Ben stumbled through the hatch into his room and struggled to slam the heavy door shut. His limbs felt like lead as he hobbled to the sink, guzzled from the tap, then pressed his face under the cold stream. Dripping, he collapsed onto the bed and used the blanket to dry himself.

  “Why are you naked again?” came a small voice.

  Ben screamed. Some might say it was to the tune of a little girl, tricked into being handed a bug or a frog. No one knows what really happened.

  Perched on the bedpost sat a demon. Green, leathery skin hugged its high-ankle limbs that bent backward at the knees. Black, pupilless eyes stared and needle-sharp teeth glinted. No hair on its head and pointed ears. A barbed tail as long as it was curled behind him. It would’ve been terrifying. If it wasn’t six inches tall.

  “Are you stupid?” the demon asked, tilting its head. Its voice was just as large as his, utterly at odds with its diminutive frame. “You humans are peculiar.”

  Ben scrambled to cover himself. “You scared the shit out of me. This is so messed up. I’m questioning my sanity, and yet I feel…oddly calm.”

  The creature’s lips curved in what might have been a small smile. “That’s the effect of your memory wipe, Benjamin Benard Barnaby—and the way your new brain operates. I assure you, I bear you no ill intent. If you wouldn’t mind, could you please open that trunk? There should be some clothes inside.

  “My brain?” Ben demanded, “and how do you know my name?”

  “I happen to know quite a few things,” the demon replied, politeness lacing its tone. “But let’s get you covered first.”

  Reluctantly setting aside his questions, Ben unclasped the trunk. He found jeans, hiking boots, and a denim jacket with endless pockets. He dressed, then examined the rest: a tightly rolled bedroll, a plain but sturdy dagger in a well-worn sheath, and a dark leather satchel stained in ways he refused to inspect. Now, he was glad he didn’t open the trunk before. Anything he took with him would have been destroyed.

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  He turned back to the little demon. “Alright. I’m dressed. Please tell me—who are you? What is this place? And what on earth just happened to me?”

  The demon hopped lightly onto the bed and seated itself with graceful poise. “Forgive my forwardness, and congratulations on your rebirth. I am called Thorn, a grimp from the lower reaches of this planet. I was meant to become a soul-bound familiar to a general, a great honor, but I failed to meet the requirements. And that, for now, is all you need to know about me.

  Ben blinked. “Failed to…? Right… then explain this: why do I know things I shouldn’t?”

  Thorn's black eyes gleamed like wet obsidian in the dim light. "Your old body—flesh, bone, and all its neural pathways—has been destroyed somehow, taking the fine details of your previous life with it. Your soul, however," he said, pointing a clawed finger at Ben, "remembers everything, even if you can't access it yet." The grimp circled Ben, inspecting him with clinical precision. "This new vessel is, without a doubt, superior to your previous mortal shell, though from the generic facial features and standard-issue dermal texture, it appears to be a low-cost option. Mass-produced at an industrial growth plant, flash-matured in nutrient vats, then transported here to this staging facility still warm from the incubation chamber."

  Thorn paused, folding its tail neatly. “You see, if a team is short a member, and they have sufficient funds, they may purchase a Soul Contract to fill the gap. In your case, a corporation acquired your soul from stasis, implanted it into that body, and drafted you as a raw recruit. To be frank, you were among the more affordable options—no skills, untested. As you prove yourself, your sponsors might choose to set you free and dissolve the contract. Alternatively, they could return you to the facility—essentially condemning you to death once more, unless you can afford another core at that juncture. The Heavenly Legions also buy souls for their Eternal War, which might spare your life, provided you’re not deemed expendable.”

  Ben’s mouth dropped open. “My body was destroyed somehow? My soul was bought? Growth plant? I’m some draft? War—”

  His thoughts spun, his breath came fast and shallow, and the room tilted. Darkness crept in at the edges of his vision. Then everything went black.