"The contract only stated your name, there's only one type of people my job allows me to save in situations like this, and those are those who have their names mentioned in the contract..." The Shadowy Figure spoke, further denying the request the doctor made.
"But you can't just appear out of nowhere and expect me to come with you! if you have such an ability then you can save everyone! please!" Ned begged the Witch multiple times, seeing how everyone around him were already laying on the ground near death.
Aside from Aroon who got beaten to death by Thorn, and was nothing but a body now, most of the others were unconscious or almost dead After inhaling all that thick smoke from the burning fire.
"I said it and I will repeat it again for the last time, Mundane.
Your mate made a contract with me to only save you...so other than that, I must apologize but I can't, or rather I won't do it Mister Ned Valentino.
However for you, You have to come with me, since we're running out of time, in case you haven't noticed, my powers are what's keeping you alive and breathing right now." The witch replied yet again in the same flat tone, she had no emotions on display and it made her cold words sound insulting to Ned.
"Then don't save me *cough*, just take the kids! I'm sure they're still breathing...I'm staying here, I'd rather die than be the only one surviving this." Ned replied cradling Garrick's exhausted body in his embrace.
A moment ago, Ned had accepted his fate seeing no way out of this room and the next, a portal Opened up in the middle of the room with a contract holding witch coming out of it, offering him and only him an escape.
This witch was claiming that Garrick was the one who summoned her via a contract he previously made with her, not long ago.
"I have to apologize but you have no choice in this matter, I complete my contracts almost every time without a fail, my record is not getting stained by you, and I can't allow you to stay here any longer nor to change the contract subject." The witch spoke marching closer to him, " I can't use my powers on anyone else but you, or that would be violation of the rules, it's my job's requirements that I stick to what's been decided for me." she added.
"They are children for FUCKS SAKE!! they had nothing to do with this?!"
"Well it's the end for them, as for you Ned, you have to go a different path, in the end I'm here to do my job not to change their destiny." She added walking towards the doctor.
"No please...don't do that!" Ned bursted into tears as she got closer to him, " I am sorry Ned, I wish I can save everyone but I must follow the rules, I am not allowed to interfere beyond this, your mate has sacrificed so much for this, so please let go of him now." the witch spoke gently this time while extending her hand.
"Listen to her... Neddie." Garrick who was fighting to stay awake, spoke with tears in his eyes as well, "Garrick! you're awake!" Ned whispered.
Garrick weakly smiled at him, his hand reached out to touch Ned's face, pulling his mate closer for a one final kiss.
"We're mates...dead or Alive...we're going to be together somehow Neddie."
"FUCK IT! I don't...want this! *sobbing* this isn't how it should end, it barely begun to end...what about *hiccup* the house, the family dog and all your dreams Rickie! what about the life growing inside of me, WE MADE THIS TOGETHER." Ned shouted in despair, their story doesn't deserve this kind of ending, he didn't want to let go of a love he has just found and accepted.
"He's gone now Ned, let him go." The witch spoke softly pushing the Knight's lifeless body away from the doctor, "Gone... no no Nononono! Garrick please talk to me look at me! PLEASE!" Ned screamed trying to reach him again.
"I have been way more patient than I should have." the witch spoke swaying her hands again, and as she did that, the crying doctor was getting wrapped up by chains made of magic in order to stop him from running away from her, " LET ME GO! FUCKING LET ME GO!"
"Stop it! you will hurt yourself! just be cooperative."
"No I can't! Matilda! Muriel! Garrick ! I can't leave them behind!" Ned desperately called for the bodies laying on the ground.
"Stubborn as hell, MOVE!" The witch said pulling him with her.
"TAKE ME BACK PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU *sobbing* PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEASE I'm begging you! I can't leave them behind...I can't." Ned's last words echoed through the portal he was being pulled through.
...Time skip...indefinite...
"Ugh...what happened..." Ned finally woke up, feeling a throbbing pain in his head.
"I apologize if Shadow was a little rough while handling you Mister Valentino, you were a bit challenging to her.
She doesn't like emotional clients." A mysterious voice spoke in a welcoming warm tone.
Opening his eyes, Ned found himself sitting on a chair besides a desk, a cloaked figure sat next to that desk facing him, and Ned realized they were in an office like setting.
"If you're wondering mister Valentino, the Witch that brought you here, is Shadow, that's her name.
But she will be irrelevant to our conversation now, this is between you and me." the cloaked figure said.
Ned, depressed in every possible way, couldn't bring himself to speak yet, "Oh don't be too sad, things will eventually become better, I can guarantee you that.
Anyhow Mister Valentino, Are you not the least bit curious about this place?" the cloaked figure spoke again.
But Ned remained silent, "I see, then how about an introduction? my name is Jihi, and I'm the highest authority in this organization, basically this is my business, and we do more than saving people or make contracts about it in here, we also hire employees of all types to help carry out different missions.
And you Ned, are about to be one of us, that is if you agree to my proposition of course." Jihi spoke in a cheerful tone.
"Your name is Jihi?"
"Yes Mister Valentino, as you discussed earlier with Shadow, the contract that the late Mister Delun made was about granting your safety only once...however I have taken a liking to you Mister Valentino, I could sense something within you that I never sensed in any of our contract subjects before."
"I want to leave...I'm tired, do you understand that I just lost my mate, and friends." Ned replied, his eyes welled-up with tears.
"My condolences mister Valentino but please bare with me a little, I need you to focus." Jihi replied handing him a handkerchief.
Ned felt strangely compelled to listen to this mystery person, so accepting the handkerchief "Just Ned... please call me Ned...I can't handle this formal bullshit anymore." he said.
"Excellent then Ned, here's the deal, I am offering you a chance to reunite with everyone you just lost in this tragedy... including your mate."
Ned's eyes widen at those words, "How, your Witch refused to save them?! how can I get to see them again?!"
"Have you ever heard of the Reincarnation concept?"
"Rebirth?... that's what yo-"
"Indeed, everyone that had died will get another shot at life, as the same people they were before.
And after a certain ritual they can even regain their past lives memories, they'll probably also end up making choices they have already made before... and without forgetting to mention the possible chance that they'll also be surrounded by the same type of people they knew from when they were alive before.
However, that will be under specific circumstances, so I'll go over it quickly.
in order to be reincarnated the way I'm referring to, the rules are to be:
You have to die first an unnatural death at young age, and your death has to be somehow related to dark magic use, and the final condition is that the person who killed you also dies." Jihi explained.
"They all meet these conditions, this happened because Aroon used a dark magic spell...all of them are...were young when it happened, even some of them being kids."
"Ah! speaking about children, take a look behind you Ned."
Confused, Ned turned around, Both Yurei and Tacito were laying asleep on a sofa by the wall, Seeing the two boys made Ned stand up and hurry to their side, a bit of relief washed over him.
"Don't worry about them, they are doing well, they were saved on time, unfortunately the triplets weren't so lucky."
"How?! I begged Shadow to save the kids but she refused saying it's her job's requirements?! and why didn't you save the triplets?!"
"We didn't save the two because of you Ned, Yurei and Tacito were both subjects of a different contract as well...a one that Yurei signed himself! I was surprised when another one of my witches came back with the two of them.
it seems like Yurei somehow found out about my line of work, and signed a different contract to save himself and the other boy.
Pretty amazing if you'd ask me, I have many planes for that smart boy just like I do for you, Ned."
Ned turned his face to Jihi " you keep saying a different contract? how different?" he asked,
" it depends on what you offer in exchange of rescuing the subject of the contract, in the boy's case, Yurei offered their childhood years meaning the two boys will be turned via magic into adults, Yurei offered at least 11 years worth of their original life span, both him and Tacito's." Jihi explain.
"is that even possible? what did Garrick offer for my contract then?"
"Your memories of him Ned, when the payment is done, you won't remember Garrick's name, face, voice or anything of this sort that reminds of him, you will only remember that You had a mate and you lost him unfairly and you won't be able to recognize him as Garrick... it's mostly irreversible.
So if sir Delun were to get reincarnated and you met him again, it will be like meeting him for the first time."
"What?!...what do you mean? what's the point of seeing him again if I won't remember him Jihi!"
"If you agree to my proposition, I'll make sure that you will be able to recognize Garrick again." Jihi spoke softly while guiding Ned back to his seat.
The two of them sat down once again, this time Jihi pulled a document and placed it next to Ned.
"This is a work contract...if you sign it, you will be turned into one of our special employees, you will gain the title of 'Lord of Time' for yourself.
Your biological clock will stop, you won't age or grow old physically, and considering you're pregnant, even your child will be under the same effect, they'll stop growing after the age of 25."
"Basically I'll be like an immortal, what purpose do I serve with such power being given to me?"
"The 'Lord of Time' is someone who has the ability to travel through time, see bits of people's past and future and manipulate time to a certain degree...you will be assigned to the place your people call the Normal world, meaning you will have to leave your original world forever...and you'll work under me, Ned." Jihi explained pulling something from the desk drawer.
Ned eyed the contract closely as Jihi handed him a pen to sign, "Why do I have to leave?"
"Job requirements Ned, also it's convenient since it's where the Reincarnation is most likely to happen, the people you lost will be reborn in the normal world instead."
"How long will it take to happen? and how will I recognize Garrick then without my memories?"
"It could take 30 years it could a 100 to occur, as for your memories issue, a 'Lord of time' can see everyone's past and future except their destined mate, destined mates is a forever thing...and don't count on me to cheat, based on the contract, I'm not allowed to tell you anything directly about Garrick after the payment is done.
Also Ned, when both of you reconnect finally, you can drop the 'Lord of Time' position and go back to being a normal human again...is this satisfying enough for you?"
Ned nodded, "It's more than that, one last thing...will Aroon also be reborn?"
" Possibly yes, just like all of his victims, he'll probably be brought back, and he can also regain his memories as well, be the bad guy once more or maybe choose differently."
"Perfect." Ned replied signing the document.
"Pleasure doing business with you Mister Valentino! you can officially say that your real story has begun...You can consider everything that happened so far, just an awfully prolonged prologue." Jihi smiling, took the document in their hand and stamped it.
...[Volume 1-End]...