Chapter 17: Promise

★[Tch...] He clicked his tongue in annoyance, obviously disappointed at the gate’s lack of taste.

★[So much for presentation, you shoddy gate]

Willow, more or less, heard what her companion said. What he meant by ‘presentation’ she may never know, as she became accustomed to the boy’s odd behavior.

While it may have been too quick of her to adapt at his behest, there was nothing to be done.

Since they’ve already arrived at their destination, he required her to convey the contract’s terms.

☼[Um...]

While Nonary continued to stare at the gate in blissful silence, she broke the ice. Telling him about the arrangement’s contents was imperative if she was to establish trust between the two of them.

☼[I’m going to tell you about the contract’s specifics so, listen carefully okay?]

Nonary sat down again, preparing himself for another lengthy speech coming from his fiery ‘friend’.

It was bound to last for a few minutes, so he made himself comfortable by sitting on the dusty floor, leaving him unfulfilled. As he tried to find himself a more comfortable seat, Willow began her explanation.

☼[The torched contract is an agreement between two parties, one of which is obvious, a will o’ wisp. The ‘torched’ part refers to how the pact concludes. A wisp, as decreed by our will, shall burn the contract as a way of confirming their assent to the agreement’s terms. We consider our flames to be sacred, and their use became our heralds. We’re supposed to represent the lost sun, which led to the other races praising our existence. To where many of them began to... um... adore us?]

After realizing what her words entailed, she looked towards the boy in embarrassment, only to find him stuck in thought. He was too busy to notice her distress, making her sigh in relief.

At the very least, the boy didn’t mind the treatment her kind received, which made things less awkward for her. Though Nonary didn’t really care about such things, instead focusing on what he learned.

‘Does this world worship will o’ wisps? If so, then listening to her wouldn’t be so bad. I’d have a way to elevate my standing then. Wait, don’t say that. It might sound rude to her.’

He’d yet to gain knowledge regarding this world’s theologian groups. From what his instincts told him, religion was a strange thing to be acquainted with.

Then again, this world was already strange enough in his perspective, and his odd behavior might stand out even more.

And since Willow seemed to be quite embarrassed about the matter, asking about it could wait.

☼[So um, regarding the contents... hmm...]

She struggled to remember the covenant’s details, taking a few seconds to do so. It seemed as if she was an amateur when it came to the contract.

☼[Ah, yes. I’ll be continuing now.]

☼[Us will o’ wisps are incapable of physically interacting with living individuals. We are, in the literal sense, nothing more than visible spirits. Incorporeal sentience made manifest with a metaphysical nucleus which the other races dubbed as ‘cores’. Having an esoteric manifestation means that we are, frankly, pseudo-immortals. Lacking physicality makes us invulnerable to conventional weaponry, and longevity is another perk we enjoy. Though we can give up such benefits for contracting with another person who is not of our own kind. And we have reasons to do this.]

‘Why in the world would you forego such benefits from your already loaded arsenal? I don’t get it’ To Nonary, such advantages should carry enough weight to ignore what the wisps might gain from forming a pact with people.

If he possessed such means to defend himself, then he had no reason to fear anyone.

☼[By forming such a contract, we gain a physical nucleus, allowing us to touch the individual that became our pact bearers. We feed off their energy for allowing them use of our abilities. Most will o’ wisps devour energy in-line with the abilities they possess. Some may devour heat if their endowment lies in fire, others may absorb water instead. It depends on what power we command. And, well, mine is time, as you’ve already known. The reason I’ve yet to form a contract with anyone is because of the energy I need. I devour the time of others and make it my own, and there’s no one capable of meeting my needs... or at least, until you arrived.]

‘She’s going to feed on the time I possess? What the hell does that mean?’ If she needed to devour the time of others, then agreeing to her terms may as well be suicide.

He didn’t understand what Willow meant by ‘time’. Was it determined by age? The time left before death?

Such factors were too vague for him to understand, though the wisp quickly addressed his concerns.

☼[I’ve already formed a conjecture, since you don’t seem to have a scratch on you, but um... have you experienced any sort of odd changes? Such as the reversal of any sustained damage and similar phenomena? You seem to have roamed this castle for an extended period, long before I’ve arrived here. I do not know how long that is, but it remains impossible for you to be unharmed. A forlorn castle filled with many machinations meant to harm its inhabitants. I don’t know who built such a sadistic place, but that’s not the point-]

Willow had noticed minute details within the boy’s body. It did not follow the proper constraints of time, yet it remains standing. He was a deviant from the world’s rules.

‘So she noticed then’

While it certainly wasn’t a secret he couldn’t keep for long, Willow had already noticed the strange quirk of his body.

He was going to be found out, eventually, since he had no control over its specifics. Still, he felt disappointed at letting another secret come to light.

☼[You are an anomaly, one that I cannot seem to fathom. Raw energy emanates from you, though your body remains unharmed. Under most circumstances, you would have collapsed because of the stress your body has gone through, but it seems to reform itself under certain circumstances. Though I’ve yet to see it occur, I’m sure that it has happened before. Your ‘time’ replenishes itself with every reformation, hence the reason I’ve chosen you as my pact. Even if I devour your time, you’ll still be fine.]

‘So that’s her reason. I guess my body is pretty handy for the stuff she’s talking about. Does it hurt though?’

With his fears assuaged, Nonary finally saw the perks of such an agreement. He could use the wisp’s abilities by giving a bit of his time.

Even if a little pain accompanied the agreement, he could stomach such a drawback. He’d already experienced worse in this place, so a bit more pain shouldn’t be so bad.

☼[Oh, and we can only get stronger by devouring the energy of our pact bearers, hence the requirement. Once a wisp has formed a contract, they cannot absorb energy from any other source. And our energy source needs to be unhindered. So um, I need to have a string attached to you...]

Her last words came out as a murmur, though the boy heard him well.

This was what he feared. He valued his privacy to the point of excessiveness. Having his mind probed by the will o’ wisp, all for the sake of providing energy, was a tad bit extreme. But the perks that came with it were enough to make him consider the option.

His emotions were the only factor to be exposed. A simple factor isn’t enough to become an indicator of his actions, so accepting would be better.

★[Fuck, I expected it to have no strings attached...]

While Nonary had already given his assent, the feeling that came with such a loss still became an indicator of his displeasure.

It was logical for the agreement to possess such drawbacks; he was going to borrow her power, after all.

☼[No strings attached?] Willow asked, hoping that it didn’t mean his refusal.

★[What?] He asked back, not knowing what confused her.

☼[Um, nevermind...] Another misunderstanding seemed to have risen, though she dropped the matter entirely.

★[Sigh...]

Nonary could only sigh in response, as while he hoped for better conditions, making do with what he had would be more workable.

He couldn’t keep pushing his luck with her when Willow already seemed to be so accommodating to him.

★[I agree]

☼[You... do?] Surprise, then shock, followed by a cheery tone. Her joy astonished the boy, though she didn’t notice this. She expressed her joy at gaining the boy’s affirmation. ☼[That’s great!]

‘Why in the world is she happy?’

Her behavior became inconceivable to him. Many bells rung within his head, but he planned to keep his word. Despite his grievances towards the wisp, his pride remained. Though he hesitated in return.

‘This isn’t a bad idea, is it?’

☼[I still have one last thing to tell you.] Her tone was serious, losing its previous cheer. Grave and austere, the boy took notice of it.

☼[It is imperative that you listen attentively, since it involves the both of us.]

‘Hmm, what can turn the cheery wisp into such a serious form? Including us both means that it’s pretty damn important.’

He tried to determine what caused the wisp to act like so, to no avail. In the end, he could only listen to her words.

☼[Do you remember when I told you I found this place because of an energy fluctuation? I’m not the only one to have done so. As we speak, other parties are heading for this place. And, if they find out that I’m involved, they might attack the will o wisp’s. And while we are... adored by many...]

She showed the same hesitation from before, continuing after a few seconds.

☼[A few groups have stood against us will o’ wisps. We are peacekeepers, yielding to no one, yet many parties have tried to take advantage of our kindness to the point of hostilities. And now, they plan to secure the source of the fluctuation, which is you. Once they discover who you are, they will take you apart]

★[Take me... apart?]

He listened to the wisp, only to discover how his life came to be in danger. He was going to be a lab rat. Experimented upon by various people, none of which he knew.

He maintained his composure, though his anger remained clear.

★[They’re gonna do that, huh.]

☼[To prevent that from happening, I need to weaken myself. I am a will o’ wisp, and my body is a manifestation of energy. My energy trails are present within the architecture since I’ve explored the entire place, and they’ll find out that I’ve been here. If I reduce my strength, the trails fade with me. So that’s what I’ll be doing. The same applies to you. You’re a walking energy fluctuation, and I’ll also be keeping you in check by doing the same to your capabilities.]

★[Can’t we just manually remove them instead of going in such a roundabout way?]

Nonary didn’t want to lose his ally’s strength, as it was one of the main reasons he agreed to the contract.

★[If it really is your trail, then you should have the means to erase it, no? I can probably try to learn how to erase mine once I know what the heck my body is]

☼[This island is quite massive, and tracing our steps would take a few days. We’ve little time left, and our enemies would have arrived if we do that. That’s... undesirable, for you, and for the both of us.]

★[Hmm, I guess that makes sense.]

He understood Willow’s logic, though he remained worried about what her explanation implied. The will o’ wisp easily overpowered him, yet her strength wouldn significantly diminish if they formed the contract. And he would have to reduce his strength, too.

Though his safety was a priority.

★[Is there really no way for you to keep your strength?]

☼[Oh, there is!]

As if to cheer him up, Willow expanded on what she meant.

☼[I plan to store my energy inside ten vessels, and I should be capable of utilizing my full power every time I shatter one. Once I lose all of them, however, my current strength would severely weaken. My energy will remain hidden within the vessels, but I only have ten chances to use my full strength before I permanently weaken. Once I feed enough of your energy, however, I should return to my former strength by then!]

★[I guess that's good enough.]

Since the wisp presented the option, it was more than enough to compensate for her weakness. He had no means to confirm her true strength, but he was certain that it surpassed him in every way.

It only took the wisp of a single spear to stop his attack, one that allowed him to fell the Guardian Automata.

★[What about this energy feeding thing? Are we required to be linked at all times?]

This was a major concern of his regarding the energy transfer.

If it was only for a few hours, then he would be more than happy to oblige. But, if it became a physical constraint where she probed his emotions constantly, then he would have to raise his objections, though he still needed to agree in the end.

Willow was his only way out of this floating island.

☼[Err, I’ve no clue where you got that idea but, no.]

If they were to become pact bearers, she would need to respect the boy’s boundaries. She didn’t understand how he came to such a conclusion.

Her kind rarely needed such sustenance, as they could live off a few hours worth of energy for most of their daily lives. This cemented the boy's unawareness of how the world was.

☼[I value your privacy, and I can easily receive the energy I require in only a few hours. So um, you don’t need to be worried about that.]

★[So...]

All they had addressed the issues. He only needed the wisp's confirmation as all the details had been discussed. All that remained to be done were the pact’s closure.

★[What now?]

☼[Do you agree then?]

★[I already agreed earlier, Willow]

He stared at the wisp, deadpan in expression. While his visor became a reminder of his covered face, his tone was more than enough to express his concern over how the wisp recently jumped in joy at his assent, only to forget what happened.

☼[You did?] It took Willow a few seconds to remember, much to the boy’s chagrin. ☼[Oh, you really did!]

★[So?] He grew impatient at the wisp, as he tapped his feet in wait. ★[What do I do?]

☼[Sorry...]

Willow bowed down in apology, as she appeared to waft about in the air. It was a strange sight for the boy, as he never expected her to express guilt for forgetting. Though her apology seemed really strange to him.

☼[Let’s begin now!]

Strange lights that scattered blue, dancing within their immured fold. Enclosed within azure flames and beryl blaze, a pillar of fire engulfed the two of them, with a sapphire glow that struck the ground they tread upon. The pair caught in its embrace, neither moving from the sight.

And for Nonary, he had no need to.

These flames did not harm the boy, instead weaving through the boy’s form. The wisp from which they came simply watched him become enamored with her fiery display.

She saw how the cinders neared his form, flickering between navy hues. The visor he wore reflecting their celestial light, as if the sun had descended upon them.

A string of light, the same as he saw before, compassed the will o’ wisp, a sphere of light forming from its embrace. Blue mist seeped from its cast, welling on the ground in transparent film.

It bathed their field with effluvient haze, carrying Willow’s decree.

This grand display of hers, the contract’s manifest.

☼[Nonary, do you agree with everything I’ve said before? About what our pact entails?]

Willow’s voice became stern, firm in her conviction to enact the pledge between them.

At Willow’s behest, Nonary bowed down in response. He exchanged no words with the wisp, though it deserved his respect. The enchanting display captivated him, and his nod, a testimony of what he wished to happen.

It was after his consent that he agreed to everything laid out. If they were to become partners, it was the least he could do. To this creature of fantasy that stood before him.

☼[I see...]

She had the boy’s acknowledgement, and with her words, continued with his will.

☼[Very well then.]

The cinders that once claimed their surroundings became glyphs of light, strange characters strangely familiar to the boy. Symbols he had seen beforehand. It was the same, the same cipher he once solved beneath the castle’s presence. One that took him mere seconds to accomplish, and it was another surprise for him to be graced with them.

★[Those symbols...] He mumbled, though it only reached his ears.

Willow convened with the flames, immobile and silent. Her focus didn’t waver, not noticing the boy’s behavior.

The symbols adrift in luminous air floated towards the barren soil, searing it in auburn singe. An ecliptic ring of glyphs, one strikingly similar to the puzzle that he once solved.

A crowned dial of scorched earth, where the characters lay still, their former glow forfeit. And, lain out in hollow lines, was a single word.

By the November Cipher.

{|}

Promise

{|}

And the flames ceased their burning. Their pact, now done.

The blue light that once enshrouded them had disappeared, ten clock-hands left in their place. Though they disappeared too, turning into embers of blue.

:::

+ Torched Contract [Contract] established.

:::

All that remained were the boy and the wisp, with the former silent and pensive.

☼[And... it’s done!] Willow cried out, obviously happy at the contract’s conclusion.

‘Promise...’

He held the knife in his hand, studying the symbols once more. The words ‘Family of Promises’ remained engraved within the argent blade, showing off its resplendent luster. Its color did not fade, keeping its grandeur.

☼[Uhm, Nonary?]

The boy hadn’t moved since the light show ended. He simply stood by the gate, glaring at the burnt symbols. His behavior concerned her since the characters held power over their agreement.

☼[That’s our contract, so you probably shouldn’t breach it.]

★[Wait, that’s the torched thing?]

He snapped out of his daze, curious about the pact’s outcome. The result wasn’t a covert operation. Mainly because of the scorched earth, which obviously implied that something important occurred.

★[What happened to removing our trails when there’s a fricking circle made of burnt letters here?]

Anyone with the mental capacity to separate lines from shapes could quickly identify the ring of symbols singed on the ground as a strange article worthy of an investigation.

The capability to see and think granted one such boons, where they could visually analyze what they saw. Then again, the conspicuous mark baffled him, as it did the opposite of hiding their tracks.

He wanted to pummel the wisp for this.

☼[Oh, that?] Willow asked, unaware of what the boy planned on doing to her if she didn’t erase his anxiety over the matter.

☼[Don’t worry about it. We’re the only ones who can see it, anyway. The marks remain invisible to all but us.]

★[That’s... that’s quite convenient, actually.]

He quickly erased such thoughts from his head after the wisp redeemed itself. And indeed, it was convenient for such an exquisite display, though the remains were nothing more than a charred inscribing now.

★[Let’s proceed now.]

☼[Sure!] She chirped, ecstatic at showing the boy her capabilities.

The pair passed through the gate’s breached section, moving towards the precipice. Since the cliff was quite close to them, it took them only ten seconds to arrive there.

And what greeted them was a steep drop, the ground below barely visible to them. Nonary could make out trees in the backdrop.

It was a forest.

The lands, though darklit, harbored a sea of leaves.

Willow faced the boy, quite eager in dropping themselves off.

☼[I’ll be wrapping my strings around you, so stay still]

Countless strings came from the wisp, bundling the boy with blue threads. They were quite warm for such thin strands, emanating heat as they glowed.

☼[Any questions?]

★[Yeah... is this safe?]

Now faced with their midnight plunge, he gave in to pressure. He’d already plummeted to deeper depths, such as when he fell down the chasm, but the obscure greenery gave him a sense of dread.

He distrusted the bundle of strings that wrapped him in an embrace. They were far too thin compared to what he envisioned.

★[We’re talking about a four-hundred meter drop here, and who knows whether these strings will hold?]

☼[You shouldn’t worry too much. I can simply sling you back up once we approach the ground]

★[Sling me back up? Are you mad? Aren’t we supposed to float gently downwards?]

☼[Did I say that?]

★[Willow... Promise me] He growled, despairing at why he had encountered such a klutz who forgot to tell him the most important aspect of their descent; how were they to arrive at ground zero.

★[Your words scare me, will o’ wi-]

[Let’s go!] Before he could finish his words, a husky voice that belonged to neither of them crowed from behind, causing the boy to face the unknown guest. And it was not one he expected.

The ravens were there, ebony birds that lined the fortress walls with their company.

☼[Alright!]

Not noticing who spoke, she began her dive, leaving the boy behind as the string plummeted.

A few meters remained till the plummeting string caught up with him as the boy stared in shock at the feathered creatures.

And then, he realized. His companion already left without him, not even heeding his opinion. The birds, they tricked the ignoramus into thinking that he’d agreed, hence her ill-timed venture without his assent.

And he had no way to stop her, for she already dove.

The string was slowly being unwound. He faced the birds again, planning to give them a piece of his mind.

★[You mother-] The string took him in tow, interrupting his profanity. He passed the precipice and into groundless skies, plummeting at the heights. ★[FUCKERSSSSSSSSS!]

Curse words were all they heard of him as the boy fell down. Down into the darkened skies, alongside the will o’ wisp that earned his ire. The ravens were grinning, or at least they seemed to.

Grinning or not, they enjoyed what they’ve seen of the odd pair.