Ravela leaned over her roommate's bed. "Sooooo, can you play yet?" Siv glared at them. "It's still downloading, be patient! It's a big game! Go... Play it yourself while you wait!" Ravela pouted. "But it's more fuuun to play with my friends!" Siv pushed the giggling girl away. "You already have friends who play!" Ravela groaned dramatically. "But they'd be higher level than me! It's not the same!" Siv opened her book. "Well, I guess you'll have to wait then." Ravela sighed loudly and plopped down at her desk. "Fine, I'll play by myself! But don't complain when I'm higher level than you!" Siv rolled her eyes. "I'll live." Ravela stuck out her tongue and opened the game. "Alright, make an account... usual email and password... Terms and Conditions, blahblahblah accept..." Siv glanced up. "...Shouldn't you read those?" Ravela dismissively waved her away. "It's probably just the usual stuff, and my friends already told me about the 'No Recording' rule anyway. Don't be such a worrywart!" She put on her headphones and quickly became engrossed in the game, while Siv stared trepidatiously at her laptop, feeling not for the first time that something about this was all wrong. 

'14 Souls Lived' was the year's hottest new MMO. Almost everyone Siv knew, even her friends that weren't usually into that genre, played it. But she hadn't bit yet. Firstly, she wasn't into multiplayer games too much. But secondly... Something about it gave her the creeps. It had barely had any marketing before it came out, and the strict 'No Recording' policy meant they weren't getting much direct advertising from streamers, and yet it had rapidly become one of the most popular games of the year.  And 'No Recording' was right. She hadn't found a second of footage of the game, even though statistically some random person with 5 subscribers would have slipped through the cracks. Maybe they were just really fast about taking the videos down, but she felt like if they did, she would have seen someone talk about that. But, other than that, there wasn't much concrete to fuel her suspicions. It wasn't like people acted unusually obsessed with the game, or brainwashed to only think of it... They acted completely normally. And that only made her feel weirder. And so of course she never would have touched it... If her roommate hadn't bought a copy for her so they could play together. And she knew it was wiser to take her chances with a suspicious MMO than try and stop the unstoppable force that was Ravela from bugging her to play. She was probably overthinking things anyway...

Ravela was completely engrossed in the game by the time Siv finished downloading hers, which to be fair was more than normal for her roommate. She quickly made her own account, using her burner email just in case, and a window popped up. The Terms and Conditions. The 'Accept' button was prominently displayed beneath a small textbox and scrollbar. Unlike her roommate, Siv actually read stuff placed before her. The black text was on top of a fancy swirling dark orange and red image, which made it difficult to parse at a glance. The first section looked standard, but they might have something dangerous buried deep within,  so she started scrolling. 

And scrolling. 

And scrolling. 

The large scrollbar had misleadingly implied it was short, but she was halfway through Section 5 and it had hardly budged a pixel. The image in back updated dynamically, smoothly swirling and whirling behind the text, throwing off her place several times. She was only more convinced that they were hiding something now with how much they were trying to hide it. So she kept scrolling. 

And scrolling. 

And scrolling. 

The stupid spiral was beginning to make her feel dizzy. Every time she scrolled, it spun and glowed, disrupting her thoughts. And the scrollbar made it worse by fading in and out randomly, so she couldn't even keep her place using it! She'd certainly read the exact same section multiple times because of it, and she was getting frustrated. She was just about to give up and shut it off when she saw a section title that made her stomach lurch.

SECTION 13: YOUR SOUL

"By clicking 'Accept', you consent to giving Us ownership of your soul. Ownership of your soul will allow us to:

-Claim your soul upon your mortal death, to be used as currency or servitude.

-Efect the temporary or permanent possession of your body by a lesser or greater Devil.

-Remotely influence your thoughts and actions at any time with no prior warning.

-Remotely take control of your thoughts and actions at any time with no prior warning.

-Enter and manipulate your dreams.

-Modify or remove your memories.

-Modify or remove your gender and sexuality.

-Terminate your mortal life prematurely in the event that We require your soul immediately. 

..."

It went on like that for paragraphs, and Siv could feel herself growing sick. Was... Was this some sort of joke?! She knew the game had infernal theming, but who would put a joke like that in the terms and conditions?! But then... If it wasn't a joke... She had to keep reading, to see if this was explained to be a joke or something for people who read the Terms and Conditions . So she kept scrolling. 

And scrolling. 

And scrolling. 

She felt like she was disassociating as she scrolled through the text, the spiral making her feel lightheaded as the terms made her feel faint. 'Section 20: SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES', 'SECTION 25: IMPLANTED TRIGGERS', 'SECTION 30: HYPNOTIC VISUALS'... She needed to warn Ravela about this. She needed to warn everyone about this! She needed to Keep scrolling...

And scrolling...

And scrolling...

Siv dimly realized that she could hardly move her body anymore. She was just scrolling, down and down, staring into the spiral. The text didn't really matter anymore... Just the spiral... The words subtly slithered into her mind as she scrolled, her body limp, her eyes barely open... Until she reached the bottom, and there was a single word, glowing a deep, hypnotizing red. She knew she had to say it... She didn't know how she knew how to pronounce it, but she did... She murmured it without a thought, and the second she did...

Everything went dark.

Siv felt so hot... Her eyes fluttered open, and at first all she could see was red. As her eyes focused, she realized she was inside what could only be described as a hellish parody of an office building. Through a window in the room she was in she could see cubicles made of bone, a crystal water cooler filled with boiling blood, and several computer monitors made of polished obsidian and covered in red glowing runes. In her room was a bookshelf filled with ancient grimoires, a potted "plant" made of bones and skin, and a large desk formed from a pile of skulls. The door opened, and a tall woman with dark red skin, cloven hooves, a pointed tail, and sharp horns came in, wearing a smooth red suit. She sat behind the desk and grinned smugly at the terrified mortal before her. "You called~?"

Siv started to scream in terror, but the Devil clicked her fingers, sending a glowing spark into Siv's mouth. Her tongue was singed and her lungs felt like they were filled with smoke. She coughed and tried to scream again, but it felt like screaming in a dream. All that came out was a wisp of smoke. The Devil grinned mockingly. "We can't have you disrupting our employees, missy~ They're working very hard on '14 Souls Lived' right now~" Siv looked at the Devil in terror and quietly squeaked out, "you're... stealing our souls..." The Devil laughed jubilantly. "Of course we are~! That's what we've been doing since The Fall, mortal~! But I must say, it's never been quite so efficient~" She pulled out a glowing cigar and lit it with her finger, a moan escaping from the end as she puffed on it. The smoke formed into a person's face that floated up towards the ceiling and dissipated. "Why, we hardly know what to do with them all~!" Siv could feel a pit of existential despair welling inside her. "i... i have to stop you..." The devil laughed cruelly. "Oh, you could certainly try, mortal, but it wouldn't do much~ We already have half the world's living population under our claws~ Nobody would listen to you when our soft whispers are so much more palatable than your crazed ramblings~! And I know you read our Terms and Conditions, so you know how much control we have over our toys~ We could do so much to stop you~ Like crushing an ant beneath our boot~" 

Siv stared blankly, trembling under the knowledge that probably everyone she knew had sold their souls without even realizing... And that it was hopeless to do anything... The Devil gave a mockingly sympathetic smile. "Oh, don't look so glum, mortal~! You're in the presence of a capital-D Devil~! You can learn anything you wish about the universe, about our plans, about humanity~... Go ahead, ask away~ One free question~" Siv looked up at the Devil, who continued puffing away on her soul cigar. She could ask anything she wanted... Know the secrets of the universe, of religion, of humanity... But what if she didn't like the answers? What if they only made her feel even worse than she already did? So she tried to ask something minor, that might not make her feel even worse. "...Did you make the game?" The Devil raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Going low, hmm~? Well, I do love to brag~. No, I myself did not make the game, though I certainly helped~ The developer of the game sold her soul to us to ensure her game would be a striking success, and, well, who would we be to ignore that opportunity~? And we may not have the sum total of human knowledge down here, but it's certainly close, so adding the hypnotic elements was hardly an issue. I myself was the one who came up with the little trick that caught you~ The image was designed after my own eyes, see~?" The Devil leaned forward, Siv's gaze instantly locking onto her swirling orange eyes, sending her right back into her trance. Her right hand instinctively stroked the chair as if scrolling her mouse, and the Devil laughed. "Adorable~" She leaned back, and Siv snapped out of it and began trembling again. 

The Devil stood up and crushed her soul cigar, a pained and pleasurable moan emanating from it. "Well, seeing as we do not currently own your soul, I suppose I'll be sending you back home now~!" She raised her hand and prepared to snap her fingers, but Siv squeaked out, "...wait...!" The Devil raised an eyebrow, smirking. "What is it, mortal~?" Siv looked up at her with pained eyes. "...i... i can't... i can't go on with this knowledge..." The Devil tapped her chin, thinking. "Yes, some knowledge just isn't meant for mortal minds to know~" She grinned. "But don't worry, I can help you with that~ We won't even require your soul for it~ Would you like that, mortal~? What do you mortals say, ‘Ignorance is Bliss’~?" Siv nodded weakly, and the Devil clicked her fingers. A contract appeared before her in a puff of flame. She handed Siv a blood-red ballpoint pen. "Just sign right here~" Siv signed her name, a searing pain shooting through her arm, and immediately started feeling hazy. The Devil grinned. "Perfect~ Now, just look into my eyes, mortal~..." The Devil gently grabbed Siv's chin, and Siv gazed deep into those beautiful, spiraling eyes. She felt all those horrible truths being burned away, leaving behind a blissful, mindless ash... She was happier this way... At least that's what the whispers told her... The burning sensation grew, becoming a boiling hot surge of bliss... It spread throughout her entire body, searing her from within in the most pleasurable way possible... And soon, everything went dark...

Siv groggily opened her eyes. It was dark outside... She must have fallen asleep while reading the long, boring Terms and Conditions. She sluggishly climbed out of bed, almost hitting Ravela as they walked in. "Aah! Oh, you’re awake!" Siv nodded sleepily. "Yeah... How was the game...?" Ravela grinned. "Ohhh, it was so fun! I can't wait to play it with you!" Siv nodded again and headed to the bathroom. Her head still felt a bit fuzzy after that dream... She'd try to read the Terms and Conditions again when she was more awake... Always important to know what you're agreeing to...

As Siv finished brushing her teeth, she noticed something... Odd in her reflection. "...Were my eyes always that... Red...?" She looked closer. Her eyes had always been a bit unusual, but... They looked brighter now... Deeper... There was something about them that she just... Couldn't look away from... It felt like her eyes were spinning... Drawing her deeper... Making her head feel warm... Fuzzy... Hypnotizing her... And as she stared, her reflection stared back at her, its skin growing deep red. She dimly realized she never did read what she'd signed down there...

Siv's reflection raised a clawed hand, and she mirrored it. Her reflection waved a pointed tail, and she could feel hers behind her. Her reflection grinned, and she grinned back. She remembered what the Devil had told her. *Some knowledge just isn't meant for mortal minds to know...* She remembered everything... But it didn't fill her with despair anymore. She felt... Beautiful. Powerful. Blissful. Her reflection snapped her fingers, sending a wave of blissful pain through her body, and suddenly everything was back to normal. Physically, at least. Except for her eyes...

Siv walked out of the bathroom feeling wonderful and saw Ravela preparing to play the game again. Perfect... Although, as she stared at Ravela, she could feel something bubbling up inside her... She felt hungry... She tapped her roommate on the shoulder. "Huh? What is it?" Siv leaned down and locked eyes with her. Ravela was confused, but soon began to relax, her body growing limp, a cute smile appearing on her face. Siv leaned closer and whispered an infernal word, a trigger that she knew had been implanted in her roommate already. Ravela's eyes glazed over, and she readily accepted Siv's embrace. Siv kissed her, greedily enjoying the sweet, refreshing taste of her roommate's soul... She broke the kiss off after a few seconds, enjoying the mindlessly blissed-out expression on Ravela's face. A silvery wisp escaped from the mortal’s open mouth... She couldn't eat it all, not yet... She needed to avoid suspicion for now... Although, it's not like she was doing anything illegal. Ravela had signed away her soul fair and square~...