Free Web NovelChapter 81: Who are you? [Part-4]
Alen looked at his empty hand where the sword had rested just moments ago. He felt a strange sense of emptiness, as if the weapon had actually been an extension of his own body.
He had felt a profound sense of freedom while holding it.
’I thought it would be a demon sword, but it was actually a good weapon. It felt comfortable. It would have been great to have it... Whatever...’
He shook his head as the spirit girl started to walk toward him. He looked up to meet her cold, expressionless eyes.
’Damn, she is really scaring me with those eyes. Even the suspicious meat I almost ate in the Witch’s Mansion didn’t scare me this much...’
’Is she really a spirit? Or is she secretly a demon lying to me? It’s not like I actually know what demons look like... Now that I think about it, how exactly does a demon look?’
As he stared at her blankly, getting lost in his off-topic thoughts, she suddenly flicked a slight spark of red energy at him.
Alen jolted backward as his senses flared. The energy wasn’t aimed at his face or neck; it was aimed directly at his hair. He dodged quickly.
"What the hell are you doing?! You almost made me bald!"
She blinked and replied casually,
"I didn’t know humans were so fond of their hair."
Alen glared at her.
"I don’t know about other humans, but I don’t like people messing with my hair."
She waved her hand dismissively.
"I would have regrown your hair if that had happened. It’s not a big deal."
Alen calmed down, realizing it was completely useless to argue with this emotionless doll.
"So, I’m done trying the weapon. Now send me back!"
She blinked, caught slightly off guard by his absurd behavior. She had expected him to talk eagerly about the weapon, or perhaps beg for permission to wield Godless. But she certainly hadn’t expected him to completely dismiss the thought of it.
She couldn’t help but feel curious about such a weird human.
"Are you not going to ask me to give you Godless?"
Alen looked at her calmly.
"Huh? Why would I ask for that weapon? You said earlier that you are the very manifestation of the blade. That means taking the weapon means taking you."
"And it’s wrong for me to ask you to hand yourself over. Even if you’re a weapon, that doesn’t mean you lack consciousness." He smiled softly.
"You are still a living existence in this world, and I won’t forcibly bind you to my life."
She stared at him for a long moment. Her eyes narrowed slightly before she parted her lips to reply.
"You can’t leave this place without my permission... And I have no intention of letting you go."
Alen looked at her, utterly bewildered. "Wait! Are you going back on your word?!"
She looked at him calmly with her cold, emotionless eyes.
"My word? What word? Did I ever say I would let you go after we were done testing?" freēwēbηovel.c૦m
Alen stopped, completely speechless. ’Damn, she’s actually denying it now?!’
"I want you to form a bond with me. In exchange, I will offer you my power," she stated.
Alen narrowed his eyes at her.
"Why are you so willing to give me your power? Get to the point. Tell me your real motive."
She remained silent for a moment before replying.
"As I said earlier, I am the manifestation of the sword. I cannot leave this realm on my own, and I am too bored staying in this place, living the exact same constant life. Every day I watch monsters fight here and there, the sun rises and sets, the moon climbs, the greenery vanishes... I no longer want to live in this place."
"Let’s form a bond with each other. I will give you my power. You already saw what I am capable of, didn’t you?"
Alen looked at her and smiled sweetly. "Hehe... Are you offering your life to me? How romantic."
She didn’t even blink at his teasing tone. Her gaze remained dead serious.
Alen dropped his smile, staying silent for a moment before asking,
"What is your goal?"
As Alen asked the question, she became completely still. It was the first time in a very long time that someone had been genuinely curious about her. She didn’t know how to answer that question because she didn’t actually know what her goal was.
"No... I have no goals," she murmured, lowering her head in thought.
Alen smiled softly. He stepped forward and gently patted her shoulder.
"It’s okay. You don’t have to burden yourself with that right now. You can figure it out later on our journey."
She turned her emotionless eyes toward him.
"Our?"
Alen pulled his hand back and took a step away.
"Our means... I am ready to form a bond with you."
"By the way," he added,
"I don’t know exactly what this bond entails, so explain it to me first before we begin."
She stared at him unblinking, then straightened her back and walked closer.
"Very well. Let’s talk about the bond."
"A bond is the physical manifestation of an invisible relationship between two parties. The most commonly known is the Soul Bond. There are others, but the Soul Bond is the most preferable, as the others can be easily broken."
"To form a bond, both parties must gather their power, merge it, and take an oath. The oath also includes specific conditions crafted to prevent either party from exploiting the bond."
"It is highly dangerous to mess with the process of bond formation, as it can severely backfire if something goes wrong. Once the bond is formed, it cannot be broken under any condition—unless your soul is destroyed."
She paused, making sure he was following.
"Do you understand what the bond is now? We shall begin the formation, but before that, let me state my conditions."
Alen straightened his back and nodded for her to continue.
"My first condition," Ravena said, "is that I want fifty percent control in our bond. I don’t want to be forcibly controlled by a human like you. In return, you will get to use fifty percent of my power—which is a hundred times more powerful than that stupid attack you just used on the Leviathan."
"My second condition is that I want you to remove your mental barriers so I can internally communicate with you without needing to summon you here."
"So, what do you think? Will you accept?"
Alen looked at her and nodded confidently.
"Okay, that’s fine with me. Let’s begin the oath, then."
She looked at him for a few seconds in silence before finally nodding.
"Fine... Let’s begin."
