Den slowly slithered down from my bed. His white body slid across the floor with a faint sound, and then he curled up and went to sleep in the space near the wall beside my bookshelf. His breathing became light and steady—as if this room was now safe for him as well. I myself was also about to sleep. But before moving toward the bed, my gaze naturally fell on that book. I slowly walked up to it and looked at it. Before going to sleep, Den had told me that this book was a kind of grimoire—a book that is given to every licensed Paragon. In it, Paragons write their experiences, record their spells, and store many important pieces of information related to the Paragon World. I stood near the book. There was dim light in the room, and outside, the night had grown completely deep. I tried once again to turn its pages. But… this time as well, I couldn't do it. My fingers were on the pages, but they felt frozen. The pages didn't move at all. I thought to myself—Even after becoming a Paragon, why is it still so difficult to turn these pages…? But this time, I didn't apply more force. For some unknown reason, I felt that forcing it wouldn't be right. I gently closed the book. Then another thought came to my mind. I should return it to the basement, back into the same box… But the very next moment, I stopped myself. It was already very late. I could clearly feel my exhaustion now. Not today, I decided. Tomorrow morning… or at night, I would quietly go and put it back. Without anyone knowing. For now, I placed the book on the shelf of my study table. Den was sleeping. The book was in its place. And I… was finally truly ready to sleep.
I went back to my bed and lay down on it. As soon as I lay down, my gaze fell on that same ring which had been a holo not long ago. Now it rested calmly on my finger, as if nothing had happened. I stared at it for a few moments. Then I closed my eyes and fell asleep. And then… as soon as morning came, that same morning light fell on my face. Soft sunlight filtered through the curtains, slowly dissolving the depth of my sleep. My eyes slowly opened. I placed my feet on the ground beside the bed. And at that very moment… I felt as if someone was touching my feet. A jolt ran through my body. I immediately looked down at my feet. There… were black hands. Completely black. And right beside my feet, I saw a strange spirit. That spirit's entire body was pitch black. Wrapped around its body was a torn blue cloth, because of which its face could not be seen. Around its body, a faint blue aura was visible. The moment I saw it, a wave of fear ran through me. I jolted upright, stepped back, and stood pressed against the wall. The room was still filled with the same morning light. But for me… that moment had suddenly changed completely.
I hadn't screamed yet. My heart was pounding violently, but my voice was stuck in my throat. Panicking, I asked the spirit, "Y-you… who are you…?" The spirit looked at me. Then slowly stood up from its place. Took one step forward. Then another. And then stopped at exactly an arm's distance from me. Lightning surged through my body. I extended my hands. The electricity flowing inside me began gathering in my palms. I tried to attack, but I couldn't. Then—suddenly—the spirit dropped to its knees on the floor. Its head bowed down. And then, from its mouth, a single word came out—"Master…" At that moment—my eyes widened completely. My ears couldn't believe what they had just heard. Master…? My mind went into complete chaos.
Actually… when last night, when Jona had stolen that book from the basement and activated that symbol—from which Den emerged—at that same time… through that very symbol, a spirit had also come into this world from the Underworld. But at first, no one realized it. That spirit waited silently. For Jona to fall asleep. So that it could take control of his body. When everything had gone quiet, and Jona's body lay motionless on the bed—that's when the spirit came close. And tried to enter his body. But… it couldn't enter. Nor could it harm him. The very next moment— the ring on Jona's finger glowed intensely red. From it, terrifying dark energy burst out. That dark energy surrounded the spirit from all sides. It began to feel unbearable pain. The spirit felt as if it was being forcibly purified. It wanted to scream—but no sound came out. Somehow, it survived that process—but… from that moment on, everything changed. Now—in the present time—that spirit had become Jona's loyal servant. Because of that ring.
And at the right moment, my panic slowly began to fade. Because… that spirit had called me "Master." Still—I immediately called out to Den. "Den…!" The very next moment—he slithered out from beneath the bookshelf. His eyes were still half-closed. "What happened…?" he asked drowsily. But then—his gaze fell on the spirit sitting beside me. And—he was completely shocked. "A… spirit… here?" His eyes widened. Then—after a few seconds—he understood. "When I came through that portal…" Den muttered, "this spirit must have followed me through the same portal." Then his expression grew more serious. "But this is very rare," Den said. "In the Underworld, creatures and spirits have separate regions." "It is very rare for a spirit to enter the land of creatures." "And even if it does—" his voice turned cold— "dangerous creatures sense its different type of Aurum and hunt it down." Den looked at the spirit. "However you came here," he said sternly, "go back the same way—to the Underworld." But—Den's gaze was still fixed on the spirit. Because… there was one thing that still puzzled him. This spirit… was still sitting calmly. Not frightened. Obedient. As if— it was already bound to someone.
Then Den remained silent for a few moments. His eyes were locked on the spirit, and it was clear he had reached a conclusion. He then looked at me. "Jona," he said slowly but clearly, "I would suggest that you form a contract with this spirit." I was slightly surprised. My gaze shifted to the spirit. Den stepped forward and directly questioned the spirit—"If you want to stay with us, tell us your ability." The spirit bowed its head. The faint blue aura around its body trembled. "My ability is," it said, "that by touching anything… I can adapt myself into its form." My eyebrows tightened. The spirit immediately added—"But there are conditions." It paused for a moment, then continued—"If I touch a living thing, I can take its form… but I cannot make it fully alive." It pointed to its own body. "In that case, I become nothing more than a standing puppet. Same on the outside… but empty inside." The spirit continued explaining—"And no matter what I transform into, whenever I transform—my body remains completely blue. And my form is transparent. One can see through me." It looked at me. "And also understand this—only Paragons can see me." Silence filled the room for a moment. "Normal humans…" the spirit shook its head, "they can't even see me."
Den let out a small breath. It was now clear— The room fell silent for a few seconds. Den and I looked at each other. And our expressions—naturally turned strange. No shocking twist. No "wow" moment. Just one feeling—"…that's it?" Den coughed lightly. He shifted his gaze from the spirit to me. His eyes clearly said—so much buildup… and this? I also twisted my lips slightly, thinking to myself whether this ability was even useful. No instant kill, no battlefield control, no elemental effect… just shape-shifting. And that too blue, transparent, and incomplete.
Den finally broke the silence. "To be honest," he said bluntly, "this ability… isn't special." The spirit's aura trembled slightly. But it didn't speak. Den continued—"Transformation abilities are rare in the Paragon world, and they are considered powerful, but this kind of transformation is probably useless unless it has some secondary effect attached." He looked the spirit up and down. "You can't deal physical damage, your illusion isn't fully complete, and you can't perfectly copy living beings." I nodded. "And on top of that," I added, "normal humans can't even see you. That means infiltration is limited too." The spirit stayed silent for a few moments. Then it said softly—"I know this, master." At that one word, both Den and I froze. Den looked at me. "See?" Then he looked back at the spirit. "If the ability is so average," I asked clearly. Den said, but even then you can still form a contract with it. Then the spirit said, "Master, I myself don't want to form a contract with you, but this ring on your finger is forcing me to bow before you. And anyway—" "In the Underworld," "my ability makes me weak. And here… without a contract, I won't be able to survive for long." Den's eyes narrowed slightly. He understood. Den leaned toward me. "Jona," he said quietly, "even if the ability is average—its utility is high." I looked at him. Den explained further—"Surveillance, bait, distraction, scouting, and most importantly—disposable presence." He gestured toward the spirit. "Even if it dies, you won't suffer any backlash—if the contract is made properly." I thought for a few seconds. Then looked at the spirit. "What will you give in exchange for the contract?" I asked. The spirit bowed its head. "Loyalty," it said. "Constant presence." "And my ability—whatever it is—completely for you." Den added in between—"And no extra cost." That line was important. I looked at the spirit one last time. Blue, transparent form. Weak… but not useless. I made my decision. "Alright," I said. "The contract will be formed." The spirit's aura suddenly stabilized. Den immediately stepped forward and said—"It will be a simple contract. No possession. No autonomy override. No independent action without command." The spirit bowed without argument. "Accepted." A faint vibration rippled through the air. My ring grew slightly warm. The contract was complete. No dramatic explosion. No dazzling light. Just a calm sensation— that now, I had one more piece on the board. Maybe not the strongest. But useful.