Even though Hinata had just lived through hell, he still couldn't wrap his head around what had unfolded. Not only did he survive a bunch of superpowered freaks, but he had killed people without hesitation.
Seeing that his hands weren't shaking and his heart was steady, Hinata understood that he wasn't normal.
Before he could ponder further on his morals, his body lifted into the air without his permission, hovering three feet above the altar.
"Wait! Why am I flying?!"
Hinata braced himself for another wave of enemies, only for black mist to pour out from his clothes. The mist thickened, coiling around him in lazy spirals, until it formed a pitch-black barrier around him.
Hinata strained his eyes to catch anything moving in the darkness. Then the mist churned slightly, knitting together the head of a pale, ghostlike being. What creeped Hinata out even more was that no matter how much he stared at the head, he couldn't understand its form, shape, or even gender.
As he stared at the head, a deep, ancient voice echoed directly into his soul.
Hinata's lips curled into a slow, dangerous grin. "Yeah? Good luck with that. I don't give a fuck about who you are or what your goals are. I just want to go home, not become a tool or a source of entertainment for you."
Before he could finish speaking, a new panel unfolded in his mind like a perfectly drawn map.
Hinata tilted his head from left to right since this time he didn't hear or see the creepy head.
"No, I can't. If I could, do you think I could have taken the stinking core?"
Like a real ghost, the head appeared in front of him again, which made Hinata's face go white.
Hinata hovered there for a long moment, staring at the being in front of him. It was clear this wasn't the Shadow God, so what was it?
"Answer me." He asked cautiously. "Who exactly are you?"
A few fingers appeared from the face's side as it pointed at itself.
It laughed.
"Causality?" he thought with a scornful expression. "And you expect me to believe that?"
The head moved like it was shrugging.
Hinata tilted his head. 'So he's a guy that makes sure your actions have their consequences?' He studied the face for a moment. 'But what does this have to do with me?'
Since it hadn't even been an hour since he came to this world, Hinata knew there was no way he would have triggered a cause and effect. However, if one was left behind by the core he took, then everything would make sense.
The head suddenly smirked.
Hinata stared at the head with obvious disgust. "What the fuck are you saying?"
The head moved closer to him, forming a finger and placing it on his forehead.
"You expect me to believe the words of a talking head?"
"Then do it," Hinata said with a serious expression.
"I said swear on your existence and bind that contract to me. If you want me to agree to your terms, then swear it. You can never order me, hurt me, scheme against me, or lie to me. In exchange, I'll listen to everything you have to say and try to finish your mission. But if I finish my task before then, you'll have zero right to stop me."
The head went still. It sighed.
Hinata shut his eyes as the head suddenly turned golden, illuminating the dark space.
It began speaking words that seemed foreign, yet Hinata could understand them. The words it spoke flowed around them, then turned into a golden chain that linked them together.
When it opened its eyes, it asked, "Happy now?"
Hinata narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but that suspicion soon faded. Somehow, he could feel deep within him that the head had formed a contract with the exact terms he stated, and there didn't seem to be a hidden clause.
In an instant, the black mist faded away, and Hinata landed on the obsidian ground again.
The air that was stuffy before now felt fresh, like he was sieving out the harmful things from it.
Ding!
Hinata read the text carefully. He didn't yet trust the system, so watching for any hidden phrases was the only thing he could do at the moment.
"Damn, that wasn't dramatic at all."
Hinata held his breath and answered, "Yes."
"Bloodline ability?"
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A long silence filled his head. Then:
Hinata's eyes widened as the floating texts filled his vision. He was just about to speak when light exploded from everywhere, and a large spinning wheel formed out of nothing.
He paused deliberately.