Vince drew his gun, pointing it at the bathroom door, anticipating that whoever had invaded his home would enter through that door to meet their sudden end. For a moment, he held his breath, completely focused on the moment.
But strangely, nothing happened.
'For someone who heard my voice less than an hour ago, you really forgot it quite quickly,' the voice returned to his mind.
As if by magic, the cat materialized in Vince's sink, causing him to drop his gun.
"Damn, how did you end up here out of nowhere!?"
"Our life essences were linked, and since my physical body is confined, I thought it best to at least accompany you in this ethereal form, in case you need help in the future," the Cat said, seeming to enjoy the startled expression on Vince's face.
"Why didn't you mention these important things when you proposed the deal?" Vince sighed, conceding defeat.
The feline shrugged, as if it didn't have a decent answer to the question.
Vince sighed, giving up. "Just tell me, is there anything else you've failed to tell me?" he asked, even though he knew there probably wouldn't be a satisfactory answer.
"Well, there's one more thing," the Cat said, putting its paw to its chin as if pondering something, "you are now a unique creature, no longer belonging to the world of humans. But you also can't be considered a Perpetual. You've become something that every Perpetual fears—the only being capable of killing one of them."
That information caught Vince by surprise. There really was a way to kill a Perpetual, and it seemed he was the only one capable of it.
"So you're telling me that a Perpetual can't kill another?" Vince paused for a moment, analyzing all the information he had received. "That explains why you were imprisoned instead of executed. But then comes another question, why didn't the Perpetuals just make a deal with a human to kill you? Wouldn't that be simpler than keeping you locked up, knowing there was a chance of you escaping?"
"Who would have thought you'd be so perceptive to notice that," the Cat said with visible perplexity in its voice, irritating Vince. "In summary, pacts with humans are considered taboo, and due to the sheer arrogance of the Perpetuals, they wouldn't stoop so low as to depend on an 'inferior race' to do something for them. An imbecilic thought, but one that saved my life."
"So, we have a certain advantage against them, which is more than enough for me. Now do me a favor and vanish from the bathroom; I urgently need a hot bath." Saying this, Vince put the cat outside the bathroom and went to take his bath.
As Vince was leaving the bath, the feline called him. It seemed the previous conversation was not over.
"I regret to inform you, but we have another urgent matter to discuss."
Vince said nothing, just rested his body on the sofa and looked attentively at the Cat.
"We need to leave this place as soon as possible. Marcus will start investigating the disappearance of his two henchmen and will begin to suspect your death."
"Don't worry, Cat. I was already planning to do that. I was going to look for a temporary place while continuing with my original plan."
"And what is that plan?"
"To gather allies for this war against the Perpetuals. In this case, to build my own family."