Chương 10: The Pact of Silence

The smell of burnt meat and ozone hung heavy over the clearing. The giant carcass of the Razorback still released thin trails of gray smoke, but Selene's focus was not on the thirty-silver-coin monster. It was on Ren's hands. She was down on her knees in the mud, her face pale, clutching pieces of her torn cloak with trembling fingers. Her red eyes were wide, fixed on the boy's left arm. Less than a minute ago, that limb had been violently ripped from his shoulder. Blood had jetted out in hot spurts.

The bone had been completely exposed. Now, the skin there was smooth. No scars. No marks. A completely new arm, perfect, as if it had never even touched a sword." What... what are you?" Selene's voice failed, coming out as a strangled whisper. She swallowed hard, dragging herself two steps back, instinctively gripping her wooden staff.

"A demon? An undead? Humans don't... humans don't do that!"Ren looked down at his own left fingers, closing and opening his fist slowly. He felt no pain. Only the fading echo of the biological shock he had just endured. He adjusted his posture and, with complete naturalness, brought his best charismatic smile back to his face. His perfect social mask."A demon? Of course not, my dear mage," Ren said, his voice gentle. He walked slowly toward her and extended his right hand to help her up.

"I'm just someone with... uncommon luck. And a very efficient metabolism."Selene slapped his hand away, refusing the help. She stood up on her own, keeping the tip of her staff pointed directly at Ren's chest. Sparks of stress began to leak from the wood once more."Don't play games with me, rookie!" she hissed, her eyes gleaming with terror and rage.

"I saw your arm turn to dust! I saw flesh grow out of nowhere! If the Guild finds out about this... if the Church of the goddess Ariana hears of it... they will burn you alive at the stake for heresy!"Ren did not flinch at the threat. Instead, his smile vanished, giving way to a cold, sharp, and surgical gaze. The look of someone playing a game of chess."They will burn me? Perhaps." Ren took a step forward, forcing the tip of her staff downward with a light, two-finger touch.

"But think logically, Selene. Who was in the forest with me? You. Who brought me on this mission? You. If the Guild discovers I am an anomaly, they won't just lock me in a lab. They will assume you summoned me, or that you made a forbidden pact to gain raw power." Selene froze. The color drained from her face."On the board of this world, if I fall, you go down with me," Ren continued, his voice soft and persuasive, leaning closer to her ear.

"Keep my secret. Don't mention the arm, don't mention the blood. In exchange, I guarantee you will have all the gold you need to never starve or sleep on a guild bench again. We both win. What do you say? A pact of silence?" Selene looked into Ren's empty eyes. There was no humanity there, only pure strategic calculation. She swallowed her pride, realizing his logic was implacable."Deal," she murmured, finally lowering her staff for good.

"But if you try anything against me..."" I appreciate functional cannons, Selene. I don't destroy my own pieces," Ren interrupted with a light laugh, returning to his usual easygoing posture. He walked over to the Razorback's body and picked up his iron shortsword. The blisters on his hands from last night's training had also vanished. His immortality controlled his body. He needed to understand the true limits of this world before taking his next step. The first piece has been secured, Ren thought to himself.

Now, I need to tear out the actual rules of this system. This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.