If waking up at 3 a.m. to summon a video game villain was my dumbest mistake, then realizing I was legally soul-married to him might just be number two.
"Explain this… contract." Lucian's deep voice rumbled through my tiny apartment like thunder. He loomed over me, crimson eyes glowing faintly as the rune-mark on his arm pulsed. Mine was on my wrist, still glowing like a neon wristband from hell.
I shoved my phone in his face. "Look! My laptop says you're my familiar now! Which means… I'm the boss of you?"
Lucian tilted his head slowly, like a predator considering if its prey was worth chewing. "Mortal. Do you truly believe that?"
I gulped. "…Yes?"
The air temperature dropped five degrees.
Personal Space Issues
We spent the next hour trying to "test" the bond, which mostly meant me experimenting while Lucian glared.
"Okay, sit."
"I am no dog."
"Fine, stand!"
"…I was already standing."
He crossed his arms, shadows curling around him like living smoke, while I flailed my arms, trying every command that popped into my brain. Nothing.
But when I reached for my cup of instant ramen on the table, something weird happened—he moved too, hand twitching as if he felt it.
I froze. "…Wait. Are you connected to my… cravings?"
Lucian stared at the steaming ramen like it personally offended him. "You summon the Lord of Shadows… and your first desire is noodles?"
"Don't judge me, okay?!"
Clash of Habits
The real problem began when I realized Lucian wasn't planning to leave.
He tried sitting on my beanbag chair. It hissed and sagged under his armored weight, almost swallowing him whole. The sight of the big bad final boss sinking helplessly into a fluffy pink beanbag nearly killed me with laughter.
"Silence," he growled, struggling like a drowning man. "This contraption is cursed."
"That's IKEA," I said between snorts.
Later, he wandered into the bathroom and came back holding my strawberry-scented shampoo like it was an ancient artifact. "This bottle lies. It contains no fruit."
"It's… it's a scent, Lucian."
He looked betrayed.
The Rules… Sort Of
After much chaos, the glowing marks on our skin flared again, revealing floating runes between us. They rearranged into words only we could see:
Rule 1: Familiar must remain within 50 meters of Summoner.Rule 2: Familiar shares Summoner's basic needs (food, rest).Rule 3: Contract cannot be severed without mutual consent or death.
I choked on air. "Wait—so if I die, you—"
Lucian's smile was sharp and unsettling. "Then I perish as well. How… inconvenient."
"Inconvenient?!" I shrieked. "You're tied to me! Don't you dare call me inconvenient!"
He leaned in close, shadows brushing my cheek like cold fingers. "Then prove you're worthy of holding my leash, little mortal."
My face went hot. Why does he say everything like a threat and a pick-up line at the same time?!
Cliffhanger
Before I could retort, a sudden crack echoed from my window. We both turned.
A long clawed hand—scaly, glowing faint green—was prying the window open.
Lucian's smirk vanished, replaced with something sharper, darker. "It seems your world already knows I am here."
And just like that, a creature pulled itself inside.
⚡ End of Chapter 2Hook: The contract is binding in more ways than Ayumi imagined… and monsters are now slipping into her world.