1 Chapter 1 - Artisan

The city's neon lights painted a vivid mosaic on wet pavement as rain trickled down the glass windows of Nolan's small studio apartment. He had always found solace in his art, a refuge from the uncertainties of life. But lately, life seemed determined to throw him into the storm.

A series of unfortunate events had unraveled his sense of stability, leaving him adrift in a sea of challenges. His once-promising career had faltered, personal relationships had frayed, and the weight of his own aspirations felt like a heavy anchor dragging him down.

Tonight, he sat alone, gazing at the blank canvas before him. His paintbrush hesitated above the surface, caught between the uncertainty of the next stroke and the fear of failure. As his thoughts swirled, a subtle shift in the air sent a shiver down his spine.

"I need to get this finished before the deadline, or this time, I'm actually fired..."

With a sigh, he dipped the brush into ink-black paint. The first stroke was hesitant, a hesitant line on the canvas, unsure of how he wanted to approach it. He thought for a while before putting his brush down in frustration.

"God damn it..."

He massaged his head, trying to ease his frustration. Suddenly, one of the legs on the chair broke, and he fell backward. His scream was cut short as he fell through a portal, landing in a black void. Slowly, he stood up, holding his head in pain.

"Ouch...what the hell happened? And where am I?"

As he was still trying to figure out what had happened, someone or something walked out from the darkness. A white silhouette formed in the shadows. Its only distinguishable feature was a black dot centered on its face. Nolan's heart quickened, a mix of curiosity and fear knotting in his chest. The air grew heavy with an unspoken tension as he and the unknown entity regarded each other, both caught in a moment of uncertainty that hung in the air like a suspended breath.

"Hello there."

"W-What-Who are you!?" Nolan took a step back.

"I am the Demon God, B̶̢̢̺͍͔̲͙͚̼̬̪̭͖͎̪̪̝̹͖̥̖̦͗̈́͆́̓́̀̓́͊̊̀̓͛̾̊̉͘͘͝͝͝ͅa̷̡̧̛̼̮͉̳̞̰͍͑̏̽̿̑̾̍͆̉̅͌̓̎̉̋̃̏͌͘͝ͅą̶̢̡̧̢̡̛̛͈̙̞̠̱̝̲̰̮͇̤̹̭̜͉͈̪̯̳͉̳̳̥̮͉̰͚̰͔̠̘̯̳̞̘̙̩̞̝̼̦̬̘͔͖̠̠̥͍̃͆̓́͆͑̀̑̃͑̃͗͑́̉̌̅̈́̋̍̍́̎̂͒̈̽̔̂̀̌̏͋̀̃́͂̂̐͘̚̚͜͝ͅl̷̢̧̢̨̛͉͔̖̬̘̗̱͖̼͍̥͈͎̟̮̳͎͉̯͙̖̓̓͌͑̀̾͗̾̀̏̄͒̒͂̏̑̽̐̌͂͛̈́̆̆̅̈́̏̈́̋̒͒̀̔̓̄̐͋̄̅̒̈́̋̅̈́̏̚͘̕͝͠ͅ "

"B-Baal..?"

"That's right. And you, have been chosen."

"Chosen? Ch-Chosen for what exactly!?"

"To become my personal monster creator, an Abysmal Artisan."

Baal raised his right hand and opened his palm, blue energy gathering toward the center, before forming into a pen. The room's ambient light seemed to waver and dance as the pen took shape, its form both mesmerizing and unsettling. Nolan's eyes widened as he watched the surreal transformation, a mixture of awe and unease rippling through him.

The pen's glow cast an dark red luminescence on Baal's features, revealing sharp contours and an aura of power that seemed to radiate from within. His eyes, intense and inscrutable, locked onto Nolan's with a piercing gaze that sent a shiver down his spine.

With a simple motion, Baal extended the pen toward Nolan, an unspoken invitation that hung between them. The pen held an undeniable allure, a tangible embodiment of the strange energy that seemed to permeate the room. Nolan hesitated, his hand trembling ever so slightly as he reached out to accept the otherworldly artifact.

"I-I'm going to assume y-you won't let me refuse."

Baal nodded, smiling devilishy.

"Take it."

Hesitantly, Nolan reached out and grabbed the pen, holding it firmly.

"Don't disappoint me. Otherwise, I might have to get rid of you." He chuckled.

Nolan nodded in acknowledgment, and soon after, Nolan woke back up in his apartment, still holding the pen firmly. He let out a sigh of relief, taking a couple of breaths to calm down.

"What have I got myself into...?"