Heavy footsteps thundered through a shady, quiet, and dimly lit alleyway, the sound bouncing off narrow, worn-down brick walls clearly left unattended for many years. The sun cast an orange hue over the space as it set slowly.

Eighteen-year-old Lucen Rivers sprinted ahead of three men in gold, gray and black suits. His slightly messy, medium length brown hair that covered his forehead and cheeks blew across his face as he struggled to clip an earring with three black studs back on his left ear. His half-buttoned white shirt and gray suit pants, slightly damp from sweat and his brown dress shoes became increasingly more scratched as it scraped against the cracked pavement.

The four dashed past small shuttered shops and rusty garbage containers while cutting many corners in which the distance between them grew ever closer and the space in the alley grew narrower.

Another turn and suddenly, the alley opened and a set of stairs appeared to the right side of the path they ran.

It was then that time felt like it slowed for Lucen. As if the world was giving him a moment to process the sight that his eyes bore witness to. Like witnessing fireworks for the first time as a child.

Lucen now had two problems.

One: three men chasing him down like cats do a mouse.

Two: a strange looking girl staring him down atop the stairs like a hawk.

The girl's unnatural appearance immediately caught Lucen’s eye as he captured every feature at once.

Long and shining white color except for the right half of her bangs dyed black.

Her skin, unusually pale. Her lips, coated with jet-black lipstick.

Her right eye, the same color as her lipstick but her left eye was different. A glowing red with an intricate design that looked similar to that of a star.

And just below her left eye, a black ornate vine-like, woven pattern marking that stopped right above her cheekbone.

“Stop running, you bastard!” the man in the gold suit behind Lucen shouted, knocking him out of the trance he was in. Lucen ran past the flight of stairs and turned another corner into a seemingly open space. Continuing further, he would eventually realize that he has, in fact, ran into a…

“Dead end…” Lucen, having reached said dead end, stopped in his tracks, now cornered by the three men chasing him.

“What’s wrong pretty boy? Ya lost?”

“Alright alright. You got me.” Lucen defeatedly sighed and threw his hands up in the air, visibly surrendering. “You all look like very… reasonable older gentlemen. Surely, you’ll let a young whippersnapper like me go, right? Right…?”

“Hell no! Now that you’ve got nowhere to go, I’m going to kick your little ass!” the gold suited man said, cracking his knuckles as he began walking toward Lucen.

“Wait wait! Stop! I’m not ready yet!”

The man cocked his fist back and swung towards Lucen’s face, missing narrowly as Lucen leaned back just enough to feel the breeze from the fists motion. Immediately, another strike was thrown and Lucen ducked. Then, a sharp roundhouse kick towards Lucen’s head to which he ducked again. Jab. Hook. Jab. Cross. Jab. Roundhouse. The man threw an onslaught of fast strikes but failed to hit Lucen with any of them.

Taking advantage of the slight down time between the man’s strikes, Lucen turned his waist and pivoted his foot, driving a sharp left hook to his liver, causing him to stumble before grabbing his shoulders, pulling him down, and driving his right knee into his gut.

“GURGH!"

T-The hell?! This bastard's speed and strength is– Before the man could finish that thought, Lucen brought his left knee up and threw a quick side kick at his abdomen but the man caught it. With his captured leg, he grabbed Lucen’s shirt and attempted to throw him but reacting quickly, Lucen headbutted the man, stopping him. The man, despite being headbutted, kept a hold of Lucen’s leg.

Hopping on one leg, Lucen sharply twisted his waist and pivoted his left foot. He pushed up off the ground with his right foot and lifted his body into a spin. The suddenness of the motion let his leg snap free and in that same motion he connected with a jumping side kick right on the man's mouth, sending him flying back and landing hard on the ground next to his other cronies, who looked absolutely shocked.

“OOMPH!”

The man sat up, wiping the blood trickling down his mouth. “Ugh… What was that? No normal guy should be this strong.”

“...”

“What are you two dumbasses just standing there for?! Get him!”

Approaching Lucen, the man in the black suit threw a wild haymaker at him but Lucen blocked it by getting his elbow up. Immediately, Lucen hit him with a fast elbow and pushed him away. The man in the gray suit, from the side, attempted to catch Lucen off guard with a kick that Lucen barely ducked. Following through, Lucen swept his leg and knocked him to the ground. The black suited man attempted to tackle Lucen but he sprawled, locked in a front headlock, and knee’d him in the face, knocking him down. Lucen then cocked his fist back to go for the finishing blow.

Then Lucen stopped, noticing the absolutely terrified look on the face of the man. He saw that the man wasn’t looking at him but the fist he had loaded up. Lucen turned his attention to his fist.

“What the? M-My– MY HAND! IT’S ON FIRE?!”

A glowing blue flame burned on Lucen's right hand.  He shook his hand constantly, blew on it, anything to shake the flame off but to no avail. 

"It.. doesn't hurt though."

Lucen noticed the fire on his hand, which should have torched his hand by now, did not effect him at all. Realizing nothing was working to get rid of the flame, Lucen stared at his hand and his mind wandered as he reflected on what led up to this moment.

~15 Minutes Ago~

Lucen begrudgingly walked down a shady alley in one of the many backstreets of Downtown Glory. The most populated part of the Glory Sector in District 3. A District in the city of Velstrea.

Lucen’s phone had shut off, the battery completely dead. School for him had ended a few hours ago and he missed the last train so he was stuck walking home. His GPS signaled the fastest way was through this area. Despite being quiet, there were few stores and places that were open. Some were normal like Vintage CD shops and some were very... out there places that he would never step foot in.

Ughhh, this is the WORST possible place my phone could die in. I should’ve charged it before I left the house. At least I remember the directions through here. Laura's definitely gonna chew me out again if I’m home after 12...

“Come onnn, just let us take you home!”

Lucen looked to his left and spotted three men surrounding a woman in professional looking attire. “Trust me, it gets real dangerous here at night. You don’t wanna be all alone right? Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of here, nice and easy. Here, take my hand.”

“Please leave me alone…”

"Don't be like that! I'm practically offering myself up to you on a silver platter, ya know? I don't hand these kinda offers out often, ya know? Especially for free!”

Woah ho ho, is this an opportunity I'm sensing? The lady, cornered and it's up to yours truly to come save the day. Time to do what I do best.

Lucen chuckled, approaching the four. “Umm, excuse me.”

“Eh?” a blonde, short-haired man in a brown and gold suit spoke up.

"I don't think the very beautiful miss over there is very comfortable right now..."

"And just who the hell are you?!"

"Ah, the main character always introduces himself at this point of the story, apologies. Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Lucen Rivers. Professional Ladies Man and the most handsome guy that you, yes you, will have the pleasure of talking to.” Lucen took a bow after his glorious introduction, knowing he made a wonderful impression.

“Who the hell introduces themselves like that…? Does this guy have a screw loose? Whatever. Doesn’t matter. Scram boy. Shoo. We’re busy as you can see.”

‘Hmmm. You guys haven't introduced yourselves so... how about I just name you guys to make things easier?"

Lucen pointed to the man in the black suit to the right of the group leader. “You. You will be Thug 3.” Next, he pointed to the man in the gray suit to the left of the group leader. “And you, you will be Thug 2.” And finally, he pointed to the middle man in the brown and gold suit, the group leader. “And of course, our star of the show. You will be Thug 1.”

The three stared in silence, dumbfounded, confused, and probably very annoyed with their now, new identities.

“Anyways, I have a problem with you three! You guys clearly don’t know how to talk to women! In fact, it’s like you’re not even trying!”

Lucen turned to Thug 3, “You… You don’t look too bad actually. You get a pass.” He then turned to Thug 2, “You… Wait, how old are you? You look old enough to be my dad. Should I tell your children that you’re hitting on women their age, old man? You make me sick.” Then to Thug 1 in the middle, “And you… I’m sorry but did you dump a bucket of piss on your head? What compelled you to dye your hair when you barely have any? I can’t believe you can wake up and walk outside looking like this much less hit on women far out of your league. The only thing making you look the least bit decent is that suit.”

Behind Thug 1, Lucen caught a glimpse of the woman quietly laughing.

She's laughing? Hehehe, this is easy money. Now for the finisher.

"You see, what's got me so worked up is how you guys have the nerve to approach this beautiful and wonderful looking woman and yet not be aware of how you present yourself! Then you back her into a corner and you're surprised when she's uncomfortable. It's like you guys took inspiration from the most generic goons in a trashy superhero flick. Shame on you. Shame on you.”

A moment of silence passed before Thug 1 spoke up, the tone in his voice, cold as ice. “You got 3 seconds to get the hell outta my sight or I'm going to drop you."

"Hey hey. There’s no need for violence. Besides, look behind you.”

“The hell?!”

Looking behind them, the woman has completely disappeared and left.

Nooooooooo.

Lucen mentally screamed at the opportunity that just slipped through his fingers but he couldn't break character. "Well, seems that's over and done with so I'll be going now. All in a day's work, am I right?”

“You're not going anywhere, you bastard!"

Lucen took off running in the opposite direction but the three Thugs followed suit.

~15 Minutes Later~

Thug 1 quickly got up on his feet. “Demonic energy?! Was this bastard… All this time?! But that fire… Why is it blue?!”

Thug 1 reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife or seemingly a crystal in the form of a knife. “Didn’t think I’d have to use this tonight.”

But just as Thug 1 moved, the air around the entire area shifted, stopping him in his tracks immediately. In his mind, he knew what it was. The presence that caused him to stop. Yet still, he slowly turned his head around and then he saw someone. If you were to see his face, you’d think his soul had left his body. It was the same girl that Lucen and the Thugs ran past earlier. White hair and all.

It’s her! I didn’t think she’d actually be here in this random alley! I-I gotta get out of here! Thug 1 bolted past the girl, followed by his entourage behind him. Lucen, hand still on fire, stared in awe as she got closer.

She’s getting closer. I wasn’t just seeing things. She’s real. She’s approaching me.

Finally a few feet from Lucen, she stopped in front of him. She was shorter than him by a few inches but her gaze still sent a slight shiver down his spine.

“Ahem. Welcome to Bad Burger! Home of the Bad Burger! Can I take your order?”

“Lucen, please listen to what I am about to say.”

“How do you know my name?”

“You need to enter a contract with me. Right now. ”

“Huh?” Confused, Lucen stared at her for a few seconds.

“A… what?”

“A contract. It's urgently important that you agree to it, immediately.”

Lucen, again stared at her, perplexed. “Wait wait, let’s slow down a bit. Who even are you?”

The girl sighed. “I am Lialetta Azaroth. You may call me Lia for short. I am the current patriarch of the Azaroth Family and I am a devil.”

Lucen, for the third time, stood there, staring at her in complete silence and bewilderment.

Oh my God. She’s... She’s... An absolute nutcase. Is this what they call 8th-grader syndrome? I thought these types of girls only existed in TV shows. To think I’d actually meet one. But like, I am so unbelievably into this. Wait– has all of the good deeds I’ve done FINALLY come back to me? I knew my hard work would pay off! Thank you, thank you. I will take this blessing with utmost humility!

“I see.. Well, nice to meet you, Lia. I am Lucen as you so strangely know already. So, what’s this, uh, “contract" business?”

“Your hand, that flame is what is called demonic energy. Yours is an unstable mutation of what is normally a red flame and if it’s not contained, it won’t go away and it will... That’s why you…”

Oh I get it! She’s a stalker! This must be her weird way of confessing! Don’t you worry, you needn’t say another word, my dear delusional stalker! I’ll accept all of your feelings! Even if you have issues at home! Lucen’s excitement grew as he continued to completely tune out what Lia said and be oblivious to everything that was actually important.

“I accept! I will go out with you!”

“What?”

“Sorry, I mean, I’ll enter a “contract” with you.”

“Good, then let us begin now.” Lia walked closer towards Lucen, stopping just a few inches from him. She then grabbed his burning hand and interlocked her fingers between his.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Below Lucen’s feet, what seemed to be a glowing red circle with intricate glyphs appeared. The bright red illuminated the entire surrounding area.

Have I lost my mind? What am I seeing right now?

By the threads of fate and time aligned,

With these words of power, our two souls combined.

By name and will, this vow now decreed,

Thy soul to mine, and mine to thee.

Let the world witness, beyond our sight,

Thus nothing may sever what was bound this night.

"I, Lialetta Azaroth, hereby pronounce the formation of a Binding Contract between myself and Lucen Rivers.”

Lucen was at a loss for words. He could do nothing but watch in silence as this event unfolded.

“This may sting a bit. Please brace yourself.”

“Wait wha- URGNH!”

My head! What the hell is this?! It feels like there's… mice scrambling around in my brain! I can’t take it! I…

Vision fading, the sight of Lia, her piercing gaze looking directly into his eyes as she held up his hand in front of them, was the last thing he saw. Lucen, finally passing out, dropped but Lia, still having a hold of his hand, kept him from hitting the ground and set him down gently. She then let out a long sigh.

“I’m sorry I broke our promise but this was… necessary. I can only hope, wherever you are, you can forgive me for this. And to you Lucen… I hope you can forgive me for dragging you into this.”

With those words, Lia grabbed Lucen and disappeared with him.