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I stood before the altar, surrounded by the soft glow of three candles that, like links in a chain, connected me to the mysterious forces sealed within this ritual. In this magical space, where time seemed to slow, I felt an invisible pressure. It wasn't physical, but it weighed on my spirit, reminding me of the seriousness of what I was about to do.
"I might have acted like a fool, but I would never let Maki face danger because of my own irresponsibility or stupidity."
Ritualistic magic required precision and deep understanding, so even though I was about to call upon myself, I couldn't just say, "I! I summon in my own name," and expect it to work. No, everything had to be done in strict accordance with the ancient traditions of a world unknown to me, a place where true deities likely walked the earth. I needed to create a three-line description of my essence, pretending to be a being from the spirit world, as the fundamentals of ritualistic magic demanded.
Wiping the smirk from my face, I parted my lips and began to speak the words that were meant to establish contact with my own soul:
"King of Destruction from Kyoto, grandson of Kishibe Yami, the being known as Sukehiro Yami…"
The words barely left my lips before they seemed to dissolve into the air, but they didn't vanish without a trace. The flames of the three candles before me flickered as if touched by an invisible breeze. It was as if these flames were teetering on the edge between the world of the living and the world of spirits, reflecting what was happening inside me.
But outwardly, nothing else changed. The candles continued to burn with their usual light, without altering their hue or displaying any obvious signs of magical influence. Yet deep within my soul, I felt something different — a strange pulsation, like a distant cry echoing within my incorporeal being. It was like a ghostly echo, a faint call to which I couldn't yet respond, at least not now.
"I beg you," I continued, feeling each word resonate with my soul like an echo.
With every word spoken, my spirit trembled like the flame of a candle in the wind. This sensation was unsettling, yet it also brought a sense of elevation, as if I stood on the brink of something grand, yet dangerous.
I kept reciting the incantation:
"I beg you, become the witness and guardian of this vow!"
The candle flames flickered again, this time more intensely, as if some unseen force had responded to my words. I felt the ritual gaining strength. Spiritual energy began to swirl within me like a vortex, drawing everything around it. With each passing second, this vortex grew more powerful, deepening the bond between my soul and the souls of the two girls standing before me.
I wonder if using the phrase 'playing with fire' right now would be considered showing off or just stating a literal fact?
I thought, but no matter how silly the thoughts that popped into my head were, they couldn't distract me from continuing the ritual.
In the incantation of the debt contract ritual, I couldn't use phrases like "help Maki" or "redirect power." Not only did the wording need to be precise, but it also had to be indirect. Moreover, as the representative of the third party, I wasn't allowed to intervene directly. So, I had to ask for "witnessing" and "protection." Besides, there were two other equally important reasons. First, although I had become an Otherworldly, my path only granted me mediocre abilities in interacting with souls, especially at such a deep and complex level. Second, even if I were significantly stronger in soul manipulation, I still wouldn't be able to simply "take" Maki's cursed energy and transfer it to Mai.
Of course, I thought about Mahito. His cursed technique allowed him to directly manipulate souls, which could potentially help eliminate the side effects of the Heavenly Restriction. However, configuring a soul to change the body and remove the negative effects of the Heavenly Restriction was one thing. It was entirely another to attempt to interfere with two souls at once, correcting the damage caused by the Heavenly Restriction.
"I ask you to become the witness and guardian of this vow," I repeated, pouring all my spiritual energy into the words.
For a moment, it seemed as if time had stopped. Everything around me froze, as if obeying the ritualistic magic. The candles flared brightly, and I felt my soul finally establish a stable connection with the altar.
In the next instant, my vision was blinded by a white haze, as if a flashbang had gone off right before my eyes. Everything vanished, and for a moment, I found myself in absolute emptiness, where there was neither light nor sound. But then, the haze began to dissipate, and the first thing I heard was the sound of ocean waves. Next, I felt my feet sink slightly into the soft, warm sand.
"Quite… dramatic," I muttered, taking in the situation.
The landscape before me looked almost unreal, as if it had been painted by an artist obsessed with capturing the simultaneous beauty and tragedy of life. This beach was the very place where, in the manga, Maki and Mai had said their final goodbyes before Mai's death.
The shoreline stretched far into the distance, its boundaries lost in the mist that shrouded the horizon, creating a sense of infinity. The sand beneath my feet was soft and dazzlingly white, like freshly fallen snow that seemed never to have touched dirt. The water, appearing as a mirror, reflected the pale blue sky, which seemed to press down on the earth with its weight.
Or at least, this beach looks very similar... I thought, feeling a slight shiver down my spine as I realized where I was.
"Does this place seem familiar to you?" Maki's voice came from behind me, pulling me away from my contemplation of the sea and prompting me to turn around.
She stood there, watching me with the same mix of skepticism and curiosity that she usually displayed when encountering something new.
"You tell me," I replied, shaking my head, pausing briefly as I shifted my gaze from Maki to Mai, who stood a little further away, clearly deep in thought about what was happening. "After all, this is an innate domain of one of you."
"Innate domain?" Maki repeated in confusion, her eyes scanning the surrounding landscape, which seemed to live its own life, steeped in melancholy.
"A mental landscape that embodies a person's mind, something they are born with," Mai calmly explained, evidently more knowledgeable about these matters than her sister.
She looked around, her gaze focused and even a bit excited. Well, that's understandable — it's not every day you get to come into contact with your own soul.
"Every person, whether they're a sorcerer or not, is born with an innate domain, which exists as a metaphysical space reflecting their mind and soul. Innate domains can be physically created… Or, let's say, 'expanded,' if you catch my drift."
I paused, giving them time to digest the information.
By the way, it was the confirmation that even non-sorcerers have an innate domain that gave me confidence that I could carry out my plan and interact with all the souls on the planet. After all, the existence of this "metaphysical space," which isn't part of the physical world, meant that I'd have at least one variable by which I could search for souls in the Spirit World… But that's a topic for another conversation.
"So, it means you have a pretty dull 'mental landscape,'" Maki smirked, recalling my own domain expansion.
"Hey! You do remember I'm your boyfriend, right?" I mockingly protested.
"That's an unofficial title," she replied with a shrug, but the corners of her lips twitched into a faint smile.
"Sister-in-law, defend me!" I decided to change tactics and addressed Mai, deliberately using her new "nickname."
And no matter how hard Maki tried to hide her reaction, I didn't miss that faint shade of pink that flashed across her face. Though, I couldn't be sure if it was from embarrassment or anger.
"You!" Maki growled, her voice trembling with emotion.
"For God's sake, just get it over with and sleep together already!" Mai blurted out in frustration, her voice louder than usual. But as soon as she realized what she had said, she panicked, her eyes widened, and her mouth snapped shut. She tried to find an excuse, but only ended up adding fuel to the fire: "Of course, not here and not now… Ugh! You're so annoying!"
I couldn't help but laugh. The moment was both ridiculous and endearing, especially given the seriousness of the situation we found ourselves in. But my laughter quickly died down when I noticed the sharp, piercing glares of two furies who clearly weren't in the mood for jokes.
"Alright, alright, I get it," I said, raising my hands in surrender, deciding to change the subject before things escalated. "Besides, you need to hurry. I won't be able to maintain a stable connection between our souls for long."
"You're always messing around," Maki grumbled, but in the next moment, she was completely serious.
"We're going with your plan?" Mai asked, her voice calm and focused now that she had regained her composure.
"Yes," I nodded, deciding to explain everything one last time in detail. "Unlike a binding vow, the Heavenly Restriction operates above cursed energy, interacting directly with the soul. This means that for our plan to work, we need to establish a 'spiritual binding vow,' which also bypasses cursed energy and isn't limited by its rules. In our case, the debt contract ritual is just the foundation for the vow. According to its principles, I'll be acting both as the 'heavens,' witnessing the existence of this vow, and as the anchor that will maintain the stability of this vow even when we return to the physical world. You two just need to follow the call of your souls!"
Mai crossed her arms over her chest, her face showing irritation, but determination was evident in her eyes.
"I swear, one day I'm going to make you feel so... so much pain," she muttered in annoyance.
"I'm not the one to blame here," I shrugged, knowing her frustration was just a mask hiding her anxiety and fear about the upcoming ritual. "After all, despite the fact that this ritual has been tested and refined several times, I can't give exact instructions on how to extract cursed energy from someone else's soul, even if it's your twin… This isn't some damn Ikea dresser!"