Chapter 3 – The Devil and Neik
The red glow emitted by the mirror illuminated the bathroom walls. Kaios stood still, staring at the glass. Frustration consumed his entire body. His fists were tightly clenched. Taken by arrogance, he answered the voice coming from the reflection.
"You don't command me, nor the way I speak, got it?"
Said Kaios, gritting his teeth. The deep and calm voice replied:
"Yes, Kaios, you are absolutely right. I don't command you. After all, we are both gamblers."
Upon hearing those words, Kaios frowned, his wide-eyed gaze still overflowing with fury.
"Great, then stick to the rules..."
Before he could finish, the voice interrupted him, echoing again through the bathroom.
"You know, and have always known, that you're not the only one with the coin, right, Kaios?"
He stepped closer to the mirror, striking it hard. He bit his lips and, with an authoritative tone, retorted:
"I don't care about the other six who also have this damned coin. Just follow the rules! I want the whole world to see me as a god!"
Without saying anything more, he withdrew the arm that had hit the glass. With a brusque movement, he opened the door and left.
In the bar hall, he walked through the space the crowd opened for him. Even though they desired him, everyone was ignored by Kaios, still consumed by frustration. Upon reaching the exit, he headed to the car.
The streets were busy, full of people who stopped only to admire him. Kaios didn't care. He started the vehicle and, releasing the brake, sped down the road, following the asphalt that led him back to the mansion.
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[Somewhere else]
A small house, with unfinished decorations, stood out in the middle of the Vale da Esperança neighborhood — a region of old buildings marked by the smell of marijuana. From above, a male figure with black wings descended toward the residence. It was Neik. He landed before the door and suppressed the wings back into his back.
The door was open. Neik tossed his red hair back, took a deep breath, smiled with delight, and entered. The smell of food coming from the kitchen surrounded him, stirring his satisfaction.
"Grandma, I'm home! And guess what? I'm desperately dying to taste the delight you're cooking!"
Said Neik enthusiastically, while breathing in the aroma.
"Be very welcome, my grandson. But you'll have to wait about twelve more minutes."
The tired and hoarse voice of the old lady came from the kitchen. From the living room, Neik sighed in disappointment, running his hands through his hair.
"Twelve minutes is enough time for my stomach to explode from so much growling! But fine, I'll wait in my room."
He climbed the small wooden stairs up to the bedroom. Inside, there was a bed near the window and a mirror fixed on the wall. Neik threw himself exhausted on the mattress, starving, keeping his eyes fixed on the ceiling. He remained still for minutes until his mind began to wander through the memories of the previous day...
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In a classroom of class 1-D, the noise was deafening. Students screamed loudly, some stood up from their desks, and others threw paper airplanes toward the teacher, who tried in vain to write on the board.
In the second desk of the middle row sat Neik, wearing the red school uniform, just like all the others. The stuffy environment mixed heat and disorder, but he kept his eyes fixed on the teacher, aware that this was his penultimate year.
Behind him sat a young woman with an adult appearance, between 20 and 22 years old. Her long black hair brushed against the uniform. She wore a nose piercing and held a blue pen. She poked Neik's back, forcing him to look behind. With a smile on her lips, she bit them lightly and whispered:
"Hey... tell me something, you've got weed, don't you? If not, I can share mine with you. How about it?"
Neik remained silent, motionless, without even blinking at her, returning his attention to the teacher. The girl didn't give up. She dragged her desk closer, leaned into his ear, and whispered seductively:
"My name is Sara... and yours? If you want, I can give you my contact."
Again, he ignored her. Before Sara could insist, the teacher intervened, his voice loaded with supplication:
"Sara, please, could you leave your classmate alone?"
Tired of the turmoil in the room, he raised his tone, almost out of patience:
"And all of you, can you please pay more attention to this damned class?!"
The shout echoed through the entire class, but the laughter only grew louder, testing the limits of his sanity.
PAN! PAN!
The bell rang, and a sigh of relief escaped the teacher.
"Ahh... finally over. See you in the next class."
Neik stood up and left the room, walking leisurely to the school gates. Outside, a familiar voice reached him:
"Hey, wait for me!"
It was Max, his friend, panting from running so much. Together they walked the streets toward their homes, passing through the slum near Vale da Esperança, where the smell of drugs impregnated the air. Max, wanting to break the silence, threw a question:
"Neik, imagine if you had a superpower... which one would you choose?"
Neik's eyes shone like a child's, despite being 22 years old. He grew excited:
"Definitely wings! Man, can you imagine being able to fly? To feel what the birds feel from up there? I'd give anything for that. It's the most amazing power that exists!"
Max laughed, impressed by the sudden enthusiasm of the one who earlier had been silent from hunger.
"Wow... you're basically an adult living with your grandma, and what you want is just a pair of wings?"
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[Back to reality]
Neik awoke in his bed, eyes still fixed on the ceiling. He yawned, stretching, his hair messy. He looked at the clock on the desk: 6:31 a.m. He had fallen asleep without dinner, even while smelling the food his grandmother had prepared.
He walked to the mirror on the wall and, still sleepy, muttered:
"Will I get Tails today? I need my wings..."
Suddenly, the reflection disappeared. The mirror shone red, like living flames. A deep and calm voice echoed:
"I don't control the coin. It decides the result."
Neik opened his palm. The red coin appeared, and he tossed it into the air. His heart raced with each spin until, before it could hit the ground, he caught it.
"Let it be Tails..."
But upon seeing the result — Heads —, he turned his gaze away.
A scream tore through the house. It was his grandmother, downstairs, screaming in pain. Neik frowned, threw himself back on the bed, and covered his ears, unable to bear it. The coin vanished from his hand.
"Sorry, Grandma..." he muttered with a voice that revealed he knew the cause.
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[Memory]
Neik and Max walked side by side in the slum. They reached the crossroads: Max would turn right, Neik left.
"Everyone dreams of flying, Max! Kids, adults, elders... everyone!" — Neik defended himself, still tied to the previous conversation.
Max laughed discreetly and waved goodbye:
"Alright, see you tomorrow!"
Alone, Neik went home. Upon entering his room, he dropped his backpack on the bed and noticed a red glow pulsing on the wall. The mirror burned like embers. Neik's body trembled, paralyzed with fear.
"You don't need to fear, Neik. I won't harm you..."
The voice from the mirror was deep and calm, but only increased his dread. Panting, he managed to ask, trembling:
"Who are you...? How do you know my name?!"
The mirror burned like fire. The answer was clear:
"I am Lucifer. For you humans, the Devil. But do not fear, I only want to play with you."
Neik's eyes widened. He trembled as if suffocating.
"Play...? What do you want from me?"
From the mirror emerged a glowing coin.
"The game is simple. You will keep the coin and must flip it every day when you wake up. The coin will decide."
A brief silence, then the voice continued:
"If you go a day without flipping it, you will die."
Neik swallowed hard.
"And what does it decide...?"
"Heads or Tails. If it lands Tails, the benefit is yours: you may ask for anything and it will be granted. If it's Heads, the benefit is mine."
Fear gave way to anxiety.
"Anything...? Even a superpower?"
"Exactly. Whenever it lands Tails, you will have wings. Always."
Neik's fists clenched.
"Then I want wings. I want to fly like the birds."
"Great. Now, my turn..."
The voice paused, then returned even graver:
"Whenever it lands Heads, one of your grandmother's ribs will break. When they are all broken, she will die. And after her death, if the coin lands Heads again, you will be next."
Neik held his breath. After a few seconds, he smiled disturbingly.
"Alright. I accept."
"Then there is no turning back. One last rule: whoever breaks the rules will be eras
ed from existence. Even me."
The mirror lost its glow, and the coin floated in the air until it fell. Neik caught it tightly, a smile stamped on his face.
At last, he would have his wings.