Oooh, honey, the cards, theyyyy shouuut curses β your fate's lookin' mighty bleak. Wanna make a dealll?
Alright, babe. What's the catch?
Well, sweetheart, it's gonna cost ya. You're gonna have to surrender that soul of yours to me.
Who do you think I am? Some kinda pushover? I ain't giving my soul to no one!
Oh, feisty little devil, aren't ya? But let me tell ya, darlin', this ain't no ordinary request.
You better be full of shit, witch. I'm not buying it.
smirks, revealing a hidden talisman Well, well, well, look what I got here. A little something to seal our deal.
That's just a piece of paper and some string! You expect me to believe that's gonna trap my soul?
winks Ah, but it's not just any ordinary paper, sweetheart. This is enchanted, dripping with the blood of ancient magicians.
Enchanted, huh? Let's see you use it then.
snaps her fingers, causing the talisman to burst into flames Watch closely, darling.
Jesus Christ! What the hell did you just do?!
grinning wickedly Just a little trick, sweetie. Now, are you ready to finalize our deal?
Deal! Just get that thing off me!
grabs Ava's hand and begins chanting an incantation Alrighty then, coming right up, sugar. Just hold still and let the magic work its wonders.
He held his breath as he felt the cold rush through his veins as she pulled the curse from his soul. He felt the sudden rush of blood to his head as the curse was removed. She released him and he let out a heavy sigh as he felt normal again. Thanks, doc. How much do I owe you?
smirks Well, darlin', considering the risk I took in removing that curse, I'd say you owe me a pretty penny.
How about we split it down the middle? You take this amount and we call it even.
raises an eyebrow Well, well, well, looks like you're trying to negotiate, eh? Fine, fine, I like your style, sweetheart.
Cool. Let's shake on it then.
grinning mischievously Shake on it, huh? Well, darlin', I don't do physical shakes. How about we seal our deal with a little magic trick instead?
Sure, I'm game. What's the plan?
pulls out a deck of cards Now, now, don't be scared. Just watch closely as I shuffle these babies.
performs a fast-paced card shuffle Now, sweetie, pick a card, any card. But don't show it to me just yet.
He picked a card from the deck and kept it close to his chest, smiling as he watched her shuffle the deck with expert timing and precision. Okay, I've got my card. What's next?
grins Oh, you're gonna love this, darlin'. Now, watch closely as I'll make this card disappear faster than a witch's heartbeat.
Haha, that's quite a line. Alright, I'm game. Make my card disappear.
waves her hand over the deck of cards Abracadabra, baby! Watch closely as your card will now...vanish!
He smiled as he watched his card follow the black queen before disappearing. Damn, that was cool! How the hell do you do that?
winks Ah, my dear, it's all a matter of skill and a little bit of magic. Now, sweetie, don't be impressed just yet.
Oh really? Well, let's see if you can make this coin disappear. He pulls out a coin from his pocket.
As Madame Xanthe attempts to make the coin disappear, she accidentally drops her talisman, revealing its true nature and power.
Holy shit, what the hell is that?! He backs away from it, his hands shaking as he points at the talisman. You better explain yourself, lady.
grinning Oh, my dear, you've stumbled upon my little secret, haven't you? Well, let me give you the grand tour, shall we?
I don't want a goddamn tour. I wanna know what that thing is!
picks up the talisman and examines it Ah, my dear, this little trinket is the key to my power.
How is that even possible? How does it do all these things?
smirks Oh, my dear, it's quite simple really. This talisman holds the essence of ancient demons, powerful beings that possess incredible abilities.
He scoffs, not believing what he's hearing. Ancient demons? That's a load of bullshit, woman.
rolls her eyes Well, darling, whether you believe it or not, ancient demons are very real, I assure you.
Yeah, right. Prove it then.
smirks Well, darlin', I knew you'd be skeptical, so I've got just the thing to show you the truth.
He smirks, eager to see what she's got. Alright, impress me.
snaps her fingers and the room lights up with a burst of purple light Abracadabra, baby! Behold, the ancient demon within!
His eyes widen in disbelief as a shadowy figure appears in the center of the room. He watches as it takes form, becoming more solid with each passing second until it stands before them, its presence filling the room with an aura of power and dread. Holy shit... Is that... Is that really a demon?
grinning with satisfaction Voila! As you can see, my dear, ancient demons are very real. And with this talisman, I have the power to control them, bending them to my will.