Takeshi looked at the monk with an expectant expression. Seeing this, the monk began to speak in a calm manner.
"I believe all you need to attract your demon's attention is a bit of luck."
Hearing this, Takeshi frowned slightly and thought, Luck?
Seeing his expression, the monk elaborated.
"We are in a place closely connected to my lord, so I believe there's a good chance he will respond to you if you just ask. The only thing you have to do is pray."
Well, that isn't a bad suggestion at all, Takeshi thought.
If I assume the demon felt the ominous force in the church and was drawn by it, it's likely the same would happen in the case of a god's blessing.
Takeshi straightened his back and said, "I'm willing to try."
The monk nodded. "Very well. Now, I will tell you the prayer we use to speak to our lord. It goes like this:
'The honorable weaver of the threads of fate, the one who basks in good fortune, the father of miracles—I, your loyal follower, pray that you shine your gaze upon me.'"
Upon hearing this, Takeshi immediately thought, Loyal follower? I'm definitely not that. I didn't even know this deity existed until yesterday. I hope he won't be mad because I call myself a loyal follower when I'm actually not. Or… perhaps I'm automatically considered one if I pray to him? There are too many variables—but I'm willing to take the risk.
He lifted his gaze and said, "Alright, I'll do it. Is there anything else I need to take note of before I begin?"
The monk replied, "Just be sure to use the praying position you saw me in."
Saw you? Ah, I understand now—every time you mutter something under your breath in that position, you're actually praying for his blessing. Now I'm more assured that it works, though whether he's willing to grant me his blessing is a whole other matter entirely.
Takeshi quickly sat in the exact position the monk used when praying. He then closed his eyes and spoke the prayer aloud:
"The honorable weaver of the threads of fate, the one who basks in good fortune, the father of miracles—I, your loyal follower, pray that you shine your gaze upon me."
He then sat in silence and waited—but nothing happened. Over thirty seconds passed, and still, nothing changed.
Just as he was about to give up and turn to the monk to tell him it hadn't worked, the entire world around him vanished. The lush forest and the bald monk were both gone.
Takeshi once again found himself in the familiar, endless expanse of blackness. In the immeasurable distance—yet somehow also very close—was a large silver eye, staring directly at him.
As soon as he saw it, a thought popped into his head: It worked! It actually worked! Even though I didn't feel or see anything, whatever that god did must have attracted the demon's attention!
Before he could think further, a dark, ethereal voice echoed through the void:
"Impressive. I never thought you would come up with the idea of getting one of the rulers of your world to bestow his power upon you just to get my attention."
A short silence followed. Takeshi opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, the voice continued:
"No. Now that I think about it… you don't seem like someone who could come up with a solution like that. It must have been someone else. But never mind—since I'm here, I'll hear you out. What do you wish to say to me, human?"
Takeshi's thoughts were in disarray: So the god of fate and fortune really did give me his blessing… And the demon saw through the fact that the idea wasn't mine. He's sharp—even more than the old man Haruto. Not surprising… he is a demon, after all.
I just have to be cautious.
Okay. Calm down.
Takeshi gulped, steadied himself, and said, "I wish to form a contract with you."
There was a moment of silence—then the demon burst into laughter.
After calming himself, the demon replied, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that won't happen."
Takeshi quickly asked, "Why not?"
The demon chuckled again and said, "Because I've already burdened myself with another contract. I gain nothing from adding another."
Another contract? Takeshi thought. So he already has someone bound to him.
"Wait," Takeshi said. "What do you mean you don't gain anything? If I progress through the seven stages of power, you'll also grow stronger in the shadow realm and rise in rank."
The demon chuckled once more. "I'm already ranked quite highly. Rising in power doesn't motivate me."
High-ranked… so he's actually really strong, Takeshi thought, shifting his focus to finding another way to persuade him.
Then he said, "Through the contract, you'd be able to influence the real world to a greater extent."
The demon replied coldly, "I'm not interested in interfering with the material realm either."
Then what do you want, damn it?! Takeshi thought, frustrated. He felt like he had nothing left to offer.
Realizing that nothing else had worked, he decided to play his final card. He cleared his throat and said, "If you form a contract with me, I'll tell you what my uniqueness is—the thing you noticed when we first came into contact."
The demon replied with almost no hesitation: "Alright. But I demand to hear the secret first."
Takeshi tensed up at the demand. He feared he might get swindled.
Sensing his unease, the demon added, "You don't have to worry. I will hold up my end of the deal."
Takeshi sighed and spoke openly. "I do not belong to this world."
After a brief pause, he added, "By that, I mean I am not from this 'real' world, nor from the Shadow Realm. I come from an entirely different place."
As soon as he said that, complete silence filled the endless dark void.
It lasted for an uncomfortably long time before the demon finally responded.
"You are even more unique than I initially thought.
To be truthful with you, I wasn't planning on forming a contract with you after you told me your secret. But now that I've heard it… well, let's just say I'm intrigued to see how things unfold."
Another pause. Then the demon continued:
"To form a contract, you must give me your verbal confirmation that you wish to enter it, and tell me which part of yourself you're willing to give up. The part you offer must be sizeable."
"Something that matches your power?" Takeshi asked.
The demon replied, "Not quite. That's a common misconception. The stronger the demon, the greater the sacrifice—that's false. Even the weakest of demons can demand a lung or another vital organ. The size of the sacrifice determines the amount of influence the demon will have on the outside world through you. And my requirement is that it be something sizeable."
Takeshi nodded, accepting this new understanding of the contract-making system.
Realizing that Renji had told him an incorrect rule, he briefly wondered what Renji had given up to form his contract, given that he believed in that same misconception. But Takeshi quickly pushed that thought aside and focused on what he could sacrifice himself.
He immediately ruled out his internal organs—those were a step too far, and he wasn't willing to go there.
He examined his body and thought: A leg? No, without a leg I won't be able to function. An ear or an eye? Probably too minor.
Then his gaze fell on his left hand—the one with the scarred palm, damaged from when he had touched the mysterious black spear in the Shadow Realm.
He looked up at the silver eye watching him and said, "I choose to sacrifice my left arm."
The demon responded, "Formulate the contract with your words. I believe you're capable enough to do it without my help."
Takeshi was taken aback. He hadn't expected that. He thought the demon would guide him through it.
But no—he was being tested.
He knew he couldn't just say anything off the cuff. There had to be a structure, a template—he just hadn't been told what it was.
After a few moments of deep thought, he spoke:
"One of the mighty rulers of the Shadow Realm, the great master of taking and unmaking, stealer of essence and breaker of claims—I, Ren Takeshi, wish to form a contract with you. In exchange for such a contract, I offer my left arm."
There was a brief silence before the demon's voice rang out:
"I accept, human."
Immediately, the endless darkness came alive and surged toward Takeshi, engulfing him completely.
As he felt himself being severed from that place, he heard one final line from the demon:
"Let's see how well you're suited to be a thief."