Emma closed the door to her room after a long and tedious day at the office. The clock in her room read 11:38 pm. 

— How? There's barely anything left until it's midnight. — she said with her back against the door, surveying the mess in her room – an unmade bed, clothes scattered on the floor, piles of papers and office supplies on her desk.

— I guess it'll be just like any other birthday. — she said after a long sigh. — I should have at least bought a muffin for dinner.

Dragging her feet, she began to shed everything that bothered her to relax on her bed.

— 22 minutes, and I'll no longer be in my twenties. How did time devour my prime so quickly? — she said while lying down, staring at the blank and empty ceiling.

— ...

— I'm not so different from this ceiling. — she sighed. — Blank and empty, with nothing on it, without any color.

— Will my life be like this from now on? Empty like a blank ceiling?

Taking off her glasses, she rubbed her eyes and sighed again.

— Maybe I should consider adopting a cat or a dog, maybe then they could call me the cat lady. It would be stupid, but at least I could have a friendlier nickname at the office, unlike the one I have now.

Emma got up to sit on her bed and looked around, a messy room with romanticism paintings on the walls.

— Huh? — she noticed with her blurry vision a yellowed sheet of paper stuck to her wall corkboard.

She put her glasses back on. — But what is this? — she said as she stood up.

— Wait, I remember now. — she headed to the wall where the sheet was attached while taking off her office shoes.

— It's that strange "gift" they gave me the other day at that antique shop.

Removing the sheet from the corkboard, she noticed it was a torn page from what seemed to be an old book, as the page had a texture similar to fine fabric.

— But what does this mean? — she said while holding the page with both hands.

"In the dark abyss of existence, where meaning fades away and destiny traces a ruthless void, embrace the demon's desire, let your longings blossom in the shadows and dance to the rhythm of the shades."

— What I long for, desire, demon... — Emma whispered with a tired yet thoughtful expression.

"If your longing is a burning fire, trace on the flat surface the drawing of the pentagram that awakens the magic of your deepest dreams."

— ...

After reading, Emma threw the page into a trash can next to her desk and headed to the door.

— (Desire, Desire, Desiring what I long for? And what do I long for?) — She thought while standing still with her hand on the doorknob.

— To the demon. — She moved away from the door, took a large black marker from her desk, cleaned the floor cluttered with clothes and instant food trash.

In one hand, she held the page of the supposed spell, while in the other, she drew something resembling a strange pentagram.

— What am I doing? — she wondered as she continued drawing.

— Is this how I'll spend my last minutes of youth, trying to summon a demon?

Time passed like the cold winds outside her house, whispering through the pine trees behind her home. There were no people or cars on the street outside her home, everything was empty, accompanied by a profound silence.

— I think it's done.

Emma contemplated what she had created, a drawing of an unusual pentagram measuring 1.5 meters on each side, as indicated by the page.

The clock showed 11:59 pm.

— Well. — she said accompanied by a sigh. — This is how I'm going to start my 30s, attempting to summon a demon. Now I feel even more sorry for myself, but whatever, let's finish this silly game once and for all.

"With the drawing complete, recite aloud the words that will unleash the power of the hidden..."

— Daemonium, invoco te. — Emma said with a strong yet embarrassed voice.

— ...

Silence engulfed the room where Emma stood next to the pentagram; the only thing she could hear was the strong wind blowing outside.

— Well... — she shrugged. — I guess it was at least a bit entertaining. Anyway, I need to feel less stupid; I think I have half a sandwich in the...

A purplish smoke passed in front of her eyes as she headed to the door, suddenly noticing the presence of more smoke in her room.

— Huh?! Fire?

Smoke of various shades – blue, purple, red, green, and gold – emanated from the floor, and the room's light began to be engulfed by a darkness that seemed to emanate from the entire room.

— What's, what's happening? — Emma said as nerves caused her to collapse abruptly to the floor.

Strange shadows darkened the entire room, and the only illumination came from the strange lights emanating around the pentagram.

Sitting on the floor with her hand on her chest, the cold sweat running down her face made her realize what she had done.

— This, c-can't be happening for real.

The pentagram lit up with lights of all colors, swirling winds around the pentagram began to stir the entire room, and from the center of the pentagram, a humanoid, dark, and mysterious figure began to emerge.

Emma could only distinguish what was in front of her once the smoke began to clear; it was a demon, a demon with the appearance of a young man.

— ...

Once the demon emerged completely from the pentagram, the icy wind stopped, what remained of the smoke disappeared, and the only light in the room came from the pentagram emitting a light that mixed crimson and purple hues.

Emma could make out the face of the demon that was becoming clearer,

— Oh, so you're the unfortunate soul who desires what I can offer?

The demon said, with a calm tone and a refined touch in his manner of speaking.

— I-I... — With words refusing to come out.

— Well, I haven't given my name yet, have I? Excuse my lack of manners in introducing myself; My name is Frey.

Frey stepped out of the circle to approach Emma. She noticed more clearly that the demon wore elegant attire, a dark-colored suit with a trench coat.

— May I have the pleasure?

He asked Emma, who was still sitting on the floor. Up close, she noticed how his light, wavy hair contrasted with the orange color of his eyes.

— E-Emma...

— Emma, the pleasure is mine to meet you. By now, you must know what follows, but let me remind you to make it clear.

Frey looked at her from below, gazing at Emma like one would look at their adorable pet, accompanied by a slight smile on his face.

— I will grant you a wish, give you what you desire the most; it will be yours, and only yours. — He spoke with such a relaxed tone that his voice began to soothe Emma.

— But, as written in the contract, I mean, the page that allowed you to summon me, you must give me something of equal value, what I want from you, Emma.

— It's your soul. If you accept my wish, you'll be allowing me to devour your heart, leaving a void within you, but with the promise to enjoy your desire until you deem it appropriate to "leave."

Emma's gaze was hypnotized by the unnatural gleam in Frey's eyes; she listened, but her face portrayed confusion about the situation.

— So, do you accept my wish, Emma?

— Yes. — Emma said without second thoughts.

— Good, then what is your wish? — Frey said with a flirtatious smile, narrowing his eyes, giving his face an enigmatic aura.

— I wish...

— (What do I desire the most? What is my deepest longing? What do I want for my life?)

The thoughts in her head began to whirl like a tornado.

— I wish... — she said while clenching her fists on her thighs.

— I-I-I wish that... — Sweat covered her face, her eyes darted in all directions, and her stomach felt like it was about to burst.

— I WISH YOU TO BECOME MY HUSBAND!!

An overwhelming silence enveloped the room, the wind outside being the only sound that could be heard, once again.

Emma was petrified, with her mouth open and eyes blankly staring up at Frey. 

and Frey...

Frey was petrified with wide, blank eyes...