Transfer of Ownership
The heavy office doors slammed shut, plunging the room into dead silence.
Without a trace of hesitation, the female captain strode toward the massive executive desk and kicked it aside with the toe of her boot.
A grating scrape gave way to a series of dull thuds as the heavy wood skidded across the floorboards. Where the desk had once stood, an enormous magic circle inscribed in glowing cerulean lines was boldly etched into the stone.
Crazy bitch... What the hell is that?
Drawing on the vast catalog of memories from my past life as a human—every movie, occult archive, and fantasy trope I had ever consumed—I didn't need a degree in thaumaturgy to recognize how catastrophically dangerous that array looked.
Ah, I'm screwed...
Inside the ring, a phantom chill ran down what should have been my spine. The woman did not hesitate. Picking up the violet ring that housed my being, she tossed me carelessly into the dead center of the magic circle. Then, drawing a sleek dagger, she nicked the pad of her finger and let crimson droplets splatter onto the etched lines.
The instant the blood made contact, the circle flared into a blinding blaze.
"Aaaagh—!"
A bloodcurdling shriek tore from the woman's throat. Her body convulsed in agony, the veins along her neck bulging as she clutched at her throat and writhed across the floorboards.
What the hell is this psycho doing all of a sudden?!
My shock was violently snuffed out. With a deafening crack, an unspeakable torment pierced straight through my consciousness.
"Aaaaagh—!"
Trapped within the ring, I could not stop myself from screaming. It was pure infernal torture, as though my entire brain were being liquefied and scorched by living lightning.
Cerulean light and crackling electrical arcs saturated the office, churning the very air into a violent tempest. Together, the woman and I wailed in tandem from the heart of the arcane circle, enduring pure hell.
How much time passed?
Gradually, the blinding brilliance and arcing sparks dwindled before dying away completely. Drenched in sweat, the woman slumped against the corner of the displaced desk, barely keeping herself upright.
"Hah... hah..."
Panting raggedly, she thumped her chest to catch her breath, slowly regaining her composure.
Suddenly, the thunderous cadence of heavy boots echoed down the corridor as dozens of Magic Law Enforcers sprinted toward the room in lockstep.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Captain! We heard a disturbance inside! Are you all right?!"
As fists hammered against the door hard enough to splinter the wood, the dazed look in the woman's eyes vanished, replaced by a glacial chill.
"I'm fine, so get lost! All of you!"
"Y-Yes, ma'am! Right away!"
The hurried footsteps receded into the distance.
In that very breath, I sensed an unsettling shift deep within my core—within the flow of mana circulating through the ring. A crude, coercive tether had forcibly linked my vessel to this woman's soul. A sickening dissonance gnawed at my senses.
Having caught her breath, she addressed me in that same cloying, terrifyingly sweet voice she had used on Yeonwoo earlier.
"Excuse me... Would you mind manifesting for me?"
I was so dumbfounded and enraged that I ignored her completely. She had arbitrarily dragged Yeonwoo off to an underground dungeon and subjected me to this nightmare. There was not a chance in hell I would obey her whims.
When the ring offered no response, the corner of her mouth curved into a twisted smirk.
"Ah... I truly despise having to resort to this. But for the sake of our 'love,' I have no other choice, my dear Spirit."
Her lethal aura vanished without a trace, replaced by a tender, beaming smile as if she were gazing upon a beloved paramour. Then, her lips parted in an incantation.
Zzzzzap!
"Aaaagh—!"
A jolt of torture magic slammed directly into my core—infinitely more savage and overwhelming than anything Yeonwoo had ever wielded.
"Aargh! Stop! I'll do it! I'll manifest, please!"
Only when I screamed at the top of my lungs from within the band did the searing agony abruptly stop.
Desperate to survive, I had no choice but to vent my mana, condensing into the humanoid silhouette of purple smoke in the middle of the room.
At the sight of me, the woman's gaze slackened entirely, drifting into rapturous ecstasy.
"Ah... Ahh... I knew it... It's just as divine as what I felt earlier..."
As if possessed, she rose to her feet, approached my dazed form, and took my cheeks into her hands, stroking my face with reverent obsession.
"At last... At long last, we meet... my dear Spirit..."
Her fingers rubbed possessively over my skin, leaving me utterly shell-shocked.
...Wait.
A wave of pure confusion crashed over my mind.
According to the fundamental laws of spiritism, torture magic—spells used to discipline or coerce a spirit—could only be cast by the registered contractor bound to that spirit.
What in the world did she just do with that bizarre magic circle? Why can this woman command torture magic against me when Yeonwoo is my contractor?
"You... How are you using torture magic on me? That's only possible for my contractor!"
She blinked in feigned surprise, her eyes wide with theatrical pity.
"My goodness... My dear Spirit, you knew this was torture magic? Were you subjected to such sadistic spells by that insolent little brat? You poor, precious thing... But don't you worry. I will never torment you like that. I will embrace you with all the warmth in my heart."
Smack!
When she reached out to caress my cheek again with that sickening look of sorrowful longing, I slapped her hand away with a sharp crack.
"Cut the bullshit and explain yourself! How the hell did you become my contractor?!"
At my rough rejection, a flicker of hurt crossed her face. She cleared her throat with a prim cough, smoothing down the pristine lapels of her military uniform.
"It's nothing complicated, really. I simply took 'ownership' of you from that child. Using an ancient black magic long lost to the world, of course."
Took ownership...?
If ownership had been transferred... did that mean Yeonwoo was no longer my official contractor? Was the fragile bond connecting me to that frail girl—now rotting away in a damp, gloomy dungeon—severed just like that?
Watching the color drain from my face, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms tenderly around my waist.
"Forget all about that foolish, worthless little girl, my dear Spirit. From now on, your eyes will look only upon me."
The sweet, pleasant fragrance of her shampoo drifted into my senses, yet it made cold sweat crawl across my nonexistent skin.
She was insane. I had fallen into the clutches of a genuine lunatic.
I have to run. I have to get out of here right now!
Tearing myself out of her embrace, I bolted for the office door with everything I had. It was a desperate bid for survival.
Yet before my fingers could graze the brass handle, a chilling, low incantation resonated behind me.
Bzzzzrt—!
"Aaaaagh!"
A searing pain struck my mind like a lightning bolt. All strength drained from my limbs in an instant, and I collapsed to my knees right in front of the door.
"Ah... I truly don't wish to do this, my dear Spirit," the woman murmured sorrowfully as she paced slowly toward me. "However, to undo the deep brainwashing you suffered under that wicked, cunning little girl... a little discipline is necessary to bring you to your senses."
"Aaaagh! Stop... Stop it...! Please... I won't do it again... Please, stop...!"
Electrifying agony ripped through my consciousness. I arched my back off the floor, thrashing and howling. My vaporous body flickered violently, on the verge of scattering into white mist.
Looking down at me as I writhed and wailed, tears welled in her eyes as though her heart were genuinely breaking.
"Bear with it, even if it hurts... This is all for your own good. We'll overcome this together, all right