"So... how exactly are we going to make an official agreement?" Hana asked, leaning back against her hospital pillows.
"We'll go by the usual," Night replied.
Hana nodded. "I see. Do you have a pen?"
Night blinked. Why does she need a pen? "I didn't bring a pen with me. What do you need it for?"
Hana facepalmed. "You expect someone to agree to a contract, yet you didn't come prepared? How are we supposed to sign the papers without a pen in hand?"
"Oh... oh!" Night let out a nervous laugh, a knowing smile spreading across her face. She began scanning the medical tray beside Hana's bed. "Well, we won't be needing a pen for this."
"I thought we were doing this the 'usual' way," Hana said, her brow furrowing. "How can we sign a contract without a pen? Unless you want us to use our thumbs and some ink."
"Nope, we won't be doing that either." Night's fingers closed around a sharp object. "Aha, found it." She gracefully held up a surgical scalpel. "This!"
Hana's expression went unreadable. Night felt a flicker of alarm. "Oh, right. This might be new for yo—"
"Ahh," Hana interrupted, her voice clinical. "So you're going to put the contract inside me through surgery instead? Well, it's fine, as long as you're skilled. I don't want to deal with infections afterward."
Night stared at her. That is the last thing you should be concerned about. "N-no! That's too brutal!"
Hana tilted her head, considering another possibility. "Ahh, I know. Perhaps you'll cut something off in exchange for a three-year extension? My tongue? A hand? My ears or eyes? Or should I be the one to decide the price?"
"That's even worse than the first thing you said!" Night sighed heavily. "Look, we're going to do a blood oath. Are you familiar with that?"
Hana stopped her creepy suggestions immediately. "Oh. I believe I am."
"Alright, that's good. So... I assume you know how it goes?"
Hana nodded, acting as if this were the most normal thing in the world.
"Do I have a script to recite?"
Night nodded and handed her a piece of paper. "Can you speak Latin?"
"I used to. I'm still fluent enough."
"That'll work. Then, let's begin."
Night leaned in and whispered, "Ubi est Tenebrae, Ibi est Lux." (Where there is darkness, there is light.)
In an instant, the hospital room vanished. Everything went dark, cold, and unworldly.
"What happened?" Hana whispered, her eyes darting around the void. "Where are we?"
"Hush," Night whispered, her voice barely audible. She clasped Hana's right hand tightly. "If you must speak, keep your voice low. They might hear you."
"They?"
"Right now, we are in the parallel between light and dark—the Underworld. I had to take us here to make the contract effective. The entities here are the forgotten ones, faded from the memories of the living. They are drowned deeper than the ocean's depth, souls who forgot both sin and grace. If they sense us, they will take the one thing they crave most."
"And that is?"
"Emotions," Night replied solemnly. "I'll start my pledge now. Ready?"
"Yes."
"Don't let go of my hand." Night pressed the scalpel into her own palm. "Corpus meum ad tutelam tuae vitae per tres annos voveo. Si hoc pactum violo, Aeternitas mea absumetur, et propositum meum delebitur." (I pledge my essence to the protection of your life for three years. If I break this vow, my celestial essence shall be consumed, and my purpose erased.)
Blood began to drip from Night's palm. She looked at Hana. "Your turn."
Hana closed her eyes, her voice steady. "Orpus voluntatis et eculorum meorum ad destructionem Corrupti onstringo. Si hoc pactum violo, Anima mea somnio aeterni quies negetur, et conscientia mea visionis spoliabitur, in umbre sine vultu Corrupti relicta." (I pledge my will, my purpose, and the final sight of my eyes to the destruction of the corrupt. If I break this vow, my soul shall be denied the dream of final peace, and my consciousness will be stripped of its vision...)
As Hana spoke, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Why does this vow feel so familiar?
Night was about to cut Hana's palm to seal the bond when a figure appeared behind them. It was a being wearing a translucent white mask and a sheer veil, holding a lighter and an empty gasoline can. The figure dropped the lighter.
The abyss ignited. The flame drew the attention of the dark entities.
"No!" Night gasped. With no choice left, she forced them back into the living world.
When the light faded, they were back in the hospital—but Hana was gone.
Night's heart hammered against her ribs. She saw the door swinging open and caught a glimpse of someone dragging a blonde figure away. Without a second thought, she summoned her scythe and gave chase.
She ran through the corridors, her instincts screaming. Suddenly, a massive boulder of masonry crashed down in front of her. The building was collapsing. She sprinted past lifeless bodies and blood-spattered walls, her fury mounting.
She chased them up to the rooftop, the six-story building crumbling beneath her feet. Finally, she saw them. Hana lay unresponsive on the gravel.
"Oh? No need to rush, dear soldier. The test is yet to begin."
Night turned. A girl stood there, her face hidden behind a grinning "happy" mask, idly playing with a katana.
"Ahh, pretty wings," the girl mocked. "Ash gray, yet they shine like polished silver. I remember jewelry like that... I threw it away. I can't remember why, though. Oh, wait, I do. I hated it. It was a pain in my eyes."
Night remained unfazed. "Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
"Enough chit-chat! Let's start our pop quiz!" the girl chirped. "Our theme today is... ETHICAL DILEMMA! As Ernest Hemingway said, 'Courage is grace under pressure.' Let's test your strength. Look to your left."
Night looked. A man in a similar mask held a set of heavy chains tied to a van. He swung the back door open to reveal a dozen infants in incubators.
"Question one: Which is heavier? A person weighing 62kg, or infants weighing 62kg? Choose your answer."
"How do you know what I am?" Night hissed.
"Calm down, soldier. Just answers, please," the masked girl giggled. "Or we'll do this the hard way."
"They weigh the same," Night spat. "Both are 62kg."
"Ding ding ding! Correct! Too easy. Now, for the final question... If we drop them both from the same height, which will hit the hardest? Which will contribute the most blood to the ground?"
Night's blood ran cold.
"And the follow-up," the girl whispered. "Who will you save?"
"I've had enough of this nonsense!" Night lunged, but the girl stepped back.
"You don't dictate to me. Choose. If I drop them both, who do you save? True goodness only comes under pressure. Without sacrifice, there is no honor."
Night gritted her teeth. "Both. I choose both."
"Interestingly boring. But actions speak louder than words." The girl turned to the man. "Kunei, your shoelaces are untied."
The boy looked down, letting go of the chain. The van rolled backward off the ledge. At the same moment, the veiled figure from the abyss appeared and shoved Hana off the opposite side of the roof.
Night's morality was pulled in two directions. Out of pure instinct, she moved with the speed of a shadow. She caught Hana first, but the masked trio had already vanished.
She placed Hana on a safe ledge and dived. Using her wings to reach an inhumane velocity, she flew beneath the falling van. She dug her metal claws into the building's brickwork, bracing herself. She let the van slam into her own body to cushion the impact for the infants.
They were a meter from the pavement when she brought the vehicle to a halt. She set it down gently in a safe area, making sure no one was watching.
As she turned to fly back for Hana, a deafening roar shook the air. The building completely pancaked, fire devouring the wreckage in a secondary explosion.
"Hana..."
Night landed at the base of the ruins, but officers blocked her path.
"Ma'am, stay back! The building has collapsed!"
"No! Let me go! I'm going in!"
"It's too dangerous! Why are you going back there?"
Night's mind raced. She remembered Dr. Gabriela's words: "Hana rarely brings any friends... I presume you are a rare card she pulled?"
And Hana's voice: "Flowers always wither in my embrace... I'm not good at extending someone's life."
Hana, did you include yourself as one of those flowers?
"Let me in!" Night screamed, shoving against the line. "My... my friend! My friend is there!"
"Ma'am, if your friend was in that collapse, she's gone. There's no chance of life there."
Night left with no choice but used her celestial strength to throw the officers aside. She dove into the smoke and falling embers.
I won't do it again. I won't hurt her. I won't put her in pain anymore... This time, I will do things the right way.
"Hana... I'll save you!"