The glowing interface floated lazily above Kael's palm, letters shifting in the air like smoke and fire.
[Reminder]: A Spirit Master candidate must contract a spirit pet. The contract is formed with a demon egg. Signing the contract grants privileges, determines affinity, and may—if luck permits—allow multiple spirit bonds.
Kael scowled, dragging his fingers through his damp hair. "Contract? What the fuck is this—signing my soul to the devil?"
His voice had come out loud, forgetting this was supposed to be an inner thought. The system pulsed.
[Clarification]: Not a devil. A spirit pact. Contract determines ownership, loyalty, and ability growth—
"Yeah, yeah, sounds like legal slavery with extra paperwork." Kael muttered, flicking his palm as if the thing would vanish.
Behind him, the room was dead silent—until wood scraped against the floor.
Jorin, still red with humiliation, snatched his study chair and hurled it at Kael's head with a roar.
Kael didn't even glance up. One hand snapped into the air, catching the wooden chair mid-flight. The impact echoed like thunder, and then—crack—he set it down beside him without breaking stride.
His gaze cut toward Jorin. Cold. Dangerous. For a moment, the room's temperature dropped.
Then the system beeped.
[Answering query 3]: Demon eggs are distributed to all students attending higher institutions upon their eighteenth year. Allocation is compulsory.
Kael's glare softened back into a deadpan, redirecting his attention to the floating script.
"You serious?" He raised a brow. "So earlier you told me I needed to choose a spirit pet, but now you're saying the damn thing's auto-delivered like some kind of twisted birthday present? Which is it?"
The system responded at once, calm and clinical:
[Correction]: One does not choose the pet. One chooses the type of contract. The egg determines the spirit. The contract determines the bond.
Kael threw his free hand into the air. "Fuck me sideways. So basically it's Pokémon, but with fine print."
"Oi." Jorin's voice cracked, furious but shaky. His arms were crossed, knuckles white. His eyes narrowed on Kael like he didn't recognize him anymore. "What the fuck is your problem? You humiliate me, soak my girl, throw shade, and then act like some cold bastard talking to invisible screens? You're fucking weird, man."
Kael didn't even blink. The system was still droning in his palm, but he gave it a lazy flick, shutting it off with a scoff.
"Bogus."
The glowing panel fizzled out, leaving the dorm in awkward silence. Kael finally looked back toward the bed, still drenched and dripping onto the floorboards. He tilted his head.
"You planning to keep staring at me, Jorin, or are you trying to eye-fuck me because I cockblocked you? Because if that's the case, I'll need more ice water."
Jorin's face twisted crimson. "Shut the fuck up!"
Kael leaned against his desk, bored, arms crossed. "Jesus. Look at you. You're about one decibel away from turning into a kettle. Instead of wasting energy changing skin tones to the darkest shade of tomato red, why don't you fix the fucking swamp you made of my bed?"
"Your bed?" Jorin barked a laugh, incredulous. "I live here too, dumbass! We're roommates. Which means your bed is basically mine when you're not in it!"
Kael's brows shot up. "That's… wow. That's some Olympic-level horseshit logic right there. So by your definition, if you leave the dorm, I can piss in your shoes and claim squatter's rights?"
Jorin's jaw clenched. "Not the same."
"Sure, buddy." Kael smirked. "Tell you what—next time you feel the urge to rail someone, do us all a favor and pick a dark alley instead of my fucking sheets." He pointed lazily at the dripping mattress. "Seriously. That thing's seen enough trauma today."
Jorin's fists balled, his shoulders shaking. "You're such an asshole, Kael."
"Correction." Kael stepped forward, eyes sharp but tone calm. "I used to be a pushover. A spineless little wimp who'd beg to be picked as a substitute in practice drills. That Kael's dead. So yeah—if being an asshole means not letting you shit all over me anymore, then congratulations. I'm your new asshole."
For a heartbeat, Jorin faltered, staring at him like he was seeing a stranger.
The tension thickened, silence pressing in—until Kael broke it with a lazy sigh.
"Now seriously, mop up your fuck juices before I burn this bed and tell the dorm matron you jizzed on her property."
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That night, Kael tossed in his bunk, sweat glistening along his temple.
The dream took him.
He was Alex again. Just a worn-out student with a shitty night shift that ended at 2 a.m., dragging his feet through empty streets. The neon signs of cheap diners flickered above him. His car sat unused back at his place—no point driving when home was only a few blocks away.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He fished it out, eyes narrowing at the caller ID.
Hannah.
He sighed. "What the hell do you want at this hour…"
His mind spun through possibilities as the phone vibrated in his hand."Pregnant? Nah. Pullout game strong. That's not it.Money? Already gave her some this morning. Strike two.Bad dream where I cheated? …That's Delilah's thing. Hannah's not that weird.Been a week since we started dating… oh, right. Probably a breakup call. Classic."
The phone buzzed again, persistent. He swiped.
"Yeah?"
Her voice came soft, sweet. "Hey, Alex. I'm sorry to call this early. Were you already asleep?"
Alex huffed. "Nah. Just finished my shift. Heading home."
"Oh." Relief colored her tone, then it cracked into hesitation. "You're… you're such a nice guy. Honestly. You've been nothing but kind, and I really, really appreciate it."
Alex rolled his eyes to the dark sky. "Spare me the sugarcoating. Get to the point."
She flinched audibly through the line. Then came the words. "I don't think this is working. You're… too emotionally detached. I feel like you're unlovable, Alex. I'm sorry. I just… can't do this."
"Alright. Cool." His thumb ended the call without a second thought.
No begging. No pleading. Just the same dull script he'd heard before. Every girl said it, eventually. Too cold. Too empty. Not enough.
He stuffed the phone back in his pocket, muttering, "Longest run was what, a month? Can't even beat my own record. Fucking pathetic."
He looked up—
Headlights.
The world exploded.
BOOM!
The impact hurled him like a ragdoll. Bones shattered. The asphalt kissed his face with fire and glass. For a heartbeat, everything froze.
His own pulse thundered in his ears.Then slowed.Slowed.
Until there was nothing.
He jolted awake in agony.
A different body. Blood pooling around him. Ribs broken, lungs punctured, heart minutes from failing.
"What the fuck—" He gasped, clutching at a chest that wasn't his. Pain seared through every nerve, yet he couldn't die. Not yet. Not when something in the dark was dragging his soul deeper—forcing it into this half-dead vessel.
A scream rattled in his skull. The boy's scream. The original Kael Ardyn. And then silence. His soul snuffed like a candle.
Alex—no, Kael—drew in a sharp breath. "Shit."
And then, just as suddenly, the scene twisted.
The pain bled away. The blood vanished.
He was in a cellar.
Stone walls slick with condensation. Chains dangling like iron fangs. The air was thick with mold and the faint coppery sting of blood.
Kael sat up, blinking. "Okay. Not the ER. Not the morgue. Just my luck, hell comes with décor."
A whisper scraped against the stone.
"...you shouldn't be here."
Kael spun, fists clenching. "No shit. Want to give me a map out, Casper?"
The shadows shifted. A pair of eyes—glowing faintly blue—stared at him from the corner.
"This body… it wasn't yours to take."
Kael's mouth tightened. He stepped closer, sarcasm masking his unease. "Listen, buddy, I didn't exactly fill out an application. One second I'm roadkill, the next I'm bleeding out in your skin. So don't haunt me for free housing."
The eyes narrowed. "You carry two lives now. One ended, one stolen."
"Stolen?" Kael scoffed. "Look, pal, you were dying anyway. Call it recycling."
The whisper hissed louder, chains rattling as though stirred by wind. "The contract will come. The choice will bind you. Strength… or death."
Kael swallowed hard despite himself. The cellar quaked. The eyes blinked out.
Darkness swallowed everything.
And then he was back in bed, bolting upright with sweat pouring down his face, the system's glow faintly humming above his palm—
[Notification]: Spirit Contract sequence pending. 6 days remaining until Academy Trials.
Kael dragged his hands down his face, muttering, "Fucking fantastic. Haunted by ex-girlfriends in life, haunted by dead souls in dreams. This world just loves me."