The mark burned.
It wasn't the usual slow, pulsing heat that she had grown used to. This was different—sharper, more demanding.
Lena clutched her wrist, trying to ignore the way the sigil carved into her skin glowed with an eerie red light. It was reacting to something, but she didn't know what.
Lucian stood a few feet away, watching her with an unreadable expression.
"You feel it, don't you?" he murmured.
Lena exhaled sharply. "What the hell is happening to me?"
Lucian stepped closer. "The pact is strengthening. The more you resist it, the more it fights back."
She glared at him. "I didn't ask for this."
His smirk was slow. "And yet, here you are."
Lena clenched her jaw, her heartbeat unsteady. The whispers from the Underworld still lingered at the edges of her mind, but now… something else was taking over.
Something inside her.
Lucian tilted his head. "You should listen to it."
Lena shot him a sharp look. "The whispers?"
"No," he murmured. "The mark."
A chill ran down her spine. "You're joking."
Lucian's golden eyes gleamed. "The mark is more than just a symbol of our deal, Lena. It's a connection. A link. And if you don't learn to control it, it will control you."
Lena swallowed hard.
"And how do I do that?"
Lucian's smirk widened. "We begin the next lesson."
---
The Mark Awakens
Lena followed Lucian through the dimly lit corridors of his domain, her fingers still absently tracing the mark on her wrist.
The pain had subsided slightly, but it still throbbed with an unnatural heat.
Lucian finally stopped in front of an iron door.
Lena hesitated. "Where are we?"
Lucian glanced at her. "This is where you learn what the mark truly means."
He pushed open the door, revealing a vast chamber. The walls were lined with torches that burned with black flames, casting shifting shadows along the stone floor.
And in the center of the room—
A circle was carved into the ground, etched with glowing infernal symbols.
Lena's pulse quickened.
"What is this?" she whispered.
Lucian stepped inside, his presence commanding. "A place for you to connect with the mark."
Lena hesitated. "And what happens if I do?"
Lucian smirked. "You'll see."
That didn't sound comforting.
Still, she stepped forward, the heat of the room pressing against her skin.
Lucian gestured to the center of the circle. "Stand there."
Lena's stomach twisted with unease, but she obeyed.
The moment she stepped into the center—
The mark ignited.
---
The Devil's Claim
A rush of power surged through her veins.
Lena gasped, dropping to her knees as a wave of heat and darkness wrapped around her body. Her vision blurred, the edges of the world twisting.
The whispers returned, but this time—they weren't coming from outside.
They were inside her.
"You are ours now."
"The pact is unbreakable."
"Submit."
Lena clutched her head, fighting against the voices.
Lucian's voice cut through the chaos. "Don't resist it, Lena."
She looked up, her breathing ragged. "It's too much—"
"You are stronger than it," Lucian said, stepping toward her. "Feel it. Control it."
Lena gritted her teeth, forcing herself to focus.
She could feel the mark pulsing, alive beneath her skin.
It wasn't just a brand.
It was power.
Her power.
Lena exhaled shakily, trying to reach for it.
The moment she did—
The world shifted.
Darkness surrounded her, swallowing everything.
And then, a voice—deep and ancient—whispered in her ear.
"You bear my mark, mortal."
Lena's heart stopped.
This voice was different from the whispers. It was stronger. Heavier.
And she knew, without a doubt—
It belonged to him.
The Devil.
---
A Conversation with the Dark Lord
Lena's breath came in short gasps.
The darkness around her shifted, forming into a shape.
A towering figure stood before her, draped in shadows. His eyes burned like molten fire, and the air itself seemed to tremble around him.
The Devil.
He watched her, his expression unreadable.
"You have been marked," he said, his voice deep and commanding.
Lena swallowed hard. "I didn't have a choice."
A dark chuckle rumbled from him. "And yet, you accepted."
Lena clenched her fists. "I made a deal to save my brother."
The Devil stepped closer. "And now, you carry my mark."
Lena shivered. "What does it mean?"
The Devil tilted his head. "It means you are mine."
Lena's pulse spiked. "No. I belong to myself."
The Devil's smirk was slow. "Do you?"
Lena's chest tightened.
"Your soul is tied to the pact," he continued. "But your will—that is yet to be decided."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
The Devil's eyes gleamed. "You have a choice, mortal. You can let the mark consume you… or you can wield it."
Lena hesitated. "Wield it?"
A flicker of amusement crossed his features. "Yes. My son has claimed you, but you have not yet claimed the power that comes with it."
Her heart pounded.
"What happens if I do?"
The Devil's smirk deepened. "You will no longer just be a mortal with a pact. You will become something more."
Lena's breath caught.
Was that even possible?
The Devil leaned in. "Ask yourself, Lena—do you want to r
emain bound… or do you want to rise?"
The question sent a chill down her spine.
She wasn't sure if she was ready to answer it.
But something inside her whispered—
She would have to choose.
Soon.