Thana spoke.Her voice trembled, hesitant.It wasn't the first time she had faced Kael's anger—but never had he looked at her like this.Twice, in mere minutes, he had crossed a line.
— You may not have noticed… you were like in a trance.But the higher being behind that succubus… that Queen, Evelyne… kept trying to contact you.
— So what? What difference does it make if another demon tries to talk to me?
(A heavy silence. Thana lowered her gaze briefly, then lifted her head again, her voice firmer:)
— It's not "another demon," Kael.It's a Primordial.One could almost call it the very peak of the demonic hierarchy.And her… she's been trying, in vain, to strike a bargain with you.In exchange for her subordinate's life.
— System… can I see the history of recent incoming messages?
He asked it without conviction.Almost by reflex.Like whispering nonsense you already know will go unanswered.
But this time—
A sharp crack.Then an avalanche.Windows burst into the air by the dozens, by the hundreds.They stacked, overlapped, collided in a blinding rain of glyphs and symbols.
Kael froze.Breath caught.It wasn't the number that struck him—it was the obvious fact.He hadn't seen a single one.Not one of these intrusions.As if his mind had been sealed…as if the world had screamed behind his back, unheard.
The flood went on.Hundreds. Maybe more.Kael stared, dumbstruck.
Then slowly, he turned his head toward Thana.A crooked, uneasy smile tugged at his lips.He raised a finger at the blinding deluge:
— You're joking, right?Tell me this is a prank…Admit you tampered with all this.
His voice carried as much awkwardness as irony.No coldness. No rage.Just… Kael.
Thana watched him for a moment.Her breath released, almost shaking.She sighed—an honest sigh of relief.That look, that tone… it wasn't the frozen predator choking Evelyne anymore.It was him.The one she knew.
It was him.Her Kael.Warm, sarcastic, clumsy in his mockery.
He tore his eyes from the floating storm of windows.And with a gesture almost mundane after all the tension, he sat down on a shard of broken marble—remnants of the throne he had shattered.Elbows on his knees, he let his gaze drift into the void.
The silence no longer weighed the same way.No longer suffocation, no longer the predator's poised kill.It was a pause.A breath.Kael was thinking.
But one thing did not change.Not yet.
Evelyne.
She, who had endured the chain of torments.Deserved? Perhaps.But now, the only thing that mattered was the raw dread consuming her even more than before.
She could not comprehend.
The monster who had sought her life,the predator who had tried to wrench out her soul…was no longer the same.
He was gentle again?
The inconsistency froze her blood.If it wasn't hatred,if it wasn't rage—then what was it?
She stayed there, kneeling on the cold stone,weeping, gasping,her breath cut into ragged spasms.
Her wounds bled still.Her throat, torn raw, was little more than an open wound—yet strong enough to hold her head in place.Strong enough to endure a little longer.
And in that contrast, her mind cracked:she was no longer facing a tormentor.But something worse.An existence she could not understand.
Kael spent ten full minutes reading the windows cascading before him.Hundreds of messages.Calls he had never seen.
For him, it was just reading.A mechanical sift, almost monotonous.
But for Evelyne…it was eternity.
Still kneeling.Still gasping.Every second stretched her torment.Every silence pressed another stone on her chest.
Then Kael stretched, slowly.Still seated on the shattered throne's rubble.As if, for him, it was done.As if he had just closed a file.
His arms cracked in a lazy motion.And then, his gaze shifted.Cold again.Sharp again.
A single breath, lower than a whisper:
— You.
His eyes lifted to the void.Not to Evelyne.But to the being hiding behind her.
— You whose name I don't know.You who care for this wretch at my feet.
He paused.
His breath grew heavier.His fingers tapped absently against the kusarigama's handle, still leaning against his knee.
Then his voice dropped, flat, implacable:
— Tell me.Why should I spare her?
He tilted his head, eyes glinting with icy light.Each word vibrated like a barely leashed threat.
— And don't waste my time.
A silence.Crushing.Terrifying.
Kael straightened, shoulders taut as if driven by a murderous impulse.His pupils shrank, his expression hardened.
— I am not in the mood to play.
His words rang through the ruined hall like a verdict.Cold.Final.
Evelyne, still crumpled on the floor, broke into muffled sobs.But Kael didn't even look at her.All his attention, all his chill, remained fixed on the void—waiting for an answer.
A window appeared.With only this:
Princess of Hell [???][…]
Kael arched a brow.A frozen breath escaped his lips.
— Let's make this simpler.You're going to make me an offer.The highest you can.Directly.It'll save us both time.
His head tilted, gaze razor-sharp again.
— If I like it, I'll consider.If not… I take a limb from your subordinate.Sounds fair to me.
A new window appeared.
Princess of Hell [???][A contract: you become my Apostle.]
Kael narrowed his eyes.A twitch of annoyance passed his face.
— So… you want to make me your loyal dog now?You really don't care about your subordinate, do you?
He rose in a flash.The kusarigama throbbed in his grip.Promise ready to be carried out.
But Thana stepped in.Her voice burst out, breathless:
— Wait, Kael!This could be worth it for you… depending on the ratio between the two parties.
Kael frowned.— What do you mean, ratio?A slave contract is still a slave contract, isn't it?
Thana shook her head.— It's different, Kael.We're not talking about a simple pact.We're talking about an Apostle.
She drew a deep breath.Her words dropped, weighted:
— It would be almost like our bond, you and me.A little more… inferior, yes.
Kael said nothing.She went on.
— Depending on the ratio between both parties, you'd gain more or fewer benefits.For example: if it's 70:30 in her favor… you'd be tied to her commands.But in exchange, you'd gain a lot.
Her eyes hardened.— Conversely… if the ratio flips to 30:70 for you, then she obeys you.If it's 90:10 in her favor… you're little more than a slave.
She fell silent, eyes locked on his.— So the question, Kael… is the ratio she's willing to propose now.
Kael tightened his grip on the kusarigama.A glacial glint crossed his eyes.
— Looks like we've spared your subordinate a limb—for now…
He paused.His gaze shifted to the hovering window.
— So now, I'm waiting.
He leaned forward slightly.Each word vibrated with restrained impatience.
— What's your offer?
Silence.The braziers' flames flickered.
— Tell me everything directly.Not in fragments.
His breath grew heavier.Fingers clenched on the chain, vibrating with caged fury.
— Because this… this really irritates me.
A new window opened.Its letters burned in the air, cold and implacable:
Princess of Hell [???][50:50 — A contract of equals with all attached benefits][Access to the Queen's Bath, in place of the standard bath][You won't regret it.I give you my word… as a Primordial.]
Kael slowly turned to Thana.His gaze stayed hard, mistrustful.He had no idea of the true worth of such an offer.
But Thana…She nodded.Simple. Clear.A silent confirmation.
Her lips curved in a rare smile—bright, genuine.One that said everything without a word:
He had hit the jackpot.
Kael accepted.A pulse.And instantly—a tear ripped open.
An opening, gaping, clawing the hall with its silent cry.
Kael wasn't surprised.Not really.He was starting to get used to it.
From the breach emerged a silhouette.The same as always.Equally disconcerting.
The Guide.
— Well, well…His voice rose, deceptively light.— I'm not here for any reward this time.
A smile.Too wide. Too calm.
— But rather to seal a pact.Or rather… a contract.
Kael frowned.
— We hadn't touched on this subject yet, the Guide continued.Simply because I didn't expect it to happen during the tutorial.
He raised a hand.A ripple of Magia swept the hall.
— Contracts, you see, are sealed and guarded by the Tower itself.To prevent any lie.Any betrayal.Or any willful breach.
His gaze glinted, suddenly cold.
— If a clause is broken…the Cosmic Axis intervenes.And the price will be… final.
Then he spoke.
Not in words.Not in phrases.But in another tongue.
A deafening language, saturated with Magia.Every syllable tolled like a funeral bell.Every note etched itself into bone.
Kael understood none of it.Not a sound.Not a logic.
But he felt.The power.The constraint.The naked truth, carved into the world's structure itself.
When the litany ended, the Guide lifted his eyes to them.A satisfied smile stretched his lips.
— There.The terms have been translated, clarified, explained.Now…
He snapped his fingers.A blazing seal unfurled in the air, ready to engulf the two signatories.
— Let us seal it.