Chapter 3 – The contract
Lilith stood in stillness, her eyes locked on him—not with fear, nor hesitation, but with a calculating calm that only those who had survived countless shadows could possess. She seemed to weigh every possibility, every response she might offer. And yet, despite the storm of thoughts behind her crimson gaze, her words, when they came, were deliberate. Precise.
> "I don't follow the gods."
Her voice was soft, but steady—like a dagger unsheathed in silence.
> "I follow strength. I follow you."
For a moment, she looked almost... happy. As if those words had lifted something buried deep within her. For someone who had lived by manipulation, by betrayal, this was new. This was different.
She hadn't come because a vision told her to.
She had come because he existed.
The elf studied her. Quietly. Carefully. His glowing eyes narrowed, not in judgment—but in thought.
> "I can use strong allies," he murmured, mostly to himself. "I don't know why, but my path... it feels long. Difficult. Twisted."
His mind, once clouded, now grew sharper by the hour. He could think more clearly. Strategize. Sense.
But could he trust her?
Lilith caught the flicker of suspicion in his gaze. She smiled—not sly, not mocking. Knowing.
> "We can form a contract," she offered. "A magical bond that binds us stronger than blood. One that makes betrayal… nearly impossible."
> "A contract?" he echoed, cautious.
> "A fusion of mana," she explained, stepping closer. "One that links us completely. The strongest becomes the master. The other, the servant."
> "Trickery, then." His voice dropped—low, edged with quiet ire. "You wish to bind me… and take control?"
Lilith gave a soft, amused exhale.
> "No, sir. I couldn't even if I tried."
There was no sarcasm in her tone—only something eerily close to reverence.
> "Can't you feel it? Your mana eclipses mine like the sun eclipses candlelight."
He searched her soul, quietly. Something inside him—something beyond magic—felt her intent. Where others would see manipulation, he sensed loyalty. Warped, perhaps. But unwavering.
> "She's dangerous," he thought. "But there's no malice aimed at me."
> "Very well," he said. "I accept. But know this—I have no memories, no land, no name others fear. I am nothing."
> "Then you'll rise from nothing," she said, almost too quickly. "Because power attracts. You are a force unto yourself. And I will teach you what I know... Master."
That word lingered between them.
She drew a blade from beneath her cloak. Without hesitation, she dragged it across her palm—blood welled up like molten ruby. She handed him the knife.
He took it. Cut his own palm without hesitation.
Their hands joined—flesh to flesh, blood to blood.
Lilith's eyes gleamed.
> "This... this feels right."
> "Repeat after me," she whispered, voice suddenly ceremonial.
Together, they spoke—two voices, one vow:
> "By the blood of the earth, the fire of the heavens, and the silence of eternity, we bind our fates together."
> "In darkness, we find our light; in light, we are tempered by shadows. Our bond is eternal, forged in the sacred union of our souls."
> "May our wills be one, our strength unwavering, our paths intertwined, until the end of time."
> "I give you my strength, and you give me yours, for as long as the stars above burn and the earth below endures."
> "This contract is sealed in blood, marked by power beyond the mortal realm. May it never be broken, nor falter, for we are one in this pact."
The moment the final word fell from their lips, the world changed.
A column of light erupted around them—piercing the heavens like a blade of divine fire.
Lilith gasped, trembling as power surged through her veins.
> "Your magic..." she whispered. "It's like an ocean—endless... terrifying."
"I'm yours now. Bound. Forever."
And when she said forever, it was not metaphor.
She was an elder vampire—older than kingdoms, colder than time.
Her vow was not breath.
It was truth , carved into the bones of eternity.
The elf looked at his hand, now pulsing faintly with energy not entirely his own. A strange warmth stirred in his chest—not affection, not trust. But possibility.
> "Then I'll count on you."
His voice was quiet. But his mind raced.
> "If what she says is true... if I truly hold power unlike anything in this world... then I cannot waste it. I must act."
Lilith's voice broke the silence.
> "The light we released... it wasn't just the bond—it was your aura overwhelming mine. That's why it shone so violently. I'm sorry, Master... but others will have seen it."
He stared upward. The sky was still glowing. Still trembling.
> "Then let them come." He smirked, not out of arrogance, but clarity. "You'll prove your worth when they do."
Lilith's smile returned—sharper now, and entirely his.
> "I will. I swear it."
They turned to leave. The forest began to breathe again.
But fate had no intention of giving them rest.
From the shadows, a voice thundered:
> "Was it you?"
The earth shook. The air ignited.
A figure emerged—tall, horned, eyes like twin furnaces. His presence burned hotter than the sun.
Lilith stepped forward instinctively.
> "Master—be careful. His power… it eclipses even mine."
The elf's eyes sharpened. He knew this one would not bow. Not speak. Not offer peace.
> "I am Valtor," the stranger bellowed. "The strongest Draconian. I seek one thing—worthy prey. And now... I have found it."
The wind recoiled.
Even the forest, old and proud, dared not speak.
Between the trees stood the figure—taller than any man, carved like obsidian wrapped in flame. Horns arched from his brow like spears toward the sky. His scaled arms shimmered with volcanic heat, claws glowing faintly, as though recently quenched in lava.
The elf felt the air warp around him. Each breath now carried weight—thick, sulfurous, and humming with restrained violence.
Valtor stepped forward, the earth groaning beneath his talons.
> "You're strong," the Draconian growled. "Too strong for a mere elf. I've tracked power across continents… but none like yours."
Lilith instinctively placed herself between them, but her new master raised a hand.
> "Stand back," he said. Calm. Cold. Focused.
Internally, however, his thoughts surged.
> "He's unlike anything I've encountered. Even Lilith warned me… and she serves without fear. This one—he's not testing me. He's hunting."
The two titans faced each other.
Everything else vanished. The trees blurred. The ground beneath them seemed to stretch and shift. Time lost shape.
Only fire and shadow remained.
> "Let's see what you are," Valtor hissed, baring jagged teeth. "Pray, elf, that you're more than smoke and rumors."
Without warning, the Draconian lunged.
The impact split the ground.
Claws collided with a barrier of shadow, a sudden conjuration from the elf his raised palm. The force of it sent shockwaves spiraling through the forest, trees bending and splintering beneath the invisible blast.
he slid back a step—just one.
Valtor grinned.
> "Good. You didn't die."
didn't respond why would he? Words meant nothing now. His body moved—fluid, efficient, honed by something other than training. He weaved beneath a flurry of burning strikes, shadows swirling at his feet like living smoke.
He struck back.
A fist cloaked in dark mana slammed into Valtor's side.
The Draconian staggered, but only slightly. He laughed.
> "You bleed darkness. Good. Let's burn together."
Fire erupted from Valtor's throat—pure, blistering flame—forcing him to leap back, cloak smoldering at the edges. The inferno chased him, roaring like a beast unleashed.
He spun midair, summoned a barrier of compressed mana, and deflected the blast with an explosion of black sparks.
The forest howled.
Animals fled. Leaves turned to ash.
Only Lilith remained, watching from the edge of the battlefield, eyes wide, breath caught.
> "Master…" she whispered. "He's adapting. Learning. And yet—he hasn't tapped into even a fraction of what I sensed in him."
Within the storm of fire and shadow, the elf breathed.
Each movement became clearer. Each thought sharper.
He saw it.
A pattern.
Every time Valtor struck, his flames receded for just a moment—three seconds of vulnerability. Enough.
> "He's strong," he thought. "Stronger than me—now. But strength without rhythm is chaos. He's wild. Predictable."
Valtor charged once more, bellowing.
> "You falter, elf! Burn!"
Didn't move. Not yet. He waited. One strike. Two. Then—on the third—he saw it. The moment. The pause. The weakness.
He surged forward.
Black mana surged around his fist—dense, suffocating, absolute.
> "You fight with fire." His voice rang through the clash. "But I was born from shadow."
The blow landed.
The forest shattered.
An explosion of dark force flattened the trees in every direction. The earth cracked open. Silence followed, thick and absolute.
When the smoke cleared—
Valtor lay motionless, buried in a crater of scorched soil and splintered roots. His body smoked. One arm twitched. Barely.
Lilith stepped forward, slowly, eyes wide in awe and disbelief.
> "Master… is he dead?"