The old leather-backed book slaps against his palms as its metalization completes
'The guidebook.'
Carnage thinks to himself, flipping the book to its back.
'In a hell where information should be scarce, this is the most useful thing they can give us.'
He recognizes that though he was from a realm abundant with countless free information, though half of it may be false, it wasn't hard to gain knowledge of anything.
Hell isn't such.
Hell is the exact opposite of heaven; if you want something, it comes with a price; nothing is free.
Noticing that, Carnage no longer saw the book as a saving grace but another challenge he must overcome to prove his worth.
From the front, it takes on the persona of a normal book, one you'll find in any bookstore, a vintage leather-wrapped notebook, one you'd see poets writing their deepest desires into, yet it all falls away at the sight of the pentagram burned into the center of its back.
'If I had known I would be in hell, I may have paid more attention to demonic arts. Not like I would remember much of it.'
Carnage ponders, gathering his fragmented memories to piece together any recollection of what type it might be, which only results in a throbbing headache that he cancels out.
"Nothing," He exhales, tracing its lines with his finger, before turning it back around and attempting to open it, and it doesn't budge.
「To open the guide, you must apply your blood to the pentagram.」
'A price...of blood.'
He peeks up at Ernest. "Do you know?" He questions, gesturing at the book.
Caught off guard, Ernest looks up, first perplexed but gradually understanding. "Unfortunately, I am not sure. My sister was more fond of demonic things; however, thanks to nonstop chatter, this pattern follows only two types of pentagrams." He traces the lines. "There are only slight differences that I, unlike my sister, could never decipher."
"What are the types?"
"A contract or summoning," Ernest replies. "Both equally horrible and unpredictable." A cold shiver of fear runs through his body.
"So the only way to find out is by doing as it says." He inquires, and Ernest nods.
Carnage drops his gaze to the book, tugging the shard of glass out from the hold of the pants; he aims at the flats of his palms and slices into it.
"Blood hell…" Ernest hisses, turning his chestnut eyes away. "Couldn't you have given me a warning beforehand?"
Blood pools and drips to the floor, staining the wood.
'This should be enough.'
Titling it, the blood flows down, landing directly on the symbol. Ernest, first hesitant, follows suit, using his piece of glass to prick the tip of his finger, wincing as it sinks in.
A sudden glow surges through the lines of the pentagram, illuminating it in radiant light. From that light, below the symbol, letter by letter, his name inscribes itself using blue flames.
Ernest gulps, bile forcing its way up his throat, yet he manages to hold it in.
Click!!
The latches of their books unlock.
「Contract formed!」
'Looks like we got our answer.'
His features remain unimpressed.
'Never thought I'd ever be contracted to a demon.'
"I'm no typical demon."
A voice clarifies.
"Demons are violent, volatile little things. I am but of a more refined and elegant type."
It purrs.
「Your ferryman has chosenyou.」
From the corner of his vision, he peeks towards Ernest, who stands still, a petrified look embedded on his features.
'Must be his first time meeting a demon'
"Focus, human." The voice commands.
「Ferryman's given name: Elzub」
"Greetings, my little sinner." A smooth voice echoes in his head.
Taken aback, his head jerked upward to see a miniature ball of black flames descending to his eye level.
"H-hello?"
"I am to be your ferryman; well, I shall become your future ferryman if you pass the admission exam."
'A ferryman? I'm sorry but I can—'
"Greatest apologies," Elzub interjects. "Let me lecture you on our kind. Ferrymen are not quite known outside of Purgatos; we are entities forged to aid our selected sinners until their final destination in the last dimension, where our purpose is held."
It replies evenly.
"Until that time comes, if it does, we are helpers, in both combat and knowledge."
Carnage's mind couldn't bypass Elzub's quiet retort.
'It will come.'
He states firmly.
"Admirable confidence. Nevertheless, for now, the only information I can provide is that in the guidebook. Pay heed to all the information written inside."
Carnage is quiet for a while, deep in thought, questioning if there's anything more to it.
'That's all? No games, no back door or hidden meanings? Just read and understand what's written in your guidebook?'
"Precisely."
It spirals around his body.
"At your own expense, of course."
'There it is. Elaborate?'
"The choice of trusting the words of a demon or not is entirely up to you. Should you fall believing in the words from a creature of hell, it will be your own undoing."
The system words flash in his mind again.
「Trust none.」
The understanding comes like the final moments before death; he has not forgotten. How could he? Demons, devils, ferrymen, angels, gods, supremes—they're all the same. Trusting them at your own cost.
'The only person I can trust is myself.'
However, as he thinks that, there's a voice in the back of his head questioning his very own thoughts.
'Can I truly trust myself?'
"Well, that should be it; let's see whether you survive or fall trying."
It vanishes back into the book, its words lingering in the corners of his mind.
"Bloody fucking demons..." Ernest grumbles as veins bulge from his forehead and neck, sweat trickling down his face as he breathes rapidly. "They might even be worse than the gods themselves."
Carnage only glances at him, then back at his book. "Ten rules of hell."
「Rules you should follow for survival:
1. Avoid outwardly speaking your sin/sins.
2. Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you have willed more than you can manage, you will lose all you have received.
3. A sinner must never align themselves with those of the heavenly realm.
4. Harm against children is advised against. Harm against non-human animals is prohibited only for the sake of power.
5. Death is inevitable; if one dies and is not granted any immunities, their time in the game will come to an end.
6. Murder among sinners is prohibited unless they're under certain conditions.
7. You must complete your main quest to move to the next circle.
8. Your full name holds power over your soul.
9. NEVER utter your full name if you are not guaranteed trust.
10. A sinner never tells the truth.
BONUS: One of these rules is a lie.」
The only thing that caught his full attention was the bonus.
'One lie, huh? Should I even trust that?'
A few minutes pass as they both move through the pages. Carnage is lightly absorbing the information but not trusting a single one.
'If any of these are proven true, I'll come back and mark it.'
That's his plan; the only way to know whether it's true or not is by having proof.
'That should be it.'
He turns to the last pages, closing the book, and it evaporates into thin air.
「Stored in inventory!」
'Inventory?'
「To activate your inventory, you'll have to call upon it; the same function follows withdrawing something from inside it, whether in mind or not.」
'Noted.'
"We should get going," Ernest suggests. "We're wasting valuable time."
"Yeah." He gives a slight nod, and the two of them make their way to the door.