The words Karmen spoke were clear as day, hanging in the quiet study.
'Damn it. Not another mission,' Lucid thought, weeping and moaning internally as if he did not want any part of it.
"I... I appreciate the offer, but," he began, his words faltering.
"You have other things to do here?" Karmen finished for him.
Lucid staggered, his next words caught in his throat. "No," he admitted, the truth forced out.
Alice spoke from within him. "He is quite sharp. His mind knows no rest."
Lucid managed a fake, insincere laugh. "I mean, what is there to do in that place anyways? It does not concern me. I am just trying to find a way ho—" He stopped abruptly, cutting himself off.
He had almost uttered the words he had stopped himself from saying out loud, a secret he had carried ever since arriving in this world. Alice knew, for she supposedly carried his soul with her, bringing him to this world. But he did not like to mention it. It carried a bitter taste in his mouth, and he feared it would cause further complications.
"Find a way where?" Karmen asked, his gaze intent.
Lucid was stunned, frantically searching for an answer.
Karmen spoke first, rescuing him from the moment. "Well, I read your report from the Vex's third-tier arsenal stationed here. The guards, Bjorn and Gabriel, I suppose."
"Before arriving here, you came from the Secluded Forests where danger lingers. Upon arrival, you mentioned you had been separated from a traveling group. They mentioned you were betrayed. I take it they were your companions."
"He is sharp," Alice observed, speaking her mind.
Lucid was taken aback. The young nobleman who had seemed so friendly now wore a mask of detective-like analysis. He was the governor's son. It was Lucid's own fault for expecting anything less from him. But the truth could still be diverted, reshaped.
"Yes," Lucid confirmed, deciding to build on the half-truth. "I come from a distant land in the Scattered Realms. It was conquered by Materna not too long ago, falling into ruin. Materna's influence caused rifts far too uncontrollable by any person, leading to our kingdom's downfall. Upon leaving with my party members, we were scattered. And I was ultimately betrayed, thrown in as bait by someone I trusted."
It was a statement of half-truths, but the core was real. A part of him wondered why he could not just say the full truth. But there was nothing to gain from that. It would only leave him vulnerable in front of others, no matter how much it seemed like he could trust Karmen, even after living his life seven times, knowing his family and habits. He could never afford to feel that same feeling again, that feeling of being betrayed. Whether out of cowardice or a fear of being rejected, he knew what he wanted. Wanting to trust someone, to have someone at his back, was not something he wished for at the moment. Alice, on the other hand, he did consider an ally. But she was an ally he could, in a sense, wrap a chain around to ensure a measure of control. It was a beneficial alliance where he benefited, and she, presumably, also benefited. If only one party benefited, then what was this alliance even for? He asked himself this silently.
Lucid, for a lack of a better word, was different ever since arriving in this new world. He was less trusting, but he kept the same outwardly lively energy. Now that he had tasted betrayal, he was less prone to showing his weaknesses so freely.
"I understand. It must be hard," Karmen said, his voice softening with genuine empathy.
Karmen smiled gently, nodding to himself as if confirming a thought. "Just know that I am your friend. And if there is anything you need, I will always be here."
Lucid did not buy it. There was nothing clearly beneficial for Karmen in this friendship.
'I suppose I will just play along for now,' he thought, and gave a slow, noncommittal nod.
"Well, I have nothing against it. Sure," Lucid said aloud.
He opened his eyes, casting a direct glare toward Karmen this time. "If the pay is good. And it is in advance this time."
Karmen laughed as if it were some grand joke, managing a tearful laugh. Alice chuckled too within Lucid's mind. But Lucid did not laugh. To him, it was not a joke. He was serious.
"I am serious," he muttered under his breath.
"Did you seriously think I would send you off like last time with nothing, Lucid?" Karmen asked, all formal manners falling away now, carrying a hint of Jake's more casual personality. "I admit, last time it was a bit reckless of me to send you out there, but that was because I was managing between Jake and myself. I tried to craft a fake illusion."
"It was a terrible illusion," Lucid stated flatly.
"It worked nonetheless, did it not? You saw me last evening, thinking I would be there the next day, sending you off on a mission. But little did you know that Jake was waiting for you."
Alice chimed in, her voice gentle. "I admit that I had suspicions Jake and Karmen had something in common. The coincidences that kept happening stacked up on each other, making it obvious, at least to me."
"But rest assured, Lucid," Karmen continued, his expression turning sincere. "I will support you all the way through. In fact, sign this contract. I will hire you."
He slid a single sheet of fine parchment across the polished surface of the oak desk.
Lucid, reading it now, a passive ability for language granted by Alice since he could not read this world's language upon arrival, went through the text carefully. His eyes widened.
"What the," he started.
"Can this even be considered a contract?!" he yelled out, rising from his chair.
Karmen just laughed, his face a picture of mischief.
Lucid's expression grew more contemptuous. "This is a gift."
The contract stated that the party imposing this contract, Karmen Valrious, shall support every need of the other party, Lucid, funneling them with his resources upon any request, amongst other generous bonuses and advantages.
"This is a handout," Lucid muttered, staggered by the sheer one-sidedness of it.
He lifted the offered quill, its tip hovering over the signature line.
"Wait, Lucid!" Alice yelled inside his mind, a sudden spike of alarm in her voice. "Activate your trait! The Chain of Heart!"
He focused. A faint, internal pulse. The world sharpened. His F—ranked perception, weak but present, activated. He looked at the contract again, and this time, he saw through the paper. At the very bottom of the sheet, written in a translucent, nearly invisible ink as if it were watermarked into the parchment itself, was more text.
it read:
***
BINDING CONTRACT OF OBLIGATION AND MUTUAL INHERITANCE
Parties: Karmen Valrious (The Principal) and The Entity Known as "Lucid" (The Agent)
Preamble: Whereas the Principal is subject to a terminal metaphysical condition ("The Predicament"), and whereas the Agent has demonstrated a unique capability to interface with and temporarily assume the operational parameters of the Principal's existence, both parties hereby enter into this binding accord to resolve The Predicament and preserve the legacy of House Valrious
Article I: Scope of Agency
1.1 The Agent is hereby contracted to inhabit, operate, and sustain the physical and social vessel of the Principal for the duration required to resolve The Predicament.
1.2 The Agent's performance shall be measured against the optimal historical outcome as defined in Addendum A: The Fated Tragedy. Any deviation resulting in a net-negative inheritance status for House Valrious shall constitute a breach.
Article II: Term & Time Commitment
2.1 The standard work week for the Agent shall be eighty (80) hours, defined as active engagement with The Predicament's variables (e.g., social maneuvering, threat assessment, strategic planning, direct combat).
2.2 Time spent in passive states (e.g., sleep, unconsciousness, metaphysical resets) does not accrue toward the eighty-hour requirement and is considered unpaid leave.
2.3 The contract term is "Until Resolution," defined as the permanent alteration of the Principal's fated demise without triggering a legacy-inheritance penalty clause. There is no maximum cap on total hours.
Article III: Compensation & Exploits
3.1 In lieu of monetary payment, the Agent shall be compensated with "Continued Existential Integrity," meaning the non-erasure of the Agent's consciousness. This is granted on a week-to-week basis, contingent on performance.
3.2 The Principal retains all rights, titles, and interests to any and all memories, skills, emotional bonds, or metaphysical traits (e.g., Fate Essence proficiency, awakened abilities) developed or acquired by the Agent during the contract term. These are considered "Work Product."
3.3 The Agent explicitly waives any claim to ownership of the physical form operated, any social capital accrued, or any romantic attachments cultivated during operations. These remain the sole property of the Principal's legacy.
3.4 Exploit Clause 3.4a: Should the Agent utilize the Principal's resources to develop a novel solution (e.g., a cure, a tactical innovation), the Principal retains 100% ownership.
Signed,
Karmen Valrious
(Thanks, by the way!)
Accepted by,
***
"Lucid you will essentially sign away your life as a slave." Alice sounded shocked.
"Karmen," Lucid said, his voice dangerously calm. "I knew you had hidden motives, but genuinely, what is this?"
Karmen looked up as if he had been caught in a lie, his smile faltering. "Damn it. I knew I should have hidden it better." He sighed, then chuckled ruefully. You really are sharp as ever, Lucid."
Lucid tore the contract apart with his hands, the sound of ripping parchment loud in the quiet room.
Karmen watched as if his last piece of art was being destroyed. "To hell with this!" Lucid yelled.
Karmen sighed, bowing his head and letting it thump softly against the surface of his desk. Seeing Karmen weep and moan in theatrical despair, Lucid could not help but feel a twinge of sympathy for him.
"I was planning on going anyway, you snake," Lucid grumbled.
"Oh, great!" Karmen's face lit up instantly, all traces of distress gone.
"Then tell me, at least, what I am going to do there."
Karmen's face momentarily darkened, as if remembering something from a distant, painful past. "It is about my brother, Lyle."
"I want you to free his work, a project he worked on. It was hoarded by the neighboring noble house while I was away, researching a cure for the Withering."
Lucid was listening intently now, the pieces of Karmen's earlier story about his brother slotting into place.
"I want you to get it back. Buy it, steal it, do anything you wish. I want my brother's last piece of artwork, his final dream, not held hostage by some greedy bastard who sees it as a mere curiosity or a trophy." Karmen's voice was tight with a mixture of grief and determination. "The house is called Fenshore. They reside in Vex. They are not enemies of my family officially, but they are vultures, capitalizing on weakness. Lyle's 'Atlas Engine' is with them. Bring it home, Lucid. That is the mission."