The Day I Was Supposed to Die
I should've died that night.
No, scratch that—I was supposed to die. The universe had already signed the paperwork, lit the candle, and whispered, "Good riddance, Flare Kross."
But the devil had other plans.
---
The city of Cindergate never slept, not even at 3 a.m. Neon signs buzzed in the smog-choked air. Somewhere, a dog barked. Somewhere else, someone screamed. Classic Tuesday.
I stood on the edge of the Ravell Bridge, 300 feet above a frozen river, fingers trembling on a metal railing slick with winter frost.
Below me? Darkness.
Behind me? Nothing.
Inside me?
Emptiness.
I stared down at the abyss, wondering if the fall would kill me before the regrets did.
"Flare Kross," a voice rasped behind me—velvet and cruel.
I turned. No one.
The wind howled. The bridge groaned. My heart skipped a beat.
And then I saw it—a red sigil hovering in the air, pulsing like a heartbeat made of fire. It spun slowly, humming in a language older than sin.
What the hell...?
A single line of red text burned into my vision.
> [Do you accept the Devil's Contract?]
[Y/N]
I blinked. Laughed. Rubbed my eyes.
"Yeah, I'm definitely losing it."
> [You have 10 seconds to decide.]
What kind of prank system was this? Was this a sick game?
> [10… 9… 8…]
My chest tightened. The wind stopped. The city went silent. Only that voice remained.
> [7… 6… 5…]
"Wait!" I snapped. "What happens if I say no?"
> [Death.]
Simple. Final.
> [4… 3…]
And if I say yes?
> [You become… Unchosen.]
> [2… 1…]
The sigil pulsed.
And I whispered, "Yes."
---
The world exploded.
Crimson light engulfed everything. My body convulsed, bones grinding, nerves on fire. It felt like being reborn in reverse—like someone took a puzzle and slammed the pieces together with a hammer.
Screams echoed. Mine.
Then silence.
> [Devil's Contract Accepted.]
[Initializing System…]
> [Welcome, Flare Kross. You are now the first and only Unchosen.]
> [Caution: Your existence is now illegal.]
What?
Before I could process, a pain stabbed my skull. A memory not mine flashed before my eyes—a battlefield of flames, corpses with glowing marks on their foreheads, and a woman in black armor standing alone… crying.
Then I woke up—on the icy bridge, panting, the sigil gone.
I wasn't dead.
I wasn't normal.
I had signed something I couldn't understand.
And something… was coming.
---
In a glass skyscraper miles away, a woman snapped her eyes open.
Jet black hair. Crimson irises. A glowing sigil marked her palm.
Aria Vayne, top Chosen Hunter, elite of the Order Contract.
She stood as alarms blared in the cathedral-like room around her.
"He's awakened," she muttered.
The man beside her nodded. "A Devil's Contract. The first in a hundred years."
"Name?"
He hesitated.
"Flare Kross," he said. "He wasn't supposed to survive."
Aria's gaze darkened.
"Then I'll make sure he doesn't."