The first step of the demonic path

'chapter's idea by @theoneking17_ (discord)'

zero stood still, staring at his surroundings, feeling slightly disoriented.

"ah, where is this place?" he muttered to himself. "oh wait, i forgot. i left the house without telling anyone. i should call my sister."

he sighed but decided to keep walking. after wandering for hours, he stopped by a small store, buying a bottle of water. stepping out, his eyes caught sight of a strange door at the back of the store, guarded by two men. intrigued, zero made his way toward it, curiosity pulling him forward.

he pushed the door open and walked in, finding himself in a dimly lit room. to his surprise, a middle-aged man was playing a heated game of rock, paper, scissors with another person, the intensity almost laughable.

time: 2:27 pm

"phew, i finally found it," zero muttered, glancing down at his jacket. "my jacket looks shiny. {i bought it while looking for this place}."

the middle-aged guy looked up from his game, locking eyes with zero.

"hey, you! are you here to gamble?"

zero raised an eyebrow. "me?"

"yes, are you new here?"

"{if i say yes, he'll definitely take advantage of me. but i'm here to test my skills, so why not go for the hardest challenge?}" zero straightened up, putting on a cocky smile. "yes, i'm new here, but i'm a skilled gambler. i just came to this trashy place to check if there are any good players or not. if you know the top gambler here, then tell me."

the middle-aged guy's face twitched slightly at zero's words. "{how dare he call this place trash!? don't cry when you lose.}"

"oh, i see…" the man forced a smile. "i'm the best player here. so, dude, what game do you want to play? how about rock, paper, scissors? it's fun."

zero let out a small laugh. "sure, a trash place with kids' games, huh? are there any rules to make it harder?" "{of course, he'll pick rock, paper, scissors. that's the only thing he's good at, or at least, i think.}"

the man, josh, narrowed his eyes. "{this kid is pissing me off. i can't get mad now. i have to think clearly to beat him.}" "yes, and i'm josh. what's your name? let me explain the rules. we'll get two people each, and they'll pick a card for you. that means two random cards, and you pick one. no cheating is allowed. agree?"

zero's smirk widened. "{hm… so he'll cheat with his friends or partners. if i pick them, they'll choose the worst cards for me. this game is 2 out of 3 wins. he'll win if i play fair.}" "my name is zero, and i agree. how about three rounds, but we change partners one by one? it'd be fun, don't you agree?" "{nice. now i have three rounds, meaning three games per round. if someone wins two times, they win the round. i've got plenty of time. i'll win easily, and changing partners will just confuse him and kill time. it doesn't really matter.}"

josh stared at zero, feeling an uneasy knot forming in his stomach. "{what the hell?}" he thought, starting to get nervous. "{there's no way this kid can beat me.}"

"i also agree," josh said, forcing confidence into his voice. "it'd be fun."