"Apologies to all our viewers, but for confidential reasons the following will be discussed in private.'' The man in bed robes announced, turning to Eldrian and asking, "Are you willing to ce your future on a duel?"


    "Have I any other choice?" Eldrian asked. He was already hunted by Miracle. This was the only path to freedom he could see. He needed to gain the support of the public to grow his own support base and weaken Miracle''s power.


    "I guess not. After all, he is the one who managed your imprisonment and sequential escape. If you don''t, he''ll simply hunt you down."


    "Who''s he?" Eldrian asked.


    "A man who enjoys to hunt people. He''s been waiting for you to grow. He doesn''t like it if things are too easy. Your disy has proven that you will be good fun."


    "Have you no morality?"


    "I see no need to extend a hand when there is no profit in it for me. So, will you ce your future on this duel or not?" Zaphreal asked.


    Eldrian frowned, feeling the trap close in even more. He hated being in the dark. He could not even be confident that this offer would be his best course of action. However, the other option sounded worse. At least Zaphreal wasmunicating with him.


    Regardless, Eldrian hated being caught so thoroughly in a trap. ''Is this how I made them feel?'' Eldrian pondered, wondering if he had caused the same suffocating feeling upon the vampires.


    "Perhaps I should mention that this is the best deal you will get." Zaphreal pressed, "If you refuse to cooperate with me, then the others wille forth."


    "And why should I trust you?" Eldrian asked.


    "Simply because I do not wish to drag your family into this affair." The man replied, the implications clear. A vice grasping Eldrian''s heart as he realized just how overly na?ve he had been.


    He had believed that with a lighter approach, his family should not be in danger. After all, Miracle doing anything to them wouldplicate matters. However, with their resources, their connections, their powers. ''Why did I ever think they would y fair?''


    Sadly, Eldrian had failed to make the items he had wished to give his family. And in haste, he had not postponed his mission. A reckless move that now came to haunt him.


    "Leave them out of this!" Eldrian seethed, his anger boiling as he recalled what he had gone through. His fear for his sister, his mother, and his father growing as he red at the man before him.


    "Will you ept the conditions of the duel?" Zaphreal asked, a system promptly arriving before Eldrian''s eyes. A message that chilled him to the core, as it meant he had been duped or abandoned. He wasn''t sure which was worse.


    [Ziraili?] He sent this questioning message, not expecting a response as he read the terms of their contract.


    Simply put, if he won, Zaphreal would support his efforts from the background. Keeping the others of Miracle at bay and allowing Eldrian to return to society. Ensuring his safety and freedom, as well as that of his friends and family.


    A tempting offer indeed.


    On the other hand, if Eldrian lost, he would have to return to Miracle. Zaphreal again promised his safety, but not his freedom. He would effectively be ab rat with no means of escape.


    "How can I know you won''t break your promise?" Eldrian asked, wary of the other four presences.


    He assumed they were staying back to give Zaphreal the first rights, which indicated that this man was likely one of the top in Miracle. But the problem remained. Eldrian had no way to ensure that these were not just sweet promises with nothing to back them.


    He had no power to stop Miracle should they backtrack on a promise. He had learned this before, after all.


    "This is why we shall use a magical contract. Surely you know how powerful their binding is." Zaphreal said.


    "And yet, that only holds for within ANW." Eldrian countered.


    "Not at all. The normal contracts perhaps. Upheld by the AI, they govern the ruling in ANW. But a true magic contract is a binding between the two signing it. No third party needs to be involved."


    "So, magic contracts are real? Then you know magic exists? Not only that, you can use magic and have constructed magical contracts on Earth? What else have you hidden? Why would you even need me?"


    The man did not reply. He smiled as he produced the actual contract. An ancient scroll with the words written on it glowing dully. "Sign here and our fates will be intertwined from here onward."


    Eldrian felt his world constrained. He saw no other way. He would simply have to win the duel. The contents on this contract were the same as those the prompt had shown him. "And will it carry over to the real world when signed here?"


    "It does not matter in what realm it is signed. A magic contract registers and links the signed''s lifeforce. It is the same no matter where you are when signed."


    ''Do they also know of realms? How far does their knowledge extend? Is ANW the only other realm, or is it but one of many?'' These thoughts did not stay long in Eldrian''s mind, his attention quickly returning to his situation.


    He found it curious that the man stated that one''s lifeforce was the same regardless of where. For Eldrian knew his was not the same in and outside ANW.


    While the imprint, frequency, or what have you — that which signified it as his might be the same, the quantity certainly differed vastly. The chances were slim, but it might be something that could help him in the future, or even now.


    "Are you that confident in defeating me?" Eldrian asked next, hoping to buy more time while he tried to analyze the contract along with Two. Attempting to discover the secret behind it and find if he could trick it or not.


    Naturally, the first thing he confirmed was that the contract was indeed magical. The words written on it contained mana and a person''s will, Eldrian assumed Zaphreal''s. However, he could not confirm this, as the contract was pre-written.


    ''I''ll have him form a new contract in front of me. That is the least I must refuse to budge on.'' Realizing how easily he could be duped, Eldrian steeled himself.


    Confirming that he must not budge an inch in this regard. If it turned out the contract would not move Zaphreal to his defense, then Eldrian would truly have beenpletely caught in Miracle''s trap.


    Continuing to analyze the contract in hopes of a way out, he found it simple in appearance. Which made tricking it even more difficult. ''Is it this simple? The will infused in the words connecting it to the person, and then if the contract is broken, the agreed punishment is self-inflicted?''


    The contract itself couldn''t enact any punishment, so clearly, the contract was more like an agreed spell. Cast upon those who signed it, likely within their own soul. This probably meant there were multiple ways of tricking or altering the effects of the contract.


    However, as this was Eldrian''s first encounter with one, he could not be certain which might work and which would simply trigger the punishment.


    AN: Remember to vote andment if you are enjoying the story.