The Envoy of Darkness

Chapter 5 - Liliana Part 2

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."