Shade retrieved his deck, and the three people at the table each drew their first card:
"The boy said, 'I am willing to spend my life sealing you away, just like my grandfather.'"
He saw that his first card was Stars 12 and smiled.
"And this time, the story begins with the boy taking the Demon away."
"The Demon agreed to the boy's wish, signed a contract of souls, and moved into the boy's soul, following him toward a distant place."
Mr. Asmon's deep yet still somewhat slick voice once again began the Demon's story. Under the dim Kerosene Lamp of a country tavern, playing Rhodes Cards while listening to such a tale created quite an atmosphere.
"The Demon did not harm the boy, but day and night, it kept whispering in his ear, trying to corrupt his soul. Yet the boy remembered his family's sacrifices and endured in silence."
"If someone nagged in my ear all day, even that very pretty Cat from the circus, I wouldn't be able to stand it."
The magician Winston muttered as the three of them reached for their second cards.
Shade raised an eyebrow when he saw that the card in his hand was Star 8.
"Twenty points."
He tapped the tabletop to indicate that he was standing, then revealed his total.
Mr. Winston and Mr. Asmon continued drawing cards.
"The boy left his homeland and walked onward, and onward, and onward into the distance. He grew older day by day, and with a Demon dwelling within his soul, he also gained some extraordinary powers. The grown boy traveled far, and one day he passed through a village by a river."
Shade looked towards the Demon Scholar and saw him place his three Hand Cards on the table.
"Nineteen points. I stand."
"I