The Contract

"Hmph," sighed the man seated on the throne, his eyes fixed on the intense battle between a young boy and an old man. "My lord, are you sure you sensed it correctly?" A deep voice came from below the throne. The man looked down and saw a black-scaled dragon staring up at him with an eerie aura. But before the man could respond, something incredible happened—the boy unleashed a hidden power, bursting with energy. This was the fight between Lucas and Arthur back at the academy grounds.

"Look at that!" the lord said, excitement sparking in his eyes. The dragon, looked shocked, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Kairox, bring that boy to me," the lord commanded, standing up from his throne. "As you wish, my lord," Kairox replied, his massive form dissolving into a thick purple fog.

At the same time, Arthur fell unconscious again...

"Mmm... where am I?" I groaned, slowly opening my eyes. All around me were trees, mountains, and rivers that seemed to stretch on forever. "Is this... a mind realm?" I wondered aloud. In the distance, I noticed a small hut and felt a powerful but calming energy coming from it. I started walking toward it.

Flap! Flap! Flap!

I heard huge wings flapping above me. A massive shadow spread across the land, and I looked up, utterly stunned. A dragon with pitch-black scales was descending from the skies, its presence commanding and terrifying. The ground shook as it landed, its eyes locked onto me with a fierce intensity. "What in the heavens is this?" I gasped, clutching my head in disbelief.

"What kind of fool doesn't recognize a dragon?" the dragon sneered. My shock deepened—not because it spoke, but because this creature was far beyond anything I'd ever imagined.

"Did you bring me here?" I asked, still trying to understand what was happening. "Yes and no," the dragon replied, its voice rumbling like distant thunder. "Huh?" I could only manage a confused response. Was this dragon messing with me? "I was ordered to bring you here," the dragon explained. "By whom?" I asked, still lost. "By my lord," the dragon replied. "Okay... so where is he?" I asked, curious. The dragon pointed with its tail toward the hut. "He's in there."

I approached the hut cautiously, and just as I was about to knock, a voice from inside called out, "It's open."

I stepped inside to find a simple room with a man sitting casually, sipping tea. "Dragonborne," I whispered, recognizing him immediately.

"Come, sit," the man said, gesturing to a chair that appeared across from him. I sat down, studying him closely. He wore a long black coat, his white hair flowing around two horns on his head. He looked about 80 years old, which was young for an elementalist, who could live for thousands of years. But what puzzled me most was the complete lack of any mana coming from him.

"Trying to figure me out, even though you can't grasp my power... is that confidence or just foolishness?" the man asked with a smile. "No, sir, I just—" I began, but he cut me off. "It doesn't matter. You're here now, and I need you to do something for me," he said.

"Wait—your what? What do you mean?" I asked, confused. "Ah, my mistake," the man said, standing up. Suddenly, the simple hut transformed into a grand hall, and the man now sat on a throne, radiating an aura of authority.

"I am the lord, the embodiment of space and time. And you, Arthur, are my incarnation," the lord declared. "Incarnation... me?" I stammered, trying to process what he was saying. As I struggled to understand, the truth hit me—my strange powers must have come from him.

"Exactly. Those are my powers you've been using," the lord confirmed. "But why should I work for you?" I challenged, still confused. "While you are my incarnation, you're not obligated to serve me. However, there are powerful beings who want to steal my powers. They'll stop at nothing to get them," the lord explained. The mention of these beings made me think of the Unknown Civilization. When I looked at the lord, he was smiling, almost teasingly. "Why are you smiling?" I asked, uneasy.

"Ahem... I thought you were just another fool when you decided to fight that boy, Lucas. But it seems you've got some brains after all," the lord said with a smirk. "So what do you want me to do?" I asked. "Don't get too cocky. The beings after you are the Sages, or as you call them, the Unknown Civilization. But you're not ready to face them yet. You'll need to train for at least 20 years," the lord said. "Twenty years? Are you serious? They'll kill me long before that!" I protested.

"That's why I'm going to awaken your true mind realm," the lord said, vanishing into thin air. Moments later, he reappeared with a tiny creature in his hand, which he tossed to me. "This one will train you when you return," he continued. I caught the creature—a small, black lizard. As I examined it, I noticed tiny wings on its back and burst into laughter. "Puhahahah—"

"Lord, you bastard!" the lizard squeaked in a high-pitched voice. I stopped laughing, realizing that this was the same fearsome dragon from outside the hut.

"Calm down, Kairox. You need to be more composed in front of your student," the lord said, barely holding back his own laughter. "He'll guide and train you, but first, you need to make a contract," the lord added. The once-mighty dragon, now a tiny lizard, gave me a resigned look and bit down on my left hand.

"Ouch!"

I instinctively said, though I felt no pain. When I looked at my hand, I saw an infinity sign glowing on it—a sign of the contract. "From now on, Arthur, you're his dad," the lord said playfully.

Scramble!

The grand hall around us began to crumble and fade. "Looks like our time is up. I bid you farewell," the lord said, snapping his fingers as I began to fade away...

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