Year 1397 of Liberation Calendar
In a certain city, a young woman around 26 years old with brown hair and eyes, she wore a patched up dress with a stomach bulge sitting in a doctors office with despair all over her face.
The woman, Angeline, traveled all the way here to see the renowned doctor, Dr. Schwarzen, her sixth one in fact.
She was plagued with a unique illness that was harming her unborn child. She had hope this renowned Dr. Schwarzen with healing expertise in magic related diseases could help. Unfortunately, she got the same news again...
Dr. Schwarzen shook his head in pity," Angeline, I know your husband died around the time your child was conceived, but unfortunately, I'm unable to save that child. Your body's immune system and mana network is attacking your child like it's a harm to you. I'm sorry, the only thing I can recommend is removal of the child, otherwise you'll die as well."
Angeline still distraught asked,"Can I have some time to think on it? I just don't have the heart to do this, as it concerns my son."
Dr. Schwarzen shook his head and sighed,"I understand the hesitation, I will not force you to make a choice. However, I am obligated to tell that the child and you will only have six weeks if you hold out. I do hope you make the humane choice instead of a desperate and forbidden one."
Angeline gave the doctor a look as if asking what he meant with his last sentence.
He said,"This illness is uncommon, but not extremely rare either. Their have been other women so desperate to give birth they invoke occult rituals at the cost of their own vitality or others. In my life, these actions always led to horrifying ends."
After Dr. Schwarzen finished talking, Angeline's mind had been heavily influenced by the mention of the rituals. She quickly said goodbye after getting told to come back in a week.
***
Angeline quickly reached her small apartment located in a slum village she was forced to move as she used her husbands life insurance money for the doctors.
*COUGH COUGH*
She dropped to her knees coughing in extreme pain as her stomach started hurting. She hunched over, coughing up chunks of blood as she felt clenched her stomach. Her unborn son was moving, but it was because he was in pain as he was being eaten away by her own body.
As a mother, the worst feeling is being unable to help your child at all. True powerlessness.
She just laid on the floor mixed with blood and tears. She reached into her purse and pulled out pills that's she's been taking to help supplement her and her son's condition.
The pain eventually subsided and she fell into unconsciousness.
***
Angeline opened her eyes as the sun's rays poured through the window.
She struggled getting her weak body up as she slowly sat on the couch in the middle of the apartment.
She pulled out her phone and noticed she had been out for a whole day. She was already used to these attacks as they've come more frequent the last two weeks, each time more worse than the last.
Thinking back to yesterday's appointment, she had remembered the rituals Dr. Schwarzen mentioned. Even though such rituals are forbidden, she knew she had no other choice, but to try. She would rather die than let her child die instead, if this didn't work then at least they'd all be dead and no longer in pain.
***
Over a period of two weeks, she dropped into a rabbit hole of occult research. The attacks came more and more frequently as blood was all over her apartment. She didn't care as she'd finally downloaded a ritual from a forum.
The ritual was known as the "Devil Injection Ceremony". The ritual needed two liters of blood as the price for activation. Once activated, it would summon a "Devil" that will grant your desire in exchange for it's conditions. The conditions vary from each devil, but they all carry some form of life sacrifice.
With eyes full of madness she cleared out her apartment and proceeded to use all blood around her to draw strange symbols on the floor of the living room.
After several hours, a six-pointed star in a circle with the symbols in between two lines at the edge was completed.
Angeline couldn't walk anymore she sat there in the the circle with clenched her fists and finally invoked the ritual.
An ominous glow came the circle the symbols at the edges started spinning and twisting the entire circle. Soon, a bloody mist with faces started pouring out accompanied by screeching which shattered her and the neighborhoods windows.
Angeline was covering her ears, looking at this scene flabbergasted and pale.
'Was this a mistake?' She couldn't help but think as the mist started congregating in front of her. As the mist finished gathering, a figure took shape in the form of a tall and muscular man.
He looked around and spotted Angeline,"Where am I? Did you bring me here, woman?" His voice sounded deep and hoarse, the perfect voice you'd expect from a "Devil". He stood tall looking down with reddish orange eyes. Compact muscles, but that wasn't what stood out; It was the orange like vein structure all over his the throbbed and glowed.
Angeline started coughing up blood and replied,"YES! I summoned you...*cough*". She was completely scared as the atmosphere just felt suffocating and unnatural.
Raising an eyebrow, he smiled,"What do you want from me? Perhaps to save that child? heheheh."
The Devil got a nod full of determination as a reply as he approached Angeline while she was coughing up blood.
"Fine. I acknowledge your determination, but the price will be your life." He smiled gently as his hand pierced her stomach and he started melting into her. Angeline screamed as the devil slowly melted into her stomach.
The orange veins had spread on her stomach as the wound closed up. However, that wasn't the end as she immediately felt ferocious movement in her stomach. Her child was developing and growing rapidly to the point that it felt like she was about to give birth.
In fact, she didn't have time to prepare at all as her baby was born crying and wailing. She held and caressed him with tears in her eyes as she went from youthful to old and slowly crumbling away like dust.
"Your name is...Zesmer Lyle." Angeline named Zesmer as she crumbled into dust.