Promethean Pact

Chapter 1 · 11 pages. Tap a page's title to see its notes and comments.

Page 01

Yoakenomachi, a closed-off demi-plane. A fox spirit with a large tail sits bored on a thorny throne before a blood-red moon, surrounded by kneeling masked fox servants. Narration: Boredom is a terrible thing. Second only to a lack of inspiration.

Page 02

Earth. Houston, Texas. At night, a bruised, frightened boy slips out of his house with a flashlight and a plastic bag. Narration describes a boy wracked with fear who turns to magic.

Page 03

The boy kneels in a dark field with a bag of red mushrooms and an old spell book. Narration explains his cobbled-together spell, shoddy craft that still had something other spells did not.

Page 04

In a beam of flashlight, the boy cuts his hand with a knife and speaks a glowing spell. Narration: the spell's missing ingredient was grief, the grief of a child in a world empty of magic.

Page 05

The tearful boy shouts the spell again, and a blue spirit flame appears and asks who calls for it. The boy answers that he is Javi, and the spirit asks permission to help with the casting. He says yes.

Page 06

The fox spirit emerges from a glowing portal and towers over the tearful boy, telling him to cease his tears, for she has arrived, and asking what ails him. Narration: the summoning ring was designed to call and contain, and deeply, completely flawed.

Page 07

On a stage lit by red lanterns, the boy begs the fox spirit to grant him magic powers because his brother got hurt. She asks if strength to save his kin is all he desires, and he says yes. Narration: she found the request dull, but decided he was too full of potential to waste.

Page 08

The fox spirit, struck by inspiration, offers her arcane might in return for two tasks now and one when he is older. Her troupe of shadowy fox servants crowds eagerly around the frightened boy, wondering aloud if they can eat him.

Page 09

The boy accepts the fox spirit's grisly final test and takes her hand. She orders her hungry servants to leave, then leads him toward a glowing portal, telling him not to be frightened because he is her ward now.

Page 10

Back outside the boy's house under the stars, the fox spirit introduces herself as Sigil. The boy says his brother is in the front room and they must bring him back first. Sigil says they will, but first he needs a drastic change in form.

Page 11

Sigil reaches toward the boy's face with long clawed fingers, promising a transmogrification he will adore. The boy screams as horns burst from his head and his body twists.

That's the end of Promethean Pact. Keep going with Resplendent Return!