"Ugh... My head hurts like hell", Aavesh groggily woke up and saw that he was in a vast room filled with Mirrors and Glowing Crystals.
He heard a muffled breathing on the side... His Sister was still asleep but she was neatly tucked in a warm shroud that seemed to heal her injuries.
He noticed that he was still wearing the Mech Suit and the injury on his hand had healed- also he felt brimming with Vitality!
That was wrong! He was constantly loosing vitality and he was very ruthless to himself.
But now why was his body filled with vitality?
"You're Finally Awake! So tell me - how was my Game?", An amiable man dressed in somewhat antique clothes spoke up to him in a glowing voice.
Aavesh immediately felt taken aback and shrank Backwards at the sight of the man but seeing his bright and eager eyes, he reluctantly spoke out, " It was terrifying to say the least..."
"Haha Of Course! It is supposed to be terrifying! But what do you think about the Riddle? and the extras I added in ?", It was like a Game Developer asking for feedback.
Aavesh felt a bit wierd but answered anyway," The Riddle was filled with Traps but the extras- I don't even know what to say..."
"You are a honest Person - I always like Honesty Aavesh ", The man spoke with an acknowledging smile.
"Oh, Mind my Manners- I haven't even introduced myself, You can call me Master Mirror- a mangy vagrant merchant, selling all sorts of curios and wishes! Don't forget to recommend me to your friends, Special Discount for you if your friends buy from me!", Master Mirror Grinned amiably as he spoke in a very kind and ordinary tone.
Aavesh became momentarily speechless at this.
"Wait! How did you - Never mind, You probably know a lot about me given your power status, I just want to ask, if it's alright for you to send us back? My Grandparents are probably waiting anxiously...", Aavesh asked cautiously- He did not think for a moment that the man before him was a benevolent being - No this man was just in a good mood and maybe he could send them back as well, So he didn't hesitate to strike while the iron was hot .
" You can go back through the Large Gilded Mirror - But Don't you want to know why I did this? Why I dragged you both into my Game? aren't you curious?", Master Mirror spoke with a smile that didn't seem to be a smile.
Aavesh was about to turn to his sister to immediately leave but there was a gnawing question in his heart- Why the fuck were they dragged into this dude's game- what did he even want? Should he stay back and Find Out?
He stood for a moment and gritted his Teeth, hard before turning back to Master Mirror and asked humbly," Please tell me?"
"Heheh - I knew you couldn't resist the opportunity to find out Truth - Don't worry- it's my merchant policy to be honest with my clients!"
"Truth be told- I wanted to Test you for a very long time the moment you defeated the Abyssal Invasion! "
"But you were preoccupied with multiple unpredictable factors! You needed to restore your vitality, awaken your Mythic Powers and then you got dragged into the Time Stream!"
"You have no idea how much I wanted to Test you! Whether you would be an eligible candidate or Not... Now your situation with your Twin Sister - that gave me the opportunity to finally Test You!"
" Don't worry - the others in the Orphanage were killed when I created the Game for you both! I only spared those 2 fools- Rored and Mephin as they were your Sister's Prime Torturers- to serve as distracting extras in the Game!"
"Your Sister was indeed going to die - due to the Torture that was inflicted upon her but I gave her a Powerful stasis Mark that preserved her vitality but kept her in a near dead state- that's why you felt that she died, but I wanted to see how this would affect you - so I never told you about this and let you witness her supposed death and I was not Wrong at all! Your Performance and Reactions were delightful!"
"I personally liked what you did with Mephin- Hehe quite the Karma and your Technique while scooping out his eyeballs was exquisite! I knew I left the Shovel inside for a Reason!"
"Oh and those children you saw- well they were already Terminally ill and I made them an offer they couldn't refuse, so You got my little trick in the Classroom! But Boy - Your Augmentations... Now even I can't make that stuff- That's very interesting..."
'Holy Fucking Shit', Aavesh was overwhelmed at this...
'Fuck me- What Did I get into!', Aavesh thought dreadfully.
Aavesh truly regretted asking! He wanted to leave, But now...
" Enough about that, The Reason I did all this is because - I wanted to first Test your character and your inherent skills- To be honest, your awareness needs to be improved - but I suppose that will improve once you begin to cultivate, apart from that you were quite adequately Emotional and Ruthless! You see I have a potential Job for you- of a debt collector!", Master Mirror spoke with narrowed eyes at Aavesh.
"But why would you need me to collect debt ? You are more Powerful -", Aavesh spoke but Master Mirror shook his head with a smile and laughed.
"Huhaha, No Aavesh- You see, the People who owe me - I can't personally go and collect their debts due to the contract clauses framed during their deal with me- The Contract shall be completed when the all 3 Contractees are slain by the Descendant wielding the Maledict Genes- You!", A Crazed glint appeared in Master Mirror's eyes as he spoke.
" What!? Wait my Grandfather told me, Khoramzzadeh - he made the Deal with a Shaitaan - You!", Aavesh exclaimed as horror crept into his heart.
"Shaitaan? That's what Keva- No he goes by Khalid now-that's what he told? Well you can't expect truth from Infernal Aligned Beings- So let me shed some much needed light on the whole matter- few thousand years ago, at the Great Decline of the Adhi Empire's main Royal Family- A Boy from one of the branch Royal clans and his 8 henchmen - came across my relic and managed to summon me- Unfortunately I was obligated to grant their wish but I did levy my standard rate- Here Take a good look at this contract",Master Mirror passed a Gold Plated scroll made of animal Skin to Aavesh.
He opened it and read aloud," In exchange for returning the Sacred Relic- I pledge to fulfill the wishes of the Contractee- Keva( Khalid ) as stipulated - He shall attain Great Power and Exclusive Knowledge in the Infernal Mythic Path and take control of the Empire he was born into, his 3 wishes are simple as follows - The First - Create a cursed Descendant known as the Maledict- who carries the affinity to the mind breaker genes, shall bear the sins of the Empire upon activation of the said genes while he and the Empire shall have unlimited Prosperity,
The Second - His 8 Chosen Commander's will have exceptional Power in one field , second only to him and upon their respective Deaths caused by the Maledict- His Strength shall increase by a Magnitude,
Third - Nothing shall kill him and his 8 Commanders till the Maledict Personally Kills them in ritual combat and none shall claim his Soul Till all of his 8 Commander's have died.
Upon Completion of the said wishes- The Contractee's Soul shall be collected as Payment "
Aavesh's then stood silent for a few moments as Master Mirror watched on the side smiling at the Turmoil filled mind of the child before him.
Aavesh then spoke in a deadpan tone," There's nothing here that says my curse shall be lifted once He Dies"
"Hahahaha - Of Course there isn't - Because He never stipulated the curse to be removed upon his death- No that's the Misinformation that Khoramzzadeh wants you to hear- His last laugh incase he dies, there's so much more hidden here, Would you like to know? Free of Charge of course", Master Mirror asked Aavesh with an amused expression on his face.
"Free? Sure, Please Tell Me", Aavesh didn't hesitate to listen to more information despite being depressed at the fact that his Curse would not be removed - No there were other ways to Remove a Curse- At Best He could go to Kronos or Irolin for assistance!
For Now, he needed more information about his situation - He needed to know the whole Picture! And it was being offered free of Charge from a Dangerous Being like Master Mirror.
Master Mirror rubbed his chin and spoke in a strangely amused tone,
"They told you have to challenge Khoramzzadeh to get rid of the curse inflicted upon your blood - brought on by 2 activators- one given to you as an infant and the other to be given when you awaken your Mythic Powers- preferably once you are 8 years old"
"You have only been given the first activator- don't think it was bad luck - they chose you to bear the brunt in this millennial Year Born generation, but it's only a small part of the Truth ", Master Mirror then opened a deck of strange cards from thin air and then began to rearrange them as he continued to speak, " What happened to your sister is unfortunate but not related to you- but the bad luck you began to generate after being injected with the first activator genes- influenced everyone close to you by blood!"
Aavesh's head drooped down at this explanation as he clenched fists on hearing this.
Master Mirror Continued,
" Kid almost all Maledicts before you never survived for more than a year after taking the Second Activator- simply because they were killing their closest family and those poor poor kids committed suicide- Hence the infamy of your status - People you get close to will die or be inflicted with Terrible Bad Luck!"
" You will never be rid of the Curse - for it is to follow you till you die and even in death , this curse will influence your Reincarnation Judgement - That is the Viciousness of the Curse Inflicted upon you", Master Mirror explained while gazing at Aavesh - waiting for the inevitable reaction.
"So Nothing Can be done? There's No hope? Fuck... Damned If I do, Damned If I don't...", Aavesh felt extremely depressed on hearing this.
"Not Exactly - There are certain Loopholes to my Contracts and the Rules which I have for my Debt Collectors-", Master Mirror spoke in an angelic tone to give Aavesh Hope and reel him in.
As Predicted Aavesh's eyes lit up on hearing this and Master Mirror Grinned inwardly and spoke, " I can lift the Curse - if you agree to collect 2 additional Debts- apart from Keva's , The first -A Certain Slave Trader and Dwarf Gambler named Kaustr Goldtongue- owes me his Soul for riches he has gained by my contract and the Second- a Dark Elf named Arvanni Calisi, she is the current Master of the Blood Hunt Guild and owes her invincible Stealth prowess to my contract as well- Killing them will not be a small feat at all- I won't lie to you but I can lift the Curse from you once you kill all three, with no strings attached!"
Aavesh narrowed his eyes as he observed something strange in the deal offered," But As You Said-My Family will die by then- even if I am not there with them- they will die and People I try to interact will get infected by my Curse - So your deal, is unfortunately worthless to me ". He shook his head as this deal was an empty promise and the price was too great- He may be desperate but not foolish enough to fall into traps like this.
"Ho? Not Bad, observing the loopholes- Don't blame me, I'm a Merchant and I will always strive to get the Best Deal for me- It's up to you if you want a fair deal, anyways - I can't remove the Effects of the Curse- But I can alter it ! At a special rate for you! If you agree to be my Debt Collector, Don't worry- if you fail, the agreement between us will culminate in your Soul being Shattered and your Primordial Spirit being reduced to Dust - So what do you say?", Master Mirror smiled like a shark who had smelled Blood.
"How will you alter the Effects of the Curse? I just need to know before I can make a decision- ", Aavesh probed a little bit more to confirm the details.
"oh Aavesh Aavesh Aavesh, so suspicious when you see a peace of gold falling onto your lap", A dangerous glint appeared in Master Mirror's eyes as he spoke.
Aavesh sensed the change and spoke,
" You can't blame me when I know my luck has always been- You know- kind of Fucked Up, So do forgive me if I accidentally asked for your secrets - Just wanted to confirm what I was getting - I would 100% enter a deal with you if you elaborate- or atleast give me assurance - I highly advise you on one thing - I am not Khoramzzadeh or Kaustr or Arvanni, I won't sell my soul and If my family has to pay the Price for my Salvation - I will commit suicide - right here and now, Damned be my fate"
There was an intense determination in his eyes as he looked at Master Mirror.
Master Mirror turned silent for a moment and then spoke up with admiration in his tone, " You are very good, I like principled Debt Collectors - they always deliver and don't fuck up my deals- well except for that White Wolf fellow- Too righteous that one but anyways- I can give you the assurance you seek - Let's take the Matter of the unfortunate deal your twin sister is stuck in- I will remove the mark before you as a sign of Good faith between us- Consider it as a reward for solving the Test before us and I swear on my existence by the Primordial Chaos that I do not lie and I will lift the curse on her"
He raised his Palm facing towards Aavesh's Sister and casually made a summoning motion after which dark smoke emerged from her body and coalesced into a ball of smoke in his hands.
He simply crushed and in the void- a mournful roar of an unthinkable being was heard.
*Poooof
The Strange Infernal Markings on her face was completely removed. Aavesh felt it by instinct - She was longer Cursed - now her breath and aura seemed to rise a bit.
But he did notice that she didn't regenerate her injuries- her scars were still present as she peacefully slept, The Damage to her constitution was still there- Heck his family was still Healing from the injuries inflicted by those Eldritch Scum- The Damage they caused would definitely affect their body and future Cultivation.
He saw Master Mirror gaze at him with an imperceptible smile- Aavesh now knew the rules of the game- There was that choice again- the choice between Evils- The Greatest Evil would be to ignore the condition of his family and just face life as it is and the Lesser Evil would be to kill someone who did nothing to him.
It was a moral dilemma - How far would he go to save his family? Would the price be worth it? Would his family ever accept this kind of Blood Price?
'If I think about it- Dad and Mom would secretly do this- No matter what, we are a priority to them and they would do anything for us- Hah! We all are individually selfish - Selfish for the sake of our family - We will be Selfish for the ones we love...'
Aavesh then spoke out," What's the Price of Healing my Family to the brim- maybe an upgrade to their constitution as well?"
Master Mirror gave a Surprised look as he spoke," You are not indignant on why I didn't heal your sister as I lifted the curse from her?"
"I didn't ask you to heal her- You removed her curse as a sign of good faith and to give me assurance - Now I am asking as an assured customer - what's the price to heal them completely?", Aavesh spoke with a determined voice.
"Wahaha! You aren't bad at all- I thought young blood would be impulsive and hot blooded!"
" I just look young - but we both know how old my Mind is..."
"Very well- You will have to get the souls of 2 more scoundrels- A Berserk Blood Ork Pirate named - La Morkis Skullfist who owes his innocent infant killer Bloody arts to my contract and a Lust Tiefling named Conrad - that guy - he has a Golden Rod if you know what I mean and Obviously I introduced him to some of my Associates to help him gain his peculiar request - But anyways - He's a Rapist and he's Bewitched hundreds of women to serve as Cultivation Cauldrons- whatever Kill these 2 - For Now I will give you a 60% advance on the deal", Master Mirror spoke seriously at the End.
Aavesh spoke," 60%? Usually people tend to offer an advance upto 50% not beyond it- Full Advance Payments are only given by the Weak to Strong- But You are - Beyond me"
"The Curse in your blood is very tricky and will definitely interfere with your ability to work for me- So I must do things this way-", Master Mirror replied back.
*CLAP *CLAP
He then clapped his hands as an Empty Black Scroll appeared infront of Aavesh and opened up- It had the wording, - ' Contract for Debt Collector Services '
Master Mirror spoke in a louder tone and accordingly words appeared on the scroll,
"You will kill the 5 Mentioned while I will take their souls immediately as soon as you kill them- Inexchange during the tenure I will alter the Effects of the curse to serve equal in value to the original Effects of the curse, ensure your direct family heals fully and becomes stronger and at the End of Deal- You shall be free from service and I will lift all the Curses placed on your body - If you fail- Your Soul will shatter and Your Primordial Spirit be grinded to Dust "
"Sign the contract in Blood ", Master Mirror then passed him a strange black ink pen that seemed to be Alive.
Aavesh Glanced at the words with his Aeon Eyes and ensured there were no more loopholes present in the contract.
He then retracted his black Mecha Armor from his left arm and stabbed the Metal Tip of the strange Ink Pen- which absorbed his blood and gave out a Crimson Glow.
At another place and Time, Irolin held back Sierra as she wanted to descend and stop the Deal.
She turned to Irolin and asked Irolin with Tears in her voice," Why?"
Irolin sighed as he replied in a depressed tone, " The Child has decided and we can't protect his Family from the Curse- He's already made the choice - We can only help him survive now- through the horror he's about to experience..."
Sierra then sank into his arms as she spoke in a sad tone," Deals with that being - it never ends well- He is but a child Irolin- He will never come out of this unscathed- He will be all alone!"
"No- The World may forget him, but not us- We will remember the price he pays - We will walk with him in his struggles, We will share his sorrow, We Will Be There!", Irolin comforted her and spoke with resolution.
" Good Luck Disciple of Mine- I hope your sanity - still remains intact after this...", He sighed as he spoke and sent a flicker of spirit message into Aavesh's mind.
Back in the Unknown Dimension, in the room filled with Mirrors- Aavesh pulled out the Glowing Crimson Ink Pen from his Palm.
*Whoooossss
His Eyes shook as he heard his Master's voice, " Whatever you choose- You have my support kid- Good Luck and Stay Alive!"
His Eyes dripped with Tears for a bit as he understood Irolin was observing this- Irolin wasn't someone who would be cold to his Kin- Aavesh understood what his inaction meant- Even he was not Omnipotent but he would try his best to help Aavesh - He never chastised him for this decision.
His Master understood his troubles and could only give his support for his choice - he didn't disapprove this.
"My Choice - My Consequences", Aavesh spoke and then took the Floating Black Scroll into his left hand.
He then signed his name with the Blood Ink Pen.
*Krakoooom!
Blood Red Flames Erupted from the Black Contract and Aavesh felt a Burning sensation on the left side of his forehead.
"Ahhhjjh!", He screamed as he felt something very powerful burn into his Forehead as he held his head, smoke emerged from it as he was branded by the Devil like Being before him.
A crude and crooked rune of 'ᛁᚲᚺᚲᛁ' was burned as mark into the left side of his forehead- a reminder of the deal he had struck.
"The Contract is Formed and Sealed with Blood! From now on you are bound by the Mark Till You Fulfill it!"