The contract was a universe of clauses.
Kasia, Joanna Vektor, and I spent three days in a war room of my own making, a secured suite in a Warsaw business hotel. We parsed every line.
The money was insane: $10,000,000.00 advance against future royalties. The control was unprecedented: final approval on all creative decisions for any adaptation.
But the hooks were subtle.
Exclusivity: In perpetuity, for the "Chronos Imperium" property.
Reversion Rights: None. If the franchise failed, the rights didn't return to me; they sat in Fistoria's vaults forever.
System Integration Clause: A new, bizarre addendum. It stated that "all rewards, boons, and considerations granted to the Author under any separate sponsor agreement shall be considered integral to the value of this contract."
They knew. Or Anville had woven his magic into the legal language.
Joanna pointed at that clause. "This is not standard. It is not even sane. What does this refer to?"
