Renewed Contract

He was bound. Something kept him tightly constrained on the ground. No wait, he was against a wall. The weight on his chest was too much, he could barely breathe.

But they were all around him. Expired contracts. Souls ripe to be plucked from their bodies.

And Vuris was nowhere to be found. Something told Valerius that he had to take these souls. He had to do it now or else something would go wrong, he’d never get another chance for these souls. But there were too many of them and he was restrained.

No, nothing could restrain him.

Valerius wiggled and pushed his way out of his binding. He felt a wave of cool air caress him, but he couldn’t figure out where the air was coming from.

No, no time to think about the breezes, Valerius. Time to work.

But the clients, the soon-to-be-former clients, they hadn’t noticed Valerius had freed himself. All their backs were to him. He could barely make out their features but he knew, he knew he had to tear out their souls. They belonged to him.

He started with the first one. He felt everything rise into him, and after he pulled out the soul, everything spilled over.

His determination in his work. His anger. His hate. His hunger.

He had to get the rest of the souls.

He had to dismantle the bodies.

Valerius methodically and mercilessly tore apart the remaining contracts. There was no other soul to take, no other bodies to pull apart.

He felt his chest pounded. He felt sweaty and hot and something tightening around his feet.

The corpses, they were moving.

Long, elegant fingers grasped at his ankles.

There had to be forty hands, and they felt warm as if there was still life in them.

But that’s not what made his sweat run cold. He recognized the hands.

He looked away to see the floating severed head of Bellus. His teal hair hanging loosely into the air, his expression bored.

Valerius looked away, but there was another head. Bellus, again, with that playful smirk Valerius adored. Bellus’ eyes locked tightly onto Valerius, and he could feel Bellus’ hands crawling up his legs.

It was as if one of the hands grasped his heart.

He had killed Bellus, countless times. How had he not noticed?

He breathed quickly, but nothing moved into his lungs.

He would never hurt Bellus. Valerius promised himself he would never hurt those he loved, Vuris had made sure of that.

He felt a tight pain in his chest. He couldn’t move. He could only stare at the severed head of Bellus, apathetic to its own fate.

Valerius squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them again, he stared at his bedroom ceiling, his comforter coiled around his feet.

And he wondered how long it would be until his dream was a terrifying reality.






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