Chapter 8: A Contract

""I accept""

Hearing this widened Lyra's grin. "Good. Now that the terms of the contract have been set, and you have both accepted the terms, all you have to do now is shake my hand and the contract will be set in stone."

Dennis went first. He reached out his hand then held Lyra's. The two shook hands, then the purple aura from Lyra's Essence spread to Dennis, enveloping him in a purple glow. The two released hands and it was Maya's turn.

She did the same, reaching out her hand and joining it with Lyra's, they shook hands and then the purple aura spread to Maya as well. The two of them stared at their hands, still not used to this new energy based magic.

"So... now what?" Maya asked, still staring at Lyra's Essence on her hands.

"Now, you absorb the essence fragments and you will obtain my power." Lyra instructed.

"How do we do that?" Dennis asked.

"Just wait, your core will absorb the essence fragments by itself" Lyra answered.

After a few seconds, the purple fragments disappeared into their bodies, replaced with a white aura radiating off of Dennis, and a green aura radiating off of Maya.

"So, we now have your powers?" Maya asked, a look of excitement on her face.

"Yes you do. However, because of your low ranking Kinetic Core, you still haven't unlocked an affinity for magic. But, your physical abilities have improved along with your body's healing abilities." Lyra explained.

"How do we get actual magical powers?" Dennis asked, a bit disappointed and frustrated at his weakness.

"Like I said before, you have to pass one of the trials to obtain Essence stones, which possess the powers you are so desperately seeking." Lyra explained again, slightly annoyed.

"Where do we go to participate in the trials?" Maya asked this time.

"Trials are found within special areas all over Veridia"

"Veridia?" Maya asked with a puzzled expression.

"Yes, Veridia" Lyra said, now frustrated at their lack of knowledge about the world. "Veridia is Mother Nature's domain, a land made completely out of the elements of nature. We are currently in the outskirts of Veridia, and the trials are located in the main part of the domain."

"Domain?" Dennis said.

"Mother Nature? Is that an actual person?" Maya asked with the same puzzled expression as Dennis.

Lyra sighed and started to explain, "In Eurynia, our land is currenty split into five locations, each of those locations are called domains. The domains are created by some of the highest ranking Broken Core stage beings, who possess power and abilities far beyond what we can imagine, and have control over the forces that make up the world of Eurynia.

"The Strongest of the Broken Cores are gifted by Lucien, the ability to create their own domain in the world of Eurynia. This domain was created by the great Sylvia"

"Wow" Maya said, truly fascinated by how this world works.

"So, what you're saying is, if we can climb to the top of the stages of the Kinetic Cores, we can become gods?!" Dennis asked, even more excited now.

"Yes, but it's not easy" Lyra answered. "While you certainly can become a divine being by becoming a Broken Core being, the chances of that happening are literally one in a million. That's why, despite the thousands of years worth of history here in Eurynia, only few have actually managed to reach that stage"

"So, how do they get to that stage?" Dennis asked her.

"Much like every other way, they all passed Lucien's trial and were granted entry into Solaris. Along with that, they all advanced to divine status as well."

"So, is Solaris like heaven or something?" Maya asked.

"If thats what you call the divine realm, then yes it is" Lyra answered.

"By the way, did you do this?" Dennis asked, now turning his attention towards the giant corpse laying on the ground.

"Yes, I did" Lyra answered with a blank, emotionless stare. "These two tried to attack me, so I defended myself"

"This is two people?" Maya asked while staring at it with a slightly disgusted look,

"Yes, I'm sure they formed a contract with each other"

"Why did they even attack you?" Dennis asked this time.

"That is the nature of this world" Lyra started explaining once more.

"In this world, the strength of your Kinetic Essence and Core decides every factor of your being. So, we are always looking for ways to become stronger, because here, the strong control every aspect of life.

"And so, with us living under this hierarchical structure, there will always be those who try and attack the oppressive strong in attempt to either preserve their pride, or to protect themselves and the ones they care about.

"Naturally, there will always come a time where they end up either challenging those they are too weak to do anything against, such as in the case of these two, or losing themselves in the harsh trials in the pursuit of more power."

"When are we going to the trials?" Dennis asked this time.

"When I decide so" Lyra answered to her servant.

"The time for you to attempt your first trial will come later. For now, I have a special task for the both of you"

"What task are you talking about?" Dennis asked her.

"I am going to name a few objects that you must collect for me." Lyra explained.

"So... like a scavenger hunt?" Dennis concluded.

"What objects are they?" Maya asked her new master.

"First, the eyes of an Oculith"

"What's that?" Dennis asked

"An Oculith is a pulsating mass of slick, obsidian-black flesh, roughly spherical but constantly shifting and rippling. However, their most prominent features are the complete absence of a discernible head or face. Instead, multiple pairs of eyes are embedded directly into its surface. These eyes are not uniform; some are white and unseeing, while others are bloodshot and darting.

"They also have thin, whip-like tendrils that sprout erratically from their bodies, each tipped with razor-sharp, barbs that drip a viscous, corrosive fluid."

As Lyra finished listing the first object, the look of fear and bewilderment in both Dennis and Maya's faces were so amusing, that she couldn't help but smirk at them.

"Second, the vines of the Rootrot Horror."

"And what the hell is that?!" Asked Dennis in a mix of fear, and frustration.

"The Rootrot Horror is a hunched, bulky creature that looks like twisted tree roots given life. Its body is a mass of gnarled wood, sharp splinters, and oozing black sap. Patches of dead leaves cling to its form, and the air around it smells of damp earth and decay.

Instead of a normal head, it has a gaping hole filled with writhing, thorny vines that lash out to grab prey. These vines are surprisingly strong and can crush most materials.

The Rootrot Horror is silent except for the creaking and snapping of its wooden body as it moves."

'Please tell me you're joking' Maya pleaded in her head.

'You can not be serious!' Dennis screamed internally.

Lyra's smirk turned into giggling as she once again caught sight of the faces of the two humans, which were now even more fearstruck than before.

"Third and lastly, the head of a Chitinous Reaper " She paused for a few seconds, trying to see if Dennis or Maya had any amusing questions about their next target, however the both of them remained quiet, awaiting further information on their target.

"The Chitinous Reaper is a large, insectile creature encased in jagged, iron-like armor. With rows of razor-sharp legs that can tear through the ground, and its glowing red eyes that burn with malice. Thick, whip-like antennae twitch as it hunts. Its massive front claws are like serrated scythes that drip with a viscous and poisonous fluid... and I want you to bring me its head". Lyra instructed after giving the information.

Dennis and Maya's jaws both dropped to the floor. Dennis especially, after hearing the last item on Lyra's list. It had only been two days since he had come to this world and narrowly escaped that monster, and now, he had to face it again. But this time, he had to actually fight it, kill it, and bring its head back to Lyra. And the worst part about this was that he couldn't refuse.