"Another useless commoner? This school is going downhill! Lucius, you escape this time," the student said, passing by the two, bumping into Lucius' shoulder, and then staring at Theo, saying, "I'll remember you."
After the three students left, Lucius said, "You didn't have to do that. Now they will make your life a living hell."
"It already is. I couldn't let the only cool person around here get beaten up," Theo said and then pointed to the building in front of them. "Is this where you live?"
"Lame, right? I can't live in the same dorms as all of you because I'm not a student," Lucius said.
"Not lame at all," Theo replied, nodding his head, "I wish I had this kind of peace. Living here means you don't have to be near those douchebags."
"You're right. Anyway, thanks for your help. Take care!"
"See ya!"
Lucius didn't invite Theo to come inside because it was already late, and he needed rest for his early day of work. Additionally, their friendship still had room to grow.
The building Lucius lived in had only three floors, and his room was on the third floor.
'At least the view isn't that bad,' Lucius thought as he entered his room. Room 306, to be precise.
A refreshing and relaxing shower was all Lucius needed before going straight to bed. His morning would start with a lot of work, just like every single day...
Nothing eventful happened during the day, and Lucius waited until night for Theo to stop by so they could talk, and perhaps Lucius could start convincing him about the pact.
However, Theo didn't show up at the same time as the previous day. In fact, it was after Lucius had closed the library when Theo arrived, looking beaten.
"What happened?" Lucius asked with concern.
"The punks from yesterday attacked me," Theo said, his voice filled with frustration. "Don't blame yourself for this. I am the weak one."
"Lucius, remember what you said about becoming stronger? Can you help me?"
Though the beating wasn't severe, Theo had reached his limit. Every single day, the students mocked him relentlessly. Initially, it was because he was a commoner, and the nobles saw themselves as superior.
But there were other commoners in the school whom the nobles respected. Why? Power! Despite their commoner status, these individuals possessed considerable talent and were destined to become influential figures in the future. No one wanted to make enemies out of such individuals.
Unfortunately, Theo's talent was not exceptional, making him both a commoner and untalented. This provided more than enough reason for almost every student to mock him.
"I was waiting for you to say this! Can you meet me here in three days? I'll prepare everything, and please, be careful!"
"No problem," Theo agreed.
The next day, Lucius approached Isabella and said, "Could you give me three days off? I need to attend to some personal matters."
Isabella was taken aback. Since Lucius had started working there, he had never asked for a day off. Seeing no reason to refuse, she granted his request.
"Sure, no problem. Enjoy your well-deserved rest," she replied with a smile.
Despite the school's immense size, there was one specific place Lucius wanted to visit—an underground area within the book storage of the library. Even Isabella was unaware of its existence, and Lucius was confident that not even the school's professor in charge knew about it.
One of the old shelves inside the storage was an illusion—a meticulously crafted one. However, it wasn't just any illusion. To reveal the secret passage, one had to spill blood on it and wait for two minutes before it vanished. The illusion would then dissipate for a mere three seconds before returning to its normal state.
How did Lucius discover it? Well, one day, while cleaning the storage area after accidentally cutting himself, he took a few extra minutes to tend to his wound. During this time, he stumbled upon the hidden passage.
Lucius was uncertain if anyone else within the school knew about the passage, but he was certain the library staff remained oblivious.
He spent his day resting, and as night fell, Lucius ventured into the library after it had closed for the day. No one else was present, but as one of the library staff, he possessed a key that disabled the traps for intruders.
Silently, Lucius made his way towards the secret passage. The neglected area of the storage was covered in dust—rarely visited by anyone. He purposefully cut his finger, allowing droplets of blood to fall on the designated shelf.
After a while, the illusion dissipated, revealing a concealed tunnel. It led to a stone room, adorned with an altar in the center.
"This place gives off an eerie aura, as if it's meant for dark arts or demonic rituals," Lucius pondered.
He brought along a book that discussed various deities. His plan was to deceive Theo into seeking power from another deity—one that often remained unresponsive—while secretly praying to Lucius himself.
This would solidify their pact, and Theo's soul would belong to Lucius. However, for the plan to succeed, Lucius had to make it appear as if he stumbled upon the room by chance and discovered the book containing the chant.
Lucius carefully tore out the desired pages, skillfully gluing them onto the pages of an old leather-bound notebook, resembling an ancient diary.
To further conceal his involvement, he adopted a different handwriting style for this fake persona. Even if Theo noticed the handwriting, it would not be linked to Lucius, the one behind the diary.
For three days, Lucius devoted himself to crafting the diary, meticulously preparing every detail. Once he completed his task, he arranged to meet with Theo in front of the library.
"Are you ready?" Lucius asked, anticipation evident in his voice.
"I've been waiting for this!" Theo responded, determination burning in his eyes.
Theo's face still bore the bruises from the previous day's attack, and he was about to acquire the power he sought for his revenge.