"Continue staring, and I'll burn your eyes out." She threatened, as one of her hands manifested magma as a warning.
"Sorry, I didn't mean any offense," I said, raising my hands defensively. "That's just an amazing adaptive power you have. Considering how elemental-based Cindar societies are, I bet there aren't many who could affect you," I laughed lightly.
"Hm?" Volcana grunted, relaxing more. She looked at me quizzically for a moment, unfamiliar with praise. "Y-Yeah. That's why I'm Fade's best personal guard. It's why many fear me as Hell Spawn."
"I bet. Well, it seems cool to me," I beamed.
"What're you playing at?" Volcana suddenly flared in aggravation.
"She's not playing at anything," a voice rang as the shadows around the throne dissipated, revealing the Crest Head. She had long, half-white, half-black hair and wore an elegant, all-black dress that contrasted with her pale skin. Her name was Fade, but she was known more fearsomely as The Demon Wearer due to her mystic cintracy, Manifest, which gave her the power to conjure different tiger oxen of various elements and take on their abilities for herself. She also had the Dark Radiance cintracy and was a 3-star threat with a staggering EQN of 524,000,000.
"She was giving you a genuine compliment: something people like her do just to be nice without gain. Just look at her – her stance, her aura, the shine in her eyes. I can practically see the purity emanating from her. This one carries a conscientious persona unlike anyone on the planet."
"Um, thanks?" I said, unsure how to respond.
"That wasn't a compliment," she snapped back. "That useless mentality makes you weak. It makes you reek of naivety and shows just how inexperienced you are. But that's okay, I can help turn you into a proper ruler. The way of the oni will enlighten you. Perhaps you'll even rise to the occasion and be granted a glimpse of the one I aspire to."
Fade pulled out a scroll from her shadow and willed her shadow to levitate it towards me.
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"All you have to do is sign this, and you can attend tonight's ceremony as our honored guest," Fade offered confidently. "Do that, and I will grant you the influence and connections to establish yourself and your crest despite your weak nature. Think about it, it's only a matter of time before someone tries to assassinate you. Let's not mince words, you are the weakest Crest Head who rules over the weakest crest. Why not let me help level the playing field?"
Ah, to be immortal yet unchanging – a common flaw among the pneumarians, unfortunately. Do be careful not to sign that, Viraa warned. Her sacred gift, Soul Extract, forfeits the souls of anyone who signs her contracts. Once she has fulfilled her end of the bargain, at any given moment, she can extract the souls of those much weaker than her and use them to empower her. All contracts here are created by her. Therefore, every citizen and crest member within her territory who has signed a contract, even between each other, has wittingly signed contracts that offer their souls to her. Once collected, those souls are stockpiled into a sigil of energy fused to the very grounds of the district, granting her near-omnipotence so long as she remains here.
I stared at the contract before me incredulously. A literal demon—
Sub demon, Viraa clarified. Oni pneumarians are descendants of the Tiger Ox Ancient Beast, who, among others, such as hellhounds, was said to be a creature connected to demons from The Fallen Realm, or Hell, as many call it. However, they are not actual spiritual demons in the same sense.
Sorry, a sub demon was actually trying to get me to sell my soul to it...not what I was expecting to happen today. Her offer felt similar to the offer Pierce extended, but just like with that offer...
"Uh, no thanks," I said, firmly pushing the paper away.
"Is that really what's best for you and yours? I only want to help. You are young and inexperienced, after all," Fade asked. Her words sounded and felt sincere, but thanks to Heart's Eye, I could clearly see the violet of deception. "What do you have to lose?"
Mm, she's quite the liar. Even I'd believe her if we'd met on Earth, Avarice stated.
"Really, I'm good. I'm not into that kind of stuff," I said squarely, turning away, but Fade now stood before us, blocking our path to the exit.
"I insist," she said firmly.
Oh? She's pushy too, Avarice commented, observing my reactions.
"We're not going," I said with conviction. "And I know you can't force your contracts on us."
Fade looked at me, surprised by my gall.
"Hm. Perhaps I can't," she stepped closer. "But I love a good challenge. Meeting souls like you. The ones who act incorruptible."
She then leaned in and whispered, "It's always so satisfying when I show you that you're just like everyone else. All it takes is a nudge; the right offer, a loss, struggle, desperation. Then you'll do anything to regain what was lost. To feel secure again. Or to protect those you care about..."
She stepped aside to let us pass.
"Leave my domain while you still can. But rest assured, we'll be seeing more of each other."
As we flew out of the castle, then out of the cave, and up until we were above the black fog of the district, I couldn't help but think of how I'd gained yet another enemy without even trying to. With only two more Crest Heads to meet, I tried to remain optimistic, hoping I didn't make anyone else want to kill me.
Our next location proved more troublesome to get through than most of the others. For one, the Kitsune District was a storm-ridden area with constant lightning strikes, giving the air a thick stench of ozone, but it also threatened to shoot us out of the sky, so we had to stay very low and cautious. Avarice's gold would only attract more lightning, so we resorted to my powers to protect us from the lightning as we made our way to the city.
The city itself, Tonde, was found deep in the district's blue woods. Its buildings were all made of stone and had semi-dome roofs with metal poles that served as lightning conductors. As the buildings were struck from above, the lightning was absorbed and then dispersed to the nearby conductors until it was sent outside the city limits. Amazingly, the populace of the city looked accustomed to the random strikes cracking against their buildings, as none of them so much as flinched.
Though the city was on the smaller side, with only 700,000 residents. Probably because of the conditions. And the people...