The bar’s bodyguard opened the door, carefully greeted the average-looking young man who stood before him, the latter nodded with a smile, expressing his gratitude with a gentle smile for the service of the Natal Demon. Tears streamed down the demon’s face but, surprisingly, didn’t ignite upon contact with that divine light.
"Your Highness has become even more formidable than before. I remember when you first visited my establishment; with just a glance, over half of my waitstaff was lost." The Succubus sitting behind the counter rose to her feet as the young man entered and greeted him with the most heartfelt courtesy, welcoming the arrival of the True God.
"I hear you’ve been investigating a Broker named Constantine. Is that so?" The young man walked up to the counter and sat down, pulling a little demon trying to sneak something from his pocket and snapping its neck effortlessly, then casually tossing it to another, larger demon nearby who devoured it without hesitation.
"Yes, you see, this city is so small, I told my partner it’s best not to trouble that gentleman if it’s not necessary. I’m not sure if he’s in trouble, but I know for sure that trouble has come knocking at my door." The Succubus smiled, flapping the wings on her back as she poured a drink for the young man: "Prairie Elf brew, something only the demons and devils brave enough to confront death might drink, but for you, perhaps it’s mundane."
"Not at all, the liquor brewed by my Followers is always my favoured delight," said the young man, raising his glass, "Your partner’s reach is too far. I’ve been taking care of this young Constantine for a small friend of mine, so tell your partner to back off or face destruction, after all, curiosity didn’t only kill the cat."
"Of course, Your Highness. By the way, I have some news: several Heart-snatcher Demons from the Outer Domain seem to have caught a few of your little followers."
"Ah, you’re referring to this one?" The young man reached into his personal space and pulled out the head of a Heart-snatcher Demon: "An interesting breed, but as always, a long reach invites a beating. I’ll leave this head with you, as fair exchange for that slightly outdated secret you’ve shared. I believe someone here has a taste for their heads."
"You’re too kind! Thank you, this is magnificent! A Heart-snatcher Demon’s head with its soul still intact can be traded for quite the bounty with the big shots in the Realm of the Undead!" The Succubus joyfully claimed the head, then filled another glass for the young man after he finished his previous drink.
The young man continued to drink, and the Succubus obediently refilled his glass until after the fourth when she became curious, a bit audacious, and a tad presumptuous: "Your Highness, it seems like you come here from time to time, and I find it rather peculiar because this place is full of demons and devils, not befitting someone of your noble stature. Everything here pollutes you, not that I mean that kind of pollution—you’re above everything this place represents."
"I am... reminiscing about the past, the Mortal who made a pact with me, ready to become my anchor even at the cost of ash and smog, the one who dragged me from the void to his world. He was a peculiar man, fond of bustle yet often silent, a man of contradictions, detesting his world yet spending his all to make a covenant with me—rescuing that world."
"A Mortal who could forge a pact with you? What a noble soul he must have possessed! To glimpse it once would leave me with no regrets in life," the Succubus exclaimed, then inquired further, "Could you possibly talk about this Mortal more? Was he a Follower? Or perhaps, Your Divine Envoy?"
In the succubus’s view, how could a mere Mortal possibly broker such a fearful pact with a Rightful God, staking his soul in the process, requiring such terrible determination?
"An atheist, who, after facing the Supernatural World through Subspace in his own world, summoned me from the void with his power. He claimed he could offer his eternal soul to me in exchange for saving that world."
"An eternal soul, for you? That sounds like nonsense to me. His soul, no matter how untainted, couldn’t possibly be enough to bind a covenant with you—his soul doesn’t have that kind of radiant brilliance," the Succubus shook her head and perched on the counter, gazing at the young man before her, "If it were me, I certainly wouldn’t have entertained him."
The soul of a Mortal, no matter how noble, could never be proper grounds for an agreement with her divine patron. It would be nearly an enforced contract.
"This is where you and I differ. I validated that contract, and since that day, I have been safeguarding the world he cherished," the young man sighed as he spoke, "Over the years, I’ve been constantly wanting to end it, but that Mortal’s soul is as tough as the sturdiest material in this world—unbreakable. Every cycle, death comes to claim him at the age of six, bringing back his memories for a brief moment. I’ve asked him time and again if he had any regrets—he never did..."
"...But why, Your Highness? You’re so exalted. His soul, no matter how pure, can never be on equal terms with yours," the Succubus said in wonderment—his Highness was perfect, if not for the problematic alignment.