Covenant

Constantine stirred, feeling the stiffness in his muscles and the lingering pain in his hand. His eyes fluttered open, and he found himself in the medical bay, the room dimly lit and filled with the faint hum of machinery. As he adjusted to the light, he noticed a figure sitting by his side, watching him intently. It was Kento, his expression unreadable, almost ominous.

"You're finally awake," Kento said, his voice low and steady. "You've been out for almost a day."

Constantine tried to sit up, but the soreness in his body made it difficult. "What happened?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

Kento leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "You had quite the encounter with that sword. Murasame, remember? It put you in a sort of coma. We had to keep an eye on you to make sure you were okay."

Constantine's mind flashed back to the memories he had seen—the old blacksmith, the swords, the endless training, and the brutal massacre. He shivered at the recollection. "Yeah, I remember," he muttered. "What about the others? What's been happening?"

Kento's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of concern in his gaze. "A lot, actually. Marcus and Jane investigated a series of murders and confirmed it was the work of vampires. They ran into a particularly dangerous one, but someone else intervened – Elias, a vampire from the Night Council."

"The what now?" Constantine asked.

"Did you think that Nightkin are lawless beasts that have no rules or governing bodies?" Kento asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The only one I've met was Hindley…so yes." Constantine replied with a smirk.

Kento let out a soft chuckle.

"Elias owns a club called The Underworld that Unveiled and Nightkin frequent. Apparently, a sorceress named Morgana Nightshade is circulating mercenary contracts. Things are getting more complicated."

Constantine absorbed the information, his mind racing to keep up. "Are Marcus and Jane okay?" he asked.

Kento hesitated for a moment before responding. "Jane's... had a bit of a rough time. During the fight with the vampire, something strange happened to her. Seems to be the second Reality Break we've been exepcting. She passed out. We think something triggered it on the mission."

Constantine frowned, worry etched on his face. "A trigger? Like what?"

"We're not sure yet," Kento admitted. "But whatever it is, it seems to be tied to her encounter with the vampire. We're keeping a close eye on her."

Constantine's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. "What's the plan now? I'm feeling perfectly fine, I can help!" he said.

Kento gave a slight nod of approval. "Good. Get ready and come to the operations room. We have a lot to prepare for." He stood up, his presence still imposing but less ominous. "And Constantine, remember—we're in this together. You better not be hiding anything from us…or else." he said as he walked away.

Constantine watched as Kento left the room, dumbfounded. Hiding what? Did Kento just threaten him? He took a long breath. Of course he seemed suspicious. He appeared out of nowhere, had unusual powers, then literally absorbed the most powerful weapon in the base; Kento would be an idiot if he didn't find it suspicious. Hell, Constantine was suspicious himself; this situation seemed to revolve around him way more than he'd like. He had things to uncover… and quite a few people to get even with. He wouldn't let anyone ruin his life and get away with it – starting with Myra Hindley. But now, Jane came first. He got up and looked for his clothes.

As Kento walked out of Constantine's room, he found Darryl waiting for him in the hallway. Darryl's usual lighthearted demeanor was replaced with a serious expression.

"How's he holding up?" Darryl asked, nodding toward the door.

"He'll be fine," Kento replied, though his voice carried a hint of uncertainty. "But we need to talk about something important."

Darryl raised an eyebrow. "What's on your mind?"

Kento glanced around to ensure they were alone, then leaned in closer. "It's about what happened to Constantine. It's not just the sword. It's a Covenant."

Darryl's eyes widened slightly. "A Covenant? Are you sure?"

Kento nodded. "Yeah. What we know is that a Covenant is a contract that anyone behind the Veil can make—either with each other or with divine beings acting as witnesses to a contract with oneself. Constantine seems to have formed a Covenant with Murasame."

Darryl frowned, his brow furrowing. "But Constantine doesn't even know what a Covenant is. How could he have consented to something like that?"

"That's exactly what's bothering me," Kento said, his voice low and tense. "Normally, forming a Covenant requires the consent of both parties. The fact that Constantine never agreed to this or even knows what a Covenant is makes it highly suspicious. It's almost like the sword forced itself on him."

Darryl crossed his arms, a troubled look on his face. "That's not good. Covenants are binding and powerful. If he didn't consent, it means something—or someone—found a way to bypass the rules."

Kento nodded. "We need to figure out who or what is behind this. If Constantine's bound to Murasame without his knowledge, it could spell trouble for all of us. The power surge he experienced was immense, but who knows what kind of price he might have to pay?"

Darryl sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We're already dealing with vampires, rogue sorcerers, and now this. We need to get to the bottom of it fast."

Kento glanced at Darryl, then back at the door to Constantine's room. "And now Marcus has recalled us all to help with Jane. Her situation has worsened."

"At least you don't have to deal with the Assembly." Darryl replied with a small grin.

"I'd rather deal with them than with what's happening now," Kento replied.

"Well, you're not wrong there. Let's go meet Marcus." Darryl said, walking towards the operations room. Kento followed him.

Back in the medical bay, Constantine changed back into his regular clothes: black jeans, sneakers, and a black and red hoodie. As he zipped up the hoodie, he noticed Shift standing by the doorway, staring at him with an unreadable expression.

He raised an eyebrow. "Everything okay, Shift?"

Shift blinked and quickly looked away, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "Yeah, yeah. Just... glad to see you're up and about."

Constantine smirked. "Didn't know you cared so much."

Shift rolled her eyes, the embarrassment fading into her usual confident demeanor. "Don't flatter yourself. Anyway, we need to talk about what happened with Murasame."

Constantine's smirk faded. "Yeah, I've been getting bits and pieces from Kento, but I'm still not clear on everything."

Shift stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. "Alright, let me break it down for you. It seems you have formed something called a Covenant. A Covenant is a type of contract. It can be between two beings – usually Unveiled – or it can be a personal contract witnessed by divine entities. It's a powerful bond, and it usually requires the consent of both parties involved."

Constantine frowned. "But I never agreed to anything. One minute, I'm touching the sword, and the next, everything goes haywire."

Shift nodded. "That's the weird part. Normally, a Covenant requires explicit consent. But with Murasame... well, it's not an ordinary sword. It's almost like it has a will of its own. It might have found a loophole or used some other means to bind itself to you without your conscious agreement."

"So, what does that mean for me?" Constantine asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

Shift sighed. "It means you're bound to Murasame. The sword's power is now yours, but there's likely a price. Covenants always come with terms, and since you didn't agree to this one knowingly, we don't know what those terms are."

Constantine ran a hand through his hair. "Great. Just what I needed—more complications."

Shift gave him a sympathetic look. "We'll figure it out, Constantine. You're not alone in this." she said, looking at him intensely.

Constantine nodded, appreciating the support. "Thanks, Shift. I just wish I knew what to expect."

"We'll get to the bottom of it," she assured him. "But for now, we need to focus on the immediate problems. Marcus has called all of us to the operations room. We need to help Jane.

Constantine took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders. "Alright. Let's do this. Whatever it takes."

Shift gave him a smile and a nod of approval. "That's the spirit. Now, let's go catch up with the others."

Together, they left the room, never to return again – but they didn't know that yet.