The room stilled, as though the air itself waited. His finger bled freely now, crimson lines tracing down to his palm. He lifted the hand high, letting the droplets fall upon the carved sigil etched into the wooden floor. The moment blood touched the runes, the air stirred—heavy, suffocating, alive.
A low hum rose from the walls, like voices awakened after centuries of silence. Shadows bent unnaturally toward the blood, swirling into spirals that pulsed with a faint, otherworldly glow.
His voice was steady, deep, every syllable resonating as though carried by unseen tongues.
"By blood, by bone, and by breath—I bind myself. Let this oath hunt me should I betray it. Let the curse claim me if my heart falters."
The final drop splashed, and the sigil blazed faintly red before sinking back into the wood, leaving only a scar darker than the rest.
He looked up at her, eyes dark yet unwavering.
"Now it is sealed. Not by words, but by blood. If I ever turn away, may my soul be torn apart by the same shadows you hear whispering."
The silence afterward was unbearable—until the whispers surged, a hundred voices overlapping. Some pleaded, some cursed, some laughed. The room itself trembled, but the oath held fast.
She stared at the magic circle as it slowly dimmed again. The blood traces still glistened, and the carved lines of the wood faintly pulsed, as if breathing.
"It… reacted," she whispered. "That means something was truly sealed here."
He wiped the blood from his fingers, eyes still fixed on the circle without blinking.
"Yes, but it didn't fully open. It only reflected that there's a question—or a condition—that we must solve."
She stepped closer, placing her hand on the carvings. Ancient whispers echoed in her mind: "Blood seals truth, but truth demands its price…"
She looked at him. "It's asking for… an answer, not just an oath."
He furrowed his brow. "An answer to what?"
"The riddle it set," she took a deep breath. "I think if we solve it, the circle will fully reveal itself—and the secrets hidden within will come to light."
The shadows on the floor trembled, and the carvings glowed once more, this time forming ancient letters—words etched as if in fire:
> "What is it that binds life and death, yet cannot be severed by time?"
She froze for a moment, meeting his intense gaze.
"This is the first riddle…"
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