Chapter 777: Blood Seals Everything
Blood Seals Everything
Yet the edge of his lip jumped, as if guessing what came next, while muttering something low about not expecting such quick agreement again.
A sound slipped out, low and sharp, from the space at his back. A body moved. The scrape of soles met cold rock, just once. Silence held instead of words.
A small tilt of Leon’s head broke the stillness. Quiet movement, nothing more.
A tiny act. Quiet settles. Sure of itself.
As if the pieces had begun moving long before anyone noticed.
Then -
Silence returned.
Far from that tightness lingering in past moments. Nothing like the old pushback, the silent protests scraping against each other.
This one settled.
Heavier.
But steadier.
But this time -
It wasn’t resistance.
It was acceptance.
The sort where speaking had become unnecessary.
Slowly -
Rias stepped forward.
A soft click came from each footfall on the tile, steady like a slow drumbeat. Not rushed, but sure - each movement meant something, though her face stayed quiet.
A breath passed before the parchment drifted into stillness, just there, expectant.
Almost there, she came to a halt before reaching it.
A quiet moment passed before she looked down at what lay beneath her gaze.
Her eyes stayed fixed upon the thing.
Hold still. For one breath.
Something moved in her hand before it froze. Out came a breath - soft, steady.
"...You really know how to corner people," she murmured, almost to herself.
No one interrupted.
Then -
Up went her hand.
A small pause.
Not hesitation.
Just... acknowledgment.
What this actually implied.
How much it might take.
A sudden pause before touch. Her fingertips waited above the old paper, still. Then movement
"...You owe me for this," she muttered.
A slight shake ran through her fingers - no panic, not exactly doubt... just a hush beneath the skin. What surfaces when one path closes forever.
Few moments passed before he spoke again.
He just watched.
A look held firm. Not a flicker of doubt. Eyes locked, unwavering.
As if the price didn’t matter anymore.
A small shift crossed Leon’s face, his grin settling a little wider.
"...I know."
Out of nowhere, it appeared - simple, almost suspicious. A solution without struggle, sliding into place like something misplaced now found.
Too calmly.
Out came a harder breath, quick through her nostrils, thin with irritation. For just an instant, her gaze lifted to his - probing, unsure... possibly blaming.
You better, she whispered low, nearly hiding the words from everyone else around.
This time, silence came from Leon. He stayed quiet.
There was no reason for him to. He simply skipped it.
His quiet wasn’t empty. It pressed down like a hand on your shoulder.
Deeper than any phrase might reach.
A soft touch of her fingertip met the old paper.
Cold bit at the skin, sharper than expected. Not just chilly - breathing almost.
A moment passed before she stopped once more.
Not walking away once we start, she whispered under her breath, almost like she was reminding only herself.
A whisper of movement followed close behind. She did not turn.
A figure moved ahead by just a step.
Nova clicked her tongue. "If you’re going to do it, just do it already. You’re making it worse by thinking."
A sharp edge cut through her words - yet under that, a different note lingered. Not just strain. Worry slipped loose, left uncovered on purpose.
Lira said nothing.
She didn’t move.
Yet her gaze stayed fixed upon the page - keen, steady, like she was tracing each instant into memory.
A quiet hush held her in place, fingers laced before her like they were meant to stay there. Yet something gentle slipped into her eyes, barely noticeable.
Each of them knew right away. The meaning landed without words. Silence made it clear.
It stayed unspoken by everyone.
A small bead of red rose on the skin.
A bead formed there, creeping down like tar. Heavy, it clung before slipping free.
Then -
Fell.
That instant it made contact -
Faster than a blink, the old paper shifted. It didn’t wait - it simply changed.
A glow spread over the face of it - soft, yet heavy... old. Out of nowhere came markings, threads linking in ways that tangled the mind.
The air shifted.
It was there, just under your skin. A quiet hum that made the air heavier than before.
A silence broke, though no sound came. Then a shift - thin air trembling. It felt like a breath held too long. Something stirred where nothing moved before.
The contract glowed.
Then -
Vanished.
Gone.
A whisper of movement trembled through the silence.
Not sound.
Not exactly.
More like... pressure.
Something moved through them, a touch on the surface yet finding its way beneath. It lingered not just at the edges but within, quiet and uninvited.
Something binding.
Something final.
It was done.
A hush fell - just for a breath. Silence held them there.
After a pause, Nova exhaled softly. "Figures. That’s really all there is."
A quiet moment passed before Sona moved ahead, voice cutting through the stillness.
One by one -
They followed.
Sona.
She didn’t speak.
Didn’t hesitate.
Out of nowhere, her hand slowed, touching the old stain on the paper like it was a familiar word. Almost as though waiting had ended years ago, she leaned into the trace without surprise.
Calm.
Precise.
"...If this is the path you’ve chosen," she said softly, her voice steady, "then I will walk it as well."
Lira stepped next.
No wasted movement.
No doubt.
Falling slow at first, the blood left her vein while her gaze stayed fixed. Not once did she blink or look away during the quiet act.
Silent.
Unwavering.
Her voice slipped out quiet, like a secret - don’t drop your grip, she said so softly it almost vanished. Yet nobody knew whether those words were meant for Leon alone - or everyone standing there.
Breathing hard, Nova followed right behind her.
"Move."
Into the space she moved, irritation obvious - yet steadiness held in her grip.
Not even slightly.
Irritated.
But determined.
"...Don’t think this means I trust you completely," she said, eyes narrowing at Leon. "But I’m not the type to run halfway through."
That one drop struck truer than all the rest before it.
Hard to ignore, really.
Cynthia followed.
Graceful.
Controlled.
Every step measured.
A breath caught, then she touched the screen. Her eyes rose to meet Leon’s, soft with knowing.
Composed.
Resolute.
"...You always choose the most dangerous road," she said, a faint sigh escaping her. "So don’t disappoint us now."
Cassidy came last.
Stillness took her, if only for a breath. Then nothing moved but the air around her.
Finding the place where the agreement disappeared.
Where things were suddenly different.
A small curl formed in her fingers before they let go of tension. Then stillness followed.
Soft.
But firm.
Frozen in place, she stayed still. Then slowly began.
Something about that blank spot held her stare, like a shadow refusing to fade even after the real thing was gone. Not vanishing when the mark did - no, heavier now, pressing low beneath her ribs.
That’s really how it ends? she whispered softly.
No one answered.
It was unnecessary. They simply skipped that step.
A hush followed her exhale - long, even. Not doubt. Not panic. Simply the instant right before moving forward, into what she’d long decided was irreversible.
Then -
She stepped forward.
Each step.
Each drop of blood.
Each contract -
Disappearing into nothingness.
A hush settled deeper as each name touched paper, as if walls leaned in closer. Silence filled every corner, darkness held still - only a slow truth forming, impossible to undo.
Behind them -
Ronan stepped forward.
Stopped briefly.
A glance slipped sideways, landing on Leon for only a moment. It carried no need for answers. Uncertainty never showed.
Measuring.
A soft exhale slipped out, just barely noticeable. He released air slowly, sound pooling in the space between silence and stillness.
Now there was no way to go back, he muttered under his breath.
Down went his finger, pressing hard.
Then signed.
Black followed.
Without hesitation.
Finally," Black said under his breath, shifting his weight like he was brushing dust from his skin. "Had enough of just waiting here."
Still, he ignored everyone around him.
Just stepped in -
And sealed it.
Johny exhaled once.
"...Damn it."
A sudden stop cut his pace short, one hand dragging through tangled strands. Tension built along his jawline as silence stretched too long. Glances darted - first to where nothing stood, then back to Leon. Stillness held him now, though his fingers curled slightly at the sides.
"You better know what the hell you’re doing," he added, voice lower this time.
Not defiance.
Still unsure about both.
Yet a touch of middle ground.
Down went his finger, pressing hard.
Just like that -
Frozen in place, each one held fast without exception.
A hush settled over the room once more.
But now -
It felt different.
Heavier.
Final.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Stillness crept into each breath, as if the walls soaked up doubt together with paper promises.
Faces met his gaze. Leon studied them.
All of them.
Slowly, his eyes drifted - face after face, each glance a quiet weight. Seeing them now, not apart, but linked somehow. A thread unseen pulling through every expression.
A small grin touched his lips.
Not victorious.
Not relieved.
Just -
Certain.
A shift ran through Ronan’s posture as those eyes landed on him.
Folding his arms, Black held his gaze without shifting.
Still standing in place, Johny made a quiet clicking sound with his tongue.
And Cassidy -
Her gaze locked onto his. He looked back without moving.
No words.
Yet a moment shifted in the air, unspoken. A glance held longer than chance allows.
Understanding.
Beneath it all, a quiet pulse lingers
Every single one of them felt it.
Right then, when the pen touched paper -
His order changed nothing in their minds.
They accepted -
His path.
Wherever that took things.
