[Three Days After Godfrey's Declaration][Location: Academy Courtyard][Time: Afternoon Break]
"—and then my brother said he saw glowing eyes in the trees," a boy named Thomas was saying, his voice dropping to a dramatic whisper. "Huge eyes, like lanterns. And a shape that was too big to be human, too fast to be an animal."
Sol was sitting with Godfrey, Lyra, and several other students during afternoon break. The conversation had drifted to local legends, as conversations among children often did.
"The Darkwood Forest monster," Mira said, pushing her spectacles up nervously. "My parents won't let me go near those woods. They say something's been living there for decades. Something that hunts."
"It's just stories," another student scoffed. "Parents tell those tales to keep kids from wandering off."
"My cousin's friend saw it," Thomas insisted. "Said it moved between the trees like smoke. Had claws as long as swords."
[MP: 103.2/125.7]
Sol listened while pretending to read, his analytical mind cataloging the details. Every legend had some kernel of truth. Something was in those woods—the question was what, and how dangerous.
"Ohhhhh, there's a monster in the forest," Marcus's voice dripped with mockery as he approached their group. He'd been keeping his distance since Godfrey's display, but clearly couldn't resist an opportunity to demonstrate superiority. "How terrifying. Should we all hide under our beds?"
"People have gone missing near those woods," Lyra said sharply. "Three hunters in the last year alone."
"Hunters who got drunk and fell off cliffs," Marcus countered. "Or who ran away from debts. There's always a mundane explanation." He crossed his arms. "There's no monster."
"Then you'd go there," Lyra said, her tone challenging. "If there's no monster, you'd walk into those woods and prove everyone wrong."
Marcus's expression flickered—just for a second, something that might have been fear crossed his face. Then he scoffed, masking it with bravado. "Of course I would. I'm the highest level student in our age group. Level 19. Why would I be scared of children's stories?"
Silence fell over the group. Everyone knew what had just happened—Lyra had issued a challenge, and Marcus had accepted it without meaning to.
"So you'll go," Lyra pressed. "Tomorrow. To prove there's no monster."
Marcus's jaw tightened. He'd been maneuvered into a corner. Refusing now would look like cowardice. "Fine. Tomorrow afternoon. I'll walk into Darkwood Forest and prove there's nothing there but trees and scared rabbits."
"We'll go with you," Godfrey announced suddenly.
Sol's head snapped toward his friend. What?
"It'll be more fun with a group," Godfrey continued cheerfully, seemingly oblivious to the danger. "An adventure! Like in the hero stories!"
"Godfrey," Sol said carefully, "that's not—"
"It's a great idea!" Marcus interrupted, his eyes gleaming with malicious opportunity. "Yes, let's make it a proper expedition. Godfrey, Sol, Lyra, Kieran—we'll all go together. If the divine-blessed child is there, surely we're safe from any imaginary monsters."
He was trying to put Godfrey in danger, Sol realized. Hoping something—anything—would happen that would make the divine protection look less absolute. Or worse, hoping Godfrey would refuse and look cowardly.
"We'll go," Godfrey said with absolute certainty. "Tomorrow after final classes. Meet at the east gate."
Sol looked at Marcus, who was smirking.
Sol looked at Godfrey, who was genuinely excited.
He looked at Lyra, who'd started this and now looked worried about where it had gone.
"WHAT??" Sol said, louder than he intended. "We can't just—that's—there might actually be something dangerous out there!"
"Then it's good we have divine protection," Godfrey said, patting Sol's shoulder. "Don't worry! I have forty-nine Graces, remember? Including Grace of Divine Champion. I literally get stronger when protecting people. We'll be fine!"
[Analysis: Disaster Probability][Godfrey's confidence: Absolute][Actual danger level: Unknown but likely HIGH][Sol's current combat capability: Minimal][Chances of this ending badly: 73.4%]
"This is a terrible idea," Sol said flatly.
"It's an adventure!" Godfrey insisted.
"People have died in those woods," Sol reminded him.
"Exactly!" Marcus said with false cheer. "So if there really is a monster, we'll need all the divine protection we can get. Unless..." He looked at Sol with calculated innocence. "Unless you're too scared to go? No one would blame you. You're only four, after all. Very young. Very helpless."
The manipulation was obvious. Decline and look cowardly. Accept and walk into danger.
Sol met Marcus's eyes and saw the trap clearly. The crown prince wanted Sol in danger, wanted to see if divine protection would hold when actually tested, wanted an opportunity to prove that Sol was weak despite Godfrey's friendship.
"I'll go," Sol said quietly. "If Godfrey goes, I go."
"Excellent!" Marcus clapped once. "Tomorrow then. East gate, after final classes. Don't be late, little brother."
He walked away, his two older-student followers trailing behind him.
Lyra looked stricken. "I didn't mean for this to actually happen. I was just trying to shut him up."
"It's fine," Godfrey said. "Really! This will be fun. We'll explore the forest, prove there's no monster, and Marcus will have to admit he was wrong. Everyone wins!"
Sol seriously doubted everyone would win.
But looking at Godfrey's genuine enthusiasm, his complete confidence in his divine protection, Sol realized arguing was pointless. Godfrey was going. Which meant Sol had to go to keep his friend safe.
Even though Sol was four years old with 103 MP and minimal combat training.
Even though something in those woods had made experienced hunters disappear.
Even though this felt like walking toward certain disaster.
"We need to prepare," Sol said. "Professor Aldwin should know—"
"No adults," Marcus had called back over his shoulder. "That's the rule. Just us students. Otherwise it doesn't count as proving anything."
Of course, Sol thought bitterly. He's isolating us from help.
[That Evening][Location: Academy Rooftop]
"You realize this is incredibly dangerous," Sol said as they practiced their evening meditation.
"I know!" Godfrey said happily. "That's what makes it an adventure!"
"Adventures are how heroes die in stories."
"Only the heroes who aren't protected by forty-nine Divine Graces." Godfrey opened his eyes, his red gaze serious for a moment. "Sol, I'm not being naive. I know there might be real danger. But I can feel it—my Grace of Divine Sight shows me the paths ahead. We're supposed to go to those woods. Something important is going to happen there."
"Something important like us dying?"
"Something important like..." Godfrey frowned, searching for words. "Like finding something that needs to be found. I don't know what yet. But the gods are pushing us toward this. I can feel it."
Sol wanted to argue with divine prophecy, but he'd lived long enough to know that when gods pushed, mortals went where pushed whether they liked it or not.
"Fine," Sol said. "But we prepare properly. I'm going to teach you everything I can about combat awareness in one evening. And you're going to activate every protective Grace you have before we enter those woods."
"Deal!" Godfrey bounced slightly. "This is exciting! Our first real adventure together!"
"Our first potentially lethal mistake together," Sol corrected.
But he couldn't help a slight smile. Despite everything—despite the danger, despite Marcus's manipulation, despite his own better judgment—there was something appealing about this. He'd spent three months being careful, being strategic, being the adult in a child's body.
Maybe it was time to have one genuine childhood adventure.
Even if it might kill them.
[MP: 103.9/126.4] (Still growing, still progressing)
They practiced late into the evening, Sol explaining tactical awareness while Godfrey demonstrated his various protective Graces. By the time they headed back to their quarters, Sol felt marginally better prepared.
Marginally.
[Next Day - After Final Classes][Location: East Gate][Time: Late Afternoon]
The group assembled at the Academy's east gate: Marcus with his two older-student followers (both Level 18+), Godfrey glowing faintly with anticipation, Lyra looking worried, Kieran looking terrified, and Sol calculating escape routes.
"Everyone ready for our little expedition?" Marcus asked with false cheer. "Remember—we're just proving there's no monster. Simple walk through the woods, then back for dinner."
"I brought supplies," Lyra said, holding up a small pack. "Water, bandages, a signaling flare in case we need help."
"We won't need help," Marcus said. "But how responsible of you."
They walked through the east gate and down the winding path toward Darkwood Forest. The trees loomed ahead—ancient oaks and pines that had stood for centuries, their branches creating a canopy so thick it blocked most sunlight even at midday.
As they approached the tree line, Sol felt it. A pressure in the air. A sense of wrongness.
[Danger Sense: ACTIVE][Warning: Something powerful ahead][Threat Level: UNKNOWN]
"Does anyone else feel that?" Sol asked quietly.
"Feel what?" Marcus scoffed.
But Godfrey nodded. "Yes. Something's watching us. Something..." His red eyes gleamed as Divine Sight activated. "Something very old and very angry."
"See?" Lyra said nervously. "Maybe we should turn back."
"We just got here," Marcus said. "Don't tell me you're scared already."
They entered the forest.
The temperature dropped immediately. Not naturally—magically. Sol felt the shift in ambient mana, the way it swirled with patterns that suggested intentional manipulation.
Someone or something was creating this effect.
"Stay close," Godfrey said, his cheerful demeanor fading into something more serious. Golden light began emanating from his skin—Grace of Divine Champion activating. "I don't like this."
They walked deeper, following a barely visible path between the trees. The forest was too quiet. No birds. No insects. Just silence and shadows.
"There's nothing here," Marcus said, but his voice lacked confidence. "Just old trees and—"
A sound cut him off. Not animal. Not human. Something between—a growl that held too much intelligence, too much rage.
Everyone froze.
"What was that?" Kieran whispered.
"Nothing," Marcus said. "Just wind in the branches."
The sound came again. Closer.
"That's not wind," one of Marcus's followers said.
Then she appeared.
She stepped from behind a tree not twenty feet away, and Sol's breath caught because she was beautiful and terrible in equal measure.
[Analysis: Unknown Entity][Appearance: Female, approximately 25 years old (apparent), 5'8", pale skin, silver hair][Level: UNREADABLE - Beyond Sol's current analytical capability][Mana Signature: MASSIVE - Estimated 3,000+ MP][Species: Unknown - Not human, not demon, something else][Emotional State: Enraged, territorial, desperate][Threat Level: EXTREME]
She wore tattered clothing that might have once been elegant. Her eyes were violet, too bright to be natural. Her hands ended in claws that gleamed like polished steel. And around her, the air shimmered with barely controlled magical power.
"Children," she said, her voice carrying centuries of pain. "More children. Come to die in my forest like all the others."
"We don't want trouble," Godfrey said, stepping forward. His divine light intensified. "We're just—"
She moved.
Not walked—moved. One instant she was twenty feet away. The next she was in front of Godfrey, one clawed hand striking toward his chest with speed that made Sol's eyes hurt trying to track it.
Godfrey's Grace of Divine Champion flared, creating a shield of golden light.
Her claws struck the shield and shattered it.
Godfrey flew backward, hitting a tree hard enough to crack the bark. He didn't get up.
"GODFREY!" Sol screamed.
The woman turned toward the rest of them, her violet eyes blazing. "Divine protection. As if gods care what happens in these woods. As if they'd notice one more dead child."
Marcus's followers charged—Level 18 and 19, trained in combat, equipped with enchanted weapons. They lasted approximately four seconds.
She moved between them like water through mesh, her claws finding gaps in their defenses with surgical precision. Both boys went down, bleeding but not dead. Unconscious.
Lyra tried to run. The woman appeared in front of her, backhanded her almost casually. Lyra crumpled.
Kieran was already on the ground, curled in a ball, sobbing.
Marcus stood frozen, his face white with terror, all his bravado evaporated.
And Sol...
Sol's mind was racing at 847 years of speed, calculating, analyzing, desperately searching for a solution because they were all about to die and this was his fault for not stopping this stupid adventure before it started.
[Analysis: Combat Options][Option 1: Run - She's faster, we'll die tired][Option 2: Fight - We're children, she's ancient and powerful, we'll die quickly][Option 3: Negotiate - She's clearly insane with rage, probably won't listen][Option 4: ???]
The woman walked toward Marcus slowly, savoring his fear. "The prince. The heir. The one who started this game." She flexed her claws. "You'll die last. After you watch all your friends bleed."
She turned toward Sol.
And in that moment, as she moved toward him with death in her eyes, Sol felt it.
Through the Shared Soul connection. Through the link to Godfrey.
His friend wasn't unconscious. He was stunned, his divine protections shattered, his body broken—but his soul was still there. Still connected. Still sharing power.
And through that connection, Sol felt something else.
The woman's magical signature. Her mana patterns. The structure of her power.
And beneath the rage, beneath the centuries of pain, he sensed something else: bindings. Contract marks. Old ones, fraying, barely holding.
She wasn't a monster.
She was a contracted being whose contracts had failed. Whose bindings had broken. Whose purpose had been forgotten until all that remained was pain and madness.
Sol knew contracts. He'd been the greatest Contractor in history. He'd bound demons and angels and entities that transcended both. He'd created agreements that reshaped reality.
And he'd never, in 847 years, made a forced contract.
Forced contracts were evil. They violated free will. They turned people into slaves. They were everything Sol had sworn never to do.
But looking at this woman, at her violet eyes full of centuries of agony, at the shattered remains of whatever she'd once been—
Looking at his friends bleeding on the ground—
Looking at Marcus frozen in terror—
Sol made a choice he'd regret forever and never doubt was necessary.
He opened himself to the Shared Soul connection fully. Drew on Godfrey's massive divine mana pool. Pulled power through the link between them with desperate speed.
[MP: 103.9/126.4 → 103.9/850.7] (Temporarily borrowing capacity through Shared Soul) [Warning: This is not safe][Warning: Body not designed for this much power][Warning: Proceed anyway? Y/N]
Y.
Sol's body ignited with golden light—not his own power, but Godfrey's, channeled through their connection. And within that light, he shaped something ancient.
Words. Not spoken aloud, but written directly into reality using mana as ink.
[Contract Type: Forced Binding][Target: Unknown Entity (Female)][Terms: SUBMIT. CEASE. REMEMBER.]
"By the authority of Solomon the Contractor," Sol spoke, his voice carrying power it shouldn't possess, shouldn't be able to channel, "By the grace shared between souls, by the power of binding made manifest—"
The woman's eyes widened. "What are you—"
"I NAME you," Sol continued, his four-year-old body glowing with borrowed divine light, "I BIND you, I CONTRACT you against your will and by necessity—"
She lunged at him, claws extended.
"—to REMEMBER WHO YOU WERE!"
The contract formation exploded from Sol's hands—golden chains of pure mana, intricate beyond anything a four-year-old should be able to create. They wrapped around the woman, not restraining her body but binding her soul.
She screamed. Not in pain. In recognition.
The chains dug into her essence, found the broken contracts beneath, and Sol did something he'd never done before: he didn't create a new binding. He repaired the old ones.
Found the shattered agreements. The forgotten oaths. The purposes that had sustained her before she broke.
And he reminded her.
[Contract Repair: In Progress][Target Identity: Revealed][Name: Meridith][Former Status: Guardian of Darkwood Forest][Contract Holder: Deceased 87 years ago][Current Status: BROKEN][Repairing...]
The woman—Meridith—collapsed to her knees as memories flooded back. Sol could see them through the contract link: she'd been a guardian once. A protector. Bound to defend these woods and the people who lived nearby. But her contractor had died without passing the binding to another, and she'd been left in agony, her purpose unfulfilled, her nature violated.
Eighty-seven years of madness.
Eighty-seven years of forgetting who she'd been.
Eighty-seven years of becoming a monster.
"I remember," she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "I remember... I was supposed to protect them. The children. The innocent. I was..." She looked at her claws, at the unconscious students, at the blood. "What have I done?"
Sol was shaking, his body barely holding the borrowed power. He had seconds before he collapsed.
"New contract," he gasped. "You need... new purpose. Or you'll break again."
"Who are you?" Meridith asked, staring at him with wonder and horror. "You're a child. You shouldn't be able to—"
"Doesn't matter," Sol interrupted. His vision was going dark at the edges. Too much power. Too fast. "Do you accept? Will you be guardian again? Properly contracted this time?"
"To who?" she asked. "My master is dead. Who would bind me now?"
Sol looked at his friends. At Godfrey, stirring now, groaning in pain but alive. At Lyra, bleeding but breathing. At Kieran, terrified but unhurt. At Marcus, pale and shocked.
At the unconscious older students.
Everyone alive. Everyone saved.
"To me," Sol said. "Temporarily. Until I can find you proper purpose. Will you accept?"
Meridith looked at him—this four-year-old glowing with impossible power, who'd just done something that should be beyond even arch-mages. Who'd seen through her madness to her truth. Who'd offered mercy when she deserved death.
"I accept," she whispered.
The contract sealed with golden light.
[New Contract: ESTABLISHED][Contractor: Sol][Contracted: Meridith - Forest Guardian][Terms: Temporary binding, protection and purpose, rehabilitation and redemption][Status: ACTIVE][Cost: 47 MP to maintain][Note: Sol's first contract in his new life]
Sol's borrowed power evaporated. He collapsed, his tiny body unable to stand.
Meridith caught him before he hit the ground.
"You saved me," she said, her voice breaking. "After what I did, you saved me."
"Didn't have... a choice," Sol mumbled, consciousness fading. "Couldn't let... friends die..."
The last thing he saw before darkness took him was Godfrey stumbling over, his face bruised but smiling.
"You did it," Godfrey said. "You made a contract. A real one. I felt it through our connection—it was beautiful."
Then Sol knew nothing at all.
[Unknown Time Later]
Sol woke to white ceiling and the smell of healing herbs.
The infirmary.
He tried to sit up and immediately regretted it. His entire body felt like it had been run through a mill. His mana pathways burned like acid.
[MP: 12.3/126.4][Status: Mana Exhaustion, Physical Strain, Contract Burden][Warning: Forced too much power too fast, damage to internal pathways][Recovery Time: 3-7 days]
"Don't move," Professor Aldwin's voice said from nearby. "You nearly killed yourself, you foolish, brilliant child."
Sol turned his head—carefully—to see the professor sitting in a chair beside his bed. The old man looked tired and worried.
"The others?" Sol asked.
"Alive. Injured but stable. Godfrey had several broken ribs—already healed, divine constitution is remarkable. Lyra has a concussion. The two older boys were clawed but not deeply. Kieran is fine physically, traumatized emotionally. And Marcus..." The professor's expression darkened. "Marcus is unharmed. Completely unharmed. Curious, that."
"He froze," Sol said. "Fear paralysis. She ignored him after she realized he wasn't a threat."
"Mm. And you made a contract. Your first since reincarnation. Forced, from what I understand." Professor Aldwin's tone wasn't accusatory, just observing. "That's... significant."
"She was dying," Sol said. "Her contracts were broken. She was going insane from lack of purpose. I had to—"
"I know," the professor interrupted gently. "I've spoken with Meridith. She explained everything. How you didn't just bind her—you healed her. Repaired what was broken. Gave her back herself." He paused. "That's not forced contract work, Sol. That's redemptive binding. Very different. Very rare."
Sol felt some tension ease. He'd been terrified he'd crossed a line he could never uncross.
"She's in protective custody for now," Professor Aldwin continued. "Being evaluated by the Royal Mages. But her testimony is clear: she attacked students, you defended them, and in the process you rehabilitated a broken guardian binding. You'll likely face no charges. Might even receive commendation."
"I don't want commendation," Sol said tiredly. "I want everyone to stop almost dying."
"Then you shouldn't have gone into Darkwood Forest," the professor said dryly. "What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking Godfrey would go with or without me, and at least with me there I could try to keep him alive."
Professor Aldwin sighed. "You're four years old, Sol. Four. And you're taking responsibility for a divine-blessed five-year-old's safety. That's not your burden to carry."
"Yes it is," Sol said simply. "He's my friend."
The professor looked at him for a long moment, then smiled sadly. "You're going to exhaust yourself trying to protect everyone, aren't you? Just like in your previous life."
"Probably," Sol admitted.
A knock at the door. Godfrey poked his head in, his face brightening when he saw Sol awake. "You're up! Can I come in?"
"Yes," Professor Aldwin said, standing. "I'll give you two a moment. Sol, we'll talk more later about proper contract protocols and not borrowing deadly amounts of divine mana through soul bonds."
He left, and Godfrey hurried to Sol's bedside.
"You saved us," Godfrey said. "You saved everyone. Even Marcus—though he doesn't deserve it." The five-year-old's red eyes were shining. "I felt what you did through our connection. You didn't just make a contract. You made a healing. You fixed something that was broken."
"I didn't have a choice," Sol said.
"Yes you did. You could have let her kill us and saved yourself. But you didn't." Godfrey took Sol's hand. "You're a good person, Sol. Even when you pretend you're just being practical."
Sol managed a weak smile. "How long was I unconscious?"
"Two days. Everyone's been worried. Lyra visited six times. Kieran brought you flowers—he says you're his hero now. Even Marcus..." Godfrey's expression darkened. "Marcus came once. Just stood in the doorway staring at you. Then left without saying anything."
"He's processing," Sol said. "He watched a four-year-old do something he couldn't. That's going to complicate things."
"Let it complicate," Godfrey said fiercely. "You proved you're not helpless. You proved you're powerful. Maybe now he'll leave you alone."
Sol doubted it was that simple. But he was too tired to argue.
"The Shared Soul connection," Sol said. "I borrowed your mana pool's capacity. That shouldn't have been possible."
"But it was!" Godfrey said excitedly. "When you needed it, our connection deepened. Became something more than just sharing growth. We became actual soul-partners in that moment—your will, my power, working as one." He squeezed Sol's hand. "We're connected even deeper now. I can feel you always, like a warm light in my chest."
[Shared Soul Connection: EVOLVED][New Status: Soul Partnership][Benefits: Emergency power sharing, deeper synchronization, enhanced growth rate][Growth Rate: 3.42x → 4.1x normal][Note: Actual soul-bond now, not just shared growth]
"We're soul-bonded," Sol said quietly. "Actually bonded. That's... permanent, Godfrey. That doesn't break easily."
"Good!" Godfrey said. "I don't want it to break. You're my best friend. Now we're soul-brothers too!"
Sol looked at this five-year-old who'd just cheerfully accepted a permanent soul-bond like it was a fun game. And realized that to Godfrey, it wasn't a burden or complication.
It was just friendship taken to its natural conclusion.
"Get some rest," Godfrey said, standing. "I'll tell everyone you're awake. Oh, and Meridith wants to talk to you when you're better. She says she owes you everything." He paused at the door. "Sol? Thank you. For saving me. For saving all of us. You're the best soul-brother anyone could ask for."
He left, leaving Sol alone with his thoughts.
[Current Status][Days Until Thirteen: 14][MP: 12.3/126.4 (Recovering)][New Contract: Meridith (Forest Guardian)][Soul Bond: Godfrey (Permanent)][Reputation: Changed drastically][Note: Everything is different now]
Sol had made his first contract.
Saved his friends.
Nearly died in the process.
And somehow, impossibly, come out stronger for it.
Fourteen days until the Thirteen arrived.
Fourteen days to recover, to understand what he'd become, to prepare for the reunion.
But for now, he just needed to sleep.
And dream of forests, and guardians, and the weight of choices that saved lives but cost something of the soul.
[End Chapter Twelve]
[Status Update][Sol: Recovering from mana exhaustion, first contract made, soul-bonded to Godfrey][Godfrey: Injured but healing, soul-partnership established][Meridith: Contracted to Sol, rehabilitation in progress][Other students: Injured but alive, all saved by Sol's actions][Marcus: Physically unharmed, psychologically impacted][Academy Status: Sol's reputation fundamentally changed][Days Until Thirteen: 14][Note: The quiet child is quiet no longer]