"I. Am. The. Devil."
The words dropped like lead weights in a dead sea.
And for a moment, Rio's mind shattered.
Thoughts—dozens of them—screamed at the gates of his consciousness. But when he tried to grasp even a single one, they dissolved like ash in wind.
It felt like his brain had been licked by a Cthulhu Codex—cursed and unreadable. Making him numb. Blank. And void.
He didn't even register the next motion until it hit him.
The Devil—casual as a lord plucking lint from his coat—flicked a bead of darkness from his hands. It flew with purpose, bypassing all of Rio's defenses, and merged into his pupils.
A wave of cold. A snap of pain. And then the world finally flooded back in.
"Phewww... phuhhh... fuuuck," Rio gasped, stumbling three steps back as he clutched his chest. As his heart trembled quietly.
(Did I just fucking died?) He couldn't help but ask himself that question, as chills shot through his spine remembering the emptiness he felt a few seconds ago.
