Lilith was surprised by the turn of events. She did not expect a newbie like Axel to be able to change the Soul Contract that she herself had created.
She did not doubt Gizmo's involvement, as she was well aware of the extent of information that an AI of 'The Starship Empire' could have. But due to being short on time, Lilith had to carry on regardless.
She willed the contract near her and closely monitored it inch by inch to see what changes had been made. She breathed a sigh of relief upon noticing that the change had been a minor one. She simply concluded that maybe Gizmo might have helped the boy (Axel).
The change in the Soul Contract was a simple one. While other aspects of the contract had not been altered, the modification concerned the skill to be transferred. According to the new contract, the skill had to be transferred by Lilith immediately after signing, and the skill needed to be a powerful one.
Lilith merely thought that Axel had been consumed by his greed, which was normal considering the contract's terms. Axel only had to deliver on his part upon reaching level 5 as an Elementalist, which could be many years or decades from now, and in return he would get a strong skill from a higher lifeform.
Anyone would be drooling over such a bargain. But Lilith surmised that due to his mortal greed, he simply wanted the skill to be powerful and wanted it right now.
The only hidden aspect (that only Lilith knew) was that the moment Axel signed the contract, he would become Lilith's slave and would slowly be brainwashed by the Soul Contract itself. While he would get a skill and would have to help with the ritual upon reaching level 5, he would become a slave, thus fulfilling any wish of Lilith in the meantime.
The Soul Contract floated around Lilith for a while and then came to an abrupt stop. A single drop of blood came out of Lilith's eye and submerged into the Soul Contract.
The contract then started hovering toward Axel. The blood-red contract now hovered directly above Axel, and a chilling sensation washed over him. He could feel an unseen force, a malevolent energy, seeping into his very being. His heart pounded in his chest with a mix of fear and anticipation. He called for Gizmo, seeking reassurance.
[Axel, focus!] Gizmo shouted, his voice urgent. [Now, imagine your core as a sun, radiating energy outward.] Axel closed his eyes, concentrating on his core. He visualized a miniature sun, a source of immense power, pulsing within him. Slowly, he began to loosen his grip on this inner sun, allowing its energy to flow freely.
The contract absorbed whatever little elemental energy was present within Axel's body. Then a single drop of blood emerged from Axel's forehead and entered the Soul Contract.
The requirements were now complete. The Soul Contract had captured the elemental energy of both signees and blood from both had been collected.
The contract now started glowing with a crimson hue, and otherworldly energy began pouring out, filling the whole room. The texts of the contract started flowing outward, and each text formed an interlocking connection with a nearby text, thus forming a chain.
The chain was blood-red in colour, moving and hovering in the air like a snake ready to devour its prey. The other part of the contract condensed into a small red orb, rotating and emitting strong, mysterious power.
The forming chain wasn't merely blood-red - it was the colour of the universe's first wound, a hue so profound it hurt to perceive. Its links were forged from compressed time, each segment containing frozen moments of countless damned souls who'd signed similar pacts. The orbiting orb of condensed contract energy pulsed like a dying heart, its surface occasionally parting to reveal glimpses of the infinite hellscape within.
Axel had a bad premonition seeing the lethal chain hovering in midair. Gizmo had not mentioned anything of the sort beforehand, and thus Axel feared what he had anticipated earlier.
But what Axel had anticipated never came to pass. The menacing blood-red chain shot toward Lilith, quickly submerging within her forehead - a window to one's soul.
The newly formed orb descended upon Axel, its ethereal glow contrasting sharply with the sinister crimson of the original. As it submerged within his forehead, a surge of power coursed through him, and a newfound understanding filled his mind.
The Chain that was meant for Axel had now descended onto Lilith and the mysterious orb was now within Axel.
Lilith was furious with the turn of events. "What... what have you done?" she hissed, her voice filled with venom. She was so enraged that her trick had been reversed onto herself. The room started shaking with the power Lilith was emitting.
While Axel might have been ignorant of the Soul Contract's full power, Lilith knew very well that there was no going back. She also feared the vicious brainwashing that she had implanted earlier.
Her only option was to self-destruct together with the trickster who had outplayed her. She was unwilling but knew this was the only way out.
Her haste had become the reason for her downfall, and now she was ready to go down.
The elemental energy started creating chaos all around. Axel could feel his blood boiling from within. He knew if something wasn't done, his body would explode from the sudden external pressure.