The Edge of Judgement

I had just moved to another town and rented a new house. Many neighbours advised against it, some saying it was haunted by a vengeful spirit, and others saying it was a gateway to hell. I shrugged off their comments, not giving them much thought. This was the best I could do at the time. Haunted or not, it was all I could afford while keeping my new job.

The summer heat was torturous; I had no energy left after unloading my belongings that afternoon. All I could do was lie down on my mattress and pass out for the rest of the day. Before I knew it, I was waking up in the middle of the night to a sharp chill that bit into my bones. Shivering, I grabbed my phone to find the weather saying it was the usual summer temperature.

What’s going on? Is this…?

I wished mom had been around longer. I would’ve honed my skills as a witch if she were still with us. I used one of the few spells I learned when I was young and repelled the freezing air around me by creating a shield. I turned on the lights and went downstairs while looking around: there was nothing out of place. But when I entered the living room, a voice suddenly whispered past me.

“Do not fear, I mean you no harm.”

I looked around and suddenly found a vague, misty shape taking form before me.

“Who are you, and what do you want from me?”

“My name is Aster. I’m in need of your help.”

“Help? What help could a spirit possibly want from me?”

“Vengeance, justice. You’re a witch, are you not? And the lawyer who secretly pulled strings to ensure that the defendant would not escape punishment for killing his wife?”

I was speechless. That was my most recent case before I decided to find myself a new job. Everyone suspected that I had a hand in it, but no one could prove my involvement. However, I knew I needed a new beginning, but this was not the fresh start I had envisioned.

“You’re starting over with barely anything to your name. You help me out and I’ll help you in return.”

I was unsure of the spirit’s words at first, but they promised to keep their word with a binding seal. They said they’d help me steal money from rich people, but I declined their offer. We settled for them simply helping me refine and expedite my work instead. In return, I would spend the next year killing one hundred criminals who escaped the clutches of justice.

And so, I proceeded with our plan, laying waste to criminals all over the country. The entire endeavour was exhausting at first: I could barely stop my hands from trembling the first couple of months I carried out my tasks. However, as time passed, I grew more accustomed to it—perhaps even enjoying it. After all, I was able to do more good than I ever could as a lawyer. It was my way of making up for my shortcomings on the job. Too many times had the rich and powerful bribed and threatened their way out of justice. If I had the opportunity to ensure that they were dealt the punishment they deserved, so be it: I would be judge, jury, and executioner.

Aster never accompanied me on my missions. They said they were bound to the house because they couldn’t move on. I was curious as to how they knew about my past; they said that the perks of being a spirit was that they were in tune with everything around them. All the information of the world was at their grasp. Aster said I could achieve the same if I sharpened my skills as a witch even more; and I did learn more spells the more I progressed with my work. The power surging through my veins was exhilarating.

When the year of our contract came to a close, Aster and I met again in my living room, but something was off. I had already murdered ninety-nine people and this was the final night, with my final task. I asked them who my next target was, but they simply looked me in the eye and smiled.

“What? Who’s next? Tell me,” I asked.

Aster raised their hand and pointed their finger at me. “I’m sorry, but it’s you.”

What was happening? Was I tricked? As my mind spiralled through those thoughts, in a split second, Aster snapped their fingers and released a shockwave of energy that volleyed me through the wall. As I struggled to get to my feet, I suddenly felt my powers being syphoned away.

“You were so righteous at the start. It was so easy to tip you off the edge…” As they said those words, Aster’s form, that had so far been a blur, began to materialise into something much more malevolent. Two twisting horns rose up from their forehead as a pair of dragon-like wings spread wide behind them. Then they hissed at me with their fork tongue while their eyes grew pitch black.

The room suddenly grew colder as it did a year ago; I felt the chill sink into my bones. I could no longer tell if I was trembling due to the cold or whether it was the fear taking hold of my soul. “Who… What are you?”

“My name is Astaroth. You have my thanks for releasing me from this prison.”

I tried to get up, to move—to do something—but my body failed me. I could only lie there on the floor, suffocating in the cold.

“You were so eager to deal judgement unto others. Now, it has come for you.”

Those were the last words I heard before the world around me cocooned into nothingness.