Soon, Bastion stood before a massive door. The guards at his side pushed it open, revealing an enormous chamber. At the far end sat a large, ornate throne—one that now felt more like a relic of his past arrogance than a symbol of power.
"Why haven't they taken that thing down yet?" Bastion murmured to himself as he stepped inside.
Behind him, Selene followed closely, though even with her augmentations, she struggled to match his pace.
The room beyond was far smaller and more practical, a stark contrast to the grandeur outside. His former self had clearly been a prideful fool—one who had basked in unnecessary spectacle.
The existence of that throne, along with the fact that he had personally entered the battlefield and nearly died despite having the power to avoid it, spoke volumes about his past self's recklessness.
Bravery or stupidity? He supposed it depended on who you asked.
A heavy silence settled as Bastion took his seat behind a simple yet refined desk. Selene stood quietly by the side, watching as he reached into a drawer and pulled out a small container alongside a quill.
Then, without hesitation, he unsheathed a small blade and cut into his own hand.
"My Lord?" Selene's voice wavered slightly, alarm flashing in her eyes.
"You should be thinking about yourself, not me," Bastion replied evenly as he pressed a cloth—originally meant as a handkerchief—against the wound.
With calculated precision, he let his blood drip into the container, then set out a blank parchment. His mind surged forward, recalling every piece of knowledge he had acquired. He could not afford to make mistakes.
Dipping the quill into the fresh ink of his own blood, Bastion began to write.
Selene said nothing, merely watching in silence. She had no idea what he was doing, but she was certain that this was the moment she had been sent to observe.
Once he finished, Bastion carefully lifted the freshly written contract and extended it toward her.
"Read it carefully and think before making your next move," he said, leaning back in his chair. "You can sign it and join me wholeheartedly… or you can walk away."
Selene took the document with slightly trembling hands. As she read through it, Bastion studied her closely.
Her fingers quivered—not enough to suggest outright terror, but enough to betray uncertainty. Her gaze, though fixed on the parchment, looked strangely unfocused. She was weighing the consequences.
But most interesting of all was her heartbeat. It was steady, but irregular in subtle ways.
"Wait… I can detect that?" Bastion mused internally.
It was a strange realization. His physical and mental enhancements had been evident from the start, but this…? This was different. He could process multiple streams of thought at once. He could recall everything with perfect clarity. And now… he could instinctively perceive the tiniest physiological tells.
His abilities were evolving at an astonishing rate.
After what felt like an eternity, Selene finally spoke.
"My Lord, this is heresy," she said quietly. "If you go through with this, the Inquisition will kill us both."
Bastion didn't respond immediately. Instead, he simply stared at her. Even if he didn't say anything, Selene understood for a fact even if they were to find out, the inquisition would be unable to do anything on account of his newfound authority.
Finally, after a long silence, Bastion exhaled.
"…Sign it, Selene," he said. "Or leave. The choice is yours."
Offering her the knife, bastion simply gestured to the space on his table as he turned to the many other papers on his desk. Bastion didn't need to concern himself more with this after all the girl was smart enough to understand her only choice.
Having no other choice, she cut a small wound on her finger as she firmly placed her thumb on the space Bastion had provided for such. Immediately she did so, Bastion felt a sudden wave of energy rush through his body
The contract paper suddenly floated high into the air and combusted before its ashes fell to the ground. Following that, Bastion felt a burning pain on his finger and turning to it, he saw a weird ring tattoo forming around it
"Excellent" Bastion said with a smile as he stood up to meet her
"Thank you for being smart and welcome aboard" Bastion said as he offered a handshake
Selene took his hand shakingly as her mind raced to find ways out of this situation but no matter how much she wanted it, nothing came up.
It wasn't that she couldn't come up with any plans, it was that she simply couldn't come up with any thoughts at all.
"Thank you, my lord," Selene replied with a surprisingly genuine smile
Seeing this, Bastion shuddered a bit. Logically the lady before him should be wishing for his death but here she was giving an actual genuine smile, eyes that expressed a high degree of trust. The contract really did take effect and in such a terrifying way for that matter.
"…. There really is a lot more to this world than I thought" Bastion thought as he returned to his seat
Looking up at Selene who was still staring intently at her wrist which now had a tattoo on it, Bastion decided to allow her some time to process what she had gotten herself into.