Broken(DC)

Bergul struggled, trying to recover from his wounds.

"You would let a pathetic human do this to me," the demon said.

"You chose this fate yourself," Probability replied.

"No, you decided this. You brought him to me, you betrayed your people. You'd better not return to Hell, for they will destroy you there," Bergul shouted.

"Enough talk," I said, setting his body ablaze.

"Alright, alright!" Bergul cried out, plunging his hand into the pool. Suddenly, souls began to emerge from it. Their incorporeal silhouettes whispered words of gratitude.

"Now you can return to Hell. If you dare to come back to Earth, I will find you and kill you again. But it won't stop there I will hunt you to the very end," I said, determined to finish what I started.

At that moment, a man burst into the room, panting heavily. He raised a finger, signaling he needed a moment. He was dressed in a cloak, with a white shirt and tie underneath.

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Clearing his throat, he adjusted his tie.

"I don't know your name, but I can tell you're human. I need him," the blond man said.

"John Constantine, the most sinful of men," Probability replied before falling silent. He began shuffling a deck of cards, searching for the Two-Faced card. "Bergul's dead, right?" he asked hesitantly, glancing at the demon's charred body. Upon hearing his words, the demon stretched into a wide grin.

"It wouldn't have taken long to fool you anyway. You see too much, but even a gift like yours has its loopholes, haha," Bergul said. Then, in an instant, the flesh on his body tore apart, revealing an entirely different demon. The chains binding him fell away, and like a serpent, he slipped free of his restraints, rising to his full height. Dark wings unfurled, like the night itself, and the horns on his head gleamed menacingly.

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"It can't be," John Constantine muttered.

"I should have seen this coming," Probability said, stepping back.

I didn't bother to listen. I immediately surrounded his body with flames, but it seemed as though he was immune to them, calmly walking through the inferno.

"Do you think you can destroy me with the fire I was born from? Hahaha!" he laughed, lunging at me in close combat.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

His strength was staggering. I was flung several meters, slamming into a wall and leaving the imprint of my body behind as I climbed out of the hole. Touching the spot where I had been struck, my flesh instantly blackened and began to peel away. Stifling a scream of pain it was excruciating I launched myself into an attack.

"Do you want Tris to die, John Constantine? Then help me destroy them, or she dies," he said. The struggle on John's face was clear; it seemed this demon had taken someone dear to him hostage.

"I'm sorry, whoever you are, but I can't allow this. Anima tua, corpus tamquam ancora. Corpus tuum carcer tuus erit!" John shouted the incantation.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I felt something begin to affect me, making it harder to move. The demon seized the opportunity, grabbing me by the throat. His hand glowed red.

"Such a strong soul," Nergul said, as if victory was already his.

I felt like something inside me was trying to break free. My flesh began to harden into armor; my body, sensing the threat to its existence, activated its alternative form. I saw shock in the demon's eyes as my hand now clamped around his throat, instantly crushing his bones and flesh. Demonic blood splattered onto the floor.

"Impossible," the demon choked out, spitting clots of blood.

"I warned you," I said as flames erupted from my hand, engulfing his body instantly. Quick, brutal strikes followed. I tore off his wings, ripping them straight from his spine. Snapping both horns, I delivered a series of blows to his face. "You will release everyone you've imprisoned."

"Feel the essence of Nergul, his thread leading to Hell, and burn it. Your power allows this. His physical form won't harm him, but his demon soul is vulnerable to the flame. Obliterate him," Veros said, still standing off to the side of the fight.

"John Constantine, do you want the girl to die?" Nergul asked, desperately trying to break free from my grasp.

Closing my eyes, I recalled the feeling, as if I could see the sins of others, and, giving in to it, I focused my senses on the demon before me. Through the shell of his flesh, I peered with my fiery gaze into his soul. Streams of flame began to seep into his soul, obliterating it.

"AAAAAAAH!" Nergul screamed with all his might.

With my vision, I saw not only the torment of the demon's soul but also another human and innocent. A pure soul, trapped inside him. I immediately ceased the flames. According to Veros, I could control souls. Burning a path through Nergul's soul, I carefully reached out to it.

"Hello," I said, approaching it. She was huddled fearfully in the corner of the cell where she had been imprisoned, looking at me.

"I'm Brian. I've come to help you. Let's get you out of here," I said, extending my hand.

"Will you take me back to my mom?" she asked.

"Yes, come on," I replied. The cage around her prison dissolved. She grabbed my hand, and I began to pull her out.

Returning to reality, I held a glowing, pure soul in my palm free of sin or even a hint of darkness.

"Your journey here ends now, Nergul. Know this: I will find you on the other side," I said, as I began to completely destroy him.

"You will pay for this. All of Hell will rise to destroy you," he said as his final words, before I consumed him in flames.

"Then they will perish trying," I said as my last words. "I hope you can handle the task of returning the soul," I asked the blond man, who had been watching me all this time with doubt.

"Thank you," he said. His face showed such relief that it was all over. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

"Our contract is fulfilled, despite a few... complications," Veros said, walking over to me.

"How did you not realize it was a different demon in front of you?" I asked.

"It's simple. I'm not omniscient; I see probabilities, not exact events. If someone understands my power well enough, they can deceive me. But I'll always find out eventually," Veros replied. Spreading out his cards a few times, he pulled several at once. "It's clear now. He wants to eliminate all competitors so he can be the only one left on Earth. And for that, he needed John Constantine."

"So once again, people are suffering because of me," John said, exhaling smoke from yet another cigarette.

"Such is your fate to be the source of no less evil than the kind you fight against," Veros said.

"And you, demon who sees and knows events," John said, pointing at him. "Don't trust them; they always lie."

"You look far more suspicious," I said.

"I won't argue I'm a real bastard," John smirked.

"I must go. If you wish, you can hunt down the remaining demons, or you can leave things as they are. You see, it's John Constantine's job to find them," Veros said, fully aware that I wouldn't let those creatures roam the Earth unchecked.

Just as I was about to suggest he help us track the rest down, he vanished, leaving the two of us behind.

"They're all like that," John said, surrounded by a small pile of cigarette butts as he stubbed out another.

"So, what now? How do we find them?" I asked.

"It's both simple and hard. They always leave a trail of corpses behind, but the problem is, humans do that too. Let's start with something easier we need to clear this mansion of the remaining demons. Will you help?" he asked.

"With pleasure," I said. Until yesterday, I never thought I'd be hunting demons whose actions stirred righteous fury within me.

Several demons had already fled when their master was killed. But with the remaining traces, John Constantine skillfully tracked them down. He struck me as an odd man, as if he didn't care about his own life, yet he kept fighting and living. Perhaps it was because of the sins that weighed on his soul. Maybe he was seeking redemption or feared divine retribution? I wouldn't know. But one thing I did know: he fought against evil, which took on many forms and hid from human eyes. He didn't ask for money, fame, or anything else he simply did his job.

The horrors I saw in that mansion are things I'd like to forget. But I resolved to remember them always, to never let anything like that happen again. There's no time to relax, for the enemy is always waiting for the moment when you're most vulnerable.

Finally, we managed to find the last demon in the city and destroy him.

"That's it," John Constantine said, brushing the ash off his hands. How he managed to keep up with me was surprising, considering he was just a regular human. "Let's go. I need to return the soul. I've already spent an unreasonable amount of time hunting these demons. Without your help, I wouldn't have bothered chasing them," John added. But his words always grated on me, as if human lives meant nothing to him. Yet he still risked himself in the fight against demons. Perhaps some kind of self-deception?

The armor on my body began to fade, leaving me naked once again. John noticed and smirked, shrugging off his coat and handing it to me.

"Thanks," I said. When I get back, I'll definitely figure something out for this.

"Sorry, mate, but men aren't my type. I'm only drawn to women's bodies," John quipped, lighting yet another cigarette.

He made a call, and thirty minutes later, a distraught father came to pick us up. He'd endured a devastating blow today his daughter's soul had been stolen. No one deserves such sorrow.

"Don't worry; it's all over now," John said.

"No, it's not over. I'm tired of suffering my whole life because of one mistake your mistake, John. Tris shouldn't have to endure this. I don't want to see you around her or hear about you again," Chas Chandler said. At these words, John simply turned away, gazing out the car's side mirror at the city. It was hard to tell what he was thinking.

The car pulled up in front of the city hospital. Stepping out, I followed them.

"If you want, you can wait outside," John suggested.

"I'd like to know how you return souls. If I have to deal with this again, I need to know what to do," I said. John shrugged.

Barefoot, I walked after them. It was a bit uncomfortable, but manageable for now. People paid us no attention at all, as if we weren't even there. Hmm, maybe some sort of magic trick of John's? We stopped in front of one of the rooms. Chas went in first, followed by John and me.

Inside, I saw two women. One was a black-haired woman, presumably the girl's mother, sitting close to her. The other looked strangely inappropriate for a nurse: a plunging neckline that barely covered her chest, bare shoulders, and a flirtatious outfit.

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"Got yourself some help?" asked the nurse.

"Well, I have a knack for making friends," John smirked.

"And losing them just as quickly," the nurse shot back.

"Chas, did you manage it?" the worried mother asked.

"Yeah, John's about to set everything right," Chas replied.

"So, where's Tris's soul?" the nurse asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Here, take it," John said, and a blue orb appeared in his hand. The nurse immediately reached out, her delicate threads of magic weaving around the soul. I watched intently as the streams of her magic guided the soul back into the body, binding flesh and spirit together.

"Tris is resting now. She'll need time to recover," the nurse said. The mother burst into tears, embracing her child, and Chas joined them. Realizing we shouldn't intrude, we stepped out into the hallway.

"You're not exactly an ordinary person. A mage or a pact with a demon?" the nurse asked, her sharp gaze fixed on me.

"Heh, any demon would break its teeth on him," John quipped.

"Perhaps my work here is done. Your debt grows, John," the nurse said, disappearing in a beam of light.

"Care for a drink?" John asked.

"What about the other demons?" I countered. He just waved dismissively.

"No, you're going to help track them down," I said, stepping in his path.

"Relax, kid. I'm still human. I need to recharge, plain and simple. I can't cast spells endlessly," John said, pointing to his face. The dark circles under his eyes and his clear exhaustion spoke volumes.

"Sorry, I didn't think about that. I just can't sit still while their body count rises," I admitted.

"Don't worry, they know we've wiped out hundreds of demons, including someone as powerful as Nergul. They've scurried back into their holes. Demons are cowards like that. We'll have time to find them. But for now, excuse me I'm about to collapse," John said, sidestepping me and walking unsteadily down the hallway, leaving me alone.

Great. Where am I supposed to go, and how am I supposed to find him later?

"How do I contact you?" I shouted after him.

"Magic," he called back, disappearing around the corner.

Magic, huh. I know so little about it. Am I just supposed to wait for him to find me again?

A cough from behind made me turn. An elderly doctor stood there, watching me.

"Young man, I can understand a lot, but please indulge your perversions somewhere other than a hospital," the doctor said, giving me a reproachful look.

Glancing down, I saw my bare feet and dirty cloak.

"I'm leaving," I replied awkwardly. Damn it. That bastard really left me hanging.

I had to endure the embarrassment and the disdainful looks thrown my way. After wandering for a bit, I found a 24-hour store and managed to get myself some clothes. By dawn, I rented a room at a hotel, just to lie down and wait for the next day.

Demons, magic, hell it all felt so unreal. Yet deep inside, there was a nagging feeling that had haunted me my entire life. I'd seen things even stranger than this, but I couldn't remember them.

The Nameless One or as he calls himself, Probability knows a lot but keeps his cards close to his chest. He skillfully manipulated our pact, steering me toward the demon Nergul. Sure, if I'd found out about him on my own, I would've killed him anyway, but still. Now I'll hunt down the others. This time, without any contracts. Dangerous creatures, yes, but I know one thing for sure they can die.

I've put off understanding my own powers for far too long. I need to uncover the mystery of this fire. I'm capable of more than just destruction.

Now, I need to find information and learn more about magic. Maybe that will help me unlock my potential. I never thought I'd stray so far from science into something so fantastical. With all my knowledge and the books I've read, I understand the human body well. But it seems I've been looking at it from the wrong perspective. I used to think everything unexplainable was nonsense or fiction. Here are the laws of science, and I must follow them that's what I believed.

Today's experience showed me that I'm just a frog at the bottom of a well. No more walls should limit me.

Closing my eyes, I decided to get some rest. Even with regeneration, I needed a break.

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Probability sat at an ancient table, its wood long weathered by time. The objects on it were neatly arranged. A few cards lay in front of him.

Picking up one, he flipped it over to reveal darkness. Then he turned another. The world around him trembled.

"Well, that's unpleasant," he muttered. But he took the risk and revealed a third card. Almost immediately, it burst into flames in his hands. He quickly tossed it aside, but the remaining two leapt after it.

"Truly a unique power. Defying fate and death, rejecting two of the seven laws. What will happen when he rejects them all?"

Probability lowered his gaze thoughtfully.