"We can play now, right?"
Eleanor spoke as she looked at Olivia, who had picked up one of her dolls and examined it curiously.
She was twisting the doll's hair, changing the appearance to match her own instead of Eleanor's.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
The red-haired girl turned to Eleanor with a smile before responding.
"Sorry! I can't play so often, so let's play as much as we can today!"
Both girls laughed and began playing with the toys, talking over each other as they chatted excitedly about everything and nothing.
…
Meanwhile, only a few steps away from their room, Adam stood just outside the headmaster's office, twiddling his thumbs.
Scratching his forehead, he mentally rehearsed what he needed to do.
I just need to speak to Ms. Smith about letting Olivia visit the orphanage on her own, and then I can head downtown for my job interview. She might be a witch disguised as a human, but she's still the headmaster of this place…
Sighing to himself, he finally worked up the courage to call out to the old headmaster.
"Ma'am, can I come in?"
Adam's voice echoed in the empty hallway as he braced himself for the woman inside to open the door and yell at him, like always.
To his surprise, the harsh response never came. Instead, a deep, masculine voice rang out from the room.
"Come in."
Adam furrowed his brow at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, questions forming in his mind.
Why is it a man's voice? Did the headmaster quit? Mother didn't say anything about that, and neither did Eleanor…
Hesitantly, he raised his hand and pushed the door, listening to the hinges squeak as it opened.
The office was dim, but as his eyes adjusted, they widened at the sight of a black-bearded man in a luxurious top hat, casually seated on the desk.
"I'm sorry for intruding, sir, but do you know where Ms. Smith is?"
Adam spoke politely, watching the man slowly pull a letter from his pocket as though he had all the time in the world.
"Ms. Smith is on a well-deserved vacation, and that other teacher… What was her name again? Ah, yes, Anne. Well, that woman will be taking over her position for the time being."
Adam frowned, unable to take his eyes off the envelope in the man's hands.
Thinking it over, he decided to ask the bearded man about what had been bothering him since the moment he walked in.
"If Ms. Anne is taking over and Ms. Smith is away, then who may you be, sir?"
As Adam finished speaking, the man laughed under his breath and lifted his hat, revealing his dark hair... and something that wasn't meant to be there.
Adam turned his gaze upward before stumbling back, his face twisting in startled fear.
"W-What the hell are you!?"
Under the man's top hat were two horns that glowed with a dark hue, distorting the air around them.
The horned man simply smiled, his gray teeth gleaming faintly in the flickering candlelight that lit the room.
"I am someone who requires some assistance."
While the creature spoke, Adam kept backing towards the door in an attempt to put some space between himself and whatever was in front of him.
"If you are thinking about escape, I suggest you erase that foolish idea from your mind and listen to what I have to say."
His voice radiated a powerful aura that slammed into Adam with the weight of a landslide.
The red-haired man immediately collapsed to the floor, overwhelmed by the invisible power that pinned him down with a force far greater than anything he had ever experienced.
"Now that you've decided to be more cooperative, we can truly begin this conversation."
Agony surged through Adam's body, muddling his thoughts as the force grew rapidly stronger, crushing him deeper into the ground.
Cooperative? Ugh… he's crazy!
Grunting, he managed to lift his head and speak to the horned man towering above him.
"W-What do you want…"
As their eyes met, Adam caught his own pitiful reflection in those dark, unfeeling pupils.
"What do I want… Now that's quite an exceptional question you have there. Let's see… How about you help me destroy this wretched world and rebuild it anew?"
Adam's eyes widened as the horned man laughed coldly, watching him writhe at his feet.
Struggling to come up with a response, Adam spoke through the pain, a new sense of hatred brewing inside his heart.
"W-Why would I help you…"
The man above him stopped his laughter, and what he said next struck Adam like a knife to his guts.
"Well, isn't it obvious? If you don't, I'll kill you and everyone else in this orphanage, including that precious sister of yours in the room just down the hallway."
Smirking, he covered his sharp horns with the top hat and looked down at the fiery-eyed man once more.
Adam glared at the man before spitting at his shoes and muttering under his breath.
"You're a monster."
Hearing this, the horned man simply laughed, his voice filled with twisted joy.
"That's exactly what I am."
He shifted his gaze back to the letter in his hand, finally releasing the oppressive force pressing down on Adam's body.
Adam felt a rush of relief; however, instead of standing up, he scooted back towards the door, getting as far from the horned monster as he could.
"Here is your mission. If you complete it, then I can guarantee your family's safety when the time comes."
He threw the envelope towards Adam, watching him fumble to catch it out of the air, missing it by a hair.
"Do not tell anyone about me or this encounter. You can guess what happens if you betray me."
Adam nodded, quickly snatching the envelope off the floor and opening it.
Pulling out the piece of paper inside, he noticed from the corner of his eye how the horned man tipped his hat towards him and vanished in a swirl of black sparkles.
W-What the…? Did he just teleport?
He walked over to where the man had disappeared, watching the black particles fall gracefully to the floor before melting into nothingness.
Deciding that the man was truly gone, he unfolded the slip of paper from the envelope and examined its contents line by line.
As he finished reading, a stern expression settled on his face, lips tightening into a thin line.
H-He wants me to become a government official? Is he crazy? That's nearly impossible with my current status, and it's not like I have the strength to make up for it…
Deep in thought, he suddenly noticed something else tucked inside the formerly sealed envelope.
It was a pitch-black ring that radiated a glow so deep and dark it seemed to suck all the light from the already poorly lit room.
Attached to it was a tiny note with a singular word written on it.
Wear? That's all it says? It wasn't mentioned in the letter…
Removing the ring from the envelope, he felt its cold surface pulse against his skin as the glow around it expanded, spilling dark light in every direction.
"Should I really put this on…?"
He sighed, then held his breath and quickly placed it on his right ring finger.
Bracing for the worst, he shut his eyes; however, what came was a pleasant sensation that washed over his body like a soft breeze after a storm
"Huh?"
Looking at his hand, he realized that the glow had faded, replaced by a gentle, calming warmth.
He felt every muscle in his body contract tightly before expanding all at once, ripping his shirt to pieces.
Looking down at his ruined clothing, he blinked as his vision blurred, then sharpened, clearer than ever, allowing him to see even in the shadows of the office.
As if that wasn't enough, an overwhelming flood of knowledge surged through his mind, informing him of the ring's other features in an instant.
This thing is insane! No, if that man gave it to me, there must be drawbacks that I don't know about. However, the weapon within is quite interesting…
Adam snapped his fingers, and a crack appeared in the air ahead of him.
Reaching inside, he pulled out a large blade, wreathed in flame that matched his fiery orange eyes.
"With these enhancements, I might have a chance at gaining power in this city…"
The words barely left his lips before shame filled his mind as he remembered that he had made a deal with a monster in exchange for this strength.
Destroying the world… Truly a vile goal; however, if I can save Olivia with this agreement, then isn't it worth it?
He sighed, turning his gaze towards the exit.
"It's almost time for my job interview, but should I even go there?"
Shaking his head, he slipped out of the headmaster's office in silence and walked down the hallway toward the room where Eleanor and Olivia were.
The two girls laughed without restraint, unaware that their lives, and potentially the fate of the entire world, had just been decided only a few doors away.