In the Shattered Lake Prison of the Blood Moon Kingdom.0

If it hurts enough, grip with both hands,
Cut it open, let yesterday's curse expand.
Through endless night and day it flows,
Leaving behind only scars that show.0

Iger woke up on his velvet bed. He yawned on his way to the bathroom to remove his nightclothes and sleep cap. He tested the water with his toes before sinking into the bathtub filled with precisely timed warm water, enjoying a leisurely morning soak.0

He had paid one Contribution Point for every three days just to stay in the high-class cell, so he could have constant access to baths. Five months here cost fifty points, equivalent to all the starting points of a death-row inmate. This made him tight on Contribution Points. 0

Nevertheless, Iger considered it worth every point. Bathing wasn't merely a personal indulgence. It seemed his Contract spirit enjoyed it as much as he did.0

Once, while dozing in the tub from exhaustion, he had glimpsed his Contract spirit riding a tiny yellow duck and playing in the water. The spirit vanished the moment he opened his eyes, as if it had never been there, yet he was certain of what he had seen. That was all the proof he needed that his Contract spirit loved ba...1