"Come here" He instructed simply, gesturing towards me with his hand.
"Who are you to order my master!?" Rhea demanded furiously, her icy glare fixed firmly upon him.
Zalruk ignored her however, continuing to beckon me forwards.
"Rhea, calm down" I said gently, walking up to her and patting her shoulder softly.
"But master...!" Rhea insisted angrily, glaring viciously at Zalruk while clenching her fists tightly.
I glanced sideways at Zalruk, my gaze filled with uncertainty. "Calm down for now okay? Just stay by my side" I whispered softly to her.
Her face immediately softened, and she nodded obediently, stepping back beside me. "Yes, master" She agreed politely, staring intensely at Zalruk.
I walked forward to Zalruk and stood in front of the counter awkwardly, standing face to face with him. While Rhea stood beside me, her eyes still fixated on Zalruk.
"This is a binding contract "Zalruk informed. "We shall both swear allegiance and oaths to one another" He proposed earnestly.
I stared silently at him for a while, debating internally. I glanced down at the scroll on the counter nervously. This seemed like a pretty serious contract.
After a couple moments of silence, I looked back up at him and hesitated. I really didn't know whether I could trust him or not. After all, he seemed rather unpredictable but then again, we've known each other for less than a day.
I was hesitating whether to accept the contract or not but upon thinking about it again, I can't afford to offend Zalruk any longer, especially since he promised to help me. Also he seemed to possess a considerable amount power which already make him a huge threat. I couldn't exactly ignore him.
This contract would most probably be used to prevent us from betraying each other. Therefore I should be able to confirm that he won't try to do anything to me intentionally which at least make him trustworthy. It would be foolish to ignore this opportunity when he is offering to help me willingly. So I decided to agree to his proposal.
"Alright, I accept your offer" I affirmed.
"Very well" He nodded his head.
With a motion of his hand, the scroll
flew from the counter, hovering in mid air between us. It hovered in place, unrolling itself slowly in front of me. I observed carefully, noticing the runes were glowing and shimmering faintly.
"We vow never to harm one another nor to betray the other" We spoke together in unison, our voices resonating through the spacious room.
Our words appeared on the scroll and started to glow brightly. The runes lit up and swirled around in the air for a while, emitting a powerful pulsating light and gradually disappeared into thin air.
"The contract is complete" Zalruk exclaimed confidently, looking at me.
I nodded in acknowledgement. There wasn't too much I could do apart from trusting Zalruk because he is one of my main sources of information on this matter.
"I didn't expect it would be like this" Zalruk thought to himself.
The young man in front of him was definitely different from ordinary. He has shown to possess remarkable potential that would make him an outstanding figure in the future. It would be foolish to not be on his side now.
To be honest, Zalruk was blown away by the fact that he could open and use the grimoire in the first place. Normally this would have been impossible to do but somehow this boy managed to. He was obviously extraordinary.
"Hahahah! Very interesting indeed!!" Zalruk laughed aloud in amusement, shaking his head in disbelieve.
His laughter startled me for a second, making me frown in confusion. "What's wrong?" I muttered curiously, glancing at him worriedly.
"Nothing" He shook his head once more and composed himself. "This world is certainly full of surprises" He remarked, chuckling lightly.
"Well yeah, I agree" I said, closing my eyes with a faint smile remembering how unbelievable everything that's happened to me these past few days.
"Now that we have made this contract" Zalruk continued, smiling amusedly. "There's no need for secrets" He added.
He lifted the hood of his cloak from his head and placed it over his shoulder, revealing his face. He looked older than I thought, yet he had youthful features. He has grey eyes and white hair that fell down his shoulders with wrinkly yet healthy skin. His white beard and the scar that run across his left cheek made him look distinguished.
"My name is Zalruk Kavik, a former Deacon of the Church Of Astalah" He introduced himself, extending his hand to me.
I took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "Rael Adriel" I told him, returning the gesture. "And this is Rhea" I added, putting my hand on her shoulder.
Rhea remained silent, her narrowed gaze glued on Zalruk with her hands clenched tightly into fists. She's obviously wary of him. Her mistrusting behaviour is perfectly understandable. Zalruk smiled slightly, raising his brows as if he expected her distrust.
"Well now I need you to tell me everything" I said impatiently. "The secrets of this world and the Church Of Astalah" I clarified.