In the middle of the night, inside a prison cell beneath the village town hall, flickering candle lights lit up a narrow hallway outside a prison cell. A twelve-year-old boy, Adrian, was sleeping fitfully on the bed alongside his mother and sister. His ten year old sister, Winnie, was shivering from the cold of the night, and her mother was hugging her on the prison bed inside a blanket, trying to keep her warm. The entire family had been handcuffed.

  The unpleasant smell of the toilet followed the chilling wind from the window and permeated every corner. The wooden prison bed was hard and uncomfortable to sleep on, so Adrian had a hard time falling asleep. Still, as the night grew deeper, Adrian gradually nodded off.

  At around midnight, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed in the hallway. Inside the warmth of his mother and the protection of his father, Adrian awoke and wondered in curiosity who would be visiting them at this late hour. A dark figure cloaked in a hooded black robe approached. The flickering candlelight behind the figure made it impossible to see his face.

  After the figure arrived outside their prison cell, he handed Adrian's father a piece of paper and said, "Bob, here is the contract. I believe this is everything. Please take a look."

  "Mom, who is that?" Adrian whispered to his mother, as he leaned closer to her.

  "He claims to be a demon," his mother whispered back in trepidation, "it appears that he's here to save us."

  In Adrian’s culture, the Demon Cult was the archenemy of Goddess Liliana. Priests in the church always warned of demons who dragged faithfuls into Hell with temptations. Adrian’s family was caught by the Holy Knights on suspicion of having a connection with the Demon Cult.

  "Save us?" A spark of suspicion ignited in Adrian's mind. "We were arrested because the knight suspected that we were demons. Could it be that Dad is actually a demon?"

  "Dad, so you're the reason we're all here! You're the one who worked with the Demon Cult, aren't you?" Adrian accused his father upon reaching his conclusion, but the uncertainty in his mind turned it into a question at the end.

  Adrian’s dad looked back at him with an expression not of guilt but of determination. Without saying a word, Bob went back to reading the contract.

  Seeing that Bob lost his words, the demon calmly explained, "If that were true, I'd have simply rescued you without the need for this contract, boy."

  Adrian took a closer look at the demon. He was hooded and his face could not be seen clearly, but one could tell that he was a man in his twenties or thirties.

  "Hey Dad, then you should just ignore him! The Holy Knights would surely realize their mistakes and set us free tomorrow." Adrian pleaded desperately, but without confidence in his tone.

  "You heard the judge and the knights too, Adrian. We're all to be executed at dawn." Bob explained to his son with a somber gravity in his voice.

  "But still, Goddess Liliana will know that we’re innocent and welcome us in Heaven." Adrian insisted with conviction, his eyes firm with faith.

  Bob turned his focus away from Adrian and continued reading the contract. After a moment, the demon spoke to Adrian’s father. "So, what is your decision, Bob? I need your answer now because I will need time for the preparation."

  "No Dad! Don’t be tempted by the demon!" Adrian rose his voice in desperation.

  Bob, sitting on the prison cell floor, swept his gaze over his wife, son and daughter. Then, he looked up to the demon and said decisively, "Looks good. I am looking forward to working with you." The demon handed Bob a pen and he proceeded to sign on the contract.

  "No! You coward!" Adrian shouted as he climbed down from the bed and walked toward his father in an attempt to take the contract from him. However, it was too late and Bob had already given the signed contract to the demon.

  With the contract on hand, the demon nodded at the signature before a shimmering glyph manifested to seal the contract.

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  "Demonic spell!" said Adrian. It was the first time he saw it, and he was surprised by the light from the spell.

  In Adrian’s world, it would be an insult to the Goddess to call Divine Spells "Magic" because it also referred to the "petty tricks" used by street performers, as the Church called them. Spell-casting was either called Divine Spells or Demonic Spells.

  "We call it Magic," the demon stated without any emotion. The Demon Cult, on the other hand, did not seem to mind sharing the term with street performers.

  "Magic? Demonic Spells are demonic no matter what you call it; and all demons will go to hell and burn for an eternity. You know that?" Adrian stressed at the spells being demonic as he furiously gazed at his father.

  "I can already feel the heat," the hooded man chuckled, seemingly enjoying the conversation. Hell and the term demonic did not seem to bother him. Adrian could not tell whether the demon was being sarcastic or if he was simply joking.

  "So, what's next?" Bob asked, his voice firm, as he changed the topic. With his family's life at stake, he was not in the mood to enjoy a conversation.

  "I will leave now and start with the preparations," the demon answered solemnly.

  "Why do you introduce yourself as a demon when you are saving us?" Bob inquired as if feeling something was amiss.

  "You’ll know soon enough," the demon brushed him off, keeping it a secret from Bob’s family.

  Seeing that the contract was sealed, Adrian had nothing more to say to his father or the demon. He walked back to the bed and sat there, deeply troubled by the event. Bob let out a long, deep breath as if a burden was just lifted off his shoulders.

  "Looking forward to working with you Bob. I will be back before dawn." said the demon as he left in a hurry.

  The weight of silence again fell upon the prison cells. Before this day, Bob and his wife had always been very devoted to Goddess Liliana as they brought up Adrian and Winnie. Adrian was especially enticed by the heroic tales in the holy teachings. Getting arrested by the Holy Knights in their witch hunt was a heavy blow to the family’s faith.

  "Faithfully believe in Goddess Liliana, and her blessings will bring your family joy and happiness." This is what Adrian’s parents and teachers had always taught him. Adrian thought, "it must have been a test given by the Holy Knights; and Dad just busted it."

  "Adrian…"

  "Don’t talk to me!"

  Bob tried to talk to Adrian, but Adrian angrily refused.

  Adrian closed his eyes, trying to sort out what was happening. He was tired and confused.

  "Do you really think that he will come back?" Tiffany frowned and asked in suspicion. "Because if he doesn't…"

  "No one would come into a prison to sign a contract with me for no reason." Bob was rather optimistic to confide in someone he just met. However, he was like that from time to time, especially during danger. His wife knew that very well.

  "What if he truly intends to save us, but can't make it by dawn?" Tiffany stated another scenario to align with her husband, but at the same time, tried to convince him that they needed a backup plan. "I am fine with dying, but, at the very least, I want to save Adrian and Winnie."

  "Me too." Bob then pondered. "Don't worry, I will prepare for that situation." Bob said. "Sleep, get some rest. We might have to fight our way out tomorrow."

  Tiffany nodded and lay down on the bed.

  Adrian did not pay any attention to his parents. He soon fell asleep again in the warmth of his mother.

  After a few hours, footsteps again echoed in the prison. Adrian was awakened again. He sat up and saw that the demon had come back with the keys to the prison cell.

  Without saying a word, the demon opened the door and released the family from their handcuffs.

  "Mom?" Winnie spoke, but her eyes remained closed.

  "Shh... go back to sleep. Everything is fine." Tiffany said gently. "Divine Spell: Sleep." With the spell cast on Winnie, she fell into slumber once more.

  Bob nodded to Tiffany and said "Divine spell: Levitate." Bob lifted his left hand and a glyph manifested in front of it. Then, a ball of light made of Divine Power formed and struck Winnie, making her lighter. Tiffany carried the sleeping girl and walked out from the prison cell.

  "Adrian, let’s go." Bob called out to Adrian as his son was still standing in the prison cell without moving.

  "No! I have faith in Goddess Liliana and her Holy Knights. I will stay here to prove my innocence." Spoken like a true zealot, Adrian then turned his gazed toward the demon with disdain. "And I will never trust a demon."

  "We have no time," the demon said to Bob with urgency.

  Bob moved toward Adrian. "No!" Adrian shouted and pushed his father away.

  "Adrian, if you stay here, you will be burnt alive." Bob urged his son. "We must go."

  "No! I am going to Heaven! I am not afraid of pain or death!" Adrian insisted, stepping back.

  Bob then decided to take Adrian by force. Adrian tried to fight back, but it was futile because his father was trained in martial arts and was way stronger. Bob skillfully grabbed Adrian's arm and lifted the boy onto his shoulder without causing any pain to his son.

  Adrian continued to struggle. "Let go of me!" He tried to pull his father's hair.

  As Adrian's fingers tangled in his hair, Bob winced, "Ouch!" before swiftly casting the spells, "Divine spells: Sleep, Levitate," and Adrian fell asleep in no time.

  "That was impressive, dual casting," the demon said as Adrian lost consciousness. "As expected from a former Knight Exemplar."

  Bob and the demon left the prison in a hurry. To Bob's surprise, there were no prison guards on their way out.

  "Good job." Bob thought as he looked at the demon. "I had expected a nasty fight out."