The Glorious Evolution Chapter 5: Nocturnal Contract

"Risk... Brother, if you got caught lying to three Daywalkers while under watch, nobody would give a damn if you ended up dead." Arthur warned in a steely voice, his gaze fixed on Levi's beeping ankle monitor tucked beneath his trousers.

"I know, but don't worry—if I didn't have this handled, I wouldn't have dragged you into it."

"You know I don't care what happens to me." Arthur squinted at the nearing squad, "Do your thing, I gotchu."

Before Levi had a chance to respond, Arthur tapped his shoulder twice, muting him right away. That was their cue for folks getting too near Levi's liking.

Moments later, a petite girl positioned herself before Levi and Arthur, escorted by a towering dark-skinned man and a squat fellow with a hefty gut.

Her short hair evoked a crimson blood droplet, and she donned slim orange sunglasses.

A tight red bodysuit hugged her frame, topped by a black jacket zipped halfway open. Hands jammed in her jacket pockets, she savored a lollipop on a white plastic stick.

Though Levi couldn't glimpse her features, the reeking blood scent from her wrinkled his nose unavoidably.

Spotting his flinch, the girl showed no irritation. Actually, it tickled her.

"Not a fan of my smell?" she inquired, her voice as enchanting as her looks.

"My apologies, my nose is a bit sensitive," Levi replied courteously.

"Understandable for someone with your condition,"

Shia remarked, swaying her head back and forth, as if struggling to accept Levi's state.

Noticing his head stayed rigidly still, she let out a tone laced with wonder.

"How interesting. I figured everyone with total blindness had died out or gotten eye implants," Shia muttered under her breath, yet it boomed like thunder in Levi's ears.

"Shia, no time for chit-chat—nightfall's closing in fast, and to hit the forest depths before dusk, we move now." The squat man snapped coldly, glaring at the Larson brothers. "One look, and I know they're full of crap."

Abruptly, a crimson crescent-bladed glaive with a hooked edge slid from Shia's black jacket, pulsing with a menacing, blood-lusting presence.

The instant all eyes locked onto it, Blee'der's mouth and eyes materialized on the glaive... He looked utterly displeased.

"Fatty, you doubting my call?" he demanded icily.

"Yeah, since when has your judgment been spot-on?"

Before Blee'der could retort sharply, Shia cut in. "Sergio, Blee'der, we've been over this—let's hear his intel first, then decide."

Unfazed that Levi and Arthur overheard, Shia flashed a warm grin and added, "Time's short, so let's take this chat indoors."

"Please lead the way." Levi returned the smile.

...

Shortly after, Shia's team slipped into the outpost, hauling Levi and Arthur inside.

Guards waved them through, recognizing their ties to a renowned agency in the Holy Heliodor Region... Naturally, they forked over a 'fee'.

"Woah, this spot's crawling with Daywalkers..." Arthur blurted, whipping his head around wildly, scrutinizing every inch.

Levi, meanwhile, absorbed feeds from his NeuraLens AI, which swept a ten-meter zone and relayed precise breakdowns of everything nearby.

Her assistance let him visualize the Outpost's layout.

Nothing fancy—it mimicked a tiny town of mostly clear glass edifices, neatly arrayed so every street funneled to one hub: the outpost core, crowned by the lofty Sun Disk Tower.

After a quick stroll, Shia's crew ushered the Larson brothers into a motel room for seclusion.

Shia plopped onto the bed, her two mates looming by the walls. Chairs and herbal tea were set for Levi and Arthur, positioned right across from Shia.

"Now, care to share how you'll guide Blee'der to flawless Tier 3 evolution?" Shia queried with a gentle smile.

Betting on Levi's tip being legit, she played nice, courteous, and patient. But Levi saw through her charming front as pure pretense.

"Hold on—how can I be sure you'll hold up your end once I reveal it all?" Levi countered.

"Fair point." Shia drew out Blee'der and set it before them, declaring, "I'll sign a Nocturnal contract."

Sergio and Jamal's faces darkened instantly.

"Shia..."

With a swift wave of her hand, Shia quieted them before a single word escaped. She spun around to Levi, offering a smile as she said, "Should your method prove effective, I'll stake my neck and reputation to secure your place at the Contract Ritual Assembly. We'll seal it in a Nocturnal contract."

Matching her smile, Levi set her straight, "Not just any Contract Ritual Assembly—I want only the one happening in two months."

"Naturally, that's exactly what I intended," she assured, even as her mind raced with different notions. 'Youthful or not, he's no pushover.'

Shia wasted no time, tapping her signature weapon once, which conjured a jet-black spiritual paper right in front of them all... It hovered dead center, lending the room a heavy solemnity.

This marked a Nocturnal contract, the key factor allowing nightcrawlers and humans a shot at living side by side.

Its origins remained a mystery to all, save a fabricated name for its maker—even top nightcrawlers drew blanks.

Everyone knew one certainty: its clauses demanded absolute obedience, for upon signing, the souls of both sides became inexorably linked.

Breaching any clause triggered the stipulated punishment without delay.

Such immense, enigmatic power it wielded that its mere appearance demanded utmost respect.

Right as Shia prepared to pen the conditions, Levi cut in with a sorry smile, "One confession before we commit."

"Damn it all, I knew he was spouting nonsense," Sergio barked without hesitation.

"Kid, did you feed me lies?" Blee'der's face twisted into something menacing.

"Wait, let him speak."

Shia clung to her faith in Levi, stopping her comrades from ruining the potential agreement.

"Appreciate it." Levi gave a courteous nod before clarifying, "To start, I never promised my method would work perfectly every time. I only claimed a way to pursue his impossible perfect evolution. Success or failure hinges mostly on your support."

"Explain that," Shia prompted, hand to her chin in fascination.

"I keep my techniques private for now, no desire to reveal them yet," Levi stated evenly. "For true perfect evolution, your only choice is faith in me."

"Faith..."

Shia rose and approached the mirrored glass wall.

Gazing out at rogue Daywalkers assembling scouting teams near the outpost exit, she murmured calmly, "Trust means nothing in our realm anymore. Nocturnal contracts bind every deal, every soul."

"Even bonds with our partnered nightcrawlers endure only through shared life-and-death oaths."

Facing Levi once more, she continued, "You get it too. That's why a Nocturnal contract suits you fine."

Levi dipped his head in accord.

"So here's the truth: I don't trust you personally, but I trust you'll pour everything into it with your life at stake." Her smile stayed gentle as Shia posed, "Are you so sure of your method you'd wager your life to me on failure?"

"..."

Levi fell quiet, grasping that Shia sought a lifelong subordinate pact from him—a polished term for outright slavery.

Nocturnal Contracts' unyielding enforcement had made slavery widespread across the lands.

Sure, the ugly label got rebranded as lifelong subordination to soften it.

With Shadowlife seeds required to invoke Nocturnal Contracts, countless Daywalkers commanded hordes of such subordinates.

'Bro, you're not falling for that garbage, are you?'

Arthur's grave whisper echoed in Levi's ear via the hidden earpiece.

Directly fitted to the ear, it ensured only the wearer caught transmissions—unless freakishly sharp ears lurked close.

Levi responded with an easy, unruffled smile.

Arthur realized holograms were off-limits for his brother, blocking silent texts or unheard speech amid their hosts.

'Fine...'

Troubled as he felt by the bargain, Arthur surrendered to belief in his sibling.

Staring forward, Levi inquired, "Why exactly do you wish me under your command?"

Sergio and Jamal perked up too, eyes on Shia, pondering her interest in a sightless youth.

"Not sure myself yet—call it fascination." Shia ran her tongue over her lower lip. "Blind from birth yet thriving and sharp? That's a rarity."

"..."

"..."

Though her response rendered her companions momentarily speechless upon realizing she regarded Levi as mere plaything, it failed to faze Levi in the slightest.

"Fair enough," he responded with composure, "I accept these conditions."

The instant those words escaped his lips, a profound silence descended upon the motel room... Even Shia found herself mildly stunned, her eyebrows shooting up in astonishment.

She had anticipated some haggling over the deal, fully aware that her demands were exceptionally harsh.

She recognized that attaining a flawless evolution was no easy task. Hopes were slim that a blind youth could aid her goal, no matter what whispers he picked up from the shady lurkers in his orbit.

In the end, what certainty did he have that it would succeed?

But now? The entire dynamic shifted.

"Your confidence inspires hope in me." Excitement flickered in Shia's eyes beneath her sunglasses.