Warlock Ch 3. Warlock of Eternal Bonds
Evelyn hesitated for the first time, her eyes searching his face. "You have a choice," she said, her voice softer now. "You can walk away from all of this. I can make you forget it, let you go back to your life, back to your bar, and pretend none of this ever happened. But..." She paused, her gaze growing more intense. "If you do, you'll always wonder. You'll always feel that pull, that nagging thought that maybe—just maybe—there was something more you could've been. Also… taking that choice doesn't mean you're no longer their target anymore."
Damian swallowed. She was offering him an out—a chance to walk away. But the way she framed it made it sound like it was a closed door.
"And the other option?" he asked quietly, already knowing the answer but needing to hear it from her.
Evelyn straightened, a glimmer of determination returning to her eyes. "You embrace what's inside you. You become what you were meant to be—a warlock. I can guide you, help you understand your power, and teach you how to control it. But once you take that step, there's no going back. This world is dangerous. Magic isn't all spells and enchantments. It's filled with power struggles, betrayals, and entities that will stop at nothing to claim what isn't theirs. If you choose this path, you'll have to be ready for that."
Damian looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers as if trying to feel something—anything—that would give him a clue about what to do. His mind was spinning. Part of him wanted to laugh it off, to tell her she was crazy and go back to his life.
But was he ready for this? Was he ready to leave behind the life he knew and step into a world where danger lurked around every corner? It sounded insane. And yet... the idea of turning his back on it, of going back to pouring drinks and making small talk with customers, felt hollow. How could he go back to normal after knowing all this?
Damian sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I don't know. This is a lot. I need to think."
Evelyn nodded, her expression understanding. "Take your time," she said softly. "This isn't a decision you should make lightly."
She turned as if to leave. Damian felt a strange pang of regret, like he was letting something important slip through his fingers. But before he could say anything, a voice cut through the room.
"Damian."
It wasn't Evelyn. The voice was deeper, smoother—almost like it came from everywhere at once.
Damian's head snapped up, his eyes wide as the voice echoed through the air. But it wasn't coming from anywhere around him. The sound felt like it was inside his head.
"Damian."
The pub seemed to blur and fade around him, like someone had dimmed the lights and turned down the volume on reality itself. He blinked, trying to focus, but everything around him dissolved into darkness. His breath hitched in his throat as the world disappeared, leaving him standing in... nothing.
Just a blank, empty space.
He spun around, searching for something—anything—to anchor himself, but there was nothing but the endless void. His heart raced, his mind scrambling to make sense of it. "What the hell?" he muttered, turning again, his voice echoing back at him in the emptiness. "Evelyn? Hello?"
No answer.
His hands clenched into fists. "Evelyn! Where the hell am I?"
Nothing. Just the stillness pressing in on him.
Damian took a few steps forward, but it was hard to tell if he was even moving. It was like walking through a dream, where everything felt distant and unreal. Just as he was about to shout again, the voice called his name once more, this time louder, clearer.
"Damian."
He turned sharply, and there it was. In the middle of the blank expanse stood something—a shape, an object. As he stepped closer, it became clearer, an artifact, ancient and weathered, hovering just above the ground. It looked like some kind of twisted, metallic relic, its surface etched with strange symbols and glowing faintly with a light that pulsed like a heartbeat.
"What the…?" Damian whispered, his feet moving on their own, drawn toward the artifact.
He stopped a few feet away, staring at it. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen—otherworldly, like it didn't belong in any world he knew. The closer he got, the more he could feel it, this strange pull tugging at him from deep inside. It was like the artifact was calling to him, beckoning him closer.
His breath quickened, his hand twitching at his side. Every instinct screamed at him not to touch it, that this thing wasn't safe. But something else, something deeper, told him he needed to. That this was the reason he was here, wherever "here" was.
Without thinking, he reached out, his fingers brushing against the cold metal surface of the artifact.
The second his skin made contact, a surge of energy ripped through him, so strong it nearly knocked him off his feet. His eyes widened as the power shot through his veins, electrifying every nerve in his body. His muscles tightened, his heart pounded in his chest, and his vision blurred as a flood of images, thoughts, and sensations slammed into him all at once.
[Installing Warlock's Contract System...]
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"Shit!" Damian gasped, stumbling back but unable to pull his hand away. The artifact pulsed again, brighter this time, sending another wave of energy crashing through him. His knees buckled, and he fell to the ground, but the connection to the artifact remained, like an invisible thread tying him to it.
His mind was spinning. It wasn't just power—it was knowledge. Ancient, vast knowledge, pouring into him faster than he could process. He could feel it changing him, rewiring his very being. The artifact wasn't just some relic—it was alive, and it was unlocking something inside him. Something he hadn't even known was there.
A sharp pain shot through his chest, and for a moment, he thought he might pass out. But then, as quickly as it had come, the pain faded, replaced by a strange, overwhelming clarity. He felt it, deep inside. A shift. A change. The energy settled into his core, like a fire that had been lit, burning steady and strong.
[Warlock's Contract System Successfully Installed.]
The void around him began to shift again, the darkness peeling away like layers of mist, revealing something new. His vision swam, and before he could make sense of it, a series of words flashed across his mind's eye.
[Welcome to Warlock's Contract System]
Name: Damian Blackthorn
Age: 23
Class: Warlock of Eternal Bonds
Level: 1
Stats:
Mana Power: D
Stamina: C
Endurance: C+
Strength: B
Agility: B+
Magic Affinity: E+
XP: 0/100
Bond Points: 0
Skills:
[Pact Creation Lv. 1: ability to form magical contracts with supernatural beings. Requires deep emotional or intimate connection to succeed. Unlocks new magical abilities based on the strength and nature of the bonded partner. Cooldown: 24 hours. Effect: Establishes a bond that grants both Damian and the contracted being enhanced powers.]
[Bond Empowerment Lv. 1: Every time a contract's emotional or physical bond deepens, Damian gains permanent magical strength and new abilities based on the contracted partner's magic.Current Boost: +10 Magic Power.]
[Magical Affinity Lv. 1:Increases Damian's ability to adapt to different types of magic depending on the beings he bonds with.Effect: 10% bonus to any magical abilities gained through contracts.]
[Dark Bolt Lv. 1 :Fires a basic dark energy projectile, dealing damage to a single enemy.]
Damian blinked as the words faded from his mind. His heart was still pounding, his body humming with the leftover energy from the artifact, but the information... it was all there, perfectly clear. He knew exactly what he was seeing, even though a few minutes ago, none of this would've made any sense.
'Mana power? Pact creation? What the hell am I looking at?' he thought, still trying to catch his breath. But somewhere deep inside, he knew this wasn't some hallucination. It was real—he was a warlock now. Whatever that meant, whatever the rules were, they applied to him.
He stared at his hands, flexing his fingers. They looked the same, but now... he could feel something thrumming. It was faint but undeniable. Magic.
"Holy shit..." Damian whispered, lifting his hand experimentally. He thought about the word that had appeared in his mind. [Dark Bolt]. A small orb of dark energy crackled to life at his fingertips, hovering there for a moment before vanishing.
Before he could process what had just happened, the voice called out to him again, softer now. "Damian."