Chapter 104: Deal
"I can sense the deceptiveness in you from the very start, you know..." Lukas said through gritted teeth, his eyes not showing even a hint of emotion—contrasting the mental breakdown in his heart.
Johan didn’t reply, just stared as Lukas’ face grew more desperate by the second. He lost the mask entirely as the time stretched.
"...How?" he asked on his own, his voice barely above a whisper. He didn’t have any other option. The spell couldn’t be extended forever, and the moment he went back, he would become as cold as before.
"I will not pretend to pity you, or that I’m doing this because I feel some stupid connection with you. I gain something, and you gain something. Besides that, we can always slowly become actual friends. All my friends are people I traded with, after all..." Johan said with a soft smile, his brows furrowed.
Lukas’ eyes twitched, narrowing in the silence, as if asking Johan to explain himself.
"I will make a contract with you. The conditions will be that you teach me Fell Hex, don’t harm me or my loved ones ever again, and stay with me till I master it.
In return, I will use my spell to ’defuse’ the corruption in your mind—you’ll become like your normal self again. But the risk is, you may become a bit weaker... since you won’t feel as strong negative emotions as before. What do you think?" Johan flashed his usual cunning grin.
Lukas closed his eyes, his face thoughtful.
The silence stretched for more than three minutes until his lips barely parted—then closed again, as if trying to choose the words carefully.