Vows, the most basic and powerful of all magical contracts, requiring only the tacit consent of both parties, either through the written word or the barefaced honesty and sincerity of both concerned parties. It can only be done by two people at a time, tacit consent, and the possession of magical powers.
Once made, it cannot be undone. No matter what. Even if the parties involved beg and cry to the Great Arcana, nothing will happen. That is, if the Vow was made without a fulfillment condition that must be passed completely before it fully takes into effect. Some mages learn to use this aspect to set various conditions on themselves as the foundation of powerful spells. Though few have ever succeeded because of its immense difficulty and the requirement of at least one eighth level made present.
One such Vow was about to be made at this very moment.
"So… what do you say?" Lieren grinned.
Even he knows how to trick tricksters, to fool frauds, and gamble when it counted. Life had thought him about the values of risks, what it meant, but not what lay beyond it.
Even god did not know how to predict the future in its entirety.
"Cheeky brat. Where did you hear that?" Haruta held out his hand, the triumphant expression on his gone, but not fully.
'It seems he still has a couple of cards up his sleeve.'
Lieren took the hand, feeling a powerful, alien magic envelop and seep into him forcefully. It met his Resistance, and they both clashed. The two mysterious forces bent under the other's might, hungrily trying to make the other yield to their respective will.
He held his breath.
With an ear-piercing shriek, his Resistance pushed the Vow out, but it resisted, pushing in once more. And this time, Lieren's Resistance was helpless under its domineering magical might. Even his ability had limits, it would seem. As to what they were, he did not know, yet.
The foreign magic seeped through his flesh and bones, piercing through muscle and nerve, staining the one thing he did not expect to have, ever…
His soul.
For some reason, Lieren had all but guaranteed that the… thing being tainted at this very moment, was indeed, his soul: the ephemeral substance that lay under all that lived, and all that believed. This thing was currently being arrestee by a magic that surpassed his knowledge and wisdom by leaps and bounds, eliciting a brief epiphany that marked the start of something horrid and fantastic.
'Everything has a soul.'
He stared at Harita resolutely, upturned.
"I'm ready—"
◇◆◇◆◇
"So… I'm you might call a Paladin, of sorts. Though I possess neither the mental nor religious requirement that constitute, specifically, what a Paladin is. I make a Vow with somebody, who has to pass a set of restrictions; which I cannot say out loud, write, and otherwise communicate in any way, though hints and body language, as well as psychological analysis can be done to figure it out. After all, I cannot speak of it. Once a Vow has been made, then it cannot be broken, unless the one in charge, the Master: you, willingly chooses to disavow the contract. In such cases, and if no hint of doubt or hesitance is evident in the Master, then the ritual is complete. Once I have fulfilled the activation conditions, then I'm granted an immense boost to my conjurations and evocations, as well as a higher mana pool, and all of my developed abilities. The key lies in the activation requirements. What else… oh, right, there's that… If I use my power too much, then I'll go into a frenzy. A barbaric, heart-plucking frenzy. It's not pretty, believe me. You don't really want to see it. Though my memories are hazy for the time that I'm in that state. In which case, only my Master, or my death, can cool me down." By the time Harita was done, his face was drenched in cold sweat, his face contorted into a mask of great confusion and tantalizing awe.
Lieren, however, was in a state that can only be described as utter discombobulation.
'W-what just happened?,' he asked the air expecting an answer.
It did not respond, leaving him alone and clueless, his mind empty, and his heart sunken. It felt like it had been ripped apart by something, replaced, and then put back perfectly. However, he could feel for certain that, even with all that he was experiencing, was the untold feeling of victory, achievement, and fraud.
He had won, but not in the way he had expected. Some—most of the pieces were missing, gone like the wind, flown like the skies. Bits of valuable information were gone, leaving him alone and victorious. Cold and empty.
Lieren could not help but grimace at his traumatic experience. His eyes grew wide.
'King!'
Of course! Who else could have done something as impressive and cruel as this? Upon their first meeting, the very first thing that he did was attempt to probe his mind, possibly even take it over. Along with his body, most likely. If anybody would do something like this, it had to be him.
But, then again, that proposed a contradiction.
If he wanted to take over his body, why even let him go in the first place?
He had already successfully invaded his mind, taken it over, and usurped control. To let go of such an advantage, even in Lieren's eyes, is beyond foolishness, a clear-cut contradiction to King's calculative personality, though much still remains of the man's character.
'Is there a time limit? It IS a very common practice to set definitive cooldown times and predetermined duration timers on powerful augmentative and manipulative abilities, instead of simply eyeballing it by checking how much mana somebody has. It also applies to other categories, but those two are the most common ones, being both the simplest and most complicated category respectively… Did he want to learn Harita's secrets as well? If that's the case, then it would make much more sense. But its still not enough of a reason to usurp skmebody's body. From what I can tell, he can't do that often. Otherwise, I'd just be a puppet right now…"
As Lieren practically twisted his head to try and learn to unscramble King's thoughts, Harita stepped up, his explanation apparently having just finished.
"So, about your spell…"