Leaf pov :

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I stood there in silence, my ethereal form a mere observer in the room. My gaze was drawn to the curious sight before me—the Demon's soul, its form loosely connected with its human body. It was controlling the body, using it to tenderly pet the small animal it had brought into the chamber.

The Corgi, Ser Joy the Dog Knight, as the Demon had playfully named it, was the center of attention. Its tail wagged with unabashed delight as the Demon's fingers gently caressed its fur. I watched as the creature reveled in the affection. It was a sight that tugged at my very essence, and I couldn't deny a small pang of jealousy at the creature's fortune.

Jealousy—such a foreign emotion to me, a guardian of the natural world. But there it was, a subtle prickling at the edges of my consciousness. I was envious of the affection that the animal received, wishing it were directed at me instead.

A strange mix of emotions swirled within me as I continued to watch. Apprehension was there, for the Demon was an enigmatic and unpredictable being. Fondness, because despite its chaotic nature, there was something oddly endearing about the way it interacted with the dog. Hope, because I sensed that this being, with his unique abilities, might hold the key to finally achieving my revenge.

But beneath all these emotions lay a deep undercurrent of distrust that even his friendly demeanor couldn't wash away. I couldn't forget the darkness that still clung to his soul.

"Shall we continue where we left off?" His words broke me out of my reverie.

"Yes...I want you to strengthen my soul" I said clearly , not allowing my inner thoughts reflect on my way of speech.

My eyes remained fixed on the violet form of the Demon's soul. It pulsed with an eerie energy, like a flickering flame in the darkness. It was both fascinating and unsettling, a testament to the otherworldly power that resided within his being.

'Draining away souls of their very essence....what a horrifying ability...and such a familiar one too...' I thought as Negary finally started speaking.

"You already know my price , just as I know your misgivings...so let's skip the small talk and sophistries. Just tell me 𝘄𝗵𝘆 you want strength and 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 you are willing to sacrifice for it"

And as the demon spoke...I remembered...

A burning ember of hate and anger buried beneath the layers of time. It was a fire that had once raged within me, fueled by the atrocities committed against my kind, the children of the forest. My brothers and sisters had been ruthlessly slaughtered by the Seven Star Gods.

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In those ancient days, her fury had known no bounds. She had sought vengeance against the gods who had brought destruction to her kin. But her efforts had been in vain, for the gods were powerful beyond measure, and their wrath had been swift and merciless. They had thrown her broken soul away , half a step away from complete disintegration , not bothering to finish her off...

Over the centuries, her hatred had slowly eroded, replaced by a profound sadness and a sense of hopelessness. She had watched as the world changed, as the natural order of things shifted and evolved. Her anger had become a distant memory, a relic of a time long past...until now...

'Damn the Night King, Damn the Raven's plans...I was only a few years away from breaking apart , and now that I was given another chance, I know what I have to do...'

"I want revenge against those that slaughtered my family....and I am willing to do...𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴..."

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The Demon finally set the dog down on the bed, and the small creature curled up, content and sleepy. He turned his attention back to me, his eyes meeting mine—or rather, the area where my eyes would be if I had a physical form. His lips curved into a wry smile.

"Ser Joy has taken a liking to you," he said, his voice a soft whisper that reached me on an ethereal level. "Or perhaps it's the other way around."

I stayed silent , ignoring his attempt at derailing my train of thought. I spoke the truth when I said that I would do anything for power , but I had no doubts that if I was not careful with the clauses I agreed to , I would not only lose my free will , but any semblance of hope as well... because as much as I was starting to enjoy Negary's company...I knew what he truly was.

Negary's voice resonated through the chamber , a melodious cadence that seemed to carry the weight of centuries. I stood before him, my emerald eyes focused and unwavering, ready to hear the terms of our contract.

"Listen well, Leaf," Negary began, his violet energy swirling around him like a shifting cloak of shadows. "Our contract is not to be taken lightly, for it binds our souls together. There are rules, and you must abide by them if you wish to keep on living."

I nodded, my leafy hair rustling gently "I am ready to hear your terms."

Negary continued, his tone measured. "First, I shall strengthen your soul as much as you desire, provided that I judge the supply of soul energy to be adequate for both of us. If I deem that it is not, then it shall be my prerogative to decide how the souls are to be divided."

I absorbed this information, knowing that I was placing my fate in the hands of this Demon. It was a calculated risk, but one I was willing to take for the sake of my quest for revenge.

"Understood," I replied, my voice unwavering.

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Negary's eyes bore into mine, a strange mix of darkness and intensity. "Second, you shall be bound to follow any and all orders given to you by me, so long as those orders do not require you to actively harm the remaining children of the forest."

My expression remained resolute. I had no intention of harming my kin, for my wrath was directed solely at the Seven Star Gods who had brought about the downfall of my people.

And then I thought about the Raven...and the fact that he was suspiciously not mentioned, even though we were supposedly all allies against the Night King...

I had already made my decision though. The Raven was strong , no doubt, and without him we would all have been eaten long ago by the Stars...but he wouldn't be able to grant me a chance at revenge. Of destroying those that took everything from me...

"Agreed," I affirmed firmly...and Negary smiled

With the terms of the contract laid bare, he and I shared a moment of solemnity, recognizing the gravity of our agreement.

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Negary extended a hand, his violet energy coalescing into a shimmering thread of magic. "Then, N̸̨̎͋͒͗̿̔̒̿̊͒͆̈́͋̉͆̓̀̉͒͘͜͝͝͠͝e̶̢̡̨̡̨̨̩̝̪̗̹͈̪͇̣̮͚̹͈͔̙͖͍͈͙̱̙̮͉̗̠͕̳̬̤̥͔̠͍͉̹̐̓̂̓̾̉̓̒̓̓̈́́́̽̒͘̚͜͜͝ļ̶̛̞̤̻̖̻̥͓̻̰͍̩̖̠̰͙̺̮̹̺̹̺͉̦̘͇̱̲̯̩̯̞͍̻̼̖̠̺͂̒̒̆̐̎͜ͅư̴͚̔̓͂̎̒̌̑ͅm̵̨̧̨̛̛̛̰̗͍̟̯̘̠̟͔͉̬̤̖͎̘͉̙͙̘̺͉͉͙͈͈̭̣̫̩̺̘̱͚͈̠̺̖̅̈́̂̌̆͗͆̀͊͑̆͒̏̏̍̃͑̔́̈̀̏́̉́̉̒̃̓̆̿̈̌́̊̕̚̕͜͝͝b̸̨̛̛̞͔̝̠̦͇͔͕͙̤͍͉̯̫̼͚͉̫̻̞̤̪͎̦̳̭͖̪̲̣̫͈͈͛̄̂̑̀͒̈́͛͑͑̿́̏͐̈́̃́̓̑͌̒̑̆́͋͛̏̿̐̐̀͒̓̏̏̂͜͝͝ͅo̶̧̢̨̗̱̩̗̦̳͍̼̞͖͔̳̦̱͓͉͚͈̩̯͎̲̹̙͇̝̔́̊̇̂͗̓̈́̊̄̑̑͛̿͐̂̇̂̇̕̚͘̕̕͝͝͝ ̴̢̛̖̺͎̮̪̰͈͙̣͙̀͒͌͋̓̊̅̽̈́̅̎͊̎̋̃͐͒́̅͗̇́͒̉̿͒͘͝͝͝͝ņ̵̛̛̛̥̹̤̣̝̮̺̪͖̗̙̣̻̮͈̺͓̱̙͎̞̘͚͔̗̮̖͔̲̳̰͙̓̋̑̎̀̈́̇̒̈́̑̆͒͂͊́̔̆̂̐̉̓́͐̓͋͆̓̈́̌̽͌͌͘͜͝͠͝ų̵̳̻̲̝̞̩̞͈̻̣͔̠͙̟̆̇̂̈͛̀͒͊͒̿̐͝ͅͅc̸̛͈̤͈̲͔͇̝̰̣͖̦̝̓̏͌̐̾̌̈́̍͐͐͂͗͒̏̆̉̇͋́̋̾͌͒̿̎̉͑̋̈̿́̀̈͘͘͝͠͝͝ͅi̷̢̨͙̭̣̰̟̤̖̩̠͕̯̖̪͚̭̼̯͔̼̳̣̪̼̻̼̤̭̪̟̗̤͓͎̞̣̺̜͖̮̠͗̀͆̎̇̓͐f̷̛̟͍̥̮̲̩̤̝͌̓ͅé̵̛͍̞̍̋̀̉͗͋̀̂̍̃̓̃́̊͑̀̋̀́̎͘̕͘͝͠r̴̢̧̨̢͓̗̲̺̭͎̩̖̲̗̩͔̦̺̮̼̬̼̥͖̲͕̘͇̱̬̊̉͑̓͗̒̈̓̌̀̍͗̀̾̽͛̓͗͒̉̈́́̊̿̂̾̚̚̕̕͝͠͠...let our contract be sealed." He said , using my real name for the first time since I told it to him.

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I raised my own hand, my emerald essence intertwining with the darkness that flowed from Negary's palm. As our hands met, a surge of power coursed through our beings, and the contract activated.

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For a moment the broken guardian of nature and the enigmatic Demon stood united, ready to face whatever trials lay ahead. Our destinies were now intertwined, and the path we would tread was shrouded in mystery and darkness.

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...𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚...

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Negary pov :

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"Agreed," she affirmed.

With the terms laid bare, a moment of solemnity settled between us.

I extended my hand, my violet energy coalescing into a shimmering thread of magic. "Then, let our contract be sealed."

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Contracts... they're a funny thing, aren't they?

Being able to bind another entity ad long as it allowed itself to be bound...

The truth is, though, I don't fully get how they work, and this...is troubling.

The first time I used a contract, it felt like second nature, like I'd been doing it my whole existence, and only after did I realize that I was 𝗻𝗼𝘁 in fact supposed to be able to do that.

But I clearly was , and it clearly had to do with the fact that I had a demon soul.

What I didn't know was if this was an innate trait of demons or if the Clown bastard did something else to me.

It was quite jarring, not understanding an ability so potent , but since there didn't seem to be any side effects...there was no reason to stop using it , no?

I 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 , from the bottom of my being that if someone breached the terms of an agreement made with me , their soul would be ripped apart by...something....but more tests had to be done. Maybe I could use this power I was given in more...exquisite ways...

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Leaf raised her own hand, her emerald essence intertwining with the darkness that flowed from my palm. As our hands met, a surge of power coursed through our beings, and the contract activated.

In that moment, I knew that the balance of power had tilted further in my favor. I held the key to strengthening her soul, a resource she desperately sought, and I would wield it as a means to my own ends.

My emotions remained a mix of amusement and cold detachment, for in this intricate game of souls and power, I had captured yet another pawn....

"Now , Leafy , your first task is to go and collect the souls of the freshly deceased. Come back in four hours or when you gathered 100 souls , whichever happens first" I told my first subordinate with a casual tone.

There was no need to lord over her that fact that she was basically my slave as of now. If the multiverse was as infinite as it was hyped to be in my previous world , nothing was unbreakable, not even a demon's contract. It didn't cost me anything to not be dick , after all.

"I shall get to it immediately" She responded with a no nonsense tone , but I knew she was just hiding her excitement.

Reinvigorated by the possibilities that lay ahead , she left my room with a determination that wasn't there previously. The prospect of gathering souls, with the potential to strengthen herself, most likely filled her with a kind of drive she hadn't felt in ages.

It was a glimmer of hope amid the darkness of her past...

'Do your job well and who knows...you may even achieve your goal' I thought, now left alone in my room.

*BARK*

'Well , almost alone'

There was still the dog Varys acquired for me , lounging on my bed with it's belly facing upwards , blissfully unaware of anything besides the hand that was petting him.

As I observed the innocent dog, a peculiar thought crossed my mind. Perhaps my ongoing experiments in warging would finally bear fruit.

I tried many times to infiltrate the thoughts of animals , mostly birds , but even when I was in my deep-rooted meditative state , all I managed to do was leave them catatonic.

It was probably because of the fact that my ,,bond,, with the animals wasn't strong enough, and even though now , with my much stronger soul , I was able to overpower small animals completely and take over their souls, I wanted to do this the proper way , at least once. There was a chance it would help me develop my greensight further...

And so , I told Varys , and I quote "Find me a dog so friendly that their pawprints leave a trail of smiles wherever they roam."

'...his face when I told him that was fucking hilarious..'

But enough with the idle chatter.

I had work to do...if meditation can be called work...

I re-entered my flesh golem, Ser Joy the Corgi by my side, and closed my eyes. As I took a deep breath, I could feel the familiar hum of mana flowing into my fleshy body, strengthening it.

Meditation was the first step, the foundation upon which I would build my attempt at greensight. With each breath, I let go of the distractions of the material world and allowed my consciousness to expand. My mana melded with the very essence of my surroundings, forming an intricate connection with the energies that flowed through the walls, the floor, and the air itself.

I envisioned the dog, Ser Joy, in my mind's eye. I visualized its form, its innocent expression, and the subtle magic that flowed through its being. My mana began to weave intricate threads of connection, forming a bridge between my consciousness and the essence of the Corgi.

Time seemed to lose its meaning as I delved deeper into the trance. My senses expanded, and I felt a shift in the fabric of reality. It was as if I was drifting through the currents of time and space, guided by the thread of my own mana.

Then, it happened. I sensed a presence, a glimmer of consciousness within the dog. It was faint, like a distant star in the night sky, but it was there. I focused my awareness on that flicker of sentience, drawing myself closer to it.

For a moment, my perception blurred, and I felt as though I was standing beside Ser Joy. I saw the room through the dog's eyes, its view of the world reduced to a lower vantage point and limited by its canine senses. I sensed its curiosity, its innocence, and the simple joy it took in its surroundings.

'What a weird creature ' I thought. 'To be able to connect so easily with someone he only met a few minutes beforehand'

I was honestly surprised. I was careful as I established the connection, now wanting to shatter the little guy's soul in case of innate rejection from him , but it was not the case.

'Where the hell did Varys even find this dog?'

But my question remained unanswered as I felt a tug on my consciousness, forcing me to drop the newly established connection with the corgi.

It was a sensation I had experienced before, a force drawing me towards a past not my own. Just as it had occurred a week ago, I felt the world itself guiding my consciousness backward through the currents of time. I wasn't able to trigger another vision by willing it...there seemed to be a kind of unconscious trigger.

The last time I wasn't able to feel the transition, but now it was as though the fabric of reality was unraveling before me, revealing glimpses of events long gone. I surrendered to this temporal force, allowing it to carry me along its mysterious path.

And before I completely left the present time behind, my last thought was...

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"Oh boy...here we go again"

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A.N :

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""Unyielding, Unfettered, Unbent, and Unbroken.

This is the Promise of the Staín, Forged in Steel and cast into the Shape of Men, this promise will be kept until Death takes it from us.""

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Stat sheet changes :

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Hidden Demon trait : Contract Forging

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New Soul-Bound subordinate:

-Leaf (she will get her own stat sheet in

chapter 50)

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New Take-over magic branch :

Warging - novice

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New Warged companion :

-Ser Joy the Dog Knight (he will also get a stat sheet)