Chapter Forty-Five

“Uh…Hi?”

Jackson wasn’t really prepared for her to talk to him, especially in his own language. Her eyes glowed a little brighter, and she tugged against her bindings, yet she was clearly unable to move much at all. Jackson decided to take the time to try and identify her.

????

A whole lot of nothing was what Jackson got back. His analyze skill was not high enough. The angel actually hissed, the sound serpentine, and her eyes shifted, smoldering with anger.

“You presume to try and analyze me, mortal boy? I should rend your flesh and burn you to ash for that as I feast on your life force.”

Her seductive voice had turned into a snarl, blazing with undisguised anger. Ah, right, analyzing like that was seen as rude. Jackson had forgotten that. He held his hands placatingly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think so. Look, uh, you said we had a lot to discuss?”

A second later, she was composed, her face serene. The transition was so fast, Jackson almost wondered if she had been angry at all.

“We do, Jackson Grey. I wish you to free me.”

Jackson's eyes grew wide, and he took a step back, stumbling over a piece of chipped black rock. He cursed and kicked it away from him before turning back to look at the angel. The molten purple lava sloshed and swirled just under her feet, and yet the heat that permeated the air did not seem to phase her in the least.

“Why would I do that? Not to be rude or anything, but you did just threaten to burn me to ash just now.”

Lilith, which Jackson just remembered her saying her name was, looked calm.

“There are good reasons to free me, Jackson Grey. The Judge will only allow you to move forward in this dungeon after you have overcome me. As long as I remain chained, you cannot do that.”

Jackson raised a finger and pointed at the chains of energy.

“Delathorn implied these chains are killing you somehow. Why couldn’t I just wait you out?”

Lilith actually smiled at that; the expression looked akin to how a cat might look at a mouse.

“The one you know as Delathorn made these chains of weaves to last eons, a continuing torture. I assure you, mortal child, you will die long before I do. Besides, what will you do about your precious love in the meantime? Time will not slow for you, Jackson Grey.”

Jackson felt his jaw clench and his fists tighten. She was right.

“So what? I have to free you and then fight you to overcome you. It doesn’t seem like a good deal for you other than a faster death.”

Lilith laughed. The sound like silver bells in the wind sent a shiver down Jackson's spine, and goosebumps erupted on his flesh with a little tingle.

When she spoke, it was with an admiring, condescending smile on her face. Jackson was a small child who had done something particularly amusing yet foolish.

“Precious child. In this form, I would end you faster than the blink of your mortal eyes. No, I do not suggest you attempt to fight me.”

Jackson threw up his hands, blowing out an exasperated breath.

“Then how do I overcome you, as apparently I have to?”

Lilith’s smile turned knowing, and her eyes glinted.

“We make a deal, little vampyre. Oh yes, I have ears, boy. I heard what Delathorn called you.”

Jackson internally cursed the rogue again and let out an inner sigh.

“Putting that aside, what kind of deal?”

Jackson made no effort to hide the suspicion in his voice.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“You do not have the power to free me from these chains and...”

Jackson growled,

“So what’s the point then?”

Lilith’s eyes flashed with that same smoldering anger, promising violence and destruction.

“It is rude to interrupt, boy. Keep yourself silent while I am speaking. You do not have the power, but I do, in a manner of speaking. I cannot brute force my way out of these bindings, but should you and I enter a contract, I can bind myself to new confinements.”

Jackson snorted out a small laugh.

“What good does that do you? And what new confinement would that be?”

Lilith’s answering smile was predatory.

“The new confinement would be you, boy. Either I am chained here, with nothing to do or see for the next several aeons, dying a slow and very painful final death, or I bond myself to you. By doing the latter, I am at least able to see some of the world and act, albeit in a limited capacity.”

Jackson chewed on his inner lip. He had to admit, the thought intrigued him, though he had more questions.

“Okay, how would this benefit me? How would we do this, and what would it look like?”

Lilith was happy to answer, seeming to believe that Jackson's questions might signal agreement if she could only reassure him.

“The benefits are vast and mortal. You would gain a new aspect to your mana, along with another skill, maybe two, and your concept would be strengthened beyond that of other journeyman-ranked Domains and concepts.

The foundation this would build will lead to power beyond imagining in later ranks. Frankly, you would be a true fool to pass up this opportunity."

"Admittedly, the process is quite painful for both you and me. As for how it is done, we enter into an agreement before the Judge, a binding contract that shall bring our souls together. That’s the painful part, and it looks a lot like your relationship with the spirit you came here with. I will be able to manifest to your senses, and no one else's unless you wish me to.”

Jackson rubbed a thumb along his jaw, considering as he chewed his tongue. The whole merging of souls thing sounded like nothing else he had heard before. He said so to the angel, and he asked what impact that would have on his Domain.

“A lot,” she admitted. “However, the changes are good ones. Your concept and mine would merge together, creating something that is the same yet different. The merging of souls is not something you have heard of because it is something very rarely done. I give up a lot of my agency doing this, mortal child. It is why I said I would be exchanging one set of chains for another. I will essentially be binding myself to you. Though you bind yourself to me in the same way, you are the one steering the ship, to borrow one of your mortal metaphors.”

Jackson had trouble accepting that she was willing to give up so much freedom, and he mentioned it. Her face turned slack, and her eyes looked defeated.

“What other options do I have, boy? There are no other contracts I can make that will free me. That cursed rebel has bound not just my flesh to this spot but my Domain and spirit as well. My only option is to forge my soul anew with yours. Or any other mortal that comes along. I would prefer you, as you have motivation to destroy the rebel that chained me here.”

Jackson ran a hand through his hair and shifted a bit, thinking.

He didn’t think too hard. He really had no other option. He could not move forward without overcoming her, and without freeing her, something he wasn’t powerful enough to do anyway, he could not defeat her. That was if he could even defeat her after he managed to free her. The only option was this. That didn’t mean he had to be stupid about it.

Jackson's blue eyes met her violet ones.

“Okay then, it’s indeed time to make a deal,” he said solemnly.

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Jackson haggled with the angel. He wanted to know what specific skills and weaves he'd get, but it turned out that she didn't know.

“The skills or weaves you may receive are born of the knowledge that you gain from our merging. You can only hold so much knowledge at your rank. I cannot say for certain what will be born from it.”

Jackson would have preferred to know. Alas, wanting it wouldn’t make it happen. Since she was already giving up so much agency, she demanded that he be unable to compel her to do what he wanted. In other words, whatever little agency she had, she intended to keep.

Jackson had no issue with that. He wasn’t interested in owning a slave.

He did want access to her knowledge, however, so he proposed a similar arrangement to what Lazarus had done for him. She would be a guide. A mentor. Jackson felt something in him lurch—a kind of pit form.

It felt like he was replacing Lazarus, and he hated it. He tried to resolve it for himself by saying that he would simply have two guides when he saved Lazarus. It didn’t help. Lilith snorted imperiously, but agreed.

"Undoubtedly, you will attempt something foolish. Your death would mean mine; it only makes sense to curb that possibility by informing you when you’re acting the fool.”

Jackson ignored the insults. He also wanted to get any training he could out of the deal, something else Lilith agreed to. Jackson got the sense that she would have waved dismissively if she could have.

“That goes hand in hand with being your guide. What else?”

She was clearly impatient, her eyes rolling. She hadn’t asked for anything other than her agency. Jackson guessed it was all she really wanted out of the deal.

Jackson asked a couple of other questions.

“Are you able to enhance my mana or my stats?”

Lilith shook her head, her dark hair shifting like a shining black wave.

“Not the stats, no. Your mana will receive a boost, however. You should find yourself with access to a little more power than before.”

“Any other benefits?”

Lilith shrugged,

“Strengthening your concept and getting access to a divine-level guide with knowledge spanning the beginning of creation along with some new skills and weaves is not enough for you, vampyling?”

Vampyling was new. Jackson had not heard that before. He was forced to admit that she had a point, as loathe as he was to come to that conclusion. He was getting a lot out of this. In fact, he was certain that this deal was one that many would kill for.

Jackson tried to think of anything else, but he was only able to come up with one more thing.

“No trying to take me over or something.”

Lilith stared at him and then laughed again. Every time she did that, Jackson knew that he had just said something incredibly dumb.

“Oh, child. You’re just so adorable. This arrangement does very little to benefit me. I have become a part of you on a horribly intimate level. A level so intimate in fact that we share a soul. I shudder to think of it and would never consider it were I not bound in the way I am.”

Jackson grudgingly nodded. It did make sense.

Jackson realized he was stalling. He had no idea how this would feel, but he knew it wasn’t going to be pleasant. Lilith had said it was painful, and Jackson was positive that to her, that meant incredibly so. What if Jackson was different? Stupid thought; of course he would be different. How different was the question? Jackson hoped not too much. He took a deep breath.

“Okay, let’s do this.”

Lilith’s smile was chilling to look at.