“Your sister will no longer be joining us for training..” The man said coldly.

"..." No matter how many times he heard it, Jerald felt a lump form in his throat.

"Don't worry, Jerald. You'll never end up like that. Because you're not going to disappoint me, right, my boy?" The Grandmaster-level knight crouched down, his sharp scarlet eyes peering deeply into his son's soul.

"Y-yes, Father." Jerald nodded weakly, feeling the weight of his father’s gaze pressing down on him.

"Good." The man patted Jerald's shoulder with a heavy hand before rising to his full height once more.

"Do you remember what's happening next week?" Junius, the towering figure, smiled down at his son.

‘He remembered?!’ Jerald's heart leapt, and a bright smile began to spread across his face.

"My birthda-"

"Your mana depth examination." Junius interrupted with a grin, cutting through Jerald's excitement like a blade.

"Oh." The smile on Jerald's face faltered, quickly deforming into a frown.

"I know you're excited," Junius said, his voice steady and devoid of warmth. "But we still have to keep up with your training. Once the examination is complete, I'll get you a magic tutor."

"Yes, Daddy..."

***

5 hours later, 10 PM

"Uhh!" Jerald woke with a groan, his body aching from lying on the hard, cold marble tiles of the training room.

"Daddy?" He rubbed his weary eyes and looked around, blinking to adjust to the dim light of the room.

Noticing his father was nowhere to be found, the boy got up and left the training room, his body aching with every movement.

When he reached the basement's entrance, he noticed a note stuck to the wooden door.

Because of your poor performance during training, you won't be receiving any supper tonight. I'll be back tomorrow morning. ~ Junius Cecil.

"I'm sorry Daddy." Already used to such harsh discipline, Jerald simply nodded.

He opened the door and stepped out of the basement, feeling the evening’s cold air hit his face as he exited the mansion through the back door.

'Daddy will be back tomorrow? That means I have time to see them.' Jerald smiled softly.

The boy walked up the basement stairs slowly and exited the mansion through the back door.

CREAK

Jerald walked into a large open space characterized by its old wooden sign.

Junkyard- It read.

As Jerald approached, his eyes locked on a freshly covered small grave, unmarked by tombstones or signs.

"Hey, Josie." Jerald began digging out the grave, one handful at a time.

Jerald began digging through the recently covered earth, his small hands scooping out soil one handful at a time.

Sniff sniff

Tears rolled down his cheeks, but he kept digging.

"Training was okay today... I’m only missing one meal, so I must’ve done better than usual." Jerald chuckled softly, his tone hiding the hurt behind his words.

"No, Daddy means well. He just doesn't want me to fail." His hands moved faster, dirt flying behind him as he uncovered more of the grave.

"Yeah... I know..." His voice quivered as he spoke, his fingers trembling with the cold earth.

"I'm scared... My mana depth test is next week. If it’s below fifty... Daddy will throw me away." Jerald paused, his breathing shallow.

"I don’t want to be thrown away..." His heart raced as the words left his lips.

"No, it’s not okay... I just don’t want to disappoint him..." Jerald’s digging became frantic as if trying to escape the very thoughts that haunted him.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Finally, after several minutes, he reached into the grave and pulled out the lifeless body of a young girl, her appearance almost identical to his own. It was Josie.

"I didn’t come here to disturb you." Jerald’s voice was shaky but calm. He carefully lifted her limp body.

"I knew you’d be lonely down here, so I wanted to move you closer... to everyone else." He whispered, carrying her gently towards a nearby area filled with other unmarked graves.

"Nuh-uh, not that big of a move." He giggled, trying to make light of the grim situation.

After carefully laying Josie’s body down beside the graves, he started digging again. This time, the hole was bigger, wider—just like she had requested.

"Is that enough room?" He paused for her imagined response.

"Okay, let me know if you want it deeper." He continued until he felt satisfied with the size of the grave, his small hands aching from the effort.

"Perfect." Jerald wiped his brow, standing up proudly.

Once he was done, he walked over to a nearby dying flowerbed by the fence, plucking a few bright red flowers.

"You want the pink ones too, huh?" He smiled, picking a few more pink flowers and bringing them back.

Jerald placed the flowers gently on Josie’s still body before he started covering her with dirt again.

"They’ll stop being itchy soon, so don’t worry," he said softly as he patted the soil down.

Tears streamed down his face again, but he wiped them away quickly.

"Happy birthday, Josie." He whispered, gazing at her fresh grave with a bittersweet smile.

As he stood up, Jerald looked at the other fifty-five graves scattered around the junkyard.

"I haven’t forgotten you either. I’ll visit you too... soon." His voice was barely above a whisper as he turned and walked back to the mansion, disappearing into the cold night.

***

One week later, the night before Jerald's mana depth evaluation.

"Jason, I’m scared..." Jerald whispered, his small body rocking back and forth in the dark closet where he often foundcomfort.

"No... What if I disappoint Daddy?" His voice was filled with desperation.

"You don’t understand... It doesn’t matter what I want." Tears slid down his cheeks, soaking the sleeves of his shirt.

"I just can’t fail... I can’t." Jerald’s sobs echoed within the cramped space.

Suddenly, a crimson light enveloped the small closet.

The sinister glow filled the room, tightening around him like invisible chains.

Jerald gasped, frozen in place by the forceful aura that gripped his entire body.

‘What is this...?’ His thoughts were consumed by fear as his eyes widened in terror.

"Hehehe..." A sweet, alluring voice echoed from within the red light, breaking the silence.

"Wha...?" Jerald could barely form words, his voice weak and trembling.

"I’ve been watching you, little one..." The voice purred, its presence overwhelming.

"W-who are you?" His throat felt tight, and he struggled to breathe.

"A shoulder to cry on," she whispered, her tone both soothing and menacing.

"What are you talking about?" Jerald asked, bewildered, his heart pounding in his chest.

"You’re a prodigy in martial arts... Truly talented," the voice praised.

"Th-thank you..." Jerald’s voice was barely audible, unsure of what to make of the entity’s words.

"But... your mana depth is pitifully low." The voice took on a pitying tone, piercing Jerald’s fragile hope.

"I-it is?" Jerald’s heart shattered at her revelation.

"You only have four hundred and eight mana units. That equates to a mana depth of... twenty-five."

The boy's eyes widened in horror as her words sank in.

"Twenty... f-f-five?" His body trembled uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face once again.

"I’m sorry, little one. But don’t despair. You could still become a remarkable knight, perhaps even reach Grandmaster level." The voice softened slightly.

"But I don’t want to be a knight! I need to be a magic knight!" Jerald cried, his voice filled with panic.

"Not with your current mana depth. It’s simply... impossible." The voice declared coldly.

Jerald’s world began to crumble. The one thing he feared most was happening. If he failed... if he couldn’t become a magic knight...

"Daddy will throw me away... I don’t want to go to the junkyard!" Jerald screamed, his sobs filling the closet.

"How badly do you want this?" The voice asked, its tone now sharp and direct.

"What?" Jerald whispered through his tears, confused.

"How badly do you want to succeed? Do you want it enough to do anything?"The voice’s words hung in the air, heavy with implication.

"Yes... I’ll do anything." Jerald’s response was immediate, his desperation clear.

"Then I’ll help you." The voice grew more seductive, pulling him deeper into its grasp.

"H-how?" Jerald sniffled, wiping his tears with the back of his hand.

A glowing rune appeared before him, and a scroll unfurled in midair.

"Do you know what it means to be Cursed?"

*Roman Human Jerald Cecil, you are being offered a contract by the Demon Sponsus. The terms of this contract are as follows:

You shall receive:

3 434 mana units

Accelerated Growth rate.

The ability to utilize Wicked Aura

Details of contract:

The Roman Basic Demon, Sponsus has offered a divine contract to the Roman Human, Jerald Cecil this contract gives the boy all the benefits of being Cursed.

Upon signing the mortal, Jerald may not contract with any other beings.

Every single day, Jerald will be required to send his sensory data back to Sponsus.

Sponsus may demand any other information Jerald may possess and the mortal must comply.

Should Sponsus order Jerald to carry out a task, the mortal must comply. Sponsors may only make this order once a month.

Jerald may ask Sponsus any question and she must respond truthfully, as long as this question doesn't break other contracts the Deity may be bound by.

If any party refuses to deliver on any one of these promises they will receive Divine Punishment.

*Would you like to accept these terms?

"Yes" The boy didn't even hesitate to give his answer, he didn't care to read the terms either he only had one thing on his mind...

***

*Extra Information:

Divine contracts don't have to be fair in any way, they can be skewed in any of the parties' favour, aslong as the terms are clearly stated in the contract in a way that is not misleading.

When offering Divine Contracts to mortals, deities can't lie or feed the mortal misinformation.

Deities increase their mortal's mana depth by giving them a predetermined portion of their soul, this not only serves as a standard term for Blessing/Cursing the mortal but is also a condition required to make the Divine Contract valid.