Chapter 9: Seven
Kawlan's dark shadow that was extended in the center of the ritual pattern seemed to shift in form as it slowly swiveled in the ground to form a humanly shape ... or more close to that of a humans for what differentiated it was its particularly bright neon green colored glowing eyes and pointy ears.
Kawlan finally saw the familiar visage of his friend and he can't help but let out a relieved sigh.
'If he didn't wake up I would have messed up my floor for nothing.' Kawlan silently thought.
The just awoken Demon of Greed Sakim roamed his head all around the room he was summoned in. Sakim's visage on the ground was purely morphed out of Kawlan's shadow. He then felt himself all around to check his shadowed form. When he confirmed that he wasn't missing any body parts he proceeded to stretch himself out for he felt like his body felt incredibly numb.
"Kid, it's been awhile!" The shadowed Sakim greeted with a chirpy voice as he posed in a half-way split to stretch out his legs.
"Indeed it has." Kawlan said as he looked at his friend warmly.
'Finally there's someone I could push around.' Kawlan thought as his smile grew warmer that it sent chills down Sakim's back.
"The hell you looking at me like that kid?" Sakim questioned cautiously .
"No, it's just that..... I've missed you."
"Disgusting! Don't be all mushy and shit you're creeping me out kid!" Sakim spat in disgust as he crossed his arms over his chest and shivered as if to prove his dislike.
Kawlan laughed at Sakim's extra reactions and finally he could feel himself loosening up. He may have pretended to be calm and collected once he remembered his past memories but actually he still felt like he didn't belong in this world. He felt out of place and tense so seeing a familiar face really helped him out.
"I don't know why but I'm feeling weirdly stiffer than usual. " Sakim mumbled as he proceeded to rotate his shadowed arms.
"Well considering the fact that you've slept for years, you should be."
"Slept?" Sakim questioned. If his shadowed form had a face you would be able to see his deep frown.
Kawlan recalled everything that had happened in his life...or more like his second one and retold it all to his just summoned friend.
"So what you're saying is that you've been reincarnated?"
"Yes."
"And it's inside this novel you dropped before finishing entitled: The Rise of the King?"
"Yes."
"And you reincarnated inside the body of some cannon fodder?"
"Yes."
"And how does this world work?"
"This place is powered by a power they all call mahika."
"Mahika? I knew it! This place felt oddly similar!"
"Similar to what?"
"The place we're from."
"That place has Mahika? Why didn't I know that?"
"Because you didn't need to know that kid. Anyway now I somehow understand the gist of this place. Mahika huh? Seriously though its just a fancy word for magic." Sakim mumbled in mockery as he thought of his birth place. Sakim seemed to have thought of something important as he turned to gaze at Kawlan.
"Kid about your sudden death, something was fishy."
"... I know."
" It didn't feel right."
"It's fine I don't wish to dig it out. I'm already dead so its of no use."
"You could've called for us but you didn't."
"I told you it doesn't matter. It's already in the past and what's done is done."
"Whatever you say. Anyway that Puhak bastard will surely nag you to death."
"I know." Kawlan answered with a sigh at the incoming future.
'I'll make sure to buy noise cancelling earbuds.'
"Anyway isn't it good for you that you got reincarnated inside a noble house! How much of this do you got?" Sakim asked as he made a money gesture with his shadow fingers.
"Not that much. I'm merely a Barons son so I don't really get much."
"What's the currency of this place?"
"Copper, Silver and Gold. 100 Copper = 1 silver. 100 silver = 1 Gold."
"GOLD?!" Sakims glowing neon green eyes widened in pleasant happiness and excitement. even as a shadow Kawlan could feel his imminent joy spilling off of the ground. "How much gold do you have?!"
Kawlan pursed his lips before he spoke in an unconfident voice, "....none....."
".... I wish to go back to sleep. Wake me up when you already have a bath tub filled with gold." Sakim said feeling disheartened as his glowing eyes visibly lost its luster of excitement.
"As I said I'm merely a Barons son. My allowance only stems up to a few slivers once saved."
"Silver? Tsk! " Sakim hissed as his shadowed figure oozed of distaste as if silver was just an unusable thing used for wiping the toilet.
"..." Kawlan suddenly felt like waking him up was a big mistake.
"Considering that your soul reincarnated and that we are bonded to you our contract with you obviously is still intact ."
"Yes."
"and so Puhak and the rest of the idiots are still asleep?"
"Yes, they are."
Sakim's shadowed figure on the ground paused and brought its shadowed hand under its chin as if it was in deep thought.
"So you're telling me that you awakened me first before anyone else?"
"Well I suppose, yes, although it truly was pure coincidence--"
"Details and shit don't matter because the point is you woke me up first! ME! That prideful devil bastard will surely feel like shit! Bwahahahahha! Those six will be hella envious at this! I can use this as a bragging right for centuries to come! Bwahahahahha!"
Kawlan was already familiar with his comrades personality and so he simply shook his head at the sight of the shadowy figure that was laughing like an evil maniac and gave up in his attempt at explaining.
'Explaining is bothersome anyway.'
He waited for Sakim to finish his moment of happiness before he voiced out a question.
"Kuya Sakim just what happened? Why did it take you so long to feed on my offered artifact?"
Sakim's evil laughter stopped at Kawlan's query before he fell into an eerie silence.
"...Kid I've taught you before about where artifacts come from right?" Sakim's usual chirpy tone was nowhere to be heard as he spoke in a voice a few octaves lower which showed the seriousness of the matter.
"Actually it was Kuya Puhak who taught me---"
"I told you nobody cares about the details! Anyway the point is! You know where it comes from right?"
"Yes, Kuya Puhak said that they're cursed objects that's been used by turned demons." He answered in a matter-of-factly manner.
"Pssh! No need to mention that arrogant bastard! You do know where we, demons, live?"
Kawlan fell silent as he thought of the place that Sakim meant.
"They live... beyond the veil."
Kawlan could feel that Sakim was trying to tell him something troublesome.
"Yes.... and so my question is, just how did the artifact made it's way here?"
Kawlan visibly frowned at Sakim's question. "Why can't there be any artifacts here? There were tons of them back in my former world."
"That world has the veil so its obvious as to how artifacts made its way on human land but in this place...there's no veil.... so just how did the artifacts made its way here?....well I have no idea as to how but that artifact that you've given me tasted nasty! It was unlike any vitality I've tasted before it because tasted particularly foul....the greed vitality stored inside it tasted like absolute shit that I had to swallow my own vomit and grit my teeth before I could fully push it down to digest! The amount of greed stored inside it was barely enough to nudge me awake but not enough to return me back to my former state. With my current state I believe that I'll be able to remain awake for an hour at most and after that I'll have to rest to recuperate. Come and try to borrow me to test out my current limits."
Kawlan nodded and did as Sakim asked. He closed his eyes. He then felt his and Sakims soul connection and grabbed it as he called out, "The Greedy One, Sakim Dimaculangan!" Kawlan tightened his closed eyes expecting a bright green light to shine, as it usually does in his former life, but he felt something was amiss when he felt an extremely light object form in his hand which was quite unlike the bow weight he was expecting and so he peeled his eyes open and looked down to glance at his hands expecting the usual majestic bow but found himself in a state of shock when he found himself holding a miniature sized bow that was the same as the size of a 5-inch ruler.
"...."
"Wait why do I feel weird?" Sakims's voice reverbed inside Kawlans head.
Sakim's shadow form was now nowhere to be found as he was now being 'used' by Kawlan. Kawlan was against the word 'use' because it sounded bad and so he calls it 'lending' His friends were merely lending him their abilities.
Kawlan and Sakim are contractors, back in the original world he and Sakim made a deal that lead to them in forming a soul contract, it was a soul-bounded contract that assures that both parties are unable to harm each other, and as the creator of the contract Kawlan is able to communicate and 'borrow' Sakim's abilities. Sakim was a former elf before he turned to a demon of Greed and his ability was his majestic bow that could shoot arrows coated with deadly poison that deals with the enemy in a matter of seconds.... or that was what he used to be....
"What the actual fuck?! Did I shrink?! What the hell is up with my size?! It can compete with cupids bow in shitiness!" Sakim raged deep within Kawlan's mind making him wince in pain.
"Kuya Sakim stop yelling." Kawlan asked as he held his head.
Sakim seemed to have noticed Kawlan's struggle as he quieted down.
"But for fucks sake I knew that I wasn't at my best but I didn't expect my current capabilities to suck THIS badly!
"I'm sure you'll revert back to your top shape once you get enough rest."
"I damn well should! There's no way in hell that that arrogant bastard will see me at my weakest state! Never! "
Sakim morphed back into Kawlan's shadow and his shadow was visibly lighter in color than before.
"Great! I merely used that form for a few seconds and I already feel weakened to a pitiful degree! Such fucking disgrace for the Great Sakim!"
"Kuya Sakim, you should go ahead and recuperate."
"I'll go and do so. Wake me up when you need me."
"I will."
"And kid?"
"?"
"It was nice seeing you again." Sakim said with his usual chirpy tone.
"You too Kuya Sakim."
Sakim heeded Kawlan's words and the shadow form on the ground once again swiveled before reverting back into Kawlan's own form. The ritual pattern also lost its glow and Kawlan could feel Sakim's presence deep within his shadow, and only then did he let out a sigh of relief at his success.
Kawlan grabbed a random cloth and scrubbed away the ritual pattern on the ground that was drawn using a chalk and very soon everything looked ordinary as if he never conducted any strange rituals.
Kawlan glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost three and he inwardly groaned at his lost time to sleep. Knowing that he still have school tomorrow and that he has to face his unwanted classmates, his once heightened mood dampened as depression once again overtook him.
'I really don't feel like going to school.'
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
The_Great_Cookies
The_Great_Cookies Hope you enjoyed this chapter guys <(≧o≦)>
Please do tell me your thoughts and guesses!
Fun Fact: Sakim in tagalog means covetous and Dimaculangan means; to never lack. All in all I chose his name with the idea of 'I lack nothing for I covet everything.'
Hehehhehhehe Please do look forward to Sakim's back story which will be told in the near future. o(≧▽≦)o
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