Transmigration: I Made A Deal With A Man in Yellow

Well, I was more than happy to receive a relic. Unexpected, but great nonetheless.

[Bind relic?]

The system asked in my head.

’Yes.’ I replied mentally.

I felt a connection form instantly between me and the Frost Scythe.

[Relic bound.]

Just as you could bind a spatial ring to your soul, so could certain relics. Once bound, no one else could use it or steal it, not even if they killed you.

Unlike spatial rings, which could still be used after the owner died, a bound relic perished alongside its owner.

By that logic the Frost Scythe should have been destroyed when I killed Sister Friede, but that would only apply if she were still considered human. Since the Story System had recognized her as a monster, the rule didn’t apply.

Which also meant that trading a soul-bound relic was essentially impossible. If an owner tried to forcibly break the bond, which was nearly impossible to begin with, their soul would be damaged beyond recovery.

For non-soul-bound relics, however, Awakeners could trade them easily through physical contact. That was how most merchants sold relics in large markets, since it also made theft far harder.

Now I could dismiss and summon the relic whenever I wanted.

I dismissed [Frost Scythe], which dissolved into blue particles and sank into my soul. Then I called it back and it took shape in my hands again.

It was pretty cool.

Yeah, I made that, by the way.

I dismissed it again and this time didn’t call it back. The thing was freezing cold and I had no idea how long before frostbite became a concern, so I decided not to push it. I dismissed the system as well.

"Your siblings are not going to like this...you have a soul-bound weapon before any of them, and you’ve grown significantly stronger in the span of a month." Ezio said with a frown.

Oh right. Those brats. I hadn’t forgotten that they had a beating coming from me, for Yves’s sake.

"That’s not my problem. I risked my life for this, they didn’t, so they can be as upset as they want. Those who don’t risk anything will never be great." I shrugged.

"Seriously, what kid in their right mind would voluntarily go into the Lands of Horror?"

"Are you calling me crazy?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Crazy would be an understatement. Lunatic is closer—"

"Hey. Our contract is still active. Don’t make me put it to use." I glared at him.

"You wouldn’t dare." Ezio frowned.

"Want to bet?"

Ezio just shook his head and moved on.

"So, are we done here? This was the end goal of the trip, wasn’t it?"

"Yeah..." I nodded, then turned and walked toward the tombstones and made a prayer.

"Doing a prayer? How honourable of you."

"They didn’t deserve what happened to them. They were all innocent." I said as I stood back up.

Technically all of them were innocent, except for Sister Friede. She was the one who had caused everything.

But then she had mentioned being forced into it by someone else. And since the story had changed from how I wrote it, what she said was most likely true.

I could have gotten those answers if I had been able to reach the end of her memories, but I hadn’t been able to. So now I had yet another reason to uncover more of the Frost Scythe’s history, which was almost certainly her story.

This whole encounter had raised more questions than it answered, particularly about the man she had mentioned.

Was he the Man in Yellow?

And if so, what was his purpose?

Was it really just a matter of wanting to hear what I thought about my own book at the end of everything?

That could be all it was. But I had a feeling there was more to it than I could see right now. But I would get those answers eventually, no matter how long it took.

I wanted to see my parents again after all, so I would definitely meet him again.

"What did you find out about them?" Ezio asked.

I looked at him. "Not much. Only that something catastrophic caused the deaths of everyone in this town."

"That fits. Most of these buildings weren’t destroyed by time alone. Something had already done the damage before the years set in."

I nodded. "I think the full history is scattered across the world. We just have to find it."

"I’m not particularly fond of history, but you’re right." Ezio agreed.

"So now what?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Are we going back to the mansion?"

I shook my head.

"Not a chance. I still have a month before the Rite of Passage. I’d rather spend it here facing real danger and building actual combat experience than sitting in that mansion." I started walking toward the exit. "One more month, then we go back."

"What’s the point when you have me? I’m far more dangerous than anything out here." Ezio said, falling into step behind me.

"Hard pass. You just want an excuse to start beating me again."

That was the truth. Whenever he said he wanted to train me, what he really meant was he wanted to knock me around.

"Think about it. You have a comfortable bed at home big enough for five people, a hot bath waiting, and plenty of good food. Why would you want to stay out here?" Ezio tried.

"I actually enjoy sleeping on hard ground. Does wonders for your posture."

Besides, traveling somewhere dangerous was genuinely fun when you had powers.

"And this means I’m still your slave for another month?" Ezio said, massaging his temple.

I blinked at first, then it clicked.

"Ah. So that’s what you’re actually worried about."

Ezio gave a pained smile.

Our deal was that he had to do my bidding until the end of the trip. If I ended the trip now, the contract would expire and he would be free. That was why he had been trying to convince me to go back.

I stopped and patted his right shoulder.

"Hang in there, buddy. One more month, and I intend to make the most of it." I smiled.

Ezio’s shoulders sagged.

"Can I not just kill you?" He said, annoyed.

"No. And the contract would punish you if you tried." I stepped directly beneath the hole in the ceiling, activated [Shadow Step], sank into the shadows, and reappeared on the altar above. Ezio just leapt up normally.

"So you’re going to abuse that ability too now?" Ezio said.

"Yes." I smiled, activated it again, and appeared right beside the large worn-out doors of the church.

Just as I was about to step outside, something stopped me. It was faint, barely there, but I was certain I had felt it. My head snapped to the right, toward the old broken pews.

Nothing was there.

And yet, something told me I shouldn’t be looking in that direction. Like a quiet warning I couldn’t explain.

Was I imagining things?

I could have sworn I felt something.

"What’s wrong?" Ezio asked, catching up.

If Ezio, with senses far sharper than mine, hadn’t reacted, then I was probably imagining it.

"Nothing. Let’s go." I walked out of the church.

"Tsk, you’re becoming paranoid."

"Shut up."

After the figures of Yves and Ezio disappeared through the church doors, the space where Yves had sensed something distorted, and an enormous black shape that nearly filled the entire church emerged.

It was a black dragon, a member of a race that was, without question, among the strongest in the world of Estoria, if not the strongest outright.

Both Yves and Ezio had no idea the dragon had been sleeping there the whole time, and she had sensed their presence long before they had even set foot in the Grey Fog.

She had watched them enter the church and destroy the protective barrier.

She could have killed them the moment they disturbed her sleep. She had chosen not to.

The dragon’s enormous form slowly compressed and shifted until it took a humanoid shape.

She stood at 2.2 meters. Long, shiny black hair cascaded down her shoulders like dark waves. Her skin was pale, paler even than Ezio’s corpse-like complexion. She looked human enough until you noticed the two enormous black horns curving out from either side of her head, and the golden slit irises that glowed with ancient power.

She wore a long black dress that swept the floor.

"Interesting. Should I end their lives for interrupting my sleep?" The dragon spoke, and the walls of the church trembled from the weight of her voice alone.

It would have been effortless. One second, and they would never have known what hit them.

But she changed her mind.

"I’ll just follow..."

With that, she walked calmly after them.

If Yves and Ezio had known what was trailing behind them, they would have died of fright on the spot.