Chapter 1
An oath between a god and a mortal
The body of a little boy was lying on the ground, bound and covered with talismans. His skin was cold white and the only spot of color was the blood around his chest. Mana stood beside him and held his pale hand, hoping to feel a trace of life. But it was already too late. Several minutes had passed since his death and his body was slowly decaying. Mana was a voratomores thus it was quite easy for him to notice the changes, even after such a short time. The faint scent of putrefaction that enveloped his body was there, although Mana tried to ignore it. It thrills him and he couldn’t do anything about it since it was his instinct.
Anki notices small changes in his expression along with the dilation of his eyes, as they turn a brighter shade of red. Naturally, he would have let Mana consume his body, as it was the easiest and safest method, but the boy was far too emotionally affected to finish the job and still didn’t know what the effects could have on him. “Keep your hands off him! His soul is still trapped in his body.”
“I can control myself.” His voice was more like a whisper, full of uncertainty and fear. Inside him, Mana realized he was right and could only stand aside and watch in silence.
He pulled out a doll made of plain black hair. It wasn’t just a doll but a creature whose sole purpose was to destroy and totally consume corpses, used for decades to get rid of spiritual parasites that can form in corpse.
When the corpse’s fingers moved, Mana took the dead child in his arms, not wanting to leave him because he still hoped the boy would wake up. “Wait. Maybe it’s not too late.”
“There’s no point in waiting any longer. He’s dead. His soul is struggling to escape from a body that is decaying.” His words hit him where it hurt most. They were as cold and precise as a deep knife plunged into his back, leaving no room for a response. That’s when Mana just stood frozen, helpless. He stared blankly at the small trembling of the body he held in his arms and hoped until the last moment that he would open his eyes. It all seemed like a nightmare. Everything that had happened in the last few months felt like a nightmare. But as much as he wanted it to be a mere dream, his sick fate was as real as it could be.
The scarlet mark became increasingly active as it spread across his face, a sign that the parasite implanted in the corpse had awakened. Anki realized too late what was about to happen and could only watch in horror as his white lips opened wide, leaving a high-pitched scream that nearly ruptured their eardrums. There was no time to waste since his father was on his way.
Without a word, the man kicked Mana out of the way and threw the doll over the unmoved body. In a few seconds, the black strands of hair became loose. The doll lost its original shape and turned into a giant tuft of hair surrounding its body. One by one, the hair strands went under his skin and release a toxin that melts his flesh and bones in just a few seconds. The fluid was soon absorbed until nothing but skin remained. When it was over, the hair returned to its original doll shape.
Scared, his soul wandered restlessly around as he sensed his father’s presence approaching him. Anki wasted no time, quickly caught the soul and put it in a wooden box.
“His soul...” After a brief pause to let his mind settle, Mana continued to talk. During this time, his gaze was fixed on his feet, as he didn’t dare look up. “Is everything all right?”
“His soul was not affected, but the bond is still very strong and his father won’t let him off easy...”
“Are you going to protect him even when he reincarnates? That thing won’t leave him alone even when he is dead.”
“Like all other human souls, Iaan will be protected by the goddess of death until reincarnation. The rest is up to him and his fate. I’ve already risked too much to hide his existence from the other gods.”
Without a second thought, Mana took out a small dagger he had hidden and placed it in his throat. The sharp blade had cut deep into his flesh, as the boy remained stoic, with no hint of hesitation on his face. “That wasn’t our deal... You said you would take care of him. Instead, I was going to use my body to keep Miazanoapte locked up. I don’t care what happens to me, I don’t care what the other gods think of him. A promise is a promise and you will protect him even if you have to take him as a disciple.”
“I will never take a disciple.” His voice was as calm as ever, but something seemed to betray him. The god was a very charismatic and direct person who always seemed to have the words in his mouth. This time, however, he was different. His answers were more restrained, always attentive to every word Mana spoke as he tried to predict what he might do. Or perhaps he had already read his mind and knew that Mana would not budge since he had nothing left to lose. Now that all his loved ones were dead, what was the point of living? And even if he wanted to live, he knew very well that his life would not be peaceful. If he wasn’t to be caught and executed by the other gods, Miazanoapte would destroy his soul and steal his body. There was no escape for him, only three options that ended with his death. But in all this chaos, Iaan still had a chance at a normal life for which he would fight until the last moment.
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Mana didn’t want to give him a second of rest, so he forced the dagger blade deeper into his own throat. This time, his little move seemed to pay off, as Anki almost jumped in panic at the sight of the blood dripping from his throat. “Wait! Let’s talk a bit before you make choices you’ll regret later.”
“None of us has time for that. If you will not protect him, I’m going to end this deal right now.”
His eyes were fixed the entire time on the blade of the dagger stuck in his throat. “Say what you want before I change my mind and kill you with my hand.”
“I will use my body to keep Miazanoapte locked up, as we agreed, but only if you will protect Iaan from his father and the other gods. ”
“Good. Now hand me that dagger.”
“I don’t trust you. Let’s make an oath here and the one who cannot fulfil his part shall bear the consequences.”
“Fine! I swear that if anything happens to Iaan, I will descend alone into the deepest, darkest corner of the astral and leave my soul to rot there for eternity. Instead, you will use your body to hold Miazanoapte captive for as long as you need to. You are therefore forbidden to take any action that would endanger your life and free him.”
“I swear to do everything possible to hold the god Miazanoapte captive, no matter what happens to my soul. If I ever break my promise, I will descend into the depths of the astral and stay there until my soul will vanish. ”
In magic, blood was the signature that could never be falsified because it carried the essence of the soul that does not change even after reincarnation. That is why they made a mark on each other’s hand using their own blood. Then Anki gave him a small bottle in which was a clear, slightly yellowish liquid. Mana knew what it was. He had been preparing for some time, and without a moment’s hesitation; he opened the container and drank the whole liquid in one gulp.
“Litha water will not only induce a coma, but will erase your entire memory. Keep in mind that lithe water may not work right away. During that time, you’ll be extremely vulnerable and I doubt Miazanoapte won’t exploit that to escape. Do not open your eyes while the door is open.”
“I know.” Mana staggered to his feet, a sign that the potion was taking effect. His vision became hazy and the image of the god in front of him became just a blurry silhouette of light within seconds before he lost consciousness altogether.
The next thing he saw was an empty white room. Mana didn’t even bother to look around, knowing very well where he was. But out of curiosity, he glanced at the door to his left. The door was slightly open, with nothing there. Mana closed his eyes the next second he saw a little movement.
Then he waited and waited, but nothing happened. Worse, he couldn’t even feel his presence. He didn’t know if the god was there, nor could he open his eyes to see what was going on around him, which made him extremely paranoid. He wanted to open his eyes so badly and the temptation to peek was beyond his control.
A melody. He could hear it clearly. It was a lullaby that broke the silence. So soothing that he unconsciously lowered his gaze to see a little music box in his hands. Mana smiled and remembered that this was the first gift he had received from his master at four years old.
“Why are you sitting here? Aren’t you going to come home?”
Mana looked up to find a small green-eyed girl standing in front of him with a wide smile on her face. He knew her, but had forgotten her name. But that wasn’t the strangest thing. The white room he was in had changed into a small village. The boy didn’t get to process what he saw as she took his hand, only to lead him to the front of a simple wooden house he called home.
“Come on.” But Mana hadn’t taken another step. He couldn’t move even if he wanted to because his legs seemed to be numb. “Is something wrong? You don’t look well.”
“I can’t move.”The door of the house was wide open and he could see his family gathered in the kitchen to prepare dinner. Everyone except his adoptive father. The girl entered the house and although he wanted to follow her, Mana could only watch from the doorway.
“Time to wake up.” Someone snatched the music box out of his hand and destroyed it on the spot. Instantly, the place turned into the same white room, when Mana found himself in front of the wide-open door. Mana stared in confusion at the shadow that had once been that girl and couldn’t explain how it was possible. Everything, down to the smallest detail, seemed real. Even when the girl touched him, he could feel her skin and the warmth of the human. How could a hallucination be so real?
“He can’t leave the room. That’s why he wanted to bring you to him in order to switch places. And you fell for it like an idiot. Didn’t I tell you not to open your eyes?” Anki slammed the door.
“I don’t know. I heard that music and then I don’t remember exactly what happened.” Anki remained silent, which made Mana even more confused. “What? Do you know something?”
Before he could say anything else, Mana felt his legs grow numb. He looked down and noticed that his ankles had already buried into the floor, which had turned into a quicksand.
“It has begun. Don’t panic, you will feel nothing and before you know it, you will fall into a deep sleep.”
By the time nothing but his face remained on the surface, all his memories had disappeared completely. He couldn’t move nor feel any discomfort, as his body had become completely numb. He just sat there, unaware of how much time had passed and couldn’t even remember how he got there, or who he was. With most of his body buried, Mana’s eyes slowly closed as he fell into a deep sleep, never to be awakened again.