"Alice Agnelia. That’s my name. And why don’t you and I form a contract?" Alice held out her hand with a smile. "A contract?" The Healer furrowed his brows. Lots of families and Hunters who’ve met him have offered the same. Yet he could tell Alice wasn’t doing so because she needed his help. Rather, it was a case of wanting him to be on her side. If he agrees, she would be happy. But she wouldn’t die if he didn’t. That nonchalance, he hadn’t seen it in others. "Yep. You help me, I help you. You see, I’m in search of a good combat medic. Someone who can reliably heal my allies during battle. If you are able to reverse the corruption, I don’t doubt your healing capabilities. "Though being able to heal in combat and outside of it is a different matter entirely. But I’m sure there are workarounds for that." Alice smiled confidently. Whatever he can’t do during combat, she’ll supplement it with an artifact when she opens her second Resonance. That way, he’ll gain the power of Sigils that he didn’t have before. "And I’m guessing in return, you’ll help me find the perfect solution?" He furrowed his brows. "Yep. While I can’t contact the Will, the other people I know should be able to help to some extent with your assistance. I can’t say much for now but just know that they’re very capable." Alice chuckled. Of course, one of the people she mentioned was herself. With his knowledge and her control, undoing mutations should get much easier. The only issue with this would be how much she tells him. Even if he was on their side, telling him too much would put him in danger. She may be crazy, but she knew the insanity of her enemies. It’s not something ordinary people can handle. Thus, even if she gets his help, so long as he’s ignorant of the dangers and leave before things got crazy, it should be relatively safe. She needed someone of his expertise. "Let’s make this a short contract. I will help you for a short time and vice versa." He suggested. His gut was telling him that he shouldn’t accept. But this opportunity was too good to give up, especially if he can find the perfect solution he’s been pursuing. Despite his experiments, his progress has been stunted as of late. Thus this might be the breakthrough he was looking for. "I agree. I won’t ask you for more than what you’re willing to tell me, and I hope the same goes for you." Alice nodded, happy he was of the same mindset. While she may not have gotten the favor of a nine Sigil Lord, getting a contract with the Healer was a worthy trade off in Alice’s eyes. Kaine walked towards the man sitting on the ground, still holding the headless body of his wife. Theron’s hair was rough and he had dark circles under his eyes. Exhaustion and fatigue was evident on his face. "What are you here for..." Theron muttered, refusing to turn around. "I’m sorry for your loss." Kaine spoke words of apology yet a smile was worn on his face. "If that’s all you’re here to say then please leave. Allow me to mourn." Theron sighed. But Kaine didn’t leave. His footsteps continued to echo out as he stood next to Theron. "There is... an opportunity." Kaine held his hands behind his back. "Yes. For you. And..." He trailed off. "For her." He gestured towards Bella’s lifeless corpse. Theron finally turned to Kaine, his brows creased in displeasure. "What are you trying to say?" He demanded an answer. The feeling of losing Bella was still fresh and he had no patience for riddles at this point. "What I’m trying to say... Is that the family can bring her back." Kaine rubbed his neck before reaching into his inner pocket. He pulled out a single emblem, the icon of the Zenia family. "Are you trying to insult me?" Theron gritted his teeth. "How many do you think I’ve watched walk down the path of madness for resurrection. For the dead to come back to life?" "Lost in my grief I may be, but I am not unaware of people trying to make use of this vulnerability of mine." Flicking his wrist, Theron summoned a blade and aimed it at Kaine’s neck. "So leave." He demanded yet Kaine only moved the blade aside with his finger. "Oh I’m aware Lord Merias but I promise thee, this offer of resurrection is not false. We indeed have a method of resurrecting your wife. However... It wouldn’t be the Bella you know. It’ll be her from a... different time." Kaine clarified slightly. "A different time?...!!!" Widening his eyes, Theron realized what he was hinting at. "The Inverted World..." "Perceptive as always Lord Merias. You see, the family has recently formed an alliance with a very talented individual. Someone who has shown great mastery over the powers of the Abyss and the properties of blood. Someone who showed us the potential hidden within these pockets of memory." Kaine praised with a laugh. "And I believe that should you help us, we will be able to make use of this research to bring back a younger Bella. Before her corruption took hold." Theron faltered. His sword was still out but Kaine could see the hesitation in his eyes. Withdrawing his blade, Theron glanced down at Bella. This life of his... he owed her. In her time of need, he couldn’t stop Alice. "... What’s the price?" Theron asked. He refused to believe that the family would offer him a one sided exchange. Not when it’s clear that they desire something from him. "We simply hope that Lord Merias will be... able to assist us in a few matters. Matters that may require your expertise. The recovery of certain individuals, the killing of others. And possibly even your blood for research purposes." Closing his eyes, Theron contemplated. He recalled the times he drank with Allura and Gin, their friendship that fractured due to his wife. How Gin warned him later... Since their friendship has already fractured, then so be it. He doubted things can go back to the way they were before. "Alright." Theron stood up, picking up Bella’s corpse along with her head. This life that he owed her... He’ll give it back. "I presume you do not require a funeral for your wife. After all, she will be rejoining the world of the living soon." Kaine gestured for Theron to follow him. "Unless you have a need for her body, I would like to bury her." "Hmm... Indeed. For a complete resurrection, having a physical body available to her would be ideal." Kaine scratched his chin. A soul without a compatible body would die out eventually. "I doubt the other families will simply sit by as the Zenia’s lay claim to an Inverted World. So where did you even find one?" Theron frowned. The creation of an Inverted World required certain events to unfold. Requirements that must be met and a Lord who’s willing to self destruct. Forcing a Lord to self destruct in the wild that matched the requirements was hard to plan. Not impossible, but the movements will naturally attract the gaze of others. Not to mention, if one wanted to create one artificially, they must first find a Lord willing to give up their life. "Our collaborator is a man of many talents. One of which includes introducing Lord level beings who can artificially create the Inverted World." Hearing this, Theron glanced up at the sky and took a deep breath. ’Sorry Allura, sorry Gin.’ He has made his decision. If the Zenia family needs his power, then he is willing to provide. Alice drafted a quick Law of Agreement for the Healer. One that binds them both and ensures a cooperation with no deceit. After reading through it carefully, he accepted the contract and a tether formed between them. "I feel like the order is a little wrong but allow me to introduce myself. Elias Solen. Most of my Sigils are focused on speeding up natural and artificial recovery. I only have one offensive Sigil that allows me to invert my healing into damage." Elias introduced with a smile. "Hou? Must’ve been difficult for you to complete hunts with such a skill set. Even if you got your damaging Sigil early, the output would need time to ramp up." Alice folded her arms. "Unfortunately that is the case. I had to make do with tools to complete my hunts. A rather... expensive period of my life." Elias laughed. Now that a contract had been formed, a weight was lifted off his shoulders. One step closer to his goal. One step closer to achieving the perfect solution to this corruption. "I can imagine. Now as much as I would like for us to chat, it’s probably best to skip town for now and chat on the way." Alice suggested. "Makes sense. Especially considering what you did to... Yeah." Elias scratched his chin, remembering the sight of Alice brutally tearing off Bella’s head. "Yep. And I do NOT want to stick around for someone who can access oblivion to lose his sh*t." Alice nodded, standing up while Elias followed after her. "So where do you plan on going? I certainly hope it’s not an aimless journey." Thought... the idea wasn’t too bad since it’ll mean more time for his research. In response, Alice simply pointed her finger up. "We’re going to the surface." Check latest chapters at 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩✶𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚✶𝕟𝕖𝕥