Chapter 64: A promise
Gray listened as Cindy’s voice trembled in his mind, fragile and breaking.
"But... I can make a promise," Cindy said quietly. "And I can make a contract for it. A magical contract... one that cannot be betrayed."
’It sounds like you’re afraid of death,’ Gray replied coldly. ’But you’re not ready to be alone.’
Cindy flinched and for a moment her voice disappeared completely, then it returned more broken than before.
"I... was too confident in my ability to kill that monster. Too arrogant to accept the noble’s orders and my own stupidity got me killed." Her voice cracked at the end. "So... please, don’t leave me here."
’Sigh...’ He let out a long mental breath.
’Fine. Explain the contract.’
Cindy’s presence brightened instantly. "R-Really? You’ll—"
’But,’ Gray cut her off. ’If you try anything suspicious again, I won’t hesitate to throw you far away from here. As far as I can. Do you understand?’
"I understand. I swear... you won’t regret this."
"Then tell me how a magical contract works." Gray said.
Cindy made a soft sound, the closest thing to a sigh she could manage. "It’s a binding oath. Both sides state their terms. The magic locks them into the soul. If either side breaks the agreement, their soul suffers immediate punishment. For a spirit like me, that could mean being extinguished entirely."
"Then you’re taking the bigger risk."
"Yes," Cindy admitted. "And I’m willing to take it."
Gray turned the locket slowly in his tentacle, studying the delicate engravings on its surface. "Okay. Then here are my terms. You will not attempt to possess me again, you will not enter my mind without permission, you will not use my mana without my consent, you will share your knowledge when I ask, and you will follow my lead in dangerous situations."
Cindy was quiet for a moment. "That’s... a lot of terms."
"It’s a lot of trust you’re asking me to extend."
"...Fair." Cindy sounded like she was smiling bitterly. "Then my terms. You will not abandon me, you will not destroy the locket while my soul is inside, and you will protect it from harm as best you can. And when the time comes, you will help me find a new body."
"Alright," Gray said. "I accept your terms."
"Then I accept yours."
The light from the locket suddenly flared brighter. Thin silver threads extended from the metal surface and wrapped around Gray’s tentacle. A warmth spread through his body like a calm current of water. His system vibrated softly.
[SOUL CONTRACT ESTABLISHED]
[Terms Locked: Permanent until mutually dissolved.]
[Penalty for Breach: Soul Damage / Extinction]
"It’s done," Cindy said quietly. "Now we’re bound."
"Alright," Gray said. "I’ll recover a little here, then look for shelter. You’ll wake me if anything comes close."
Cindy’s voice sharpened with concern. "Hey!! wait. This place is still too dangerous. Shouldn’t we find somewhere safer first?"
"That’s impossible," Gray replied. "My HP is almost gone. Even a small fish could kill me right now. It’s better to rest here and recover a little before moving."
"That’s true... but I’ll be lonely."
Gray let out a weak mental sigh. ’I’m only sleeping for a little while. Don’t be dramatic.’
"Okay..." Cindy murmured. "Good night, Gray."
’...Yeah. Good night.’
Neither of them spoke for a moment, but the quiet felt lighter than before.
’You really don’t need to sleep?’
"I don’t know," Cindy admitted. "I don’t feel sleepy. Maybe spirits don’t need rest or maybe I just haven’t been awake long enough to feel it."
’That’ll be useful,’ Gray thought. ’A lookout while I sleep.’
Cindy let out a small, bitter laugh. "I’ve really fallen low. A noble spirit, reduced to a watchman."
’How long were you swallowed?’ Gray asked.
"Not long, I think. I was still... aware. If it had been much longer, I might have lost my mind completely."
’That makes sense. The ship was still in good shapee and the bones hadn’t dissolved yet. You couldn’t have been in there for years.’
The stillness between them returned. Gray hesitated, then asked.
’Do you have family? Won’t they be worried?’
"Gray," Cindy said quietly. "You should rest. We can talk more later. I’ll keep watch."
There was a softness in her words, but also a boundary. Gray didn’t cross it. He knew what it was like to keep certain things locked away. He had done the same for years.
’...Alright,’ he said. ’Wake me if anything comes close.’
"I will," Cindy replied. "I promise."
Gray let his tentacles go slack. The cold of the stone seeped into his body, but it was a familiar cold now. His bell softened and his thoughts began to blur at the edges.
--------x-------
Gray woke to a faint tickling sensation on one of his tentacles. Something small was clinging to it, moving slowly and hesitantly, as if unsure whether to stay or flee.
His consciousness surfaced slowly, then Cindy’s voice came.
"Oh, you’re awake. Don’t worry. That creature is just clinging to your tentacle. It doesn’t have any hostile intent."
Gray turned his attention to the source of the sensation. A tiny shrimp was attached to his tentacle — its body pale and nearly transparent, with long antennae twitching slowly. A weak abyssal creature. Maybe looking for shelter, or simply lost.
Without thinking, Gray brought it to his feeding surface and ate it.
[HUNGER STATUS: 94%]
Cindy’s voice rose immediately. "Hey! Don’t just eat anything that touches you!"
Gray’s response was dull with exhaustion. ’I’m hungry. I ate it. That’s called survival instinct.’
Cindy huffed. "That’s not survival instinct, that’s recklessness. What if it was poisonous? What if it had a defense mechanism? You didn’t even check!"
Gray let out a slow mental sigh and glanced at his status. His HP and MP had recovered somewhat — both hovering around a hundred. Still dangerously low, but no longer one hit from death.
’We need to find proper shelter first,’ he said, already shifting his body and testing his tentacles. ’We can argue later.’
Cindy’s voice followed him, sharp and annoyed. "Hey! Are you even listening to me?!"
"Yeah, yeah, I’m listening," Gray said dismissively.
Cindy could only grumble at Gray’s attitude.