Chapter 39: The Blood Oath

A BLOOD OATH is a great deal of promise where it involved two parties; a promisor and a promisee. By conducting a Blood Oath, the promisor is obligated by God's will to keep his promise. No matter what. If the promiser broke the oath, severe punishment would be awaiting. The promisor would brutally lose all of his magic and mana. And in some crises, one could even lose his life in the end; they die a miserable death or suffer from an incurable disease.

That horrible disease would make him emitted a foul smell like a corpse and produced rotten body fluids. And those smells and fluids that emanate from the body will end with flesh-eater maggots coating his skin. Even if the promisor is fortunate to survive the death and the disease, he will have a large tattoo burned on their backs permanently with the big fonts in bold; The Perjurer. The tattoo will hurt him gravely every minute to make him remember his unforgivable sin. And he will live his future life with great suffering.

The promisee will lose nothing in making this vow. However, there is a flaw in this great oath. The Blood Oath could be void when one party is dead. And Yuki knew about it. She read them in one of the ancient books in the library, in the restricted area which she could only access because of Grace's authority.

Sir Ryan, who was standing still behind his master, at last, had this alarmed look on his face as he knew everything about the oath. Ryan considered the oath as a terrifying curse rather than a simple promise. And he once witnessed what happened to the sinner who broke the oath. And it did not end well.

"Are you really, truly certain you want to make that oath?" Yuki asked. She just wanted to be sure.

Damien swallowed, but he still had confidence in his blue eyes. He would not falter, as he was the one who suggested making that oath first. "Yes, I am."

This man was so obsessed with the marriage that he did not even care who would become the bride. Yuki deemed, "Why are you so desperate? Better you have another thought first. I am not losing anything in this… but you might, sir."

Listening to the human, Damien put his head down and said, "I need to get married today, regardless of what the guests or you might think of me. I don't care if others believe I am savage, shameless, or desperate." Damien muttered. "But like you have a wish, I also have a goal. And I will do anything, EVERYTHING, to make mine come true. You should know how it feels." Damien emphasized 'everything'. And held out his hand. "So do we have a deal?"

Yuki stared at his hand, as she was undecided. And doubtful. This could be a trap and dangerous. And Yuki threw a brief look at the knight, thinking he might intermediate his master. But Ryan obviously could not object to Damien, even if he wanted to.

Yuki clutched her hands and had a complex thought. Her body began to quiver, imagining the future consequences. That was not an easy decision. But she could not deny the fact that the offer was a very tempting and good deal. Yuki wanted to return home. And this demon could help her.

After what felt like an eternity, Yuki finally said, "I will marry you. But!" Her voice trembled, "I want to add some conditions to this promise."

"Fire away." Damien wore a meaningful look. Nothing would be impossible for him to do.

Yuki inhaled, "I will marry you, but with five conditions." She paused and looked at Damien as she thought maybe five conditions would be too much. But Damien did not waver or anything. So Yuki continued, "You will, in any circumstances, bring me back to my family. You will respect me, never hurt me, or kill me, and at any costs–you will protect me."

Damien smiled. Yuki was so simple-minded. He always perceived humans were greedy creatures who desired more than what they deserved. And he thought this human might wish for the same. But weirdly, she did not, which was fortunate. Damien extended his hand once again with a satisfied look. "Deal!"

"Deal." Yuki accepted.

Damien took off his blazer, unbutton the top button of his shirt, pulled up his sleeves, and told Ryan to stand back. He approached the vanity table, took a medium-size shard of the broken mirror, and stood in front of Yuki. "You know the process?" Damien asked. He asked, even though he knew this human had some knowledge of the Blood Oath.

Yuki slowly nodded.

"This might hurt a little," Damien said, and using the shard, he scraped a two-inch long cut on the fate line on his right palm. When he saw blood slowly oozing out, he did the same thing to Yuki's left palm. "I'm sorry." He said. For the first time, Damien could talk to her softly. Like he did with Grace. The process would hurt a lot, not a little. And Yuki could not bear to look. She closed her eyes, but she could feel the pain as the shard scraped deep through her skin.

"Open your eyes." After Yuki had the same cut, Damien dampened his finger with Yuki's blood, and he painted a Demon Star, an Algon in his palm. Then he used his blood to draw the same star on Yuki's. "Ready?" Damien looked into her eyes.

"Yeah." There was fear in them. But Yuki was ready.

Damien placed his big hand against Yuki's small hand. He closed his eyes, focusing all his mana on forming the strong oath. Then Damien uttered some long spell in old demon language as he linked his fingers to hers. Instantly, Yuki felt cold air covering her body, and it was a little painful. But bearable. She, surprisingly, believed in Damien, without a doubt. She saw a crimson light appeared between their hands.

"Look." Damien opened his eyes.

Their blood was mixed and dripped on the floor. And a black circle appeared, and the pair were standing right inside it. Damien started his vow, "I. Damien Ford Gregory… promise to oblige her conditions. I promise, in any circumstances, to help my benefactor return to her family. I promise to respect her, never hurt her, or kill her, and at any costs… I will protect her. Until she receives what she deserves. Sealed!"

Yuki continued, "I. Yuki… accepts his vow. And there will be no lies or tricks in our pledge. He promised." Yuki looked into Damien's eyes. "And I believe. Sealed!"

At the moment Yuki said 'SEALED', the crimson light flashed blazingly across the room. It was so bright that everyone was forced to close their eyes. The light could make one blind. They could not see the light changed to a blue flame and burned on their palms. Yuki twitched as she felt the warmness deliberately turned hot. Like her hand was inside a burner. It was throbbing! Yuki bit her lips to endure it, but when it was insufferable… impulsively, she wanted to loosen the grip and let go of Damien's hand. Her palm was burning hot! But before she could do it, Damien could sense Yuki wanted to pull her hand. And he quickly used his other hand to hold hers, to make sure they did not split. "NO! NOT YET!" He bellowed.

"IT HURTS!!!" Yuki screamed. She wanted to let it go! Precious tears began to fill in the corners of her eyes, and suddenly a drop streamed down her ruby cheek.

"Just a while more!" Damien assured her.

In a moment that felt quite long, the pain faded. Yuki opened her eyes and realized the light was gone. And the cold and pain she felt before had finally vanished. The blood in their hands and the circle on the floor also disappeared. The Blood Oath was completed. Yuki panted, as forming the oath required a lot of energy and caused lots of internal pain. She saw sweats dripping down Damien's forehead as he was holding his breath. Standing this close, Yuki could hear his heart pounding wildly. Damien was actually nervous about forming the oath. Well, both of them were. It was… indescribable. One needs to experience it himself, so he will know how painful performing the oath is.

The burn left a permanent long scar on their palms. So they would always remember the oath they made on this memorable day. At last, the pair pulled their hands.

Damien sighed. "You almost blew it. You almost let it go." He wiped off his sweat.

Yuki said, "Sorry. It was hurting like hell. The book did not mention that stupid pain."

"Don't underestimate how scary and hot Hell is, miss. Mind your words." Damien touched Yuki's hand as he watched the scar. "Sorry. This mark will be permanent," he said. It was surprising and remarkable; Damien looked apologetic for once.

And Yuki replied, "It's alright." Yuki thought the scar would not be long-lasting, as her healing power might cure it soon. But of course, she could not tell the secret to Damien.

Damien looked at Yuki, now his benefactor. He always knew something was amiss about this woman. He guessed Yuki was keeping a secret. Normally, a woman would be concerned about taking excellent care of their bodies so they would not have any scars. But Yuki did not even bother. It was weird.

"Anyway. I believe we did not have a proper introduction yet." Damien held out his hand. "I'm Damien. Lord Damien of Gregory."

Yuki smirked. She remembered their first horrible introduction that almost make her fly instantly to Heaven. However, she still accepted the hand. "I am Yuki. Nice to meet you. Please take care of me." They are now partners in crime, so they needed to learn to understand and respect one another.

"Just a disclaimer, by the way." Damien delightedly said, "I'm filled with flaws and attitude. So if you wish for a sweet man as a husband, or maybe perfect like a prince charming on a white horse… better be prepared to be disappointed."

Yuki vaguely laughed at that remark. "Don't worry. You already left a terrible impression when we first met, anyway. And I expect nothing extraordinary from you."

"And I can't promise love in this relationship." He added. Damien watched Yuki, as he wanted to see her reaction. He remembered the first time he said that condition to his ex-fiancée, Vanessa. That woman spooked and was truly disappointed. Vanessa took a month to think before she eventually accepted that condition.

Yuki raised her eyebrows. "It is totally fine. Because I only need your respect. Rather than worrying about that trivial matter, please focus on how you are going to send me back to the Human's Realm."

Damien was surprised. He did not expect that.

At last, Ryan interrupted the pair's conversation. "I am sorry to say this, my Lord. But, you still have to explain everything to the elders."

Dang it! Damien forgot about the elders of the Gregory Family. They were the pillars of the family. Their words and decisions are absolute. Damien looked at Yuki and wondering how he should say or explain his new bride to those oldies. And more importantly, will they accept her? 'This is another headache!' Damien believed.