The Damned Demon

The sun had barely risen when Asher walked into the meditation hall in the tower with a sense of purpose in his stride.

He had already learned the basics of reaping and object possession from Duncan and was back to learn more.

As he entered the hall, he could feel the subtle power emanating from the cross-legged figure in the center.

"Your gait tells me that everything went well so far for your reaping quest?" Duncan asked in a deep voice as he slowly opened his eyes.

Asher bowed and nodded as he said, "Yes, Master. I successfully entered the mind of my vessel. Now I am hoping for further guidance to proceed."

"Before we start, tell me all the details of how it went. This is something we will be doing every time we meet," Duncan said as he gestured to him to sit down.

Asher sat down and retold what had happened during his quest so far. Duncan patiently heard it with closed eyes and finally opened his eyes and said, "During your reaping trial, you directly offered a part of your power to your vessel. And when it was time, you reaped his soul without any difficulty. Wasn't that how it went?"

Asher firmly nodded as he said, "Yes. He did try to fight back, but it was futile. I was able to effortlessly take back my power."

"True, but that was mainly because your vessel was not a Hunter and was probably weak mentally as well. If your vessel was a powerful Hunter with a strong will, you might not have been able to take back your power that easily. Instead, there could be a good chance your vessel could even use your power against you even if they would eventually die," Duncan said with a serious look, making Asher raise his brows.

Asher didn't expect that things could have gotten dangerous if not for his vessel being weak.

"So how do I prevent something like that from happening in my current Reaping quest?" Asher asked with eagerness. He now realized why Duncan told him to take a break and visit him before resuming his quest.

"We do that using something called Reaping Contracts," Duncan said with an inner light in his eyes.

'Demonic Contracts?' Asher wasn't really foreign to what Duncan was talking about since humans referred to it as Demonic Contracts. But all he knew was that demons offered these contracts to humans to take advantage of them.

"So this contract is like a safeguard to prevent our vessel from turning against us?" Asher asked though this wasn't the first time he was hearing about it. He just never went too deep into it since he wanted to keep his cup empty until he learned more about Reaping from an expert.

"That is the most important reason. But Reaping Contracts can be far more powerful and help you more than you realize during your quests. However, the hard part is crafting these Reaping Contracts, and considering your knowledge and circumstances, you do not have the expertise nor the luxury to craft them yourself. Learning to craft them is an arduous and complicated process which I do not suggest you do unless you have enough time on your hands," Duncan advised strongly and added, "That is why you have to consult a Contract Master or any merchant who sells them to buy the contracts.

Asher didn't seem surprised as he had heard about Contract Masters. Apparently, they were highly respected individuals due to their profession of crafting contracts which they had dedicated their entire lives to.

Since becoming a Contract Master was very difficult, people gave them the respect they deserved.

They had to acquire an incredible amount of knowledge which included learning the intricacies of various types of parchment, the nuances of runic languages, the magical properties of various stones and items, and merging them with the suitable parchment while avoiding any chances of incompatibility.

It surely would take complete dedication and focus to become a great Contract Master, and as Duncan said, Asher knew he didn't have the luxury to become one, nor was he really interested. 

As long as he could acquire them using life crystals, there was no need to worry about crafting one on his own.

"But since you are new to this, I am giving you a Common Grade Reaping Contract to help you complete this quest," Saying so, Duncan placed a parchment roll before Asher that was a deep shade of gray.

Asher felt as if he shouldn't be surprised. Duncan probably wanted to see if he could complete his quest using the weakest contract possible.

As he took the contract into his hands, he could feel its rough and simple texture.

[ Item name : Jagnir's Contract ]

[ Level 10 ]

[ Grade : Common ]

Asher unrolled the paper and saw a black script on the paper that mentioned the clauses of the contract. The handwriting was haphazard and rushed, making it seem as if the Contract Master who crafted this did not put much thought or care into the process. 

However, he did notice obscure sigils all over the paper, which was obviously imbued with magic.

There weren't many clauses written, but he read them carefully,

-  You will receive demonic power as per the likes of the Grantor

-  You won't be able to use the borrowed power against the Grantor

-  You will surrender your soul to the Grantor upon fulfilling the deal with the Grantor

'So this is how most contracts look like?' Asher mused as he finished reading the clauses and realized how this would safeguard demons from any resistance from their vessels.

Once the vessel agreed to this contract, there was no going back.

Still, Asher had a question as he asked, "I understood the purpose of these contracts, but if we offer them to the vessel, won't they know about our presence and try to drive us out?"

"Yes, but that is why you should never offer the contract until they are desperate for power and also not without making sure you have good control over their body. Otherwise, they can still get rid of you from their mind," Duncan warned.

"But how do I present this contract to my vessel?" Asher asked with knitted brows.

"You sign the contract first with your blood which binds this contract to your soul. So all you have to do is wish to offer the contract when the time comes, and the Devils will take care of the rest," Duncan instructed, and without further ado, Asher had already let a drop of his blood fall on the contract, making it briefly glow.

And the next moment, the contract turned into a dark light and disappeared into his glabella.

"Oh…" Asher caressed his forehead with a blinking expression, not expecting something like that to happen. 

[ 1 Reaping Contract successfully bound ]

Seeing this message, Asher relaxed, knowing that the contract was now bound to him.

"Now, when the time comes, you have to make the vessel do the same thing. Once they sign the contract with their blood, it will come into effect and will get destroyed once the deal is done," Duncan explained.

Asher slowly nodded as he now got a good idea of how to make use of this contract.

"Do bear in mind that most contracts only work for a single quest, just like the one you are holding now," Duncan said as he pointed at the parchment Asher was holding.

Asher now realized why Reaping was mainly done by the privileged. It wasn't really inexpensive. But he was interested to learn the true potential of Reaping through his experience.

"One more important thing. You might want to visit the Reaper Archives to learn any information related to the human world. Since you are officially a Reaper now, you can enter the Hall of Reaper Archives, which is right in this tower. It will make your Reaping quests easier," Duncan advised and added, "But you also have to contribute information to the archives by reporting whatever you experienced during your quests. That is how the Reaper Archives continues to be useful to all of us."

Asher was surprised such a facility existed. This sounded like something similar to the internet, which humans use. 

But the thought of getting to know certain information, which he had been wanting for a long while, made his eyes glow.

He was also glad to hear that since he still had yet to think of a way to push Remy to the edge. But with only Remy's memories, he can't do much.

"Thank you for the suggestion. I will make sure to do just that," Asher said with a firm nod.

"Hmm, you may leave now. You may come to me again whenever you feel confused during the duration of your current quest," Duncan said and closed his eyes right away, going back into meditation.

Asher deeply bowed after getting up and wondered why Duncan always goes into meditation.

He could only shrug inwardly as he left, though he knew he had to see a certain someone before resuming his Reaping quest.

—-

"I-I didn't expect you to summon me again so soon," A young man in a cloak whispered in a nervous voice while sitting opposite another hooded man.

The two were in a crappy pub filled with drunkards where nobody seemed to pay attention to them.

Jarius was nervous since barely a day had passed, and Asher had already called him over again. Was he—

"I don't care what you expect, but for now, I want you to procure something for me," Asher said as he took a sip from the cup before him.

Jarius gulped as he asked, "P-Procure what?"

Asher curved his lips subtly while showing him a piece of paper with some letters written on it.

Jarius' eyes widened upon reading it, and he looked at Asher, "You can't be serious. I don't even know if something like that exists. Even if it did, we could end up in a shit load of trouble depending on what you are planning."

Asher scoffed as he said, "Don't act dumb. You belong to the House of Secrets, and you are telling me you can't get me what I want, especially when your brother seems to be fond of such things? Anyway, it's not like you have a choice. Do you?"

Jarius felt a shiver seeing the faint chilling smile of Asher.

He already felt his hands getting sweaty and nodded stiffly, "I…I will try my best."

"No…You will do your best and get it for me within 24 hours. I don't have much time to waste," Saying so, Asher gulped down the cup and left right away, leaving behind a highly tensed Jarius.

He sighed, wondering how long before he can finally rest his poor heart.

Asher came out of the building and saw a tall, stoic figure in a black cloak standing upright on the side like a statue. The passersby were clearly spooked by the presence of this intimidating figure, and some even didn't dare to enter this building.

Upon seeing him, the tall, cloaked figure walked toward him with steady and deep steps, making Asher shake his head as he mumbled, "This won't do…"