Contract With the Deep

The walls trembled as if an earthquake had been set loose within the chamber. Dust and debris trickled from above, the very foundation groaning under the unseen force. My body strained against the shaking ground, my balance barely holding.

Then, a voice—deep, ancient, and layered with something unfathomable—echoed through the room.

"You wake me from my slumber, human boy."

A pulse of blue light illuminated the chamber, spreading outward like ripples on the surface of a vast ocean.

"How curious," the voice mused, carrying a weight of amusement. "I did not think I would find myself stirring from eternity."

I steadied myself, my instincts screaming caution.

[Mimic Eye of Analysis] [Activated]

Immediately, I felt it—an overwhelming presence, coiling and shifting within the depths of the chamber. It was not just power, but an existence vast enough to drown me if it wished.

Then, the voice spoke again, this time more focused.

"Tell me, human, what force has dragged you here? How have you, of all things, awakened me from my slumber?"

I swallowed, forcing my voice steady.

"I apologize for the sudden intrusion," I said, bowing my head slightly out of respect. "I did not come seeking you specifically. I came to use this."

I held up the blank runestone—an uncontracted vessel, meant to forge a bond with a spirit and serve as a conduit for its power.

The spirit was silent for a moment before a low chuckle rumbled through the chamber, like waves crashing against unseen cliffs.

"Amusing," it murmured. "You came simply to contract a nameless spirit into that stone… and yet, you stand before me instead?"

The air around me shifted, the immense pressure loosening just slightly, though the weight of its presence never fully faded.

"Tell me, boy," the spirit continued, its tone laced with intrigue. "Do you even understand what you have done? Spirits of my stature do not simply awaken. And a mere mortal should not be capable of standing before me without an intermediator."

I frowned. "An intermediator?"

"A Spirit Contractor." The spirit's form pulsed, the blue light deepening as if in contemplation. "One who bridges the gap between spirit and mortal, ensuring that neither side oversteps the delicate balance of power. Without one, such a contract should not even be possible."

I gritted my teeth. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. I had only come here to form a simple contract, nothing more. But instead, I had awakened something far beyond my comprehension.

The spirit let out another quiet laugh, the kind that sent a shiver down my spine.

"Yet, despite the laws that govern this world, here we are. No intermediator. No ritual. And still, you stand before me."

The blue light around it flickered, as if amused by an impossibility unfolding before its very eyes.

"Which means one of two things—either the laws of the world have fractured… or you are something far more interesting than you realize."

A slow exhale left my lips.

I didn't come here looking for this. I didn't come here expecting to break the rules of spirit contracts. But now that I had, there was no turning back.

"Then tell me," I said, my grip tightening around the runestone. "Does this mean you refuse?"

The spirit let the silence linger, as if savoring the moment.

Then, its presence surged, filling the chamber with something vast and undeniable.

"On the contrary," it murmured, "it has been too long since I have been entertained."

The blue light flared, and with it, the weight of something far greater than myself settled over me.

"Very well, human. Let us see if you are worthy of bearing my name."

The blue light pulsed, shifting like the tide, its presence filling the space with an undeniable weight.

"Before we speak of contracts, human," the spirit's voice resonated, "let us first speak of something far more important."

I steadied myself. "And what would that be?"

The air turned heavy, as if the ocean itself was pressing down on me.

"Morality."

I narrowed my eyes. "What does that have to do with our contract?"

The spirit let out a slow, amused hum. "Everything. A contract is not simply an exchange of power—it is a bond, a shared path. If I am to lend you my strength, I must know the foundation upon which you stand."

It circled me, unseen but ever-present, its voice shifting from amusement to something more probing, more ancient.

"Tell me, Ezekiel Rhea… is power a right, or is it a burden?"

I hesitated. "Power is… neither. It is a tool. A means to an end."

The spirit rumbled in thought. "A pragmatic answer. But tell me—if a man possesses power and refuses to use it to save others, is he just?"

I clenched my fists. "It depends. If he refuses out of selfishness, then no. If using it would lead to greater suffering, then restraint might be the wiser path."

"And if using his power would damn himself, but save many—should he still act?"

I hesitated. "If he values others over himself, then yes."

The spirit chuckled. "But is that not foolishness? To throw away oneself for the sake of others who may never repay such a sacrifice?"

I exhaled slowly. "Maybe it is. But if the alternative is standing by while others suffer, then I'd rather be a fool."

The spirit hummed again, as if considering my words.

"And if you were given the power to change the fate of the world itself… would you use it? Or would you leave things as they are?"

I frowned. "No one person should have control over the world."

"Ah, but what if the world is broken? What if the choice is yours alone—to save it, or to let it fall?"

A heavy silence hung between us.

"If the world is broken," I said slowly, "then I would do what I could to fix it. But not by forcing change through power alone."

The spirit was silent for a moment before laughter rippled through the chamber, deep and endless like the waves of an uncharted sea.

"Fascinating," it murmured. "You speak of restraint, yet you seek strength. You claim to reject control, yet you would still wield power to bring change."

The blue light flared, and I felt its presence press against me like an unseen tide.

"You are not yet whole, Ezekiel Rhea. You are a wave yet to crash, a storm yet to break."

The pressure eased slightly, though its presence still loomed.

"Very well. I shall grant you my power—but know this."

The light around me pulsed with something ancient and knowing.

"Power will test you. It will demand answers from you that cannot be avoided. And in time, you will stand at a crossroads where no path is just. When that moment comes, will you still hold to your beliefs?"

I swallowed, the weight of its words settling deep within me.

"I will."

The spirit let out one final chuckle, one that echoed like a tide pulling back into the abyss.

"Then let us see if your resolve withstands the storm."

The blue light flared, and in that moment, the contract was sealed.

A deep hum reverberated through the space as the contract was sealed, the blue light dimming slightly. Yet, even as the energy settled, something felt incomplete. The weight of the spirit's presence had not fully faded.

I held up the blank runestone, expecting to feel the full force of the contract take root, but instead, a faint, fractured glow pulsed within it—unstable, incomplete.

I frowned. "Something's wrong. The contract was made, but… your presence—it's still here."

The spirit chuckled, the sound low and knowing. "Did you truly think a being of my stature could be contained so easily?"

The glow of the runestone flickered, unable to hold more than a fraction of the ocean's boundless presence.

"A runestone is but a vessel, a mere conduit for power. For lesser spirits, it may serve as a home—but I am no lesser spirit."

The pressure in the room shifted, like the ebb and flow of a tide pulling away yet never truly receding.

"This stone can hold only a quarter of my essence. The rest… remains beyond, in a realm untouched by mortal hands."

I tightened my grip around the runestone. "Then why make a contract with me at all if you cannot reside within it?"

A wave of laughter rippled through the space. "Oh, how amusing you are, Ezekiel Rhea. Do you think a spirit must be shackled within a stone to lend its power? Do you think our existence is so limited?"

The runestone pulsed faintly in response.

"You, human, are an anomaly. Normally, a spirit does not directly forge a contract with an individual. An intermediary—one who bridges our worlds—is required. Yet, here you are, forging a connection without one."

I stiffened at that. "Why?"

The spirit's voice softened, yet it carried an undeniable weight. "That, I do not yet know. Perhaps it is fate. Perhaps it is madness. But one thing is certain—this connection is… unnatural."

The spirit's presence shifted, lingering just beyond my grasp, like waves retreating before the inevitable crash.

"Because of this anomaly, my full presence cannot remain tethered to you in the way it should. You will only wield a fraction of my strength for now. The rest will remain in my domain, a place where you will awaken from time to time. There, we will speak. There, you will learn."

A chill ran down my spine. "And if I seek to call upon more of your power?"

A deep hum echoed. "Then you must grow. Strength is not granted freely. It is earned, tempered like the tide against the stone. The more you wield my power, the deeper our connection will become. In time, you may come to understand why I cannot fully reside within you… and what it truly means to bear the weight of the abyss."

The light pulsed one final time before dimming, and I felt the spirit's presence retreat—never gone, but always watching. The runestone in my palm remained warm, the faint glow a constant reminder of the contract that had been forged.

And so, the first step had been taken.

But something told me that this was only the beginning.

As Ezekiel turned to leave, the spirit's voice called out once more, its tone carrying a note of intrigue.

"Before you go, Ezekiel Rhea… there is something peculiar about you."

I halted, glancing back as the glow of the spirit's presence pulsed with renewed intensity.

"Surya's Blessing… Karna's Vessel…" The spirit's voice lingered over the names, almost as if tasting them, considering their weight. "How interesting."

My breath hitched. "You know of them?"

A ripple, like a deep current shifting beneath the surface. "Know of them? Foolish boy. Do you not grasp the significance of what rests within you?"

I clenched my fists. "Then tell me."

A chuckle, neither mocking nor kind. "No. That is for you to uncover. I will only say this—light does not shine without a shadow, and the sun does not burn without consequence. Those who wield such forces rarely walk a path unscathed."

The chamber seemed to darken for a fleeting moment before the spirit's presence receded once more.

"Go now, bearer of fire and abyss. Your path is set in motion, whether you see it or not."

The weight of those words settled deep in my chest. Without another word, I turned, gripping the runestone tightly, stepping away from the presence that had just changed everything.

Just as I stepped out of the cave, a sudden force pulled at my feet.

Before I could react, the ground beneath me twisted, the water at the entrance surging unnaturally. A violent whirlpool formed in an instant, spiraling with a force beyond nature's will.

"Consider this my parting gift, human boy." The spirit's voice echoed, laced with amusement.

"Wai—!" My words were cut off as the whirlpool swallowed me whole.

The world spun violently, water crushing in from all sides. I tumbled through the vortex, limbs flailing as the current twisted and turned, dragging me with overwhelming force. My lungs screamed for air as I struggled against the pull, my vision blurring in the chaos.

Then—just as suddenly as it began—the force spat me out.

I broke through the surface of the lake, gasping desperately for breath. The cold night air burned my lungs as I coughed out water, barely managing to keep myself afloat. The lake, once still, rippled with the aftermath of the spirit's power.

I forced myself onto the shore, chest heaving. As I lay there, catching my breath, the voice echoed once more—distant but unmistakable.

"A reminder, Ezekiel Rhea. Water does not yield, nor does it forget. We will meet again."

Then, silence.

As I gasped for air, my body still trembling from the violent expulsion from the lake, a familiar chime echoed in my mind.

[Status Window] [Open]

A translucent screen materialized before my eyes, its glowing text casting a faint blue hue against the darkness. My breathing steadied as my gaze swept across the display.

Ezekiel Rhea – Status

Name: Ezekiel RheaAge: 17Sex: MaleRace: HumanLevel: 36

UA: Mimic EyePassives:

Surya's Authority of Domination

Wraith of the Deep Abyss

Attributes:

Stamina: 28

Strength: 34

IQ: 56 Mana: 0

Mind: 34

Skills: Surya's Blessing: ?

Rapture: C

Clairvoyance: D

Blood Aegis: A

Leviathan's Grasp (Density Manipulation): C[Skill Description]

Hands of the Deep – Allows control over water's weight and form.

Brineforged Dominion – Can harden mist or liquid into cutting tides.

The Drowned King's Mercy – Manipulates moisture to suffocate or crush foes.

Tides of the Subconscious (Dimensional Recall): B[Skill Description]

Eternal Undertow – A timeless void where choices ripple infinitely. (Slows time)

The Forgotten Current – Unconscious, impossibly precise movements guided by an unseen force.

I clenched my fists, my fingertips digging into the damp earth. I could feel it—the power of the ocean spirit coursing through me. The weight of the deep now rested within my grasp, its presence lingering even after the contract was sealed.

My lungs still burned from nearly drowning, but a strange sense of clarity settled over me.

"Wraith of the Deep Abyss…" I muttered under my breath.

This wasn't just power—it was an imprint, a fragment of something far greater than myself. The spirit had only allowed a fraction of its being to reside within my runestone, yet its influence was already undeniable.

I exhaled, steadying my breath. The night air felt heavier, the lake behind me no longer just water but something deeper—something watching.

The spirit's words echoed once more in my mind.

"Water does not yield, nor does it forget."

I had taken my first step into something far beyond mortal comprehension. And this was only the first one.