"You propose a deal?"
Phoebe tilted her head, curiosity flickering in her empty eyes. "What is it?"
"Become my familiar."
She blinked slowly, her empty crystalline eyes boring into my soul. "Are you saying… you would become my master?"
A human becoming the master of an Incarnus. That was unheard of, and for good reason.
Why and how could a god become a familiar, a servant of a human? A blasphemy of the highest order.
Normally, that kind of arrogance would've earned me instant obliteration.
But Phoebe didn't even flinch.
No anger.
No mockery.
Only that faint, hollow curiosity.
"Why would you suggest such a deal?" she asked.
I took a slow breath. "You said you don't care whether you are free or if you die, right?"
Extending my hand, I smiled faintly. "Then how about you give your life to me?"
She stared at my outstretched hand, her empty crystalline gaze meeting mine. "Why should I do that?"
I smirked. "A bit contradictory, don't you think? You claim not to care what happens to your life, yet you question why you should give it to me."
"You have nothing left, Phoebe. You were right about that." I paused, lowering my tone. "But that was the case in this world."
The words came easier than I expected, maybe too easily. "Did you know? I said, my voice softening. "The Order of Lux, the ones who still follow and revere you, is the largest Incarnus faction in Asteris."
"There are many who still wait for you. They wait for you to return and answer their voices with your divine whisper."
Phoebe's empty gaze lingered on me. "You are doing this for Vanis. You want to show her that I do exist."
Wow, I huffed softly.
She is sharp.
"I owe her a lot," I admitted. "But I also want to help you. It… saddens me to see a powerful existence chained and rotting in a pit."
I stepped closer, lowering my voice to a near whisper.
"Abandon this ungrateful world, Phoebe, and follow me into another one, a place where you can be selfish. Where you can be free and be yourself."
Her expression didn't change, but I could sense the faintest tremor beneath her calm.
"Be my familiar," I continued, my words sweet and smooth as honey. "You just have to take my hand. Become my weapon, my partner. Use me as I use you."
My hand hovered between us. "Isn't that better than being chained, in absolute pain, humiliated? And forgotten?" I asked, my tone softening, like a parent comforting their child.
The silence that followed was quite deafening.
I met her hollow, calm gaze, and the ghost of a smile crept up my lips.
"So… what will it be, Phoebe of the Restoration?"
Her silence stretched for a long moment before she finally spoke. "With me, an Incarnus, as your familiar, you will have unimaginable power in your grasp."
"With your command, I could raze whole worlds… or save them. Using me, you could easily become High King, the most powerful man, feared by even Incarni."
I couldn't help but laugh. "You're right. I could do that. But…"
I held her gaze, letting her see the quiet finality in my eyes. "I have no desire for the throne, Phoebe, or to be powerful."
"Then what is it that you desire?" she asked softly.
"I just want a free and fun life," I exhaled slowly. "One filled with adventures."
Something faint flickered in Phoebe's eyes when she heard my words. "A free and fun life…" she murmured, as if trying to figure out the meaning behind those words.
I nodded. "Yes. And deep inside, beneath that divine selflessness and that immense emptiness, there is still that primal desire inside of you to be free, to be selfish."
The Incarnus didn't respond, but I saw it in her eyes, a tiny glimmer of hope flickering amidst the emptiness in those crystalline irises.
She sighed, a sound that barely carried breath.
"Well…. as I said before. I don't care what happens to my life."
"So yes," she nodded.
Her voice changed, and her eyes began to glow.
"I accept your contract, Mordred Pendragon. I will become your familiar, and you… will become my master."
The air fractured like glass. A ripple of divine energy burst outward, washing over me like the breath of a sleeping god exhaled into the world.
Giving the Incarnus an uncertain glance, I asked. "So that's it?"
"No," Phoebe said, her voice back to normal. "We still need to do a Soul Bond."
My brows furrowed.
A Soul Bond is a powerful Code used on spirits, where the summoner and the spirit are bonded with each other for life.
But a Soul Bond with a god…
"Is it possible?" I asked, looking at her. "You are an Incarnus, not a spirit."
"It is possible," Phoebe replied. "The Soul Bond was originally used by Incarni to create contracts for the mortals they chose to share their powers with."
"But in our case, we could modify it such that you are the contractor and I the contactee."
She tugged weakly at her chains. "Take my blood and mix it with yours. I will tell you what to do."
I nodded and did what she said, drawing some of her blood from her bleeding wrists.
The silver ichor was cold to the touch. It slowly warmed against my skin.
I bit my lip until blood flowed down my chin, and I mixed it with Phoebe's while activating the Code.
Under her guidance, I modified the code carefully with precise ardor control, like a master weaver creating a tapestry.
I manipulated the rune sequence and soon, a thin string of silver and crimson snaked between us, attaching its ends to our hearts or, more specifically, our souls.
A cold shudder of energy washed over me, and my breath hitched.
I feel… I feel…
Nothing?
I frowned. "Did it work?"
"It did work," Phoebe's voice echoed in my head, cold, crystalline, and near weightless. Her lips never moved.
I admit, it caught me off guard.
I blinked. "Whoa. We can talk… telepathically?"
She nodded and spoke. "Yes. And you can turn it on and off whenever you want, and if you focus carefully, you will detect a faint energy trail connecting us both."
"We can even share senses," she added, her tone quieter. "I blocked off this because I don't want you to feel the pain I am currently experiencing."
"Well, thank goodness for that," I muttered. "I honestly had had enough of pain."
I studied her for a second, a grin tugging at my lips.
Let's test this out, shall we?
"Phoebe," I said. "Stick your tongue out."
She froze, expression unreadable, then, to my utter delight, obeyed, sticking her tongue out with a blank expression.
"Was that necessary?" She asked flatly, looking quite confused.
I tried to hold my laughter and coughed. "I just wanted to see if it works."
"According to the Code modifications," I continued, "you'll retain free will most of the time. You'll only have to obey direct commands."
"You… gave me free will?" Phoebe asked again, a faint surprise flickering across her features.
"Yeah?" I replied. "I'm a terrible person, but I'm not Lilith."
"Now then," my eyes drifted toward the black chains shackled around her wrists and the Agony Thorns embedded into her flesh. "Time to set you free."
I cautiously hovered my hand over one of the chains. A painful chill radiated from the black metal, and I felt a sharp pain just from bringing my hand closer to it.
I grimaced. This is going to be painful.
Due to Elariax's power, I am unable to use any codes, but I could use basic control of my ardor and strand.
So, I accelerated my blood and covered my left hand in ardor before grabbing the chain.
Immediately, a biting cold spread all over my arm, tearing through my muscle and bone, and an intense, sharp pain caused my knees to buckle.
Even with the coating of ardor protecting my body, it felt like frost fire searing my nerves.
Gritting my teeth, I took a deep breath and tightened my grip, trying to crush the links, but they didn't even dent.
I compressed my aura and directed it onto the chains. The air shook, and the other chain rattled, but I barely did any damage while the pain became even worse.
Eventually, I had to let go of the chain and collapsed to my knees before Phoebe.
"I assume the same is the case for the Agony Thorns?" I rasped.
She nodded, offering a hollow smile. "These chains are heavily enchanted to resist my full power."
"Makes sense," I muttered. "What about blades?"
"You'll need a power equivalent to Naberiax's blade," she answered in a detached tone.
As I was stewing over a solution, a powerful wave of ardor swept over me
And this time, it wasn't from Phoebe.
"It was my mistake to assume that you wouldn't attempt anything drastic." Elariax's distorted and regal voice swept over me like a tidal wave of frost, paralyzing me in place.
I turned toward the doorway. The daemon stood framed by the open doors, towering. Her body was a silhouette of drifting black cloth that floated and coiled like living shadows.
Her eyes burned like twin neutron stars between black silk.
When her gaze shifted to Phoebe, I noticed a subtle reaction, as if she were surprised.
"Your Majesty." Her voice was soft, almost reverent. "I haven't seen this form of yours in a very long time."
Her face was expressionless, but beneath the glassy calm, an ancient, cold fury flickered to life. It was faint yet unmistakable.
My lips curved into a smirk. You could deny it all you want, Incarnus, but your true emotions will never be snuffed out by time.
"And it's been millennia since I saw you," Phoebe murmured, her hollow voice drifting like mist. Her gaze went over Elariax, as if analyzing her. "You look better in black."
Elariax stiffened. Her eyes narrowed as she gazed intently at Phoebe's chest, particularly at her heart.
"Your Majesty…" she whispered, her tone trembling. "Do you realize what you've done?"
Looks like she found out about the Soul Bond. Elariax sure has sharp senses.
Actually…
I glanced at the chains, and an idea sparked in my mind.
"Phoebe," I called her telepathically.
"Yes, Mordred?"
"Only one chain needs to be broken, right? You could manage with that, right?"
A moment of silence passed before she answered. "It will be very difficult and painful… but I could work with that. However, I need time."
I suppressed the urge to grin like a maniac. "Don't worry about that. I have an idea."
I ended the link before she could protest and turned to Elariax.
"Phoebe did what she had to." I walked casually and stepped beside the Incarnus, my eyes fixed on Elariax.
My lips curled into what I hope is an evil smile. "She handed over her life to me on a silver platter. Now I'm her master."
The next moment blurred. It was too quick for me to even register without Transcendence.
My abdomen exploded in cold, burning agony, and it immediately spread all over my body.
Amidst the intense pain, I looked down to see a black cloth piercing my stomach. Every part of my insides that it touched felt like cold, burning acid.
"You vile creature," Elariax's voice was calm, barely restraining her utter rage.
Despite the pain, I continued to grin, tilting my head at the right spot.
My voice was filled with cold malice. "I think I know what I'll make her do now."
Immediately, I activated Transcendence, and the world slowed to a crawl.
And just in time.
I saw the thin edge of a black strip coming right for my face, ready to slice it in half.
It was only an inch from my face, and the only thing I could do was tilt my head.
Pain exploded on the side of my head as it sliced my left ear.
Warm blood splattered across my cheek and neck. I staggered, half-deaf, half-laughing.
I did not care about my amputated ear or the disorientation, as my sense of balance was destroyed.
What I cared about was the sound picked up by my other ear.
The sharp clatter of a chain falling against stone.
Elariax's eyes widened like my grin as I turned around.
Phoebe lowered her left arm for the first time in millennia.
The Incarnus of Lux has been freed.
Almost.