Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !

Chapter 126 Life after death

"No, no, what is this!?"

A burning glare erupted inside him, as if something foreign and powerful was taking hold of his essence.

But no matter how hard he tried to resist, nothing helped.

All he could feel was pain, as if someone were marking his possession on his soul with a burning iron.

Abruptly, he opened his eyes in the real world.

The air rushed into his lungs and he let out a hoarse, desperate cry, a mixture of agony and rebirth.

He straightened up, his still numb muscles trembling under the effort, as he inhaled again greedily.

Each breath seemed to rip through an invisible barrier as an energy surged through his body.

"Where am I?" he thought, as a shower of sensations washed over him.

A gentle warmth emanated from his chest, where the sword had pierced him. But this warmth was unnatural.

It was too vivid, too present, almost oppressive. His heart, which he had thought destroyed, was beating at a terrifying pace, like a war drum.

Langus brought a trembling hand to his chest. His fingers grazed his wound, where a gaping hole must have been.

Only a scar could be seen. Yet he could still feel the impact of the blade, like a memory etched into his flesh.

Noticing his movements, Maxime reassured him.

"Your skin healed quickly, but your organs are another matter altogether. We'll have to take it easy on your body over the next few days, to give it time to heal."

Her eyes fell on Maxime, who stood there, watching her with a satisfied smile.

"What have you done to me?" growled Langus, his voice hoarse and broken.

But even as he spoke, he felt a new strength invade his being. His aching muscles seemed to awaken with an energy he didn't recognize.

This power was disturbing, foreign, yet deeply rooted in him. A warmth rose from his insides, a warmth he knew was not his own.

Maxime crouched before him, plunging his eyes into Langus's.

"I've given you a new life." he said, his voice calm but heavy with meaning.

"And in return, you belong to me now."

Langus felt a shiver run down his spine. The words resonated within him, as if engraved in his soul. He tried to stand up, but his legs gave way.

A sharp pain shot through his skull, and blurred images assailed his mind. The blade. The blood. The icy sensation of death coming for him. Then, that golden thread, that invisible link, had torn him from the darkness.

"It's not natural." he murmured, his eyes burning with anger and confusion.

"It's not... me."

Maxime raised an eyebrow.

He himself couldn't guess what state Langus must be in after coming back from the dead.

"No, it's not you anymore. You've become a better version of yourself.

"You possess the same strength as before, but your potential has been sublimated."

Langus clenched his fists. He could feel this energy, this power pulsing inside him.

He felt that one energy was healing his body and his hidden wounds, while another was breaking the limits the heavens had imposed on him.

But ironically, he also felt a grip, a new invisible chain binding him to this man.

He looked up at Maxime.

"And if I refuse?" he asked, his voice more assured, almost defiant.

Maxime laughed softly.

"Refuse?" he repeated, amused.

"This bond we share cannot be broken."

Langus looked at Maxime with complicated eyes, before sighing.

Then he glanced at the person standing next to him.

It was her.

Kaite stood a few steps behind him, silent but visibly tense.

Langus squinted in disbelief as his memories flooded back.

He remembered her face. That iron gaze she wore in the heat of battle, that almost arrogant assurance she displayed as she cut down her enemies.

But this was different. She seemed... docile. Almost self-effacing. And above all, she was standing next to this man, Maxime, the assassin of her former young master, Perceval.

"Kaite?" he breathed, his husky voice echoing in the silence.

He squinted, as if to make sure it wasn't a hallucination. But no, there she was, motionless, arms folded, staring right at him.

A flash of anger crossed his face.

"You?" He almost growled, trying to straighten up despite his wobbly legs.

"What are you doing beside her? Why are you still alive?"

Kaite swallowed, but she held his gaze. She hesitated for a moment,

Langus glared at Maxime, but deep down he felt this truth. The bond, that golden thread, he felt with every beat of his heart.

His anger, though intense, was stifled by a deeper, more insidious feeling: an involuntary loyalty, imposed by this contract he hadn't chosen to sign.

But he calmed himself as best he could.

At the same time, he had an idea.

"And what about Perceval, since you managed to save me, you should also be able to save Perceval?" asked Langus expectantly.

Maxime looked at Perceval's inert body in the distance without too much emotion.

"He's probably already dead, and I can't revive the dead."

Langus was speechless.

"Why didn't you save him when you could?"

"Because I can't sign contracts ad infinitum, and mostly because the guy was just too weak."