"From forcing nation leaders to sign surrender agreents to now signing a ceasefire agreent with aliens on behalf of the empire—who would’ve thought all this would happen in less than a decade?" an alluring woman remarked as she disembarked from her ship. The ship's tractor beam engaged, gently guiding her toward the designated location for the signing.
She was a mber of Nyx, one of the few who had been active even before the Unification War, and despite the ceasefire not yet being in effect, she showed no signs of nervousness. In fact, she seed excited—not at the risk of an accidental firing ending her life, but because of what this ceasefire hinted at. The signing of this agreent suggested the possibility of a larger peace, and an end to the conflict. And what followed would be a battlefield of intelligence gathering, one of a scale previously never imagined. This prospect thrilled her far more than any conventional war ever could.
Although she had always enjoyed her work, it often felt lacking in true challenge. Even before the unification, they held technological supremacy, aning very few secrets remained hidden from them. The cult, which once posed a threat by not relying on technology, had been a brief anomaly—one quickly dealt with.
But now, for the first ti in years, it seed like there was an actual ga to be played. The newly opened frontier presented a real opportunity—an arena where Nyx operatives would truly be needed. The vast expanse of potential allies and enemies, each with their own secrets to uncover, promised the challenge she had longed for. Spying, once routine, would now beco an art again.
While her mind worked in the background, focused on the approaching representative, they finally reached the point where the formal exchange was expected. However, just as they neared, she felt an odd sensation—an attempt to breach her mind.
"Let’s not do that and focus on what we're here to do," she said calmly, realizing the Zelvora representative had tried to infiltrate her thoughts. The psychic shield in her headgear had blocked the attempt, causing the Zelvora to experience a slight backlash. Fortunately, it was minor, as his intent hadn’t been malicious—at least, not overtly. He had been trying to create a ntal network for easier communication.
“Please forgive for the misunderstanding," the Zelvora said, his tone carrying remorse, as translated by the device. "I wanted to establish a ntal link to make the process smoother, but I forgot to ask for permission. This situation is new for us.”
"That's fine," she responded with a warm smile, projecting understanding. Yet behind that friendly facade, she didn’t spend even a fraction of a second believing his explanation. She was certain the attempt had been a test, probing her defenses, with the safety net of plausible deniability.
“Can we move to the topic at hand? We’re not bound by a ceasefire just yet, so if we’re blown apart right now, no one’s going to be punished for it. Let’s finish this quickly to prevent that,” she said, breaking the mont of silence with a pointed reminder of the precarious situation.
“Ah, yes, of course,” the Zelvora representative responded, slightly flustered. “I’ll once again explain the process of initiating a mana oath before we proceed to sign your ans of contract, which requires no further instructions.”
Despite the explanation already being covered during the negotiation process, she allowed him to re-explain the steps for the mana oath without interrupting. Once he finished, they initiated the oath swiftly. The process was followed by the Zelvora representative carefully signing the runic contract—which the empire told them was a mana contract—after verifying that the terms had not been tampered with from the final agreed version. Everything was done with thodical precision, ensuring both sides adhered to the agreent down to the smallest detail.
The mont the Zelvora representative signed the runic contract, a surge of mana flooded into both him and everyone on the battlefield. Instantly, they gained knowledge of the contract’s terms, as these were imbued directly into the mana that now coursed through them. Those more attuned to the ntal plane, especially the Zelvora who were also slightly sensitive to the soul aspect, felt sothing more profound—an imperceptible knot forming around a part of their soul.
This subtle but unmistakable sensation sent a clear ssage: this contract was as binding as their revered mana oaths, if not more so. The realization hit them all at once—the runic contract not only bound their mana but also tethered a portion of their very soul, making it an unbreakable agreent with consequences far beyond physical or magical ans.
The battlefield had officially entered a ceasefire, set to last for one week. As the tension eased, many soldiers allowed themselves a montary sigh of relief, finally able to rest after days of relentless combat.
"Our emperor instructed to tell your side to present your offer as swiftly as possible," she said firmly, before the ship's tractor beam began pulling her back toward the vessel that had brought her.
There were no handshakes, no formal exchanges—only a lingering sense of the violence that had been halted monts ago. Now, there was only the fragile peace brokered by the ceasefire, hanging in the balance of what would co next.
………………
{Sir, they have sent their proposal,} Nova said, materializing a docunt that seed endless—a hundred pages long with thousands of terms embedded within it.
Aron wasted no ti, quickly scanning the first few lines. It didn’t take long for him to grasp that this so-called peace proposal was not quite a peace deal. Instead, it was a wager, a challenge that had to be t before any true peace agreent could be finalized.
The proposal was clear-cut: both sides would et, and they could place anything on the line as a wager—resources, territory, information—so long as the other party accepted it.
Likewise, demands could be made as long as sothing equally valuable was offered in return. Once both sides agreed on what was to be wagered, they would then negotiate the rules of the engagent—how the stakes would be won or lost.
After finishing the lengthy docunt, Aron paused for a mont, reflecting on the potential benefits and pitfalls. The concept of negotiating via wagers intrigued him, but it was also fraught with uncertainty and risk. Finally, he broke his silence.
"I will be negotiating with them personally," Aron declared with conviction. "But first, have the others gather once they’ve finished reviewing the proposal. I need to determine if there are specific requests we should make, and the sa goes for the AIs." He displayed no signs of hesitation, as the notion of retreating had never even entered his mind.
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