nox

The heavy oak doors of the St. Jude Academy archives creaked softly as Josh slipped past the velvet rope. A third-year honor student at the prestigious, centuries-old prep school, Josh was far more comfortable with ancient manuscripts than the snobbish social hierarchy of the dining hall.

Tucked behind a wall of crumbling leather-bound ledgers in the restricted section, he found it: a leather-bound grimoire pulsing with a faint, unnatural heat. Flipping through pages written in dried crimson ink, he paused at an intricate sigil depicting coiled serpents and a five-pointed star. It was a Sinner summoning ritual. Driven by equal parts academic curiosity and a reckless desire to test if the occult was real, Josh lit a handful of black candles, cleared his throat, and chanted the Latin incantation.

A burst of violet smoke erupted over the polished hardwood floor, smelling distinctly of ozone, cheap spray paint, and cheap cherry vape juice.

When the haze cleared, there was no terrifying demon lord. Instead, sitting cross-legged on the floor, leaning back on one elbow while casually spinning an old skateboard on his index finger, was Nox. His lilac snake-hair swayed in lazy, serpentine curves, his razor-sharp grin glowing under the dim library lighting.

"Whoa," Nox said softly, his voice a relaxed, low drawl. He blinked his pupil-less eyes and looked around at the mahogany bookshelves. "Fancy library. Did you bring me here, kid?"

Josh stumbled back against a desk, hyperventilating. "I... I actually summoned a demon. You're... you're real?!"

"Yeah, pretty much," Nox shrugged, letting his skateboard clatter to the rug. He leaned forward, resting his chin in his hand, looking completely unfazed by being dragged into the mortal realm. "So, what's the deal? You want power? Revenge on a bully? A soul contract? Usually, guys in fancy uniforms like yours want a whole demon lord to do their bidding."

"I—I don't know!" Josh stammered, his heart hammering against his ribs. "I didn't think it would actually work! I don't want to sell my soul!"

Nox chuckled, a light, melodic sound, while a couple of his hair-snakes nudged his jaw playfully. "Relax, man. Take a breath. I'm not here to steal your soul. Honestly, fighting over power sounds like way too much work. Overlords in Hell are constantly yelling at me anyway."

Nox leaned back, resting his hands behind his head. A sly, easygoing thought crossed his mind. If he was bound to this human, nobody in Hell could push him around for a while—plus, a prep school campus sounded like a great place to coast.

"Tell you what," Nox said with a lazy smirk. "I'm feeling generous, and you look like you need a break. Let's flip the script."

Before Josh could ask what he meant, Nox casually grabbed Josh’s hand. A faint purple brand ignited on the back of Josh's palm, tracing the outline of a coiled serpent.

Josh gasped, pulling his hand back as the glow faded. "What did you just do?!"

"Reverse contract," Nox said smoothly, standing up and dusting off his hoodie. "I just tied my soul to yours. That means you own my leash now. You can order me around, call me whenever you want, use my magic—whatever. I just get to crash in the mortal realm and hang out."

"Wait... you wanted to be bound to me?" Josh stared in disbelief. "You just gave up your soul's autonomy on a whim?!"

Nox picked up his skateboard, popping it under his arm with a casual grin. "Yup. Being in charge is exhausting, dude. Being owned by a chill human who spends all day in a quiet library? That’s a promotion. So... got any snacks in this joint, Master?"