Elowen and the others who had been rescued had successfully returned to Yunatea, specifically to the Dissidia Kingdom. At least, that’s what should have happened after they escaped from Hell. Meanwhile, Broken and the rest only had one day left before they too would leave Hell.
That evening, Broken finally accepted Marlene’s offer to borrow one of her beast contract slots. To his surprise, the skill worked seamlessly. Marlene placed a mark on the back of his hand—a translucent magic circle that only appeared when he activated the skill tied to it. Together with Ivana, Broken rode the Petal Charger, heading deep into the dense forest where he had instructed the fire horse to hide a few days earlier. They wandered for hours, riding through the shadowy woods, weaving through the trees with no clear path in mind.
Suddenly, in the pitch-black darkness, Broken caught a glimpse of light in the distance-a faint, flickering glow moving swiftly toward them. The light grew brighter and more intense, and in a matter of moments, the fiery figure was racing toward them at incredible speed. As it approached, the flames licking its form became clearer, revealing a horse unlike any other.
Its body seemed like a living nightmare-parts of it exposed bone, while the rest of its flesh was engulfed in roaring, crimson flames. The fire wrapped around its skeletal limbs, illuminating the charred remnants of its mane and tail, which danced like tongues of fire in the wind.
Broken dismounted from Petal Charger and slowly approached the fire horse. Ivana followed closely behind. The horse, still recognizing him, lowered its flame-wreathed head toward him. Gently, Broken reached out and stroked its fiery mane.
“Hey, you still remember me,” he said softly. He checked his affinity with the beast and saw it was at 40%. It had dropped slightly, but still remained within a safe range, according to Marlene.
[Unique – Charfire Equine Lv. 223]
Ivana’s eyes lit up with excitement as she smiled at the sight of the horse. “The horse is so beautiful, Broken.”
“Beautiful?” Broken looked at her, puzzled by her choice of words.
To him, the horse was more than just beautiful-it was fierce, cool, with flames licking its exposed skeletal frame. It looked like an undead horse engulfed in fire, more terrifying than anything he’d call “beautiful.”
But Ivana, still captivated, reached out to touch the horse’s head. The horse flinched slightly at first, startled by her approach, but quickly calmed down as her hand rested on its skull.
“You could get burned if you don’t have affinity with Fire, or if you’re not attuned to this beast, Ivana,” Broken warned.
Ivana nodded, her hand still resting gently on the horse. “The damage isn’t that bad. In fact, this horse is really gentle.”
Broken couldn’t help but be impressed. Ivana had bonded with the Charfire Equine so effortlessly, as if the creature could sense her kindness. It made him wonder if she truly had a natural gift for connecting with creatures, even ones as wild and dangerous as this.
[Demonic Pact: Beast Haven (One-time usage skill)]
[Forms a permanent bond with a chosen demon beast, creating a private haven where the beast can rest and grow. The user can summon and dismiss the beast as needed.]
[The beast requires monster cores to stay nourished and evolve, with higher-grade cores offering better growth.]
[Combat Growth: The beast gains experience in battles and becomes stronger.]
[Sync Leveling: The beast’s level can sync with the user’s progress.]
Broken reviewed the information about the Demonic Pact skill Marlene had shared with him. It was clear from the description that the skill could only be used once, as it was a derivative of Marlene’s main ability.
“Hey…” Broken spoke to the fiery beast before him. “Let’s make a contract. I’ll take you from this world to another, called Yunatea.”
The horse stomped its feet, shifting its body in response to his words, clearly agitated by the idea. Broken watched, puzzled by its reaction.
What does this beast mean? he wondered. How am I supposed to understand what it’s trying to say?
Just then, Ivana called from beside him.
“Broken…” she said softly.
“Yes?” he turned to face her.
“Uhm…” Ivana hesitated. “For some reason, I feel like I can understand what this beast is saying.”
“Really? And what’s it telling us?”
Ivana paused, staring into the hollow, flame-filled eyes of the Charfire Equine, which seemed to be gazing back at her with an intense, almost sentient awareness.
“He… he has someone else here,” Ivana finally said.
“Someone else?” Broken repeated, taken aback. “A new master? Or what?”
Broken turned back toward the horse, but before he could say anything, they heard the rapid pounding of hooves again. Moments later, a flash of fire appeared from between the trees, and another horse, similar in form to the first, emerged from the shadows. This new horse had a more slender build, appearing less muscular than the original beast.
It instantly reminded him of the carriage train from that young demon lord’s procession- there had been several fire horses like these, though he had only paid attention to this one because of its larger size and more intense flames.
[Epic – Charfire Equine Lv. 201]
The second horse was clearly of the same type, but its grade was Epic, and its level lower than
the first.
“So, this horse here is a female version of the beast?” Broken asked Ivana.
Ivana nodded and smiled. “I think so.”
Broken glanced back at the first horse. “Is this your mate?”
The horse responded by shifting its body and stomping its hooves, as if confirming his question. The flames around its skeletal form flared briefly, casting an even more intense glow around them.
It all started to make sense. The two horses were connected, and perhaps that’s why the first one had hesitated about leaving.
Ivana approached the second horse with a warm smile, her hands gently resting on its head as she stroked its mane. The connection between them seemed effortless, as if she could communicate with the beast without words. Meanwhile, Broken stood deep in thought, unsure of how to handle the situation.
He could form a contract with the first horse, but that would mean leaving the second one behind. And he wasn’t sure how separating them would affect the affinity he had with the first
Charfire Equine.
Marlene had emphasized the importance of building trust and forming a strong bond with the beast, as a deeper connection could unlock special abilities.
These two were clearly a pair. While Broken had the option to take both horses to Yunatea, he wasn’t sure how to make that happen. Charmelyn would be traveling via Blackthorn, summoned from Yunatea, while Ivana had the remaining portal slot from Marlene. The contracted beast could be stored in his private dimensional space, so it wouldn’t need a portal
slot.
But that left no way to bring the second horse out of Hell.
How can I make this work? he wondered. He didn’t want to harm the bond between the horses, nor compromise the potential abilities of the first one by separating them. It seemed like bringing both out of Hell was the only solution, but he needed to figure out how.
Broken observed Ivana, who seemed completely engrossed in whatever silent interaction she was having with the second horse. The creature appeared enthusiastic, almost as if it were communicating with her on some deeper level.
But how could Ivana possibly understand a demon beast? Was it just intuition? Surely, she couldn’t be communicating with it as humans do with one another.
He glanced back at the first horse, weighing his options. It seemed like forming a contract would have to wait. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel too disappointed-he could always return to Hell later and claim both beasts. They’d survive here, and the chances of them being hunted
down seemed slim.
But is that really true? he wondered. What if the beast gets killed after I leave? He sighed, wrestling
with the thought, considering every angle carefully.
Just then, Ivana’s voice broke through his thoughts.
“Broken…”
He snapped out of his reverie, turning to her. “Yes, Ivana?”
“Go ahead and form the contract already… I’ll adopt this one,” she said with a grin.
“What?” Broken blinked, confused by what she meant.
Ivana chuckled. “You heard me. I’m taking this horse with me too.”