The cold that filled the subterranean cavern wasn't just a drop in temperature. It was a dense, suffocating weight that pressed against my skin like freezing water.
Yet, as those two pinpoint spots of pale gold light ignited within the swirling black smoke, I didn't run.
Running would be pointless. If an entity capable of projecting its voice directly into my mind wanted me dead, fifty yards of open stone floor offered zero protection. Back on Earth, when a sparring partner backed you into the ropes, the worst thing you could do was panic and turn your back. You kept your eyes open, balanced your weight, and waited for the opening.
I slowly pulled my hands out of my pockets, letting my arms hang naturally at my sides. I took three steps forward, stepping out from behind the basalt pillar into the open amphitheater.
"Running?" I said, keeping my voice steady despite the frost coating my tunic. "Not really. Just realizing I crossed the boundary line my father warned me about."
The dark smoke above the dead, white tree flared outward, swirling into violent, jagged shapes.
"INTERESTING..." The voice thundered through my skull again, vibrating through my jawbones. "YOU SHOW NO FEAR, MORTAL. NO HUMAN HAS SET FOOT WITHIN THIS SANCTUM FOR OVER ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS. THE MANA PRESSURE ALONE SHOULD HAVE DISSOLVED YOUR FLESH AND CRUSHED YOUR SOUL INTO DUST. YET YOU STAND THERE, UNBROKEN."
"That's probably because I don't have a mana core," I replied honestly, looking up at the giant crimson halo rotating lazily behind the shadow. "There's nothing inside me for your pressure to crush."
The twin golden eyes within the smoke narrowed into sharp, dangerous slits.
"NO MANA CORE..." The entity leaned downward, the smoke coiling like a massive, undulating serpent as it descended from the crown of the dead tree. The sheer scale of its presence made the air taste like bitter copper.
"YOUR SOUL IS ANCHORED STRANGELY TO THIS VESSEL. IT DOES NOT MATCH THE LOCAL FREQUENCY OF THIS REALM. TELL ME, BRAT... WHAT DO YOU SEEK IN THIS FORGOTTEN TOMB?"
I tapped my chin, considering the question.
"What do I seek?" I said softly. "Honestly? I was just exploring while my family set up camp. But if we're talking about things I want... how about a best friend?"
The dark smoke froze mid-coil. The giant crimson halo behind it faltered, sputtering like a candle in a sudden draft.
"...A WHAT?"
"A best friend," I repeated, meeting those pale golden eyes without flinching. "You've been stuck here alone for seventeen hundred years under a pile of dead roots. I'm an introvert who isn't great at making casual conversation with normal teenagers in town. Seems like a decent match."
For several long seconds, the cavern descended into an absolute, dead silence. The yellow sparks from the golden chains binding the tree roots flickered weakly, casting long shadows across the stone floor.
"YOU MOCK ME, BRAT," the voice returned, dropping from a thunderous roar to a deep, dangerous rumble that shook the ground beneath my boots.
"YOU STAND BEFORE AN ANCIENT BEING, A DEVIL SEALED BY THE HIGH HEAVENS, AND YOU ASK FOR COMPANIONSHIP? DO YOU HAVE NO GREED? NO DESIRE FOR POWER, WEALTH, OR DOMINION OVER THOSE WHO LOOK DOWN ON YOUR CORELESS EXISTENCE?"
"Well," I admitted, scratching the back of my neck, "I wouldn't mind being able to cast magic. Fireballs and shadow tricks look pretty useful. But I was born without a core, so that's off the table."
The entity hovered less than ten feet above me now. The smoke thinned slightly, revealing the faint outline of a towering, horn-crowned silhouette within the shadows.
"ARE YOU TRULY FROM THIS WORLD, BOY?" the Devil asked, its tone shifting into a sharp, analytical edge. "NO CORELESS HUMAN POSSESSES A SOUL THIS DENSE. YOU SPEAK OF THIS WORLD AS IF YOU WERE AN OBSERVER RATHER THAN A PIECE OF IT."
I grinned faintly, shifting my stance slightly to keep my balance on the frost-covered stone.
"Nope. Reincarnated from another world, actually."
The black smoke recoiled slightly, expanding in clear surprise.
"YOU REVEAL SUCH A SACRED SECRET SO CASUALLY? ARE YOU FOOLISH, OR MERELY ARROGANT?"
"Why lie?" I shrugged, placing my hands back into my pockets. "If I tried to hide it, a guy like you would probably just break into my mind with telekinesis or scan my memory anyway. Saves us both the hassle."
The horn-crowned shadow remained quiet for a moment. Then, a low, rasping sound echoed from the mist—a dry, ancient noise that sounded suspiciously like a dark laugh.
"...I WOULD HAVE, YES," the Devil conceded, the gold eyes gleaming with a mixture of amusement and dark intrigue. "VERY WELL, REINCARNATED SOUL. YOU ARE AN UNUSUAL CREATURE. I SHALL OFFER YOU A CONTRACT. BASED UPON ITS TERMS, YOU MAY OBTAIN DESIRES THAT FAR EXCEED A SIMPLE MANA CORE."
"Accepted," I said immediately.
The smoke froze again.
"...WAIT. YOU WILL NOT EVEN HEAR THE CLAUSES? THE RESTRICTIONS? THE TOLL IT WILL TAKE UPON YOUR MORTAL EXISTENCE?"
"Don't really care about the fine print," I replied, my gaze hardening slightly as I looked up at the sealed entity. "I only have two conditions. If you agree to them, I'll follow whatever rules you set."
"SPEAK THEN, BRAT."
The casual demeanor I had maintained since entering the cavern vanished. My posture straightened, my shoulders locking as I drew upon the same iron resolve that used to carry me through brutal conditioning rounds back on Earth.
"First: Never hurt my family. Never allow any harm to come to my father, my mother, or my sister—directly or indirectly—through your power."
"EASY ENOUGH," the Devil growled softly. "AND YOUR SECOND CONDITION?"
"Second: Give me access to the best knowledge and information this world has to offer. Magic theory, physical mechanics, ancient history, enemy weaknesses—everything."
The crimson halo behind the shadow flared with sudden, blinding intensity, painting the entire cavern in a blood-red light.
"NO IMMORTALITY?" the Devil thundered, his voice echoing off the ancient stone walls like crackling thunder.
"NO ARMY OF DEMONIC BEASTS TO CRUSH YOUR ENEMIES? NO TREASURY OF GOLD TO BUY KINGDOMS? JUST PROTECTION FOR A MERE FEW MORTALS AND A BUNCH OF KNOWLEDGE?"
"I just want a quiet, simple life with my family," I said, my voice cutting through the reverberating echo. "Information keeps me prepared. Protection keeps them safe."
"SO BE IT! THE PACT DEVIL CONTRACT COMPLETE!"
The moment those words left my mouth, the atmospheric pressure in the subterranean cavern reached a terrifying peak.
The giant crimson halo floating behind the Devil spun violently, accelerating until it became a solid wheel of blinding, blood-red flame. The golden chains bound to the roots of the dead white tree shattered one by one with deafening, metallic cracks, snapping like dry twigs under the sheer weight of liberated demonic force.
"KNOW THIS, RIYEN VOLDFOR!" Azrael's thundering voice bypassed my ears entirely, vibrating inside every single cell of my brain.
"MY POWER DOES NOT EXIST IN A VACUUM! THE HEAVENLY GODS BOUND MY TRUE BODY WITHIN THE INFINITE TRINITY PRISON! DIVINE STAKES OF HEAVENLY LIGHT PIERCE MY SOUL EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY! BY CONTRACTING WITH ME, YOU BECOME MY MORTAL PROXY!"
A thick strand of dark, ethereal smoke shot forward from the shadow, coiling around my right forearm like a red-hot iron band.
"THE PAIN THAT SHREDS MY SOUL WILL NOW BE SHARED DIRECTLY WITH YOUR PHYSICAL NERVES! CAN YOUR FRAGILE MORTAL MIND ENDURE AN ETERNAL AGONY?"
STRIKE.
The sensation hit me without a fraction of a second's warning. It wasn't like getting hit by a heavy punch, nor was it like the suffocating heat of the apartment fire from my past life. It felt as though someone had poured molten lead straight into my bone marrow while dragging razor wire through every single nerve pathway in my neck, spine, and chest.
My knees buckled instantly.
BANG.
Both of my knees slammed hard onto the frost-coated stone floor. My vision whited out. A cold sweat burst from every pore on my skin, instantly drenching my linen tunic. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird, beating at a frantic, erratic tempo as the divine agony tore through my body.
"Hahaha!" Azrael's voice echoed within the burning haze of my mind, laced with dark expectation. "Collapse, mortal! Scream! Let the divine light break your useless coreless shell—"
Exhale.
I clamped my jaw shut so hard my molars groaned.
I didn't scream.
In the brutal gyms back on Earth, when you were gassed out in the fifth round, taking body shots that made you want to vomit, screaming or panicking was the fastest way to lose consciousness. Pain was just an electrical signal. Discomfort was just feedback. You didn't fight the wave—you rode it, regulated your lungs, and anchored your mind to a single point of focus.
Inhale through the nose... hold for two seconds... exhale through the mouth.
I forced my diaphragm to expand. I locked my shoulder blades back. Slowing my pulse down through sheer, practiced breathing mechanics, I isolated the agony in my nervous system and shoved it into a corner of my mind.
Slowly, agonizingly, I dragged my right boot forward.
I pushed off the stone floor, straightening my legs until I was standing upright once again. My body was trembling, my hands dripping with sweat, but my posture remained completely straight. I raised my head, looking directly into the twin golden eyes of the Devil hovering inches away.
I wiped a drop of sweat from my chin with the back of my left hand and forced a dry, faint smirk onto my face.
"Is that... all?" I wheezed out, my voice raspy, but steady. "Good deal."
The dark smoke surrounding Azrael froze once more. The golden eyes widened in genuine, stunned disbelief within the swirling mist.
"...YOU STILL STAND?" the Devil whispered, the booming thunder in his voice replaced by sheer bewilderment.
"THAT WAS A FRACTION OF THE HEAVENLY AGONY THAT CRUSHES MORTAL SOULS INTO MADNESS! YOU HAVE NO MANA CORE TO REINFORCE YOUR NERVES! HOW ARE YOU NOT SCREAMING?!"
"I've had... tougher conditioning coaches," I muttered, taking a deep breath to steady my shaking legs. "Besides... I promised my family I'd come back in one piece."
The dark smoke around my right arm began to dissipate, sinking directly into my skin. On the inside of my right wrist, a dark, elegant tattoo burned itself into my flesh—three interlocking rings enclosed within a jagged circle. The mark glowed with a faint, crimson embers before dimming into a deep, pitch-black mark that looked like natural ink.
Simultaneously, a sharp, crystalline chime sounded inside my head—distinct, mechanical, and entirely separate from Azrael's voice.
[CONTRACT ESTABLISHED: TRINITY PROXY]
[HOST: RIYEN VOLDFOR]
[MANA CORE: NONE (VOID CONTAINER)]
[PHYSICAL STATE: ADAPTED TO TRINITY PAIN THRESHOLD]
[AUTHORITY GRANTED: ALL-KNOWLEDGE ARCHIVE - TIER 1]
[DEMONIC CONDUIT UNLOCKED: SHADOW MANIFESTATION / HELLFIRE / DARK HEAL]
A massive surge of information flooded into my brain—not like a painful strike, but like a vast encyclopedia unfolding behind my eyes. Structural formulas, ancient dialects, physical trajectories, weak points, and combat mechanics mapped themselves out into neat, accessible indexes within my mind.
"WHAT IS THIS...?" Azrael's voice resonated inside my consciousness, sounding strangely close now—as if he were sitting right behind my temples.
"YOUR BODY HAS ABSORBED THE CONDUIT WITHOUT BURNING TO ASH? YOU REJECT MANA, YET YOU ACT AS A PERFECT CONDUCTOR FOR MY AUTHORITY!"
"I told you," I replied silently in my head, testing the mental link. "I'm an empty container. No core means no interference."
"...UNBELIEVABLE," the Devil muttered, letting out a dark, amused chuckle that vibrated behind my eyes.
"A CORELESS BRAT ACTING AS THE VESSEL FOR AN ANCIENT DEVIL. THE HEAVENLY GODS WOULD FOAM AT THE MOUTH IF THEY SAW THIS."
I looked down at my right wrist, tracing the dark mark with my thumb. The pain from the Trinity Prison hadn't vanished—it was still there, a continuous, dull throb running through my veins, occasionally spiking like a sharp needle. But it was manageable. It was just noise.
"Azrael," I thought silently. "Our deal stands. Protection for my family, knowledge for me."
"HMPH. A DEVIL DOES NOT BREAK HIS PACT, BRAT. AS LONG AS YOU BEAR MY PAIN, MY KNOWLEDGE IS YOURS TO COMMAND. BUT YOU HAD BETTER HURRY BACK TO YOUR MORTAL KIN. THE SWORD-WIELDING GIRL IS ALREADY SEARCHING FOR YOU NEAR THE BOUNDARY."
My eyes snapped wide.
I looked back toward the dark ravine leading up to the surface. Using the newly unlocked Archive, my vision slightly shifted, picking up the faint, distant vibrations of footfalls hitting the mossy dirt near the blue marker stones above.
"Aira," I muttered aloud.
I turned on my heel and began sprinting up the steep stone path, my boots digging into the slippery terrain with far more power and balance than I had possessed just an hour ago.