"I. Am. The. Devil."
The words dropped like lead weights in a dead sea.
And for a moment, Rio's mind shattered.
Thoughts—dozens of them—screamed at the gates of his consciousness. But when he tried to grasp even a single one, they dissolved like ash in wind.
It felt like his brain had been licked by a Cthulhu Codex—cursed and unreadable. Making him numb. Blank. And void.
He didn't even register the next motion until it hit him.
The Devil—casual as a lord plucking lint from his coat—flicked a bead of darkness from his hands. It flew with purpose, bypassing all of Rio's defenses, and merged into his pupils.
A wave of cold. A snap of pain. And then the world finally flooded back in.
"Phewww... phuhhh... fuuuck," Rio gasped, stumbling three steps back as he clutched his chest. As his heart trembled quietly.