"I am a Primordial."
…
The spirit's words echoed through my mind countless times.
Primordial… A Primordial… W-what?
If Domain grade was considered rare and Overlord considered legendary, then Primordial were mythical.
Many people—Sovereigns included—even denied their existence as nothing more than folklore.
That was because no information regarding them was reliable.
Throughout history, there hadn't been a single confirmed case of a Spiritbound with a Primordial spirit. Only speculation and rumors existed.
W-was this spirit lying to me?
No… Spirits can't lie or deceive, they are the most pure lifeforms in the world. That is a law that has been unbroken for millennia.
And even if this spirit can lie, that would prove the being in front of me is something special and unfathomable.
So what… what did this mythical being want from me?
My clone let out some air through his nostrils. "Thank you for the explanation, I know I'm awesome and all. And for your question, don't you know the answer? Spirits only show themselves to people for one purpose only."
He was right. I knew, but the obvious answer didn't make sense.
For what reason would a Primordial possibly wish to make a contract with me? Was there something special about me that I didn't know?
"Heh. Oh, you're so like me," he said with a nostalgic smile.
Then he revealed: "the reason is quite symbolic yet very simple. I am the Reflection Primordial and you mirror my past self. Thus, I chose you."
I was at a loss for words for a while, incredulously staring at the being.
I felt like letting out a laugh, the situation was just so unbelievable.
After all of that struggle, panic, and terminal dread I faced in the past hour—knowing it would only be a matter of time before I met my end, I ended up meeting a Primordial spirit who offered me a contract, something I was fretting over the past day.
And all because I reflected it?
"...So, are you going to accept—"
"YES!" I immediately replied before making a stark realization, adding: "...wait, what are the clauses?"
Typically, the higher a spirit's grade, the harsher the terms of its contract.
Take the current pope of the Church of the Earth Mother.
Despite standing among the strongest individuals in the world, both in personal might and political authority, he is bound by a single, immovable restriction: he cannot take a life, not even to protect his own or his people.
Others paid a steeper price.
Like infamous villain Adolf Scintilla.
To contract with a sinister Overlord grade spirit, he needed to slaughter everyone he had ever loved.
Then, there was Visionary Oracleus who lost their eyesight and hearing forever, and Wolf King Alvera, who needed to abstain from sexual intercourse and eating meat.
…What would I need to bear to contract with a Primordial?
The reflection primordial crossed their legs as they sat in the air, looking at my anxious expression with amusement. "It's simple, really. You already mirror who I once was, so there's no need to bind you to my ideals or old lifestyle.
Your body, however, is another matter. You will need to become a vampire. A halfling."
"A halfling… What type?"
At his words, I didn't place much care into becoming a halfling.
I don't give a shit a if it meant binding a Primordial grade spirit. Heck, I'd do it even if I wasn't binding a primordial as long as I don't evaporate under the sun.
Despite the name, "halflings" were almost never a clean split between vampire and another race, which impacted the degree of the racial traits.
This was significant as vampires possessed the most powerful innate traits by a wide margin and carried some of the gravest weaknesses.
So that left me with an important question: where did I fall in the mix?
"You'll lean a fair bit closer to humanity. Your strength, stamina, senses, and charm are all increased—charm especially. You cannot shapeshift or hypnotize others, but you will have good resistance to it along with other mental attacks."
He took a pause, allowing me to digest the information before he revealed my weaknesses.
…Wait, fuck. Please don't tell me…
"And most importantly, sunlight only weakens you. You cannot be killed from indefinite contact with sunlight, you may faint at most after 72 hours of exposure to strong sunlight."
"Hold on, what about garlic?!" I hurriedly asked.
This was an important matter. When cooking, garlic was non-negotiable for about 79.52% of my meals! What was I going to— no wait… Will I have to only drink blood from now on?
That… I don't know what to feel about that…
"Ahaha." The spirit laughed, entertained. "Garlic won't affect you. For your second inquiry, you can still eat and drink normal food, but you'll need about a liter of blood weekly.
Don't worry, it'll taste good as long as you can condition your mind to stop perceiving blood as something nauseating. You'll be surprised at how psychological factors impact food."
I listened and took in his words before posing another question that came to mind.
"Can I drink any type of blood? Like animal? I'm kinda in the middle of a forest right now. Also, does it have to be fresh, straight from the source?"
"You can; however, it'll taste disgusting and slightly weaken you. For your first time, I wouldn't recommend it. That'll leave a bad taste in your mouth, both figuratively and literally.
Drinking the blood fresh will reduce the amount you need by about 20%, and it'll also taste better.
By the way, as a personal recommendation, elves taste the greatest while beastkin are quite foul."
Then, the spirit added in a disdainful tone: "Of course, demons are by far the nastiest. Not even succubi are an exception," his voice warning at the last part.
"O-okay, I see…"
Getting up and standing straight, the reflection primordial clapped their hands. "Anyways, so, do you accept? Ah, right. You already did. Here it comes!"
"W-what!? Wait I'm not re—" I said as I got up.
I couldn't finish my sentence before the spirit which previously held my appearance completely vanished. Eight body-length mirrors materializing right after, perfectly surrounding me, all showing my reflection.
Damn… I didn't realize how sorry of a state I was in right now. My clothes were torn at many spots and several cuts marred my luscious skin.
As I looked at the mirrors, I felt disorientated. My sense of left and right felt like they were being inverted.
Then, I saw myself. Not the reflection on the mirror, but the me standing by a tree.
Then, I saw two. Not two me's, it was me twice, from two different angles.
Then four, th—
"Aghhh—!"
A piercing pain shot through my eyes and mind as my view of the world kept expanding through various perspectives.
The pain was so great that it obstructed the sensation of my changing body from turning into a halfling I presume.
Eventually, I passed out.