Chapter 33: Unexpected Boon
The Empress turned and slowly, deliberately began to descend the unseen steps. Her eyes, two bottomless voids, locked on Vlad, unblinking and unreadable.
Vlad met her gaze without a trace of fear of the unknown spirit, his mind already calculating what to offer and what promises to make to show his competence.
He understood one thing clearly: though they were now bound by oath, it meant little if she decided he was unworthy. A spirit like her could sever the bond at will if she deemed him unfit to be her oathbound.
When Vlad had first prepared to forge a contract with Velcrissa, he was fully prepared. He was ready to offer what few spirits could refuse, things of immense value, whether they belonged to the material plane or carried weight in the spirit realm.
And he had the means to offer it all then and now.
But it would be a lie to say that Vlad was not nervous because Velcrissa’s condition was alien to him. After all, in her child form, she was a daying greater spirit, but with her display of strength, she was clearly of King or Sovereign grade.
After witnessing the wind spirit flee in absolute terror, Vlad was nearly certain she had to be a Sovereign, if not something even greater... perhaps Ancient.
But knowing how few beings of such strength existed, he couldn’t even bring himself to consider it.
Vlad could only speculate because he had no way of confirming her current grade, as her grade was not King or Sovereign but was marked as unknown by the system.
He could understand her information being hidden due to his limited strength if they weren’t bound by contract. But they were bound, and the only way her status could remain concealed despite that bond was if Velcrissa herself was deliberately suppressing it.
That, in itself, made little sense, not if she intended to maintain the contract.