“Five golds.” Slowly taking his lips off the rims, Tokiren spouted. Although his face soured harshly, Lutiel didn’t say anything on the matter.

  “What is it?” A plain question that only made the merchant even happier fell through the room. So, with a swift tongue, he met the slave.

  “A suppressant in the form of a fabric, a special cloak that will make the brand stop working for the time you’re wearing it,” he spoke blankly, immediately making the man’s brows fall down. Stuck somewhat between confusion and incredulity, the demon witnessing everything huffed a breath before quickly standing up

  “Let me show you,” he added, only to stop his movement as Lutiel spoke back.

  “Wait a second. I barely make three silvers a week. I will never be able to buy this before the planned day,” the man spoke, to which Tokiren swiftly nodded his head.

  “I thought so,” he said faintly, but the clarity in his face didn’t diminish. “However, that doesn’t matter. Although it will be a bit pricier, I can give it to you right now. All you will have to do is pay me back a small portion every month. How much of your own money do you have at the moment?”

  Staying silent while looking deeply into the eyes of the merchant, Lutiel kept that way for a few breaths, however, the demon never abated in his amicable smiles. “Twenty silvers,” he said briskly, making the man nod his face.

  “That’s good. You can give it to me the next time you come here. Well, if you like the cloak, of course, I won’t force you,” he said, promptly turning towards the wardrobe near the right wall.

  Rattling through the space as he opened the doors, chains and collars fell out briskly, making the demon chuckle awkwardly. Still, they stopped suddenly before being able to graze the floor. Reaching up for something instead, Tokiren soon presented it to the man.

  Without a shine whatsoever, the dark fabric lingered on the verge of pure night. Sprawling out from the hood to right before the wooden planks, the cloak swayed as it flew through the space, nippily arriving next to the human.

  Immediately, Lutiel grasped the plain attire, feeling its softness before glancing back at the demon. “How can I know whether it will work in the first place?”

  “Because I’m here.”

  “What?” He asked, somewhat confused, only to stagger about as he felt a sudden, acute pain spreading through his chest all the way to his right arm. Immediately, his eyes widened as he felt a pulsating sensation scattered around his right cheek, a hand leaving its pink imprint on it. “What did you do?” Immediately, Lutiel creased his eyebrows fervently, staring at the demon with unclear eyes.

  “I commanded over you. I am the one that created your brand, of course I have some authority over it. Now, put your cloak on and feel the difference,” he added, gesturing with his arm to eager Lutiel’s approach.

  However, with some hesitation, the man questioned him first. “Will Lady Zyponia not know? We’re connected in some way, no? Won’t she feel a halt in the connection?”

  Raising an eyebrow at the man, Tokiren couldn’t help but voice out. “You’ve got an extensive imagination, you know? Don’t worry, it works by suppressing the commands, it doesn’t sever the connection in the brand.”

  Hearing all he needed, Lutiel’s arms moved briskly, tossing the cloak over his shoulders and letting it fully envelop his figure. Fitting as snugly as the gloves he had on himself yet with room to spare, the hood finally fell down on his head. Standing calmly, he awaited Tokiren’s moves.

  Thankfully, there was no need to wait long. Only a breath later, he felt a staggering pain spread out from the middle of his chest, right to where his right arm was, the same as before. Yet, a moment later, all of it dissipated, feeling a sudden rupture in the forced moves.

  “Haa, haa,” breathing somewhat harshly from the pain, Lutiel lingered around the merchant’s face, pondering for a while. “How can I be sure you didn’t simply stop the command by yourself?”

  Once again, raising his eyebrows even further, Tokiren stared at the man with incredulity in his eyes. “How do you want me to convince you, then? There is no other way. Besides, if you try it on Zyponia, she will tell immediately. It’s your choice now. Do you want it, or do you not?”

  The question reverberated inside the man’s ears, sinking deep within him as he looked in the demon’s eyes. Despite keeping mum whilst churning internally, he eventually spoke back. “I’ll take it.”

  “Aha,” the demon raised his voice, following right after. “I knew you were a resolute man from the time I saw you in the arena. Alright, let’s see,” he said, slowly walking over to his desk while Lutiel already folded the thin cloak, tightly enough for it to fit it inside his pants.

  Watching with furrowed brows as the human unbuckled his belt, he kept silent after seeing him store the cloak along his thighs, needing a while to make himself look quite normal.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  However, after a few moments of adjustments, he could finally move around, with just a few, faint creases around his pants that didn’t give away too much. At the same time, Lutiel finally looked ahead of himself, glancing at the paper dangling from the merchant’s left hand, as well as the readied pen in the other.

  “What is it?”

  “A contract,” Tokiren spoke back plainly, explaining at the man’s clouded looks. “To make sure you pay everything back.

  “I see,” Lutiel said lightly, catching the paper before bringing it close to himself. Yet, he could only read through some of the demonic, all else utterly unclear.

  “Don’t bother, you won’t understand anyway,” he said, swiftly adding on as Lutiel’s eyes looked at him again. “It just says you will be paying back eight silvers every month for seventy months, excluding the twenty dracars you offered, which you still have to pay.”

  “Two thirds of my wage each month?” He asked with clenched eyebrows, glaring at the shrugging man.

  “What can I say? It’s the price of freedom,” saying back, he still waited for him, the pen kept in his right hand. However, Tokiren swiftly crossed his arms as Lutiel took it away with a sigh.

  “Haa, do I just write down my name?” He asked, only to receive a few brisk nods from the man.

  Then, he lowered himself on the desk, placing the paper before starting to curve his right hand. Unable to see the eyes staring down at him, Lutiel simply wrote away his name.

  Immediately, Tokiren formed a smile as the man lent him the papers back. Staring at the signature, he could only deepen it before stretching out his hand. “It’s a pleasure working with you, Thomas.”

  Glancing down at him, Lutiel didn’t wait long, gripping the hand before the two shook it firmly. “Before I go, can I ask one last question?” Adding suddenly as they retrieved their arms, he stared at the merchant solemnly.

  “Oh, please, naturally,” he replied nippily, sprawling the paper along the desk before glancing back at the human.

  “Do you think a human could learn the demonic language?” He asked, quickly festering a confused look as the demon snorted out a laugh.

  “Hahaha, no, no, it would be impossible. Not even in a thousand years of learning every day. I’m sorry, but I will have to kill your curiosity for your own good,” he said while Lutiel meekly nodded his head.

  “I see. I guess I was too hopeful. I thought it would help us if we learned it,” he said, scratching the side of his nape while the man leaned forward a bit.

  “Don’t worry, that’s what my people are here for,” he said, tapping his hand on Lutiel’s left shoulder before bringing it back to himself.

  “Okay. Thank you for meeting me, I will go now,” the man spoke plainly, turning around in the middle of the words.

  “Yes, it was a pleasure. See you later,” the demon added while the doors were already opening. Briskly closing them, Lutiel walked ahead of the corridor, glancing at the table in the distance with indifferent eyes. ‘I hope Thomas won’t have to pay you back,’ he thought inwardly, his blank mien heading through the cellars of the hideout before reaching the entrance.

  …

  ‘Hmm?’ A thought crept within his mind, staring at the lady in front of him somewhat curiously. At the same time, he glanced at the pale horse she was caressing at the moment.

  “Are you waiting for something?” She suddenly asked, her left hand gleaming its pinkish red along the horse’s mane. Turning around however, the girl stopped, watching him near the doors of the entrance.

  “Where are we going? Weren’t we supposed to spar at the hills?” He asked, only for her to glance back at the horse. Jumping onto it, only then did she turn to the side again.

  “It’s your first test today. Get on, we’re moving to the base of the mountains,” she said, making him stagger about beside the door. Staying frozen for a while, the girl’s arm swiftly stretched itself out towards him.

  Fumbling forward, his body moved on its own, the sword in his right hand bouncing off the bricks a few times. Although the forced movement stopped abruptly, it allowed him to initiate motions of his own. “Couldn’t you have said it yesterday?” He asked whilst slowly coming over, but the girl spoke only as he had gotten near her legs.

  “No, surprises are what lets you progress. A battlefield is nothing but those, so get used to it,” she said, making him sigh away as his foot nested itself within the stirrup. Getting on top of the horse, he swiftly snuggled himself around the lady. Wrapping his hands around her stomach clinging to the girl tightly.

  Naturally, a response came from below him, however, the girl omitted giving him any comments. Clicking with her tongue, she engaged the horse instead. Out of nowhere, their speed exploded, Lutiel needing to grab her even harsher before he got used to the pace.

  The red hairs in front of him brushed his face momentarily, swiftly falling back down around her figure. Similarly, as though the wind hadn’t influenced either of them, Lutiel’s white strands also fell down to his back, making him witness the lands around better as they had escaped the mansion’s gates a few breaths prior.

  Galloping through the forest around the manor at dizzying speeds, Folvana maneuvered the horse with effortless ease. Despite the uneven terrains of the hill’s road, nothing stood in their way.

  Within a minute or so, much faster than when he drove in the carriage, they had already left the scope of the forest. Engulfing their sight, undulating lands escaped their plain confines, trying to reach for the skies. However, only those at the very horizon seemed successful, grazing the ashen clouds with their snowy peaks.

  Steadily, the mountains grew larger, with every breath they took. Staying silent throughout the somewhat lengthy journey, Lutiel could only stare at the girl’s back, or at the landscape quickly passing by.

  Regardless, he didn’t find her focused state harsh, seeing as they had already arrived near the base of the mountains. Stopping by a tall pine near the road, they briskly hopped off the horse, the instructor promptly tying the horse to the tree.

  “I hope you remember all the stances I taught you so far,” she said suddenly, arriving near her student before taking the lead. The man pondered on the words with faintly furrowed eyebrows, but he couldn’t arrive near a conclusion.