Slimy, sticky tentacles pierced through the door, showering us with splinters of wood, and wrapping around my body like a snake. 

My feet lifted off the ground and my back slammed into the closed door as the demon tried to pull me toward it. 

I cried out in agony. My fractured ribs burned like they were on fire, sending rivulets of pain shooting down my entire body, and the splintered wood dug into my back like little knives.

“Nyx!” 

Lucius tore at the tentacles, trying to set me free. But for every one he crushed, another slithered through the door to replace it.

The demon pulled me against the door as if trying to break through it using my body as a battering ram. The pressure squeezed the air from my lungs as I gasped for breath.

I was being crushed to death.

Where were the Magical Girls? Emerald? They were supposed to be here by now. Surely they’d show up any second now.

White spots dotted my vision as I tried to wrack my oxygen depleted brain for a solution. Thinking was almost impossible. 

All I could think about was the pain. It hurt. Everywhere hurt.

“Nyx, you have to stay awake,” I barely registered Lucius’s face close to mine. 

He looked… crazy. His eyes were wide and panicked. 

Desperate.

“We have to try,” he whispered fiercely to himself as he suddenly grabbed my awkwardly bent hand and maneuvered it under his shirt, placing it firmly over his heart. It was warm. Muscular. 

Slam. The demon tugged me harder against the door. Was that my ribs cracking? How could I even tell? There’s no way the pain could get any worse.

I suddenly felt a warm hand slide under my shirt, glide up my bare stomach, and rest between my breasts. 

The shock woke me from my droopy stupor.

“What…” I rasped angrily, “the hell are you—“

“There’s no time,” Lucius said, pressing even closer into my hand. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know any other way.”

A mix of emotions cycled across his face. Desperation . Sadness. Uncertainty.

Fear.

“You need to make a pact with me. It’ll save you,” he said hurriedly. “Repeat after me: I accept this bond and vow to carry out my…” he paused, “destiny.”

“You’ve… gone crazy,” I sputtered, managing a weak but terrified laugh.

I could barely think. My vision grew darker and I couldn’t see Lucius’s silhouette anymore. 

He’s said it would save me. I didn’t have the time, care, or energy to question it. Below my hand, his heart beat rapidly within his chest, the sensation grounding me through the pain.

I’d do anything to stop this torture.

No matter how ridiculous.

“I… accept this bond…” I forced the words out, wheezing through bated breaths, “and vow to carry out my destiny.”

“I accept this vow,” Lucius’s voice grew deeper and took on a tone I’d never heard before. It echoed inside my head, like he surrounded my entire being. 

My hand grew hot on his chest. Unnaturally hot. It burned like I’d just stuck my hand in the sun. 

The pain in my ribs suddenly felt like child's-play. 

I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. I watched in fascination and horror as a white light shot out from where my hand lay on his chest, illuminating the closet in white. The beam connected with my chest where his hand touched me, connecting us together, and the heat intensified. I looked down expecting to see a hole in my chest where my heart had been. 

Death would have been easier. 

The white fire spread from my chest, spreading throughout my entire body like a tidal wave. 

I was vaguely aware of the demon’s arms receding away from the light. I found myself falling from its grip and landing limply in Lucius’s arms.

Then as if it had never existed, the light vanished in an instant and the pain disappeared. 

Licius gently moved me to the ground, cradling my body with his. 

I didn’t move. Didn’t speak.

My brain hadn’t caught up with the pain’s disappearance.

“I’m.. sorry,” Lucius stared down at me solemnly. “We don’t have much time. The demon will be back…”

“What did you do to me,” I whispered, touching my chest where the heat had been. 

My ribs… the cuts on my back…

I couldn’t feel them anymore. 

I’d clearly seen Lucius use some kind of magic. The only explanation I could think of…

“Are you a Magical Girl?” I asked.

Hearing something so ridiculous come out of my mouth led to a sudden uncontrollable giggle fit. 

I started laughing. I doubled over and held my stomach. I couldn’t seem to stop. It was ridiculous.

So hilarious.

Lucius stared at me. Pity filled his eyes. He looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

To be fair, I probably had.

He gripped my waist and forced me to face him. Even then, I couldn’t stop giggling. 

I got attacked by a demon twice in a month. That was pretty funny too.

Lucius opened his mouth, then stopped in hesitation. He pursed his lips then let out a frustrated sigh.

“You’re the Magical Girl, Nyx.”

I stopped laughing.