“What does a level seven contract mean anyway?” Cleo asked and prodded Elrith with her tail. The angel seemed to have recovered and was wordlessly driving his spider deeper into the park at a slow pace. Elrith didn’t respond, and Cleo jabbed him again with her tail.

“Is it that bad?” Raea asked with a wrinkle in her forehead. “I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.” She bit her lower lip as Elrith continued forward. She couldn’t tell if he was mad at her, or if there was seriously something wrong with him. He hadn’t been this despondent even when Selena had died.

Sally frowned and nudged Elrith’s cheek with her wing, but that didn’t bring about a reaction. “Try kissing him,” Cleo said and smiled, showing her pointed teeth. Sally’s face flushed, but she didn’t object. She gazed into Elrith’s dull eyes and pecked his lips while Raea’s stared blankly at the sight.

Elrith’s eyes shone and widened. He touched his fingers to his lips and blinked at Sally who was hiding her face with her wings. “Did you just…?” Elrith asked with his mouth agape. Hints of a smile could be seen on his face with his dimples starting to form. Cleo stabbed him in the ribs with her tail, causing him to flinch.

“True loves kiss,” Cleo said and snorted. “How cliché. Now tell me, what’s a level seven contract mean and why did it break you?”

All traces of happiness disappeared from Elrith’s face as his brow furrowed. “Is it really level seven?” he asked, looking at Raea, hoping she made a mistake. “Could you have misread a one?”

Raea shut her eyes and took in a deep breath, removing the shock of Sally kissing her brother. Would Sally be her sister-in-law in the future? She exhaled and opened her eyes, meeting Elrith’s pleading gaze. “It’s really level seven,” she said. Elrith hung his head.

Palan smacked Elrith’s back with the side of Danger Noodle’s head. “Quit exaggerating,” he said while chewing on a horse’s haunch. He was holding a horse drumstick by its hoof. “And tell us already. I’m curious now. How badly did Raea screw up our contract?”

“I did no such thing,” Raea said and pouted.

“Ray,” Elrith said as his lips twisted into a wry smile. “The soldiers in my army all have level one contracts with their demons. There are a few commanders who have level two contracts, but their demons are closely monitored to prevent them from evolving. From level three onwards, the risk for the angel is too great.”

“Bigger benefits come with higher risks,” Cleo said. “I would know.” She nodded and pointed at Palan. “I mean, I follow him around.”

Elrith ignored Cleo’s comment. “What happens to you if Palan dies?” he asked, turning back around to stare at the road. He didn’t want to meet Raea’s eyes. If he accompanied her to the borderlands, would she have made this type of contract with Palan?

“I die,” Raea said and made eye contact with Palan. She grabbed his free hand and squeezed it. “If I die, he dies as well.”

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“Why would you do something like that, Ray?” Elrith asked. “What could have possibly made you think that was a good idea? I really hate the fact that you have a contract with Palan, but couldn’t you at least dissolve it and make a contract with less dire consequences?”

“I can’t do that,” Raea said. “It wouldn’t be fair to Palan if my consequences were any less than his. As partners, we both have to assume equal risk.”

“Fairness?” Elrith asked. “You’d throw away your life for the sake of fairness? Do you know how unfair that is to the people you’ll be leaving behind if Palan dies?” He turned around and glared at Raea. “He’s just a demon, Raea. You didn’t even know him and contracted your life to him. Think about how Mom and Dad would feel if they found out.”

“They threw me away,” Raea said and pursed her lips. “They don’t have the right to feel anything about me anymore.” Black flames swirled through the air around Raea, causing Palan to inch away.

“You’re right,” Elrith said and sighed, turning back around. Was Raea’s wrath directed at their parents? He thought it was only aimed at the archdemon who killed Selena. “Sorry for bringing that up.” The heat behind his back vanished, replaced by a cold chill. “I’d be devastated if you died, Ray,” he said in a soft voice.

“Like you were devastated by Selena’s death?” Raea asked, squeezing her hands. Palan frowned at the pressure exerted on his palm and squeezed back. “You didn’t even cry a single tear when she died.”

“Crying won’t bring someone back,” Elrith said with a hard voice. “Why do you think I abandoned the army to accompany you? I was worried about you, Ray. I don’t want to lose you too.” The spider slowed to a halt in an area packed with trees and began to dissolve. The only sounds came from the nearby bugs and the occasional bird cry.

Raea didn’t respond as she aggressively sought Palan’s attention, latching onto his arm and burying her face in the space between his neck and shoulder. Her wings spread and wrapped around him, making him furrow his brow as he struggled to finish off the horse’s leg. In the end, he fed it to Danger Noodle. He looked at the demonic angel clinging to his body and ran his fingers through her hair. If he was still in Eljiam, he’d never have let anyone come this close to him other than his sister. Was it because he knew she wouldn’t try to kill him?

“Palan,” Elrith said, drawing the demon’s attention away from Raea. “You can’t be comfortable with losing your life when Raea dies.” His brow furrowed. “Dissolve your contract with her and make one with me instead. I’ll let you use my powers: charity, diligence, patience. They aren’t any weaker than Raea’s. Every time you call on Raea’s powers, it changes her—makes her more accepting of them.”

Raea didn’t say anything, but she turned her head to observe Palan’s face with one eye. “I refuse,” Palan said. Raea smiled and closed her eyes.

“Why?” Elrith asked, practically shouting. He took in a deep breath. “I’ll change the terms. You won’t have to follow any orders, but you can only kill the people I let you. I won’t make it so that you die if I die.”

“Can’t do it,” Palan said.

Elrith furrowed his brow. “What if I let you do whatever you wanted?” he asked. “There’d be no restrictions on your part, but you can still use my powers and draw upon my mana.”

“Very tempting, but no,” Palan said. “Stop asking.”

“Raea,” Elrith said.

“We can’t dissolve the contract,” Raea said, lifting her head. “Not without the Creator’s judgment.”

Elrith’s face blanched. “So that’s why you wanted to go to the capital,” he said and sucked in his breath. “At least that clears some things up.” He fell silent as he began forming a miniature hill to conceal the party’s presence.

“You’re all talking about things I don’t understand,” Cleo said as her tail thumped against the floor. “It’s not fair.” She sighed as she stuffed her hands into her space and began organizing the loot she gained from the city.