“I recognize that insignia,” I said, forcing my voice to sound sharp and shrill.

  The bandits' faces twisted into fear the moment they saw me.

  I staggered into the clearing, dragging my left leg as if it were injured. My back was hunched, arms dangling low near the ground. I kept my glare locked on them the entire time.

  “I’ve been waiting years for your return,” I snarled.

  With each step I took, the bandits shuffled backward, stumbling over broken branches and roots. They muttered nervously to each other, their panicked eyes darting between me and the shadows around them, retreating deeper into the tree line. One of them, too distracted to watch his step, cried out as something latched onto his ankle.

  “AAAHHH!” he screamed, stumbling backward into the others.

  They cursed at him, until they saw what had bitten him.

  Their eyes followed his trembling finger to a strange, glowing rat. But this was no ordinary rodent. Its fur was a faint, icy blue, surrounded by a faint purple aura that shimmered in the dim light. Black markings, like twisted scars, ran along its body. Most haunting of all were its hollow white eyes.

  “What the hell is that?” one of the bandits breathed, torn between awe and terror.

  “A demon?” another muttered.

  “A spirit?” a third guessed.

  Then one of the bandits, the one with long hair, raised his arm and pointed past the rat. “Look around us.”

  Only then did they notice the others, the ghostly creatures creeping from the underbrush. Spectral animals of all kinds: rats, rabbits, squirrels, and snakes slithered and crept forward with unnatural silence. Above them, a hawk-like figure with shimmering feathers perched high on a tree branch, its glowing eyes fixed on the intruders below.

  Soul magic doesn’t exist in this world, which means the spells tied to soul magic, and especially soul summoning, are equally unknown. So, when a group of Zarvendians, like these bandits, encounter beasts like these, what else would they assume but that they're spirits? The concept of soul magic simply doesn’t exist in their understanding.

  Normally, I keep my summons Toggled, meaning they appear as normal animals to everyone but me. To my eyes, they’re what they truly are: manifestations of my mana, given form. But today, to complete the illusion of being a spirit, I disabled the Toggle. Now, the bandits saw them in their true forms, the ghastly specter like beings.

  Tch.

  “What?”

  That’s actually a somewhat smart idea.

  “I’m smarter than you.”

  Like hell you are.

  “Dumbass says what?”

  What-Wait no, that doesn’t-

  I pointed a finger at the group. “You are foolish to have come trespassing on this land.”

  I moved closer with each word, and my summons did the same.

  A bald bandit responded. “What do you want?”

  “Is it not clear?” I hissed.

  They didn’t dare answer. Instead, the long-haired bandit pushed a few to retrieve their weapons. But they were surprised when they found nothing.

  “They’re not here!”

  “What?”

  “Our weapons are gone!”

  The group made a mad dash for the carriage. They were confused when they felt a slight tilt of the carriage. As they climbed upon, their faces grew into despair as the horses randomly ran off.

  “What in the blazes-”

  Hahahaha, stupid!

  I pulled the dagger from my pocket. “This dagger looks just like the one driven into my chest.”

  The bandits froze.

  “How long has it been, since you scum have wiped me from this world?”

  I looked at them.

  They now fully understood the situation and got off the carriage. They awkwardly stood as they awaited my next words.

  I waved the dagger. “Such dangerous tools should not be in your possession.”

  Wow, you actually sound the part.

  They seemed like they understood what I was trying to say.

  “I take it that……you want revenge?” The bald bandit asked.

  “Revenge has already been taken. The matter at hand regards your trespassing on my sacred land. Such a bold action requires an apology surely?”

  The bald bandit faltered. “What do you-.....do you want?”

  I glared at them. “Those innocent souls within your possession. Release them.”

  “But-but we-”

  The bald guy was stopped by the long haired one. “Will you allow us to safely leave if we hand them over?”

  I lowered my gaze to him. “If you vow to never return, then it shall be done.”

  Wait, are you sure about that? Wouldn’t it make more sense for you to kill them right now?

  “And how am I going to do that?”

  Uh, with kindness?

  His face was like stone. “Release them.” He said to the others.

  The others tried to protest, but he yelled at them. “Fools! Do not mock the spirits! Do as it says.”

  The bandits cursed and muttered under their breath before finally unlocking the carriage. The nobles, or at least, that’s what I assumed they were, were carefully escorted out. For a brief moment, their faces lit up with relief…..but then they saw me, and their relief returned to dread.

  The long-haired bandit snapped at one of his comrades when he shoved the daughter too roughly. “Here they are.”

  I stepped forward. “Are they unharmed?”

  “They’ve suffered only minor injuries,” he replied. “Their minds are stable.”

  I toyed with my dagger, letting it twirl lazily between my fingers. “Then it’s done. You may leave.”

  They began to turn away, tense and silent, until one of them broke the quiet. It was the one who’d made that odd remark during Tank and Geek’s fight.

  “You can’t actually hurt us, can you?”

  The others froze. Mouths dropped open at his sudden provocation.

  Uh oh.

  He took a bold step forward, voice rising. “Think about it. He hasn’t even laid a finger on us. All he’s done is disarm us and make us scared of some glowing rats and birds. Look at them. They’re just small animals with a fancy glow. What are we even afraid of?”

  The bandits tried to shut him up, surrounding him and hissing warnings, but he didn’t stop.

  “He’s bluffing! I bet he’s not even a real spirit! This is all just a setup by his friends! They’ve got to be hiding around here, right?”

  The others apologized frantically, shooting me desperate looks. But I didn’t react. I kept my expression calm, unreadable, simply watching it all unfold.

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  Beric?

  If I sounded offended, it would be reasonable for me to attack in retaliation. However, I couldn’t exactly do that, and the other option was simply to ignore it. If I did that, then they’d eventually realize that I wasn’t as aggressive as earlier. They might start questioning why I hadn’t killed them, why I spared the nobles, why I was even here. Sooner or later, someone would connect the dots and realize my death at the gang’s hands didn’t quite add up.

  No. The best thing I could do……..was nothing. Let it burn out on its own.

  I didn’t learn from Death.

  The long-haired bandit narrowed his eyes. Suspicion crept into his face.

  “Hold it.”

  The others stopped roughing up the loudmouth. Tension tightened the air.

  His gaze locked on me, sharp and wary.

  Beric, you have to call it off. They’re not going to buy it anymore.

  “What is it?” I snarled, putting as much threat into my voice as I could muster.

  You should summon a wolf and run away while it distracts them. That’s the best possible path for-

  The long-haired bandit hesitated, words catching in his throat. Then he spoke. “Gritt’s not known for being smart. Honestly, we don’t listen to him most of the time.” He paused, voice low and measured. “And yet…….I’ve never heard of a spirit like you.” His eyes gleamed with growing confidence. “You’re not really a spirit, are you?”

  The rest of the bandits murmured in agreement as they began to awkwardly laugh at my summons.

  BERIC! IT’S NOW OR NEVER!

  Shade was still gone, and even if I used my wolves to distract them, saving those nobles would be a lost cause.

  Look, Beric, think rationally. If you run away, then you can just have Nightclaw trail them from afar. They’ll have to walk on foot due to the horses being gone, so they won’t get away as fast. And besides, you can get away easily.

  I moved closer to the long-haired man, until I was looking directly up at him.

  WHAT ARE YOU-

  “What would your daughter say?” I asked, gazing at him with tired eyes.

  He faltered. “What-How……How did you-”

  “You’re right. I’m not a spirit of direct pain. I don’t hurt people as a spirit normally would.” I looked down while contemplating my next words. I looked back up. “I instead curse the loved ones of my victims.”

  His eyes widened. “You don’t mean-”

  “It’d be a shame. She’s such a nice girl. Someone like her deserves a bright future, a future free from a spirit’s curse.” I grabbed his arm as I bore into his eyes. “If only you stayed away from this path. If only you heeded her words. If only you were truthful.”

  His face became pale. “I-I-I”

  I looked at the bald bandit. The soot underneath his nails made it seem as if his fingers were injured. “Your mother’s still waiting for you. I don’t wish to end that.”

  The bald man took a step back as he shook.

  “As for the rest of you, this should be enough.”

  I moved to the nobles.

  The bandits moved away as I neared, avoiding me like the plague. “Leave before I forget my kindness.”

  Without a word, the bandits quickly fled the area, leaving me alone with the nobles.

  How did you do that?

  “Do what?”

  That was like……..Sherlock Holmes! You did the deduction thing!

  “Well, this was mainly induction, but yeah, you can consider it deduction.”

  From the way the long-haired bandit had acted when the daughter was treated poorly, he had a soft spot for young girls.

  Woah.

  Not that way.

  He has a soft spot, one that hinted he has someone precious of his own. Given the situation and the tenderness he showed toward the daughter, I figured he must have a daughter too. Not only does he likely care deeply for her, but he probably carries a weight of guilt as well. Guilt for dragging her into danger by living this kind of life. Guilt for how his choices might one day ruin her future just by association. It was mostly guesswork, sure—but it paid off.

  Then there was the bald one. The soot beneath his fingernails was a clear sign that he chopped wood regularly. But as a bandit, that clearly wasn’t his profession. Which meant he was doing it for someone else. Someone he cared about. Likely a mother. If he was stuck doing that kind of labor, odds were the father was no longer around, and the mother had been forced to take on hard, physical work just to survive. The son, this bald man, clearly loved her deeply. And I used that love against him.

  The next Sherlock Holmes!

  “Again, luck was a big part in that…………but yeah, I did look cool saying all of that right?”

  “Please spare us!” The father begged as he stood between his family and me.

  “No, look, I’m-”

  The father got on his knees. “Please, spirit, take me instead!”

  “Okay, I’m trying to-”

  He grabbed my arms. “Let my wife and daughter go! They have done nothing wrong. Let me pay my life for theirs.”

  “Dude, can you let-”

  He lowered his head and offered me his neck. “I beg you, spirit, take this pitiful soul and-”

  I smacked the shit out of his neck.

  The wife and daughter gasped as the father yelped in surprise.

  You could’ve held back with that one.

  The father rubbed his neck and looked at me in wonder. “You didn’t……kill me?”

  I sighed as I fixed my eyes. “Like I was trying to tell you, I’m actually not a spirit.”

  The wife shielded the daughter. “Then, who are you?”

  I fixed my hair while trying to clean the blood off me, but most of it was too hard to get off. “I’m a villager from Lurindell. I was out roaming the forest when I heard screaming nearby, so I went to check it out. That’s how I found you and those bandits.” I called the summons over. The daughter was surprisingly not scared but amazed by how they followed my words. “These guys are my summons. I tamed them via soul bonding magic.”

  “Soul bonding…..” The father exhaled in shock.

  “But you-......you’re but a mere boy.” The mother slowly let go of the daughter and examined me. “You’re not much older than our Selene.” Her hand unconsciously rose to my face, but she stopped herself.

  “I know you’re probably tired and everything, but we have to get moving. While the bandits may be gone, there’s other beings here that can kill you just as easily.” I pointed behind me. “I’ll lead you back to my village, if that’s fine with you.”

  The nobles got up and dusted themselves off.

  The father spoke up. “We would be most grateful.”

  “We thank you for saving us and leading us.” The mother added.

  The daughter ogled at me with bright eyes.

  Lead the way, Mr. Navigator.

  I turned and led the way back. The three nobles began conversing with me as if we were long-lost friends, even though they were terrified of me just minutes before. But there was one question that lingered in my head.

  Where was Shade?

  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  “How old are you?”

  “7.”

  “Me too!”

  “Uh huh.”

  “What’s your favorite thing to eat?”

  “Anything.”

  She giggled at that. “For me, I don’t know. There’s just so many options. Cake, sweet rolls, tarts-”

  The seven year old daughter, Selene Velmont, began listing off all of the treats she could think of. Her parents, Roland Velmont and Elara Velmon, laughed at our exchange.

  “Now, now, Selene, don’t bother Beric too much.” Elara softly chided.

  “It’s fine. Beric doesn’t mind, right?” Roland asked.

  I do mind.

  “It’s alright.” I mumbled.

  “See?” Roland smiled at me, but it went away as the figure of Nightclaw soared above. “Still, to be able to use soul bonding magic at your age………have you already undergone a Core Reset?”

  “It’s been a few years.”

  He whistled.

  “That’s amazing! You’re not from a royal line, and yet you have the skills of one.” Elara marveled.

  “But of course! He took on a whole group of bandits on his own!” Roland declared.

  “Yeah, he was like, boom, and the bandits were like woah, and he was like bam, and they ran away!” Selene added.

  Roland laughed. “Yes, exactly!”

  They sounded like any normal family, right? Well, guess what.

  They’re the count and countess.

  Yep.

  Not barons. Not viscounts but counts. The same counts that rule over Therandor, the province which I reside in.

  Which begs the question, how exactly did they get caught by five bandits?

  I got it!

  “What?”

  I have an approximate location on Shade. He’s only a hundred feet away.

  I signaled for the nobles to slow down as I moved up. Peering through the bushes, I caught sight of Shade………and an orc.

  Holy shit.

  It looked like the orc was playing with Shade, while Shade was doing his best to maneuver around and avoid his hits. From the giant club in the orc’s hands, just one hit could knock him out of commission.

  Thankfully, I have soul magic, so I quickly recalled him. Recalling has a limit on the range, and depending on the summon, there’s a time limit before I can resummon the same summon.

  The orc was confused by the sudden disappearance, so I-

  The sound of a crunch alerted me.

  I looked behind to see the nobles staring back at me. Selene had accidentally stepped on a twig.

  I looked behind to see the Orc steadily gaining on us.

  Bro.

  Motherfuc-