The Spirit King's Contract

​The impenetrable obsidian shadows slowly crept across the silent classroom, swallowing the remaining twilight. The air grew suffocatingly heavy, pressing down on Haruto’s chest like a physical weight.

​From the depths of that unnatural darkness, a humanoid figure began to coalesce. Its form was draped in a swirling vortex of malevolent black aura. A pair of crimson eyes snapped open, gleaming like burning coals in the dark, fixing their intense gaze directly upon Haruto. The creature's face exuded an aura of pure, unadulterated dread.

​Haruto froze. Every muscle in his body refused to move, paralyzed by the sheer pressure radiating from the entity before him. Time seemed to stand still.

​The creature’s lips curled into a faint, enigmatic smirk.

​"To think a mere mortal would possess such audacity," the figure spoke. Its voice was deep, resonant, and carried an undeniable, ancient authority that shook the very air. "And shouldn't humans have long abandoned this place when the sun goes down?"

​Haruto swallowed hard, forcing his trembling throat to work as he desperately tried to find his courage. "Wh-who are you?"

​The entity tilted its head slightly, observing him. "I am under no obligation to reveal my identity to you, human."

​It paused for a brief moment, the glowing red eyes narrowing in curiosity. "However... since you are the first mortal who has managed to look directly into my eyes without losing consciousness, I shall grant you a name."

​The black aura surrounding the creature flared and rippled violently.

​"I am the current sovereign of the Spirit Realm."

"The Spirit King, Rei."

​Haruto’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "The Spirit King...?"

​Rei stared at him for a few seconds, as if measuring the worth of his soul, before asking, "Human, what is your name?"

​"Tatsuki Haruto," he replied honestly, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

​Rei went silent. His piercing gaze seemed to weigh options that Haruto couldn't possibly comprehend. After a few agonizing seconds of silence, the sovereign finally opened his mouth.

​"Haruto."

"Form a contract with me."

​Haruto’s mind went completely blank. His brain scrambled to process the words that had just echoed through the room.

​"...Eh?" He stared at Rei, utterly bewildered. "Why me?"

​Rei remained perfectly nonchalant, as if discussing the weather. "Because you are the only human brave enough to stand before me." Then, his tone dropped into a flat, absolute finality. "Oh, and by the way, refusal is not an option."

​Haruto could only stare in silence. Even though the words were framed as a proposal, the underlying tone made it crystal clear: this was an absolute command from a supreme being.

​"Right... okay," Haruto managed to mutter.

​Upon hearing the answer, Rei materialized a unique parchment from the shadows. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he nicked the tip of his finger, allowing a drop of dark blood to well up, which he then pressed firmly onto the paper.

​Rei then turned his gaze toward Haruto.

​Understanding the unspoken instruction, Haruto didn't ask any further questions. He bit his own finger and pressed his blood right next to Rei's. The moment Haruto’s blood touched the parchment, the paper erupted into a dim, ethereal glow.

​Within a second, the parchment dissolved into thin air. At the exact same time, a searing sensation flared up on Haruto’s and Rei's hands as an intricate command seal etched itself onto their skin.

​Haruto stared at the glowing mark on his hand, completely mesmerized. It was the very first time he had ever witnessed a formal Spirit Contract being bound right before his eyes.

​"The contract is sealed," Rei said calmly.

​Haruto blinked a few times, trying to shake off the daze. "Is that really it?"

​Rei nodded. "Yes."

​Before Haruto could utter another word, Rei’s physical form suddenly dissolved into a dense cloud of black mist. The dark aura surged forward, coiling around Haruto before plunging directly into his chest.

​"What—?!"

​Haruto gasped in panic. But before he could even attempt to fight it off, his vision blurred instantly, and darkness claimed him.

​In a mere fraction of a second—

He opened his eyes to see a familiar ceiling. He was back in his own bedroom.

​Haruto bolted upright, looking around the room in absolute confusion. "My room...?"

​He immediately lifted his hand to check his skin. The intricate contract seal was still etched vividly on his hand. He sat there in dead silence for a long time, trying to ground himself before finally whispering into the quiet room.

​"Spirit King... are you still there?"

​Suddenly, a voice resonated clearly inside the confines of his own mind.

​"Yes, I am still here," Rei’s voice echoed smoothly. "And just call me Rei."

​Haruto let out a long, heavy sigh of relief. At the very least, he knew he wasn't losing his mind or hallucinating.

​But the peace didn't last long. A thick stream of black aura began to seep out from his chest. The darkness gathered in the center of the room, swirling rapidly before gradually taking the shape of a person.

​Haruto’s heart skipped a beat.

​The figure emerging from the shadows was undeniably Rei—but the physical form he took this time was completely different from the terrifying monster in the classroom.

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