Rowan was unsure of how to approach his battle. His nervousness was evidenced in his shaky arm as he unsheathed his blade
His opponent saw this and with a sigh of disappointment said, “Take a deep breath, and just focus on our fight”
Hearing this, Rowan closes his eyes and calms himself down. When he opens them again, his eyes show readiness as he calmly looks toward his opponent. An aspiring swordsman, Galen sees that Rowan is ready and confidently unsheathes his blade.
With a bow of respect, the 2 launched at each other at a fast speed. Unbelievably, Rowan's blade was the first to make contact. In contrast, to his shaky arm and weak build his blade came like a charging bull, causing Galen to stumble 2 steps backward.
K noticed this small detail and, with vast wisdom, couldn’t understand what just happened. He had his suspicions, but without any evidence, he chose to observe Rowan further, this time with more attention to detail.
Davis too noticed something off about Rowan, not through his keen observation but through K, as he turned to see K staring at Rowan with a burning passion.
“Here we go again,” Davis thought to himself, as he rolled his eyes to the side
Galen was surprised by the force of Rowan's blade but smiled in disbelief, “I’ll be damn, I thought your presence today was a mistake on the Academy side… Let’s have some fun” Galen smiled at Rowan with genuine happiness
With a smile and an understanding nod Rowan went all out and so too was Galen. At least that was what everyone thought while spectating the match.
The battle went on for a bit, and soon Rowan stood before the defeated Galen who was lying on the ground, sweating profusely and trying to catch his breath.
Rowan leaned down and gave Galen a hand, Galen not angered or saddened by the loss took it and got back on his feet
“I prayed for your future victory,” Galen said before leaving the stage with a satisfied expression
Rowan with a casual smile waved off the onlooker and left the stadium, the entire battle Rowan was just having fun and wasn’t trying at all.
K with his keen eye noticed his prowess and talent for the blade but was unable to figure out the answer to what he was looking for earlier.
Davis asked K as always and he answered every question he had while keeping some details to himself.
After many more battles Davis, Rowan, Aaron, Rachel, Kane, and many more students had advanced to the final, K looking at tomorrow's name found out that Kane and Aaron would have their long-awaited battle, K would go against Rachel, and Rowan would be battling with a mage named Samuel.
Not long after the first day of the exam had come to a close and tomorrow will be the final day of the test.
At sundown, the street was noisy due to the event and was talked about throughout the city, K and Davis walked on the city street and entered a luxurious and familiar-looking restaurant.
“Welcome back Mr. Davis Edwelt, please follow me” Kane the Veltis family’s butler Waited patiently for Davis and K at the restaurant door
With a respectful gesture, Kane led K who was using Davis's body to a secluded room where the patriarch of the Veltis family awaits.
With a crafty smile, K greets Garrick, “You look as great as the day we met Mr. Garrick, how have you been on this fine and lovely evening?”
Garrick with a friendly expression replied, “Not as much as you Davis please sit, I have so many things to discuss with you”
K leisurely took a seat without a care in the world, Kane with a slight nod from Garrick leave and stood guard outside of the room
“Davis, I have come to see your talent in Magic and your exceptionally outgoing attitude, so I would like to offer you a proposition” Garrick spoke with an air of authority
K with a carefree tone inquired, “Please Mr. Garrick, I’d love to hear your proposal”
Garrick with a smile said, “I… no We, the Veltis Family would like to become your sponsor after seeing what you’re capable of, and I as the patriarch of the Veltis family would like to formally invite you to the Veltis family”
K leisurely took a sip of the tea on the table and with a knowing smile replied, “NO, giggle* At least not at the moment”
Davis was quiet the whole time and after being exposed to many of K's shenanigans was rather shocked to hear that K refused the offer that he, himself was striving for from the beginning
But after traveling with K for so long he started to grow accustomed to his unexpected ways of doing things and decided not to talk and continued listening on
If it were the past Davis, he would not have let this slide so easily. After all, who in their right mind would refuse an offer from the patriarch of one of the four pillars of the Empire?
Garrick was bamboozled by K's response and almost choked on his tea right then and there, “Isn’t this whole thing your idea? Why are you refusing the offer that you presented?” That was what was on Garrick’s mind as he almost choked on the tea
K chuckled and commented, “Please take your time Mr. Garrick, the tea might be delicious but too many good things could lead to a bad consequence”
Garrick got up from his chair, his voice was a mix of anger and confusion as he inquired K about his response, “WHAT? Isn’t this the thing you proposed to me when we first met? Or are you playing me for a joke?”
His confusion slowly faded and was replaced by anger, the energy excluded from his body would be suffocating if it was anyone else. But before him, K sat unaffected by the murderous aura around him
“There a saying that goes like this: Don’t bite the hand that feeds you… giggle* but you see Mr. Garrick I’m but a humble magician coming from afar to find my true calling and during my time at the prestigious Academy of Celestia I found myself meeting a few interesting individuals to put it lightly” K spoke with soft and calm voice
His eyes showed an unbelievable amount of confidence as he looked at Garrick, taken aback by his unchanging demeanor Garrick dispersed his murderous aura and calmly asked K “Your point being?”
K showed a slight smile as he turned to Garrick, “Oh, Mr. Garrick hehe, don’t play the fool we both know that you already understand my meaning. Does it really matter if I’m the one that tells you the answer?”
Garrick sat unmoving, his eyes staring dagger at K as he collected his mind, “So they’ve already made their move on you?” Garrick asked with burning determination
Hearing this Davis let out a surprising, “HUH?”
K replied in a mannerly way, “Precisely, I love talking to smart people”
“EH?” Davis again with a surprise
Garrick let out a sigh of disappointment before saying, “This and that are 2 different things, come now Mr. Davis. I have met and seen many different people but not much could entertain me like you, and I without a doubt know that you wouldn’t be satisfied with such allegiance”
K's laughter filled the air, adding levity to the serious discussion, “Of curse not, I’m not so narrow-minded to be swayed by some sweet words, then again I’m open to suggestion only when the time is right”
K's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, his voice animated as he continued to engage with Garrick in lively discourse, “Like you said, my friend this and that are two different things whether I came to you or other depending on what I’ll get in return for my allegiance, so don’t your offer just yet because I still have many things to show both you and the world”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Garrick was both intrigued and curious about K boosting and was excited to see what was to come. Their conversation went on for a bit longer but something caught K's attention making him show a demonic smile unconsciously
Garrick seeing him smile like that had a sense of uncomfortable feeling welling up from within but he couldn’t tell why he was feeling that way. What he doesn’t know is that the feeling he’s experiencing is something he hadn’t felt for a long time a primal feeling of fear that came from the soul
“Excuse me, Mr. Garrick. Thank you for your warm welcome, but I must leave now. There is something that I must do. Oh by the way our little wager still stands” K with a friendly smile notified Garrick about his leave before teleporting outside
Garrick couldn’t do anything since he didn’t know that K could use teleportation magic yet and was stunned, but when remembering K's words from before he burst out laughing and called out for Kane
Kane entered to see Garrick alone and laughing, “Yes master?”
Garrick with an enthusiastic smile said, “Sent Amy to keep a close watch on Mr. Davis as he leaves the Academy”
Kane politely bowed before leaving the room, Garrick still happy from his talk turn to the now emptied seat where K once sat and murmured, “Show me your worth Mr. Davis, Nooo show us”
K reappeared at a quiet corner outside the restaurant and swapped with Davis, K reappeared again in his crow form and on Davis's shoulder
Davis started walking out toward the street with the need for K to remind him, “Why don’t you just take his offer then and there?” Davis probed, eager for clarification
“It a bait to catch a bigger fish” K responds casually
“I’m simply using the other student's status to create an opportunity for further negotiation not as a sponsorship but a partnership, I have boosted about the future as well as using the other student as a point that they approach me, increasing my value in his eye, tomorrow I’ll seal the deal by revealing my worth to not just Garrick Veltis but all 4 pillars to see” K chuckle to himself as his eye darted to the dark corner of the street
A few shadowy people had been following them ever since they left the Academy and into the street but without any murderous intent K decided to not react to them
“Go back and prepare for tomorrow, Davis. I have some urgent issue I must attend to” K mentioned before flying off into the night sky
Davis, unable to ask any further, walked back in the direction of the Academy. Some of the shadowy people wanted to follow K as they were curious about where this crow was going, but since none of them could fly, they just focused on following Davis
Since K is in the form of a crow and not a magical familiar, it’s unlikely for the stalkers to know that K has his mind and consciousness and can act just like a normal person, not an animal.
Deep in the forest close to the front gate of the city*
A man seemingly struggling to stand up and walk was in excruciating pain, his body was covered in blood and his left arm was clutching tightly onto his right. He has a skinny body that might fall if a strong wind were to hit him and messy and unkept brown hair
“Don’t talk, don’t speak, don’t do” He mumbled incoherently to himself as his body shook uncontrollably
“I need to eat more” A demonic voice echoes in his mind
“No no no no no” The man curled up into a fetal position as he covered his ear
He then felt an uncontrollable seizure and lay on the ground slowly losing consciousness and covered in blood, all he could do was tilt his head a bit to the left and at the corner of his eye he saw a severed leg covered in blood and behind him a dead person with a missing leg
He slowly loses his mind to the unknown pain and falls unconscious.
“Hello… wakey wakey… hello?” While delirious he heard a voice calling out to him
“Help…” The man couldn’t feel his body anymore all he could do was ask for help
“giggle* you wish for my help? Then WAKE UP”
The man awoke instantly, he tried to see who the voice was coming from but he didn’t see anyone
“Look up” The voice came again
While struggling to move he looked up to see a black cat with red crimson eyes staring down at him
“Am I dying? Are you an angel?” The man asked dying a breath
K didn’t reply, he sat there watching with satisfaction as the man below him slowly died. The man refrained from asking further and laughed like a lunatic
“Who am I kidding, you’re more of a reaper than an angel laugh* are you here to take my soul to hell?” The man with a dying and hopeless eye asked K
K laughs at his hopelessness, “A reaper? Don’t worry I’m not a reaper. As for an angel… Technically I was an angel demonic laugh*”
“I came with a proposal in mind Mr. Rithy…” K spoke as he climbed down the tree almost like a real cat
“You know me?” Rithy asked in confusion
K with a sinister smile replied, “Of course I do. You who are so desperate to summon a demon from the bottom of hell to your world are someone I must know”
K continued, his voice was enchanting to Rithy ears, “You have called upon the wrong demon to make a contract with, I can help you. All you have to do is shake my hand and I promise you that whatever wish you have will come true”
Rithy was stuck about whether or not he should take up on his offer after his earlier experience with a demon. But before he could think any further another voice came to him
“Don’t shake his hand, you’re mine and mine alone” a demonic screech came from within his mind
“A mere bottom licker such as you dared to stand in my way?” K said in a demonic tone
Hearing this the demon forcibly took over Rithy body while Rithy was still conscious and yelled at K furiously, “Me? A bottom licker? How dare you a pathetic demon that came out of nowhere look down on me”
K was rather annoyed by this demon remark because he suppressed his demonic energy to not cause a ruckus or discord, a mere low-ranking demon dared to look down on him
K morphed with the shadow and came out in a humanoid form with white hair, he had no facial expression and was in modern formal attire. But what caught the 2 on-lookers in a trance was the 4 pairs of wings
He cast a barrier around them that separated the space around them from the physical world, “Welcome to my dimension” K said as he stretched his arm out, asserting his dominance over the arrogant demon
K releases his demonic energy causing the demon within Rithy body to quake in fear after all the weak will always fear the strong, and for a demon hierarchy is something that they take seriously since in hell only one rule can override all others and that was “Survival of the fittest”
The demon recognized the demonic energy and the wings causing him to freeze like a deer in the headlight, “Y-y-you’re the k-
He couldn’t finish the sentence as K's hand forcibly grabbed onto his face and raised his body from the ground, the demon fear was plastered all across Rithy's body
K placed his other arm into a shushing gesture and said, “Now, now, don’t ruin the surprise got it?”
The demon within Rithy shook his head in a submission satisfying K, “Good now fuck off”
With a powerful wave of energy injected into Rithy's body the demon within Rithy's body was exorcised on the spot and Rithy was finally able to take control of his body again
“So then… Do we have a deal?” K stretch his arm out for a shake
Rithy who was unable to do anything asked for clarification, “Can you kill someone for me?”
K chuckled and with a reassuring voice said, “Are you talking about Duchess Nigoya and her husband?”
Rithy eyes flooded with tears as he nodded
“Don’t worry killing is my specialty, but I wish to at least know why” Leaning against the tree, K observed the scene with a leisurely gaze, his demeanor calm and unhurried
Rithy with a teary voice narrated his story to K, “I’m a father of 2 children, we live as a normal family until one day my wife's beauty caught the eye of the duchess's husband and he forcibly forced his way into my house while I take my daughter and son out to hunt, I came back and my wife, she, she…” anger and savagery slowly came out with every word Rithy speak
K stood there with an uncaring attitude as he leaned on the tree, he didn’t say anything as he listens
“He was still in my house when I returned, blinded by rage I beat him up but I was restrained by his guards and framed I was taken to court, I tried to explain my situation but I couldn’t win because the judge wasn’t on my side. I was imprisoned for 5 years for assault on a nobleman”
Rithy knelt on the ground as he had a breakdown, “When I came out of jail, I went back only to be told that my wife took her own life because of the shame along with my son and daughter. But after further investigation, I found out that it was all the Duchess doing, she wanted to bury anything regarding what happened”
K can see a person's soul and characteristics as long as they’ve fallen into 3 types of categories: Those who have heavily sinned, those who are desperate and would do anything, and those who desire something so much that they would kill to get it
And Rithy he was all 3 of them, Although K understands his circumstances it still doesn’t change the fact that he has killed many innocent people to try and summon a demon to do his bidding
K let out a deep sigh as he turned to Rithy with pity, “I will take on your request and in return for my services your soul will be mine, I hope you wouldn’t mind our deal?”
He extended his hand once again to Rithy, this time without hesitation Rithy shook his hand, “DEAL”
A light string appeared from within Rithy's body and moving towards K, K took hold of it symbolizing the contract between them
“1 month from now same place, same time” K with a demonic laugh said before disappearing into the night
He would’ve done the deal much sooner if it weren’t for the test tomorrow and some other things he must do.