Forsaken By The Gods, I Made A Contract With the Demon King

The kitchen was mercifully empty when I arrived. At this hour, even the staff hadn't started their morning preparations, giving me free rein of the facilities. My hands shook slightly as I gathered what I needed - eggs, some vegetables, and a pinch of spices.

The familiar motions of cooking helped settle my still-racing heart. Crack the eggs, whisk them with a fork, add a dash of salt and pepper. The pan heated quickly on the stove, butter melting into a perfect golden pool.

My stomach growled impatiently as the omelet came together. I hadn't realized just how hungry the mountain climb had left me until the smell of food filled the air. The moment it was done, I practically inhaled it, barely taking time to appreciate the taste.

Every muscle in my body protested as I made my way to Training Ground 7.

The mountain climb had left me feeling like I'd been trampled by a herd of essence beasts, but I couldn't afford to be late for Professor Valerius's session.

He was already there when I arrived, that characteristic half-smile playing across his face. Something about his expression seemed different today - almost amused, like he was in on some private joke.

"Well, well," he said as I approached. "I hear my brother has taken quite a liking to you."

I stumbled to a stop, my tired brain taking a moment to process his words.

"Brother?"

"Indeed." His grin widened. "Professor Vale. Though he prefers to keep that particular detail quiet."

Now that he mentioned it, the resemblance was obvious. They shared the same sharp features, the same calculating look in their eyes. Even their names - Vale and Valerius - how had I missed that connection?

"He's one of the respected professors in the academy," Professor Valerius continued, clearly enjoying my surprise. "Though I suspect you've already gotten a taste of why he earned that position."

The memory of this morning's training - and that casual display of forceful teleportation - was still fresh in my mind. Discover stories at M V L

"Yes, sir. The mountain made that quite clear."

"Good." He clapped his hands together, his expression shifting to something more focused. "Since my brother is handling your physical conditioning, we can concentrate on developing your abilities."

My heart rate picked up. This was what I'd been hoping for - a chance to really understand and develop my powers.

"Let's start with your unique ability, what was that called again?" Professor Valerius asked, his eyes gleaming with scholarly interest.

"Lunacy," I replied, feeling the power stir within me at the mere mention of its name.

"Lunacy, huh?" He leaned forward slightly, his intense gaze seeming to pierce right through me. "Tell me everything you know about it. And I mean everything. Leave nothing out - even details that might seem insignificant could be crucial."

I took a deep breath, weighing my options carefully. After a moment's hesitation, I decided on complete honesty - or at least, as much honesty as I could manage without revealing my demonic nature. The ability itself wasn't inherently demonic, after all. It was how I used it that mattered.

"The core of the ability manifests as a purple aura," I began, choosing my words with deliberate care. "Unlike typical essence manifestations, it's not just visual. The aura creates a field of mental pressure around me, affecting anyone within range. The closer they are to me, the stronger the effect becomes."

Professor Valerius nodded slowly, his expression focused. One hand made a subtle "continue" gesture, while the other stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"The pressure isn't just a static field - I can focus it, direct it with my will," I explained, growing more confident as I spoke. "It's like..." I paused, searching for the right analogy. "Like creating waves in a pond, but the waves affect the mind instead of water. I can create ripples, currents, even focused streams of mental pressure."

His eyes narrowed with sudden interest. "And the recent development? The precognitive aspect? Tell me about that."

I blinked in surprise. Of course he knew about that - nothing seemed to escape his notice in this academy. I wondered briefly how he'd learned about it, but decided that was a question for another time.

"It's new," I admitted, shifting my weight slightly. "Very new. When I focus the ability in a certain way, concentrate it inward instead of outward, I can see... glimpses. Fractions of a second into the future. Maybe a tenth of a second at most. They're not clear visions - more like impressions or shadows of what's about to happen."

"Show me," he said simply, taking a step back to give me space.

I closed my eyes, reaching for that familiar well of power within. The purple aura burst forth like a blossoming flower, rippling around me in waves of ethereal light. The air grew heavy with psychic pressure, making the very atmosphere feel thick and distorted. Small pebbles on the ground seemed to vibrate slightly in response to the mental energy.

"Fascinating," Professor Valerius murmured, stepping closer to examine the effect. His hand reached out, fingers moving through the purple light as if testing its texture. He seemed completely unbothered by the mental pressure that would have sent most people staggering. "The color is unusual. Most mental-type abilities manifest in blue or white tones. This purple hue... very interesting indeed."

I maintained the field, watching his reaction carefully while trying to keep the pressure at a consistent level.

"Does the color have any significance?"

"Everything is significant when it comes to understanding one's abilities," he replied, his voice taking on a lecturer's tone. "The color, the texture, the way it moves - it all tells us something about the nature of the power. Purple often indicates a blend of energies, a fusion of different aspects. In your case, perhaps the merger of mental pressure and precognitive elements."

He circled me slowly, studying the aura from different angles like a scientist examining a particularly interesting specimen. His eyes caught every flutter and wave in the purple energy. "Try to focus it. Direct the pressure toward that training dummy over there. Make it a concentrated beam rather than a general field."

I did as he asked, narrowing my focus and channeling the purple energy into a more focused beam. The aura responded, shifting from its usual spherical pattern into a directed stream. The training dummy seemed to shiver slightly as the mental pressure washed over it, its surface rippling as if caught in a strong wind.

"Now, the precognition," he instructed, his voice sharp with interest. "Show me how you access it."

This was trickier. I'd only managed it a few times before, and never under such scrutiny. I adjusted my focus, letting the aura wrap around me more tightly like a second skin. The world seemed to blur slightly at the edges as I reached for that peculiar sense of displaced time. Colors became muted, except for the purple aura which seemed to grow more vivid.

"There's something..." Professor Valerius leaned in closer, his eyes narrowed to slits. "The pattern of your essence flow changes when you shift between the abilities. Do you feel it? The way the energy redirects itself?"

I nodded, maintaining my concentration despite the strain. "It's like... redirecting a river. Same water, different channel. When I switch from pressure to precognition, the essence flow... turns inward somehow. Loops back on itself."

"Exactly!" His enthusiasm was almost palpable, his usual composed demeanor cracking slightly. "That's the key to mastering complex abilities - understanding how to redirect your essence flow without disrupting the core power. The fact that you can feel the difference already is remarkable."

For the next several minutes, he had me switch back and forth between the different aspects of Lunacy.

Each transition was like learning a new dance step - awkward at first, but gradually becoming smoother. He observed how each manifestation affected the aura's appearance and behavior, making me repeat certain movements when something caught his interest.

His questions were precise, technical, forcing me to think about aspects of the ability I'd never considered. How did the pressure change with distance? Could I maintain different levels of pressure in different directions simultaneously? How did the precognitive glimpses change based on my emotional state?

"The precognition," he said finally, after I'd demonstrated yet another variation of the ability. "How clear are these visions? What exactly do you see?"

I let the aura fade slightly as I considered the question, my energy reserves starting to run low. "Not very clear at all. More like... impressions. Shadows of what might happen. The closer in time they are, the clearer they become. It's strongest for immediate threats or movements."

"That's normal for this type of ability," he assured me, nodding thoughtfully. "True precognition - clear visions of the future - is incredibly rare. What you're experiencing is more like enhanced intuition - your mind processing information faster than your conscious awareness can handle. Given time and practice, you might be able to extend the duration and clarity."

He stepped back, that thoughtful expression returning to his face. "We can definitely work with this. The mental pressure aspect provides a solid foundation for both offense and defense, and the precognitive element adds an interesting tactical dimension. With proper training, you could develop this into something truly formidable."

The purple aura finally faded completely as my energy reserves hit their limit. Between the mountain climb and this intense demonstration, I was running on fumes. Sweat beaded on my forehead, and my hands trembled slightly from the exertion.

"That's enough for today," Professor Valerius said, noticing my exhaustion. "But tomorrow, we'll start working on extending the duration of your ability and refining your control. Pay attention to how your essence flows during the rest of your classes - understanding that will be crucial for what comes next."

As I turned to leave, he added one last comment, his voice carrying an undertone I couldn't quite identify. "Oh, and Levi? My brother was right about you. This is going to be very interesting indeed."

I wasn't entirely sure if that was a good thing or not. But as I made my way back to my room, already dreading tomorrow's mountain climb, I couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement. Two of the academy's most powerful instructors had taken an interest in my training. Now I just had to survive long enough to benefit from it.

And hope that neither of them discovered what really lay behind my unusual abilities.

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