"Right here? Right now?!"

Myrin had expected him to attempt this, but he was not expecting it to happen while they were under house arrest… The guard positioned outside their door was still there after all. Wouldn't it cause issues?

Aware of his concerns, Soren shrugged. "Not like we have any time to waste. Besides—I don't feel comfortable being this weak surrounded by potential enemies."

Myrin immediately understood what he meant… Elder Kaalan was too powerful. And with others like Isha and Uruk being in this village, they stood no chance if anything broke out between them. Still, that didn't really get rid of his worries—it only made them worse.

"Cassia already promised to help us remove the seals placed on us… Aren't you being a bit too impatient?"

Soren nodded, "Even if that were the case, we don't know how long it would take her to convince the elders, if at all… If the Blossom Sword Flower shows up, we will stand no chance against her."

Following his logic, the Elven Songster found no way to disagree… Nothing he said was wrong in the slightest. At the moment, the only advantage they held was through their Soul Weapons and magitech devices. Having something else to utilize during this time could be the difference between life and death. A Tier 6 Sacred Treasure was nothing to scoff at.

"Still," Myrin crossed his arms, "doing this behind their backs… Won't it just make it harder for them to trust us?"

"Who said we're doing it behind their backs?" Soren replied with a quip. "The guard outside can hear everything we say."

Myrin's lips twitched slightly. Concern grew with every fold in his brow.

Soren chuckled. "Don't you remember what Elder Kaalan said? That he was going to watch over us? Those weren't words spoken in the moment—he meant them. That magecraft seal… I haven't analyzed it with [Eyes of the Fairy], but I am sure it has numerous other functions besides restricting our anima.

"No, from what I've observed, it doesn't even look like a magecraft spell… Likely, it was created through some ability granted to him by a Sacred Treasure. Magecraft cannot persist outside a person's Soul Realm unless its powered by something—unlike Mysteries."

Myrin shook his head with a slight frown, "So then why are we still doing this, despite that?"

"Because it will help us build trust." Soren responded while pulling out the Blood Amulet from his pocket.

Hearing his words, Myrin only became more confused. Soren noticed this then chuckled. He continued to explain his backwards logic:

"It's simple really. Elder Kaalan already learned of our relationship with Cassia. Thankfully, with the anima pouring endlessly from the Beacon of Guidance, I doubt he was able to fully tap in and understand our conversation… And since it's the Holy Shrine Maiden, he would also not want to pry into her secrets—that would be sacrilegious.

"Still, his expectations have been set. He knows that we have a goal in mind, but he doesn't know what it is. So we might as well remove all his suspicions and show him." Soren said this casually, as if it was the most normal thing to do.

And yet, Myrin again couldn't disagree. If they had stayed silent during the entire stay, it would only make the guards and everyone else more distrustful of them… Showing what they were after was also a form of quelling doubt.

"The oldest and most primal fear is the fear of the unknown." Soren laid down the amulet on the floor and sat before it in a lotus position. "So we might as well show Elder Kaalan what it is we desire…" He looked around the room and smiled,

"Isn't that right, Elder?"

There was no response, but Soren knew that he heard it.

Staring into the amulet, Soren's smile only widened. "As for you… have you thought over my offer? I am sure you realized it already—your former owner is vying to consume you… But if you help me, perhaps I can convince him otherwise?"

Tazzith will consume you regardless, Soren thought, but didn't show it on his face. Using [Eyes of the Fairy], he glanced at the amulet to obtain more information. The ancient tome glowed in a hue of gold as the mysterious fountain pen began to write down what the amulet was saying.

Amended Contractual Price: Must consume two liters of your blood a day. Three sacrificial Spirit Beasts must be given every three days. And every usage of the desired skills must be exchanged with equivalent knowledge. Dreams may be plagued with the nightmares of consumed creatures.

Soren's lips twitched slightly after reading over the terms. His elven companion glanced at him—half with pity, and half with guilty pleasure.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Soren glanced at him with a frown.

"Of course not!~"

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He shook his head then glanced at the amulet again. "Are these really your terms? Perhaps I should allow Tazzith to consume you after all…"

The crimson jewel pulsed in a frantic rhythm. The Records chronicled its thoughts one more:

Amended Contractual Price: Must consume one and a half liters of your blood a day. Two sacrificial Spirit Beasts must be given every five days. Rest of the terms still apply.

Soren stared at the terms again, this time smiling. "I see… But isn't this still more than what you were initially asking of me a while ago? I remember it being only a single liter of blood and the Spirit Beast sacrifices being every week…"

The jewel glowed a deep crimson, as if pulsing with anger, but also… he could sense its fear. Seeing this, Soren simply laughed.

"Kidding, I'm kidding! Don't worry—im not going to haggle you to death. We're partners now after all, aren't we?" As he said this, he held the amulet in his hands tightly, as if trying to shatter it.

Watching the spectacle unfold, Myrin couldn't help but frown and shake his head slightly. His pity had shifted to the amulet now.

"What?" Soren lifted a brow.

"I'm just wondering whether you signed a contract with a daemon's Sacred Treasure—or if you were the daemon all along."

Soren frowned. "That's rude…" He stared deeply into the amulet. "Don't tell me you agree with him too?"

The ancient book recorded its thoughts on the matter:

No! No, no no!

Soren smiled, "See? It loves me."

Watching this unfold with disgust in his eyes, Myrin shook his head again.

"Alright, let us begin… I agree with these terms, Heartdrinker Sigil." As he said this, Soren took off his robed mantle and his linen shirt. Sitting in the cold with only the armor Tina had given him prior to their journey was not a very exciting endeavor, but it needed to be done. He was also covered in bandages from his fight against Rodrick—the damage to his body had not fully healed yet.

Soren took off the chestplate he had been wearing and stared at it for a few moments in silence.

"Tina was right. It really did come in handy." The countless dents and scratches covering it was proof of that. Without its help, he would have gotten far more injured from Rodrick's final attack… Those stone scales charged with electricity were no joke—each one could have likely punctured one of his organs.

Myrin sighed. "Tina always loves to nag, but she never tells a lie."

"I wonder what they're up to now? They should have made it to the Selkie Federation, right?"

He nodded, "With the help of the airship, yes. It's across the border after all. I am sure Luvinica will treat them well."

Placing the armor on the floor, he began to unravel the bandages he was covered in. Countless wounds were seen—some bruises, others remnants of old punctures… Though, all of them were almost done closing. Myrin's healing magecraft truly was miraculous. It was nothing more than cell regeneration, but without his expertise in making sure the wounds closed naturally, it would have been useless in anyone else's hands.

Soren glanced at his elven companion and smiled. "I'm going to need your help again."

"I know, I know," Myrin sighed deeply. "I don't think I'll ever get used to your recklessness." As he said this, the Elven Songster positioned himself behind Soren and pulled out his Artist's Wand. A mystical tune began to play, one that caused the very air in the room to shift. It was as if a vibrant perfume had taken over the room.

Soren instantly felt all his pain leave his body.

He then shifted his gaze toward the amulet. "Take your pay." He offered his wrist to the crimson jewel. The ancient relic did not hesitate, the jewel began to shake violently, then a strange red liquid began to melt from its form. It instantly rushed for his arm.

Soren didn't have any time to react. The moment the liquid touched him, a burning sensation instantly overwhelmed everything. His eyes momentarily rolled back as he screamed loudly in anguish.

But the tribulation wasn't over.

The pores on his skin began to widen as the crimson liquid slithered its way inside… It squirmed across his flesh, like maggots… spreading across his blood stream. Weakness began to take shape. The world turned blurry as his limbs no longer had any strength to hold him up.

He writhed in pain on the floor, spazzing endlessly as the amulet gorged on his blood. More and more of it was consumed—it felt like endless torture in that moment. His only salvation was the soothing music playing in his ears, but even that wasn't helping him for long. Eventually, his eyes shut down—blindness took over, and with it, a slight hinge of panic.

But rather than cry, Soren laughed. He laughed and laughed and laughed. Endlessly. As if to mimic the choir. Perhaps he thought finding joy in the suffering would ease it. But all it did was make the amulet more confident in its consumption.

"I swear to the gods, dead or alive, that I will use you… I will make every drop of my blood worth the price… Just you wait…"

As he said this, the amulet stopped. Not out of fear, but simply out of obligation. It had consumed its due. Then, without hesitation, its form melted into blood inscribed with countless shifting runes, rushing toward the openings in his skin and merging with his blood stream.

The pseudo contract was completed. Soren had obtained the Heartdrinker Sigil.

"Haa… Haa… That… wasn't so bad, was it?" He stared at Myrin who was looking at him with both shock and awe. The Elven Songster rushed to his side.

"I can't heal you without my magecraft… You'll have to rest for now. I'll see if I can get someone to help from the village."

"There's no need." A rather deep voice entered their ears. It was one that both of them recognized.

Elder Kaalan was speaking to them telepathically.

"I have consulted the Holy Shrine Maiden. She believes we can trust you. I will honor her words."

Without a second to spare, both of them felt as if something within had shattered. Raw power and control coursed through Soren's heart—he immediately knew what it was.

The seal was broken. He could expand his Soul Realm once more.

Myrin bowed deeply. "Thank you for your trust."

Soren laid on the floor in anguish and smiled. "Well, I guess we can expect their demands to increase now…"

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