When Loyalty Burns Brighter Than Fear
The last drop of blood hissed as it touched the ancient parchment—sharp, final, like the end of something sacred. Then silence. A soft, red shimmer rippled across the scroll's surface, rising slowly into the air like smoke from burning incense. It danced upward in lazy tendrils before vanishing, leaving no trace. Just heat in the air… and the sharp, pulsing stillness of too many eyes watching.
Leon stood at the center of the hall, unmoving. His spine was straight, posture solid, face unreadable. Both hands held the scroll steady as it pulsed faintly with light—just for a single heartbeat. Then it flickered. Broke. Disintegrated into golden sparks that scattered and disappeared like ash. The warmth lingered in the air. So did the silence. And so did the weight.
Inside his head, a faint chime rang like a bell struck far away.
[System Notification: 717th Blood Contract Signed Successfully.]
