Survival is a choice written in agony. To claim the power of a god, Kael must first endure the destruction of the man he used to be.
The Urgency of Fate
"Then let's do the contract!" Kael shouted.
His voice rose an octave as fear finally overtook his reason. He spun toward his brother. "Liam, get back! Move, quickly!"
Liam obeyed without a word. He scrambled onto the bed, his eyes wide with worry. Kael tried to steady his own ragged breathing.
"I'm terrified right now," he growled.
"Who are you talking to?" Liam asked.
"I'll tell you later," Kael replied nervously. "Just don't judge me."
"Good," the deep voice echoed in his mind. "Do exactly as I say."
"Fine."
"Sit down. Cross your legs. Calm your breathing."
Kael followed the instructions clumsily. His muscles protested the movement, but he forced himself to stay still.
"Inhale."
He took a deep breath.
"Exhale."
The air left his lungs in a heavy, trembling sigh.
"Clear your mind."
"I can't! You just told me I was going to explode!"
"Close your eyes."
Kael complied. Liam watched the scene from the bed, lost and confused by his brother's erratic behavior.
"Repeat after me," Rhaziel commanded. "I, Kael Morse..."
"Uh... I, Kael Morse..."
"Accept to enter an equal contract with Rhaziel Vorneth Aethern."
"Accept to enter an equal contract with Rhaziel Vorneth... thingy-ma-jig." Kael swallowed hard. "I'm not sure I pronounced that right."
"It will suffice."
The Transmutation
The silence shattered. Kael began to glow. A golden light appeared, soft at first before becoming blinding. Shimmering particles floated around him, dancing in the air like a fairy tale.
"What is this madness?!"
Kael was floating. His feet left the ground entirely. His body radiated a divine brilliance. His grey hair waved as if caught in an invisible wind.
"KAEL!" Liam screamed.
The boy lunged forward and grabbed his brother's arms, pulling with all his strength. A spark jumped from Kael's skin and touched him. Liam let out a cry. His hand felt like it was on fire, though no mark appeared on his skin.
The connection broke. Kael fell hard, his back hitting the floor with a dull thud.
"Are you okay?!" Liam cried.
Kael groaned. "I've been better."
The room was already changing. The air vibrated. An unknown force began vacuuming the ambient mana from the surroundings. An invisible vortex formed above them. The atmosphere became so dense it felt like it was crushing them.
"It's absorbing everything," Kael whispered, his mouth agape.
A black cocoon formed before them. It was a pulsating sphere shot through with rhythmic pulses of light. It looked like a living heart.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The rhythm filled the entire apartment.
"Get back!" Kael yelled, shielding his brother with his body.
The cocoon cracked. Red light burst through the fissures. Then, a sudden silence fell. What emerged took their breath away.
The Dragon's Rebirth
A tiny dragon floated in the air. Its body was ebony black and speckled with glowing red marks. Its eyes were large and innocent as they studied the two brothers.
"What are you?" Kael asked, caught between terror and disbelief.
"I am Rhaziel," the creature replied in a clear, ringing voice. "The one you just summoned."
Fascinated, Liam stepped closer. "He's so cute!" He placed a hand on the dragon's scales. "He's soft!"
Kael threw his arms up toward the ceiling. "Great. I've made a pact with a possessed plushie."
Rhaziel flapped his small wings and stared at him, impassive. "We begin the purification."
"Wait, the what?"
The Circle of Purification
A magic circle appeared beneath Kael. Runes ignited at a dizzying speed.
"This is going to hurt," Rhaziel said calmly.
"How much on a scale of one to ten?"
Rhaziel did not have time to answer. Light engulfed Kael.
Pain devoured him. Every bone cracked. His muscles twisted and his organs screamed. His entire body revolted against the intrusion of an infinite energy. His lips parted in a silent scream; no sound could escape. Strange lumps moved beneath his skin.
Liam tried to rush into the circle, but he was violently repelled. "Stop! You're killing him!"
"I am purifying his body," Rhaziel replied in an unnervingly steady tone.
Kael collapsed, his body racked with spasms. Then, a second circle appeared above the first.
The Reconstruction
Two circles. Blinding light. The pain returned, ten times worse than before.
His bones were reforming and readjusting. His heart shifted its position. His lungs opened to new rhythms. His very flesh seemed to be born anew.
This time, he screamed. It was a primal, tearing howl—human and inhuman all at once. Blood escaped from everywhere: his throat, his eyes, his nose. His gaze went blank.
Inside his chest, a single beat rang out. It was deep and heavy, like a divine hammer strike. The circles vanished. Kael collapsed, motionless.
"KAEL!" Liam sprinted to him, finally crossing the dissipated barrier. He knelt in the blood and pressed an ear to Kael's chest.
A beat. Weak. But steady.
"He's alive..." he whispered. Tears welled in his eyes.
Rhaziel, the tiny draconic silhouette, landed on the floor near Kael. His eyes glowed with an ancient flame.
"The Pact is complete," he murmured.
Liam looked up at him with wet eyes. "Then why is he still suffering?"
Rhaziel turned his gaze away. His pupils became as black as the night. "Because being born a second time always costs a first price."