The moment Jin stepped into the Dark Realm, a suffocating pressure fell upon him. The air was thick, stagnant, and heavy with ancient malice. Unlike the radiant brilliance of the Sun Guardian Realm, this world was a crypt of endless night. Blue flames flickered within iron lanterns, casting long, unnatural shadows across the jagged black stones of the ground. Each step echoed like a heartbeat in a tomb.
Yet Jin remained unaffected.
His expression was calm, unshaken by the environment that would have driven any mortal insane. He moved forward with purpose—until a voice, low and deep as an earthquake, broke the silence.
"You've finally arrived… my servant."
Jin's eyes snapped toward the throne ahead. Sitting upon it was a monstrous being—towering, broad, and inhumanly muscular. His craggy grey skin looked like it had been carved from a dead planet. His bald head glistened with an obsidian sheen, and his eyes blazed crimson, burning with contempt and power.
Duskhavan.
Jin's body instinctively tensed, though he didn't falter. His voice was steady.
"I didn't come to serve. I came to break what binds you."
Duskhavan rose slightly, his grin revealing sharp, blackened teeth.
"You speak with defiance… do you even know what happened to Visvat and Sinhaan?"
Jin didn't respond immediately.
Duskhavan's tone darkened, cruel amusement curling on his tongue.
"I killed them. They were strong, but not enough."
A smirk touched Jin's lips.
"Yet they sealed you here. That alone tells me they were enough."
He stepped forward.
"You have nothing left to gain, and nothing left to lose."
The air crackled with tension. Duskhavan laughed—a deep, horrifying rumble.
"I still have the power to erase you. If I were in my prime, my breath alone would have shattered your soul."
Jin met his gaze with unflinching calm.
"I'm not here for threats. I'm here to offer a contract."
That silenced the warlord for a moment.
Duskhavan leaned forward. "You dare propose a pact… with me?"
Jin smiled.
"You once called me your servant. Then listen to me as your servant."
The massive being narrowed his eyes, a twisted grin forming.
"Very well. Speak. But if I don't find it interesting—" he raised a hand and clenched it, "—I'll crush you here and now."
Jin nodded, swallowing the tension.
Then, with a practiced voice, he began.
Jin raised his hand and summoned a black parchment etched in silver ink—a soulbinding contract formed in the tongues of both ancient gods and forgotten demons.
The terms Jin spoke aloud:
1. Shared Power: Duskhavan would grant a portion of his ancient might to Jin—enough to let Jin stand against the divine forces.
2. Liberation and Influence: In exchange, Jin would act as Duskhavan's herald in the higher realms, subtly sowing influence and preparing the path for Duskhavan's eventual return.
3. Access to Lost Knowledge: Duskhavan would open the artifact Nehola to Jin, granting him insight into the endings of divine timelines.
4. Artifacts Offered: Jin would surrender Tears of Fate and Heaven Lily, two priceless artifacts that would allow Duskhavan to locate and unlock the Mother Codex, a key to opening a portal to the Nostalgic Planet, a forgotten world of origin.
Then came the hidden clause. Jin's voice remained fluid, almost casual:
"In the event that either party is placed in mortal danger through unnatural or divine means, the contract may be suspended to preserve balance—at the discretion of the active bearer."
Duskhavan did not flinch. His focus had narrowed on the artifacts in Jin's hand.
"Tears of Fate... Heaven Lily..." he muttered hungrily.
"With those, I can reclaim the Mother Codex. I can terraform Nostalgic Planet. I can live beyond this prison."
Jin extended them without hesitation. The moment Duskhavan's massive hands wrapped around them, his breathing deepened. For the first time, a flicker of joy entered the ancient warlord's eyes.
"You've made a wise choice. Now… Nehola awaits."
He gestured toward a twisted altar of onyx stone where Nehola, a black sphere streaked with silver, rested on a skeletal pedestal. It pulsed faintly, alive.
"May I examine it?" Jin asked.
Duskhavan, giddy with triumph, waved a hand.
"Touch it. You've earned it."
Jin placed his palm on Nehola and invoked the soul-binding failsafe—a hidden protocol written in forgotten god-speech. The moment the command left his lips, the orb pulsed violently.
Chains of blinding white erupted from the void.
They snapped around Duskhavan's limbs, neck, and chest—forcing him down from his throne. The force was immense, divine, absolute.
"WHAT IS THIS!?" he roared, shaking the realm.
Jin turned, his eyes cold.
"You didn't study Nehola properly, Duskhavan. It was designed to be used once per millennia. A second activation triggers the failsafe."
Duskhavan thrashed, but the chains tightened, draining his essence.
"You tricked me! You hid the clause!"
Jin stood calm as the warlord struggled, watching his power begin to bleed out into the chains.
"I didn't hide it," Jin said softly. "You were simply too eager. That clause you approved—the one that allows me to break the pact when you're in mortal danger—it activated the moment you tried to free yourself."
"YOU DECEIVED ME!" Duskhavan roared.
"You deceived yourself," Jin corrected.
Duskhavan writhed, but his strength was vanishing—drained into the binding.
"If I fall, my brother will come for you! He watches from beyond the Veil!"
Jin stepped forward, holding Nehola now glowing with power.
"Then I'll welcome him, just like I welcomed you."
As the last of Duskhavan's essence was unraveled, he let out one final roar.
"YOU DARE MOCK ME?! YOU, AN INFANT!?"
Jin's eyes glinted coldly.
"I was never your servant. You were my test subject."
And then, Duskhavan was gone. Erased.
The throne crumbled. The chains dissolved. The realm itself felt lighter.
Jin stood alone, holding Nehola, his eyes fixed on the abyssal sky above.
"The Mother Codex… The Nostalgic Planet… and your master. All pieces on my board now."
He turned, walking out of the collapsing realm.
In his hand, Nehola whispered secrets only a deceiver would dare to wield.