The contract with the Jhuxi was no simple ritual. It stretched over hours, a testament to the creature's mythical nature. Unlike ordinary spirits, the Jhuxi existed beyond the mortal plane, requiring a contractor to serve as its anchor to this world. If Baines were to die, the Jhuxi would vanish, its tether severed. When the bond was finally sealed, the massive bird shrank to a more manageable size, though its three legs and three eyes still marked it as otherworldly. Baines studied it briefly, accepting its strangeness as a small price for its power, before turning back to his work on the Barns Merchant Company's foundation.
Hours later, the spirit librarian's voice broke his focus, warning of an approaching presence. Baines stepped out of the library and found Rakel waiting outside his quarters on the vessel. The man's aura had shifted—stronger, steadier, radiating the unmistakable weight of a grandmaster. He's broken through, Baines noted, his expression unchanged.
