Azuna nodded and once again got to work. With a few seconds, a drop of blood floated up from the platform. It shot forward to the assassin.
The Third hissed as the drop of blood pierced into his chest like a hot needle. His body jerked violently, eyes bulging, veins lighting up with faint crimson lines.
"Aaaagh! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" he gasped, clutching at his ribs as if soone had reached inside and twisted sothing vital. "You couldn’t make this painless? You heartless, red-eyed bastard!"
Azuna didn’t even look at him. "The imprint must be severed from your root," she said calmly. "Pain is unavoidable."
The Third scread again before collapsing onto his side in a trembling heap. His breath ca in ragged shudders as the red glow seeped out of him and drifted gently toward Damon like a strand of living mist.
Damon reached out, letting the drifting thread settle into his palm and sink into his skin. The platform gave a low, resonant hum, as though acknowledging its new master.
Azuna clasped her hands together, golden light blooming between her palms. "The transfer is stable," she said softly. "The fragnt now answers to you."
The Third lay flat on his back, staring up at the shrinking do above them, looking like soone who had been mugged, stabbed emotionally, and robbed of his life savings all at once. "I hate you," he whispered hoarsely. "With every fiber of my soul. I hope you trip on a rock and die from so legendary weapon fucking you in your ass!"
Damon ignored him entirely. "Is there anything else he needs to do for the transfer to be complete?"
Azuna shook her head. "No. His connection is severed. The fragnt belongs to you now."
The Third whimpered. "My baby... my precious little bubble of misery... gone..."
Damon finally turned toward him. His expression was unreadable. "You don’t have to be so dull and gloomy. You can co work for if you want. Your dinsional skills are not bad. I might return your baby to you after so ti. You can still continue with your precious little torture projects... under new managent," Damon finished.
The Third stared at Damon. His jaw worked soundlessly for several seconds.
"...Co work for you?" he repeated, horrified. "You? The man who just bulldozed my ho, stole my realm, violated my soul imprint, and nearly nuked out of existence?!"
Damon’s brow rose. "Is that a no?"
The Third let out a weak, hysterical laugh. "Do you even understand, you crimson-eyed sociopath, that Umbra’s Hand is going to hunt to the ends of the world if I betray them? They’ll skin alive. They’ll skin my ghost alive. They’ll skin the idea of alive."
Damon shrugged. "Then say yes and I’ll protect you."
The Third froze again. "Bitch, who is going to protect you? I am pretty sure you are higher up on the kill list! Probably number 1!"
Azuna imdiately beca angry. "I will cut your mouth if you disrespect my master one more ti, insect. He is being generous. Master seldom offers such chances. Accept, or please die quietly so he can leave."
The Third pointed a trembling finger at her. "You... You... You are so pretty and so evil at the sa ti. It hurts."
Damon leaned back slightly. "So? Your choice."
The Third’s eyes darted to the portal. Then to Damon. Then to the endless space around them. Then to Azuna. Then back to Damon. It looked like he wouldn’t be leaving here alive if he did not agree to this. "Okay, I will do it." He reluctantly agreed.
Imdiately, a contract flashed in front of him. "A slave contract?" He smiled bitterly and then signed it away nevertheless.
Damon could easily read his mind. The guy probably did not expect him to survive his encounter with the Umbra’s hand. Not that he cared. "You will follow my orders," Damon said simply. "You will not betray . You will not flee. You will not contact the Umbra’s Hand unless I ask you to."
The Third nodded with a shrug.
Damon’s gaze bored into him. "You seem eager."
The Third smiled bitterly. "I am now a new man, a free man, and a poor man with nothing left to lose. What do you want to say?"
Damon ignored their exchange. "Outside this portal, your entire order is waiting for . Correct?"
The Third winced. "Well... yes. Probably sharpening knives and daggers. You know how assassins are."
"Azuna, can you change the portal? Can you make a new one for the Blood Hall?"
Azuna lowered her gaze to the portal, her expression softening into sothing almost apologetic. "Master... if I could, I already would have."
The Third perked up instantly, hope flashing in his eyes. "Yes! Yes, listen to the woman, she’s smart, pretty, terrifying, and correct! You can’t change it! That’s not how trapped dinsional exit anchors work!"
Azuna continued gently, ignoring him.
"This exit is fixed to the fragnt’s original imprint. It cannot be redirected without rewriting the entire anchor law of the fragnt... which would collapse the last stable portion I just saved."
"Translation." The Third chirped. "If she touched the anchor, the fragnt would pop like a bubble, and they’d all get yeeted into the void."
Damon exhaled through his nose. "So the exit leads directly to the Umbra’s Hand."
"Yes," Azuna said. "Wherever this fragnt was bound when the Third obtained it... that is where the portal will open."
The Third, smiling and miserable, added helpfully. "And that place happens to be our beautiful, scenic, very secure base of operations, with at least a dozen high-ranking killers who all wake up in the morning and choose violence."
Damon stared at him flatly. "And they are waiting for ."
The Third gave a shrill laugh. "Waiting for us, apparently! But yes. They’re outside. Probably confused why the portal hasn’t opened yet. Probably arguing. Probably betting money on how dead you’ll be when you fall out of it!"
***
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