Kim Yechan leaned his forehead against the wood for a solid minute, fumbling with his keys until the lock finally clicked.

He collapsed onto the sofa, the maroon blade clattering onto the coffee table.

He was still caked in dried blood and Ghost-Iron soot, looking like a man who had been through a meat grinder and come out as a slightly more depressed sausage.

"We’re alive."

Yechan wheezed, staring at the ceiling.

"I think. My ribs feel like they’re hosting a percussion concert."

The maroon blade hummed, a low, vibrating sound that felt like an annoyed sigh.

Yechan ignored the sword’s attitude and reached into his inventory.

With a shimmer of light, the 『Calamity Star Fragment』 appeared in his palm.

It was beautiful, terrifying, and currently glowing with a violet intensity that made the apartment’s dim lighting look pathetic.

「System Notification」

『Item: Calamity Star Fragment (Consumable)』

『Description: A concentrated essence of a collapsed world. Contains high-density Narrative Mana.』

『Usage: Must be consumed to stabilize the vessel.』

"Alright, Libra..."

Yechan said, gesturing to the crystal.

"It says it’s a consumable. Do I... rub it on the hilt? Should I melt it down and pour it over you? How does a sword eat, exactly?"

The blade pulsed.

『I am a transcendent ego-weapon, you half-witted primate. I don’t "eat." I absorb. Place the fragment against the guard and channel your mana. I will do the rest.』

Yechan nodded, pressing the violet crystal against the sword.

He squeezed his eyes shut, pushing the last remnants of his mana into the connection.

He waited for the dramatic explosion of light, and the cosmic upgrade.

「System Alert: Error in Consumption Logic」

「Constraint Detected: The Contractee (Libra) is currently in a ’Sealed Vessel’ state. Direct consumption is impossible.」

「Solution: The Contractor (Kim Yechan) has subconsciously wished to stabilize the contract.」

「Processing...」

「The Contractor will consume the relic in place of the Contractee. Power acquired will be owned by Kim Yechan and shared across all contracted beings.」

"Wait, what?"

Yechan blurted out.

Before he could pull back, the fragment dissolved into a violet light that surged directly into his chest.

Yechan’s back arched as a heat like molten lead flooded his veins.

He felt like a microwave that had been left on for too long.

Across the table, the maroon blade started shaking violently.

『YOU PATHETIC, ACCURSED FOOL!』

Libra’s voice erupted in his head, shrill and dripping with venom.

『WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? THAT POWER WAS MINE! MY DIVINITY! MY REVENGE!』

Inwardly, Libra was screaming.

’This wasn’t the plan! I was supposed to take the fragment, shatter this pathetic contract, and burn the stars that cast me down!

I was going to flay the High gods and reclaim my throne! Now... now I’m tethered to this F-rank loser?

Is this my punishment? Is the universe mocking me?

I’m an apex being fed scraps through a straw by a toddler!

Yechan sat up, wiping a fresh trail of blood from his nose.

He looked at the sword, which was now glowing with a duller, more stable maroon light.

"Libra? You okay? You’re vibrating so hard you’re going to fall off the table."

"Nothing is wrong!"

The sword snapped, her voice vibrating through the air now.

"Except for the fact that I am forced to receive my strength through a filter of mediocrity!

I have to get power through you?

It’s like trying to drink fine wine through a dirty gym sock!

Yechan looked down at his hands.

He felt...stronger.

But the weight of her anger was heavy.

He let out a long, tired sigh.

"Yeah.... I get it.

I know I’m a loser, through and through."

Libra went silent.

"To be honest..."

Yechan continued, leaning back into the cushions.

"I feel bad for you. You’re a legendary sword, or a goddess, or whatever you were. And you’re stuck with me.

Because of this contract, you can’t even take your revenge on the stars or the people who wronged you.

You’re just... stuck in an average apartment with a guy who barely won a player tournament."

Libra’s hum became sharp, startled.

『How... how do you know about my revenge? I never told you the details of the Fables I seek to destroy.』

Yechan tapped his temple.

"Oh.... I’ve...kinda been able to hear your thoughts for a while now.

I’m the Contractor, remember? The link goes both ways when the mana stabilizes.

I heard the whole ’flaying the High gods’ bit. Very vivid, by the way."

The blade was still for a long, pregnant pause.

『Then... that means you knew. You knew that once I regained my power through the relic, I intended to sever your soul and kill you for the indignity of this contract.』

"Yeah..."

Yechan said simply.

"I figured."

Libra’s voice was incredulous.

『Then why did you go along with it? Why did you fight like a maniac? Why didn’t you just let the other brat take it?

What if I had indeed gotten the power for myself and actually killed?』

Yechan scratched the back of his neck, looking genuinely embarrassed.

"I don’t know.

Honestly? These last few weeks... they’ve been the best I’ve had in years.

I actually grew in power by myself.

For the first time, I wasn’t just ’Jin’s brother.’ I was just Yechan.

Even if you were planning to kill me, you were the only one who actually expected anything from me."

Suddenly, the maroon blade erupted in a blinding flash of white and crimson light.

The sword vanished from the table, and in its place, a woman appeared.

Her hair was as white as a sun-bleached bone, and her eyes were a piercing, predatory red.

She stood in the middle of the living room.

She was hauntingly beautiful, but in a way that suggested she had seen empires fall and hadn’t lifted a finger to stop it.

"Whoa..."

Yechan said, blinking.

"You look... different..what happened to your hair?"

"This is my true form."

Libra said, her voice now physical and echoing in the room.

She looked down at her hands, then at Yechan.

"There is a lot I haven’t revealed, and I would prefer to keep it that way.

Someone like you cannot comprehend the pain and the fables I have endured."

"I’m not complaining."

Yechan said, holding up his hands.

"The white hair is a good look. But uh... if you’re going to stay in that form in my apartment, you really need clothes."

Libra looked down at herself, then back at him with a sneer.

"Clothes are a mortal construct to hide your fragile skin.

I feel free like this. I am a manifestation of power, I do not need—"

"You need clothes!"

Yechan interrupted, standing up despite his aching ribs.

"I have neighbors. And I don’t need a public indecency charge on top of everything else today."

He grabbed her by the arm.

To her immense shock, she found she couldn’t resist.

The shared power from the relic had anchored her to his physical reality.

He dragged the her toward his bedroom and shoved her inside.

"Laundry basket in the corner!"

Yechan shouted as he slammed the door shut.

"There’s a clean oversized T-shirt and some pajama trousers! Put on whatever you want, just don’t come out looking like a cosmic nudist!"

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

Libra’s voice muffled through the door, followed by the sound of something, likely a lamp hitting the wood.

"I AM THE SCALES OF THE UNIVERSE! I WILL NOT CLAD MYSELF IN YOUR FILTHY COTTON DISCARDS! YOU MOTHER—"

A string of curses followed that would have made a sailor blush, mostly involving Yechan’s lineage and several inventive ways to dispose of his internal organs.

Yechan stood in the hallway, sighed, and lifted his hand as a magic circle took form.

Behind the door, a sharp crack of electricity sounded, followed by a surprised yelp.

A thin, elegant black leather choker had manifested around Libra’s neck, pulsing with a faint blue light.

"WHAT IS THIS?"

Libra shrieked.

She was holding the oversized T-shirt against her chest, her red eyes burning with outrage.

"WHEN DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THIS IN THE CONTRACT?"

Yechan leaned against the wall, a small, tired smile on his face.

"Libra, you act like this is my first time contracting. I awakened years ago...

and...I saw the hidden ’Restraint Clause’ the moment we signed."

He straightened up, his gaze turning serious.

"Normally, I like giving my summons free will. I hate the idea of slavery.

But you’re pushing me to constrain you with that collar."

Libra stared at him, her chest heaving.

The choker felt like a cold weight, a reminder that the loser held the leash.

She looked at the T-shirt in her hand, then back at him.

"Fine!"

She spat, the word dripping with anger.

"I’ll wear your pathetic clothee.

But don’t think this changes anything, you absolute fucking prick.

I’m still going to find a way to make you regret the day you were born."

​"Yeah, yeah."

Yechan waved her off, walking toward the kitchen.

"Just hurry up. I’m making something to eat, and if you’re going to be in that human forn, you’re probably going to be hungry."

​"DON’T TALK TO ME!"

Libra screamed, slamming the door again.