Sometimes, the only way to deal with life is with a good dose of sin. Or at least, that's what I like to tell myself when things get tough.
—Now what? —Aria asked, her exasperated tone a constant for hours.
—Now it's time to celebrate —I replied, feigning enthusiasm while trying not to show the pain running through my ribs.
—Celebrate... Sure, because dragging yourself to a bar is exactly what you need.
—Not a bar, dear Aria. We're going to a place with more... character.
I didn't mention the real reason for our stop in the red-light district. Yes, I needed a drink, but I also needed information. The demon we faced in our last mission, before dying, left a whisper that kept echoing in my mind. He mentioned a name: Vorax. A devourer of sins, capable of consuming the souls of the corrupt... and sometimes, of those who just crossed his path.
The Church and the Exodus considered him a taboo, an enemy too chaotic even for them. But for me, Vorax was an opportunity.
—Aria, do you know why priests are so good at fighting evil? —I asked as we approached the place—. Because they've been sleeping with it for years.
Aria looked at me with disdain, but something in her gaze told me she was considering it. Sometimes, even she couldn't help but recognize the harshness of my logic.
—Don't be vulgar —she replied, but the curiosity gleaming in her eyes said otherwise.
The entrance to the brothel was guarded by neon lights and laughter that competed with the loud music. The air felt thick, as if the energy of the place was imbued with something dark and perverse.
—Ignis... —Aria took my arm, her tone more serious now—. This place isn't normal.
—That's why we're here —I replied with a smile that tried to hide the pressure in my chest. My senses were on high alert. It wasn't just the drink I needed, but the shadow of Vorax that loomed over my mind.
We made our way to the back of the establishment, where a private room seemed darker than the rest of the place. The atmosphere there was colder, almost tangible. And I knew it in that moment: the inhuman was close.
There he was.
Vorax was sitting in a red velvet chair, a glass in hand, his twisted smile revealing more teeth than any human should have. His presence could not be ignored. The air grew heavier around him, as if the very sin itself lingered in the room.
—Ignis. What a surprise to see you here —he said, his voice echoing like a whisper in my head—. Are you here to offer me something, or just to enjoy the atmosphere?
—A bit of both —I replied, my voice firm, although every instinct inside me screamed to run. Sometimes, cynicism was the only defense I had against what I didn't understand.
—You know? —Vorax tilted his head, as if studying every word I spoke—. I've heard of you, the boy who plays with fire and demons. But I never thought you'd have the guts to come here. What are you looking for, Ignis?
—Information. I need to know more about you, about what you really are —I said, my tone more serious now. I didn't trust him at all, but I couldn't let his game intimidate me.
—Information? —Vorax leaned back, as if the concept seemed like a joke to him—. What you call "information," I call temptation. Knowledge always comes at a price, Ignis. And not everyone is willing to pay it.
Aria took a step back, more uncomfortable than she would care to admit. She wasn't afraid enough to run, but the atmosphere of the place affected her more than she wanted to recognize.
—What price? —I responded, challenging the silence that had settled in the room. I knew that, like the demons I hunted, Vorax was waiting to see if I would fall into his trap.
—Your sins, of course —he said, smiling with a macabre sweetness—. Everyone has something to hide. Everyone has something that belongs to me.
The silence was unbearable, like a taut string waiting to snap. It was clear that the rules Vorax operated by weren't the same as those of humans. His power didn't lie in strength, but in the manipulation of the darkest desires.
Then, I remembered something the demon had murmured before receiving the final blow in our last fight, something that had etched itself in my mind like a distant echo: "Not all sins can be erased... Some come back for you."
His words reverberated in my mind, and for a moment, I felt the air around me grow even heavier. I didn't know if it was Vorax playing with my mind or if there was something more behind those words. But what I did know was that I wasn't going to let myself be intimidated.
—What I want from you is simple. I want you to help me find something that's been lost for a long time —I said, my voice firm—. And as for your sins... I'm no saint, but that's not what interests me.
—We'll see about that, won't we? —Vorax reclined in his chair, as if he'd seen all of this before and was just waiting for the final move.
The air grew thicker, and for a moment, I felt like the whole place was about to collapse under the heavy burden of what was to come.