Chapter IV-Gift-Braziell

The Contract has been forged~

Chapter IV: Gift: Braziell

"A quill...what is it doing here?" A yellow quill was hovering in front of a tree in a distance that was not too far from their house. It looks like the quill was inviting Stein to follow. Stein thought that it might be important because they decided to disturb him in the middle of the night.  

"Ah! That's right...I already forgot!" He quickly jumped out of bed and wore his shoes after remembering Fleia's words earlier that morning.

"Comeback here before midnight..." He moved as fast as he can since Fleia can become scary when her patience was pushed to its limits.

Stein made sure that the door of his room was now locked. He proceeded to the window. This is one of his weird ways of exiting the house. It is really helpful when you don't want your relatives to meddle with your appointments at some point. Stein safely made it out of their house without being noticed by anyone but he still looked around just to be sure. As he started to walk towards the direction of the quill, it flew away in a slow pace.

Stein followed the quill into the forest while bearing the thoughts about his dream. The first part of his dream has a very soft volume and it was way to short. He actually has no idea when did that happen. Another thing about his dream that was bothering Stein was the two women that he still haven't met before. Though he always see the woman in white, he still has zero knowledge about her.

The identities of the people in his dreams were still hidden from him.

His dream made him more anxious about the gift that they were talking about, his past and several things that was still unknown to him. Also, what's so special about being 17? As far as he remembers, the quills were talking about a certain age when he can finally know the truth about several things. That day was today. He was informed that the date that they were talking about was "today". The quills and the woman in white has confirmed that to him at the same day.

The quill that Stein was following halted at a certain part in the forest and then vanished. Stein was now clueless about the whereabouts of the quill and even the purpose of why it lured him to this part of the forest.

Stein decided to analyze where he was now. "I couldn't have possibly went that far in just a short time." He thought to himself.

Even though he has already ventured a large part of the forest, he doesn't remember being into this place. The place has an eerie aura in it and the silence added in the spookiness of the forest.

There were hordes of trees that obstructs the moon's rays leaving only spots of light in the surroundings. The leaves made a rustling sound as the night breeze passes by. That's when Stein noticed a stone tablet not far from where he was standing. It was standing between the trees. His curiousity persuades him to check it out. He tried to ignore it and started to walk away but then his curiousity still won. The sole of his shoes brushes the grasses as he walks towards the stone tablet.

Judging from its looks, the stone was already corroded/withered by time. There was something written on the stone tablet. Thanks to the gap between the leaves of the huge trees, a spotlight has been provided for him to read the inscription.

The letters and symbols were VERY familiar. It was the same with the one on his bracelet. He doesn't know why but his mind managed to come up with a translation

I have been waiting for you for such a long time. Now I can finally be with you.

The next part was kept hidden from him by a layer of dust that covered it.

He used his left hand to remove the dust. "Ah!" He winced when his hand brushed against a thorn that was buried on the stone.

Droplets of his blood trickled in the stone as he immediately removed his palm from the stone.

Stein grabbed a handkerchief on his pocket and wrapped it around his wounded hand. It doesn't really bother him since he was right handed.

The ground then shook.

Now THAT bothered him.

He took a step backward from the stone tablet that was now starting to crack maybe because of the earthquake.

"Ouch!" Stein fell down on the hole that suddenly appeared beneath him. He doesn't really fell down on an endless void though. He's back hit on a stone step that cushioned his fall.

"A hidden passage...?" He noticed that the stairs was leading down towards a room.

The surroundings was dimly lit by an eerie azure light whose origin is unknown.

Countless possibilities ran on Stein's mind as his gaze fixed on the path leading to the unknown room. Some of them was that there may be a valuable item that he could sell in a high price or it might be a vicious lair of thieves and bandits. His curiousity wishes him to explore the room that was at the end of the stairs. To satisfy the crave of his curiousity, he lifted his foot and started descending down the stairs bearing the hope that he could find something worth it inside.

Since the stairs are not well lit, he leaned his hand on the slightly rough brickbwall as he delve deeper in the underground passage.

"A dead end" Stein's journey was ended by the wall that was firmly standing in front of him.

"Huh?" Something that shone caught his eye. For a moment, he thought he saw a small orb of light. Thinking that it might be a quill, he shut his eyes for a few seconds. As he opened them again, he felt amazed and surprised at the same time. There was no quill of some sort within the area. What he saw was a huge glass that replaced the brick wall from earlier. It was a cloudy glass with no scratch or stain. It was cloudy but somehow, it felt pure and emits a calming essence.

Stein tried to decipher what's beyond the glass by getting a better view through leaning on it. The smooth glass revealed its slight coldness as Stein's uninjured hand rested atop it.

"Who is it?"

Stein jerked away from the glass as he heard a woman's voice. He involuntary took a step backward because of the confusion on the origin of the voice. He turned around but not a single trace of a human was there.

"Maybe I'm just imagaining things." he jumped into that conclusion while he was about to leave the creepy dungeon since there there is nothing left to do there.

"Wait!"

The same voice from earlier halted him on walking. He lifter his gaze from the stairs and returned it to the cloudy glass. This time, he looked more closely in it. Beyond the glass was a room. He can see a faint figure of a person inside.

"Is someone there?" His voice echoed on the underground passage.

There was no response.

After a while, he was finally replied by a woman. "Please help me."

"Where are you?" The woman's voice was melancholic. He knows that he will feel guilty if he will just leave her so Stein inquired about her whereabouts.

"Beyond the glass."

Stein now has no idea on how will he help or even see her if she was beyond the huge glass. It was like a huge and thick diamond that won't break by any normal means. Stein was wondering why and how could someone put up this sturdy glass and trap a lady beyond it.

"I can't go pass this glass!"

"You are now allowed to pass through the glass."

With her words, the huge boundary between them suddenly shone a dim light.

"I don't get what you mean by passing through it."

Try walking towards it.

What she was telling to do seems impossible, but still, he decided to try. Thinking that it won't budge, he put more force in it. He was surprised when his hand suddenly entered the once sturdy glass like it was just a pool of water. He cannot retain his balance anymore due to the force that he has exerted, so he stumbled to the ground on the other side of the liquid wall.

His eyes met the floor of the room while regaining his position. The floor, just like the wall from where he came through, was also made of glass. The only difference is it was tainted with a blue light.

It's very familiar.

He decided to look up to confirm if his thoughts were correct. He was in a blue room due to the blue flames that were dancing in the torches.

This is just like one on my dreams.

His memories proved that his thoughts were right as he eyed his surroundings which was filled with a eerie blue light. It was almost the same as the place in his dream except for a single, important detail.

The woman. He thought. His emerald eyes landed on the girl on the altar. She was under an arc of ivys. Although she has the same face and features, he was sure that the woman that he saw in his dream was a woman in a bed of flowers. The woman that he can see now, however, was a blue haired lady shackled in chains with her eyes was tightly closed.

"Free me."

Stein fliched as she heard her spoke again. She was not talking in a normal way. Instead, she was directing her words to his mind.

Stein stared at the sleeping figure of the girl for a while before he walked towards her. Any human with the right mind would've run for their lives at this point but he was different. He felt drawn to her like he was being reeled towards her by an unknown force. Once he was standing before her, his hand involuntarily slid down her soft cheek.

He immediately removed his hand from her face when her eyes slowly opened. Her sapphire blue eyes bore into his ememeral ones.

"U-um..." he stammered. He don't know what to say.

She continued to talk with her mind while her gaze was still fixed on Stein's. "Are you the one?"

Before Stein could answer, a male voice spoke "Looks like we found a rare Braziell."

Stein turned around to see who was it. He was greeted by a auburn haired guy and standing beside him was a woman with wavy brown hair. They were both cladd in merchant's clothes.

"I must credit you for this young man. Now hand her over." the woman spoke in a harsh and threatening tone.

"Who are you and what do you want with her?" he stood in front of the chained lady.

"We are Braziell Hunters."

"Hey don't just go announcing our job." the auburn haired guy protested.

"Just shut up." The woman directed her words to her companion. Her comrade, on the other han, just sighed.

"Give her to us or we'll do this the hard way."

They must've been the one who trapped her here. They must be bandits of some sort. Regardless of that, he was being urged by his conscience to not hand her over and protect her. "No."

Stein quickly grabbed the sword lying on the ground nearby.

"You're one persistent little brat aren't you. I hope you are prepared to get hurt." The woman looked at his partner.

"You sure about this?" the guy with her asked.

"I can alter his memory so don't worry."

"But you still haven't mastered that skill."

"Just leave it to me."

A bright crimson stained light then bursted from them as they gaze upon each other. When the light has subsided, Stein noticed that the auburn haired guy was missing. The woman was now holding a beautiful red blade in her hands. Stein tightened his grip on the sword that he was holding. The sword emits a threathening aura.

He has a knowledge in swordplay so he knew that the weapon in his hands was a good choice. He was ready to block an attack from the woman. He was anticipating that the woman will lunged towards him but she didn't. Instead, she was just standing there. She then grinned before slashing the air in front of her. To Stein's surprise, flames emerged from the spot where she slashed her sword.

"What the!?" Stein automatically closed his eyes before the flames make contact with him. He felt the heat but only a little. When he opened his eyes again, he was perfectly fine. The flames vanished in front of him as if it was simply blown away.

"How!?" Confusion is written all over the woman's face. She certainly didn't expect that. Stein also feels the same. He doesn't know how that happened.

Stein inserted his hand on his pocket when he felt something warm coming from there. He grabbed the sourced of heat. When he opened his palm, the silver amulet that the old man gave earlier was sitting on his hand. It was getting hotter by every second then the next thing he knew was that it suddenly shattered.

"Heh. A protection amulet huh? Bad thing that it can only protect you once." She smiled again before tightening her grip on her crimson sword again. "This time around, I won't miss."

Use me.

The chained woman in blue and clad with a white cloak then spoke to his mind.

"What?" Stein asked in a soft voice so that only the two of them could hear.

I can help you survive this battle...If you allow me to.

Stein felt the time slowly froze until only the chained woman and he was the only one who can move. Their attacker was on the way into attacking Stein when she suddenly froze like a statue. The surroundings also changed color. From the normal colored view, it changed into grayscale.

Stained Freedom...It's a beautiful name.

Knowing that their attacker can't harm them right now, Stein turned around to look at the girl face to face.

Stein Fhreor isn't it?

He wonders how she gained that information. It was the name engraved on his silver bracelet and presumably his true name.

"How?" Stein asked but she did not replied to his question.

Stein wanted to ask something but her sapphire colored eyes froze him on his position. She was intently staring at his emerald eyes as if she was reaching out to his soul. It is like she was extracting information about him through her eyes.

When she finally averted her gaze at Stein, she talked to Stein telepathically once again.

You still have things to do...You must use me.

Her words didn't helped in answering the pool of questions swirling within his mind. Instead, it just added more of it in the pile of questions. They keep increasing for every question left unanswered as time passes by.

That pair...It will be hard to escape them by normal means.

Her last phrase spoke one of his thoughts. They are literally not normal. Especially that sword that the merchant was holding. It wasn't your typical type of sword and that was proven by the flames that emerged from it a while ago.

We only have a limited time before they start moving again...

Stein accepted that he cannot flee from the pair. His mind was racing. Thinking about on what to do next. He can't run away. He and the girl he was trying to protect might be killed. There was no turning back now.

As if she read Stein's thoughts, she stated,

Then use me...Free me by forming a contract.

At first, Stein thought that the pair that she was talking about earlier was the woman and the sword in her hands but now Stein realized that the auburn baired boy didn't left or ran away but he became the sword that the merchant is using. He got that answer as he stared back at the cahained lady.

I'm glad that you now understand. Then I'll ask you, will you form a contract with me?

"Yes." his answer came out more firm than he expected. The only thing that runs on his mind right now is to protect the girl and himself. If this could help, then he would gladly do it. He knows that he doesn't have any choice left. Since this isn't a normal situation, the solution might not be normal too. Whether this is the right thing to do or not, he decided to trust the woman in front of him.

When Stein spoke his answer, a gentle blue light erupted and surrounded the two of them. The black chains that was binding the woman broke into dust and vanished into the air. When she was freed, took a step to place herself in front of Stein. As she do that, a zephyr whipped her sky blue hair and the white robe that was slung on her back. She was a little shorter than Stein.

Stein was taken aback when she spoke. Not telephatically this time but verbally.

"I will ask again, will you form a contract with me?"

"Yes."

A group of words popped out of nowhere in front of them. Stein's translation skill switched on again when he saw the strange letters once more. Although he doesn't know what this is for, he has suddenly felt an urge to read it. When the woman in blue started reading out loud, he involuntarily read along with her.

"Thy binds of fate shall bound us together. This sweet seranade of words is our offer. Thy rays of light shall purify our souls. Merge our resolves and validate our vows."

She then stopped, indicating that the last line was indicated for him.

"I, Stein Fhreor will be the witness of thy power."

A few more lines appeared and she read it.

"I, Sifanderiel will be the guidance of thy reason."

Then they spoke in unison again "This words of oath will trigger our contract."

Stein was astonished when the symbols splitted into two copies and wrapped itself around their wrists. An azure chain bracelet was loosely hanging on Sifanderiel's wrist (He wasn't sure if he heard it right but she addressed herself as Sifanderiel a while ago during that weird ritual).

On Stein's case on the other hand, the symbols merged into the silver bracelet that was given to him years ago.

"From now on, my fate will be forever binded to yours...I will serve you all the time." She directed her words to Stein as she walked further towards him, leaving only a small distance between them which makes Stein's face blush. What she did next made Stein's face even redder. She took his hand and placed it on top of hers as the grayscale color that was surrounding them started to dissolve. A soft chime resounded as her bracelet touches his'.

Let's finish this.

The next thing Stein knew was that the merchant can freely move again and was now resuming her postponed attack. Stein shut his eyes and lifted his arms in an attempt to prepare for the impact of her attack. As he does so, he felt something a little heavy on his hand.

Open your eyes!

Stein heard Sifanderiel's voice again, but this time, it felt like she was just whisphering beside him.

Sparks flew as the merchant's sword collided with his. Yes, his sword. On the corner of the room, lay the brittle sword that he has used earlier. Stein's eyes widened with what he saw. On his hand was a sword with icy blue blade. Golden curves was perfectly designed near the hilt of the sword. Speaking of hilt, the sword's was not that hard. It's texture is only enough to make it's wielder comfortable. Sifanderiel's visage was being reflected in the mesmerizing blade. He turned his sideward, hoping to see the weird girl. She was there but not in a really normal form. She was a bit transparent in color and surrounded in a faint blue aura which makes her look like a spirit that was clinging on his shoulder. As he returned his gaze to the woman who was struggling to push her crimson sword, he saw the spirit like form of the auburn haired guy from earlier. Unlike Sifanderiel, he was surrounded in a faint red aura.

"You're the guy from earlier!" He exclaimed.

"What!?" They both spoke with a surprise tone.

"You can see me!?" The auburn haired was confused with what Stein has just stated.

"Look at his sword you dummy! He has already formed a contract with THAT girl." The chestnut haired woman told her partner as she fixed her gaze on the girl on my shoulders.

Push him.

Sifanderiel ordered in Stein's mind and he obeyed it.

He shoved the chestnut haired merchant and with a single stroke of her hand, a gust of wind threw their enemy off balance and collided against the old brick wall.

Let me guide you.

She slid her arm on Stein's and together, they pointed the sword to the woman who was sitting on the floor.

"Heh. This is good. We'll test you then."

"What are you?" Stein directed his question to the auburn haired guy and to Sifanderiel.

"We are Braziells."