The muddled pieces of knowledge were now becoming comprehensible.

Because of the nature of their power, only mages were capable of contracting familiars. Among the three major types of contracts, the first was the Blood contract. It commanded absolute loyalty from the familiar but was limited by its forceful nature. It could only be used on beasts weaker than the mage and couldn’t be used to subdue other humans.

The second type was the rarely used Temporary contract. While it wasn’t restricted to beasts, the Temporary contract allowed both mage and familiar to disavow the bond at any point in time. Since such a condition posed a high risk, this form of a contract was highly unpopular. It would be catastrophic if the familiar abandoned the mage during a moment in battle.

The third type went by several names, but was prominently known as the Soul Binding contract. While it began as a temporary one, it was capable of evolving with time. If the mage was truly acknowledged as the master, the contract would become permanent, allowing the two parties to mutually grow and augment each other. Most training academies urged their students to form such contracts.

While Max was busy discerning the information, his momentary daze went unnoticed by Liliana who continued to rapidly talk. “I don’t know why you lost your memory, but I’m certain that the reason you’re here is because of the summoning talisman I used.”

Liliana masked the slight guilt in her eyes by maintaining a stern expression. She raised her voice and said, “Summoning a human is unprecedented. I don’t know how this happened. It was supposed to give me a powerful beast familiar to help me fight off those accursed knights.”

“Well, I’m no beast but I already accomplished that.” Max rolled his eyes.

“What?”

“Nothing! Just talking to myself. So this contract, will it be the Temporary type?”

“Of course! In the future, I’ll get into one of the three great academies and summon a proper familiar. So this contract between us will only be a temporary arrangement,” Liliana ratified with a nod while flashing a mischievous smile. “Naturally, I can’t stop you if you choose to break this contract now. But, in that case, don’t expect me to show you the ropes if you ever land yourself in trouble.”

“She’s backing me into a corner to make the situation more favourable for her. Looks like she isn’t a complete idiot.” Max secretly thought as a wry smile made its way to his face. He glanced at his interlocutor and eventually responded with a silent affirmation.

“It’s good that you agreed. You won’t regret your decision.”

“Quid pro quo. That’s all this is. I’ll be your familiar and in return you’ll show me the ropes until we both find a firm footing.”

“Exactly my point!” said Liliana. With this, I have the only element I was missing to pass the exams.

“By the way, aren’t you worried about the Minister’s knights you mentioned earlier? And what was it you said… the blood moon?” Max innocently asked, hoping to steer the conversation in a direction that could lead him out of the forest. The hard fought battle with the siblings and the ensuing conversation with Liliana had left him tired. Max wanted nothing more than to find a safe place to rest.

Max’s casual inquiry left Liliana frowning. Surprise flashed past her face as she gave Max a once over and remembered the brief moment when she had previously regained consciousness. She recollected the sensation of discomfort while catching a glimpse of a blurry figure clad in flames.

“Could it be – No, that’s impossible.” Liliana mumbled and shook her head as she instantly rejected a wild conjecture. She apprehensively glanced at the sky, realizing that the night of the blood moon was almost at an end. With daybreak in sight, Liliana quietly came to a decision and said, “Follow me.”

“Finally!” Max heaved a sigh of relief as he jogged behind Liliana who was confidently moving towards the west. With the latter leading the way, the duo followed a fairly curved path. They slowed down at some random places and sped past a few others.

“Strange... It’s still the crack of dawn and yet I don’t see any signs of active beasts. What’s going on?” Liliana mused to herself while approaching her destination.

In a while, they had stepped out of the woodlands onto the edge of civilization. Max saw a gigantic wall fashioned from large pieces of granite. The rocky structure looked archaic, but it still stood firm and showed no signs of weakness.

As he stood there, he furrowed his brows and declared, “It looks like a dead end.”

“Well, it isn’t one.” Liliana confidently replied. Making her way along the wall, she came to an abrupt halt. She traced the edge of a protruding stone and silently nodded. With her eyes closed, Liliana placed her hand on the rock as Max quietly watched with a puzzled expression.

A faint glow emanated from the crag before a part of the wall vanished to reveal a dimly lit passageway. Taken aback by what he had just witnessed, Max stood with his mouth agape. As they walked through the small tunnel, Max shook his head and chuckled. “A secret corridor… How did I not see that coming?”

The guards were on their final rounds, eagerly waiting to get off their shifts. Some were yawning while a minority had already found a dark corner to secretly doze off. A few of the residents were up and about, slowly making towards their farms.

While taking in the unfamiliar scenery, Max glanced at the rows of houses built in an almost symmetrical fashion. The numerous shacks were identical in construction. Max took a peek at Liliana and asked, “Where to?”

Liliana trembled as she walked ahead. With a torpid gait, she made her way to a house at the end of a street. Gazing at the small and simple hut, Liliana was overwhelmed with emotion. The traumatic kidnapping had originally left her with no hope of ever seeing her home again. Now the shanty’s mere presence filled her with a sense of safety, leaving her teary-eyed.

Max sighed after catching a glimpse of Liliana’s emotive expression. He had never felt a sense of belonging while he had lived with his godfather. With their contrived relationship, they spoke less and fought more. He knew that Robert cared for him in his own strange way, but he had always had trouble understanding the man and truly treating him like family. The only time he remembered experiencing the warmth of familial ties was when his mother had been alive. A decade had passed since then.

As the duo arrived at the porch, the main door suddenly opened. Liliana froze at the sight of a woman in her thirties who appeared considerably distressed. She guiltily avoided the latter’s gaze while the woman’s face flickered with worry, relief and even a hint of anger.

“Lily!” The woman cried out as she took Liliana into a tight hug.

Max enviously watched their display of affection while subtly stepping back and giving the mother-daughter pair their space. He was unwilling to disturb their joyous reunion.

Liliana’s mother took this opportunity to speedily examine her daughter. She took note of Liliana’s mangled state and bombarded her with a series of questions. “Lily! Where were you all night? Look at yourself! What happened? Is that blood?”

In response to her mother’s inquiry, Liliana sheepishly asked, “Can we talk about this inside?”

“Of course!” The woman nodded with a smile and began to lead her inside. Max suddenly felt like he had been forgotten. He awkwardly scratched his head, seemingly at a loss.

Just as the two reached the door, Liliana turned around and exasperatedly yelled. “Are you waiting for an invitation? Come in already!”

Hearing her daughter’s words, the woman finally noticed the figure of the stranger. She suspiciously eyed Max and asked, “Is he a friend of yours, Lily?”

“Something like that. Just let him in mom. I’ll explain everything in a bit.”

The four walled structure was barely furnished. Two beds were symmetrically placed next to the hearth and a pile of neatly stacked dishes lay on a small wooden table which occupied some space in the centre of the room.

“Go, freshen up.” While adopting a stern attitude, the woman said, “After that, I want to hear everything!”

Liliana flinched and responded with a submissive nod.

The woman turned to Max and addressed him with a far gentler disposition, “Any friend of Lily’s is welcome here. You seem to have gone through a lot, so why don’t you clean up and make yourself at home? I’ll have some warm food waiting for the two of you by the time you’re done.”

“Thank you.” Max smiled and promptly followed Liliana through the door.

As the duo left, Liliana’s mother stared at Max in thought. She rubbed her face and inwardly pondered, “Strange… Did Lord Alcatraz interfere?”