"Wake up, contractor," whispered a voice inside his head.
Slowly, Vael opened his eyes, sunlight piercing through the window.
It felt like he'd only slept for five minutes.
Grunting softly, he rose from the floor, careful not to make a sound.
But his effort was wasted—Kiera stirred as well.
"Huh? When did you start wearing your eyepatch?" she mumbled, blinking the sleep from her eyes.
She hadn't seen it before, but somehow… it suited him. Even if it made him look a bit more dangerous.
"Boy, do I have a story for you, Kiera," Vael said cryptically.
Internally, he offered to share his memories of last night.
She accepted without hesitation—knowing full well that seeing what happened through his eyes would be far better than any explanation.
And so, she watched.
The seal's unraveling.
The shifting tattoo.
Oculor.
The powers.
By the end of it, she was left speechless.
After a long silence, she asked the only thing she could.
"Your eye? Really? No other spot came to mind?"
Vael, who was letting Oculor slither out of his socket, burst into laughter.
"Pffft… haha! You saw all of that, and that's your only question?"
Oculor, now coiled around Vael's neck, slowly expanded back to his original size. His one crimson eye locked onto Kiera—not just staring at her, but through her. Into her soul.
"She's trustworthy, contractor," Oculor finally said, his voice like a whisper reverberating through bone.
"You bet I am," replied Kiera from inside Vael's mind, clearly having heard him.
That was right—Oculor and Kiera could communicate now, thanks to her telepathic link with Vael.
"All right, we need to go get our ID cards. Should we wake up Ash?" she asked.
"No need. Let her sleep. We'll grab breakfast on the way back," said Vael.
Oculor slipped back into hiding, his presence vanishing with a blink.
And with that, the two of them left the room.
The streets of Barmonia were already buzzing with life, even though the sun had barely risen.
Merchants were setting up stalls, and workers trudged along, half-awake but already on their way.
Oculor stayed mostly quiet, offering no comments on the city or its people.
The walk to the People's Agency was peaceful—the morning air was cool and pleasant.
They reached the building in just a few minutes.
"Are they even open this early?" Kiera asked, more to herself than anyone else.
"Yes," Oculor replied flatly.
He had clearly used his Eye of the Wise to check ahead.
'Convenient,' Vael thought.
Inside, the place was practically dead silent. The only sign of life was a lone receptionist sitting behind the front desk, looking about as awake as the morning sky.
"Hello, dear customers. What can I help you with today?" she asked in a tired voice.
"Hi, we're here to pick up our IDs. Where would those be?" Vael asked.
"Ah! Right this way."
She led them down a quiet hallway.
"Under what names were they registered?" she asked.
"Ash, Serpes, and Elena," Kiera answered.
"Ooh, nice name, contractor. Very… foreshadowy," Oculor commented dryly, finally breaking his silence.
"Right, right…"
"I'll grab them right away," the receptionist said, heading into the room.
A few minutes later, she returned with three ID cards in hand.
"Here you go. Picking up your friend's card too?"
"Yeah, she's still asleep," Kiera replied.
"Hah. Figures," the woman said with a knowing smile, then led them back to the entrance.
On their way out, Vael glanced at the framed portraits lining the hallway—faces of men and women neither he nor Kiera recognized. Maybe they were important. Maybe not. It didn't matter.
"All right—'Serpes,' 'Elena'—your official identities," the receptionist said playfully as she handed them the cards.
"Thanks," Vael said, slipping his into his pocket.
And with that, they stepped back into the waking city.
They finally took a moment to examine their cards.
Name, date of birth, social ranking—all in order.
Hopefully, their backstories were just as solid and unquestionable.
As they made their way back to the inn, Vael voiced a question that had been lingering ever since he first laid eyes on Oculor.
"So… am I right to assume you've died before? One of your eyes is missing."
Oculor remained silent for a few steps before letting out a quiet sigh.
"That's right. I failed to uphold my end of the contract, and I died. In return, my first contractor was given one of my Eyes," he replied.
After a few seconds of silent pondering, Kiera spoke up.
"How are you even alive? Unless some god brought you back, I don't see how that's possible."
Oculor considered her question for a moment.
"That's correct. A god did grant me a second life. But that's a story for another time. It only concerns the contractor," he answered cryptically.
By then, they were already back at the inn.
So, for now, Vael and Kiera had to tuck their questions away.
It had been less than a day since Oculor's unsealing, yet Vael already had mixed feelings about him.
On one hand, assuming the so-called "contract" was real, he'd gained a powerful ally. The road ahead would likely be a little smoother.
But on the other hand… the terms were steep. Killing this "Seer" sounded anything but simple.
And even worse—what if there was no real contract at all?
The only proof he had was the scar etched into his arm. If this wasn't binding, what was stopping this ancient, cosmic snake from turning on him?
Nothing.
For now, he'd have to tolerate his new companion—and hope for the best.
Vael and Kiera grabbed their stews from the innkeeper and headed upstairs.
Just as they stepped into their room, Kiera stopped him with a hand on his arm.
"Listen, Vael. I think we should start using our alias names from now on. We need to get used to them."
A fair point. But Vael could tell something else was on her mind.
"Sure," he replied. "But… is there something you want to talk about?"
She looked at him for a moment, weighing his sincerity.
"Later," she said simply.
Their entrance stirred Ash from her peaceful sleep.
"Mmh. Five more minutes…" she mumbled, rolling over.
The rich aroma of stew, however, dragged her upright in no time.
In her sleepy haze, she completely missed the five-meter-long white serpent coiled near the edge of her bed.
When she finally noticed it, she jumped.
"Guys, there's a snake!" she shouted.
Anticipating this reaction, Vael held up a calming hand.
"He's not hostile."
"I'm not convinced," said Ash, suspicious.
'Neither am I,' Vael admitted to himself, but chose not to say aloud.
Instead, he sat down and quietly finished his stew, lost in thought. Kiera had already taken her spot on the floor, beginning their mana exercises.
The three of them soon fell into a daily routine.
In the mornings, it was non-stop mana training.
In the afternoons, sparring without abilities—just pure swordsmanship. For that, they'd teleport outside the city to avoid drawing attention.
And in the evenings, Vael and Kiera focused on integrating Oculor into their fighting style—a difficult but rewarding challenge.
Oculor's abilities were powerful, yes, but they were also unusual, and syncing with them took time.
Fortunately, time was one thing they still had before the entrance exam.
That night, after a long day, Vael and Kiera sat together on the rooftop, alone.
"What did you want to talk about?" Vael asked softly.
Kiera exhaled sharply.
"I'm about to tell you something because you're the only person I can trust. I need to get this off my chest," she said, her voice trembling despite her efforts to steady it.
She paused. The silence between them grew thick.
"I'm the reason my family died."