Chapter 5:
[CHAPTER-5] Pact of blood
Bleeding Souls
The sun dragged itself over the horizon like a salaryman being forced into unpaid overtime. Dew slid from leaves. Birds chirped as if competing for best vocalist of the morning. The night finally surrendered—but inside Eva’s dorm, chaos was just clocking in.
The classroom was already filled with students. But the professor wasn’t there—or so Luna thought.“Where’s Rosa?” Luna asked, scanning around.“I’m Professor Rosa.”The “student” in front of her adjusted her glasses, blonde hair glinting under the morning light. Barely 150 cm tall, she looked more like a lost child than a professor.Luna smirked. Finally. Someone smaller than me.Her satisfaction lasted one second. Then Rosa’s eyes flicked up—calm, but inhuman. Cold sweat ran down Luna’s spine.“…Sorry,” Luna muttered.“No, no, it happens all the time,” Rosa said with a warm smile. “Come along. The summoning hall awaits.”
The air grew heavier the deeper they went underground. The corridor’s silence thickened until even their breaths seemed loud.The gates stood tall, wrapped in a glowing barrier. Rosa lowered it just enough for them to enter.The stench of iron hit instantly. Dried blood stained the stone floor. At the center sprawled a massive blood-sigil, grooves dark red as though they’d been fed offerings for centuries. Blue torches lit the hall, their pale glow stretching shadows into monstrous shapes.Even Eva felt like the place itself was watching.Rosa pulled a stool out of nowhere, placed it neatly, and stood on top. Yes, she really carried it everywhere.“A blood contract is simple in theory, dangerous in practice,” Rosa began.“Your blood opens the path. Your familiar takes half of your soul’s energy. If they die, they do not vanish. They return to their dimension, sleep until your death, then awaken with that half of your soul still within them… to claim a new pact. Understand? Good.”She slit her palm, drew a circle and star, and in an instant snowflake-like motes spun around her.Then—silence.From behind her, something appeared.Noctis.An owl, towering nearly two meters tall. Its feathers shimmered silver-white streaked with black, glowing faintly like threads of moonlight. Its eyes glowed silver, no pupils. Looking into them felt like staring into the full moon—beautiful, cold, unsettling.The air dropped in temperature. Students shivered, unable to hold its gaze.“Begin.” Rosa clapped.
“Finally, my turn!” Luna stepped up, fire in her veins.Her circle blazed red-yellow, and a creature emerged—a massive Lacerta, scales glowing like molten rock, horns twisted skyward. It roared, tail lashing, saliva flying in thick ropes.“RROOOOAAARRHHH!!”The roar alone rattled bones. Luna’s smirk shattered. She squeezed her legs tight—too late.Professor Rosa, impressed, said, “A rare species. She accepts you.”The Lacerta bent its massive head. Luna touched it—and collapsed instantly from the soul drain. The beast sat protectively beside her, flames licking the air.Next was Aqua. She trembled, barely holding the knife to cut her palm. Her circle glimmered with blue droplets—and from it hopped… a melon-sized blob of water.It wobbled, eyes floating inside its jelly body, and squeaked, “Ame! Ame!”Aqua burst into tears. The blob patted her head with a wet splat. Pact complete.Then came Valentina Noark. Black-haired, mole under her lip, aura dripping with charm. Her circle spun red-gold—and out came a baby dragon, scales crimson, eyes fierce. The crowd gasped.A dragon—but they are extinct since three hundred years.Valentina’s eyes sparkled with love-hearts as she hugged it. The dragon coughed twice, then let out a tiny puff of fire over her head. She nearly lost her eyebrows. Pact sealed.
Eva cut her palm, drew her circle.At first—nothing.Then another circle appeared over hers. Red, jagged, three times the size.From it crawled a nightmare. Flesh stitched together with bone. Arms dragging across the ground, claws like rusted hooks. Skin blackened and oozing, dripping tar that burned the floor.The hall went silent. Even Lacerta hissed in warning.It sniffed. Turned. Eyes locked on Eva.She forced a shaky smile. “N-nice monster… right?”It roared. “HRRRUAAARRHHHH!”Its fist swung like a hammer. Eva bent backward, spine arched, the punch grazing the tip of her nose.Lacerta roared, unleashing fire, burning the creature’s arm to ash. Noctis launched spears of ice, piercing its hide. But the thing didn’t care. It lunged, tar dripping, claws reaching for Eva—A shadow circle opened beneath it.A hand. Massive. Black. Claws larger than the beast’s head.The hand crushed its skull in one squeeze—bones and brain spilling like rotten fruit. With a final shriek, the monster was dragged back into the void.The hall fell still.Eva’s chest heaved. She couldn’t breathe.Then—she saw them again. Those eyes. The same eyes that had watched her through the mirror.The circle closed.
“Snrk… snrk… fsshh…”
Not a pig—this world didn’t even have pigs. The sound came from Aqua, sleeping soundly, a snot bubble inflating and deflating with every breath. The same girl who trembled at shadows was snoring through life like nothing could touch her.“THUD! THUD! THUD!”
The door rattled. Luna, fists red, screamed at the bathroom.“Eva! Two hours in there! If you don’t open up, I’ll torch this damn door!”From inside came Eva’s noble reply:“PLOP-PLOP… BLUBUBURRRTT…”
“ARGHHHH!” Luna kicked the door hard enough to rattle the walls.Aqua shot up with a shriek, tears forming.“H-have the demons attacked the academy?! Explosion?! Am I dying already? Eyaaaa!”Her panic ended with a perfect nose-dive off the bed.By the time they stumbled out, Luna’s face was bright red from fury, Aqua was half-dressed and hopping around with a stocking tangled at her ankles, and Eva shuffled behind them, pale as a corpse and clutching her stomach like a widow at a funeral.The corridor echoed with madness:Luna sprinting at full speed, teeth bared.Aqua chasing, sobbing, “Wait for meee!”Eva staggering last, groaning, “Ughhh… my stomach’s still… growling…”They barely made it.The classroom was already filled with students. But the professor wasn’t there—or so Luna thought.“Where’s Rosa?” Luna asked, scanning around.“I’m Professor Rosa.”The “student” in front of her adjusted her glasses, blonde hair glinting under the morning light. Barely 150 cm tall, she looked more like a lost child than a professor.Luna smirked. Finally. Someone smaller than me.Her satisfaction lasted one second. Then Rosa’s eyes flicked up—calm, but inhuman. Cold sweat ran down Luna’s spine.“…Sorry,” Luna muttered.“No, no, it happens all the time,” Rosa said with a warm smile. “Come along. The summoning hall awaits.”
The air grew heavier the deeper they went underground. The corridor’s silence thickened until even their breaths seemed loud.The gates stood tall, wrapped in a glowing barrier. Rosa lowered it just enough for them to enter.The stench of iron hit instantly. Dried blood stained the stone floor. At the center sprawled a massive blood-sigil, grooves dark red as though they’d been fed offerings for centuries. Blue torches lit the hall, their pale glow stretching shadows into monstrous shapes.Even Eva felt like the place itself was watching.Rosa pulled a stool out of nowhere, placed it neatly, and stood on top. Yes, she really carried it everywhere.“A blood contract is simple in theory, dangerous in practice,” Rosa began.“Your blood opens the path. Your familiar takes half of your soul’s energy. If they die, they do not vanish. They return to their dimension, sleep until your death, then awaken with that half of your soul still within them… to claim a new pact. Understand? Good.”She slit her palm, drew a circle and star, and in an instant snowflake-like motes spun around her.Then—silence.From behind her, something appeared.Noctis.An owl, towering nearly two meters tall. Its feathers shimmered silver-white streaked with black, glowing faintly like threads of moonlight. Its eyes glowed silver, no pupils. Looking into them felt like staring into the full moon—beautiful, cold, unsettling.The air dropped in temperature. Students shivered, unable to hold its gaze.“Begin.” Rosa clapped.
“Finally, my turn!” Luna stepped up, fire in her veins.Her circle blazed red-yellow, and a creature emerged—a massive Lacerta, scales glowing like molten rock, horns twisted skyward. It roared, tail lashing, saliva flying in thick ropes.“RROOOOAAARRHHH!!”The roar alone rattled bones. Luna’s smirk shattered. She squeezed her legs tight—too late.Professor Rosa, impressed, said, “A rare species. She accepts you.”The Lacerta bent its massive head. Luna touched it—and collapsed instantly from the soul drain. The beast sat protectively beside her, flames licking the air.Next was Aqua. She trembled, barely holding the knife to cut her palm. Her circle glimmered with blue droplets—and from it hopped… a melon-sized blob of water.It wobbled, eyes floating inside its jelly body, and squeaked, “Ame! Ame!”Aqua burst into tears. The blob patted her head with a wet splat. Pact complete.Then came Valentina Noark. Black-haired, mole under her lip, aura dripping with charm. Her circle spun red-gold—and out came a baby dragon, scales crimson, eyes fierce. The crowd gasped.A dragon—but they are extinct since three hundred years.Valentina’s eyes sparkled with love-hearts as she hugged it. The dragon coughed twice, then let out a tiny puff of fire over her head. She nearly lost her eyebrows. Pact sealed.
Eva cut her palm, drew her circle.At first—nothing.Then another circle appeared over hers. Red, jagged, three times the size.From it crawled a nightmare. Flesh stitched together with bone. Arms dragging across the ground, claws like rusted hooks. Skin blackened and oozing, dripping tar that burned the floor.The hall went silent. Even Lacerta hissed in warning.It sniffed. Turned. Eyes locked on Eva.She forced a shaky smile. “N-nice monster… right?”It roared. “HRRRUAAARRHHHH!”Its fist swung like a hammer. Eva bent backward, spine arched, the punch grazing the tip of her nose.Lacerta roared, unleashing fire, burning the creature’s arm to ash. Noctis launched spears of ice, piercing its hide. But the thing didn’t care. It lunged, tar dripping, claws reaching for Eva—A shadow circle opened beneath it.A hand. Massive. Black. Claws larger than the beast’s head.The hand crushed its skull in one squeeze—bones and brain spilling like rotten fruit. With a final shriek, the monster was dragged back into the void.The hall fell still.Eva’s chest heaved. She couldn’t breathe.Then—she saw them again. Those eyes. The same eyes that had watched her through the mirror.The circle closed.
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