Leech, a being who had witnessed the unfathomable span of human history, found himself lost for words at Asha's declaration.
"A [Binding Vow]," Leech's mind reeled at the implications. The ability, a contract of the gravest import, a power that surpassed even the might of the gods.
For those who entered the pact, their fates were bound inextricably. The conditions, forged by the owner's will, held the power of life and death, a cruel gaoler of the most solemn kind.
Forged in a moment of shared desire, the vow bound the wills of two individuals, transcribing their wishes onto the fabric of existence itself. The conditions, a veritable gauntlet of terms, were unassailable, the penalty for transgression a swift and merciless death.
The [Binding Vow], a contract between two , was predicated upon the principle of shared consent. For the pact to hold sway, both parties must assent to its terms, submitting themselves to the will of their fellow contractee.
Without this tacit agreement, the vow lacked teeth, its potency little more than a withered husk of what it could have been. The parties, joined in an ironclad bond, must needs commit their souls to the bargain, laying their lives on the altar of ambition.
Leech, stunned into silence, could scarcely believe what he had heard. The [Binding Vow], a power belonging to Hades, the Lord of the Underworld himself, now claimed by a child only freshly awakened.
The implications of this revelation were staggering. To possess the ability of the gods was to possess a power unfettered by the shackles of mortality.
Yet, Leech, bound to the will of the young man before him, kept his thoughts to himself. "You are aware that it only works on the living?" he queried, feigning disinterest.
Asha, unperturbed by Leech's attempt at stoicism, pressed onward, his footsteps resolute against the cacophony of the underworld.
"Yes," he answered, the single syllable carrying with it a finality that belied its brevity.
Leech, bewildered, could only follow in Asha's wake, his mind racing with the possibilities that lay before him.
"Find me the most skilled fighters in all hand-to-hand, movement, speed, and weapons skills," Asha's voice reverberated through the very core of the underworld, its tone resonant with authority.
The ground trembled at his command, fissures fracturing the earth and giving rise to stairs hewn from the infernal rock.
In an instant, the souls, shackled by the radiant chains of the underworld, were lifted from the pits of their confinement.
A hundred souls, bewildered and disoriented, found themselves standing before Asha, there unknown master.
The clamor of their confusion, a din of a thousand voices, filled the air, drowning out the cries of those who remained below. It all happened very quickly.
"Fuck!" Asha cursed inwardly, his outward composure broken for but a moment as the souls materialized in perfect formation before him.
Leech, perceiving his cue, inclined his head, a gesture of deference that conveyed the power hierarchy that now existed between the young man and the spirits.
With a voice that betrayed no hint of the surprise he had experienced moments before, Asha addressed the assembly. "Listen to me," he spoke, his words soft yet carrying the weight of command.
As Asha's words reverberated through the air, each soul stood rapt in attention, their attention focused on the young man before them.
The words, soft and almost conversational in tone, carried with them an unspoken power, a power that transcended the usual confines of language.
It was as if Asha's voice was not constrained by the earthly physics of sound, but instead, it permeated through the very souls of those gathered, reaching them on a level beyond the merely aural.
With a voice imbued with the power of the ability [Dominance], Asha's words resonated through the very fabric of the souls before him. His words, a balm to their ethereal spirits, offered a solace they had long sought.
"How long will you suffer?" Asha queried, his voice sympathetic yet commanding. "How long will you live in judgment?"
He offered a bargain, a pact that transcended the limits of life and death. "Give me your skills," he urged, "and I will give you paradise."