Deciding today is not the best day to make his mood sour, he decided to reveal his little, harmless plan to Xal later. Definitely not because he was afraid of getting a good beating.
Within the past few days, Xal's inner core had increased and strengthened greatly, and the only reason he could think of was some effect of the white thread where it shouldn't be.
He did not have time to dig into the books to understand further. Plus, he wouldn't have to. Now that Xal would be reading the whole contract, he would not sign when he see that clause, and he did not want to miss that chance.
Dragging a lengthy step back to reduce the proximity, he raised his hands in surrender and fake-laughed. "Eheheh… I will explain. I promise, I will. But not today. And I just realized that I can't actually give you the contract because you…" He pointed a finger at him, "…don't know a single thing about the spirit dimension or what I do in it or… how you're supposed to help me with my work."
Yeah, make it sound real, and you want to give him the job, and he has control.
"I think I have seen enough. Either way, not knowing isn't going to change my decision after I know about it. Unlike someone, I'm not indecisive." He shrugged, crossing his arms.
"HEY! I am NOT indecisive!!" A pause. "Maybe… just maybe around 10… 30… hmmm… 70 percent? Okay, FINE, I get your POINT!" Kian threw his hands up in exasperation as he accepted defeat.
It was true.
If someone asked him to pick a snack packet from a shelf that could be shared with someone, he would subtly pass the choice to someone else. Now that he thought about it, when it came to things that involved his input, he did become very indecisive and ended up not knowing what he really wanted.
He couldn't stomach the feeling of someone being upset with his choice or disliking it. It felt better whenever he could select something that could make everyone happy.
This is not the time for self-discovery.
"I know you must be eager to find Khem, but you shouldn't be this reckless."
"I'm not being reckless. This just feels like the right thing to do. As if I found the purpose of my life."
Xal's voice had gone steady, almost calm. "You can explain things to me whenever you're free. But I'm taking this job today."
That left no room for arguments, and Kian wasn't stupid enough to waste his time on futile efforts to change his decision. He felt something settle in his chest, relief mixed with guilt.
"Okay. Okay." He exhaled slowly. "I'll print the contract. You have to read it carefully, let me know if you need any changes except one clause, and then sign." He disappeared into his bedroom and started amending the contract, and finished converting it into a binding contract by adding the bind symbol and chanting the mantra.
✦ ✦ ✦
He was feeling the joy of the accomplishment, having convinced Kian to agree. Once he had signed the contract, he should first ask for all the details he had about Khem and make a plan to find it and kill it, regardless of whether it was a human or not. Khem didn't deserve to live when all it had done was feed off of innocent people and kill them.
Things like that don't deserve to be alive, and he didn't mind going to jail if it got to that point.
He got lost in his random plans as he traced a shadow cast on the table with his fingertips.
A stack of white papers came into his sight.
"What is this?"
"Uh…the contract?"
"Dude! Why the fuck is it so big?" Xal said, blandly staring at it, before flipping through thirty-something pages randomly.
"Well, since there can be unique incidents, I added most of the information to the contract. It will be easy for you, and you can get more of an understanding of what sort of things you will be dealing with. Also, to know about the things that you are bound to do, which is important." Kian said.
"Can't you just tell me that information?" He asked, Definitely not going to read the whole damn thing.
"I could, but you still need to read it thoroughly."
"Oh…wait. I hope you are fine with Ael 4000 per month." Kian asked, almost like an afterthought, as if he was trying to pick up the most important ones for him to consider.
Xal stared, slightly flabbergasted. That was 2 times higher than the average salary, and he had always worked for rich families.
"Yeah. That's more than enough."
"Okay, but please sit down and read the contract first."
Xal should have read the contract.
"I know this is not how a bodyguard contract should look. Then again, this is not a normal bodyguard job. So…" Kian continued, but he just shrugged and moved to sign it.
"Wait, you're not going to read it?" Kian's hand shot out, stopping the pen mid-air. "You can't go back once you sign that contract, and you have to follow it. You break it, you pay with your life, and I'm not joking about this." His earlier playful tone had completely vanished. His eyes shifted from the contract to him, sharp and serious.
"I'm a man of my word. I said I'd take on anything, keep you safe at any cost, and deal with whatever the hell is thrown at me." He paused and looked directly at Kian, thinking, And I already trust you.
"Okay, then I guess you'll be fine with the clause I added that if I ever ask you to marry me, you have to say yes."
Xal changed the stare at Kian with the most uninterested look he could muster.
"So, you already have a crush on me, or what?" Kian asked, enlarging his almond eyes comically.
"Crush my ass. I just know you can't be that childish to do something like that, and I understand you have a bad sense of humor, just like your bedside manners. I'll fix that soon." Xal's words rushed out before he could control them. He closed his eyes, thinking, Why do I always speak unfiltered when I'm with him?
"Aw… look at you, understanding me so much after four days." Kian mocked, placing his palms over his cheeks and shaking his head like a child. Then he snatched the contract from Xal's hand before he could sign it.
"Now what?" He dropped the pen on the table and leaned back, patience running extremely thin.
"All jokes aside, I meant it when I said there is a clause that you have to pay with your life if you break it." The lightness had drained from Kian's voice completely. The shift was so sudden it made Xal's stomach tighten.
"Like what?" Xal asked, suddenly wary.
"Remember the kid yesterday, the one who got possessed, and I was really rough with him?" Kian asked, and he nodded.
"When a spirit, especially a corrupted one, or we call them rogues, the spirits that are consumed by their worst desires possess a 'normal human' body, it starts rotting from the inside, because it is not built for containing so much negative energy."
Kian sat down, placing his hands flat on the table, trapping the contract between. "And a normal human cannot contain two souls for much longer. That's why I had to be quick, even if it hurt the kid. If the rogue continued to possess the same body for over 10 days, the person would die.
"Okay?" He responded, feeling the mood change, but not understanding where the conversation was leading.
"Unfortunately, a direct descendant of the Vyl clan like me can sustain two or more spirits within the body for years. And if the rogue is stronger, no mantra or exorcist clan would be able to drive it off." He paused, a quick smile that disappeared.
"I… knew you wouldn't agree, but I didn't expect you to get ready to sign without reading." He held up the contract. "The contract itself is a bind. In case you fail to fulfill the actions you sign up for when the conditions are met, you will… die."
Xal raised an eyebrow, his spine going rigid.
"What I'm trying to say is that there is a clause in this contract that if I were ever to be possessed by a spirit, you must kill me. If you defy killing me at that moment, you will die." There he went again, as if it were the most normal conversation he had held in his life.