Transformation demands a sacrifice of the flesh, as Kael binds his soul to an ancient power.
"Then let's do the contract!" Kael shouted.
His voice jumped an octave. Fear had completely pushed out his ability to reason. He turned to his brother with wide, frantic eyes. "Liam, get back! Move, quickly!"
Liam obeyed without a single word. He scrambled onto the bed, watching his brother with round, anxious eyes. Kael tried to steady his ragged breathing.
"I'm terrified right now," Kael grunted.
"Who are you talking to?" Liam asked.
"I'll tell you later," Kael replied, his movements jerky and nervous. "Just don't judge me."
"Good," the deep voice rumbled inside his mind. "Do exactly as I say."
"Okay."
"Sit down. Cross your legs. Calm your breath."
Kael moved awkwardly to follow the instructions. His muscles protested every shift, but he forced himself to stay still.
"Inhale."
He took a deep breath.
"Exhale."
The air left his lungs in a heavy, trembling rush.
"Clear your mind."
"I can't! You just told me I was going to explode!"
"Close your eyes."
Kael complied. Liam sat lost in confusion, watching the bizarre scene unfold.
"Repeat after me," Rhaziel commanded. "I, Kael Morse..."
"Uh... I, Kael Morse..."
"Accept to enter an equal contract with Rhaziel Vorneth Aethern."
"I accept to enter an equal contract with Rhaziel Vorneth... thingy-ma-jig." Kael swallowed hard. "I'm not sure I pronounced that right."
"It will suffice."
The Transmutation
Suddenly, the silence shattered.
Kael began to glow. A golden light emerged, soft at first, before becoming blinding. Particles floated around him, dancing through the air in a magical ballet.
"What is this madness?!"
Kael was floating. His feet left the floor as his body radiated a divine brilliance. His gray hair swayed, caught in an invisible wind.
"KAEL!" Liam screamed.
He lunged forward and grabbed Kael's arms, pulling with all his might. A spark jumped from Kael's skin. Liam shrieked and let go. His hand burned, yet there was no physical mark.
The connection broke. Kael fell heavily, his back hitting the floor with a sharp thud.
"Are you okay?!" Liam cried.
Kael groaned. "I've been better."
The room was already changing. The air vibrated with a raw force. An unknown power began to suck the ambient mana from the surroundings. An invisible vortex formed above them, and the atmosphere became so dense it nearly crushed them.
"It's absorbing everything," Kael whispered, his mouth agape.
A black cocoon formed in front of them. It was a pulsating sphere, shot through with pulses of light. It looked like a living heart.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The rhythm filled the small room.
"Get back!" Kael shouted, shielding his brother.
The cocoon cracked. Red light spilled through the fissures. Silence followed. What emerged next took their breath away.
The Dragon's Rebirth
A small dragon floated in the air. Its scales were ebony, speckled with glowing red marks. Its massive, innocent eyes studied the two brothers.
"What are you?" Kael asked, caught between terror and disbelief.
"I am Rhaziel," the creature replied in a clear, ringing voice. "The one you just summoned."
Liam, fascinated, stepped closer. "He's so cute!" He reached out and touched the scales. "He's soft!"
Kael threw his arms up in despair. "Great. I made a pact with a possessed plushie."
Rhaziel flapped his small wings and stared at him, impassive. "The purification begins now."
"Wait, the what?"
The Circle of Purification
A magic circle erupted beneath Kael. Runes illuminated the floor at a dizzying speed.
"This will hurt," Rhaziel said calmly.
"On a scale of one to ten, how much?"
Rhaziel didn't answer. The light swallowed Kael.
Agony devoured him. Every bone cracked. His muscles twisted, and his organs screamed. His entire body revolted against the intrusion of infinite energy. His lips opened in a silent cry, but no sound came out. Bulges moved beneath his skin as his anatomy shifted.
Liam tried to rush into the circle, but a violent force threw him back. "Stop it! You're killing him!"
"I am purifying his vessel," Rhaziel replied, his tone eerily steady.
Kael collapsed, his body racked with spasms. Then, a second circle appeared above the first.
The Reconstruction
Two circles pulsed together in a blinding flash. The pain returned, ten times stronger than before.
His bones reformed and realigned. His heart shifted. His lungs expanded to accommodate a new rhythm. His very flesh was being reborn. This time, he found his voice. He let out a primal, gut-wrenching scream—a sound both human and inhuman.
Blood escaped from his throat, his eyes, and his nose. His gaze went blank. Deep in his chest, a single beat echoed like a divine hammer.
The circles faded. Kael slumped to the floor, motionless.
"KAEL!" Liam sprinted to him, finally crossing the dissipated barrier. He knelt in the blood and pressed his ear to Kael's chest.
A beat. Weak, but steady.
"He's alive..." Liam breathed, tears welling in his eyes.
Rhaziel, the tiny draconic silhouette, landed on the floor near Kael. His eyes glowed with an ancient flame.
"The Pact is complete," he whispered. "Thus is born the first Heir of the Regulator."
Liam looked up at him with wet eyes. "Then why is he still suffering?"
Rhaziel looked away. His pupils turned as black as the night.
"Because being born a second time always requires a first payment."