Diabolist : The Beginning

Eva sat at the rickety table, her sharp gaze locked on the poker cards spread before her. The five thugs seated around her squirmed nervously under the weight of her intense focus.

"Explain again why I lost," Eva said, her tone as flat and sharp as the edge of a blade.

Thug 1 closest to her, an older man with a scar running down his cheek, cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uh... we're using the highest cards to win. You, uh, had twos and threes."

Eva's brows furrowed. She glanced at the cards again, her frustration barely contained.

Thug 2, a younger guy with a twitchy smile, tried to ease the tension. "We can, uh, play again—this time using the lowest cards to win."

Eva tilted her head slightly, considering it. Then she nodded, her expression resolute. "Fine. Let's play again."

The thugs exchanged uneasy glances as they reshuffled the cards. The game began, the room filled with the sounds of cards sliding across the table and Eva's sharp focus bearing down on them like a predator sizing up its prey.

It didn't matter. She lost again.

This time, her hand was unbeatable—aces, kings, a full house—yet somehow, she still ended up on the losing side.

Eva's piercing gaze swept over the thugs as they shuffled uncomfortably in their seats. Beads of sweat formed on their foreheads, and one of them, unable to handle the silence, broke first.

"We were... secretly playing with the highest cards to win again," the thug 2 stammered, laughing nervously.

"Yeah, yeah, exactly!" thug 3 chimed in, nodding so furiously it looked like his head might fall off. "You won, Miss Eva. Fair and square!"

Eva's eyes narrowed slightly. She could tell they were lying, but for some reason, the idea of "winning" satisfied her. "Good," she said simply, rising from her chair. "Let's play again later."

"Yes! Anytime you want, Miss Eva!" thug 4 said quickly, his relief almost palpable.

"I have somewhere to be," Eva said, her voice still calm but with a faint undertone that kept them all on edge. She turned and walked away, her strides deliberate and measured.

The thugs waited until she was out of earshot before they collectively exhaled.

"Man, who knew she was so bad at poker?" thug 1 muttered.

"It's weird, though," thug 2 said, scratching his head. "She always ends up with the worst cards when we're playing seven-card stud but somehow gets a royal flush every time we switch to razz."

"It's like God Himself doesn't want her winning," thug 5 joked.

The group burst into relieved laughter, the tension finally broken as they returned to their day, each silently hoping Eva wouldn't be back anytime soon

***

Eva stretched lazily, cracking her neck as her gaze locked onto the towering church ahead. In her hand, she gripped an envelope stuffed with money.

Two ethereal beings flanking the church doors noticed her approach. Their translucent forms shimmered faintly in the sunlight as one nudged the other.

"Oh, here she comes again," the first one said, rolling his eyes.

"I wonder if she'll break her record this time," the second replied, smirking.

Without missing a beat, Eva suddenly bolted. She darted through the church doors at lightning speed, her movements a blur as she sprinted past the pews. In one smooth motion, she tossed the envelope into the offering bowl and pivoted on her heel.

The pastor, mid-prayer, glanced up just in time to see her retreating form vanish out the door. Shaking his head with a knowing smile, he returned to his prayer, as unfazed as someone witnessing a routine occurrence.

Outside, one of the beings squinted, watching Eva speed away.

"New record—six seconds," he announced, impressed despite himself.

His companion let out a low whistle. "She's getting faster every week."

The two exchanged amused glances before resuming their silent vigil at the doors, already anticipating her next visit.

***

Alexander frowned as he ended the call with his mother, running a hand down his face in frustration. He let out a heavy sigh before glancing at the clock.

Then it hit him—he still hadn't uploaded his new video.

Springing into action, he rushed to his laptop, logged into the streaming app, and quickly uploaded the clip. It was a viral dance trend, one he'd spent hours perfecting in front of a mirror until every move felt fluid and sharp. After hitting "upload," he shut off his PC and settled beside his phone, waiting.

His fingers drummed against the table as minutes passed. No notifications.

"She's probably busy," Alexander muttered, trying to reassure himself.

But deep down, he knew the truth—he'd been waiting for one person's reaction. Aviva. Ever since she'd started following him and engaging with his content, he'd been on cloud nine, her presence an unspoken validation of his efforts.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. His heart jumped as he unlocked it with a mix of eagerness and anxiety. There it was—Aviva had left a comment.

Dancing has never been sexier.

Alexander bit his lip to keep himself from letting out a scream of pure joy. His cheeks burned as he read and reread her words, the corners of his mouth pulling into a wide grin.

The video began to gain traction, racking up thousands of views and dozens of other comments, but he barely noticed. His focus was locked on Aviva's comment, her words replaying in his mind like a sweet melody.

In that moment, Alexander felt on top of the world.

***

Eva sat cross-legged on her bed, her breathing slow and steady as she entered a meditative state. In her mind's eye, she saw the outline of an angel—a familiar figure she often visualized during these sessions. Its radiant glow represented her current power level, yet the light only reached the angel's ears, falling short of its full brilliance.

Eva exhaled and leaned back against her bed with a satisfied smile. Her energy wasn't fully restored, but it was high enough to handle most situations.

She grabbed her phone, planning to rewatch the latest video from JustAlex, her guilty pleasure in moments like these. But before she could press play, the door burst open.

Peter stormed in, his face lit up with uncontainable joy.

"Eva, you are my angel!" he exclaimed, wrapping her in a tight hug.

Eva blinked, startled by his sudden enthusiasm. "I'm not doing another assignment for you," she said flatly.

Peter pulled back and laughed. "I don't need you to!"

He sat on the edge of her bed and excitedly recounted everything that had happened that day—his presentation, the glowing praise from his lecturer, and the coveted internship offer. Eva listened, unimpressed but attentive.

When Peter finished, he grinned at her. "Seriously, Eva, where did you learn all that?"

Eva's gaze shifted, avoiding his eyes. "Nowhere," she said curtly.

Peter knew better than to push. Eva never talked about her past, and every time he tried, it only led to a dead end. Instead, he leaned forward, his tone more earnest now.

"Could you teach me?" he asked. "I need to get better—reach your level."

"Jane teaches you," Eva replied, raising a brow.

Jane, being a natural genius, had quickly grasped Peter's coursework just from reading his notes. She'd taken it upon herself to tutor him so he could keep up with his studies.

"Jane's great," Peter admitted, "but if I want to get to where you are, I need your help too."

Eva let out a long sigh, rubbing her temple. "Fine. Come to me if you need help."

"I need help," Peter said instantly, his eyes sparkling with eagerness.

Eva stared at him, deadpan. "You want to start now?"

"Yes, please," Peter said, almost bouncing in place.

With a groan, Eva dragged herself off the bed. "Alright," she muttered, "but don't expect me to go easy on you."

***

Jane entered Eva's house, her bag slung over her shoulder, and immediately paused at the sight before her. Peter and Eva sat at the dining table, a textbook open between them, with Eva pointing at something on the page.

"What's going on here?" Jane asked, her brow furrowing.

Peter turned to her with a sheepish grin. "Eva's teaching me some stuff."

"Teaching you?" Jane's frown deepened as she glared at Eva. "Isn't that my position?"

Eva met her glare with one of her own. "Yeah, but apparently, I'm better at it," she said nonchalantly.

"Eva's really good at this," Peter added, trying to defuse the tension.

Eva reached out, cupped Peter's cheek, and gently turned his face back toward her. "Enough. Focus on me," she said with a sweet smile.

Peter blinked, feeling like something was off but not quite able to put his finger on it. He shrugged and nodded.

Meanwhile, Jane clenched her fists, her face twitching with barely restrained annoyance. She wanted nothing more than to march over and yank Peter away from Eva, but she forced herself to take a deep breath.

"Fine," Jane said through gritted teeth as she pulled out a chair and sat next to Peter. "I'd like to see how you teach."

Eva smirked, unbothered, and resumed her lesson.

As Eva explained, Jane crossed her arms and listened intently, only to realize—to her surprise and irritation—that Eva really did know more about business than she did.

"I'm confused," Peter said, his voice breaking the brief silence.

"What's confusing you?" Jane asked, leaning closer.

"This part," Peter said, pointing to a section in the textbook.

Eva glanced at it and frowned. "How do you not understand that?"

"It's a bit complicated," Peter mumbled.

"It's pretty straightforward," Eva countered.

"Could you explain it again?" Peter asked hesitantly.

"What needs to be explained? This leads to that," Jane said impatiently, her voice rising.

"But… why, though?" Peter asked, feeling smaller with each word.

"Why? Did you also question why one plus one equals two?" Jane snapped. "It just is! It doesn't need explaining."

"She's right," Eva chimed in, nodding. "It's just how it works."

"Perhaps we should all just calm down," Peter said quickly, holding up his hands in surrender.

Jane exhaled sharply and stood up. "You're right. We need to calm down. You—" she jabbed a finger in Peter's direction, "—are going to keep reading this until you get it."

Eva gave a satisfied nod as she stood, joining Jane. "Exactly."

The two of them walked off toward the kitchen, leaving Peter staring after them, dumbfounded.

He let out a groan and muttered under his breath, "Why are they only united when it comes to attacking me?"

***

In the kitchen, Eva and Jane stood by the sink, each sipping a glass of water.

"Is he always this dumb?" Eva asked, her tone flat.

Jane groaned. "Trust me, you've made it further than I usually do. Every time I explain something, he's always asking, 'Why this? Why that?' God, it drives me crazy."

"It's so easy to understand," Eva said, shaking her head.

Jane sighed, leaning against the counter. "I guess we're stuck with that idiot."

"We?" Eva raised an eyebrow. "That's your crush, not mine."

Jane's grip on her glass tightened. Her eye twitched. "If you know that, stop making moves on him."

Eva's lips curled into a mischievous smile. "Your pain is my happiness, don't you know?" she said, brushing past Jane as she walked out of the kitchen.

Jane stared after her, her fingers tightening around the glass so hard it almost cracked. "That bitch," Jane hissed under her breath.

As her anger subsided, a thought struck her. Jane frowned and glanced toward the doorway where Eva had disappeared. For all of Eva's apparent expertise, something didn't add up. They had been together ever since Peter had discovered Eva, and not once had Eva gone to school or received any formal training.

"What secrets are you keeping, Eva?" Jane murmured, her voice tinged with worry.