The cultist cleared her throat softly, pulling the situation back under control before Aldric actually lost his temper.
"We should proceed."
Her voice returned to its calm, professional tone as her gaze swept across the remaining four.
"Who's first?"
Silence followed.
Heavy hesitation lingered throughout the corridor.
Lucien glanced sideways.
Seryna remained quiet.
Lucien's sister stood unreadable as ever.
Then finally—
Tharic stepped forward.
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
But he moved.
"I'll do it."
His voice came out low and tense.
The cultist nodded once.
"Stand still."
Tharic obeyed immediately.
The others watched carefully now.
Every movement.
Every breath.
The cultist raised one hand.
Mana gathered instantly around her fingers as dark crimson threads began weaving together in the air.
Then a magic circle spread beneath Tharic's feet.
Complex lines unfolded across the floor while glowing symbols rotated slowly around him.
The air grew heavier.
A faint pressure settled over the corridor.
Tharic stiffened slightly but held his ground.
The cultist's lips moved quietly as she began chanting beneath her breath.
The symbols glowed brighter.
Then she looked directly at him.
"Make a vow."
Her voice echoed faintly through the magic itself now.
"You will never speak of this ship…"
The circle pulsed once beneath him.
"…nor my lord…"
Another pulse.
"…to anyone outside those permitted by him."
Tharic swallowed slightly.
The pressure around him tightened, as if the magic itself was waiting.
Watching.
The cultist's gaze remained perfectly steady.
"Speak clearly."
A brief pause followed.
"And the contract will bind."
Tharic stood rigid within the glowing circle.
The rotating symbols cast crimson light across the corridor walls while everyone watched in complete silence.
No one interrupted.
The pressure in the air remained steady.
Waiting.
Tharic swallowed once before finally speaking.
"I vow…"
His voice sounded rougher than usual.
"…that I will never speak of this ship…"
The circle pulsed faintly.
"…or him…"
He glanced briefly toward Draven's back near the open exit.
"…to anyone not permitted."
The symbols brightened instantly.
Mana surged upward around his body.
Not violently—
but completely.
It wrapped around him like invisible chains tightening into place.
Tharic stiffened hard as a sharp breath escaped him.
Then the light suddenly collapsed inward.
Gone.
Silence.
The corridor returned to normal almost immediately, leaving behind only the faint glow beneath his feet before even that faded away.
Tharic blinked once.
Then twice.
Looking down at himself.
"That's it?"
The cultist lowered her hand calmly.
"It's done."
Tharic frowned slightly.
"I didn't feel anythi—"
The moment he tried to continue—
his throat seized violently.
His eyes widened instantly.
No sound came out.
It was as though the words themselves had been strangled before they could exist.
The pressure lasted only a second before vanishing completely.
Tharic staggered slightly and grabbed at his throat.
The others stared immediately.
Alarmed.
The cultist answered before anyone could ask.
"The contract reacts automatically."
Her voice remained calm.
"Attempting to speak restricted information will trigger it."
Tharic coughed once, still visibly disturbed.
"Right…"
Aldric smirked faintly.
"See? Easy."
Tharic shot him a dead look.
Aldric ignored it completely.
The cultist's gaze shifted again.
"Next."
Lucien hesitated briefly before stepping forward.
Because at this point—
there wasn't really another choice.
Lucien stepped into the circle slowly, noticeably more cautious after seeing what had happened to Tharic.
The faded symbols beneath the floor reignited immediately the moment he entered.
Crimson lines spread outward once more, rotating softly around his feet.
The cultist lifted her hand again.
The same spell.
The same pressure.
"State the vow."
Lucien remained quiet for a moment.
Thinking.
Measuring.
Then finally—
"I vow…"
His voice remained steady despite the tension.
"…that I will never speak of this ship…"
The symbols brightened again.
"…nor the one who brought us here…"
He briefly glanced toward Draven near the exit.
"…to anyone outside those permitted by him."
The circle pulsed harder this time.
Mana surged upward around Lucien's body, wrapping tightly around him before sinking inward.
His shoulders tensed instinctively.
Then the light vanished once more.
Done.
Lucien blinked faintly, feeling the strange pressure settle somewhere deep inside him.
Not painful.
Just… present.
The cultist lowered her hand.
"Completed."
Lucien stepped back slowly.
Unlike Tharic, he didn't test the contract.
He didn't need to.
Seeing it happen once had already been enough.
The cultist's eyes shifted toward Lucien's sister.
"Next."
She stepped forward immediately.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Only practicality.
The circle activated beneath her feet as glowing symbols reflected calmly within her eyes.
The cultist repeated the process once more.
"State the vow."
Lucien's sister spoke instantly.
"I vow that I will never reveal knowledge regarding this ship, its occupants, nor its lord to unauthorized individuals."
Clean.
Precise.
The contract reacted immediately.
Mana surged upward and bound itself to her faster than it had with the others.
The light vanished a second later.
She stepped calmly out of the circle, her expression completely unchanged.
Aldric raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Efficient. I knew you'd say something like that. I mean, it's damn obvious."
She ignored him completely.
Now only Seryna remained.
Alongside Kaelira—
who still looked entirely unconcerned by any of this.
The cultist looked toward Seryna.
"Your turn."
Seryna glanced briefly toward the open exit and the distant land waiting outside before stepping forward without a word.
The circle flared beneath her feet.
Crimson symbols spread outward once more.
Steady.
Controlled.
She stood calmly within the magic, carrying the same composed presence she always had.
But her eyes remained sharper now.
More aware.
The cultist raised her hand again.
"State the vow."
Seryna remained silent for a brief moment.
Then—
"I vow…"
Her voice came low and clear.
"…that I will never reveal anything regarding this ship…"
The symbols pulsed softly.
"…nor those aboard it…"
Another pulse followed.
"…unless permitted by him."
Her gaze shifted briefly toward Draven, who still stood near the open exit in complete silence.