Pledge

"Why are we here now? I have many questions to ask you actually…" The thing that was in my mind could take too long to explain therefore I said only this.

"Because that memory ended and we will proceed to a new one and the last one. My influence is slowly going away because you are far and the memories are also fading… Me in that shrine is not the real me, it's under the influence of the devil in the shrine itself. I am a demon, but it still is just a devil on its own. I can't keep something of that sort down after my death… It inevitably will just take me over…" His voice sounded really sad now. Not being able to control his own mind and body while being stuck in that shrine… Really miserable. "Since those are the remnants of my real mind. I want to ask you for a second fervor." He looked at me sincerely, he really wants me to do the second fervor… To at least listen to it.

"Well… It will cost you one more thing then, nothing is free." I answered I don't want it to be just for free. If I can, I will get something back and it may be useful.

"At least you aren't an idiot… So, before I tell you what I want, you tell me what you want." I very well know what I want. The thing is really important to me.

"How can I get power?" This question made his face go sour, really sour. And mad as well.

"Now you somewhat… Broke me. I don't think there is a way for you to get any other power than the practical one… Swords and weapons. I am sorry… Maybe something else comes to your mind?" A mage that lives for millennia says that I can't get other powers than just that… Am I a lost cause? Am I not able to gain power? Nothing… Swords won't be able to pull me through all of it, maybe a small margin. But not more… It's a destructive, destructive thought that wants to kill my self assertiveness and confidence I've built lately. And it did just that, destroyed all of what I already have… "Don't just stare at me, do you have a second thing?" He indeed is somewhat merciless, he didn't feel it at all. He knows that it is important for me to have something more… I am sure he knows about that.

"Well… Can you at least keep my friends also safe? And also, my brother is somewhere on this mountain as well. He has long brown hair, looks very young around 18 now. He has some scars on his face with specifically one being on his forehead. And of course the people in here around me…" What a shame I can't gain power… It's so frustrating… I wonder how much time has passed since I entered this place.

"I can do that. But something I need to tell you is that the more people the less it will actually work. As I told you, I am not fully controlling it. I will do my best, but. Only when you agree to that second favor and if you won't fulfill it, it will bind you like a curse, kill you. Of course, you have a lot of time and when it will be running out, then my last breath will remind you. Are you willing to hear about it?" He asked me, the man who is several times stronger than me, even hundreds of times. Asks me for a favor, quite ironic.

"Under those conditions… Tell me, what do you need." When the question left my already dry lips, his face went a little pale. I don't know what he wants but it must be either scary or just excruciatingly embarrassing.

"I want you… To destroy the shrine." When he finished those words I went to a typical thinking position, two fingers on my chin and a loud 'hmm' with a little bit of shaming inside it. "I don't want this shrine to be the last thing left after me. My friends… My old time friends and other apprentices that are still alive… Hopefully, I don't want them to see me as an evil presence. If they do… It will be a very bad thing. They may even follow it, therefore I want you to destroy the remnants of my soul and completely… Erase me." The fog, the dark fog took a very deep breath. Gasped loudly. And looked at me with its almost invisible eyes. "Please…" He added and that small thing changed the thoughts. I actually want to help him if he is wishing to help me.

"How can you guarantee that it will work?" I asked him, I really need to be assured of him fulfilling my wish. From what he is saying… This deal will last for several years until I will fulfill it. "And how much time do I have to actually do it? And of course, I want something else for that." Another important question entered the fog's ears.

"I still have a very low amount of influence inside my own mind… I can tell the monsters and animals to not attack you. Give them images of people they shouldn't attack. And as for the second question, I will give you a lot of time, you still need to grow enough to actually have a chance to fight myself, even if weakened, he… Not me anymore actually… Is pretty weak now, he still hasn't restored all of his power. But if you take too long and he will retrieve all of his power, you may not have a chance. But do you want to take the deal and assure that when the monsters attack you will be safe, or will you play fates?" This feels like a pact with a demon… Something for something. One time I will have to change sometimes from my life for his sake and if not, I will die. Everything… Can be deadly.

"Are we going to have a blood pact or contract? Something like that?" I want to know if the deal will be bound to my soul or will it be just a thing I can try to undo.

"We will do it, but first you need to agree, then you will also look at the last memory and the fervor from before… Revenge." Should I agree? The demons pact? The thing that may take a lot away from me or maybe not? An assurance now and risk for later?

"And the second request. Since... I can learn martial arts with weapons and all that... Is there maybe another relic with something like that? Maybe you know of something in the world... Or it belongs to you, that I may use." His ghostly figure went into the typical 'hmm' position. A thought came to his mind as he came to me closely.

"There is a relic. It belongs to me and it's kept in the ruins of my city, in the cellar, the deepest part of the castle. There are some relics, I will give you the map and the way to enter. But, you may only take that one relic. 'The divine material', it's not just a material. It changes depending on what you want to use. You want long sword? It changes to long sword. You want a bow? I changes to a bow. That is something I can give you to help you with fighting... Me." His hand approached my head, a map, place, code. All appeared in my head. His city, in the continent of demons. The code, a puzzle. And map of the world also, all in my mind.

"Then, I agree." When the last part of this very short sentence left my dry mouth, a piece of paper appeared before my eyes. Right on top. 'Pledge', under, rules, and right at the bottom, the signature.

'I, Hayden, declare that I will fulfill what was just explained to me. Take the revenge for … … … Apprentice and kill … … … stuck in the shrine.'

Apparently, he wrote his name in the weird signs that I can't read. Probably no one can besides himself… What a weird person.

'Under all circumstances, the will must be fulfilled or the signer will be killed via. a heart attack or his fate will be worse than death.'

Another line that made me even more anxious when I read it. I can be killed or my fate will be worse than death… What can be worse than death? Eternal suffering? Or something else, well, I won't know until I will actually be put in that kind of situation.

'For the pact to take place, both sides need to sign.'

So he also has to sign the pact as the contractor of it. No matter what, both sides need to sign. Interesting…

'The sign needs to be done with blood.'

The last line… Blood. I need to spill my blood to sign the page, the pledge, the part of my life that may be taken by it. I will. I want to know that I will escape this mountain without problems… But the lack of power when I leave though… No power for me, nothing, a shell that is just hollow inside.

"Before I sign it, I want to see the second memory. I want to know what you have to show me." His face then once again went sour. Is he thinking that I may change my opinion when I see that thing? What is he hiding… What can so mind changing…

"Very well, I knew you aren't that dumb to actually do it without seeing the second thing. I hope you won't change your opinion on taking the deal…" When he finished, his misty hand wanted to make a sweep but before that I interrupted him.

"I won't change my mind, they are like family to me. Very important family… Don't you worry?" A smirk appeared on his face and finished the sweep of his foggy hand that looked as if made of dark sand with just him being the form holding it.

Everything changed into a great whirl that swallowed all of that red around me, then was dark, and an explosion appeared right before my eyes creating another memory. A memory of his student, not his own...