##Chapter 2
In a swift motion, Arya's world turned black. She glanced around the dark space.
"Where am I?" she whispered, all her senses sharp as she tried to see through the darkness, but to no avail. Faint whispers echoed in her ears.
"What's the meaning of all this? Am I not supposed to be dead? What the fuck is going on?" Arya cursed in frustration.
Suddenly, the gravitational force in the space increased, causing Arya to fall flat to the ground.
She bit her lip as the force doubled, bone-cracking sounds reverberating around her.
Then, as abruptly as it started, the gravitational force disappeared, leaving the space eerily silent.
A groan escaped Arya's lips as she struggled to her feet.
"If not for the pain, I'd have sworn nothing happened," she muttered under her breath.
A figure in blinding speed passed, Arya would have thought it was the wind if not for how calm the space was.
"Who's there?" Arya said sharply, trying to identify the source of the noise in the darkness.
It passed again.
"Ah! Who's there?" Arya screamed in agony, turning to her left, only to realize her hand had been severed, her lips twitched.
Just like before it passed again.
Arya's left leg was suddenly cut off.
"Show yourself if you dare! Stop lurking in the shadows!" she shouted, rage pouring from her despite her injuries.
In the blink of an eye, a towering creature, about 12 feet tall, with four eyes and long sharp claws, appeared before her. Its cold, hellish gaze made her tremble, like a heavy weight pressing on her chest.
Taking a deep breath, Arya steadied herself, regaining a strange calmness despite the fear gnawing at her insides.
"A wise move," Arya said, her voice steady.
"You must know how good I am in combat, which is why you injured me before showing yourself, huh?"
The demon raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting," he said, his tone dripping with death.
Arya felt a chill run down her spine she clenched her fist maintaining her composure, after noticing the demon had stopped attacking, she continued.
"So, what are you? The Grim Reaper?" she asked, staring at him.
"I was sent to claim your soul," the demon said, his gaze fixed on her brave face, despite her mutilated body.
"It seems you're not afraid of hell, huh?" the demon asked plainly.
"I've always known hell's meant for me. Why should I be afraid?" Arya replied, her expression bored her heart pounding heavily betraying her calm expression.
"This soul's owner is a little bit interesting, don't you think?" the demon mused, staring into Arya's eyes.
"You've caught me in a good mood. I'll give you a chance to wish for something. What do you want?" he said, his elongated claws retracting.
"Wish for something?" Arya mumbled, pretending to be indecisive.
"Trying to play coy, are you? Don't you think that's childish?" the demon said dryly.
"Fine. I want to go back to the world," Arya said, a hint of anticipation in her tone.
"I'll send you back, but instead of God, I'll be in control of your life. Do you wish to proceed?" the demon asked, a blank piece of paper appearing in his hands.
Arya watched as words slowly formed on the paper:
"Trade your soul to me and be given another chance to live."
"With pleasure," Arya said with a dark grin, looking at the contract before her.
A golden glow emanated from her stomach, moving upward and exiting through her mouth.
Arya couldn't help but chuckle as she watched her soul leave her body.
The demon greedily grabbed her soul, his eyes darkening at Arya's amusement.
"Don't be upset, big guy. I just thought the way you took my soul was a bit dramatic, like something out of 'The Little Mermaid,' don't you think?" Arya said, noticing the dark aura emanating from the demon. Her voice lowered to a whisper as his irritation became evident.
"I'll send you back immediately," the demon said, the paper in his hands vanishing.
"Wait. My body parts?" Arya asked. She couldn't deny the pain she was feeling but, after years of being a top assassin, she had subconsciously become used to it.
"Of course, you'll have your body parts," the demon replied, looking deep into Arya's eyes.
Arya turned away, finding the thought of staring into a demon's eyes too cringeworthy.
"Focus on me, Arya," the demon chided, his tone carrying a hint of annoyance.
Like a puppet, Arya found herself looking into his hypnotic eyes, unable to resist. Arya looked into the eyes her heart palpitating, she felt the previous cold aura slowly dissipating, suddenly a dim golden light appeared before her eyes, the light increasing in seconds till it became so bright Arya had to squint her eyes, like her body and spirit were battling against themselves the demon spoke,
"Don't forget, your every step is mine to command," he said, immediately snapping his fingers.
---
Arya snapped her eyes open as if waking from a nightmare, only to find herself under the scorching sun.
"What the heck? Did he really have to put me under the sun?" Arya thought, irritated.
She made attempt to stand up but to no avail,
"Did I wake up paralyzed?" she thought in annoyance.
She stared at the unfamiliar house in front of her, the paint seemed to have been the one they used since the beginning of the house. The roof had a leakage showing that the rains shower was welcomed within.
"Where am I?" she tried to say, but the words came out as gibberish.
"W-what the fuck?! What am I saying?" Arya thought, agitated.
She raised her hands to see two short, chubby arms before her.
"No… Did I just get turned into a baby?" she screamed in her mind.
"Is this a dream or something? Demon guy!" she tried shouting, but none of her words made sense.
Suddenly, the door to the unfamiliar house creaked open. A woman in her late forties stepped outside, followed by a young girl with long ginger colored hair.
"I know I heard a baby's voice," the woman said, scanning the area.
"There can't be any baby here, Mom," the young girl replied, rolling her eyes.
After a few moments, the girl noticed her mother standing frozen, tears streaming down her face as she smiled at something.
"Mom, what's that?" the girl asked, walking up to her mother. She froze when she saw a baby girl with sea-blue eyes and blonde hair. The infant's angelic features made her stop in her tracks.
The young girl turned to her mother, who seemed utterly enchanted.
"Mom, we barely have enough to feed ourselves, yet you want to add another mouth? Really, Mom?" the girl said angrily, but her mother didn't seem to hear her.
Arya stared at them with annoyance.
"He even sent me to a poor family. It's my fault for forgetting not to strike a deal with the devil," she muttered internally.
The woman reached out to pick Arya up.
"No, don't you dare! I'll kill you and torture you! I'll gouge your eyes out!" Arya screamed internally, but all that came out was incomprehensible baby talk.
"Such an energetic baby," the woman said, carrying Arya.
"Mom!" the girl began ranting again.
"If you keep misbehaving, I'll make sure you don't pack for training," the woman interrupted, immediately silencing the young girl.
Arya noticed the girl glaring at her with hatred but was uninterested in engaging with a child.
"So, what would I name you?" the woman said, poking Arya's cheek.
Arya rolled her eyes, her face a mask of boredom.
"Hehe, I see you have a bad temper. I think I'll name you Astrid," the woman said with a light giggle, carrying Arya into the house.
"Mom…"
"If you keep misbehaving, there'll be no pack training for you," the woman said sharply. The girl fell silent, following them inside with a glare at Arya.
Arya turned away from the hateful glares.
"Pack training? What's that about?" she wondered.
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