"Alice what are you talking about? Is this some kind of joke? Because I don't find your sense of humor particularly funny" said Jack, passing his hand over his face as he sighed.

he then opened his eyes as he stopped his hand over his mouth, his gesture meant that he was beginning to be impatient but what appeared before him as he was opening his eyes triggered an avalanche of sweat in his back.

Alice's eyes had turned red, the living room in which he was sure he was seconds ago was gone. Brian, who was sitting next to him, had vanished. Around him nothingness, just darkness surrounding him. The only source of light in this endless emptiness stood before him, Alicia not Alice.

It took hima few minutes to assimilate his own thought, the person in front of him was not his little niece Alice and whatever she was his instinct told him to stay as far as possible away from her. Jack closed his eyes in hope that what he had seen would disappear. He reopened them to the sensation of a hand on his shoulder.

"Jack, Jack, Jack"

"Brian?"

"Is it okay? You didn't look good, for a few minutes you just blacked-out"

"Oh, oh... It... It's okay, it's nothing," said jack, even though his face clearly said otherwise Brian didn't push it.

"As I said before my name is Alicia not Alice"

"I'll explain the situation only once so you guys better listen" she added.

"What you call stone of origin are catalyzers or mediators, they allow you to start the making of a contract between gods and contractors, the ones you call defectives, it can also increase the superpowers of some super humans"

"But only those who are compatible with a god can form a contract through it. When Brian and Alice touched Lucy they each activated a contract with the god with whom they were compatible"

"The stone of origin just served as a mediator"

At that moment Brian interrupted Alicia.

"Ok but how is this possible defectives are not supposed to have power ?"

"Not necessarily" replied Jack.

"The stones of origin can have several functions, their primary function was to transform the earth and after accomplishing it, they became mediator between gods and humans to receive their blessing or as in your case a contract" said Alicia.

"Wait, wait ..., you said the gods"

"And how do you know all that?" Brian looked at Alicia directly in the eye, his brain couldn't process everything she was saying, all these words were devoid of logic to him.

"As I said before I am the protector of Alice, the goddess of water spirits Alicia" she said, her tone was haughty and firm, one could have said that it sounded like commandments of a kings. Then she went on without giving importance to his question as if that simple sentence was sufficient to justify her words, she dismissed his questioning look and continued.

"Each stone can allow up to seven contractors, in the case of Alice and you Brian, the contract was formed with five contractors and five gods, but this one has not been finished, it is absolutely necessary to find the other three contractors to finalize the contract as soon as possible"

"Wait if everything you say is true that means that Alice and I are no longer defective ....., am i right ?"

"Wow, we can't really say that you're quick to catch ?" said Alicia to Brian. who answered with a snort. Not really the most mature attitude but he had just been insulted by a so-called 'goddess of water.'

"But yes, and on the other hand your powers are unstable for now, it is necessary for all of you to finish the contract if you want to stabilize them"

"It's insane" said Brian stretching the last word of his sentence.

Meanwhile Jack wasn't talking, he was deeply in thoughts, was this all true? Or was it a joke of Alice and Brian? He couldn't help but wonder. He didn't know what to believe even though he had just experienced Alicia's powers with his own eyes.

The minutes that followed Alicia gave Jack and Brian the details about the other contractors while answering their questions about the stones of origin.

"I just have a question" said Jack. "What would happen if the contract is not finalized?"

Alicia paused for a moment, then sighed heavily, she waited again for a few seconds then announced.

"Death....."

"If the contract is not finalized within 365 moons following its formation, the source will self-destruct and all contractors will die"

"What?" said Jack as he rosed suddenly from his seat.

"The source is the mediator and the contract the stabilizer, if it is not finalized, the powers of the contractors will become more and more uncontrollable and unstable until the self-destruction of the source, moreover if one of the contractors dies before the finalization of the contract all the others will also die they are synchronized, one CANNOT be missing."