For a while, Grayton sat there with his head hung low, processing the recent events. He still held his position once he recovered, but finally responded to the inky figure known as Charles.

"...Why did you help me?"

"Oh, me?" The figure pointed at his mask as if there was anyone else Grayton could be referring to. "I'm just a lonesome traveler passin' by. I didn't intend to help ya, really. Seems to me that my presence alone scared them away!"

"...Am I supposed to buy that?" The pain had dampened Grayton's mental capacity to a certain extent, but even he was still able to see through the blatant discrepancy. "You reek of death; there's no way you don't know the effect you have on people... And your timing was too perfect."

"Haha! Ya really are a sharp fella, ain't ya!" Charles clapped, producing sounds more similar to wet slaps than actual clapping. "Well, I'll be straight with you then. The truth is, I've been followin' you since the start! I saw that magnificent fight you had with that undying. Y'know, it's quite the achievement, beating an undying of that magnitude so early on your journey!"

"From the start... How did you find me?"

"Oh, simple! When you opened your first portal, ya left traces of unique mana that even I'd never seen before; probably how those witches found you too. But believe me when I say that it was total coincidence that I came across said traces." Charles explained.

"Traces of mana, huh?" Grayton mumbled skeptically before slowly standing back up. "So, what are you gonna do now?"

"Well, if I'm bein' honest, I need someone to help me with a certain problem of mine..." The inky figure stepped closer, his body sloshing with every step. "So, why don't we strike a deal?"

"Here we go." Grayton's eyes narrowed.

"I gather ya don't like the witches, do ya? Well, neither do I! I'll help ya navigate through the wonderful world of magic and teach ya all about the basics. And I'll even train ya up till those witches can't touch ya ever again!" Charles talked in an overly dramatic manner, attempting to make the offer sound as enticing as possible. "But in return, once yer trainin' is over, ya have to do me a favor."

Grayton waited for a few moments before talking once he realized there wasn't going to be any further explanation. "Wait, what kind of favor?"

"Wouldn't ya want to know?" Charles teased. "You'll know when we get there. So, deal or no deal?"

"So that's how it's gonna be..." Grayton facepalmed with his free hand. "I have a few conditions."

"Do tell."

"First of all, the favor should obviously be something possible. It should also be something I could achieve within a relatively short amount of time." Grayton listed. He ran through as many scenarios where this deal would screw him over in his head as he talked. "Last and most importantly, the favor shouldn't be something that outright kills me or people close to me; are those acceptable?"

"Hmm..." Charles rubbed his chin, seemingly deep in thought. The simple motion appeared more jarring to Grayton since Charles's hands were practically fusing with his chin as he did it. "Alright! Those demands seem reasonable enough; I accept."

This response left Grayton stunned, as he was expecting some slimy wordplay or arbitrary negotiation. "That easy?"

"So, what do ya want to know?"

----------------------------------------

Grayton talked with Charles as he walked back home, throwing out question after question.

"So what are you, really?" Grayton asked. By now, he had regained movement in his left hand.

"I'm... not sure how to answer that." Charles replied. "Some call me a ghost; some call me the personification of death... Technically, I'm just a construct made out of extremely dense, tainted mana."

"Tainted mana?" Charles' answer only gave birth to more questions.

"Right!" Charles chirped. "It's a bit complicated, so I'll explain it in a way anyone will understand. So basically, living things equals mana. If living thing die, mana is released. If death was painful, tainted mana gets released. Tainted mana purifies over time, but too much of it will result in a rift opening that lets undyings through."

"Rift?" Grayton asked. "And stop talking to me like I'm in special ed."

"I was getting to that part." Charles continued. "Undyings aren't really native to our realm, ya see. I ain't too sure about the specifics, but they all seem to come out of this sorta pocket dimension."

"Hmm." Grayton nodded. "Undyings, so that's what those things are called..."

"Most rifts that open up naturally are too small to let out the powerful undyings, so they're usually super weak." Charles raised his hand, the black liquid that formed his hand melded together to create an arc-shaped blade. He then swung his hand in a sharp movement, separating the blade from his hand and launching it into a nearby undying perched on a street lamp. "Like that. But these small ones can cause a build-up in tainted mana if left alone. That's why we gotta get rid of 'em."

Grayton observed the twitching corpse on the ground until it stopped moving completely.

"If yer wonderin' why it isn't disintegratin', it's because they don't normally do. There's somethin' peculiar about yer magic that does that." Charles cheerfully explained, his hand had already fully regenerated.

"No... I figured that one out." Grayton shook his head. "But why do they mimic the shapes of animals and other living beings from our world?"

"Beats me." Charles shrugged. "Just something they do, I 'spose. I heard rumors of powerful Undyings being in the shape of humans..."

"What's the difference between normal mana and tainted mana?" Grayton continued.

"Eh, not much, really. The only real difference is that tainted mana carries malice. If a person is exposed to too much tainted mana, they'll start getting all paranoid and agitated and eventually go insane! Fun fact: the miasma that my body is made out of is just extremely concentrated tainted mana that I keep under wraps, but it's just so potent that most people call it 'death'. By the way, where are we going right now?"

"My home," Grayton said. At this point, they were already in front of his apartment.

"Aww, I thought we were going to start our trainin' today?" Charles tilted his head at an unnatural angle.

"Training would do very little for me as it is," Grayton answered as he unlocked his apartment door. "What I need is information. Specifically about this magic of mine and the witches."

Charles nodded. "Sure, tell me all about how ya got that power; I'll tell ya what I know!"

"The gap between his attitude and his appearance..." Grayton winced. "I don't trust him, but if he wanted to hurt me, he would've done so earlier. Plus, if he's really on my side, I can definitely win. He's definitely hiding something, though..."

Grayton eyes the figure suspiciously as they walked.

----------------------------------------

"So that's how it is..." Charles nodded. "I think it's pretty clear that yer under some sort of contract with a higher bein'."

"Contract? But I never signed anything?" Grayton asked. "What makes you say that?"

"Process of elimination, buddy." Charles put his gooey hand over Grayton's shoulder. The sensation alone spread chills all over his body. "From what you've shown me, I'm certain yer not exerting mana from your own reserves. Ya also don't seem to be manipulatin' already-existing mana in the air like the witches. Lastly, yer definitely not of some mythical descent, so it has to be a contract."

"Mythical descent?"

"Oh, y'know, vampires, werewolves, and the like." Charles replied. He stared intently at Grayton as he spoke, as if trying to gauge his reaction.

"Sorry to disappoint, but it's not that shocking after everything I've seen." Grayton sighed. Charles's disappointment in his lackluster reaction was apparent despite his face being obscured by a mask. "Well anyway, what else can you tell me about my contract?"

"Well, this is just my guess, but I'm willin' to bet that your contract is a growin' one." Charles continued. "Which means that you'll be allowed more power when you fulfill certain conditions. In this case-"

"I need to kill undyings with this magic." Grayton interrupted. "That's why they disintegrate after I defeat them, am I correct?"

"Yer right on the money." Charles nodded. "So, what do ya plan to do now?"

"Well actually..." Grayton's face twisted into a smug smile as he pulled out his phone, this time with a tinge of malice. On the screen was a notification indicating an incoming message from an unknown number. "Let's start by turning the tables, shall we?"

"I didn't think they'd actually contact me." Grayton thought as he read the incoming message.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Charles responded by giving him a puzzled look.

"Oh, right." Grayton scratched the back of his neck, realizing that he hadn't told Charles about the specifics of his encounter with the witches. "So basically..."

----------------------------------------

"...Yer one crazy bastard, aren't you?" Charles chuckled upon hearing Grayton's retelling of the recent events. "Crazily smart."

"I suppose that's one way to put it." Grayton scoffed as he replied to the message on his phone.

"To think that such a loophole existed in potion makin'..." Charles said. "But it all makes sense!"

"Hmm? What does?" Grayton absentmindedly asked, more focused on his phone than the conversation.

"I mean, no offense, but the method ya discovered would be pretty simple to discover by anyone else." Charles replied. "Unless someone specifically taught ya it didn't exist.."

"That did cross my mind for a bit," Grayton admitted, finally taking his attention off his phone. "But I haven't had the time to think about it yet."

"As of right now, the witches on the higher side of the coven not only have access to the most sophisticated potions, but they also supply and control the market for potion ingredients." Charles explained. "If the recipes for said potions were as rigid and convoluted as the elders made them out to be, there wouldn't be enough ingredients for any other witch! And yet, there's a huge market filled with 'essential' ingredients freely accessible to witches all around the world. There are even auctions being held for the rarer ingredients!"

"You know, I have no idea how the witch society works, right?" Grayton sighed. At the back of his mind, he always knew that the chances of him being the first to discover this method were abysmal; it was just too simple, but it didn't make him any less disappointed to hear the confirmation. "But I get your point. You're basically saying I'll have a huge target on my back if they report me to the higher-ups."

Charles eagerly nodded. "Yup! Don't feel too bad about it though; I'm sure we'll find a way out of this!"

"Shit..." Grayton groaned. "If it's already come to this, then no matter how greedy they are for my knowledge, they'd definitely report this incident to the higher-ups. Wait... Nevermind. Didn't they try to kidnap me because of my unique magic? And what Keyla said about risking her and her friends' lives..."

Grayton suddenly started to laugh uncontrollably once the pieces started to set in his mind. "Oh, wow. Now that's funny!"

"A-are you okay?" Charles asked in a worried tone. "I know I told ya to chin up, but don't ya think this is overdoin' it?"

"No, no, it's nothing, really." Grayton said with a devilish smile on his face. "It's not that they haven't reported me to the elders, but they can't!"

"Oho?" Charles tilted his head. "Did ya figure something out?"

"Damn right, I did." Grayton turned on his phone and started aggressively typing a text message. "And I also have a plan; we'll meet them on Kaku Bridge an hour from now."

"You've got guts, that's for sure." Charles snickered. "But don't ya think it's a bit soon?"

"I don't want to give them time to react." Grayton shook his head confidently. "Besides, the purple-haired witch doesn't seem to have any offensive abilities, and the other one only has her illusions. I'll be fine as long as you're on my side."

"I still don't fully trust him, but he seems to hold some contempt for the witches on his own." Grayton reasoned. "He has no reason to betray me at the moment."

Grayton paused for a moment, waiting for Charles to point out any sort of flaw in his line of thinking. Seeing as there was none, he continued.

"Get in my trench coat; you can hide your presence well, can't you?" Grayton commanded. "We're heading out now."

"Now?" Charles asked,. "I thought our little rendezvous is in an hour?"

"I want to get there before them if possible." Grayton replied. "They'll probably try something if we give them some time on the site."

"Smart." Charles said as he shrank into a small puddle of miasma before entering Grayton's coat. The process produced a strange hissing noise as the noxious liquid seeped into the fabrics. The chilling sensation felt more than unpleasant for Grayton, but it was still bearable. "So what's the plan?"

"As I've said, I'll make them teach me all about their magic and how to get ingredients by promising them that I'll tell them how I made that potion." Grayton explained as he exited his apartment room. "If they decline, I'll use you to intimidate them."

Charles bellowed loudly; Grayton could feel the vibrations from his voice on his body.

"Good thing only I can hear him..." Grayton thought.

"Yer real interestin' kid!" Charles laughed. "But if ya really wanna screw 'em over, then I've got a better idea."

"Oh, really, now?" Grayton smiled, prompting Charles to continue.

"Ever heard of this thing called a binding vow?" Charles asked, only to instantly answer it himself. "Of course ya haven't. I won't go into the specifics, but it's basically a promise between two or more parties that can be made unbreakable with a few components and the consent of all parties. Of course, the 'consent' in this case just means that all involved people must agree, if ya catch my drift."

"Hmm." Grayton stroked his chin. "If something that convenient existed, why do witches use thrall potions instead?"

"Well, for one, it's cheaper. A binding vow needs to be signed with ink from the shadowlands," Charles explained. "And secondly, people need to be extremely careful with the terms of the contract. For example, if a witch made a poor soul sign a binding vow of agreement and said poor soul found a loophole in the contract..."

Grayton felt a sudden movement inside his trench coat as Charles created a black blade-shaped protrusion extending from his collar. The blade was mere centimeters away from Grayton's neck.

"Ya get it?" Charles said as he retracted the blade.

"Yeah, yeah." Grayton sighed. "Don't scare me like that."

"Besides, some witches on the higher side of the hierarchy do use these instead of thrall potions." Charles continued. "Havin' an intelligent assistant has its perks."

"Keyla did say something like that..." Grayton recalled.

"Still, would those witches have the components needed for the vow?" Grayton asked as he walked. "They don't seem to be that powerful or influential..."

"Don't worry 'bout it!" Charles assured. "Any witch worth their salt has them in their inventory."

"Really, now..." Grayton furrowed his eyebrows. "Why don't they use it more often, then?"

"Well, uh, it's a bit of a touchy subject, as you could imagine." Charles explained. "And forcing other people into vows is quite the taboo... But you don't care, do ya?"

"Not one bit." Grayton smiled.

The two continued to laugh as they walked toward their destination.

----------------------------------------

Keyla and Miranda

"I hate this!" Miranda complained squeakily, biting her thumb nail. Beside her was her friend Keyla; the both of them were flying through the air on brooms. "Why must we dance along in the palm of his hand?"

Keyla stayed silent, but her mild fidgeting indicated that she had something to say.

"What?" Miranda called out through the howling winds.

"I-if it's gotten to t-this point, can't we just report him to the elders?" Keyla asked. "I mean, I'm sure elder Kolun w-will understand-"

"Are you stupid?" Miranda shouted. "Let me get this straight: we report him, and they come and get him, right? He then tells them about the method he discovered in a last-ditch attempt to save his life. What then?"

"They'll find out about us purposefully omitting information from the elders, that's what!" She continued, staring daggers into her friend.

"Oh..." Keyla said as her posture shrank.

"Well anyway," Miranda rolled her eyes. "I still have a plan, but we need to get to the meeting place first. That boy is a fool for pushing his luck further."

"G-get there first?" Keyla spluttered. "Can't he just portal there instantly?"

"Idiot..." Miranda commented as she shook her head. "His portals don't reach that far; did you not see him when he was trying to escape us? We'll surely get there faster with our brooms."

"Sure, b-but what do we do once we get there?" Keyla asked.

"...I have a plan." She cackled. "Just don't interfere."

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Grayton Laurentius, 5 minutes later

Grayton stood before the bridge, the harsh winds blowing his hair over to the side. Despite the howling breeze, his trench coat hung eerily still as it was weighed down by his newfound ally, Charles. If that was even his real name.

"Would you look at that..." Grayton smiled as he walked onto the bridge, spotting the two witches standing on the other side. When both parties saw each other, they started slowly walking toward the center. "If this isn't a badass entrance, I don't know what is."

As they got closer, Grayton suddenly felt a tremor in his left hand, seemingly remembering the pain the witches put it through. He clenched his fist and strained his arm to forcibly stop it. "Tch, I hope it isn't obvious under the coat."

"Yo~" Grayton called out cheekily once he was within earshot of the witches. "Looks like you guys came begging after all."

"Oh, shut it." Miranda responded, vitriol practically dripping from her words. Keyla seemed to stand further behind her, hiding her hands behind her back, her lips pursed together. "This is a negotiation; we're not at your mercy. We have dozens of other witches ready to subdue you if you try anything funny."

"Oh wow, how scary~" Grayton raised his palms tauntingly in a surrender motion. He had his eyes closed as he talked but immediately opened them at the end of his sentence, giving the witches a sharp glare. "If only that wasn't a bluff."

"Perfect execution!" Grayton congratulated himself in his mind.

Grayton saw a twitch in the blue-haired witch's expression before she responded. "Are you willing to bet on that?"

"Positive." Grayton replied confidently, adding a small giggle after a few seconds to really rub it in.

"Hey, I know yer probably just gettin' into the flow of things, but ya should know that I can sense an invisible familiar just a little to the left of ya." Charles whispered in Grayton's ear. "It looks like it has some sort of stinger pointed at your neck. I'll tell you if it does anything."

"Heh, so that's what they're doing." Grayon grinned smugly. "It's probably just on standby right now; I guess they want to hear me out first."

"Fine! Have it your way!" Miranda lashed out. "Let's say I really am bluffing. Even if that's the case, you do realize there's nothing stopping me from simply reporting you to the high elders, right? The only reason you stand here is because I have gracefully decided that we can still gain something from each other in a mutually beneficial deal." She smiled, putting a hand on her chest to emphasize her point.

"Another bluff. But I won't call it out... yet." Grayton thought before responding. "Hmph, true."

"Well, now that you know your place..." Miranda continued, puffing out her chest in misplaced pride. "Tell us your demands, boy."

"Here we go." Grayton braced himself, preparing to summon a portal at a moment's notice.

"Sign a binding vow of complete obedience to me, and I'll consider teaching you!" Grayton proclaimed, his grin stretching to the edges of his face. "That's alright, isn't it?"

"A-are you joking?" Miranda raised her eyebrow in surprise.

"Not at all!" He laughed.

"It's coming!" Charles suddenly whispered. Upon hearing this, Grayton immediately conjured a portal in front of the left side of his neck, leading deep into the waters underneath them. The invisible creature unwillingly dove into the portal in an attempt to stab his neck.

"If the disintegration from that ocean won't kill it, the water will." He reasoned.

Grayton held his gaze on the witches, laughing loudly as he watched their expression turn from serious anticipation to shock and confusion.

"Oh, and," Grayton grinned, stepping closer to the witches. "That wasn't a request."

"You- H-how did you-" Miranda spluttered as she flinched backwards, bumping into her friend.

"Agree to my demands..." Grayton said, raising his right hand in a vague motion. "Or none of you will leave this bridge." He bluffed. Of course, Grayton didn't want to, and he doubted he had the nerve to kill anyone.

As soon as he finished his sentence, a part of Charles jutted out from his hand. The goopy liquid solidified to form a long, jagged armblade. Grayton brought his hand down near his chin and examined the blade. Charles started roaring with laughter, finally announcing his presence. He laughed as if he had been holding it in for the past while.

"An armblade, huh?" Grayton thought. He and Charles had not previously discussed this part of the plan, so this improvisation was quite a pleasant surprise. "Not bad." He chuckled.

He tore his gaze from the armblade and directed it back to the witches to see a satisfying sight. Now, there was fear in their eyes.

"Shit!" Miranda cursed, reaching for her broom once she recovered. Keyla, on the other hand, froze up. "Why is he helping him?"

Crack!

A metal baton fell from the sky, knocking the broom out of her hand and snapping it in two with a resounding thud. "Predictable."

"You thought you could get away from me?" Grayton sneered before cackling in an artificially high pitch, mimicking Miranda an hour ago as a mocking gesture. Charles pushed another portion of his body out of the coat and made it swirl like a black mist around Grayton's body as they approached the witches.

"You sure do love your theatrics, do you?" Grayton asked, chuckling at his ally's display. "Well then, time for the closing act!"