warlock way

Contrato

Eric's brush with the crack instantly transported him. He emerged outside the labyrinth, dazed. There, a carriage awaited. An old man spoke to him from the door, his voice resonating in the air.

After speaking, the old man turned and entered the carriage, leaving the door open behind him.

This left Eric bewildered. He didn't know what was happening and considered the possibility of fleeing, but then he wondered: where would he flee to? Eric didn't even know this place, let alone the world he was in. The best course of action would be to move forward and try to piece together what was happening. However, with the situation as it was, he didn't need to understand everything immediately; he simply needed to act and adapt to whatever happened.

So, Eric entered the carriage and saw the old man sitting in a luxurious, padded chair in a corner of the space. The carriage was quite spacious, almost like a small house, with all the comforts.

"Sit down, boy," said the old man, pointing to a chair in front of him. Eric approached cautiously, not knowing who this person was or what would happen to him next after escaping from that place.

Eric sat in the chair as instructed by the old man. "What will happen to me?" Eric asked, doubting what awaited him.

"That's a good question. It's good to know you quickly grasped things. Where we are going, you'll surely need it. As for your question, you have three paths:

First: live and go to the Tower of Eternal Night to walk the path where great power and knowledge await you. You will have full freedom, except you must comply with the Tower's rules.

Second: it's basically the first option, but without freedom. Your life will be chained and controlled by the Tower, and there's no guarantee you'll live long; there are many experiments awaiting good candidates.

Third: die here and now. Hahaha, it turns out your body might be useful to me in the future, so no one would know. I would simply say there were no survivors. So, what do you choose?" said the old man with a serene voice and a somewhat expectant expression.

Hearing this, Eric was surprised. There was no doubt about which option to choose. But he didn't know why he was valuable, and he was shocked by the sinister methods of the Tower of Eternal Night.

"Obviously, the first option. I don't want to lose my life or freedom," Eric replied to the old man.

"Good, I knew you would choose that option; otherwise, you'd be a fool. In that case, let's make the contract. On one hand, you should be grateful to be part of this Tower; if we hadn't kidnapped you, you'd be with those stupid white mages. You'd be limited and unable to explore all the knowledge magic has to offer," said the old man with a calm voice and a look of disdain for those mages.

The old man opened his wrinkled hand and pulled out a yellowed scroll, covered in delicate black writing that seemed to dance across the paper. The engravings on the edges were intricate and complex. They had serpentine shapes that coiled and uncoiled in a hypnotic dance. As the scroll unrolled, the engravings moved up to the corner. They converged into a symbol resembling an ancient tower, with curved walls and a sharp point toward the sky. The symbol seemed alive, as if it were about to rise off the paper and come to life.

"Stretch out your hand and, with the dagger you brought, cut your hand and let some drops of your blood fall onto it," said the old man.

When Eric looked at the scroll, he saw the information the old man had given him, but there were also important details that had been omitted.

The person who signs this contract will be an apprentice under the Tower of Eternal Night. The individual will have freedom. They only need to comply with the Tower's rules, which include preserving and defending its interests when necessary. They are free to refuse to participate in any Tower experiments, but only in those with a certain degree of success, except in special cases. The individual who breaches the contract will have their life taken by the curse of the Nightmare Specter, and their lineage will receive the blood curse. The Tower will not interfere in internal disputes, except when they are harming the well-being of the Tower. It is forbidden to kill another within the Tower's territories; otherwise, an exemplary punishment awaits. The individual must accept at least one task per year; otherwise, the disciplinary committee will act and apply a penalty according to the level. When the individual reaches the level of a formal mage, some of the previous conditions will be more relaxed. Upon reaching a high level of magic, the individual will be free from the Tower of Eternal Night. They will only owe a debt that the Tower may claim at any time. Depending on its difficulty, the individual may refuse it, but it will remain pending. Additionally, they must protect the Tower for at least 500 years.

'Damn, how am I supposed to sign this contract, 500 years, these people are crazy,' thought Eric, shocked. 'By then, I would already be dead and buried, reduced to dust and bones, and no one would remember my name. Although, well, this world has magic, and I've seen things that can't be explained, so it wouldn't be surprising if people live that long.' Eric tried to console himself. There were parts of the contract he didn't fully understand, but he could get a general idea of what they meant. The most important thing for him was that he would retain his freedom. He could do things he had never imagined, like traveling to unknown places and learning magic. Besides, as long as he didn't die and there was at least one path to follow, he would take it without hesitation.

'Well, this Tower doesn't seem friendly or good, it's like making a deal with the devil,' thought Eric as he grabbed the dagger with his right hand and placed his left hand over the scroll. Carefully, he stretched out his index finger and made a cut to let a few drops of blood fall onto the scroll.

When the blood touched the scroll, it began to disappear into particles of light, some of which entered his body. As it entered, Eric felt the contract being engraved in his mind. There was also a mark on his hand, on the palm. It had the figure of a tower similar to a black chess piece.

"Good, now that we've completed the preparations, I introduce myself: I am Mage Aldric. I am responsible for overseeing the test for new apprentices of the Tower of Eternal Night. As for what lies ahead, you should start to feel what mages call mana, which is in this and countless worlds. You can consider it as the foundation for some things; everyone has mana inside them, some more than others. What differs is each individual's mental power. This can increase over time. Practicing certain arts to improve it or drinking certain potions can help you enhance it," said Aldric, while throwing a black round stone to him.

"Now go out and try to feel the mana that surrounds here. We will stay here for a while since several caravans are still needed for the tests. As you may have noticed, you are the only child here. Since you are the first one, and in the future, you might be suitable for a certain plan, I'll tell you something you'll discover later: those bottles you brought with you will help you improve your mental power. The Tower placed them throughout the labyrinth for those who come out of it to use. Obviously, you must find them inside. This is the only time the Tower grants this for free, as a benefit for the fortunate," said Aldric. Then, he turned his head toward the window. Noticing that he was no longer paying attention and didn't seem to want to talk to him, Eric turned around and left the carriage.

'That old man gives me the creeps. Also, that strange clock-like prosthesis in his eye makes me feel weird just by looking at it. Besides, how am I supposed to feel the mana with this? He didn't tell me how to do it,' thought Eric, anxious about what he needed to do.

As he exited, Eric sat in an area near the carriage. Perhaps due to fear and those black knights roaming, he hadn't noticed there were areas resembling a meadow in this cave. He might have ignored it due to the low light, as only a few large golden stones on the cave ceiling illuminated the place. So he sat on the green grass for comfort and began to ponder what he should do next. Soon, perhaps due to exhaustion or the intensity of everything he had seen, the world of dreams took him away.