CHAPTER 99: COLLATERAL

Chapter 99 – Collateral

"You did," she said. "You bound all those contracts into yourself. Not just as paper. Not just as legal bindings. You made them yours. You carried them—enforced them. When demons tried to cheat, you didn’t call a tribunal. You bled for those terms. You made those pacts sacred. And in doing so, you turned yourself into the center of a living network."

She stepped closer.

"You used yourself as collateral. That speaks more than intention."

Lux looked down, eyes hooded, jaw tight.

She was right. She was annoyingly right.

Though it wasn’t... quite as noble as she made it sound.

He hadn’t done it for sacrifice.

He hadn’t even done it out of some grand, selfless purpose.

He did it for control.

Because Lux Vaelthorn didn’t believe in leaving leverage in other people’s hands. If he was going to represent contracts, he had to own them. Fully. Irrevocably. Not just on paper. On soul. Every clause etched into the core of his existence.

Because that was how you never got betrayed.

Not again.

Not after—

He cut that thought off.

Still. The artifact didn’t care about motives. It only cared about weight. About cost.

And he’d paid it.

Celestaria finally sat again, directly across from him. "That’s why you could use it," she said. "Not because you’re strong. But because you’ve paid."

Lux leaned back, fingers steepling in front of his lips. "You make it sound like I’m some walking martyr."

"You’re not."

He arched a brow.

"You’re still a manipulative bastard."

He smirked faintly. "Thanks."

"But you’re a necessary one," she added.

Silence stretched again, heavy and reflective.

"You know," Lux said after a while, voice a little quieter, "I didn’t even feel stronger at first. After I took it. It was just... warmth. And pain. And clarity. Like a thread snapping into place in my chest."

She nodded. "That was the binding. The core finally recognizing you."

"I thought I was gonna die," he added.

"You were," she said. "But not in the usual way."

Lux stared at the empty glass again. His reflection shimmered in the crystal. For once, he looked tired.

Not drained.

Just... tired.

"So what now?" he muttered.

Celestaria leaned forward. "Now?"

"Yeah."

She held up a single glowing finger.

"You live."

He rolled his eyes. "Ugh, don’t say it like a motivational poster."

She grinned. "You rest. You rebuild. And maybe—if the world’s lucky—you learn to want something beyond power."

"I do want something beyond power."

"Like?"

He smirked.

"...Coffee."

She groaned.

He chuckled, finally relaxing back into the cushions, letting the stillness settle over him.

But his mind was racing. Always.

Because she was right.

He was bound now.

Not just to his contracts.

Not just to his power.

But to whatever the artifact had awakened in him.

It wasn’t done.

Something stirred deeper. Something ancient. Heavy. Still forming.

It wasn’t just more mana. It wasn’t just another evolution of his demon heritage or some fancy divine upgrade badge. It was... internal. Like the system itself had quietly rewritten a core file in the background and only now he was getting the first corrupted memory dump.

Celestaria seemed to sense it too. She hadn’t spoken in a while, just watching him, teacup still warm in her hands. Waiting. Giving him space to think.

Then she finally asked, her voice calm but precise. "What are you going to do with this power, Lux?"

He looked over lazily, like her words hadn’t just pierced the silence like a shard of divine crystal.

She didn’t flinch. She was good at that. Waiting for an answer like a high judge asking a question she already knew the answer to—but still wanted to hear it spoken.

"Controls?" she continued softly. "The world?"

He paused.

Long enough that the quiet started to feel heavy again.

"...Power first," he said at last.

She raised a brow. "That’s not an answer."

"It is," Lux said, sitting up straighter, fingers steepling beneath his chin. "I need to know it first. The limits. The capabilities. Its temperament. I absorbed it raw, without instructions. There was no tutorial. No manual. Just pain. Light. And a hell of a lot of metaphysical screaming."

Celestaria tilted her head. "Alright. Let’s say you don’t have limitations. What then?"

He blinked once. "Hypothetically?"

"Humor me."

He grinned.

"Can I create planets then?"

She raised both eyebrows.

He leaned forward just a bit, golden eyes gleaming. "Another universe, maybe? A realm made entirely from gold. Floating citadels. Diamond rains. A library where every book has my face on the cover."

She didn’t answer.

"Right," he said, sitting back. "So no one knows the limit."

She didn’t deny it.

And that said everything.

Then her voice shifted—quieter, more... thoughtful. "But what about you, Lux? If this power could fulfill every wish you’ve ever had... what would you wish for?"

His smirk deepened. A slow, dangerous thing. The kind that made emperors nervous.

"Conquer..."

She straightened a little, visibly on edge.

"...the world," he continued, savoring it. "No—all the realms."

Her divine smile faltered, just for a second.

And he burst into laughter.

"Oh come on," he said, pointing at her. "Now you’re scared? After all that angelic zen? You think I’m gonna ride in on a flaming chariot and kick over your temples?"

Celestaria sighed, shoulders easing slightly. "I was hoping you wouldn’t."

"Relax," Lux muttered, waving his hand. "I’m not trying to start Realm War IV. Probably."

She didn’t smile. Not yet.

He looked away again, voice softer now. "Maybe..."

She waited.

"...Maybe I’d ask to feel something."

Her expression shifted.

"Like something inside me," he went on, more hesitant now. "Besides working. Or lust. Or obsession. Something real. Not power. Not politics. Not fucking paperwork with sigils stamped in blood."

"Excitement?" she asked gently.

He nodded once. "Excitement, maybe. Joy. Curiosity. Hell, even fear if it meant I was still alive in here somewhere."

She leaned back, crossing her legs again, her posture relaxing as her divine aura softened.

"So," she said, "the therapy coupon was the right decision after all."

He chuckled faintly. "So I could let it out, huh?"

"That was the idea."