"Once you use forbidden magic, your soul is contaminated. So, there's no cure—But to die."

'He seemed as if he was talking to himself when he said those words. And now I'm left in fears
Because I now have an added curse. Music' Vierne thought as she walked back to her room. It was three in the morning and everyone was going back to their bed.

Akagi was about to go inside his room but he stopped. He decided to check on Lict once before he slept. He had been reading the book on exorcism and had read a bit about demon possessions. And he could remember instances wherein he had doubts about Lict being a demon so he decided to keep a close watch on him. He went to his room and saw that the door was open. He stood at the door and Lict stood shirtless, setting his bed. Akagi looked at his back. It had a huge, pitch-black mark on it. The mark had certain black protruding structures rising up in the air.

Akagi gasped and Lict turned back immediately. But there was no one at the door anymore. He came towards the door and looked outside. There was no one in the halls either. He closed the door. Akagi sat on his bed, while Melissa slept on one end. He had covered his mouth while he imagined what he saw again and again.

"A demon." He whispered, "Vierne's in danger."
Akagi couldn't sleep that night. Every time he'd hear any noise, he would get up and check on Vierne.

The next day, Vierne had her second lesson. It was raining outside and they sat before a huge glass window in the library, listening to the pouring rain. She had learnt everything that Akagi told her to and was waiting for a pat on the head. But Akagi seemed lost somewhere.

"Lord Akagi, is something wrong?" She asked.
"Have you ever felt as if you're going to be attacked or someone is following you?"
"No?" Vierne seemed confused, "Why though?"
"Demigods can sense danger upon themselves."

"Is someone trying to hurt me?"
"Do you feel this heaviness in the air around you?" Akagi finally asked the query he had since the very beginning.
"What are you talking about?"

'So only I can feel it.'

He shook his head, "Let's start with today's lesson. Today, we'll study about contract marks and reverse contract marks," Akagi wrote on the paper. "Let's say I'm a star, a contract mark is just my name spelt on that part of my body where my demigod first touched me.

Listen carefully, this is interesting. Before forming a contract, a demigod is body dead. You must have experienced it—You don't need to eat,"
"Or sleep, or sweat."
"Exactly. But you can use your Sila. However, before forming a contract, a star is quite powerless as I told you yesterday—They can use only 5% of their powers which is close to nil for normal stars, though they are living. But, after you form a contract, you sign an agreement.

You give your star some spirit energy you hold within that acts as a spark to light up their powers while they give you their life energy and bring your body to life. Unlike spirit energy which dwells inside the soul, life energy dwells inside the flesh. So stars give greater than they take. When a demigod touches a star, that place acts as a channel of energy flow through them.

Let's say, a demigod touches the hand of their star when they first meet, so, their hand will be the channel of energy flow when they form a pact. When you form a contract, that channel takes up your spirit energy and passes it to the star which transforms them into a star spirit. And because you are losing energy during this process, you are likely to faint.

Later when the demigod names the star spirit, the former takes a part of the latter's body's life energy and leaves behind a mark. That exchange also happens through that channel and the mark it leaves behind is called a "contract mark."

Know that, every contract will give you a contract mark but if I talk about a reverse contract mark, it is very rare. In a reverse contract mark, a demigod gives a part of their body to the star spirit as a sacrifice, that is a reverse contract mark. Once you get that, you'll have the ability to travel across realms and it also makes you very strong."

"How do I make one?"
"You'll have to make a sacrifice."
"How difficult can that be?"
Akagi smirked, "You have no idea."

"I remember in books I read, demons make contracts too. And they have contract marks too."
"Well, not all contracts are good. Demons make a contract. But they don't ask for spirit energy in return, they ask for your soul. You need to sell your soul to them in order to form a contract. Once they fulfil your desires, they will take your soul to hell with them and feed on it. That breaks your rebirth cycle and you're lost from this universe. Do you know that law of energy conservation?"

"No?"
"You need to be taught some science too. The law says that energy can neither be created nor be destroyed, you can only transform it from one form to another. Souls hold spirit energy. You cannot create a new soul or destroy an existing one, it'll just move from one vessel or as humans call it "body" to another vessel. This is referred to as the rebirth cycle. Demons interrupt this cycle by creating an exception in this law. They destroy the souls of contract holders."

"But I don't understand, how does a human contact a demon to form a contract in the first place?"
"They use forbidden magic."
"The one that Lict mentioned?"
"Yes. Humans can use magic too if they are taught. But learning forbidden magic is easier than learning spiritual magic that you and I use. That's why they prefer forbidden magic in haste."

"Don't they know what would happen if they form the contract?"
"They do. But they don't care. Demons are manipulative and calculative. They offer wealth, fame, lust, that's all that human mind thrives on and it gets carried away."
"Do humans believe in magic?"

"Most of them don't. At one point, they used to but their mindsets were changed by political leaders who wanted the magic by themselves and made the people believe that we don't exist. So for humans, you and I don't exist."
"But they can see me."
"Because you have high spiritual energy."

"Can demigods form contracts with demons too?"
"Even gods can form contracts with demons."
"What?!"
"But such deities are banished from heaven."

"Why would a god need a demon's help?!"
"Maybe to become a god?"
"Wait for a second... Demons can help you be a god too?"
"Why not? But such rituals are only performed on lunar eclipses."

"Why especially lunar eclipse?"
"Because demons become stronger on a lunar eclipse. They are a supernatural event. All the various worlds I told you about come closer to each other on a lunar eclipse and so possessions become easier for a demon."

"Possessions as in taking over the bodies?"
"Yes."
"Why would they do that?"
"To do something which they can't do without that body."

"Like?"
"Killing someone close to that person."
"How do you know if someone is possessed?"
"Their body develops dark patches on it and they give out an unpleasant aura."

"Have you seen someone who is possessed?" Akagi's phone rang and he looked at it. It was Mrs Winston, "I'm sorry I'll have to take this. Today's lesson ends here. Learn it. You have school tomorrow so I will take the lesson in the evening."

Vierne began wrapping up the notes while Akagi stood before the window, looking at the pouring rain.
"Yes, Mrs Winston."
"I've got you some news." Mrs Winston told him as she sat into her office with two men before her.
Akagi pressed his temples, "Okay."

"The magic teacher, Mr Yalgi, died in a parade today."
"Any substitute teacher?"
"Come to my office and we'll talk about it."
"Right now?"

"Yes."
"I don't want to. It's raining."
"Come in your car."
"Can't I just come tomorrow?"
"Well, you're not getting it. We have a guest. Didn't you want me to get an exorcist?"

Akagi walked out of the library with his car keys.

"Where are you going right now?" Melissa met him in the way. But he didn't reply, he just got into the garage, sat in his car and left.

"Is today's lesson over yet?" Melissa peeped through the door.
"Yes. Let's ask Lict to cook something. I'm very hungry."
"Me too!"

Akagi reached the school and barged inside the principal's office. His clothes were drenched and he was out of breath.
"Oh Akagi, privet!" Mrs Winston smiled with a cup of tea in her hands.
"Privet," Akagi calmed down and looked at the two men sitting before her.

He realised it must be the exorcists,
"Meet Akagi Scheczalier, he's a demigod representing time."

"Zdravstvuyte." He bowed.
"Zdravstvuyte." They said and got up.
"I've heard about you, Mr Akagi. I am Aleksei Vasiliev. I'm twenty-two, a psychic demigod exorcist. And this is my star spirit and helper, Maks, the elite star of love tilted "The leadership of love". I'm an alumnus of Escola, just like you. Mrs Winston told me you needed my help."

"Yes, I do."
"Why don't you have some tea?" Mrs Winston suggested. Akagi removed his coat and sat on another chair, beside Aleksei.
"Is it a ghoul or a demon?" Aleksei asked.
"It's a demon."

"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I have seen it."

-To be continued

Aleksei Vasiliev
Dear Ms Lady Demigod