straightened his mask. “Now, I can’t just snap my fingers and you’ll suddenly become all powerful. I can only offer you the natural talent to achieve it. I know that sounds anticlimactic but if you work hard your goal should be within your reach.” He placed his hands on his hips. “Plus, I’ll be there to help you until your wish finally comes to fruition.”

“Great!” Wheeler said with a grin. “Honestly, just getting magical powers is more than I ever could have hoped for. I’ll train super hard! I promise!”

“You better,” the demon said. “I’d rather not fail at granting the wish of the first person to ever summon me.” His glowing eyes locked with Wheelers’. “Give me your hand.”

Wheeler blinked, confused. “Why?”

“So we can make our bond official.”

“Oh,” Wheeler said awkwardly. He took a deep breath before extending his hand, the tips of his fingers poking through the thin glove he wore.

The moment their skin brushed Wheeler felt like a spark of electricity had shot through him. The demon entwined his slender fingers with his, causing the feeling to spread as if it was pulsing through his blood, rushing through every vein in his body. Wheeler’s lungs and chest were filling with it, his heart feeling like it was about to shatter.

Suddenly the demon’s mask burst apart, its remains exploding into a flood of glowing purple fireflies. They soared through the air around them, their light growing brighter and brighter until it was almost blinding.

At last the demon let his hand slip from Wheelers’. The moment he did the electricity instantly calmed, the fireflies vanishing into the air like wisps of smoke. Breathing heavily with his heart still pounding violently in his chest, Wheeler finally took a good look at the demon before him.

He wasn’t scary-looking like Wheeler had anticipated - quite the opposite really. He was exceptionally pretty, white hair framing his delicate, almost feline like features. Around his throat now rested a thin, leather collar; the silver thread embroidered across it gleaming in the moonlight. 

The demon seemed out of breath but he quickly straightened himself, smoothing down a few strands of white hair. “Well,” he said with a smirk, revealing a pair of sharp fangs, “congratulations, kid. You’ve just completed your first step. Next we need to get you the best training possible. To actually become the most powerful witch we need you enrolled at the Imperial Academy of Magic.”

Wheeler laughed nervously. “Oh… then we might have a small problem…”