29 Chapter 29: A contract formed by blood

It was dangerous. Far too dangerous for Lumière to interfere with. Still, countless thoughts began to race through his head

"What are the terms?" Lumière asked of him.

"I'll need to advance my own abilities soon. I hope you can help me find the individual named 'Four of Hearts'. I would like to make a deal with him. All you need to do is locate him for me, and offer him my services. That will be the price in exchange for the firearm, One of Spades." Three of Hearts winked.

"That's all?" 

"That is really all." Three of Hearts shrugged.

"This place is filled with greed and cunning."

"So?"

"So how can I believe what you say?" 

Lumière suddenly pulled the slide back on the firearm, pointing it at Three of Heart's head. His gaze was fierce and wild, but Three of Heart's grin didn't dissipate in the slightest.

"Add a clause to the contract." Lumière spoke coldly. Despite his demeanor, every muscle in his body had the gnawing urge to start trembling. The act that he was putting on as the 'One of Spades' was so outwardly unlike him that even his body almost failed to comply.

"That being?" Three of Hearts questioned.

"Stake your death on conforming to the contract." Lumière replied, his expression and weapon unmoved. 

"You've turned into a spikey person so suddenly, little dove. It's enough to make me emotional- I may just cry." Three of Hearts joked.

Suddenly, Three of Hearts stood up from his seat. Lumière stumbled backwards, but Three of Hearts advanced, pinning Lumière against the seat behind him, the muzzle of the gun pressed up against his forehead. Yet, the grin on his face was prevalent. He grabbed a handful of Lumière's hair and pulled him in even closer. Lumière grimaced, eyeing the man with a look of spite and confusion.

"So, will you pull the trigger?" Three of Hearts asked.

Lumière's eyes shimmered with hesitation. He furrowed his brows, and unable to fall back any farther, stared into the eyes of the man who still held him by his hair. Suddenly, sensing Lumière's hesitation, Three of Hearts moved his palm in front of the barrel, pulling back harshly on his grasp of Lumière's hair, causing the magician's hands to contract instinctively. Immediately, a large 'bang' resounded in the room. Blood flew up in the air, and Lumière dropped the gun to the floor. A bullet had singed a dark black hole into the wall behind Three of Hearts, and blood dripped down his wrist, staining his white shirt. 

As Lumière's gaze shook with horror, Three of Hearts nonchalantly relaxed his grasp on Lumière's hair. He then picked up Lumière's hand gently, and using the blood from the bullet wound on his palm, he began to draw out the runes for the contract onto Lumière's skin.

"Blood has significance when it comes to scrawling runes. If you use normal ink, you have to go through a lot of procedures to make sure that it'll link back to you." Three of Hearts began to speak in a sultry, relaxed tone. "If you use blood from the start, however, it's automatically linked to you. It saves a lot of hassle when forming contracts."

When the runes had been scrawled, Three of Hearts, kneeling before the sitting Lumière, began to speak once more.

"The Registrar will promise to die if the strictions of the contract are not abided by exactly. He will not seek out additional compensation for the mystical weapon. In exchange, the signatory will seek out the individual known as the 'Four of Hearts' and reprise the subject of dealing with the Registrar to the individual. Are these terms agreeable, One of Spades?"

Lumière's gaze was frozen and hollow, as if memories were racing past his eyes all in a single moment. Not only had Three of Hearts turned the situation against him in an instant, and suffered a wound from Lumière in the process, but had still offered the magician the concession he had requested.

"Will you accept the terms of the contract, One of Spades?"

Lumière was shaken out of his thoughts, and with a quiet voice, he asked a question that rang out in the still air.

"Why?"

'Damn it… he really outclassed me. How am I supposed to keep up this persona?'

Three of Hearts's expression had relaxed a bit, and his expression was genial and soft. He still held Lumière's hand up, as if it were a most precious diamond, gentle and kind.

"You remind me of someone I admired. He was hurting. He had to hide it like you do."

Lumière's expression reddened a bit, and reeling out of embarrassment, retracted his hand.

"I'm sorry." Lumière said. "I shouldn't have shot you. I had a lapse of mind just now."

"Wounds like this are no big deal." Three of Hearts smiled ruefully. "The pain is just a reminder that I can still feel. Besides, when dealing with a Spades holder, I'm no stranger to caution. You lot always tend to be a bit on the distracted side." 

"I accept the terms of the contract." Lumière spoke in reply, immediately closing his heart. He had opened up as he had harmed Three of Hearts, but he quickly came to realise that was just how processions in the House of Cards were fated to go. Even if the man before him had been kind and forgiving about it, he couldn't hesitate to harm people alike to him in the future. For the sake of growth, he would have to kill those with the successive cards of the spades house. For the sake of progress, and for changing the world, he would have to become a 'light' that pierces through the darkness, even if that light would singe his skin.

He was not unfamiliar with playing a role- with wearing a mask. If he needed to stick to the identity of a cold, calm person, then he could do so. Now, he knew there were cracks in his mask that needed mending. 

'Who could train me to be a hardened killer?' Lumière lamented humourously in his mind. 'Father Benedict? He couldn't harm a bug. Constantine is too kindhearted to kill mercilessly… then perhaps Adonis Trinder? The Fox of the Steel Wastes is no stranger to ruthlessness. I'll seek him out when this deal is done.'

"So, will that be all, Mr. Three of Hearts?"

Three of Hearts had already sat back down in his seat, his hand hovering over his wound as he focused on mending it. It seemed that an 'alchemist' had some sort of healing capability, as soon the bleeding had stopped, and he had already bandaged it.

"It will be all for that matter. The runes will disappear once the contract has been completed." Three of Hearts spoke genially, now relaxed in his seat. "I would approach Four of Hearts by myself, but its not common to do so. Often that is attributed to an oncoming request for a duel, or some sort of assassination attempt. I could also have the motives of stealing his card, so my successor will be much more guarded around me. It's good to use a second in these cases."

"Then, I should get going." Lumière bowed his head slightly before moving to get out of his seat.

"Wait a minute." Three of Hearts spoke suddenly. "Are you interested in crystals, by chance?"

"Crystals?" Lumière turned to look at Three of Hearts. "Why would I be interested in crystals? How much would I need to pay for such a luxury, anyway? I have no one to give them to."

"They're not crystals as you would think. They're pendants- mystical artifacts that offer you a semblance of greater ability." Three of Hearts smiled. "As of now, I can offer you one free of charge. I made a terrible investment, and now I have too many on my hands."

He reached out his unbandaged palm towards Lumière, and it held a faded-green coloured crystal carved into a diamond shape, held up by a silver band and a thin metal jewelry chain.

"Greater ability? A little crystal?"

Three of Hearts nodded in response. His gentle demeanor had faded once more, and given way to his mercantile persona once more. 

"If you pour a small amount of your aura into it, it will start to resonate, and give off those effects. Kind of like shouting in a small space and hearing it echo." Three of Hearts nodded assuredly. 

"Aura?" Lumière puzzled. "What's that? Are you making up things to get me on board with your little scam?"

Three of Hearts handed the crystal to Lumière, who had sat back down in his seat, and a grin crept back up his expression.

"You really are the little dove wandering into the house of snakes. You're going to get bitten if you don't learn quick enough of these things. Do you know what your abilities as a heretic are?"

Lumière nodded in response.

"I do, although I haven't gathered a sense of what the other domains focus on."

Suddenly, Lumière felt a rhythm emanating from his coat pocket. It was a constant, rhythmic thump- alike to a heartbeat. Suddenly, a satisfied grin began to curve up his face.

"But I'm sure I'll know soon enough. I'll take your crystal, as long as you guarantee it's free of charge." 

"I would recommend you learn quick about aura, so you can suppress that nauseating sense of darkness about you." Three of Hearts chuckled heartily. "To anyone who doesn't know you as a heretic, they would begin to suspect that you're a Nameless. It's not good to be a Nameless in a place where the orthodox churches are so prevalent."

'Nameless? Black aura? What is he talking about now? I suppose I can seek him out if the Gnosis won't answer my questions, but I've secured my goal for now. It could bring trouble to stay any longer.'

"Also, if you're going to act crazy, you have to follow through. The spades are known for insanity, so you've already got that on your side."

"The spades are known for insanity?"

Three of Hearts nodded.

"You're on a path destined to be mad, my dear patron." 

Before Lumière could leave, Three of Hearts stood up, bowed slightly, and walked out of the door into the House of Card's main hall, disappearing into the crowd.