ã€ŠMithril Bloodã€‹


 Chapter 1

    A dark hooded figure pushed through the doors into the patchwork of wood and nails which deemed itself a tavern. A chandelier hung in the middle, one fancy ornament inside of the rotting building, but even that was rusting away.

    Walking toward the bar, he took notice of grooves and cracks staining the floors and walls, with even some of the chairs and tables still holding signs of a swung sword or fist.

    There were loud, drunken hollers coming from many tables, but what took the hooded figure¡¯s attention were the low whispers in the corners hidden away from the low burning lanterns. Arriving at the bar counter, he took a seat and focused his attention toward the man running the entire establishment, or at the very least, who he assumed to be.

    ¡°You¡¯re a new face around here.¡± His voice was low and gravelly as he greeted the hooded figure, a voice fitting for the man¡¯s hulking features.

    ¡°New face? You can¡¯t even see my face, so what makes you think I¡¯m new?¡±

    ¡°Cause you¡¯re the only hidden face I¡¯ve seen around here.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± The hooded figure swept his gaze across the tavern, finding not a single person like him. ¡°You¡¯d think people in a place like this would want to stay hidden.¡±

    A town full of criminals, no, a town run by criminals would be more fitting to describe the place that they were in. He had done his research before coming to Vitir, to this lawless town which had been taken by a much stronger and fiercer group of criminals.

    ¡°Well, guess you don¡¯t need to hide anything when Vulf has your back, eh?¡± The hooded man let out a sigh at the surrounding corruption.

    His words set the tavern owner off, and suddenly, his gravelly voice became a growl. ¡°You¡¯re here for Vulf, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Suddenly, the shadows of the tavern began to stir, and the hooded man could sense piercing gazes from the darkness coming toward his direction.

    ¡°What are you? A bounty hunter? A hero chasing glory? Or did they finally send someone to investigate?¡±

    ¡°Who said anything about that? What if I just came here looking for something to eat and a place to rest?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t throw that shit at me, no outsider comes here looking for that.¡± The tavern keeper leaned in, trying to get a look at the man¡¯s face. ¡°Now answer my question. Are you here for Vulf?¡±

    The gazes grew even sharper, but instead of cutting him down, they only made the hooded man fiercer. A wide grin began to grow on his face as he met the tavern keeper in the eyes.

    ¡°Right, let me introduce myself.¡± He began to reach for the sword slung to his waist. ¡°But I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of me, of Ega.¡±

    The stirring shadows of the tavern suddenly froze at the sound of that name. It was a name that had been quickly spreading across the kingdom ¡°Ega the Blood Hunter.¡± Was the figure sitting before them truly that infamous Ega? What if it was just a bluff? But if he was telling the truth, there was no way that could afford a fight with him right now.

    One of the men sitting in the shadows tried to call him on his bluff and threw a dagger aimed straight for his head. Just a moment before it pierced his skull, Ega moved his hand, summoning a flicker of metal to deflect the incoming blade. In just an instant, he had drawn his sword

    The clashing of metal quickly silenced the tavern. Regular civilians in the tavern, even the ones with their heads full of alcohol knew what would happen next. Used to these types of occurrences, they all began to rush out the door, scattering like pigeons. The only ones left in the tavern now were Vulf¡¯s men, Ega, and the tavern keeper who was hiding under the bar.

    A volley of blades flew towards Ega as he stood up from his stool, but each of them faced a similar end to the first. With just a few strokes of his blade, he deflected three daggers and formed a domino effect of deflected daggers clashing with other daggers until they all cascaded onto the floor.

    Grabbing the stool he had just sat on, he launched it across the tavern, disorientating the men for only a moment before they cut it down with their own swords. But a moment was all Ega needed.

    His cloak fluttered behind him, barely keeping up with his shadow as he dashed towards Vulf¡¯s men. In an instant, he brought his blade through three of them in a single swing, almost like he was cutting through butter. One swing of his sword shook the criminals down to their core, leaving some with quivering hands as they held on desperately to their blades.

    ¡°What are you doing!¡± One of them yelled out from across the tavern. ¡°Attack him all at once!¡±

    Despite the valiant effort to rally his men back together, Ega was already moving onto the next few bandits. They desperately tried to parry, or at the very least, block his attacks, but such shoddy swordsmanship was easy to break through.

    For some strikes, he changed the trajectory of his sword mid swing. For other strikes, he knocked their blades to the side. Whatever strike he used, he was quickly bringing all of their heads to the ground.

    ¡°Now!¡± The same voice as before gave out another command right as Ega dealt with the last bandit on his side.

    He swung his head toward the source of that powerful voice and caught sight of their plan. A giant steel net had been casted towards his direction, and though he could cut through people with ease, a metal net was a different story.

    Grabbing a bloodied table, he flung it towards the net, blocking it before it could capture him. Following that net however were criminals chucking daggers as they ran toward him. Unable to deal with all of them at the same time, Ega dashed onto a table and leaped for the chandelier hanging in the middle.

    A few daggers caught his cloak, ripping it off of his body, but he had avoided taking any damage. Seeing another net and even more daggers flying towards his direction, Ega quickly came up with an idea to disrupt their attacks.

    Swinging his sword at the chain connecting the chandelier to the ceiling, he began to burn away a soul from his soul realm. With a newfound strength, he threw the amalgamation of iron and candles towards Vulf¡¯s men, crushing them as he dropped down.

    Though he had stopped another net from entangling him, he had left himself open to the daggers. A few of them grazed his flesh, with one even piercing into his abdomen as he landed back onto the ground. A few of the criminals found a hint of hope as Ega took a second to recover from his wound, but if something as small as that were to stop him, he wouldn¡¯t have been granted the title of a ¡°Blood Hunter.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Ripping it out from his abdomen, he threw it towards the remaining six left, quickly bringing it down to five. They all froze for a second, not expecting Ega to start moving so quickly, but giving him that time was the greatest mistake they could have made.

    In just a second, he had cut the distance between him and the criminals and began to tear through them and their broken morale. Ega heaved for air as he scanned the bloody tavern, making sure no one was left. Clutching his abdomen, he closed his eyes and began to focus on his soul realm again.

    Instead of burning another soul, he did something much more intricate, he mixed his soul with the soul of a salamander. The pierced and grazed flesh began to mend themselves at a rapid speed, but there was something strange about those patched areas. The skin over those areas was strangely smooth and almost wet, but he paid it no mind having been long used to these types of side effects.

    Hearing some rustling from behind the bar, Ega turned his attention to the tavern keeper rising from the ground. Walking over to the counter, he got ready to lob off another head.

    ¡°So? Are you going to fight me as well?¡±

    ¡°No no no! I¨C¡± The tavern keeper could barely speak as Ega¡¯s bloodied figure approached him. ¡°I¡¯m not with those bastards, I swear! I¡¯m just trying to run a tavern here and ended up being swept up with Vulf¡¯s gang. I can barely even pay for the repairs every time they cause a mess here! Please! I don¡¯t want to die as well!¡±

    Hearing the tavern keeper''s desperate tone, Ega was starting to feel a little bad for him as he scanned the wrecked tavern. This was probably the worst state that it has ever been in, especially since he had brought down an entire chandelier.

    ¡°Here, how about this,¡± Ega sheathed his sword as he talked, ¡°you tell me where Vulf is located, and I¡¯ll do the honors of taking care of him for you.¡±

    ¡°So you were after him! I can¡¯t do that, if he finds out I ratted him out¡­¡± The man¡¯s eyes grew wide at just the thought of it.

    ¡°He won¡¯t be able to do anything if I kill him first.¡±

    The tavern keeper took a step back, bewildered by Ega¡¯s straightforward assurance. Still, he started to contemplate the offer.

    ¡°Come on, put some trust in my name. Just look at what I was able to do here, Vulf won''t be any different.¡±

    Despite his display of bravado, Ega knew things were going to be much more difficult than that. The men he had fought here were pathetically weak. None of them possessed any powerful souls and a good chunk of them probably weren¡¯t even soul bearers.

    ¡°Argh! Fine! Ten silver and I¡¯ll be a rat.¡±

    A smile formed on Ega¡¯s face as he reached for a pouch slung to his belt. ¡°Right, you have to make something out of this if you¡¯re putting your head on the line, huh?¡±

    Pulling the ten silver out of his pouch, he handed them over. Ega probably could have easily figured it out himself with some more digging, but finding out as soon as possible after causing such a huge scene was imperative. Plus, he felt bad for the tavern keeper.

    The moment the coins dropped into the man¡¯s hands, he started to speak. ¡°The slums south of here is where Vulf and his men base themselves at. You¡¯ll find them quickly. Their base sticks out from all the rundown buildings. Also¡­ stay here for a minute.¡±

    The tavern keeper started to walk towards the back of the building and returned with something, or rather, someone.

    ¡°Come out here kid.¡±

    A small child stepped out from the back of the tavern. She was small, tiny even, probably no older than eight. Although her figure was quite thin, her face and black hair was clean at the very least, showing that the tavern keeper was at least taking some care of her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly why, but Vulf seems to care about this kid a lot. Forced me to hide her away in my tavern, even away from his own men. I¡¯m sure you can use her against him.¡±

    There was a wide grin on Ega¡¯s face as he looked at the child, instantly realizing why Vulf cared so much about this child as to try and hide her. ¡°Is she his kid or something?¡±

    ¡°As if. What kind of woman would want to be with that bastard?¡±

    ¡°Who knows, people can have a soft side.¡±

    But if this child didn¡¯t have any familial relation to Vulf, then what Ega was seeing now was probably the reason he cared so much about her. Ever since the Old God guarding their kingdom had died, people began to harvest its body for their needs.

    Those in possession of its Mithril Blood, aside from the small boost in their physical capabilities, had gained the power to see divinity. What Ega could see now, and what Vulf had probably seen was this child¡¯s blessed soul. He couldn¡¯t tell which Old God had blessed her, but being blessed meant you possessed a special power, and if you could take that soul for yourself, who knows just how much power you could wield with that soul.

    ¡°You really are spilling everything to me, huh?¡±

    There was a smirk on the tavern keeper¡¯s face. ¡°Well, if I¡¯m going to bet on you, I gotta go all in. And besides, I¡¯m screwing out of this town anyways with that ten silver. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯ve gotta get things in order.¡±

    He moved back toward the back of the tavern, and Ega couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of pity for him. Caught up in the chaotic workings of the world, if you weren¡¯t a capable soul bearer and didn¡¯t possess the right connections, there was nothing you could do.

    As the man left, Ega turned his attention toward the child, and as their eyes met, she shuddered and dropped her gaze. He never had a kind face in the first place, and the blood all over his body definitely wasn¡¯t helping.

    Walking over to her, he crouched down to meet her at eye level. There was a long, awkward silence as Ega tried to figure out what to say. He had never dealt with kids before let alone talked to them. Was there something he had to do differently compared to adults?

    After a bit of thinking, he gave up and approached the situation the same way he usually did. ¡°So, what¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°E¨CElla¡­¡± Her voice was unbelievably quiet, like a squeak from a mouse.

    ¡°Ella huh? Do you know Vulf?¡±

    She nodded her head.

    ¡°You like him?¡±

    She shook her head.

    ¡°Great! Then we got something in common. You just have to help me out here and I¡¯ll free you from his grasp, deal?¡±

    She nodded her head, not that she could have refused in the first place.

    Noticing that Ella was still shaking, Ega tried to comfort her. Tried.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be doing anything bad to you. Just listen to what I say and we¡¯ll be fine, alright?¡±

    Seeing another head nod left Ega satisfied. Maybe dealing with kids wasn¡¯t as hard as he thought it would be.

    ¡°Then let''s get out of here quickly.¡± With all the chaos that he caused, more of Vulf¡¯s men were probably swarming towards the tavern.

    Scooping Ella into arms, he quickly left, prepared to strike at Vulf and his gang.

 Chapter 2

    The slums of Vitir were like the slums of any other town or city. Just as many rotting buildings existed was an even larger number of rotting people dragging themselves around on the streets. However, if there was something that made it stand out from other slums, it was the large building that loomed over the decaying area, almost as if it were separate from the disease.

    In that building were men armed to the teeth with weapons, almost as if they were ready for war. Though they stood ready and focused, there was one individual, however, who was screaming.

    ¡°What do you mean all of them were killed!¡± One person was taking the brunt of Vulf¡¯s anger, hanging his head as low as he could.

    ¡°T-the locals there said that they witnessed a man calling himself Ega start a fight.¡±

    ¡°Ega? The Blood Hunter Ega?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir, and judging from how that squad was¡­ I¡¯m sure it was him.¡±

    ¡°That bitch is after me.¡± Vulf¡¯s anger began to calm down as he started to realize that it wasn¡¯t his squad¡¯s incompetence that got them killed, but a powerful opponent. ¡°Do we know where he went?¡±

    ¡°N-no sir, we¡¯ve sent out a few squads to search for his whereabouts, but he disappeared from the scene so fast that we couldn¡¯t even pick up a trace of him.¡±

    Realizing the severity of the situation, Vulf sat down at the desk behind him, needing to think through this calmly. Picking up the dagger at his desk, he began to bite on the edge of it, a habit that he had picked up ever since he had started to rise in infamy.

    He had learned how to manipulate souls on his own. How to gather them, how to use them, how to create one¡¯s own soul realm, he had learned it with his constant dances with death around the slums. People like him were often hot headed, but to survive in a place like this, no, to thrive in it, he had to calm himself. Move or speak too fast, and the dagger cuts you.

    There were scars on his lips from his habit, complimenting the other scars that littered his body, a testament to his work in the streets of Vitir. He wasn¡¯t going to make these scars amount to nothing now, not even in the face of the infamous ¡°Blood Hunter.¡±

    But just how would he bring this man down? Right now, they were in a game of cat and mouse, but Ega would have to show himself eventually to try and take Vulf¡¯s Mithril Blood. Did he just have to wait or¡­

    ¡°Sir!¡± Another man barged into Vulf¡¯s office, holding a piece of paper in his hand. ¡°An arrow was shot at our doorstep! There seems to be a letter on it from Ega.¡±

    Vulf¡¯s train of thought was suddenly broken, but hearing that there was a letter from Ega, his gaze began to sharpen. ¡°Give it to me.¡±

    He got up from his desk and quickly snatched the letter from the man, scrutinizing the paper. There were few words on it, but it got its point across.

    I have your ¡°blessed soul.¡±

    Meet me East of the slums at the fountain tonight.

    Ega.

    ¡°Ella! Where is that kid?¡± Vulf yelled out to his men, but all of them only looked at each other with confusion.

    Whenever Vulf brought up that child, his men could never understand Vulf¡¯s interest in her.

    ¡°W-we don¡¯t know sir.¡± One of his men stepped forward, slowly picking his words in face of Vulf¡¯s sudden flare of anger. ¡°Ulier suddenly disappeared after his tavern was wrecked so we couldn¡¯t even ask him.¡±

    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Vulf slammed the letter onto his desk as he realized how Ega had killed so many others with Mithril Blood.

    He must have realized the value of Ella¡¯s soul, but just how did Ega realize the connection between Ella and Vulf? How did he even find her in the first place? It was then that the realization had struck him, and he couldn¡¯t help but curse underneath his breath.

    ¡°Ulier that bitch.¡± Turning back to his men, he quickly gave them an order. ¡°Organize a small squad to look for Ulier. Tell them to drag that bastard here alive, and if they can¡¯t, tell them to make him suffer before he goes.¡±

    Though confused, they couldn¡¯t ignore his orders.

    ¡°Yes sir, I¡¯ll organize a squad right away.¡± The person who gave Vulf the letter quickly accepted the command and left the room.

    ¡°But sir, how are we going to deal with Ega?¡±

    ¡°Give me a damned second will you?¡± He snapped at his lackey, causing him to hang his head down again.

    Vulf picked up the dagger again and started to fall deep into thought. Ega wanted his Mithril Blood, that much was obvious. He was going to use Ella and her blessed soul to probably make some sort of deal. If he took that exchange, his men would most definitely become suspicious of Ella¡¯s value. He was trying to weigh his options and actions, biting harder on the dagger the longer he thought.

    Suddenly, it struck him, a way to get the best outcome out of this situation and to bring an end to Ega. A large grin began to form on his lips as the plan started to fall into place. It was a simple plan, fitting for a person from the slums. Why didn¡¯t he think of it sooner?

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you have your way,¡± he muttered before turning back to his men. ¡°Prepare yourselves for tonight, we¡¯re going to be hunting down this bastard.¡±

    ¡°Do you know where he¡¯ll¨C¡± Vulf¡¯s second in command tried to speak only to be cut off.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°This idiot gave me a time and place in this letter. Gather the best men we have, I¡¯m not letting this bastard get away with anything.¡±

    The confidence in his words ignited a fire in his men¡¯s eyes. They were going to do what they did best, and that was to cut down anyone who got in their way.

    ¡­

    In an abandoned house located North of the slums held two people in its crumbling walls, Ega and Ella. Despite being so close to the enemy, Ega hadn¡¯t seen any of Vulf¡¯s men after huddling himself into the abandoned house. They were too busy either searching the normal parts of Vitir or the East side of the slums. Who knew they¡¯d be right under Vulf¡¯s base?

    There was a fire burning in the house, providing them with some warmth as dusk slowly fell on them. With some respite, Ega was cooking a stew over the fire in a small pot that he pulled out from his soul sack.

    Despite its small size, it could store up to a drawer¡¯s worth of items. Made of the flesh and hide of some sort of soul bearing monster, its soul was still a part of the woven sack, creating a ¡°soul realm¡± that could store physical items. It was an incredible tool that Ega had taken from the Order of Knights some years back.

    Though Ega was close to the fire focused on cooking, Ella was sitting off to the side, huddled in a corner.

    ¡°What are you doing over there? Come over here, I¡¯m almost done cooking.¡±

    She was hesitant, but after meeting his sharp eyes, Ella inched herself closer to the fire. Ega was worried that she was cold being so far away from the fire and wearing rags. Was she not affected by the approaching winter?

    Pulling out a wooden bowl and spoon from his sack he handed it over to Ella, only, she didn¡¯t instantly accept it, leaving his arm hanging in the air. There was a strange look on her face, a mix of confusion, fear, and hesitance.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that look? Take it, we¡¯re going to eat.¡±

    Hearing that command, she gingerly took the spoon and bowl. ¡°Aren¡¯t you¡­ afraid that I¡¯ll run away?¡±

    ¡°Run away?¡± Now it was Ega¡¯s turn to give a strange expression. ¡°Now what makes you¡­ ah.¡±

    Ega noticed it before when he was running away from the tavern, but Ella could barely even run properly, leaving him to scoop her up in his arms and run. Either the tavern keeper was forced to keep her malnourished so that she couldn¡¯t escape, or it was of his own volition. Either way it left her in a very weak state.

    He was familiar with these types of practices, especially on the receiving end.

    ¡°Just eat. I cooked enough for two so two people are going to eat. Besides, you won¡¯t be able to escape from me anyways.¡±

    Although that last sentence was meant to be a joke, Ella had taken it seriously, tensing up at his words. He didn¡¯t pay it any mind. Grabbing the ladle from the pot, he swirled the soup a few times before scooping some into her bowl.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember what I said? Just listen to me and we¡¯ll be fine. Now eat.¡±

    She looked at the stew for a long second, feeling the whiffs of steam brush her pale face. Just as she was about to eat, Ega spoke again.

    ¡°It¡¯s hot, so don¡¯t forget to blow on it,¡± he said, pouring himself a bowl of stew. ¡°And hold the spoon properly, will you? Like this.¡±

    He stuck his hand out for her to see, a stark contrast to the way that Ella was holding it by the full palm of her hand. Mimicking his hold, she started to eat, blowing on the spoon a few times before having a taste of it.

    Her face instantly lit up at her first taste of proper food. She quickened her pace, devouring the stew quickly. Ega couldn¡¯t help but watch and be reminded of when he was younger.

    ¡°Good, isn¡¯t it?¡± There was a prideful smile as he watched her eat.

    Ella furiously nodded her head before returning back to the stew.

    ¡°Take your time now, the food isn¡¯t going anywhere.¡± He poured her some more stew as she ate.

    As Ega finished up his meal, he started to take notice of his wounds and how they had fully healed. Putting the bowl onto the ground, he closed his eyes and started to focus on his soul realm. He moved through this land of darkness, catching sight of a few of the souls that he had gathered throughout his life until he found the most important soul of all, his own soul.

    Taking a deep breath, he began the procedure of separating his soul from the soul of the black salamander. Soul burning was the most basic way to use souls, a simple way to gain a quick burst of power. Soul mixing however, was a much more advanced and powerful method of gaining very unique powers.

    However, just as it was powerful, it was dangerous; for if one mixed their own soul too finely with another soul, they would never be able to return back to their normal form. Habits, instincts, even thoughts would begin to mix between the two souls, and in the worst case, it could cause a soul fracture.

    To avoid such outcomes, soul bearers had to manually separate their own soul from the souls that they mixed in after a certain amount of time.

    Taking a deep breath Ega began to take on that process, slowly pulling apart the salamander¡¯s soul from his own. It was something he had done thousands of times before, but caution had to be taken every single time to not cause a tear in the salamander¡¯s soul, or worse, his own soul.

    After some time, he had finally separated the two souls, letting the salamander¡¯s soul roam around in his realm. Feeling the slimy skin covering his wounds slowly returning back to normal, he opened his eyes again, he noticed Ella was huddled closer to the fire than before.

    ¡°Are you cold?¡±

    ¡°N-no¡­¡± She turned her gaze away from Ega.

    He couldn¡¯t believe that this child would just bluntly lie to him like that. Reaching into the sack, he pulled out one of his winter coats.

    ¡°Here.¡± Ega leaned over, wrapping the oversized coat around her. ¡°Sorry I don¡¯t have any proper clothes for you, but you can do with this, can¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ ah¡­ thank you¡­¡± She squeezed the coat tighter around herself, enveloping herself in a warmth long forgotten. It was comfortable, and it was this comfort that was lulling her eyes shut despite her attempts to fight against it.

    Noticing this he told her, ¡°Just go to sleep, everything is happening later into the night anyways.¡±

    Listening to his command, she lied down and quickly entered the land of dreams. Ega looked up through a hole in the roof, noticing the darkening sky. Despite his confidence in taking down Vulf in their confrontation tonight, he still needed to prepare himself for the worst. Being complacent wasn¡¯t what made him known as a ¡°Blood Hunter.¡±

    Even if everything could be resolved peacefully by exchanging Ella for the Mithril Blood, there was still a good chance that they were going to fight. Deals don¡¯t usually go the way that one expects them to, especially when it''s between people from the slums.

    He began to organize everything for a possible fight. Pulling out daggers, smoke bombs, fire bombs, his bow and quiver of arrows, he laid it all out in front of him. Even with all of this, could he really beat an entire gang?

    There was little information on them, especially since they were pressuring the weak ruler of Vitir from doing anything. At the same time, it worked the other way, they didn¡¯t have information on him.

    The only thing they knew was that Ega hunted down individuals who possessed Mithril Blood. None of the stories that he had caught wind of had any details of his techniques, methods, or even basic things like his face, at least, not yet.

    Ega realized that the real tipping point of all of this would be Ella. It was the one differing variable from this entire situation, and he hoped that betting on her would work. Taking a deep breath, he began to steel himself for the upcoming confrontation. Either everything would be resolved peacefully, or he¡¯d have to raze hell upon them.

 Chapter 3

    The moon hung high, revealing itself to the water¡¯s gaze trapped by a crumbling stone fountain in the middle of the slums. Surrounding this fountain were tall buildings that were falling apart, almost like it used to be something much more than a part of the slums years ago. The large open square, a fountain in the middle, and tall buildings on the side would have made it perfect for festivals and parties.

    But Ega didn¡¯t choose this location just because of some uncertain past. He had a strategy in mind when it came to the entire area, but he hoped that he wouldn¡¯t need to use it.

    Standing beside him was Ella who still had the oversized coat draped over her shoulders. She was shivering, and though a part of that could have been from the cold weather evident from their frosty breaths, he could sense that there was more to it.

    ¡°What? Are you scared?¡± He asked, noticing that even her eyes were beginning to shake.

    She shook her head, trying to convince Ega and herself that everything was fine, but it was obvious to him how she was feeling.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be.¡± He tried to reassure her. ¡°Understand that I¡¯m not going to completely sell you out. I get what I want and I¡¯ll free you from this Vulf bastard. Trust me will you?¡±

    He smiled, but it wasn¡¯t the type of warm, reassuring smile, but that of confidence teetering on the edge of arrogance. Strangely enough, Ella found some comfort in that and nodded her head, though there was still a hint of fear on her face.

    Ega couldn¡¯t really blame her for having such fears, after all if Vulf was too much of a hassle to handle, then he would have just exchanged Ella for the Mithril Blood without looking back. At the very least, that¡¯s what he told himself.

    The two of them waited for a few minutes until finally, someone began to appear from a distance. At first, it just seemed like one person, but two other men quickly were by his side. There was a confidence in their steps, as if they were walking into this sure that they would get what they want.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re that infamous ¡®Blood Hunter.¡¯ Ega right? It''s a pleasure to finally meet a man I¡¯ve only heard stories about.¡± A sly smile was plastered across Vulf¡¯s face, putting Ega on edge.

    Just where was this confidence coming from? Was it just a veil of false bravado? Or was there something he wasn¡¯t accounting for?

    ¡°And you must be Vulf. I¡¯ll just get to the goddamned point, give me your Mithril Blood and I¡¯ll give you this kid back.¡±

    ¡°Do you think we¡¯re getting a little impatient? I just¡ª¡±

    Ega suddenly cut him off, quickly drawing his bow and nocking an arrow in a swift motion. Instead of aiming at Vulf however, he aimed at the roof of a building behind him.

    ¡°Course I am. I wouldn¡¯t want a little rat to suddenly start surrounding me with all his friends now would I? Like that one on the roof.¡±

    The sly smile was quickly wiped away from Vulf¡¯s face. Raising his hand, he gave the signal for the archer on the roof to back off.

    Seeing the figure disappear from behind the roof tiles, Ega withdrew his bow, putting it back on the quiver hung to his right side.

    ¡°Alright, so now we can talk, can¡¯t we?¡± Vulf was beginning to examine Ega much more sharply, trying to get a read at his skill level.

    ¡°Just give me the Mithril Blood.¡± Ega didn¡¯t want to drag this conversation out for any longer. ¡°I know damned well the value of this kid. So just give me the blood and I¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    ¡°I hear you, but you know¡­¡± Vulf looked off to the side, as if he was going to try and drag this conversation out even longer. However, in a moment, he drew his sword and bolted towards Ega. ¡°You can screw off with that deal of yours!¡±

    He swung downward toward Ega only to be caught by a swiftly drawn blade. Ega could feel the heavy weight behind the swing bearing down on him. After parrying the sudden attack, he grabbed Ella and dashed backwards.

    ¡°So I guess you don¡¯t care about¡ª¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t. Let me ask you, just how much Mithril Blood have you gathered?¡± The smile returned to Vulf¡¯s lips.

    So this was his plan. It was plain and simple, befitting from someone from the underworld. Just kill the person in your way and take everything they have. That would be the most favorable outcome, but¡­

    ¡°Do you really think you can kill me?¡± Ega¡¯s eyes grew sharper as the two men beside Vulf began to move toward his flank.

    ¡°Think? No, I know I can.¡± Vulf charged forward again with even greater speed than last time. His men quickly followed, attacking Ega from the sides.

    As much as he wanted to end this with a short clash of blades, Ega knew he couldn¡¯t fight all three of them at once. There were definitely soul bearers, and judging by their movement, they probably knew how to mix their souls. Ega mixed his soul with that of a horse, took Ella into his arms and spirited away.

    Breaking into a rotting building, he began to take sharp turns as he ran, weaving out to the streets and back into the buildings before running up and jumping across from window to window. Ella clung desperately to his neck, trying her best not to fall out of his arms.

    After creating enough distance, Ega quickly positioned Ella to his back and continued dashing from the buildings back into the streets and up into buildings again. After he was confident that he had broken away from their pursuit, he took a second to catch his breath and reassess the situation.

    ¡°Search every single goddamned building!¡± Vulf¡¯s voice was bellowing across the streets of the broken square. ¡°We are not letting him get away from us!¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Mixing the soul of an owl into his own, Ega began to scan the surroundings with his newfound vision, finding that even more of Vulf¡¯s men had entered the area. He estimated that there were fifty or so people wielding a mix of swords, spears, and more importantly, bows and crossbows.

    Just as he was about to take action, Ega felt something wet touch the back of his neck. He turned back and was quickly reminded that he was carrying a child around in the midst of battle.

    ¡°Hey, hey, calm down, everything¡¯s going to be alright.¡± He crouched down, letting her stand on her own. ¡°Look at me, just look at me okay?¡±

    Ella could barely meet Ega¡¯s gaze through her teary eyes. She sniffled, trying her best to hold everything in.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to beat their asses, do you understand? I won''t let them leave a scratch on any of us.¡± Ega wiped the tears away with his deeply callused hands. ¡°Just close your eyes, hold on tight, and I¡¯ll take care of everything.¡±

    Ella¡¯s crying began to slow down, and when she was finally able to keep herself together, Ega placed her on his back again.

    ¡°Like I said, just close your eyes and everything will be over in no time.¡± She did as commanded, holding on desperately onto Ega.

    Taking a deep breath, Ega sheathed his sword and drew his bow again. He looked out the windows, eyes piercing through the shroud of the darkness and straight towards Vulf¡¯s men. Following the path of his sharp gaze was the sharp tip of his arrow whistling through the cold night air and landing dead on to one of his pursuers.

    One down.

    Ega took another shot.

    Two.

    There was yelling echoing throughout the area after the first two fell, telling of his position. He quickly dashed to another building, gaining another vantage point before releasing two more arrows.

    Three, four.

    He spotted one running in the streets and released another shot only to graze the man¡¯s shoulder. His mistake did not go unpunished. An arrow flew towards Ega¡¯s face, narrowly missing him by an inch. Returning the gift, he shot back.

    Five.

    Footsteps began to converge on Ega¡¯s position as the yelling grew even louder. Having to face them head on now, he quickly drew his sword. They stormed the building he was in, running up the stairs to his vantage point only to be greeted by the cold, sharp touch of metal.

    Six, seven.

    The rest stumbled back for a second as their fallen comrades¡¯ bodies began to fall back from the steps. Not letting a moment pass, Ega charged down and thrusted his sword forward, piercing through one of the dead bodies and skewering the other.

    Eight.

    He yanked his blade back and swung at the last two who tried to parry his attack only to crumble in the face of Ega¡¯s strength.

    Nine, ten.

    He took a few seconds to recover and catch his breath. His entire body felt like it was burning, a side effect from Ega¡¯s never-ending ferocity. Even though it was decisively winning him these clashes, it was quickly burning through his stamina.

    Worst of all was Ella hanging on his back, limiting his movements to much more inefficient strikes. He needed to separate her from this battle, but now wasn¡¯t the time. If he wanted to use the final part of his plan, he had to do it at just the right time.

    As more footsteps began to approach him, Ega started to move again. Delivering a few shots as he ran, he cut down their numbers even further.

    Eleven, twelve.

    ¡°Come out here you rat bastard!¡± Vulf¡¯s voice boomed through the night, nearly shaking the crumbling buildings. ¡°Fight me with your sword!¡±

    Ega could sense that Vulf and his men were incredibly close, and so, he took the taunt.

    ¡°What do you think I am, some noble knight?¡± He couldn¡¯t match Vulf¡¯s volume, but it did the trick.

    ¡°There! Storm that building from all angles!¡± His scarred lips twisted into a smile as he witnessed Ega fall for such a simple provocation.

    Being so close to the enemy and with his position revealed, they all began to break into the building Ega was in. Every angle was being taken, the stairs, the windows, hell, even the roof seemed like it was being broken into with the amount of steps rattling above.

    Although he was trapped, there wasn¡¯t a hint of worry on Ega¡¯s face. Instead, it was full of anticipation. The moment they had him surrounded, he took advantage of the most important aspect of his surroundings, the high density of flammable wood.

    Scattering fire bombs, Ega quickly leapt out of the building, feeling the explosion and brush of heat graze his cheeks. The dark night was suddenly exposed to a roaring flame, but that was far from being the only one. Once he landed, he threw even more bombs, setting the entire place on fire. It began to spread from building to building, engulfing the area into a sea of flames.

    It didn¡¯t matter how many men Vulf brought, either they were going to die to the flames or, at the very least, be held back by it. Sprinting off, Ega found a safe place not yet engulfed by the fire.

    Setting Ella down, he pointed toward the North side of the slums and said, ¡°Ella, I need you to run towards that direction and don¡¯t look back. Do you understand me?¡±

    Though shaken, she furiously nodded her head.

    ¡°Good. Take this with you just in case something happens.¡± Pulling a dagger from his cloak, he placed it into her tiny hands. ¡°Now go.¡±

    Despite his command, she hesitated. There was a mix of emotions in her eyes as she looked at Ega.

    ¡°What?¡± But through that mix of emotions, Ega could clearly discern one of them. Worry. ¡°Trust me. Didn¡¯t I tell you that I¡¯d hold up my end of the deal? You¡¯re free from Vulf, so go.¡±

    He patted her on the back, pushing her to start running. Once her small figure began to shrink into the distance, Ega turned back to the battlefield of flames. Mixing the soul of the black salamander into his own, he charged back in.

    Through the burst of flames, crashing planks, and crackling fire, he could hear Vulf yelling from a distance trying to order his men around and get them to group together. As he caught sight of them, he pulled out his bow for two shots.

    They flew in quick succession, cutting through the flames before piercing through the chest of the men standing beside Vulf. Chaos began to grip them from the sudden strike while they were still trying to recover from the fire.

    With such a perfect opportunity presenting itself, Ega mixed one final soul into his own, the soul of an ironwood bear, and charged towards Vulf. With the speed of a sprinting horse and strength of a bear, Ega knocked him back.

    Before he could even finish skidding across the ground, Ega dashed again, grabbing Vulf by the collar and charging him through the burning buildings. Unable to remember how many burning buildings he had broken through, he began to notice a strange transformation.

    The man in his clutches was beginning to grow fur all over his body, and as Ega broke out into an empty street, Vulf broke the grip on his collar. Just as he was backing away from him, Ega quickly drew his sword and struck at his hand.

    ¡°You bitch! You think you can kill me?¡± Vulf¡¯s body was covered in silver fur, a result of mixing his soul with a moon wolf.

    ¡°Now that I¡¯ve scattered you shits apart, of course.¡± Ega threw off his burning cloak as he got into a stance, ready to finally claim his Mithril Blood.

 Chapter 4

    Ega took a long breath, feeling his throat sting from the burning hot air. Staying calm and focused was the most important thing that he had to cling onto, especially whenever the world seemed to be on fire.

    The grayish blue fur all over Vulf¡¯s body was as tough as steel, but he wasn¡¯t completely covered. Dashing in, Ega aimed at the gaps where flesh was exposed; around the joints, hands, and parts of the face, but cutting into Vulf wasn¡¯t going to be easy.

    Their blades clashed, sending sparks flying into the air. Pushing his momentum, Ega continued his onslaught of strikes, leaving Vulf on the defensive. For the first few clashes, it seemed like the two of them were even, but a slight gap started to form between them.

    Ega was moving only a split second faster, but with more and more sparks dancing at the clash of their blades, the gap began to widen. He was beginning to gain an edge in speed, and with that edge, he feinted a thrust towards Vulf¡¯s eyes only to slash his sword onto his sword wielding hand.

    Gritting his teeth, Vulf tried to counter, only for his weakening strike to be easily parried. Realizing his disadvantage, he quickly moved back to create distance, giving both of them a few seconds to catch their breath.

    ¡°Despite what you said, you have the swordsmanship of a damned knight.¡± Vulf could recognize those movements from anywhere.

    Clean, precise, and methodical, those were the essence of Ega¡¯s strikes, something that Vulf knew how to dismantle completely. Despite the injury on his hand, he began to smile. He had killed plenty of knights before, and with a newfound confidence, he began to move.

    Digging his sword into the ground, Vulf flung the dirt directly at Ega¡¯s eyes and dashed towards him, ready to cut him down. However, assuming that Ega only knew how to fight like a knight just because of his swordsmanship was the greatest mistake he could have made.

    Vulf stopped himself mid-dash as two daggers flew directly towards his eyes. He parried the sudden attack, but it was already too late. Ega had moved forward, and paying the favor back, he threw dirt into Vulf¡¯s eyes.

    Caught by surprise, he began to swing widely to keep Ega at bay. But wild swings were full of gaps. Finding the perfect moment, Ega thrusted his sword toward Vulf¡¯s eyes, but exhaustion was beginning to catch up to him.

    Rather than pierce through into his skull, he thrusted his blade into Vulf¡¯s mouth. Still, he couldn¡¯t let this moment go to waste. Slicing through his cheek, Ega began to carve out a larger mouth for Vulf

    Vulf retreated yet again, screaming as he finally removed the dirt from his eyes. Just as he pried them open, he saw Ega pouncing right onto him. With the strength of a bear, he knocked Vulf onto the ground, digging his blade into Vulf¡¯s free hand and pinning it to the ground.

    Pulling out another dagger from the back of his belt, Ega aimed for Vulf¡¯s eyes again, furiously trying to jam it through his skull. But a hand quickly got in his way as Vulf let go of his blade to block the attack.

    For a few seconds, they were locked in a stalemate with Ega trying to push the dagger down into the eye and Vulf desperately trying to keep Death¡¯s scythe at bay. But Vulf¡¯s strength began to wane, and the dagger began to inch closer and closer to his eye.

    Vulf began to take notice of the face of his soon-to-be killer, his expression didn¡¯t belong to that of a noble knight or a cunning hunter, he knew that expression from anywhere. It was an expression that belonged to those from the slums, the face desperate for survival.

    It was this desperation that fueled the burning buildings surrounding them. It was this desperation which fueled his hunt for Mithril Blood. And it was that same desperation that was infused into the tip of the dagger which began to pierce Vulf''s right eye. He screamed out in pain as the dagger dug deeper, but he refused to die here.

    Vulf knew of desperation just as well as Ega did, and though his soul might never fully recover, he began to mix the soul of the moon wolf even deeper into his own soul. Gaining the little bit of strength that he needed, Vulf tore his pinned hand out of the blade and sunk his bloodied fist into Ega¡¯s abdomen.

    Vulf punched Ega right at his liver, sending him flying for a distance before he landed face to face with the roaring flames. Both of them took some seconds to recover, Vulf from all the lacerations on his body and Ega from the exhaustion and liver punch that he received.

    As Ega freed himself from the paralysis of pain, he sluggishly rose to his feet, ready to get into another brawl. But Vulf didn¡¯t have the same idea. Instead, his back was turned to Ega and he lifted his face towards the sky.

    Ega tried to throw his dagger to stop Vulf, but the moon wolf fur was too tough for the dagger to even scratch him. Suddenly, a loud howl rang through the flame lit night. Though unexpected, Ega knew exactly what that was for; to alert his men of their position.

    ¡°That kid isn¡¯t with you anymore, huh?¡± A smile spread across Vulf¡¯s bloodied face as he started to sprint away from the battle.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    All of the injuries had slowed him down, giving Ega enough time to draw his bow and shoot a desperate arrow onto the back of Vulf¡¯s knee. There was a howl of pain as it pierced true, but he tore the arrow out and hobbled forward regardless.

    Ega tried to chase after him, needing to pick up his sword first. As wrapped his fingers around the grip of his sword, an arrow whizzed right past his cheek, leaving a deep gash across his face.

    Turning toward the direction of the arrow, he saw five men approaching him. There were two archers in the back as the other eight stood with swords in hand, ready to finish off his ragged hunter. As much as he wanted to chase after Vulf, Ega needed to take care of these men first, and he had to do it fast.

    He knew that if he took too long, either Vulf would escape from his grasp, or judging from what he had just said, he¡¯d take Ella¡¯s soul and use it to finish their fight. Either way, both were catastrophic outcomes for him.

    Turning toward the ten men, Ega burned a soul to recover some of his strength. Even with the little bit of energy left, he was confident in winning. They were far from the same level as Vulf, and though they outnumbered him, he still had one trick left in his sleeves.

    Reaching into his soul sack, Ega threw the smoke bombs toward the men. As the bombs exploded into a large wave of smoke, Ega began to charge in, mixing the soul of a snake into his own. He could see them through the smoke, sensing their heat even against the wall of fire.

    Maneuvering through the smoke like a python, he struck at them one by one as panic and confusion took hold of them. Their screams were silenced as he brought his blade through them until finally, all ten of them had fallen.

    Dragging himself out of the smoke, he took another moment to regain what little bit of energy he could. Mixing so many souls into his own was beginning to weigh on him, causing his body to be unsure of which soul to incorporate to its structure.

    His owl and snake eyes were blending with each other, disorientating Ega for a few seconds until he began to calm down all the souls trying to be a part of his body. He dragged himself forward, looking for Vulf''s blood trail.

    Spotting it in the distance, he took notice of an arrow off to the side. Seeing that his quiver was empty, arrows probably scattered somewhere after being knocked away by Vulf, he picked it up. Every arrow, every blade, every little trick that he had up his sleeves was imperative to winning.

    Slipping the arrow into his quiver, he began to move, ready to bring this hunt to an end.

    ¡­

    Away from the flames, in the darkest corners of the slums was Vulf dragging himself through its shadows. He sniffed the air, trying to catch a trace of Ella. Blood dripped from his hands, face, and eye, but he pushed forward.

    He was raised in these slums, born and molded from the constant fights, tricks, and bodies thrown into some dark alley. He couldn¡¯t die here, no, he wouldn¡¯t die here, not after achieving so much.

    It was a stroke of luck that he had stumbled upon the Mithril Blood and an even greater stroke of luck that he had found Ella. For his luck to end like this, to just one bastard, he refused such a pathetic end.

    Sniffing the air once again, Vulf had finally found it, the scent of Ella. Though faint, he could track her down. Despite all of his injuries, he was creating good progress as Ella¡¯s scent became stronger and stronger.

    He moved through the streets, through the dark corners and past the rotting buildings until finally, he saw her. Ella was panting, tired from the constant running. Hearing the footsteps behind her, she turned back only to be horrified at the bloody monster approaching her.

    She pushed herself to run, to move away as much as she could, but after taking her desperate steps, she stumbled onto the ground. There was only so much she could do, only so far she could run away before her body began to give up.

    ¡°There you are.¡± His voice came out as a growl, like a beast ready to claim its prey.

    As he approached her, Ella desperately pulled out the dagger that Ega had given her, pointing it toward Vulf.

    ¡°Just what are you going to do with that?¡± He laughs at her desperate attempt to keep him at bay. Kicking the dagger out of her hands, he grabbed her by the throat and raised her into the air. ¡°I don¡¯t even care if your soul hasn¡¯t fully matured, give it to me now.¡±

    Just as Vulf was about to choke her to death, a whistling sound cut through the air before stopping right at Vulf¡¯s figure. An arrow had pierced the back of his neck, and before Vulf could even make sense of anything, he fell over, dead.

    Ella gasped for air as he escaped from Vulf¡¯s grip, shivering in fear from his dead body. From a distance she could see Ega approaching, dragging himself forward as if he had just left a warzone. He was covered in blood and sweat, his clothes slightly burnt and his figure ragged beyond belief.

    Standing just before Ella, he looked at Vulf¡¯s dead body before turning back to her. ¡°You good kid?¡±

    She was still shaken by the sequence of events, but hearing his sluggish words, she found enough comfort to nod her head at him.

    ¡°Good¡­ good¡­¡± Turning toward Vulf¡¯s dead body, he crouched down. He groaned out his pain as his adrenaline began to wear off, revealing to him just how exhausted he was.

    Placing his hand on Vulf¡¯s still warm body, he began to focus one more time. He could sense the Mithril Blood in the dead body, and using his own Mithril Blood, he began to pull it out.

    The blood stained his hand before seeping into his skin, giving him a hint of the Old Gods¡¯ powers. Despite that, Ega hadn¡¯t felt any better. In fact, he felt his condition worsen as he tried to adjust to the blood entering his body.

    Ega fell over, unable to control his body any further. As much as he tried to cling onto his consciousness, it began to slip and his eyelids began to fall.

    ¡®Shit, shit, shit.¡¯ Ega began to panic, fearing the worst. Vulf¡¯s men could find them and finish him off. Maybe some bandits would stumble upon them and kill them. Hell, even Ella could kill him and claim his Mithril Blood.

    Ega didn¡¯t, no, he couldn¡¯t put it past anyone. But as much as he wanted to stay awake to protect himself, it was all too much until finally, his consciousness had faded.

 Chapter 5

    A warm, sunny day greeted Ega as he opened his eyes. He looked around the grassy field, watching it sway with the passing breeze. The scene before him was from a special place and time, ripped directly from his memories.

    He knew it was a dream, but he didn¡¯t mind being in this place, where, for the few moments in his life, Ega could find some semblance of peace. As another breeze passed by, he closed his eyes, wanting to savor the moment, but what was a nice breeze suddenly swirled into a scorching hot gust of wind.

    He opened his eyes to a black sky, a starless sky made only of the darkest ink imaginable. But light still illuminated in the form of a raging fire, burning towns, cities, and scattering all of their remains as ashes into the air.

    The scattered ashes began to twist in the endless darkness, forming horrendous creatures. They were formless, with mouths and eyes hanging haphazardly all over their bodies. They ranged from the size of dogs to humans to even the fabled dragons.

    They began to charge at him, no, past him, and all he could do was shut his eyes and stand paralyzed as the monsters passed by. Once they were gone, Ega opened his eyes again only to be greeted by an even more revolting sight, the body of the dead Old God.

    In the form of a human, its giant body lay before him, blood spilling from the lacerations all across its body. The guardian Yolu had fallen, leaving the great kingdom of Lanier exposed to the Outers.

    Screams and yells began to pierce Ega¡¯s ears as the Outers began to wreak havoc. All he could do was close his eyes, and try his best to silence the sounds, until finally, he woke up.

    His eyes darted around in a panic as they shot open, but seeing a crumbling roof dotted with holes, he started to calm down. Pressing his arm against his eyes, he heaved out a long sigh. Ever since he fused together with a piece of the Old God Yolu, he had started to receive visions of the future, a future where their kingdom would be consumed by the Outers.

    Some great calamity would befall upon them, but Ega knew how to change the course of that uncertain future. He needed to bring back their Old God once more.

    Mithril Blood is the most important part of the Old Gods. It is where their divinity came from, how they are able to manipulate the world at will and where their power to fend off the Outers derived from. The flesh and bones only served as a vessel, so all Ega needed to do was gather up enough blood and the rest would eventually follow.

    Hearing a strange clanging sound, Ega forced himself upright to access the situation better. Ella was sitting by a fire with a pot hanging over it in a similar fashion to when he was cooking a stew. She had a small knife in hand, gingerly wielding it as she tried to cut up some meat, carrots, and potatoes.

    Wondering where she had even got that, Ega reached for his belt only to feel the soul sack missing. All the rustling alerted Ella of Ega¡¯s now awake state. She turned to him only to turn back at the knife and cutting board.

    ¡°I¡­ um¡­¡± Her face flushed with embarrassment and shame. She braced herself for Ega to yell at her or scold her for what she was doing, but he didn¡¯t seem to care that much.

    ¡°Not a bad try. Here, let me show you how to do it.¡± Taking the knife away from Ella, he began to cut the carrots and potatoes, purposely slowing himself down for her to watch.

    Despite only having watched Ega cook the stew once, she got a good amount of the steps completed. Setting up the pot and fire was already half the battle. Throwing the meat into the pot first, he looked over at Ella.

    ¡°Are you really hungry?¡±

    She weakly nodded her head, not wanting to seem too greedy.

    ¡°Here, let me get you something to chew on for the meantime.¡± Taking the soul sack off to the side, he imagined the jerky that he had placed in there a while ago and pulled it out. Handing it to Ella, he continued cooking, giving a few guiding words here and there to explain what he was doing.

    She watched intently, wanting to remember every step so she could replicate them when the time came. Ega couldn¡¯t help but smile, noticing her intense gaze, knowing that everything he was saying was getting through to her.

    A few minutes before the stew finished, Ega asked, ¡°How¡¯d you even drag us here in the first place? Was anyone chasing you?¡±

    Ella shook her head, ¡°Guards came after¡­ They ran after them, so no one went after us.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± They had probably started to investigate the roaring flames and taken care of the remainder of Vulf¡¯s gang. After seeing them so disorganized and with Vulf dead, they probably took the opportunity to take back control of their town.

    Once the stew finished cooking, Ega began to pour both of them a bowl, finding himself pouring Ella more scoops of stew as they ate. Her face lit up the same as last time, and Ega couldn¡¯t help but grin as he watched her eat.

    As they finished, Ega began to search for a faucet. Even though they were in the slums, the aqueducts still carried water to each of the houses, a sign that this area used to be something more in the past. Although it was slow, probably from the fact that they were eroded, it was enough for him to wash all the bowls, pots, and even all the blood and grime off his body.

    He also gave Ella a towel to wipe herself down. Though they weren¡¯t looking their best, both of them were presentable at the very least. After putting everything away in his soul sack and getting into a new change of clothes away from Ella¡¯s view, Ega started to leave.

    Ella quickly trailed behind him. Seeing this, he turned back to face her.

    ¡°What?¡± He was wearing a confused expression. ¡°You¡¯re free now, no need to keep following me kid.¡±

    ¡°But, can I¡ª¡±

    ¡°No.¡± His voice was stern. This was where their relationship ended, at least, he was trying to end it here.

    ¡°Please¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t have¡­¡± Ella¡¯s voice began to shake and tears began to well up in her eyes. She lowered her gaze, not wanting Ega to see her crumbling expression.

    ¡®Anywhere else to go.¡¯ He internally finished the sentence for her.

    Ega couldn¡¯t help but let out a long sigh as memories of his younger days were coming back to him. He was like Ella, nowhere else to go but back into the slums where he¡¯d probably end up dead at the end of some alleyway. If it wasn¡¯t for his master, he would have never made it this far.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you use me?¡± It was a desperate plea at this point. ¡°Don¡¯t I have some special soul that you can take from me once I get older? I heard Vulf talking about it so can¡¯t you keep me around for¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ella.¡± His voice stopped her from speaking further. Crouching down, he tried to meet her eyes, only for her to keep her gaze on the ground.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Just what do you think you are? You¡¯re not some tool for me to use nor are you some cattle for me to raise only to slaughter once you''re useful. Do you know what you are?¡±

    ¡°A kid?¡± She forced out the words between her tears and sniffles.

    ¡°A human Ella. You¡¯re a human being no matter if your soul is blessed or if you¡¯re just a kid. Can you understand that?¡±

    Tears were dripping down her face as he weakly nodded her head. She tried to wipe them with her arms, but they slipped through and pattered the dry ground.

    ¡°And about you coming along with me, do you know what I''m doing? The types of shi¡ª stuff that I get into? I cannot guarantee your safety. Hell, I¡¯ll tell you this right now, when it comes down to it, I will give up your neck for mine, and you still want to come along with me?¡±

    She nodded her head, and met his gaze with teary eyes. Still, through all those tears, the defiant fire in her eyes was burning bright. Seeing this, Ega couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue and let out another long sigh. Standing up, he looked around for a second, contemplating what to do next. After a few seconds, he found his words.

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    He turned back to witness Ella¡¯s face light up through the sniffling and tears. ¡°Th-thank¡­ you¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me for dragging you closer to your death.¡± He crouched down, helping wipe her tears away.

    Once Ella had stopped crying and pieced herself back together, Ega asked, ¡°Are you okay now?¡±

    She weakly nodded her head in response. Standing up again, he stuck his hand out at Ella. For a few seconds, she just stared at it, unsure of what he was doing.

    ¡°Come on, take my hand. I don¡¯t want you getting lost now.¡±

    After looking up at Ega, she grabbed his hand only to flick back, not expecting his hands to be so rough. All the clauses were prickly, but they didn¡¯t hurt her at the very least.

    ¡°Ah, right. Don¡¯t worry, my hands are just a little rough, I won¡¯t¡ª¡±

    Before he could even finish, she grabbed a hold of his hand, tightly this time. Ella looked up to him again, and seeing this, he decided it was time to get out of the slums.

    He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was what his master had felt when he had first taken him in. The sense of responsibility, the burden of it. He wondered if she¡¯d survive till the end of his journey. Even though she was still a kid, possessing a blessed soul gave her an edge, but even that was a double-edged sword.

    There were many uncertainties surrounding it too, such as which Old God had even blessed her soul in the first place. There were multiple different kingdoms, each with their own guardian. He wondered what powers Ella possessed, hoping it was something useful for her own sake.

    Once the two of them left the slums, Ega took notice of all the commotion going around. The large fire in the slums, Vulf¡¯s gang being brought to justice, and the destroyed tavern. Each time those incidents were brought up, so was ¡°Ega the Blood Hunter.¡±

    Thankfully, his face has yet to be attached to that name and title, letting him move through the streets in peace. There wasn¡¯t anything that really made him stand out from other people anyways. Ega looked like any other vagrant you¡¯d find on the street.

    Although Ega paid the conversations no mind, Ella couldn¡¯t help but tune into them and look over to him every time she heard his name.

    ¡°Stop,¡± Ega held the top of Ella¡¯s head to keep her from darting her gaze back and forth,

    ¡°you¡¯re making it too obvious.¡±

    he let go after getting his message across. After a few minutes, they had finally arrived at their destination, a large three story building which served at the center of most commerce, The Guild.

    Their symbol of a map and sword hung above the wide wooden gate. Even though they were outside, they could still hear the rumbling of commotion from the inside. Ella stood stunned for a second, admiring the sheer size of the building.

    Stepping inside, there were close to a hundred people just in the lobby either sitting around and talking, making deals, looking at requests, or searching for a group to be with.

    Ega joined those scouring the large board of pinned requests, taking a look at the map of the kingdom of Lanier before focusing entirely on the requests. He hovered his finger randomly around the map until he began to feel a strange pulling feeling.

    Ever since he had fused with a part of the Old God Yolu, he had always had this pulling feeling which always led him to his next target. He was afraid that it would draw him towards someone he had no chance in beating, but in the nearly two years of hunting, that had yet to occur.

    As Ega moved his finger randomly around the map, he finally found the area of his next target, the place where the pulling sensation was the strongest. It was the large city of Ashier located more centrally in Lanier.

    ¡°Is¡­ that where we¡¯re going?¡± Despite her short stature, Ella could see what Ega was pointing at.

    ¡°Have you ever been to Ashier?¡±

    Ella shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve never been outside of here.¡±

    ¡°Well, guess you¡¯re going to be going on your first adventure pretty soon.¡±

    There was a hint of excitement in her face as Ega told her that. Turning toward the board of requests, he searched for those with their destination being Ashier, or at the least, passing by it. After sweeping his gaze across the hundreds of pinned papers, he finally found one.

    It was a protection request from a merchant that only paid a few copper coins, but Ega couldn¡¯t care less about the money. Taking it off the board, he turned toward the receptionist desk and approached a woman standing on the other side.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to take on this request please.¡± Ega handed her the paper and his identification tag.

    ¡°Alright.¡± She looked at the request and then back at Ega. She took notice of Ega¡¯s features, concluding that he was at the very least, somewhat capable. ¡°If I could have the names of the people in your party.¡±

    ¡°Party of two, Ega and Ella.¡±

    The receptionist¡¯s eyes suddenly grew wide.

    ¡°Not that Ega.¡± He tried to laugh it off. ¡°We just have the same name. It really does get me into a lot of trouble.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± She nervously laughed, noticing how lustrous his identification tag was. ¡°I see, my apologies. And what is your relationship with that child if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡±

    ¡°Ella? She¡¯s my¡­ daughter.¡± The fact that they were still holding hands was doing them well.

    ¡°I see, let me send a message to the client and see if they¡¯ll meet you. You can wait here for a bit and I¡¯ll get back to you in about ten minutes.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Walking towards a seating area in the lobby, he sat down to wait for the client. Ella had a strange expression, but Ega didn¡¯t seem to notice.

    ¡°Have you ever been in this building?¡±

    Ella shook her head.

    ¡°Well, just take it all in. It¡¯s a good place to be familiar with, and who knows, maybe you¡¯ll learn something.¡±

    Though she couldn¡¯t understand his gibberish, Ella paid close attention to her surroundings. Ega noticed the look in her eyes, a strange look that seemed like it could pierce through anything.

    After a bit of waiting, their client had finally arrived, guided by the receptionist from earlier. It was an older looking man with mostly gray hairs and wrinkles on his face, but he still had the strength in his body to be a merchant.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. You must be Ega, the ¡®not Blood Hunter¡¯ one?¡± The man reached out for a handshake.

    ¡°That¡¯s correct, and you are?¡± Ega returned the gesture.

    ¡°Rayland, it''s a pleasure.¡± Just by handshake, he could tell that Ega was an extremely capable person.

    After all of his years as a merchant, he knew how to read people in an instant.

    ¡°But, will it really be okay for you? I don¡¯t have much to pay for a man of your caliber.¡± Rayland wasn¡¯t an idiot, he knew who Ega was.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, we just need a ride to Ashier. I don¡¯t really care about the money.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then I guess it''s a deal. We¡¯ll set off tomorrow morning, so let''s meet outside of The Guild at sunrise.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Rayland couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Still can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going to be traveling with a living legend,¡± he murmured as he left through the wooden gate.

    Turning back to Ella, Ega finally took notice of something. Her clothes. Even after all this time, she was still wrapping herself in that oversized coat.

    ¡°Hey, Ella, why don¡¯t we get you some proper clothes before we depart for Ashier?¡±

 Chapter 6

    Ega was sitting in the back of a carriage with a dozen or so crates with his eyes closed. He was focused on trying to separate all the souls that he had mixed into his own with his battle against Vulf and his gang. Despite having spent the entirety of yesterday evening trying to separate it in a tavern, he was far from done.

    The sheer amount of souls made it difficult to pull them apart from his own, but thankfully, they weren¡¯t mixed in too finely. As much as he wanted to finish the process today, his focus was beginning to wane.

    He began to notice the cold breeze brush past his face, the slight shaking of the carriage, and his hair brushing against his skin as it followed the breeze. Unable to focus on the process of separating the souls any longer, Ega opened his eyes.

    Ella was sitting across from him, no longer wrapping herself in an oversized coat. Instead, she was wearing properly fitted clothes perfect for the upcoming winter months. Aside from her new clothes, Ega began to take notice of her strange expression.

    She wore a solemn expression, darting her gaze around looking for something to do.

    ¡°Are you bored?¡± Ega asked.

    ¡°N-no¡­¡± Ella stopped moving her head around too much, as if she was just caught doing something wrong.

    ¡°No need to hide it, it does get quite boring sitting around doing nothing.¡±

    Ega couldn¡¯t really blame her for feeling bored when there wasn¡¯t much to do. He tried to think of something, something that would be both productive and distract her for long enough until they arrived at Ashier.

    ¡®Something useful and which also takes a long time to do¡­¡¯ Ega fell into deep thought, but the only thing that he could think of was training. The training of a knight, the training under his master, and the training that he gave himself, he wondered what Ella could do under the current circumstances.

    That was when it hit him. Turning his gaze out to the forest, Ega began to focus on the leaves surrounding them. ¡°Ella, look out to the forest with me.¡±

    She did as he said, poking her head out and having a taste of another passing breeze. She tried to follow Ega¡¯s gaze, unsure of what he was about to do as his eyes began to dart around.

    As the leaves drew closer to them, he finally moved. Reaching out, he quickly snatched something in one simple motion. He opened his head to reveal what it was to Ella. Five leaves, a mix of orange and yellow, were sitting in the palm of his hand.

    ¡°You want to know how to get as strong as me?¡± There was a prideful smile as he spoke.

    Ella furiously nodded her head with sparkling eyes, stoking the flames of Ega¡¯s ego.

    ¡°Look at the forest, and watch it very carefully. Pay attention to not just the trees, but the branches and individual leaves. Watch as they sway with the wind, and once you see them move¡­¡± Ega reached out, grabbing more leaves as a gust of wind brought them to him.

    It was exactly five leaves again with the same amount of yellows and oranges. ¡°Grab the leaves that fall, same amount, same colors every single time.¡±

    A sense of awe was written on Ella¡¯s face and she began to turn her attention to the forest. To be able to possess such sharp vision and move with such precision, she wanted to be able to do the same. Just before Ega let her attempt grabbing the leaves, he gave some more words of advice.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tunnel too much on the details. See the whole forest while seeing the little details. Train yourself to see more, not to see something differently.¡±

    Ella didn¡¯t respond, too focused on trying to do the same thing that Ega had done. He didn¡¯t mind it, knowing that his words probably reached her one way or another. The way that Ella looked at things when she began to focus was almost scary. It was like her eyes were an endless void, sucking everything in from her surroundings and gaining any little bit of knowledge she could.

    ¡®Is that a part of her blessing?¡¯ Ega wondered. But he didn¡¯t have much time to dwell on the thought as Rayland began to strike up a conversation.

    ¡°You¡¯re good at keeping kids occupied with strange games aren¡¯t you? I wish I could have done the same thing to my son on long journeys like these.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a strange¡­¡± Ega wanted to interject and say that it was a real training method for the eyes, but he let it pass. ¡°It¡¯s just something I picked up on my journeys. Maybe I should run an orphanage or something with this talent.¡±

    ¡°Ha, it¡¯ll take more than that to raise children properly. I learned just how much it takes when I was raising my son.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Where is¡ª¡± Ega suddenly stopped himself, not wanting to accidentally step on a sensitive topic. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for someone to have a dead loved one, especially in this cruel world.

    ¡°Oh he¡¯s doing just fine.¡± Rayland could feel the tension in that sudden pause. ¡°He¡¯s a part of the Order of Knights now.¡±

    ¡°Really? And you¡¯re still out here moving around as a merchant?¡±

    ¡°You know how it is for people like us, just can¡¯t stay still in one place, especially when you know the Outers can come at us at any time. With our guardian gone, and although nothing significant has happened in years since then, don¡¯t you feel something will happen eventually?¡±

    ¡°I do¡­¡± Ega knew almost better than anyone.

    ¡°And you just feel like you need to do something, no? I can¡¯t do much. I¡¯m no knight, no soul bearer, no one significant, but I can do something. Bring food where people are starving, weapons where they are fighting, clothes to those shivering, it doesn''t matter much to me whether they can pay me properly or not.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t have a taste for coins?¡±

    ¡°At this age? No, I can¡¯t taste the sweetness in them anymore but it does get in the way sometimes. Like how I wish I could pay you a little more for¡ª¡±

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    ¡°Don¡¯t, I already said my piece.¡±

    Rayland rubbed the back of his neck slightly embarrassed. ¡°I know, but it¡¯s the least I could do, no? I can¡¯t do much in the grand scheme of things, I can¡¯t wield a sword and a soul like you can, so isn¡¯t it only right to treat those who do much more with proper respect?¡±

    Ega looked at Rayland after hearing those heavy words. His posture was weak and brittle, almost like it could crumble at any moment. It wasn¡¯t Rayland¡¯s age that was getting to him, but something much deeper in his soul.

    Turning to the sky, Ega tried to find the right words in the vast ocean of blue and large waves of clouds. The sky was boundless, so vast that not even he could capture its entire form with his sharpened eyes.

    As he witnessed and acknowledged this fact, he finally spoke. ¡°Rayland.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± He turned back, unsure as to why he was saying his name in such a serious tone.

    ¡°Take this from someone like me, but you deserve some respect for yourself. It doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t leave a nice mark with a sword or soul, what matters is that you¡¯ve done what you can with the means that you possess. If both you and I have tried our best, then the marks we¡¯ve made on this world aren¡¯t so different.¡±

    Rayland¡¯s lips cracked into a smile as a hint of embarrassment stuck to his face. ¡°Ha. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m getting lectured at this age.¡±

    Despite that embarrassment, Ega could sense the old man¡¯s posture grow just a little taller. Those words of his weren''t just lip service. It had taken him years to come to such an understanding, that every single individual, every single soul no matter how seemingly insignificant mattered even in this vast, uncaring world.

    Leaving Rayland to his own thoughts, Ega turned his attention back to Ella, noticing her attempt to catch the falling leaves.

    Despite her valiant effort, she could only catch one. Letting that leaf back into the wind, she focused again. Ega used to have the same fire in his eyes. The thought of getting stronger, of strengthening one¡¯s mind and body to be able to face the world ahead, it was an exhilarating feeling.

    But ever since Ega had hit a wall some years ago, the joy of training had been extinguished. What was the point of hitting your head against a wall over and over when nothing seemed to come from it?

    Even after embarking on this journey to hunt for Mithril Blood, he hadn¡¯t even taken a single step forward. It worried him, seeing how his opponents were becoming stronger and stronger.

    ¡®Just how much longer until I face someone I simply can¡¯t defeat?¡¯ He wondered. Would it be his next opponent? His opponent a month; a year from today?

    It had been a while since Ega had seriously considered overcoming this wall again. But before he could delve too deeply into his own thoughts, the sudden halt of the carriage threw him out of his head.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± He looked past Rayland¡¯s shoulders to see the road ahead.

    ¡°Well¡­ that.¡± There was an obvious worry in Rayland¡¯s voice as he pointed at a broken carriage flipped on its side.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t know I¡¯d have to take action so soon.¡± Hopping out of the carriage, Ega drew his sword as he steadily approached the wreckage.

    He scanned the surrounding forest, looking out for any dangers that may still be lurking. As he got closer, he began to take notice of the arrows sticking out of the flipped carriage as well as grooves and marks of blades littering its wooden body.

    Those same marks were on the dead body lying in a pool of dried blood just beyond the carriage. Ega¡¯s expression turned grim as he recognized the body despite its mangled state. It belonged to the tavern keeper who had told him about Vulf and Ella, and here he lied, eyes still open.

    Crouching down, he shut the man¡¯s eyelids. Judging from the state of the body and the bugs just having reached it, he had just died a day or two ago. Rising up from the ground, he scanned the forest one final time before returning to Ella and Rayland.

    ¡°A few bandits ambushed the carriage, killed the driver. The area seems clear though, seeing that the attack happened a day or two ago.¡±

    ¡°Really? We¡¯re not even that far out of town.¡± Rayland looked back, trying to judge the distance that they had traveled. ¡°That¡¯s quite¡­ strange.¡±

    Ega couldn¡¯t help but feel the same thing. Would bandits station themselves so close to a main road just outside of a town? There weren¡¯t any other destroyed carriages, so were they hunting for that tavern keeper specifically? But who would¡­

    ¡®Ah.¡¯ He finally realized who it was. ¡®Vulf is one petty bastard.¡¯

    He had bet everything on Ega, giving him Vulf¡¯s location and revealing Ella to him, but even though Ega had won, the tavern keeper had lost. Turning to Ella, he was unsure of how to break it to her. Unable to think of anything, he just broke it to her.

    ¡°He¡¯s dead, that big tavern keeper who was taking care of you.¡± He pointed back at the wrecked carriage.

    Ella¡¯s expression dropped at his words, making him feel just a tinge of bitterness.

    ¡°Was he a good person?¡±

    ¡°He tried his best to¡­¡±

    Letting out a long sigh, Ega turned to Rayland. ¡°Do you mind if I give him a proper soul ceremony? It¡¯ll only be a few minutes.¡±

    ¡°Of course not, but I don¡¯t really have any of the supplies for that at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I always carry them around.¡± As Ega walked back toward the broken carriage, Ella quickly followed from behind. ¡°Do you want to watch?¡±

    Ella nodded her head, curious about what a soul ceremony was. Maybe someday, she¡¯d have to do the same thing.

    Ega turned to Rayland, wondering if he wanted to come along as well.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s alright.¡± There was a weak smile on his face as he spoke. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough ceremonies in my life. I¡¯ll just wait here.¡±

    Opening his soul sack, Ega pulled out a small bag and large, thin blanket. Before Ella could see the body, he quickly draped the blanket over the tavern keeper. Opening the jar, he pulled out a few bright red petals.

    ¡°These are nova burst petals,¡± he gave one to Ella for her to see and feel. ¡°You scatter them on the body before you burn it. It burns better that way and provides a nice scent.¡±

    Ega began to scatter a few of the petals on the blanket. Ella quickly followed, letting go of the one petal in her hand. It slowly drifted down, and once it landed, Ega began to light a fire using a flint and steel.

    He struck sparks right over the petals, bringing life to a burst of flames. It quickly spread, igniting all the other petals until the body began to burn away. The floral scent of the petals began to permeate the air, scattering the remaining pieces of the tavern keeper¡¯s soul.

    Even in death, one¡¯s soul can still cling onto the remaining flesh and bone even as it decays. To truly liberate it, separate it from the material world, one had to burn the remains and let the remaining soul fragments scatter into nothingness.

    After watching it for a few minutes, Ega and Ella returned back to Rayland, both deep in thought. It seemed even Rayland was thinking about something with the hard expression he was wearing.

    Once the two of them got onto the back of the carriage, it began to move again. With barely enough space, the three of them passed the wreckage, each taking one final look at the flames before focusing on other things.

    A soul ceremony meant a lot of different things to different people, but everyone knew of its universal meaning; a final parting. Once the fire was set and the body began to burn, that was the end, their soul would no longer be part of this world.

    The rest of the ride was done in silence. Ega had closed his eyes, focusing back on trying to separate the souls from his own. Ella had turned back to the swaying forest and falling leaves, trying to achieve what Ega had. Rayland was still stuck in his thoughts, unable to create conversation.

    Each of them still held lingering thoughts on the burning ceremony, Rayland and Ega were dusting off old memories and Ella wondering when she would ever perform one. She hoped that she would never need to do such a thing, but maybe the time wasn¡¯t as far off as she thought it would be.

 Chapter 7

    The rest of the way to Ashier was uneventful for the three of them. It was a long and boring four day trip until they were finally greeted by the great walls surrounding the city. However, as they drew closer to the main gate Ega began to take notice of something strange.

    ¡°There¡¯s a decent line into Ashier, huh?¡± Were there that many people coming into the city? Or was something else going on?

    ¡°Oh?¡± Rayland said. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard? A lot of knights have stationed themselves in Ashier due to people suddenly disappearing.¡±

    ¡°What? Knights from the Order?¡±

    ¡°Yes, apparently, it¡¯s been happening for quite a long time, but the Lord of Ashier only started to take action after one of his mistresses had disappeared.¡±

    ¡°Dousing the fire only when it gets close, huh?¡±

    ¡°Just how it is with nobles. They''re fine with everything underneath them burning, but once it even grazes the heel of their boots, suddenly, now it matters.¡± Bitterness began to stain Rayland¡¯s voice.

    Despite that, he continued. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to hold your own, but be careful, especially at night. They say that¡¯s when most of the disappearances have been happening.¡±

    Ega kept Rayland''s words in mind. Still, something was telling him that whoever was behind these disappearances would be related to the Mithril Blood he was hunting for. One way or another, he¡¯d be wrapped up in this entire mess.

    As the carriage began to approach the looming gate, Ega took note of the knights standing guard. The symbol imprinted on their chestplate shone as to brag about their status. Anyone would be able to recognize the blue symbol of a sword and flame.

    Once their carriage had finally arrived at the gate, the guard leading the entire operation spoke.

    ¡°Welcome to the city of Ashier. If I may, each of your names and the reason for your visit.¡±

    ¡°Rayland, here for business as a merchant.¡±

    The guard looked into Rayland¡¯s carriage, noticing the crates. ¡°We¡¯ll also have to do an inspection of your products.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s alright, I¡¯ve got nothing to hide.¡±

    The guard''s eyes went toward Ega and Ella. However, just before Ega could say his name and reason for visiting, the guard suddenly spoke again.

    ¡°And you must be Ega, here to hunt for more blood?¡±

    ¡°How did you¡­ Do I know you?¡± His eyes furrowed from being recognized. After nearly a year of wandering around the kingdom for blood, this was the first time he was recognized so quickly.

    ¡°Not at all. Information spreads quite quickly though, especially when you create such a large ruckus in Vitir.¡± There was a large smile on the guard¡¯s face as he spoke. ¡°Are you thinking of joining the Order of Knights again? Vulf must have been your first step to¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just wandering around as a vagrant now.¡± His voice was stern, stopping the guard from saying anything more about Ega¡¯s past.

    His name had been spreading across the kingdom long before Vulf, but it seemed like the events in Vitir had brought much more attention to his name. Single handedly bringing down an entire gang had drawn attention to him because now, they perceived him as a possible threat.

    ¡°And if I could have the name of this child.¡±

    ¡°Ella, she¡¯s my kid.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ kid?¡± The guard paused for a second, unable to believe what he had just heard. ¡°Ega the Blood Hunter¡± has a child? It had only been a few years since he had left the Order of Knights, so when did¡­

    ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡± He tried to put the questions aside and focus on his job as the gatekeeper. ¡°Then let us inspect these crates and you¡¯ll be on your way.¡±

    The guards conducted the inspection quickly, opening them and simply taking a look inside before closing it up again.

    ¡®Even after all of these years.¡¯ Ega thought, remembering how complacent and lazy the knights were.

    Once all the crates were placed back onto the carriage, they were finally able to go through the gate. As they rode into the bustling city of Ashier, Rayland couldn¡¯t help but ask a question.

    ¡°You were part of the Order?¡±

    Ega didn¡¯t answer instantly.

    ¡°Ah, sorry. If you don¡¯t want to answer that¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, it''s fine. Not like I wasn¡¯t trying to hide it or anything, but yes, I was part of the Order.¡±

    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t pry any further, but let me thank you for your service.¡± Rayland¡¯s eyes were too focused on the road, leaving him unable to see the strange expression on Ega¡¯s face.

    But Ella saw it, even if it was just for a few seconds, she noticed his somber expression. Noticing that Ella was staring, he forced himself back into a normal state of mind.

    ¡°Do you want to train?¡± Ega asked, wanting to redirect Ella¡¯s focus elsewhere.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Though her voice was quiet, Ega was slightly surprised to hear her respond. Usually she would respond by nodding or shaking her head to simple questions rather than speak.

    ¡°Let''s start with carriages then.¡±

    Ella couldn¡¯t use falling leaves to train her eyes all the time. To make up for it, Ega had to give her something to focus on as they traveled.

    She began to take in her new environment, the tall buildings made of wood and stone, the large groups of people moving to and from alongside all the carriages, and the mix of sounds all blending together to fill the city with emotion. However, she paid special attention to the passing carriages, trying to take in every detail so that she could answer Ega¡¯s questions later on.

    ¡°How many carriages just passed by us?¡±

    ¡°Seven.¡±

    ¡°Good, how many people in the carriages in total.¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ ten?¡±

    ¡°No, fourteen.¡±

    ¡°How many horses in total?¡±

    Ella paused for a second, trying to estimate how many horses there were based on the carriages that passed by.

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    ¡°Stop. Let your eyes do the work, not your head.¡± Noticing this, he stopped her.

    ¡°Twelve?¡±

    ¡°Eleven. Eleven horses.¡± He corrected her.

    Ella¡¯s face dropped as she got the answer wrong.

    ¡°Ha, no need to be so harsh, I couldn¡¯t even get the first question right.¡± After some time, Rayland had silently joined them in on their training, treating it more like a game than anything. ¡°Take some pride in what you¡¯re able to do, it''s impressive.¡±

    Rayland did have a point. Even Ega found it quite impressive that she had progressed so quickly. Though she couldn¡¯t keep track of everything properly, being able to get a few of the questions right in just four days was almost absurd.

    It took Ega a few years to master the technique, but looking at Ella, she might be able to do it in as fast as one year.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, it is quite impressive¡­¡± He tried to think of some way to give her an extra push of motivation. Not really having anything on him at the moment, he decided to just give her a pat on the head. ¡°You¡¯re doing a good job, just keep on practicing.¡±

    Her expression seemed to light up a little at his words. With that little bit of motivation, she continued to train as Rayland silently followed along.

    With all the training distracting them, they had arrived at their destination soon enough. Stopping before a building with a symbol of a sword and map, Rayland turned around to face Ega and Ella.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re here.¡± Pulling out a tiny pouch, he handed it over to Ega. ¡°There¡¯s your payment. I do hope to see you two again.¡±

    ¡°Likewise.¡± Accepting the pouch, Ega jumped off the back of the carriage before helping Ella down.

    Once both of them made contact with the paved road, Ega spoke again.

    ¡°Be safe out there.¡± Turning to Ella, he asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you say goodbye too?¡±

    He could feel her uneasiness at the suggestion, but nonetheless, she pushed herself to do it.

    ¡°G-goodbye uncle Rayland.¡± She barely raised her hand, still keeping it close to her chest before waving her hand goodbye.

    His face instantly lit up at the cute gesture, making him look as if he suddenly grew ten years younger.

    ¡°Uncle¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at that word. ¡°Thank you for that. Haven¡¯t heard that in a while.¡±

    Despite his chuckle and smile, there was a bit of bitterness in his expression. It was a good type of bitterness, the type of bitterness that reminds you about the sweetness of life.

    Ega didn¡¯t dare to try and pry or figure out what Rayland was thinking about. He left it aside, just like how Rayland had left the Order of Knights conversation aside.

    ¡°Uncle?¡± He asked. ¡°Do you even know what that means?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ someone older than you?¡±

    Ega let out a sigh. Right, of course she didn¡¯t know much. It seemed like he¡¯d have to spend more time teaching her the more basic parts of life.

    Despite the short time that they had spent with Rayland, both Ella and Ega couldn¡¯t help but feel a tinge of sadness to part from him. Good company was hard to find, and though the days were short, the time was precious.

    Ega had almost forgotten what it was like to travel with other people. Ever since he left the Order of Knights, he spent years by himself, going from place to place for even the smallest drop of blood. Now however¡­

    He looked down at Ella walking by his side. Feeling his gaze she looked back up at him.

    ¡°People passing by.¡± Ega quickly said.

    Hearing that, she turned away from him and began to focus on the surroundings.

    As they continued the eye training, Ega looked around for a tavern. After some walking, he found a decent one. A wooden sign hung from the main entrance, reading ¡°Tal¡¯s Tavern.¡± Stepping inside, they were greeted by a warm atmosphere.

    It was clean and well kept and the people here seemed to behave themselves. There were no drunken ramblings going on from anyone, no spilled food or drinks, at least, not yet. One of the waitresses had spotted them and quickly came to greet the new faces.

    ¡°Welcome! Welcome!¡± She walked over with a big smile on her face. ¡°A table just for you two?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d be correct, and if I could get some lodging here as well.¡±

    ¡°Of course! I can get the owner for you in just a bit.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d be great.¡±

    The waitress led them to a few of the free tables against the tavern walls and sat them down. ¡°Is there anything you two would like?¡±

    ¡°Whatever''s good here. We¡¯re new here so I don¡¯t know the menu.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d recommend getting the steak here. Five copper each if that¡¯s alright with you.¡±

    ¡°Then two steaks.¡±

    ¡°Any drinks.¡±

    ¡°One water, and if I could have a¡­¡± Ega stopped for a second, unsure if he should be ordering and drinking alcohol in front of a child.

    Was that going to be a bad influence on her? He knew it had been a bad influence on him. Seeing his master drinking alcohol all the time made him curious, and curiosity made him start quite young.

    ¡°Two waters, just two waters is fine.¡± There was some restraint in his voice as he spoke.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bring everything out soon. Enjoy your stay!¡± As she walked away, Ega took notice of the concerned expression on Ella¡¯s face.

    ¡°Hm? What is it?¡±

    ¡°Um, isn¡¯t the food expensive? Shouldn¡¯t we order something cheaper?¡±

    Ega couldn¡¯t help smirk at her concerned words over money. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I have enough coins.¡±

    ¡°I can get something less expensive to save¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ella, let me tell you something. If there''s a choice to either eat good food or bad food, no strings attached, we¡¯re going to eat good food. I hate eating bad food and I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want to either. Why do you think I always have ingredients to cook a stew in my bag?¡±

    She nodded her head in understanding. Still, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a small sense of guilt for relying on Ega all the time.

    ¡°I¡¯ve eaten enough shi¡­ bad food for a good part of my life already. I¡¯m never willingly doing that again, so if I¡¯m not doing it, you aren¡¯t either, understood?¡±

    Ega could still remember the taste of all the small scraps he ate off the ground and the bits of food buried under piles of trash. The way he had to try to force it down his throat despite his body rejecting the vile thing was something he never wanted to feel again.

    ¡°Yes¡­ Thank you¡­¡±

    As they finished their talk, the waitress returned with two glasses of water. There was a strange, almost amused look on her face as she set the water down.

    ¡°You have a good kid,¡± she whispered to Ega.

    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah.¡± He wasn¡¯t quite sure why, but it felt strange to hear her say that.

    Their food arrived a few minutes later, a well cooked steak and red sauce with a side of potatoes. Ella marveled at the food for a few seconds, never having seen such fancy food before, even if it was just simple tavern food.

    Once she finished staring at it however, a problem arose. Ella didn¡¯t know how to eat it. She already struggled with using a spoon, so a fork and knife was another leap in difficulty.

    Noticing this, Ega decided to just cut up the steak for her. Grabbing the plate, he quickly cut them into square pieces for Ella.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you how to do it another time. Just eat for now.¡± Despite his words, she was intensely watching Ega handle the fork and knife.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    The both of them began to enjoy their meal, finally being able to eat something aside from stew, jerky, or bread. However, mid-way through their meal, a large ruckus began to arise in the middle of the tavern.

    ¡°What do you mean I can¡¯t have another!¡± A brown haired man rose from his chair.

    ¡°Sir Helm, with all due respect, I don¡¯t think you should be¡ª¡± The waitress trying to handle the situation quickly ducked down to dodge a bottle flying at her face.

    The bottle crashed against the wall next to Ella and Ega. Glass shattered everywhere, and before it could land on them, Ega quickly leaned over the table and shielded Ella from the raindrops of glass.

    ¡°I told you to give me another bottle! What¡¯s so hard about that?¡±

    ¡°Sir Helm please! If you don¡¯t calm yourselves down, we¡¯ll have to remove you from our tavern!¡±

    ¡°Remove me? Who is going to remove me? Do you know who I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Me you bastard.¡± Ega had already appeared in front of Helm, wincing at the smell of alcohol all over his body. He quickly took note of the symbol belonging to the Order of Knights woven into Helm¡¯s uniform, clicking his tongue as old memories began to arise.

    Without even another word, Helm swung at Ega, enraged that someone had actually stood up to him. Ducking the attack, Ega swiftly countered with an uppercut right at his chin. As the strike connected, the light in Helm¡¯s eyes died out, but before his drunken body could fall to the floor, Ega grabbed the knight¡¯s collar and began to drag him out of the tavern.

    Before he could throw him out however, a figure blocked his way. She wore a similar uniform to the knight he had just knocked unconscious, but the blue and white color scheme and high quality told him of her status; the status of a commander.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to see you again, Ega.¡± She wasn¡¯t just any commander however, she was Hela, Ega¡¯s old commander. ¡°I see you¡¯ve been doing well. Now if you don¡¯t mind, my subordinate.¡±

    And here she was, standing before him as he held one of her unconscious knights in his hands.

 Chapter 8

    Ega could still recognize that sharp, seemingly uncaring gaze from anywhere.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to hand him over?¡± It wasn¡¯t a question, but a command.

    ¡°Tch.¡± Ega begrudgingly threw Helm over to Hela. ¡°Keep your knights in check, will you? He threw a goddamned bottle at us, shattered glass all over our food.¡±

    Hela¡¯s eyes sharpened at the fact that Helm had caused yet another incident. ¡°My apologies for that, I¡¯m still trying to wrangle him, just like with another knight fifteen years ago.¡±

    ¡°Bet that bastard¡¯s been doing good.¡±

    ¡°I hope so¡­ How about this, I¡¯ll help make up for this incident. Visit me at the Knights¡¯ fortress here in Ashier, I¡¯ll prepare something for you there, and¡­¡± Hela took a hard look at Ega, trying to gauge him. ¡°It¡¯d be good to hear about how that knight has been doing.¡±

    With that, she turned away and left the tavern. Though some of the tension in the air began to lift as Hela left, people¡¯s attention was now turned toward Ega. Just who was he? What kind of relationship did he have with a commander of knights?

    Uncomfortable with all the attention, he quickly returned to Ella. Dropping the payment of ten copper, he took her by the hand and left the tavern.

    ¡°A-are you alright?¡± Ella asked as they stepped out onto the street.

    ¡°What? Do I not look¡­¡± Ega touched his cheek, just now noticing that it was wet with his blood. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯ll heal in no time.¡±

    Mixing a tiny fragment of the salamander soul into his own, the small cut quickly closed up with that familiar wet skin.

    ¡°How did you¡­¡± There was a look of bewilderment on her face as she witnessed the wound on his face heal in an instant.

    ¡°See? Don¡¯t worry so much about me. Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Ega looked around, trying to find a flag flying high.

    ¡°Go? Go where?¡± Ella was too far away to hear the conversation properly, but seeing how that woman and Ega were talking for a decent while, she knew they had some sort of connection.

    ¡°Over there.¡± He pointed at a flag fluttering in the air with the symbol of a sword and shield woven into it, the symbol belonging to the Order of Knights. ¡°It''s about time I caught up with an old friend, and they¡¯ll probably have some food to replace our ruined meal, doesn¡¯t that sound great?¡±

    Ella wanted to tell him that she didn¡¯t care too much about the food, but couldn¡¯t find the words. Instead, she quietly followed him as he led them toward the fortress to the Order of Knights.

    It took them quite a while to reach the fortress due to their unfamiliarity with the streets and alleys. There were so many dead ends and dark alleys that Ega had considered just running across the roofs to get to the fort. Only problem was that doing so would attract too much unnecessary attention to themselves.

    Sighing, Ega worked himself through the winding streets with a little bit of help from Ella. They eventually arrived before a wide stone wall and gate. It mimicked the gate leading into the city, just scaled down to the size fit for a fortress. As Ega approached the two knights by the gate, he had expected a confrontation.

    However, the knights bowed down to him and began to open the gate.

    ¡°You must be Ega, the commander has been waiting for you.¡± The more senior looking knight spoke. ¡°I will be guiding you up to her office.¡±

    ¡°Appreciated,¡± Ega said, confused at how Hela has delivered information of his arrival so quickly. Did she expect him to arrive here in advance?

    Once the gate rose, the senior knight led the way into the fort. The training grounds sat on the sides just beyond the gate. With most of the guards either being on patrol or break during this time of day, it was quite vacant save for a few areas.

    Wooden swords hung on racks more worn down than the swords themselves, straw dummies still stood well rooted in the ground, and even the ground itself seemed like it had hardly been danced upon. A disappointed look drew itself on Ega¡¯s face, seeing how the years of work had gone to waste.

    Once the knight had led them into the main building, he took them up two floors and led them straight to Hela¡¯s office. Knocking on the door, the senior knight made his presence known.

    ¡°Commander Hela, Ega is here.¡±

    ¡°Let him in and you may leave.¡± Her voice pierced through the door.

    Turning toward Ega, the knight bowed before returning back to the front gate. Taking a deep breath, Ega opened the door and stepped into Hela¡¯s office.

    It was quite empty, with a desk and chair near the opposite wall and a bookshelf on the right being the only furniture in the room. There were a few documents on the desk and shelf, but not as many as Ega remembered. It must have been due to the temporary stationing at Ashier that she wasn¡¯t able to bring everything.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again Ega.¡± She pulled her eyes away from the papers on her desk. ¡°You haven¡¯t even sent me a single letter in the nearly five years that you¡¯ve been gone.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been quite busy.¡±

    ¡°I can tell. You¡¯ve even gained a new title aside from ¡®Hell Hound,¡¯ though it isn¡¯t much more pleasant.¡±

    Ega winced at the nickname that stuck to him as a knight. There was also another name that always followed him, and that was Hela, the only person who could control the ¡°Hell Hound.¡± Because of this, some had even called him ¡°Hela¡¯s Hound.¡±

    Stolen novel; please report.

    It was because of this control that he had been put under her command, but the reason that she could ¡°control¡± him wasn¡¯t the reason that any of the knights thought it was. He simply held enough respect for one commander in the Order to not be an annoyance to them, and that commander was Hela.

    Throughout all the complacency and laziness among the Order of Knights, she was the only one that seemed to care about improvement. Whether that be through their strategies, their swordsmanship, or their soul manipulation, she was the only one that wanted to push everyone to their limits.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you come take a seat?¡±

    There were two chairs ready just for Ega and Ella. Walking forward, they sat down face to face with Hela.

    Despite it having only been a few years since he had last seen her, he noticed the new wrinkles on her face. Age was beginning to catch up to her, staining her hair an even more profound gray.

    ¡°It seems you weren¡¯t just busy taking care of criminals either.¡± Her eyes landed on Ella. ¡°I guess you were busy with a woman as well when I wasn¡¯t looking.¡±

    ¡°E-excuse¡­ ah, right.¡±

    ¡°How old is she?¡±

    ¡°Ella? She¡¯s¡­¡± Ega suddenly paused, unsure of how old Ella actually was. ¡°How old are you?¡±

    ¡°Ten.¡± Her voice was much quieter than usual, probably because they were in Hela¡¯s preseance.

    ¡°Ten? Wait you¡¯re¡­¡± He looked at Ella again and her tiny stature. Just how was she so small despite being that old?

    ¡°You don¡¯t even know your own daughter¡¯s age?¡± Hela raised her eyebrows at his horrible parenting.

    ¡°No I¡­ It¡¯s just¡­¡± Unsure of how to escape her scorn, he decided to just tell her the truth. ¡°She¡¯s not my actual daughter. I just let her tag along with me after I freed her from a criminal in Vitir. You think I had time to be with a woman with all the work you gave me?¡±

    Her eyes were filled with doubt as she looked back and forth between Ega and Ella. ¡°He hasn¡¯t done anything strange to you has he? Just tell me, I¡¯ll be able to beat him up if he¡¯s doing anything¡ª¡±

    ¡°N-no, no, I like¡ª¡±

    ¡°Who do you take me for?¡± He quickly interjected.

    ¡°Well, even if it''s not like that, don¡¯t you think it''s a bit dangerous to be bringing a child along with you? I know you¡¯ve been going around for Mithril Blood, even I catch wind of a new story about the ¡®Blood Hunter.¡¯¡±

    More than just ¡°catch wind,¡± it was more like Hela was looking into these stories instead.

    ¡°We¡­¡± Ega looked over to Ella who returned a resolute nod, ¡°We both understand that.¡±

    Seeing that this was something personal, she decided not to pry any further. Instead, she let out a long sigh, staring at Ega for a few seconds before continuing further.

    ¡°You really are just following his¡­ whatever. Will you tell me why you¡¯re out hunting for Mithril Blood at least? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re an alchemist or scholar experimenting with blood, unless I¡¯ve misjudged you for someone with only training in that head of yours.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t tell you.¡± He looked off to the side.

    Hela gave him another strange look, but she respected his decision. ¡°Of course, you were always like this. Keeping things to yourself because you never wanted to get anyone else involved.¡±

    She gave Ega another hard stare as she untangled all the thoughts and emotions from the nearly five years that he had been gone.

    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve missed you quite a bit.¡± Her expression had become softer, as if, instead of facing Ega as a knight under her command, she faced him as an old colleague. No, that wasn¡¯t quite right, but she wasn¡¯t sure what it was.

    ¡°What are you saying now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been quite hard without you. All the changes that we tried to make, I couldn¡¯t just change the entire system all by myself. Once you went away, everything just crumbled back to the way it was. Quite sad really.¡±

    ¡°Of course it is. Who else works themselves until their¡­ What, seventy? Eighty?¡±

    ¡°Seventy-seven.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think I know another person who had dedicated themselves to the Order for that long. I¡¯m sorry that it''s all gone to waste, especially with all the effort you put into me.¡± Ega couldn¡¯t help but wear a pained expression as he remembered the past.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry. I knew what I was getting into when I first started. In fact, I¡¯m quite happy knowing that you didn¡¯t turn into some bandit when you left. Good to know that all my efforts gave way to at least one good thing.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? I got up and left the Order without even a goodbye. You really think I¡¯m all that ¡®good?¡¯¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Her answer was straightforward, and although Ega couldn¡¯t see it, there was a hint of pride on her face.

    Ega was unsure of how to take that strange compliment, especially from someone who used to be his commander. Before he could process it however, a knock interrupted his thoughts.

    ¡°Commander Hela, the meals are ready.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be down in a bit.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Ega looked at Hela with a confused expression.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I¡¯d have something prepared? It¡¯s to make up for your ruined meal.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± He turned over to Ella. ¡°Come on, let''s go enjoy an uninterrupted meal.¡±

    ¡°Oh, uh¡­¡± Ella turned towards Hela and bowed her head a little. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t help but smile at the child¡¯s cute expression.

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank her,¡± Ega stood up, ¡°It was one of the knights that ruined our meal anyways. Must not be easy commanding someone out of your squadron.¡±

    He felt a bit of pity for Hela who was probably sent to Ashier and forced to work with knights she was probably unfamiliar with.

    ¡°Helm?¡± She also stood up with Ega. ¡°No, he¡¯s under my direct command.¡±

    Suddenly, all the pity that he was feeling was thrown out the window.

    ¡°Let me take you down to the cafeteria.¡± She began to lead the way with Ega and Ella just behind her.

    ¡°That bastard is in your squadron? Just what do you see in him?¡±

    ¡°He has a good heart, it''s just¡­ he has a drinking problem.¡±

    ¡°I could tell. Hell, I could smell it off of him too before knocking him out.¡±

    The three of them quickly made it to the cafeteria. On one of the tables sat two plates of food.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you eating?¡± Ega asked, noticing the lack of a third plate.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve already eaten lunch. Go enjoy yourselves.¡± Despite not eating, Hela sat beside them. ¡°What are you doing out here in Ashier anyways? I assume it has something to do with the disappearances.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± He quickly slipped out a few words between stuffing the chicken and potatoes in his mouth.

    ¡°Does it have some sort of connection with the Mithril Blood that you¡¯re looking for?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe?¡±

    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t know?¡± Was this how Ega had been hunting for blood all this time? Going by feeling? Hela couldn¡¯t help but crack a small smile, seeing that his methods were still the same. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll be able to even take the blood of whoever is causing these disappearances? It might be a much bigger threat than you think.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just do what I¡¯ve always done.¡± Despite his outward confidence, he was unsure if it really was going to be easy as he made it out to be. Vulf had already been a struggle, so just how much harder was this unknown enemy going to be?

    ¡°You really do have a lot of confidence.¡± Hela suddenly went into thought for a few seconds before continuing. ¡°How about you put it to the test?¡±

    Ega couldn¡¯t help but grin at Hela¡¯s words. She really was trying to bring him back to the past again, and how could he say no?

    ¡°Alright then, wooden swords, one bout, first out of the ring or disarmed, isn¡¯t that right?¡± Ega could still remember the same conditions to their duel.

    How could he forget them? Afterall, he hadn¡¯t won a single one in the thousands of duels that they had done. Maybe today, however, things would be different.

 Chapter 9

    Knights began to gather around the training ground, waiting in anticipation for the upcoming duel. All the watchful gazes were starting to make Ega¡¯s heart pump faster. Tightening his grip on the wooden sword, he turned towards Hela.

    Despite the years having eroded her body and stained her hair gray, she still exuded an incredible amount of power. Ega wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if she had become even stronger since their last duel knowing her personality. It seemed like even time itself couldn¡¯t hold her back.

    As both of them got into their stances, the knights watching suddenly became quiet. There was a tension in the air for a few seconds as Ega and Hela reassessed each other, trying to gauge what had changed about their skills after all these years. But something like that wasn¡¯t something that to see, but to experience.

    Ega was the first to cut the tension, charging straight at Hela to set the tempo of the fight. He swung, feinting an attack before twisting his wrist to change the trajectory of his blade.

    But Hela had lived too long to fall for such a simple trick. Parrying the attack, she quickly countered with a swing aimed at his sword-wielding hand.

    Narrowingly dodging it, he swung back, but the awkward position left his chest wide open. Hela didn¡¯t let the opportunity pass up and thrusted her sword.

    Her blade was moving much faster than his, but Ega had already expected this. He twisted his body to avoid the attack, but with such an uneven stance, his attack became too flimsy.

    As Hela easily avoided the attack, she brought her sword up to Ega¡¯s neck, ending the duel in an instant. There was a second of silence before the knights suddenly bursted out in conversation at such a decisive end.

    ¡°Your stances and footwork got worse.¡± She drew the sword away from Ega¡¯s neck. ¡°Usually you last for at least a minute. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve already forgotten our style.¡±

    ¡°No, all of that is still carved into my bones, it¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯ve been trying to come up with something new.¡±

    During his travel to Ashier, Ega had decided to face the wall that was blocking his progress again. After his fight with Vulf, it was evident that the level that Ega stood at now wasn¡¯t enough. Even with all the tricks up his sleeves, he had barely scraped away a victory.

    ¡°Something new? Isn¡¯t our method enough? And you have that unorthodox method you love to mix in every now and then.¡±

    ¡°I know, but those methods aren¡¯t ¡®my¡¯ methods, they belong to someone else. If I want to get any farther, I need to find my own style.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still trying to follow your master¡¯s teachings? You don¡¯t need to be able to ignite your soul to be a powerful soul bearer.¡±

    Ega knew that. Hela was a prime example of that, and yet¡­

    ¡°It feels wrong to turn away from his teachings. Hell, I¡¯m still unraveling all of his words till this very day.¡±

    The small bits of wisdom, the pieces of advice, the methods and techniques, Ega couldn¡¯t help but find himself stumbling upon the true meanings behind each of those things on his journey through life. And yet, there was still something that he found hard to understand, something that he may never understand even when he took his final breath.

    ¡°Well, let me just tell you this, whatever you tried to do wasn¡¯t the right step . Your movements are too stiff, too uneven. Those strikes were a bit too wild, even for someone like you.¡±

    ¡°I can tell¡­¡± He tried to throw bits of trickery in response to his battle against Vulf. Being able to slip in strikes perfectly through his defense would have made the fight much easier, but it definitely wasn¡¯t something that would help ignite his soul.

    ¡°Regardless, it''s good to see you training again. You spent an entire year avoiding training before you left. I thought that the flame inside of you had died, but now¡­¡± Hela looked straight into Ega¡¯s eyes. ¡°I still see it burning quite brightly.¡±

    She could still remember the emptiness in his eyes when Ega had arrived in her office. She suspected that it was due to their investigation of Old God¡¯s body after they had fallen, but she couldn¡¯t ask him before he gave her the letter of resignation and left.

    ¡°Is that supposed to be a compliment?¡±

    ¡°Take it as you will.¡± Hela¡¯s eyes suddenly landed on Ella who was still watching from the crowd. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be on your way? Your daughter is waiting.¡±

    Hela couldn¡¯t help but chuckle just thinking about how a man like Ega had a daughter, even if they weren¡¯t blood related.

    ¡°I told you, we¡¯re not really¡­¡± Ega wanted to interject, but with these many people around, he didn¡¯t want to let out any more information on himself.

    ¡°I know.¡± There was still a sly smile on her face. ¡°I hope our paths cross again, Ega. Just know that I¡¯ll be here if you need me.¡±

    As Hela turned away, Ega turned towards Ella who seemed a bit restless. Putting the wooden sword back on the nearby rack, he walked towards her and took her hand. As they began to walk, she suddenly started to speak.

    ¡°Y-you did a goo¡ª¡±

    ¡°I apologize for that embarrassing performance, you probably didn¡¯t get to learn much.¡± Just before the duel, Ega had told her to watch it carefully so that she could gain some insights into fighting. It was also a good way for her to finally use her eyes in a more practical manner, but with how short the duel was, there wasn¡¯t much to watch.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t bad, I¡ª¡± Ella was quickly silenced as Ega ruffled her hair.

    ¡°No need to comfort me. I know how shi¡­ bad I did.¡±

    Despite his words, she seemed a little downtrodden that she was unable to help. But little did she know that her words did make Ega feel better, even if it was just a little bit.

    ¡°How about we find a place to stay? Aren¡¯t you getting tired?¡±

    ¡°Anything is fine.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Alright, let''s go around the city for a bit, there¡¯s something I need to see.¡± As the two of them finally walked out the gate and back into the wide streets of the city, Ega began to roam around, eavesdropping into conversations.

    What he lacked the most right now was information. All he knew was that the person who possessed Mithril Blood was somewhere here in this city. Whether it was the person causing these disappearances was still unconfirmed, but he had a strong feeling that they were connected.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    As the two of them walked around, admiring the high buildings of the city and the constant hustle and bustle, Ega began to listen in on conversations that caught his interest.

    ¡°Have you heard? Another person disappeared again?¡±

    ¡°Really? Did it happen around the same area?¡±

    Same area. Those words caught Ega¡¯s attention. Was there a specific area of the city that these disappearances were happening?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where the other disappearances have been happening, but it was by street Gal.¡±

    Ega took a mental note of that street before listening in onto the next conversations. Sometimes he¡¯d join in to act like an afraid traveler to fish out some more locations. After a couple hours of roaming, asking, and eavesdropping, he had finally collected a decent amount of information on the recent disappearances.

    From what he could gather, people disappearing had been occurring for quite some time now, maybe a few months even. However, the people who had suddenly gone missing were mostly from the slums leaving the Lord of the city unbothered.

    However, once one of his mistresses had disappeared, suddenly, the amount of guards patrolling the night increased. When the guards couldn¡¯t even catch the person behind these disappearances, they had called in the Order of Knights for assistance.

    As Ega was in deep thought trying to figure out his next move, he suddenly noticed Ella staring intensely through a window of one of the stores. Curious, he stepped beside her and looked inside as well.

    Noticing him in the reflection of the glass, she darted her eyes away from what was inside, but it was too late. Looking inside, he couldn¡¯t help but grin as his eyes fell onto a sparkling dark purple dress on display, a dress perfect for Ella¡¯s size.

    ¡°Sorry Ella, but I don¡¯t think I can be that free with my money.¡± Though he still had a lot of money even after buying her winter clothes, the dress on display seemed like a ridiculously expensive item, something that only noble children would wear.

    ¡°Ah! No I¡­ sorry¡­¡± Ella hung her head down, embarrassed that she was caught staring at a dress.

    ¡°What are you sorry for? Nothing wrong with staring at dresses.¡± Ega looked at Ella and then back at the dress. ¡°It''s okay to be a kid, you know. No need to hide it all the time, no need to feel like you need to grow up faster, just enjoy being a kid while you can.¡±

    Those weren¡¯t Ega¡¯s words, but his old master¡¯s. Of course, he never listened to that advice, always continuing to train and push himself to the limit in the pursuit of strength. He hoped Ella wouldn¡¯t do the same, or at least, wouldn¡¯t have to do the same.

    ¡°I can buy you another dress some other time, deal?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to¡­¡± Turning toward Ega and seeing his look, she stopped.

    His expression was telling her, ¡°What did I just say?¡±

    ¡°T-thank you.¡±

    A smile returned to his lips as Ella seemed to understand his intentions. ¡°Come on, I have to investigate one more thing. After that, we¡¯ll rest up at an inn, sounds good?¡±

    Ella nodded her head, still trying to process everything that he said. Dusk was just a few hours away so the two of them quickly moved their feet toward the direction of these disappearances, or in other words, the slums.

    Located just Northeast of the city were the slums, a place riddled with desperate people barely scraping by to keep their souls inside of their body. Ega kept Ella close to himself as he walked down the edge of the slums, the place where normalcy quickly bled into poverty.

    The alleys seemed darker and more dangerous, hiding some sort of danger that he couldn¡¯t be sure of.

    ¡®So this is what it looks like.¡¯ Though the houses weren¡¯t as bad compared to the slums in the town of Vitir, they weren¡¯t much more livable.

    He kept scanning the area, keeping note of the way the streets winded, the way the alleys ended, and how the buildings, despite being on the edge of collapse, seemed to stand tall. As the two of them walked, however, someone suddenly interrupted them.

    ¡°You two look a little lost.¡± It was a woman in rags, no doubt from the slums. She had dirt on her face and deep underneath her nails. Despite being nothing just skin and bones, there was a strange light in her eyes. ¡°Do you mind if I¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s alright, we¡¯re just looking around.¡± Ega wanted to shut her down before anything happened.

    ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t mean lost in that sense. Haven¡¯t you found yourself lost since the death of our guardian, Yolu? May I invite you to the Church of Rekindling?¡± She quickly shoved a piece of paper into Ega¡¯s hands.

    Glancing at it, he turned back to the woman, noticing the light in her eyes slowly twisting into a passionate flame.

    ¡°I assure you that you will find yourself more whole once you join us. You will come to find yourself much safer even without Yolu, afterall we¡ª¡±

    ¡°That sounds great, but I have to go.¡± Clutching Ella¡¯s hand a little harder, he swiftly moved away from the slums.

    ¡°I truly mean it! Even I have seen the light in this dark situation. When the Outers come for us, we can provide you with a way¡­¡± Her crazed ramblings slowly died off in the distance as Ega continued to walk away.

    It was only after they were a safe distance away from that woman that Ella started to speak. ¡°Who¡­¡±

    Shock and confusion was written all over her face alongside a hint of fear.

    ¡°Avoid those types of people.¡± Ega¡¯s voice was stern as he recalled some bad memories. ¡°Just walk the other way and never, even in your most desperate moments, especially in your most desperate moments, take their offer, understood?¡±

    Still a little shaken, Ella nodded her head in understanding. ¡°O-okay¡­¡±

    The rest of the walk was made in silence as Ega searched for an inn. Dusk was beginning to settle in and worry began to make its way to people¡¯s faces. Fear quickly pushed them indoors, fear of becoming one of the missing people.

    Just before the sun had sunken completely over the horizon, Ega had finally found a place of respite. Greeted by the warm glow of lanterns, he stepped inside with Ella by his side.

    ¡°Welcome!¡± One of the waitresses greeted him. ¡°Are you here for a room, meal, or both?¡±

    ¡°Just a room please.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let me just get the owner and we¡¯ll get you a room right away.¡±

    As she disappeared into the back, she quickly returned with a lengthy looking man by her side.

    ¡°You¡¯re looking for a room?¡± Despite his thin stature, the man¡¯s sunken eyes gave Ega an unsettling feeling.

    ¡°Yes, just one room is enough.¡±

    Reaching into his brown coat, the innkeeper pulled out a key. ¡°It¡¯s three copper a night.¡±

    While he pulled it out however, Ega couldn¡¯t help but take notice of a strange emblem pinned on the inside of the man¡¯s coat. He had only seen it for a second, but from what he could tell, it was the symbol of a tree.

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Ega took the key, reading the number ¡°205¡± on the tag attached to it.

    ¡°You can pay me after the night, and don¡¯t try anything funny. I¡¯ll hunt you down for the payment if I have to.¡± Though his tone wasn¡¯t very threatening, it definitely didn¡¯t feel much like a joke either.

    ¡°You won¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±

    ¡°Good¡­¡± The innkeeper stared at Ega for a few uncomfortable seconds before turning back to return to his office.

    Looking back between the key in his hands the slowly disappearing figure of the innkeeper, Ega couldn¡¯t help but feel the need to keep an eye on that man.

    ¡°Room 205¡­¡± He looked for the way toward all the rooms, noticing a set of stairs leading to a second floor. ¡°Come on Ella, let''s go.¡±

    Slipping away from the warm atmosphere of eating, drinking, and chatting, the two of them finally made it to the room. It was a simple room worth its three copper costs. There was only one bed, but that was enough.

    Turning toward Ella, Ega took notice of her droopy eyes. All the exhaustion from traveling and eye training must have finally crashed on her.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to sleep?¡±

    Ella was too tired to say anything about it with her eyes half shut. Figuring that she was too tired to even move anymore, Ega scooped her up into arms and tucked her into bed. Though Ella would have a good night¡¯s rest, the night was far from over for Ega.

 Chapter 10

    Gently closing the door behind him, Ega locked it with the key. Going down the flight of creaking steps, he noticed that most of the people who were hanging around had already returned home. The rest were just lingering around, not much time before they would start leaving as well.

    Despite how long the disappearances have been going on for, it seemed like a large part of Ashier didn¡¯t feel too threatened by it. Did they already know that it only happened around the slums? Or could there be something else at play?

    Shoving the thought aside, Ega stepped out into the dead of night. There was barely any light illuminating the streets save for a few lanterns hanging on the walls. The moonlight could barely pierce through the dark veil of the streets, allowing only for people to see a few feet ahead of themselves.

    Some stumbled around in the dark, others came prepared with an oil lantern, and Ega had an owl¡¯s soul mixed into his own. He retraced his steps, quickly making his way back to the edge of the slums. As he arrived however, he noticed something strange.

    ¡®There are knights on patrol?¡¯ He could hear the faint clicking of armor and the warm glow of light drifting through the streets. ¡®Shit.¡¯

    If he was caught roaming around in the night like this, he would only draw suspicion to himself. Even if he could stay hidden from the knights for the length of his investigation, they would get in the way by dissuading whoever was causing these disappearances to veer their head out.

    Ega fell into deep thought, trying to figure out how to salvage this situation. Trying to place himself in the shoes of the hunter, he tried to think about how they would approach the situation.

    ¡®If there were knights patrolling an area, how would I slip past them to kidnap someone?¡¯ As he tried to piece together the possible methods, Ega suddenly remembered one of the stories that he had been eavesdropping on.

    Why slip past the knights when you can hunt down the knights themselves? He had remembered an old lady talking about how even the knights themselves weren¡¯t safe. Her son had disappeared while on patrol, and it seemed like he wasn¡¯t the only one.

    ¡®I can use them as bait.¡¯ Ega thought.

    Whoever was causing these disappearances seemed like they needed humans for something, whether that be the body, mind, or soul. It didn¡¯t really matter what their goal was, he could take advantage of it. It was a good move, getting what you want while trying to dissuade your enemy from investigating any further.

    The plan had already worked. Most of the knights seemed to be patrolling the edge of the slums, too scared to go any deeper to do a proper investigation.

    Ega was beginning to readjust his plan with the new information. He could use the knights as bait to draw out the culprit to these disappearances. Though it was a bit of a gamble, it was better than just aimlessly roaming around until he spotted something.

    Mixing the soul of a cat into his own, he leaped onto the buildings and began to survey the area. Picking out a group of three knights, he began to follow them. His steps were silent as he leaped from roof to roof, quickly catching up to their position.

    As he stood above them, watching them and nearby patrollers, Ega got another idea. He could make the target even more enticing by splitting up the knights. Even a group of three might be too much, but if it was just one knight, they would be the perfect target.

    Dropping from the roof, Ega picked up a few pebbles off the ground and started to get to work.

    ¡°Hey, did you hear that?¡± One of the knights turned their head toward a strange ¡°thunk¡± sound.

    ¡°You think that was¡ª¡± The other knight¡¯s words were cut short as he spotted a shadowy figure suddenly dash across his field of view. ¡°Over there! Quick!¡±

    The knight drew his sword and quickly led the way to where he had spotted the shadowy figure. As his comrades were following however, Ega took the moment of panic to strike at one of the knights.

    As the knight was running, he quickly picked one off from the shadows, cupping the man¡¯s mouth in his hands before knocking him unconscious.

    Once the other two knights had arrived at the spot where they had spotted Ega¡¯s shadowy figure, they realized that their comrade was missing.

    ¡°Where did Alta go?¡± They started to dart their gazes around the area, unable to spot their friend.

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± Panic began to befall the two of them.

    Ega pushed them further over the edge. Drawing his bow and arrow, he shot at the lantern in both of the knight¡¯s hands, plunging them into the eternal darkness.

    ¡°What the hell!¡± Both of them looked toward the direction of the arrows, but Ega had already disappeared.

    ¡°Wait, I see something over there!¡± One of the knights ran off, chasing after Ega¡¯s shadow.

    ¡°What are you¡­ Hal, where did you go?¡± Hal had left his friend behind, leaving him standing frozen in place. ¡°Hal?¡±

    But Hal would not respond, for Ega had already done the same to him as he did to the previous knight.

    ¡®Perfect, just one knight left.¡¯ With his bait perfectly prepared, all he needed to do now was cast the line.

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    Having taken the oil lantern from the first knight, he began to lure the last remaining knight deeper into the slums.

    ¡°Hal? Alta? Is that you?¡± The knight spotted a dim light in the distance. Noticing that it was slowly moving away, he quickly chased after it. ¡°Come back here! We have to regroup!¡±

    Running around for a few minutes, the knight had finally caught up with escaping light. As he did however, he noticed something strange. There was no one holding the lantern. In fact, it was just sitting on the ground, slowly burning itself out.

    ¡°Hal? Alta? Where did you¡­¡± Picking up the lantern, a sudden sense of dread began to befall him. The realization that he was alone and lost in the middle of the slums had struck him. ¡°Hello? Is anyone from the Order around?¡±

    There was no response to his words. With what little courage the knight had left, he began to roam the streets using the dim light that he had in hand. Ega watched from a distance like an angler fish waiting for the moment its prey was close enough to the light.

    It was the perfect bait. A lone knight patrolling deep into the slums, probably lost due to the darkness. Unless he was missing something, this would lure out the culprit to all of the disappearances.

    Still, Ega kept his field of vision wide over the slums. There was no guarantee that this knight would become the prey. With his bow ready, he followed the knight as he tried to find a way out of the slums.

    There were others roaming around as well, some were drunkards, others were bandits, and as Ega observed them, he noticed a missing group, the homeless. There was no one sleeping on the ruined streets, no hapless individuals who couldn¡¯t even afford a house in the slums.

    ¡®Had they all been kidnapped or¡­¡¯ Ega began to wonder as he observed all of the living bait roaming the streets.

    The night drew on in silence as nothing significant occurred. Ega was starting to feel the strain in his eyes as he tried to keep track of so many different things with eyes that weren¡¯t completely his own. Nearly an hour had passed, and just before he was about to give up, something began to move from the corner of his eyes.

    The figure was fast, scurrying through the streets like a rat. They would soon bear their claws, however, as they pounced on a drunkard roaming the streets.

    ¡®Shit.¡¯ Ega was positioned far away from the shadowy figure, having stuck closer to the knight still trying to find his way out of the slums.

    Once the drunkard was in the cloaked person¡¯s hands, they began to scurry away with their prey. Ega followed them from a distance, slowly gaining some distance as he ran and leaped from roof to roof.

    As he got close enough, he began to nock an arrow waiting for the shadowy figure to move down a straight street. Focusing on the figure¡¯s trajectory, he released the arrow, letting its whistle pierce through the silent night.

    The arrow struck its target, piercing through its tattered cloak and stopping it in its tracks. The figure fell over, stumbling for some distance before turning its gaze toward their pursuer.

    Ega was rapidly closing the distance, having mixed his souls even deeper as he ran. Drawing his blade, he prepared himself for a vicious clash.

    Before he could get close enough however, the cloaked figure quickly tore the arrow out of their body before running away again with their prey. Somehow, they hadn¡¯t grown any slower despite the injury. Instead, it seemed like they were becoming faster.

    Seeing this, Ega began to burn away one of his souls. With a surge of power flowing through his veins, he dashed forward with all his might, appearing beside the shadowy figure in an instant. Ega slashed his sword, bringing his escaping target to a halt.

    As he did however, he noticed something strange about his attack. He had cut into plenty of people before. He knew what it felt like to run a blade through human flesh and bone depending on where he struck. It was because of this knowledge that he realized that whoever he was cutting into now was not human.

    The cloaked figure let out a horrifying scream as its flesh was cleaved into. Clasping its claw-like hands onto Ega¡¯s blade to try and hold him in place, it struck back, not with blades, but with flesh.

    Tendrils popped out from the back of its cloak, shooting themselves towards Ega. Without much of a choice, he let go of his sword to dodge the monstrous attack. Once he had created some distance, he began to see the creature much more clearly.

    Underneath the shadows of the cloak was a human figure stitched together with parts of other creatures. Its flesh was warped and re-written to blend all the parts together, and from its back emerged tendrils of flesh and sinew.

    ¡°What is this monster? A homunculi? No¡­ chimera?¡± Ega couldn¡¯t help but let the shock escape from his mouth.

    ¡°No I¡­ human¡­¡± The figure suddenly responded, its voice uneven and constantly shifting in pitch.

    With its claws still on Ega¡¯s sword, the monster tore it out of its body, throwing it off to the side. The large wound began to mend itself, the mix of flesh and muscle snapping together again.

    No time to go for his sword, Ega took a dagger into each hand, getting ready to strike before the monster could fully heal itself. Just before he could dash, however, the tendrils began to move again, keeping him at bay.

    He slowly trimmed them down with his blades, weaving in-between the strikes as he slashed back. Despite his efforts however, the monster shot needles of bones toward Ega before dashing away. He dodged the attack, but with an opening being created, the monster began to sprint away.

    With such an endless amount of stamina, there was no way Ega could catch up with that monster. Still, there was one last thing he could do.

    Climbing onto the roof of a crumbling building, he began to sharpen his eyes as much as he could. His field of vision began to expand across the entirety of the slums and the details of every brick, every plank of wood, every roof tile began to pierce his eyes.

    Catching sight of the monster running, Ega continued to track its movements the best he could. Taking an arrow from his quiver, he nocked his arrow and took aim. After tracking his opponent for half a minute, they disappeared from his sights.

    ¡°One¡­ Two¡­ Three.¡± With his target being gone for three seconds, Ega drew back the bow string and shot the arrow.

    The moment he did, Ega shut his eyes, letting out a groan due to the strain he was putting on his eyes. Borrowing the eyes of an owl and sharpening it to such an extreme was just too much for even someone like him.

    Pressing his hands against his eyelids, Ega waited until his eyes stopped throbbing. He waited for a few minutes, and though it still stung, he pried them open. Through his watery eyes, he caught sight of the arrow he had shot.

    It stuck itself onto a roof far away, a marker to where he had lost sight of his target. Though it was a bit of a gamble, Ega figured that he could gather some information where his arrow had landed.

    Jumping down from the roof, he dragged himself over to his sword. Picking it up, he flicked his wrist, splattering the monster¡¯s blood against the ground. He stared at the blood for a few seconds, trying to process everything that had just occurred.

    Some kind of homunculi or chimera, Ega wasn¡¯t quite sure what that thing was. Still, he had to push forward so that when the Outers descended upon them, he could be confident that the sun would rise over the horizon again. And for that to happen, he had to face, not only this night, but many more to come.

 Chapter 11

    Lily leaned against the entrance into the sewers, feeling the little fuzz of moss against the crumbling stone through her claws. Although her body had mended itself, she was still shaken by the sudden encounter with Ega.

    She had heard stories from her father, how the Blood Hunter tracked anyone possessing Mithril Blood like a hound. He had only entered the city today, and suddenly, here he was, having sniffed them out like a beast.

    Shivering as she recalled all the stories that her father had told her about Ega, she dragged the body in her claws down into the sewers.

    Her amber eyes shone through the pitch darkness, and though it didn¡¯t grant her perfect night vision, it was enough for her to make it around in the dark. Lily couldn¡¯t help but think back at her fight with Ega, back to how effortlessly he had cut her apart. But to her, that wasn¡¯t the worst part.

    It was his eyes. The way he looked at her, as if she was some disgusting monster worthy only of death. She had never met any other person¡¯s eyes aside from her brother and father, having killed them before they could even see her true form.

    Was she truly some sort of monster? Some abomination that should have died just like how Ega had looked at her? Her heart began to beat faster at the thought that she shouldn¡¯t have existed. Those strange thoughts and feelings were beginning to resurface again after all this time.

    Finally arriving before a metal door carved out against the sewer wall, she opened the door to her safe haven.

    The floors and walls were stained with blood, with tables full of all sorts of instruments meant to pierce and cut through bone and flesh in an endless amount of ways. ¡°Parts¡± lay scattered everywhere while the person who meant the world to her stood in the middle; Olian, her father.

    He was thin, wearing a white coat stained with blood from all of his work. His hair was a mess, probably haven¡¯t been washed for a few days now that he was getting close to a breakthrough. Hearing the door open, Olian turned around to greet his daughter.

    ¡°Lily! You came back with more supplies! That¡¯s¡­¡± Just before he was going to praise her, he quickly noticed the crumbling expression on her face. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    Wiping his bloody hands on a towel, he ran up to his daughter as more concern began to wash over him. Tears began to well in Lilys¡¯ eyes, and unable to hold it in anymore, she embraced her father.

    ¡°Da¡­ Dad¡­¡± She could barely croak the words out through her tears.

    ¡°What? What is it, Lily?¡± Olian began to stroke her brown hair, trying his best to comfort her.

    ¡°Am I¡­ a monster? Am I not¡­ supposed to¡­¡±

    ¡°What! Who told you that?¡±

    ¡°The Blood Hunter¡­ He called me a monster¡­¡±

    Olian¡¯s eyes grew wide as he heard the name ¡°Blood Hunter.¡± He also began to notice that the blood on Lily¡¯s cloak wasn¡¯t the blood of her victims, but her own blood.

    ¡°That bastard¡­¡± As much as he wanted to be angry, comforting his daughter was his first priority. ¡°Lily, look at me Lily. Listen, listen to my voice.¡±

    Gently holding her face in his hands, he stared straight into her eyes. The left side of her face was scaly, her body was stitched together with the flesh of other animals, and the parts that were still human could transform themselves in such strange manners that it would be difficult to even consider it such. And yet, Olian still thought of her as his one and only daughter.

    ¡°You are human. I don¡¯t care what anyone thinks, I don¡¯t care if you look different, I don¡¯t care if the world sees you differently. You are my daughter, and you are human.¡±

    Lily pressed her face into her father¡¯s chest, letting the tears flow freely and staining his coat with other than blood.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright¡­¡± Olian continued to stroke her hair. ¡°We¡¯ll be out of here soon enough.¡±

    All he needed was a bit more time, and he would finally be able to bring his family back. After all of these years, after all of the work he had poured into experimenting with souls, flesh, and snow, Mithril Blood, he was close to reaching a breakthrough.

    As Lily¡¯s tears finally subsided, she spoke in croaking. ¡°Thank you¡­ Dad. I¡¯m¡­ glad to be here.¡±

    Seeing her smile through her swollen eyes, Olian felt a sudden pang in his heart. If only life had been more merciful to them, maybe then they could have lived as a normal family. Still, he tried his best to salvage that dream, not just with his children, but as a whole family.

    He couldn¡¯t have done it without the Mithril Blood that he was able to get his hands on, but it seemed like possessing it was beginning to catch up to him. Not only were the Order of Knights on his tail, but so was the rumored Blood Hunter.

    ¡°Just a little bit more¡­¡± Olian murmured, turning his attention to the body that Lily had brought to him. ¡°I see you¡¯ve brought back more supplies.¡±

    Lily nodded her head with a sense of pride. Unable to help himself, he patted her head as a way to praise her.

    ¡°Perfect, this should be enough.¡± Slinging the body over his shoulders, he brought it over to his operating table.

    ¡°Really?¡± She couldn¡¯t believe that they were so close. Lily could remember it like it was yesterday; when Olian had first started researching how he could bring their mother back.

    ¡°Yes, yes, you¡¯ve done a great job.¡± Picking up his instruments, he called out to his son. ¡°Lliam! I¡¯m going to need some help here!¡±

    Lliam quickly responded to his father¡¯s call, bursting through an iron door and arriving at his side. Unlike his twin sister, Lliam was large. His arms were like that of a bear¡¯s, his figure towering over even his father as fur and scales littered his body. Though he was unable to speak, Olian loved him all the same.

    ¡°After this, we¡¯re going to need to set up some precautionary measures.¡±

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    Lliam nodded his head, understanding what his father meant.

    If the Blood Hunter had somehow tracked down Lily in less than a day, it would only be a matter of time before he came knocking on their doorstep. Olian would be prepared for this calamity, for this ¡°Hunter¡± who dared try to tear apart his family.

    With the bits of information that he had above ground and all the supplies that he had down here, he would be able to stop Ega from tearing his family apart. Life had already tried to do it once before, and he refused to let it happen again.

    ¡­

    Hela stared at the pile of documents on her desk, letting out a relieved sigh that she was able to get through them all in a day. Though a good part of the night had passed, she would be able to at least get some sleep in.

    She would have finished them much earlier, but her sudden encounter with an old friend had set her back a few hours. Her lips curled into a grin as she recalled the day, glad to see that he was still doing well after all these years.

    Standing up from her desk, she was just about to leave until a strange sound began to echo through the air. It was the sound of knocking, but it wasn¡¯t coming from the door into her office. Instead, it seemed to be coming from behind her, behind the curtains to the window.

    Picking up the sword leaning against her desk, she pulled the blade from its sheath. Readying herself, she threw open the curtains to reveal¡­ Ega?

    He was crouched by the window sill, covered in blood and knocking against the glass trying to get her attention. Once the shock finally wore off, she opened the window to see why in the world he was even there in the first place.

    ¡°What the hell are you doing at my window? Did you mix the soul of a bird into your own a little too far?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Ega was panting, trying his best to catch his breath. ¡°I needed to talk to you.¡±

    ¡°And you thought coming to the window of my office was the best idea?¡± Sheathing her blade, she leaned it back against the desk.

    ¡°As if any of the knights were going to let me talk to you in the dead of night.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a good point.¡± As absurd as the situation was, it seemed like he thought it through.

    ¡°Anyways, I know who¡¯s behind the disappearances in Ashier.¡±

    ¡°What? How did you¡­¡± Despite having arrived at Ashier a week earlier, Hela hadn¡¯t made much progress in discovering the culprit to the disappearances. Granted, she was chained to her desk for most of the time, always having more paperwork to fill out so that the investigation could go smoothly, but still¡­

    She couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile, remembering how Ega never followed procedures. He always acted first without permission and she¡¯d always have to cover up for him, but it was easy to do because he brought back positive results, well, most of the time.

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®how¡¯? I just went off and did my own investigating.¡± Ega deliberately left out the part where he had used one of her knights as bait. Thankfully, none of them got hurt, well, not from the monster at least.

    ¡°And? What did you find?¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know ¡®who¡¯ they are exactly, but I have a general idea of where they are.¡± When Ega had searched the area around where his arrow had landed, he had found an entrance into the sewers.

    The sewers themselves weren¡¯t that suspicious, it was what he noticed on the entrance of it that had tipped him off. There was blood imprinted on the moss, too large to be a human hand but big enough to belong to that monster¡¯s claws.

    ¡°They¡¯re down in the sewers, somewhere¡­ and I know for a fact that there¡¯s more than just one person.¡±

    Although Ega could sense Mithril Blood inside of that monster, it was nothing significant. His body didn¡¯t react to the blood as violently as with Vulf or all his other victims. At the very least, there was one more person who possessed most of the blood.

    ¡°And? It seems like you haven¡¯t gone down the sewers yet.¡± Hela already knew what he was going to say next.

    ¡°Of course I haven¡¯t. I need you and your knights to help me search the sewers. Who knows how big that place is, and if there¡¯s a large group waiting down there, I might as well be committing suicide going down their alone.¡±

    Letting out a long sigh, Hela looked over at the papers on her desk. ¡°It¡¯ll take me a day or two to get permission to search the sewers.¡±

    ¡°Oh not this shit again. Are you kidding me? Permission? They¡¯re still doing this after all of these years?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, yes.¡±

    Ega let out a groan of frustration. This was the part of the procedure that he had always broken when he was still in the Order; gaining permission. In order to keep Commanders inside of the Order in check, they were required to gain permission from the Lord overlooking the land before they could take action.

    Most commanders were incredible soul bearers, so to prevent them and their squadron from wreaking havoc whenever they felt fit, they had to gain permission to take any sort of substantial action. It was a good idea to help minimize damages to a city and its civilians, but in practice, the process could drag up to a week for even the smallest things.

    ¡°One or two days¡­¡± Ega repeated her words. ¡°Those bastards aren¡¯t going to wait one or two days for us to get off our asses.¡±

    Giving that much time to his opponent was too risky. Two days for them to prepare, two days from them to try and escape, two days from them to possibly strike first, there was just too much to consider.

    Frustrated, Ega walked back to the window as he ran his hand through his hair, trying to figure out how he would approach this situation alone.

    ¡°However¡­¡±

    Ega quickly whipped his head back around at Hela¡¯s word. ¡°However?¡±

    ¡°I have ten knights from my original squadron with me. I¡¯m sure I could have them follow you over whatever the proper procedure is.¡±

    Relief began to wash over him as, at the very least, he¡¯d have some support. ¡°Alright, great. So I¡¯ll have ten knights accompanying me to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Eleven.¡± She corrected him.

    ¡°Eleven? I thought you told me you had¡­¡± The realization had finally struck Ega. ¡°You aren¡¯t thinking of coming with me, are you?¡±

    ¡°Why not? The situation seems serious enough for me to be there in person.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to get into major trouble? You¡¯re a commander above all else, you know the Order won¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know. You don¡¯t understand how many complaints I received because of you, Ega.¡± Hela looked at the window, thinking for a second. ¡°But after all this time, I think I¡¯m due for breaking a rule or two. Don¡¯t you think they¡¯ll give some leniency for working my entire life in the Order?¡±

    Though small, Ega could see the mischievous smile form on her lips. ¡°Are you in your rebellious phase now?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m too old for that. I just think it¡¯s finally time to pay back all of the falls that you¡¯ve taken for me, all of the things that you did in my stead.¡±

    Ega let out a sigh. ¡°I already told you a long time ago that you didn¡¯t need to pay me back.¡±

    ¡°I know, but I don¡¯t quite feel the same way.¡± Picking up her sword, she walked over to the door. ¡°Come on now, shouldn¡¯t we prepare quickly? I¡¯ll have my knights ready in a minute.¡±

    ¡°Fine. If you really want to be punished by the Order that badly then do what you want. Unlike me, you won¡¯t have a commander to cover your ass.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I have my ways.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do.¡± She always had some way to get him out of trouble, so she must have had something in mind for herself.

    Ega followed behind Hela as they moved forward, ready to face whatever awaited them in the sewers; and there would be much to face, for Olian and his children had made sure of it.

 Chapter 12

    Twelve people gathered at the gaping maw of the sewers. The knights held brightly lit lanterns in hand, ready to scour through the horrid tunnels to finally bring an end to the disappearances.

    Among the ten knights, Ega noticed a familiar face. Helm was standing in the group, his face still bruised from the beating that he had received at the inn. Their eyes met for a second, but once Helm had recognized Ega¡¯s face, he quickly looked away.

    ¡°Prepare yourselves.¡± Hela stood at the foot of the entrance, giving everyone a general idea of the plan. ¡°We are stepping into completely unknown territory. Be wary of whatever may be in those tunnels.¡±

    Hela swept her gaze across the group, and seeing that their faces didn¡¯t show any sign of fear, she continued. ¡°All of you have been provided with whistles just in case you find our target or if something begins to overwhelm you. Do not, under any circumstance, fight the monster alone. Use the whistle and everyone will arrive at your location shortly, understood?¡±

    All the knights nodded their heads in unison.

    ¡°Good. I¡¯ve already briefed you on one of the possible enemies that we may be facing, but again, always expect more. Now, let''s go.¡±

    Hela led the way into the sewers with a torch in hand. Though she didn¡¯t need it, being able to rely on soul mixing to see in the dark, having that extra light in the front for her men was vital.

    As they traveled deeper into the crumbling tunnels, a few of the knights winced at the horrid smell pervading their nostrils. It wasn¡¯t just the smell of waste washing away in the waters, but the stench of something else mixed alongside it.

    Ega couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it, that was, until someone appeared before the group of knights. Hela suddenly stopped as  the figure approached, shambling forward. It was shaped like a human, possessing human features, but the way it walked, the way its flesh had been stitched together, he knew that thing was far from human.

    ¡°There is any enemy ahead, prepare¡ª¡± Before Hela could even finish her sentence, tendrils shot out from the monster¡¯s body, widely thrashing at her.

    Despite the incredible speed of the attacks, she cut them all down in an instant. Still, the onslaught didn¡¯t stop. The monster continued to form tendrils out of its body, slowly shredding itself into bits.

    Realizing that the attacks wouldn¡¯t stop until the thing used up its entire body, Hela charged forward. Weaving and slashing through the attacks, she quickly arrived before the monster and quickly brought it down in a single slash.

    Thankfully, it seemed the monster was quite slow, possessing not a single hint of agility. It was a mindless being made only to attack.

    ¡°Is this the monster that you were talking about, Ega?¡±

    ¡°No, the thing I faced before had much better control of its tendrils. It also possessed an extremely high level of regeneration.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ It seems like we¡¯re going to be dealing with¡ª¡± Sensing something move, Hela quickly turned her attention to the monster¡¯s dead body.

    Despite having nearly split it into two, it was still squirming, trying its hardest to strike at her. Her face twisted into disgust as she ran her blade through its body a few more times to make sure it was dead.

    ¡°These things are resilient¡­¡± Turning back to her knights, she warned them. ¡°When you face these monsters, make sure they are dead. Cut them an extra five or ten times if you have to.¡±

    The knights nodded their heads. It was clear that the tension was beginning to rise seeing the possible monsters that they would need to face. As they continued to move down the winding sewers, Ega couldn¡¯t help but pause at the corpse of the monster for a second.

    He was feeling a strange pulling sensation from it, though very weak. Crouching down, he stuck his hand out at the corpse, and there it was, a tiny drop of Mithril Blood. Seeping into his hand, Ega began to wonder, just why was there Mithril Blood in this monster?

    The prospect of the monster having a drop of the Old God¡¯s blood made him feel a bit uneasy, though Ega was unsure why. There was something about it, something about how these people were manipulating Mithril Blood and finding ways to use it in such a twisted manner, it worried him.

    Just what possibilities would they unlock with the blood of a god? Would it bless people with change? Or would it bring about a great calamity? Just who was experimenting with Mithril Blood? How many? Just how far have they gotten?

    The questions swirled around in Ega¡¯s mind, but right now, he couldn¡¯t think about them. Standing back up, he quickly caught up with the knights.

    More monsters stood in their way as they traversed the sewers, but they were torn apart quickly. Still, it was a gruesome sight to see the knights constantly slice up even the dead corpses of those humanoid creatures.

    After some time of walking and killing monsters, Ega and the knights ran into a split in the sewers. Without any clues to where the culprits might be, they would have to split up to search the entirety of the sewers.

    Before Hela could give out any orders, Ega spoke. ¡°I can go on my own down this right tunnel here.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Going alone is¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you gave me the whistle, didn¡¯t you?¡± Ega pulled it out from his pockets. ¡°I¡¯ll mark my path, and if I ever need help, you¡¯ll hear me.¡±

    Though there was some worry on Hela¡¯s expression, she knew that he was dead set on going by himself.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Turning toward her men, she began to divide everyone up. The path split into three, and deciding to take two knights with her, she sent the other eight on their own.

    Before they went their ways however, Hela confronted Ega again.

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    ¡°Are you sure about going on your own? If the sewers split off on your side again, you won¡¯t be able to¡ª¡±

    ¡°I have my ways.¡± There was a reason that Ega had chosen to go down the right tunnel.

    He was beginning to feel it again, that pulling sensation. His target was down there, and using this sixth sense granted by his fusion with a piece of the Old God, it would guide him straight to them.

    Despite having this power, he didn¡¯t want to reveal it to anyone just yet. The piece that he had fused with wasn¡¯t just one of the souls flowing through Yolu¡¯s flesh, but a true, genuine piece of the soul of a god.

    ¡°Fine, but make sure to use that whistle if you encounter the main threat.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Haven¡¯t I always followed your orders?¡±

    ¡°Never my orders but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Your intentions.¡± Ega finished the sentence for her.

    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Turning back toward her men, she prepared herself to search down the tunnels. ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡±

    With those parting words, everyone began to move down their respective tunnels. Now that he was on his own, Ega started to mix the souls of the salamander and bear into his own. Despite only having four different souls mixed, he was already beginning to feel the weight of having so many souls mixed together.

    Taking a moment to readjust himself, he pushed forward, keeping his ears and eyes open for any enemies. Strangely enough however, there wasn¡¯t a single monster that Ega was going down. He could still hear the sound of fighting echoing from the other tunnels, so it wasn¡¯t like they were lacking in terms of manpower.

    Maybe they were trying to play mind games with whoever was going to investigate the sewers, but that just seemed too risky of a plan. Walking for a few more minutes and marking his path, Ega finally understood what the plan was.

    It wasn¡¯t that they lacked the manpower nor were they trying to play mind games, but that they already had one monster strong enough to guard this tunnel. Just as he was growing complacent, something suddenly dashed towards him.

    Tendrils shot out from its body as it swiped its claws at him, and though he was able to cut down the tendrils, he couldn¡¯t completely avoid the claw swipe. The monster dug into his arm as it dashed past him. Ega had expected a fight after the surprise attack, but instead of standing its ground, it only glanced at him, amber eyes shaking as it recognized his face.

    Just as his wounds began to mend themselves, the monster moved again. Instead of dashing toward him, it quickly surriced toward the direction that he was coming from.

    ¡®Is it trying to escape?¡¯ He was unsure what that monster was doing, but he didn¡¯t care.

    That thing wasn¡¯t his target, and even if that monster was trying to attack the knights, they¡¯d be able to hold their own. All this would mean is that he¡¯d have one less obstacle to go against. Still, Ega couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy about where that monster was running toward.

    Pushing forward, Ega had finally found something aside from crumbling bricks and moss. There was a large metal door carved into the wall, its frame already half rusted away. As he stood in front of it, that pulling feeling began to grow even stronger. He was finally here, the place where his target was hiding.

    Tightening the grip on his blade, Ega blew onto the whistle. The piercing sound echoed through the sewers, and as it subsided, he suddenly heard something coming from the other side of the wall.

    ¡°Run! Quick!¡±

    ¡®They¡¯re trying to escape.¡¯ Ega had realized the instant he heard those words. ¡®Is there another way out or¡­¡¯

    Not wanting to take the risk, kicked down the metal door, tearing it from its hinges. As the room entered his view, he caught sight of two figures, a different monstrous creature and a thin man, black haired man.

    Using his surprise entrance, Ega quickly chucked a dagger straight at Olian, trying to gauge his skill level. Seeing Lliam block the attack with his bear-like claws and seeing Olian¡¯s slow reaction, he knew that the man in the blood stained coat was weak.

    Dashing forward, he tried to set the tempo for the fight. Lliam tried to intercept his dash by swiping at Ega, but he simply ducked down and countered with a thrust at the monster''s chest. Aiming straight at its flesh, he was about to pierce the monster only for something to suddenly block it.

    ¡°You blood hunting bastard!¡± Olian¡¯s hand was suddenly encased in bone, and though he couldn¡¯t knock Ega¡¯s attack away, he had stopped it from cutting into his son.

    With that failed strike, he quickly backed away, dodging another one of Lliam¡¯s attacks. Not giving Ega a chance to recover, Lliam charged forward like an enraged beast.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fight him! We just need to run!¡±

    But it was already too late. Engaging in a close quarters fight, Lliam began to swing wildly at Ega. Although each attack was infused with an incredible amount of speed and power, they held no technique.

    Dodging the attacks, he waited until a gap appeared in Lliam¡¯s mindless strikes. As Ega dodged a wide swing, he quickly countered with a sword thrust straight at the monster¡¯s chest. Lliam quickly blocked it, stopping the blade from piercing his heart.

    The attack stunned Lliam for a second, and using that opportunity, Ega threw a dagger at the target that he was aiming for the entire time: Olian. Despite seeing the attack coming his way, Olian didn¡¯t dodge it. He could have, especially now that Ega lacked the element of surprise, but as Olian¡¯s eyes darted at the object behind him, he decided to take it head on.

    The dagger sent him staggering a few steps back as it pierced his hand, and though the damage wasn¡¯t significant, Ega had not let Olian¡¯s glance backward slip from his gaze. Looking behind the man, he noticed the body of a woman placed on an operating table and a jar with a soul in it.

    Despite only seeing it for a second, he noticed how special the jar was. It was rare to store souls into jars when you could put it inside of your soul realm unless¡­

    Unless it was a human soul. Living beings can not store a soul too similar to their own. Remembering this, Ega suddenly got an idea.

    Pulling his blade out of Lliam¡¯s hand, he slipped off his coat starting from the left sleeve, dropped his sword from his right hand down to his left, and flung his coat into Lliam¡¯s face. It blinded him for only a second, but a second was all Ega needed.

    Dashing past Lliam, he aimed straight for Olian. Tearing the coat off from his face, Lliam acted quickly, running right in front of his father to block whatever attack Ega was going to deliver. But attacking Olian wasn¡¯t his goal in the first place

    Snatching the soul containing jar on the operating table, he quickly dashed away from them.

    ¡°Not another goddamned inch or I¡¯m breaking this soul free!¡± He got ready to throw it, aiming it at the ground.

    ¡°Wait. Wait!¡± Olian desperately cried out.

    It seemed like Ega was right to assume that this was important to them.

    ¡°Please! I¡¯ll do anything you want, just don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t scatter my wife¡¯s soul away.¡±

    ¡®Wife?¡¯ Ega couldn¡¯t help but dwell on the word for a second, finally understanding what was going on.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to burn it, then give me your Mithril Blood. Every. Last. Drop.¡±

    Olian hesitated. ¡°Wait, I need¡ª¡±

    ¡°All of it!¡± Ega made himself clear, bringing the lantern ever closer to the body.

    ¡°Fine! Fine¡­¡± As he slowly walked to him, ready to give up his Mirthil Blood, footsteps began to echo from outside of the room.

    At first, Ega thought it was reinforcements finally coming in response to his whistle, but he was severely wrong. Lily appeared through the door, but she didn¡¯t come alone. In her claws was a child shivering in fear. Ega¡¯s blood ran cold as he recognized her face, as he realized Ella was in Lily¡¯s grasp. For a second, his mind went blank.

    Keeping one¡¯s heart steady in the heat of battle was one of the most important things Ega had learned, but right now, there was a torrent of emotions swirling around in his heart. He remembered what he had told Ella, that he¡¯d put his life over her life above all else. Maybe it was already time to live up to his own words.

 Chapter 13

    When Lily ran into Ega as she ran through the tunnels, she panicked. As much as she wanted to turn back and join back with her family to fend him off, she had a mission to complete, the one thing that would insure their victory.

    She pushed herself, sprinting as hard as she could out of the sewers. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she thought of the worse case scenario, of the Blood Hunter ruthlessly killing her family. Still, she had to believe in them, she had to believe that they would be fine on their own.

    These tunnels were her home, she knew this place inside and out, and in no time, she arrived at the entrance located closer to the center of Ashier. Crawling her way out, she ran down the only path that she knew of outside of the slums, the way to the Stormkeeper¡¯s Inn.

    The streets were dark, hiding her monstrous figure as she ran. Arriving at the back entrance to the inn, she furiously began knocking at the door.

    ¡°Vin¡­¡± She weakly croaked, trying to get the owner¡¯s attention.

    After a few seconds of knocking, he had finally arrived. His sunken eyes pierced through Lily, a clear indication of irritation.

    ¡°What?¡± Despite his thin figure, his presence felt overwhelming, as if he could kill you with just his stare.

    ¡°Under attack¡­ Blood Hunter¡­ We need him¡­¡±

    Before she could finish, Vin understood what she was trying to get at. ¡°Room 205, and be quick about it. I don¡¯t want anyone seeing¡­¡± He paused, needing to pick his words carefully to not offend Olian. ¡°I don¡¯t want them to catch sight of you.¡±

    But maybe it wouldn¡¯t matter anymore, especially after tonight.

    Slipping into the building, Lily began to search for room 205. It wasn¡¯t long before she had found it, the key to their victory. Breaking down the door she scanned the room for a second before seeing Ella. Snatching her up into her hands, she pressed her hand over the child¡¯s mouth and quickly escaped.

    Lily ran through the night, running faster than she ever had before.

    ¡­

    ¡°You destroy my wife¡¯s soul and I¡¯ll kill your daughter!¡± Olian yelled out, suddenly flipping the table on Ega. But the table was still in the air, ready to tip on either side depending on how everything tumbled down on either of them.

    Looking over to Ella, he could see her shivering with tears in her eyes. Despite this, Ega could read her expression. It was a strange expression, one that, for a second, was tearing up with fear and panic. But as she met his eyes, it quickly twisted into acceptance.

    She already knew a day like this would come. Ega had even said so himself, that when it came to either her neck or his, he¡¯d always choose his own. Closing her eyes, she began to take in a deep breath, ready to accept her face.

    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Ega cursed under his breath as he read her expression.

    He knew what the right thing to do was. All he had to do was intimidate them. He could tell that this soul was of utmost importance to them. There was no chance they would trade Ella¡¯s life for this soul. And yet¡­

    ¡°Fine! You give me back my daughter and I¡¯ll give you back your wife¡¯s soul!¡±

    Ella¡¯s eyes suddenly opened. What was going on? Was he going to try and save her? Or was this just part of some elaborate plan?

    ¡°You let her take a step closer to me, and I¡¯ll do the same.¡±

    Olian looked over at Lily, nodding his head. ¡°You do anything to that jar, and I¡¯ll make sure your daughter dies before she can even fall into your arms.¡±

    Picking up the body, he took a step toward them. Lily had finally let go of Ella, slowly nudging her forward with her tendrils. Each step that Ega took toward them, Ella took a step toward Ega.

    The tendril continued to trail behind her, making sure that he wouldn¡¯t try and save Ella while still keeping the body in his hands. One step. Another step. It all repeated in utter silence.

    One step. Another step. Finally, Ella stood just three meters away from Ega. Just as he was about to take another step however, Olian banged the metal operating table, ending the moment of tense silence. He didn¡¯t just make some random noise just to make a sound, no, it was a signal.

    Lily¡¯s tendrils suddenly shot forward, one aimed straight toward Ella, and another aimed straight at the jar in Ega¡¯s hand.

    Ega was too far away. Charging forward, he slashed at the tendril aimed at him. Still, there wasn¡¯t enough time for him to save Ella. There was nothing that he could do.

    But, just because there was nothing Ega could do, however, didn¡¯t mean that Ella couldn¡¯t do anything. Hearing the sudden bang of metal, she turned her head. Her eyes were able to make out a blur as the tendril shot at her, but that was enough.

    Ella leaped forward, narrowly escaping death as Lily¡¯s tendril left a shallow gash on her back. Dropping the jar and scooping her into his hands, Ega burned a soul and dashed away, trying to create as much distance as possible.

    As Lily narrowly picked up her mother¡¯s soul into her tendrils before it shattered onto the ground and Lliam charged toward Ega to keep him at bay. Without any time to even check on Ella, Ega was quickly thrusted back into battle. Letting Ella rest against a wall, he faced Lliam as he charged at him, swinging like a wild beast.

    Ega tried to strike back as he dodged, but before he could carry out with his counter, another tendril shot right toward him. Flicking his wrist, he slashed them down, giving up his strike on Lliam.

    As he fought against Lliam and Lily, he noticed Olian escaping off in the distance, taking some sort of secret exit inside of the room with a body and jar in hand. He couldn¡¯t chase after him, not with Ella slowly bleeding out behind him and two monsters constantly attacking him.

    All Ega could do was dodge and block, unable to strike back. As he dodged Lliam¡¯s flurry of swipes, he had to cut down Lily¡¯s tendrils aimed both at him and Ella. It was only a matter of time before he made a mistake or his stamina ran out.

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    Despite their constant attacks, those two monsters showed no sign of exhaustion. Ega however, was beginning to lose the grip on his sword.

    ¡®Shit. Shit. Shit.¡¯ He began to curse at himself internally as he witnessed death¡¯s scythe slowly approach his neck.

    And that was when it happened. While Ega was blocking an attack from Lliam, his grip had loosened and his sword had been knocked away. Panic had not yet settled. He couldn¡¯t let it pierce his heart just yet.

    Burning another soul, he turned back to grab Ella and ran away. Before he could make any meaningful distance, Lliam caught up to him, swatting him across the room before he could escape.

    Just before he crashed into the metal tables, he twisted his body, trying his best to prevent Ella from getting hurt. As his back slammed against the table, all of the sharp, bloodied instruments began to spill off, tearing into Ega.

    Thankfully, Ella hadn¡¯t gotten hurt from that, but she was bleeding, shivering in his arms as they were about to reach the end of their journeys.

    Ega could still continue struggling, he could still mix his souls even deeper, but he knew that at that point, there would be no turning back. Either he¡¯d fracture his own soul, or he¡¯d never be able to pull them apart from his own.

    ¡®I have to¡­¡¯ Even if he would die here, he had to try and carve out an opportunity.

    Just as he was about to mix his souls even further, a voice suddenly echoed across the room.

    ¡°Feathers, fall.¡±

    Steel feathers suddenly shot towards Lliam and Lily, stopping their advance toward Ega. Hearing that voice and that phrase, Ega couldn¡¯t help but grin.

    Hela had finally arrived with the soul of a steel swan already mixed into her own soul. Sprinting forward, the knights began to follow her, holding back the two monsters as their commander pinned them down with steel feathers.

    Arriving before Ega¡¯s side, her expression began to harden at his condition.

    ¡°Ega, are you¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± His wounds were already healing under the salamander¡¯s soul. ¡°Get someone¡­ for Ella, quickly.¡±

    Finally noticing her in his arms, she yelled at one of the knights to provide medical attention. Once she had been plucked from his arms and being taken care of, Hela spoke again.

    ¡°You did something reckless again.¡±

    ¡°Had no choice, they were going to escape if I didn¡¯t hold them down for a bit.¡± Struggling back to his feet, Ega pointed at where Olian had escaped from. ¡°There¡¯s still one more. Ran through that secret exit.¡±

    ¡°Just sit down and rest, we can take it from¡ª¡±

    ¡°No.¡± The look in Ega¡¯s eyes was fierce. ¡°I caving that bastard¡¯s face in myself.¡±

    Dragging himself over to his sword, he picked it up. He couldn¡¯t just kill Olian, afterall, they still needed to interrogate him after all was said and done, but he¡¯d be able to extract the blood another way.

    ¡°Right, you and your salamander soul.¡± Hela remembered how resilient Ega was, always relying on his black salamander soul to regenerate any and all injuries. She didn¡¯t even put it past him to continue fighting even if he lost an arm.

    Once the knights had secured Lily and Lliam¡¯s capture, Hela and Ega began to move up the secret exit. It was a long flight of stairs, stained with a trail of blood from Olian¡¯s bleeding hand, but soon they broke through to the otherside.

    Cutting open the trapdoor, they quickly ran out into what seemed to be a house located in the middle of the city. Olian stood just in front of them. Holding his bleeding hand over the dead body, he gave it the final ingredient to finally bring his wife back.

    Hela shot steel feathers at him, but it was already too late. Though he was pinned to the wall by her feathers, he had successfully brought his wife back. The hole in her body began to regenerate at an incredible speed, even faster than Lily¡¯s regeneration.

    Not wanting to discover just how monstrous she was going to become, Ega charged forward, hoping to chop off her head before it was too late. Just before his sword could connect, Olian¡¯s wife had awoken, and in a split second, she grabbed his sword with her bare hands.

    ¡°Elise? Are you¡­¡± Olian couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. After all of these years of research and experimentation, he had finally brought his family back together.

    ¡°Olian? Is that¡­¡± Her sudden revival had sent her in a state of shock. ¡°I thought I¡­¡±

    As touching as the moment was, Ega didn¡¯t give a shit. Pulling out a dagger with his other hand, he thrusted it at Elise. However, just like his sword, it was blocked.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Tearing the blades from his hand, Elise threw herself upright, ready to strike back.

    Hela fended her off, shooting more steel feathers to try and keep her in place. But not even that would stop this monster. Dodging the attack, she picked up the table that she had been laying on and threw it at Ega and Hela.

    Flying faster than even an arrow, the two of them couldn¡¯t help but take the full force of that throw. With some time to themselves, Olian and Elise began to have a heart to heart.

    ¡°Olian, what have you¡­ How am I¡­¡± She began to approach her husband, his bloodied and disheveled figure almost unrecognizable.

    ¡°Our children made it Elise. They¡¯re alive! They may be a little different from what you imagined, but we can finally be a family.¡± There were tears in his eyes as he spoke.

    ¡°No¡­ No that¡­ This isn¡¯t¡­¡± Elise suddenly fell to her knees lurching forward as he held her stomach.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Olian began to panic. ¡°Elise, what¡¯s wrong!¡±

    Blood began to pour out of her mouth. Her skins and flesh suddenly began to contort, suddenly rupturing before regenerating back in an instant.

    ¡°Elise! Elise!¡±

    However, as she regenerated, she began to grow larger. Mounds of flesh continued to grow from her skin at an unprecedented degree. Suddenly, she had grown to three meters, then five, and suddenly, she had become too large to fit inside of the building.

    She bursted out from the roof, screaming and wailing in pain. What once was a beautiful woman was now a giant mass of flesh standing two stories tall. No, would it even be right to say that it was standing?

    ¡°No no no no no.¡± What had Olian done wrong? Did he not calculate something correctly? Maybe the soul was put in incorrectly? Too much Mithril Blood? Too little? Maybe the soul was already too fragmented. Whatever it was, he had damned his wife to this monstrous cage of flesh.

    Bursting out from the rubble, Ega laid eyes on the giant creature, horrified at the giant mound of flesh. Seeing its creator on his knees, staring at the monster, he tackled Olian and pinned him to the ground.

    ¡°What kind of hellish monster did you bring to life?¡±

    ¡°No, no¡­ I¡­ she wasn¡¯t supposed to¡­¡± His dream was beginning to crumble before him.

    ¡°You bastard.¡± Ega smacked him across the face, trying to knock some sense into him. ¡°How the hell do I kill that thing?¡±

    ¡°No, no! Don¡¯t kill her! Her soul is still in that body, I just need to¡ª¡± Ega smacked him again, silencing him.

    ¡°Shit, he doesn¡¯t know.¡±

    The hideous monster began to swing its bloated arms around wildly, knocking buildings down. People screamed as they were buried under the rubble of their own homes, waking all of those around them. People began to light lanterns only to see that god forsaken creature towering before their windows.

    Even if Olian didn¡¯t know how to kill that thing, Ega had to come up with something. As he watched people light their lanterns, the warm glow of light pouring out their windows to give them vision, that was when it finally struck him. Fire, he would kill that thing with fire.

 Chapter 14

    Olian had always been obsessed with his work. Too obsessed. Despite this, he found time to fall in love, to date, to marry, to have children. For the first time in his life, he had found something worth more than his work, worth more than manipulating souls and bending flesh.

    He had met Elise during one of his travels for work. She worked as a knight guarding him and his colleagues as they ventured from city to city to meet with other researchers.

    He¡¯d talk with soul manipulators, with soul bearers, with people who wanted to unlock the secrets behind the latent power in souls. They had different ideas to his own, but the way they saw the world was too similar to his own. He¡¯d grown tired of it, and realizing that no one seemed to hold the key for a breakthrough, Olian found himself conversing with Elise on their travels.

    Elise saw the world in a different manner than Olian. While he paid attention to the small pieces, the individual parts such as the soul and body, she saw the person. While he saw the leaves, she saw the tree. While he saw the stars, she saw the sky. He could never see things in that manner; seeing the entirety of something rather than its details first.

    He could never understand ¡°the whole¡± by itself, only the pieces, the tiny, intricate details which it was made of. Olian knew Elise by the strange way her lips curled when she was happy. The way she played with her hair when she was bored. The way her cheeks flushed just a little red when she was embarrassed. And he loved every bit of her.

    Maybe it was because they saw the world so differently, understood it at such different levels that they had fallen for each other.

    One thing had led to another, and soon, they married, living out a blissful life together. It wouldn¡¯t be long before it¡¯d be more than just the two of them, for they were expecting children not long after the ceremony.

    It was a start to a happy family, something rare in a world like this. However, they were not part of the exception. Despite possessing this new happiness, Olian still held pride in his work, afterall, it was his job, it was his life before Elise.

    Maybe the world was just against them, maybe the stars had just aligned all wrongly, but Olian could remember that day clearly. It was winter, and he had set off for work, a laboratory to experiment with flesh and soul.

    They were close to a breakthrough, close to unlocking a new way to attach a soul back to a body. It wasn¡¯t like necromancy where one would be brought back as an undead, but as if they had been brought back to life.

    He''d stayed back late to progress their research, but despite being so close to a breakthrough, they couldn¡¯t push past a certain wall. When he returned home, he was greeted with a horrendous sight. The image had been burned into his mind, a reminder to his failure.

    He had called out to Elise, but she didn¡¯t respond. Walking up to their room, he opened the door only to see Elise lying on sheets soaked in blood. It was a premature delivery, and it had killed her. For a minute, Olian stood there frozen in horror. It must have been a nightmare, but as the scene burned itself into his mind, the reality had dawned on him.

    How come no one came to help her? Why was it a premature delivery? Why did she have to die? Why did the babies have to die as well?

    No, the babies hadn¡¯t died yet. Somehow, he heard their heartbeats. He could sense the little light of their souls still burning. There was still a chance, at the very least, he could try and save his children, but there was only one way that he could do it. He had to take them out by himself.

    His hands trembled. It seemed like the world was spinning around him, twisting and turning into a torrent trying to break him down, but he steeled himself and cut open Elise¡¯s abdomen. He had gone beyond the point of not return.

    But, he was able to save his children. They were out of her belly, but they were dying. Olian had to save them, no, he would definitely save them, and he could do it the only way he knew how. He manipulated their souls, he remade their flesh, and he brought life back into them.

    He emptied his stomach until he could throw up no more, continuing to work through his teary eyes. But when all was said and done, he had done it. Olian had given life what should have been dead. His hands were bloodied, his mind scarred beyond belief, but he had salvaged what was left of his family.

    In a way, breathing life to them, saving them was a way for Olian to repent. If only he had been there for Elise. If only he had come home earlier. The world had not acted in their favor, but Olian felt, no, he knew that this was all his fault.

    He worked to give his children a safe haven in a world that would never accept them. He worked to keep them alive, continuing to guide their growth of their fragmented bodies and crumbling souls. He worked to try and give his children a mother, to bring back his wife. But most importantly, he worked for redemption.

    But redemption did not come, and here Olian stood, face to face with his failures, watching as his ¡°wife¡± began to wreak havoc in the city that they once called home. What was there left for him now?

    ¡°We need to burn that thing!¡± Ega turned back toward Hela and a few of the knights who had come up from the basement in response to the commotion.

    ¡°Wait! No please¡ª¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me!¡± Ega grabbed him by the collar. ¡°Look at your wife! Look at her! Move on! Just say your goodbyes and let her go already. You think you''re the only one who¡­¡±

    Ega stopped himself, realizing that he was letting his emotions get the better of him. Throwing Olian back onto the ground and leaving him to break down by himself, he told the knights his plan.

    ¡°I have nova burst petals on me, but it¡¯s not going to be enough. I need something more, something like oil or¡­ Alcohol! Alcohol will work!¡± The plan was beginning to formulate in his head. ¡°Drown that thing in a shit ton of alcohol, and with my petals, we can kill it.¡±

    It sounded like a great plan, however¡­

    ¡°Where are we going to get the alcohol?¡± One of the knights spoke up.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! Just break into a tavern or bar! Ransack it for barrels and kegs!¡±

    All the knights looked at each other, baffled that Ega had suggested that they commit a crime.

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    ¡°You figure that out.¡± Hela suddenly spoke. ¡°I¡¯ll hold that monster down until you get everything prepared.¡±

    Ega noticed the feathers growing out her body as she charged toward the monster, a sign of a deep mixing of souls. Feathers rained down on the monster, pinning it in place.

    ¡°Shit! Just do as I say! I¡¯ll pay for all the damages myself if I have to, understand?¡± Ega¡¯s voice had shaken the knights to their core.

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± They shouted in unison before scattering off to find some poor bar or inn to break into.

    With enough people going out to gather alcohol, Ega ran toward the giant mass of flesh, hoping to stop it from causing any more destruction. Though Hela was doing a good job holding it down with her feathers, it was still progressing across the city bit by bit.

    Having lost his sword in the rubble, all he had left were a pair of daggers to try and distract the monster. He cut into its flesh, running it across a great distance to draw its attention. His plan had been successful, as it swung back at him.

    Ducking under its swing, he began to run around even more, distracting it like a mosquito as he drew more of its blood. Feathers continued to rain down, stopping the monster for a few seconds before it tore itself out of the restraints.

    With their combined efforts, they were keeping the monster in place, letting whoever was getting caught in the chaos escape. But their stamina would eventually run out. Ega was already near his limit after fighting off Lily and Lliam, and Hela was pushing the limits of her steel swan soul.

    ¡®Where are those damned knights?¡¯ Ega wondered. They had been keeping the monster in place for quite a while now, and still, not a single knight had returned with alcohol.

    Suddenly, Ega felt something lightly tap his arm. It wasn¡¯t blood nor was it any debris, no, it was something much more normal, something much more natural. Rain.

    He could feel another drop hit his head, and as he turned his gaze upward, he saw it. Through the pitch black of night, dark clouds were beginning to roll in. This moment of distraction had left him open and unprepared for the monster¡¯s sudden swing toward him

    A feather shot down at the hand, stopping it before it splattered Ega against the floor or walls.

    ¡°Keep your eyes on the monster!¡± Hela was scolding him, even in this desperate situation.

    ¡°We have to burn it quickly!¡± Ega could barely spit out the words in the middle of his ragged breaths. ¡°Rain! It¡¯s coming!¡±

    Hela¡¯s face twisted into worry, but she trusted in her knights. As the two of them were reaching their last drops of energy, the knights had finally returned, carrying a total of seven kegs and even some bottles tucked under their arms.

    ¡°Finally!¡± Escaping from the giant monster, he ran over to the knights to give them more orders.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the strongest out of all of you?¡±

    Helm¡¯s hand suddenly shot up, but seeing Ega¡¯s gaze suddenly fall on him, he shuddered.

    ¡°Okay, you stay with me. The rest of you, spill three of those kegs at the base of the monster, and watch out for its attacks!¡±

    The knights kicked into action, leaving only Helm behind. ¡°You! I forget your name, but can you throw these kegs above the monster?¡± Ega would have done it himself, but he had run out of strength.

    ¡°Y-yes sir!¡±

    ¡°Then throw it! Right above its head!¡±

    Following his command, Helm picked up a barrel, his arms growing as he mixed a soul and threw it right above the monster.

    ¡°Hela!¡± Ega yelled out, but it seemed like those words weren¡¯t needed.

    Understanding what he was trying to do, she shattered the barrel with one of her steel feathers. This wasn¡¯t enough, they needed to cover that entire thing with alcohol, and they needed to do it fast before the rain came in.

    ¡°To the right of it! To the left now!¡± Ega began to bark out orders like a hound. ¡°Now toss the bottles directly at it!¡±

    Helm was good at keeping up with his orders, and soon, they had used up all the alcohol that they had. With that done, they had to throw in one final ingredient before they could burn the monster. Reaching into his bag, he threw a pouch above the monster¡¯s head.

    ¡°Nova petals!¡± With those words, Ega had finished his job.

    Without any more directions, Hela shot at the pouch, only ripping it to let all of the petals fall down. But they were falling too slowly, and with the last bit of her strength, she summoned hundreds of tiny feathers, pinning the petals down onto the giant beast.

    ¡°Light it up!¡± Ega yelled out with the last bit of his strength.

    And not a second later was the first lantern thrown, shattering against the monster and enveloping it in fire. It wailed out in pain, shaking the entire city to its core as it trashed around to try and extinguish the flames. The rain had not yet settled itself in their region. Only bits of it began to drop, but that was not enough to put out the raging fire they had created.

    The monster would not regenerate, not to a fire that strong. Regeneration only worked because of the soul instructing the body to do so, however, the communication between soul and body wasn¡¯t instant. It takes time.

    That time may be a second, maybe even less than a second, but if the body is continuously taking damage, the soul will never be able to give instructions fast enough to regenerate. One second, it¡¯s ¡°regenerate the hand.¡± If the entire arm is suddenly chopped off, now it''s ¡°regenerate the arm.¡± Repeat the process until there¡¯s something that can¡¯t be regenerated.

    With their victory finally achieved, Ega dropped down onto his knees, his legs unable to support him any further.

    Despite the horrendous screaming, Ega kept his eyes off the burning monster. As its flesh burned away, the strange, almost pleasant smell began to fill the air. The nova burst petals were working well, and as that familiar scent pervaded his nose, he couldn¡¯t help but think of this as a soul ceremony.

    This was a strange one, the circumstances made it so, but it was still a soul ceremony. Turning his gaze over to Olian, he noticed that man breaking down, probably saying whatever final words he needed to say.

    ¡®I¡¯ll give him a second.¡¯ Ega thought, watching as the entire body turned to ashes, as the remnants of Elise¡¯s soul finally left this world, never to return again.

    The rain began to pour in once all that was left was ashes. It washed it away and quickly drowned out the scent of nova bursts. After a final goodbye, there would be nothing left but memories.

    Picking himself up from the ground, Ega walked over to Olian. His eyes were blurry, as if he was in some other place and time. Grabbing his hand, Ega sliced into Olian¡¯s palm before grabbing it.

    The Mithril Blood began to flow out of his hand and into Ega¡¯s. ¡°I hope you said what you needed to say.¡±

    Olian winced as the blood was extracted from his body. His eyes were still unfocused, but nonetheless, he uttered a few words.

    ¡°Lliam¡­ Lily¡­ I¡ª¡±

    Once all the blood had been extracted, Ega pulled his hand away. He took deep breaths, trying to readjust with the new rush of blood in his body.

    ¡°Are you doing alright?¡± Hela had gone over to check on him.

    ¡°Shit¡­ as if.¡± He stumbled forward, falling into her arms.

    He struggled to stand upright, but Hela¡¯s words stopped him. ¡°Just rest, we¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±

    And so, Ega closed his eyes, slowly drifting off into another realm. Despite the rain, the sun began to peek its head over the horizon, marking the end of this night and the start to another day.

 Chapter 15

    ¡°So, that¡¯s the Blood Hunter?¡± A man stood far from the battlefield, but he had witnessed it all go down with his right eye.

    His left eye was completely gray, scarred from the hundreds of lacerations that he had received long ago.

    ¡°Yes, that would be Ega.¡± Another person stood beside him, his sunken eyes standing out to anyone who could look under his hood.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± A smile began to form on his lips. ¡°It looks like I have some competition.¡±

    ¡°It should be okay sir, we can take care of him once he¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, no, there¡¯s no need. Just let him gather the blood for us, and once he¡¯s fattened himself up, we¡¯ll go in and take our harvest.¡±

    Despite his boss¡¯ words, the man with sunken eyes didn¡¯t quite seem to agree with that plan. Still, he stayed silent, trusting that things would play out well.

    ¡°I liked him, Olian. It¡¯s a shame to see him go like this.¡±

    ¡°I tried to help him but¡­¡±

    ¡°I know, we couldn¡¯t have you reveal yourself just yet. But, we got what we needed from him. Come now, let¡¯s go.¡±

    The one eyed man turned away and began to walk. He started to whistle as the rain poured down; a little rain song that he could still remember from his godforsaken childhood.

    ¡°Ega¡­¡± He repeated the Blood Hunter¡¯s name. ¡°I can¡¯t wait.¡±

    And soon, he disappeared, leaving behind only the remnants of a small song as it drowned in the rain.

    ¡­

    The sound of waves washing upon the shore pulled Ega deeper into his dreams. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by a clear blue sky. Sitting up, he swept his gaze across the glistening ocean, stopping for a moment to appreciate its beauty.

    ¡®Ah, how is this going to become a twisted nightmare?¡¯ Ega wondered.

    Would the sky suddenly turn black? Maybe the water would suddenly be replaced by blood? Maybe the shoreline would be littered with skulls and Outers?

    He waited and waited, but the scene before him never changed. It was strange. Usually gathering Mithril Blood into his body would guarantee a horrid vision of the future, a nightmare, but not this time.

    Was this another, more peaceful vision of the future? Was it telling him that what he was achieving would eventually lead to this? Was there some sort of change which had finally gotten rid of his nightmares? Ega didn¡¯t know, but he really didn¡¯t care much.

    He felt something by his side, but no matter where he turned, he couldn¡¯t see that figure. It didn¡¯t bother him, not when their presence felt so comforting. And so, he simply relaxed beside this comfortable presence, watching as the waves waxed and waned against the shore.

    It was nice here, a moment of peace before he had to wake up again and push himself to the brink of death for a few drops of blood. But that was all this was, a fleeting moment, a dream.

    Picking himself up, he savored the sound of the waves, the grainy feel of the sand, the warm blanket that the sun and the sky enveloping him, and he began to move forward. The waters were by his feet, then they were at his waist, and soon, it was drowning him.

    Still, he moved forward. If he wanted to see this dream again, no, if he wanted to make this dream a reality, he had to move forward. There was still much more to be done, and maybe after all of that, Ega would finally have his moment of peace.

    Opening his eyes, Ega was greeted by an unfamiliar stone roof. There was something lightly latching on to his arm. As he turned his gaze to see what it was, he saw Ella sitting in a chair by his bedside, asleep.

    ¡®Why is she¡­¡¯ What could be so comforting about holding such rough hands? Was she just that concerned for him? More than anything, he was more concerned about Ella than he was for himself.

    Getting out of bed, he swept his gaze across the room he was in, finding it all too familiar. It had been years since he saw a room like this, the ones given to the knights of the Order.

    Standing beside Ella, he scooped her up into his hands. Her breathing was stable, and there wasn¡¯t any pain staining her sleeping face. Heaving a sigh of relief, Ega gently tucked her into bed, and as he did, he noticed something strange on his hand.

    It looked like a glove of bones, an exact copy of what Olian had been wearing. Bringing it closer to his face, he instantly recognized what it was. The bones of Yolu.

    ¡®Did I accidentally take it from him?¡¯ He had only tried to extract the Mithril Blood out of Olian, but it seemed like he had taken the bone glove as well.

    He curled his hand into a fist, finding no hindrance in terms of mobility or flexibility. It was almost like the bones were constantly twisting to adjust to his own movement. Opening and closing his hands a few more times, Ega remembered a story about these bones.

    Imagining the bone glove on his other hand, his imagination quickly became a reality. The bones crawled across his body and wrapped around his other hand. Imaging it over his chest, it moved itself just over his heart. He moved the bones around to his face, legs, back, anywhere he wanted it, the bones would follow.

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    ¡°This will be useful¡­¡± He mumbled, trying to think of all the use cases for these bones.

    Shifting the bones back over his heart, he was just about to take his leave until he felt something tugging at his hand again. Ella was tossing and turning, having gotten a hold of Ega¡¯s hand again.

    Not wanting to wake her up, he waited until she fell deeper into the realm of dreams. However, before she did, there was a knock at the door.

    ¡°I¡¯m coming in.¡± Hela was on the other side.

    Not wanting his voice to wake her up, he stayed quiet. Hela opened the door and was met with Ega gesturing at her to keep silent. Noticing why he was doing so, she couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile.

    ¡°You really are like father and daughter.¡± Hela whispered as she stood by the bed.

    ¡°Is she alright? She looks fine but¡­¡± His eyebrows furrowed as he recalled the long gash on her back.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we had a doctor tend to her. Thankfully the wound was shallow, so she¡¯ll recover in just a couple days.¡± Hela began to stroke Ella¡¯s hair.

    Looking over to Ega, she suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t you stroke her hair? I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll help her sleep.¡±

    ¡°How are my rough hands going to help her?¡± Ega threw her suggestion aside. ¡°At least you seem to have some experience with kids.¡±

    Hela couldn¡¯t help but smirk at seeing how unaware he was. He was good at reading his opponents with those eyes of his, but he was never good at reading those close to him with his heart.

    ¡°Come on, let''s let her sleep.¡± Ega drew his hand away. ¡°I need something to eat.¡±

    The two of them left for the cafeteria, striding down the stone halls until they were greeted by the smell of food. The cooks standing in the kitchen noticed Ega and Hela entering, and seeing their commander¡¯s gesture, they got to work.

    ¡°You know, that kid likes you a lot.¡± The two of them sat down in the nearly empty cafeteria.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Despite just having injuries of her own, she was worried about you, wanting to stay by your side the entire time. We tried to tell her to rest in bed, but despite how she looks, she¡¯s a stubborn one.¡±

    ¡°That''s strange¡­ There¡¯s nothing to worry about. I even showed her the powers of my salamander soul.¡±

    A dumbfounded expression crossed Hela¡¯s face for a second. Just how was he this dense?

    ¡°Anyways, how has everything been going with Olian? I assume you¡¯re going to start interrogating him very soon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. After all is said and done, he¡¯ll probably be executed alongside his children.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡± Ega couldn¡¯t help but feel a tinge of bitterness. Although he didn¡¯t know the entire story, he could tell it wasn¡¯t very pleasant.

    He had heard of those types of chimera creatures before, but never had he seen a chimera care so much about their own creator. Usually it was anger or hate, but both Lily and Lliam seemed to love their father above all.

    Food had finally arrived at their table, though, there was only enough for one person. As the cook placed the plate on the table, Hela stood up, ready to leave.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you eating?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already had lunch, and besides, I have a lot of work to attend to.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Just as she started walking, Ega spoke again. ¡°Do you mind if I stay here for a bit? I just need some time to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Do you even need to ask?¡± She turned back for a second. ¡°Of course, take your time. I¡¯ll be stationed here for a while anyways.¡±

    There was a moment of silence as she walked off. Ega wasn¡¯t sure what else to say, but he found the right words in time.

    ¡°Thanks, Hela.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t help but smile at his words. It was a simple expression of gratitude, but to her, it meant a lot. Ega used that word sparingly, and he wasn¡¯t just using it for the help he was receiving this time, but for everything that she had done.

    From accepting him into her squadron, training him, guiding him, teaching him, fighting alongside him, the way he spoke carried the weight of the past. Their paths would part again, so before it was too late, he wanted to say at least that much.

    As Hela continued to walk away, Ega turned to his meal, a simple steak and potatoes. As he began to dig into his meal, he started to plan his next course of action. After yesterday¡¯s events, he had begun to realize his own weakness.

    What once were criminals on the run had suddenly twisted into much more organized and stronger groups. With Vulf and now Olian, there was only so much he could do as a single man. He needed more strength, he needed to overcome that wall that he had run into years ago, but just where would he start?

    As he pondered the question, someone unexpected entered the cafeteria. ¡°Look, see? Your dad¡¯s right over there.¡±

    Helm had entered the cafeteria with an unexpected guest by his side: Ella. The moment she caught sight of Ega, she sprinted off toward him. There was worry and fear on her face, but those emotions quickly melted away as she arrived at his side.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Helm had approached the table, wanting to explain the situation, ¡°she was¡ª¡±

    ¡°What did you do to her?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± He was completely stunned at the question. ¡°Wait wait wait, I didn¡¯t do anything. She just came out of the room looking for you sir and I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ apologize, but were you not Hela¡¯s second-in-command.¡±

    ¡°Was her second-in-command.¡± Ega was about to continue further, but decided not to. ¡°Whatever, I know you didn¡¯t do anything. You can be on your way now.¡±

    Helm quickly left, still a little shaken by his encounter with Ega.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± He turned his attention over to Ella, wanting to know why she seemed so scared earlier.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Just as she was about to say something, she stopped herself.

    ¡°What? You don¡¯t want to tell me?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ sorry¡­¡± Ella¡¯s gaze fell down.

    ¡°Oh come on, what are you apologizing for? You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Here, let''s get something for you to eat, I¡¯m sure you''re starving.¡± Although she wouldn¡¯t tell him what the issue was, he guessed it was a bad dream or something.

    Looking over to the cook, Ega received an expression of pain and reluctance as the cook had just finished doing the dishes. However, knowing that the person he was cooking for was a special guest, he shouldered on the pain of having to do more dishes later.

    As Ega finished his meal and Ella started on her own plate, he couldn¡¯t help but stare at her while she ate. He felt relaxed, even if just for a moment. He savored that feeling knowing that the road ahead of him would hand these moments to him very sparingly.

 Chapter 16

    ¡°The first mark to being a proper soul bearer is knowing how to burn a soul, the second mark is knowing how to fuse them, and the final seal which turns a ¡®soul bearer¡¯ into a ¡®truth bearer¡¯ is knowing how to ignite one¡¯s own soul.¡± As his master¡¯s words entered his ears, Ega couldn¡¯t help but scoff.

    ¡°So? Where did you steal those words from?¡±

    ¡°I did not steal it from anyone!¡± His master was appalled that Ega was taking him for a thief. ¡°I am simply passing on their knowledge.¡±

    ¡°What does that even mean? What the hell is a ¡®truth bearer¡¯ even?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but doesn¡¯t it make me sound smart?¡± Seeing that smirk on his master¡¯s face, Ega couldn¡¯t help but feel strangely ashamed.

    He should have seen it coming. After being with his master for three years now, he should have known that whenever his master said anything that sounded intelligent, it probably wasn¡¯t originally from his mouth.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that look? Just because I don¡¯t understand it doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t take you to being a ¡®truth bearer¡¯ as well.¡±

    ¡°But, can¡¯t we do anything else?¡± He was getting restless just sitting on the grass and trying to meditate. ¡°How am I going to ¡®ignite¡¯ anything if I¡¯m just sitting with my eyes closed?¡±

    His master sighed at his little disciple. The kid was a little brash, very impatient, and razor sharp around the edges, but if there was anything he had, it was an inhuman amount of grit.

    ¡°You¡¯re not just sitting with your eyes closed, you¡¯re trying to meditate. What, you want to train your eyes instead?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Ega shot up at the opportunity to do something other than meditation. ¡°At least I can feel myself getting better at it. Meditation doesn¡¯t do shit for me.¡±

    He¡¯d rather grind his body into the ground and push himself to the brink of death rather than try and meditate. Frankly, it was boring, and to him, it felt like a waste of time.

    Stubborn. His master was beginning to attach another label onto his disciple. ¡°Fine, come with me. But don¡¯t think this is over. You¡¯re going to learn how to meditate one way or another.¡±

    Picking up his metal staff, he began to lead the way. Ega quickly followed behind, excited for some ¡°actual¡± training.

    But Ega would come to regret that decision of dismissing meditation all those years ago. As he drew his blade out in the training grounds, his expression began to harden. It was finally time for him to face the wall that he was unable to overcome all those years ago.

    ¡°Ignite.¡± Ega muttered, hoping that repeating the word would somehow let him understand the process better.

    Just what did it mean to unify the soul with the mind and body? Just how would a soul bearer even go about doing so? If he had learned how to meditate properly, maybe it wouldn¡¯t be so hard to figure it out.

    Ega knew what to do. He knew that he needed to understand himself better. He knew that he needed to look within and find himself. He knew he needed to find the potential within his own soul. But he didn¡¯t know how to do it.

    Vague, introspective processes were never Ega¡¯s forte. And so, here he was, left to pick up the pieces of his incomplete training.

    No matter how much he tried to think it over, Ega just couldn¡¯t come up with a solution to his problem. He didn¡¯t know what the first step was. He didn¡¯t know what steps he even had to take afterward.

    Frustration began to stain his face as more and more time began to pass without a single clue to his dilemma. No matter how hard he delved into his own thoughts, no matter how long he tried to think of some sort of solution, his mind ran blank.

    He hated it. He hated how useless he felt. He hated how stupid he seemed. But most of all, he hated how powerless he was.

    Unable to hold it in any further, began to swing his sword. If he couldn¡¯t think up a solution, then he¡¯d do it the only way he knew how. Train.

    Swing your sword until you can¡¯t swing it anymore, and continue to swing it regardless. It didn¡¯t matter that Ega was beating his head against a wall, he just needed to do something.

    The air nearly split with every swing of his blade. But it wasn¡¯t enough. The ground seemed to tremor with every swing of his blade. But it wasn¡¯t enough. The horizon almost disappeared with every swing of his blade, but it wasn¡¯t enough.

    Ega was weak. He was beginning to feel that more than ever. Vulf had been a struggle. If it weren¡¯t for Hela and her knights, he would have been dead just a few days ago. Just how much stronger would his next target be? Just how much stronger did Ega need to become? Just how would he bring back an Old God with this amount of strength?

    Ega didn¡¯t want his strikes to just ¡°nearly¡± split the air. He didn¡¯t want them to just make it ¡°seem¡± like the earth trembled. He didn¡¯t want to ¡°almost¡± make the horizon disappear. No, he wanted each strike to achieve that impossible and exact goal.

    He wanted to tear at the air around him. He wanted to make the earth crumble with each strike. He wanted to destroy the horizon that stood before him.

    If Ega truly wanted to prevent the kingdom from being consumed by Outers, at the very least, he needed to achieve the impossible.

    He swung and swung and swung until even the sun began to grow bored of his efforts, letting night take over to watch him. Despite everything, he still hadn¡¯t found a single clue on how to ignite his own soul.

    Exhausted, Ega dropped his sword, cursing underneath his breath at the fact that he had not even taken a single step forward. His targets wouldn¡¯t just wait for him to get stronger. The Outers wouldn¡¯t just wait until he gathered up the Mithril Blood that he needed.

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    He was afraid, he was afraid ever since he had started to receive those visions from Yolu. He was afraid that he would eventually meet his demise. He was afraid that the kingdom of Lanier would be consumed by the Outers. But more than anything, he was afraid of his own weakness.

    He wanted to pick up his sword, no, he had to pick up his sword. Gritting his teeth, he moved his lead filled arms and gripped his sword once more. Even if this was useless, even if it wouldn¡¯t help him achieve the true potential of his own soul, he had to do something.

    Even through the night, he started to swing again. His arms felt like they were burning, his chest ached as he heaved for more air, but still, he swung his sword. Desperation. That was the only thing that was pushing him now. No. It was the thing that had been pushing him since the beginning.

    Although his efforts felt futile, a small change began to ignite inside of Ega. He was never one to look inside of himself very often, so he didn¡¯t notice that throughout the night, a light began to burn brighter. The flames to Ega¡¯s soul had started to grow, even if just by a little bit.

    ¡­

    With Ega out training, Ella was left under Hela¡¯s watchful eyes. With everything that had occurred, more paperwork had stacked up on her desk. And so, she filled them out, keeping an eye on Ella who was trying to read a book.

    Not wanting her to become a muscle head like Ega, she thought that it was a good idea to get her to read some books. Although she didn¡¯t possess the same eyes as Ega, she could tell Ella was struggling to read in the simplest book in her collection.

    ¡°Do you need any help?¡± Hela asked, wanting to get away from all the paperwork.

    ¡°N-no¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± Despite those words, her cheeks began to flush red.

    ¡°You can¡¯t read or write?¡± Seeing Ella¡¯s face flush bright red, it seemed like she had hit the mark.

    Realizing that her face was giving away all the answers, Ella tried to hide it with the book in her hands.

    Hela couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°No need to be embarrassed. Why don¡¯t you come over here, I have some time to teach you.¡±

    She had expected this, afterall, Ella had been living as a slave before running into Ega, and it wasn¡¯t like he could have taught her much in the short time that they were together.

    Ella slowly approached Hela, still intimidated by her overwhelming presence. Knowing that she used to be Ega¡¯s commander, she didn¡¯t want to cause any trouble for him.

    ¡°Sit here.¡± Bringing over a chair for Ella, she began to teach her how to read and write.

    Ega had told her something interesting, that Ella was strangely talented. Something about the child¡¯s eyes would tip her off, and so, Hela wanted to witness it for herself. Grabbing one of the more dull documents on her desk, she began to read it out loud, letting Ella follow along.

    Just as she did, she glanced over at the child, noticing a strange gaze coming from her eyes. They were incredibly focused, almost as if nothing but the words on the paper was on her mind.

    ¡®So this is what he meant.¡¯ She thought. Hela didn¡¯t need to instruct or teach, she simply needed to serve as an example and Ella would pick up on it.

    As she continued to read, Hela would stop a few times and ask her if she could read a few words. At first, she struggled, but as time went on, she was beginning to read a few phrases and even an entire sentence.

    Amused, Hela continued to go through the documents with Ella by her side. It made the process more bearable, and for a moment, she had forgotten about the fact that punishment would soon arrive at her doorstep.

    The sun began to drop over the horizon, and as Hela noticed the orange light seep through her window and dress her table, she decided it was time to stop here.

    ¡°It''s already getting quite late. I¡¯m sure Ega would want to see you¡­¡± Hela¡¯s eyes went toward the window which oversaw the entire training grounds. Seeing him still swinging his sword, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°It¡¯s about time for dinner, do you want to eat?¡±

    Ella furiously nodded her head. It seemed like any mention of food got her quite excited.

    ¡°Alright then, let me call up one of the servants.¡± Picking up a bell on her table, she began to ring it. A maid quickly arrived at her doorstep, and after giving her orders to bring up two meals, they quickly left.

    ¡°Thank you Ms¡­¡± Unsure of how to address, Ella stopped herself.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just call me grandma? I¡¯m too old to be a ¡®Ms.¡¯ now.¡± Smiling, she began to pat Ella¡¯s head.

    ¡°Grandma?¡± Ella was beginning to warm up to Hela; being able to talk to her without being too intimidated. ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re Ega¡¯s mom?¡±

    ¡°Mom?¡± Hela was stunned. ¡°No, no, I¡¯m not¡­¡±

    Despite her words, she couldn¡¯t dismiss what Ella was saying so easily. She had watched over Ega ever since he had first joined the order, even when he was still a cadet. How long ago was that? He was sixteen at the time, a rowdy teenager that always caused trouble in the order.

    Her lips curled up into a smile as memories began to resurface. ¡°I guess you could say that, but don¡¯t tell Ega.¡±

    ¡°Okay grandma.¡±

    As she looked out the window to watch Ega again, Hela suddenly realized something.

    ¡°Why do you call him ¡®Ega?¡¯ Isn¡¯t he your dad?¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re not¡­ umm¡­¡± Ella didn¡¯t want to say it.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± From what Hela had witnessed, she didn¡¯t think so. Maybe it would take him some time to understand. Afterall, she had known for a long time now that Ega could be a dense fool at times. ¡°I¡¯m sure you two will realize it soon enough.¡±

    Ella couldn¡¯t understand what Hela was saying, but she didn¡¯t have much time to dwell on it. There was a knock at the door, and the same maid as before brought in two trays of food before bowing and taking her leave.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat. I¡¯ll take you back to your room afterwards, okay?¡±

    Ella nodded her head.

    ¡°Good.¡± Glancing out the window again, she noticed that the sky was dark, but Ega was still training. ¡°Hopefully he comes back once we¡¯re finished.¡±

    As they began to eat with what little space they had, Hela suddenly had a favor to ask of Ella.

    ¡°Ella.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± She was unable to say anything with her cheeks stuffed with food.

    ¡°If Ega looks a little down or seems a bit tired, give him a few pats on the head for me, alright?¡±

    Although she was a bit confused, Ella nodded her head. Smiling, Hela turned back toward her food, picking a few items off and giving them to Ella. The two of them enjoyed their meal as the sun set as grandma and granddaughter.

 Chapter 17

    Pain and soreness from severely overworking the body wasn¡¯t an issue for Ega, well, not when he had black salamander¡¯s soul mixed into his own. Rather than his body, his mind was beginning to suffer.

    A torrent of emotions was swirling around in his heart, so much so that it was beginning to leak out through his expressions and actions. Even Ella was beginning to notice, having stared at Ega as he stopped eating midway through his meal.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Ella asked.

    ¡°Huh? Wha¡­ Oh.¡± Realizing that he had been spacing out, he quickly brought himself back to the real world. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Ega continued eating with a blank stare, still trying to figure out the way to achieving his Absolute Path. Noticing that he didn¡¯t seem to be getting better, Ella figured that she¡¯d try to cheer him up.

    Standing up on the chair she was sitting on, she reached for the top of Ega¡¯s head, patting it a few times.

    ¡°Huh? Wha¡ª¡± Utterly appalled by the sudden action, Ega was thrusted out of his own thoughts.

    ¡°Does that make you feel better?¡±

    ¡°Who taught you this?¡± Grabbing her hand, he moved it out of the way to stop her from patting his head any further.

    ¡°Hela said that I could do this whenever you look down.¡±

    ¡°Ah, of course she did.¡± It was something she used to do all the time when Ega had first joined the Order of Knights. He let Hela take care of Ella for the day, just to watch over her as Ega spent the entire day training, and for some reason, she had imparted this habit onto Ella of all people.

    ¡°Did I¡­ do something wrong?¡± It almost seemed like she was about to break out into tears.

    ¡°No no, I¡¯m feeling much better!¡± Ega tried to smile, only, it came out more as a grin than anything. ¡°I just¡­ didn¡¯t expect you to cheer me up so quickly.¡±

    Despite his horrible acting, it seemed like Ella had fallen for it. Instead of breaking out into tears, her face lit up with the brightest smile that he had ever seen. Just what had gotten her into such a good mood?

    ¡°I was just thinking about training. Your training, actually.¡± That was a lie, but it wouldn¡¯t be bad to take his mind off of things for a moment.

    Ella seemed quite interested, wanting to learn something more than just how to see better. It was a useful skill, in fact, it had saved her life, but wouldn¡¯t it be great to be able to achieve more?

    ¡°Just finish eating first, we¡¯re going out to the training field today.¡±

    Excited, she sat back down and started to eat even faster than before.

    ¡°Hey now, you''re still going to have to wait for me to finish.¡± Ega couldn¡¯t help but smile at her energy.

    As the two of them finished their meals, they stepped out into the training grounds which were, again, mostly empty. Taking one of the wooden swords off a rack, Ega tried to find something for Ella¡¯s size.

    Of course, there weren¡¯t any swords fitting for a child, not in a fortress for proper knights. Looking around, he found something perfect for her. Walking up to a tree, he cut off a branch straight enough for Ella to use.

    As he walked back to Ella to give her the branch, she extended both of her hands out with her palms faced up like she was receiving some sort of great treasure.

    ¡°This will be your ¡®sword¡¯ for now.¡± Playing along, he carefully placed it into her hands. ¡°Just watch me and follow along.¡±

    The directions he gave were simple, too simple. Ega didn¡¯t give her any directions in terms of posture, positioning, how to grip it properly, nor even how to swing properly. Without any other words of guidance, how would she learn the proper method?

    But there was something that he had noticed in his short time with Ella; her eyes. Wanting to put it to the test, he performed a simple downward slash. Perfect form, perfect posture, perfect swing.

    Looking over at Ella she performed the same swing, almost to perfection. She had even copied the little details in Ega¡¯s posture and movement, one foot a little forward, hands just above the head, swing stopping just a moment away from the ground.

    ¡°Good, but breathe while you swing. Always remember to breathe whenever you¡¯re doing something.¡±

    Performing the same swing again, Ella mimicked him to perfection. Although she wasn¡¯t even wielding a training sword, being able to copy him so perfectly was an incredible feat. Wanting to test her, he began to perform other strikes. A thrust, a few slashes, he even began to connect the string of strikes together.

    Each time she copied him, struggling here and there, but for her first training session, it was already an incredible feat. Ega couldn¡¯t help but be amused, watching her follow along as he swung his sword.

    After an hour, Ella had finally worn herself out. Despite that, a fire continued to burn in her eyes.

    ¡°Alright, go rest, we¡¯ll continue tomorrow.¡± Seeing this, he decided to end it for today.

    ¡°Wha¡ª¡± she was stunned at the sudden end to their training. ¡°I can still¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. We¡¯re stopping here. Do you want to know what¡¯s just as important as training?¡± Ella looked him straight into the eyes, unsure of the answer. ¡°Resting. Now go bathe, eat, and rest up for tomorrow.¡±

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    With those words Ella walked away with a sullen expression. Walking up to one of the maids maintaining the fortress, she was guided to the bath house. They seemed to enjoy Ella¡¯s presence, being able to care for a child rather than another middle-aged knight.

    Watching as she disappeared into the fort with that expression, Ega couldn¡¯t help but understand her feelings. He felt the same way at one point, but he also understood the repercussions of overworking oneself.

    Despite telling Ella all of that, he was going to ignore his own advice and run his body into the ground yet again. He swung again and again, unknowingly throwing more and more kindling into the flame of his soul.

    He let his desperation and fear guide him, drowning in those emotions with each swing of his sword. Again and again he swung, slowly carving away at the wall that stood before him. Ega didn¡¯t need any new training methods, he didn¡¯t need to approach the problem from a new angle, he only needed to be himself.

    ¡­

    Hela let out a long sigh as she heard a knock at the door. Having counted the days, she was certain of who stood just beyond her office.

    ¡°Commander Hela, I have a letter for you directly from Lord Elv.¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    As the door opened, her mood worsened at the sight of William, Lord Elv¡¯s personal butler. He had been the butler to the previous Lord of Ashier as well, and anyone could tell from how long he had served just from his features.

    The wrinkles on his face were prominent, his hairs snow white, and yet, there was something about him which made it seem like you were standing before a fortress. As he strode toward Hela¡¯s desk, there wasn¡¯t a single hint of respect. Rather, it seemed like he was looking at her with a bit of scorn.

    Hela returned the gesture, and for a few seconds, they glared at each other. Breaking this needless quarrel, he placed the letter onto the table.

    ¡°Court summons I assume?¡± Hela glanced at the red wax seal.

    ¡°You of all people should know that you crossed a boundary. Seems like that hound of yours has rubbed off on you.¡±

    ¡°And maybe for the better. I was able to bring an end to all of these disappearances quite quickly, no? Something your Lord was unable to do for months, or maybe he just didn¡¯t care enough for his own citizens.¡±

    Though slight, Hela could see the change in William¡¯s face. ¡°I don¡¯t question his decisions. I simply serve.¡±

    ¡°And so do I, just not to a Lord who will let me live in a nice dog house once he¡¯s leashed me.¡±

    Unable to hold it in any longer, William slammed his fist onto the table and began to lean in. ¡°At least I¡¯m not chained to a desk for the rest of my life. Look at yourself Hela, you¡¯ve accomplished nothing. The Order is still as shit as always, the nobles are still the same, and look, even your hound has left you. Just what are you doing as all your hair turns white?¡±

    Saying all that he needed to say, turned toward the exit, but not before Hela said something.

    ¡°My hair is already all white.¡±

    William turned back, unsure of what to take of that statement. ¡°Have a good day.¡±

    Shutting the door behind him, he couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at seeing a little girl standing outside. Was she a maid-in-training? But it seemed like she was standing outside Hela¡¯s office for a while.

    Was she her daughter? No, she was too old to be having children. Not wanting to be distracted with needless thoughts, William quickly took his leave. Ella was stunned as she watched the man walk away, unsure of what to do.

    ¡°Ella? What are you doing out here?¡± Having spotted her when the doors were opened, Hela stepped outside.

    ¡°Oh, um, Ega is training again.¡± She looked at the ground, not wanting to burden Hela too much, especially after everything that she heard.

    ¡°Of course he is. Why don¡¯t you come in? I shouldn¡¯t be getting any other visitors today.¡±

    ¡°O-okay, thank you.¡± She lifted her face, meeting Hela¡¯s gaze with bright eyes.

    ¡°I should be thanking you.¡± Unable to stop herself from smiling, she let Ella in first. Despite everything that had occurred, she was beginning to feel better already.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do some more reading, okay?¡± Sitting down, she pulled out a document from her desk.

    Ella nodded her head as she pulled a chair next to Hela. Reading out loud, Hela couldn¡¯t help but be slightly distracted from William¡¯s appearance. Despite her straight face throughout the entire encounter, his words had gotten to her.

    She couldn¡¯t help but think about them as she read to Ella, but something had suddenly snapped her out her thoughts. Feeling something touching her head, she turned over to see Ella patting her head.

    ¡°Um, are you feeling better?¡±

    ¡°Better?¡± Hela was shocked. ¡°I¡­¡±

    Thinking for a second, she suddenly started to laugh. There was a bitter taste in her mouth ever since William had delivered that letter, but now, there was a strange sweetness. Ruffling Ella¡¯s hair a little as payback, she looked at her in the eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m much better now.¡± Her expression had finally lightened up. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to give Ega a few headpats? Not me.¡±

    ¡°I already did. And you seemed a little down, so¡­¡± Ella started to become embarrassed, realizing that her assumption that headpats cheered everyone up might have been a bit strange.

    ¡°Oh? You did? And how¡¯d he react?¡±

    ¡°He seemed to get a little better.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great¡­¡± Hela turned her gaze out the window and toward Ega. There was a somber expression on her face, and as he turned back to Ella, she asked for a favor.

    ¡°Ella?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes?¡± She was surprised at the sudden shift in mood.

    ¡°I know this might be a bit much to ask, but stay at Ega¡¯s side, okay? That kid, he loves to carry the entire world on his shoulders. Just help him a little, give him a few pats on the head, make sure he eats well, nothing too grand.¡±

    Ella was unsure how to respond.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to listen to me. If you don¡¯t want to stay with him, that¡¯s alright¡ª¡±

    ¡°N-no¡­¡± She suddenly spoke. ¡°I¡­ it¡¯s nice being with him. But¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be with him for long.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that? He wouldn¡¯t just leave his daughter would he?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m not¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh please, don¡¯t you feel that way?¡± Ella looked down, unsure of what to say. ¡°I¡¯m sure he feels that way toward you.¡±

    Hela looked out the window, towards Ega desperately training. Ella followed her gaze, unsure of what to say or how to feel.

    ¡°Ah. What am I doing meddling in your affairs? Just forget everything I said, do what you feel is right. Shall we get back to reading?¡±

    Ella nodded her head, but she couldn¡¯t just forget everything that Hela just said. It stuck to her, whether for better or worse.

 Chapter 18

    A few days had passed since Olian and his children had been imprisoned. He hadn¡¯t been able to see their faces in quite a while, with each of them being kept in separate cells far away from each other. Just where did it all go wrong?

    Was it when he had embarked on the journey of resurrecting his wife? Was it when he had chosen to stay back late for work? Or did it go even farther back than that? Maybe, maybe it all started when he first fell in love with her.

    And now here he sat, in a tiny, dark cell awaiting his execution. His fate had been sealed ever since yesterday¡¯s interrogation, but the knights were still holding off on it. They could tell he was still hiding something, especially that commander, Hela.

    Staring up at the molding stone roof of his cell, the sound of rain began to pierce through the cold stone walls. It reminded him of that day, when he was forced to finally say his last words to her.

    His chest twisted into a tight knot as he recalled the giant fire, the sudden fall of rain, the washing away of her ashes. He wanted to see the face of Elise one last time. He wanted to see the faces of his children one last time.

    He wanted to hold them in his arms one last time. He wanted to tell them how much he loved them. But most of all, he wanted to apologize to them. If only he hadn¡¯t been obsessed with bringing his wife back, could they have lived as a happy family?

    Olian¡¯s wish would soon be granted, but the world always finds a way to twist it in the worst way possible. As he listened to the rain, ruminating over the past and thinking of the possibilities, he suddenly took notice of how quiet it was.

    Where were the patrolling knights? Where were the sounds of rats scurrying through the walls? Only the sound of rain pervaded the air, that was until the whistle of a man quickly pierced through it.

    A shiver went down Olian¡¯s spine as heard that tune emanate throughout the damp, musty prison air. It was an old tune, one of those common tunes which couldn¡¯t be traced back to its origins.

    There was only one person who would whistle that tune so nonchalantly as they trespassed through a prison. Dante, the man who gave Olian the Mithril Blood so that he could bring back his wife.

    Along with the sound of rain and whistling, he could hear that man drag something along with him. He was getting closer, his whistling louder and louder, almost as if it were shaking the entire prison. And then, he finally appeared before him in that same cloak that they had first met.

    ¡°Dante?¡± Olian¡¯s gaze went down to what Dante had been dragging along with him. ¡°What did you do?¡±

    Lliam and Lily were in his hands, held by the hoods of their cloaks. Blood stained their clothes and face, slowly running down their face and dripping onto the floor.

    ¡°You bastard! What did you do?¡± Jumping up from the ground, he gripped the metal bars, wanting to tear them off so that he could take his kids back.

    ¡°I¡¯m just here to cut off some loose ends.¡± Doing what Olian couldn¡¯t, Dante kicked down the metal gate as if it were made of twigs. ¡°It''s unfortunate that we have to say goodbye like this.¡±

    He threw Lliam and Lily at their father, knocking him against the wall. ¡°Lliam! Lily! Are you¡­¡±

    Thankfully, they were still breathing, though barely clinging onto life. There were wounds all over their body, and for some reason, they weren¡¯t regenerating like usual. Just what¡­

    ¡°Y-you don¡¯t have to do this. I haven¡¯t told them about you yet. Can¡¯t you just leave¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yet.¡± Dante stressed that word. ¡°If only you had succeeded, I might have considered saving you, but this is the easiest way of cleaning things up. Be proud, you¡¯ve served your purpose.¡±

    Olian held his children tighter in his arms as Dante drew his sword. They could not scream, for with one stroke of his sword, their warm blood had been splattered against the stone, cold walls.

    They were together as a family, all holding each other in their deaths. Maybe they¡¯d find each other in the afterlife. Maybe they¡¯d all reunite in a better place. Dante hoped so, he hoped everyone could find themselves in a better place.

    Scattering nova petals on their bodies, he threw a lit match onto it before turning away. He didn¡¯t want to witness another parting ceremony, and besides, he had better things to be taking care of. Dante disappeared into the rain, having not been seen by a single guard.

    ¡­

    Ega stared out of the window, watching as the rain fell. A couple of days had already passed since he had started Ella¡¯s swordsmanship training, and though the days were going by quickly, today was different.

    Ega was keeping her training ¡°sword¡± close by, having confiscated it ever since he caught her secretly training as she watched him from a distance. Today was going to be another day of training, but with the rain pouring in, he had decided against it.

    Forcing Ella to train out in harsh conditions wasn¡¯t something he was ready to give her yet, not when she was still so young and fragile. Instead, he decided to have her train her eyes using the falling rain.

    In the chaos of a storm, one can begin to discern each drop from each other and follow each of the droplets¡¯ paths. The method was a bit abstract, without any clear goal like grabbing an exact variety of leaves or recognizing certain details of one¡¯s surroundings. It was simply to stare at the rain and watch as it falls.

    There was no way for Ega to know if Ella was actually training her eyes properly, but seeing that intense stare was all he needed to see. As she trained, Ega was focusing on his soul realm, pulling away all of the souls that he had mixed into his own.

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    As he looked at his own soul, he had witnessed no changes. It was the same as it ever was, burning just as brightly and around the same size that it had since the beginning. He left the salamander¡¯s soul into his own, still needing it to complete the torturous training that he had been doing.

    After some time had passed, the sound of knocking pierced through the pattering of rain, drawing Ega out of his soul realm.

    ¡°May I come in?¡± Hela was standing just outside their door.

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Not wanting to get up from his position, he simply allowed her in.

    As she stepped inside, Ega instantly felt that something was off. Her expression, though usually quite serious, was much more grave than usual.

    ¡°Is¡­ something wrong?¡±

    Before answering, Hela looked around the room. ¡°Olian and his kids are dead.¡±

    Ega suddenly shot up from his chair. ¡°What? Isn¡¯t the execution¡ª¡±

    ¡°They were killed by an unknown individual. They snuck into the prison, at a time where, strangely, there were no guards

    ¡°Do we even have a single clue on who could have¡­¡±

    ¡°They left one thing behind, but¡­¡± Instead of telling him, she was going to show him what this mysterious individual left behind.

    Reaching into her pockets, she pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to Ega. Opening it up, Ega froze. There was something written on it, and it directly addressed him.

    Ega: Possessor of the Old God¡¯s fragments.

    Just how long can you hold onto them?

    Ega was thrown into a state of shock, unsure of how to take this information. Too many questions were swirling around in his head about this mysterious individual or possible group of individuals.

    Nothing. They knew absolutely nothing about this person who had somehow slipped past knights and eternally silenced the criminals that they were keeping. Just how powerful was this person? Was it a group? How powerful were they?

    There was something stirring in the shadows, and Ega knew nothing about it. His stomach began to churn as he realized just how little he knew. And despite all that, they knew about him, no, they had their eyes on him.

    From what he read, it seemed like they knew he possessed a true fragment of Yolu. Not only that, but they were threatening to take it away from him. Just what were they going to do with that fragment? If they were related to Olian, then did that mean they would create something like that disgusting monster?

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t worry too much¡± Understanding how he felt, Hela began to take her leave, letting Ega process the situation on his own. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to deal with the situation somehow.¡±

    He wished that he could have tossed these feelings of worry aside. He wished that he could have chalked it up to an empty threat. But there was another part of him, the piece of Yolu was telling him that whoever they were, they were going to be deeply intertwined with Ega¡¯s hunt for blood.

    He knew they were an enemy. He knew that he would have to face them one day. He knew that if he ever wanted to gather enough Mithril Blood to prevent the destruction of Lanier, he had to destroy them. That was what the piece of Yolu was telling him, but despite all of this, he knew nothing about them.

    Fear struck Ega in the chest. He tried to take deep breaths to calm himself down, but those feelings wouldn¡¯t stop pervading through every inch of his body. He needed to do something to shake this feeling off, to make himself feel confident enough to face this faceless danger.

    ¡°Stay here Ella, I have to do something.¡± Leaving the room, Ega headed toward the only thing that could give him any sense of comfort: the training grounds.

    He stepped out into the pouring rain with a training sword in hand. He swung at the rain, each strike shaking off a bit more fear than the last. Having forgotten to take Ella¡¯s training sword, she was watching from the window, mimicking his movements.

    At first, she could follow him perfectly just like all the other times. But as time passed, something began to change about Ega¡¯s form. There was something about each of his strikes, something infused into every single one of them that Ella just couldn¡¯t copy.

    So, she simply watched in awe. She watched as his soul began to ignite itself, burning with such an incredible brilliance that even the downpour of rain couldn¡¯t extinguish. Each time he swung was like throwing more and more oil into a fire.

    His soul was burning so fiercely, so brilliantly that it began to transform his body. It was similar to mixing another soul into his own and gaining their abilities, but instead of diluting his own soul with the soul of other beings, his soul was burning pure. It was turning itself into its truest form and transforming Ega into the greatest body that his soul could possess.

    And that was when it finally happened. Three strikes. Ega¡¯s first strike tore at the air around him, not letting even a single drop of rain fall on him for an entire second. Ega¡¯s second strike shattered the horizon in front of him, splitting the rain into two halves. Ega¡¯s third strike cleaved the ground before him, leaving behind the mark of his Earth Splitting Strikes.

    His entire body ached as he performed those strikes, leaving him unable to move a single muscle for a minute. Despite standing out in the pouring rain, it felt like he was on fire. That feeling was beginning to die down as his soul returned back to its normal state, and as Ega realized what he had done, a wide grin spread across his lips.

    He had done it. Ega had carved out a tiny crack in the wall that stood before. He was beginning to see a path forward in that little bit of progress, and he would not let it escape him. Even if it was for a second, even if it was still incomplete, Ega had ignited his own soul.

    Exhausted beyond belief, he stumbled back under the cover of the fort. Though soaked, he reveled in that feeling of accomplishment, but he couldn¡¯t find comfort yet. There was a much greater force out there waiting for him. Achieving this level was far from enough.

    But for now, Ega needed to rest. Dropping onto the stone cold floor, he closed his eyes for a few minutes, not having expected the floor to be so comforting. The sound of footsteps suddenly interrupted his rest, and as he turned to see who it was, Ella had entered his view.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Concerned about his condition, she crouched down to his side.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, just tired.¡±

    Just as he was about to close his eyes, Ella started to dry his hair with a towel that she had brought with her.

    ¡°I can do it myself.¡± Taking the towel from her hand, he sat upright and started to dry what little of himself that he could.

    ¡°Will I¡­ be able to do that someday?¡±

    ¡°Do¡­ Oh.¡± Ega realized that Ella had been watching him. ¡°You were watching me?¡±

    She suddenly tensed up like she had been caught doing something wrong. Ella braced herself for a scolding, but those words never.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to do something similar in the future.¡± Seeing her face light up with excitement with his words, Ega couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course, just follow the training I give you and you¡¯ll be there in no time.¡± Unable to help himself, he rustled her hair. ¡°And that includes whenever I tell you to rest properly, okay?¡±

    Seeing her nod her head, he turned his gaze out to the falling rain. That¡¯s right, he couldn¡¯t be comfortable yet. If he wanted to protect the things he cared about, he needed to be much more powerful. It was a resolution that Ega made to himself as he watched the rain fall with Ella by his side.

 Chapter 19

    The day had finally come when Ega needed to take his leave. Having stayed at the fortress for nearly two weeks, both Ega and Ella had fully recovered. Just before they took their leave however, they paid one final visit to Hela.

    Knocking on her office door, he asked, ¡°Can I come in?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead Ega.¡± Her voice sounded much more worn out than usual, most likely from all the work that was piling on her.

    His assumption would be proven true, for once he opened the door, he was greeted by Hela sitting behind a pile of paperwork.

    ¡°I assume you want an update on the situation involving Olian?¡±

    ¡°Of course, if you even have any information.¡± Closing the door, he took a seat in front of Hela¡¯s desk with Ella sitting beside him as well.

    Letting out a sigh, she prepared to give him disappointing news. ¡°We don¡¯t know much at all, just that this entire situation involves a much larger group and that¡­ there¡¯s probably someone working from the inside.¡±

    ¡°What? You mean we have a rat in the Order?¡±

    ¡°Not just the Order, I think it goes much deeper than that. They move around too freely, and somehow, they leave not even a single trace of their actions. I¡¯ll try to search into this group some more, but be careful out there.¡±

    Ega¡¯s face turned grim. This unknown enemy was dangerous, but he couldn¡¯t just sit around in fear of them. There was only so much time left before the Outers would descend on them, and whether these people would get in his way, all he needed to do was cut them down.

    ¡°Right, you don¡¯t have to worry about me. Also, I forgot to tell you but we¡¯re going to be taking our leave.¡±

    ¡°Today?¡±

    ¡°Yes, today.¡±

    Hela let out a long sigh before reprimanding him. ¡°What is up with you and your sudden¡­¡± Realizing that those words weren¡¯t going to get through to him, she accepted defeat. ¡°Well, at least you actually gave me a proper goodbye. Let me give you something before you go.¡±

    Standing up, she grabbed a long object wrapped in cloth leaning by the window. It wasn¡¯t there during their first meeting, so just what¡­

    ¡°A¡­ sword?¡± Ega could instantly tell what it was as Hela dropped it into his hands. It felt lighter than most swords its size, making him curious about its composition. ¡°Can I pull it out?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you do with a sheathed sword?¡±

    Ignoring her remark, he began to unravel the cloth covering. The blade fitted nicely into a black sheath. As he drew the sword, the shine of metal entered his eyes, causing him to pause for a second.

    ¡°Is this made of¡ª¡±

    ¡°A mithril and steel alloy.¡± Hela finished the thought for him.

    ¡°Are you kidding me? I can¡¯t take this. How expensive was it?¡± Even if the sword wasn¡¯t completely made out of mithril, even using a small chunk of it could cost a fortune.

    ¡°I don¡¯t even remember at this point. I had that thing forged for you years ago, you know, before you just up and left.¡±

    Ega couldn¡¯t help but stare at the silver-colored in both awe and concern. The reason mithril cost so much was due to how it was obtained, and that was from the Outers. Whenever those monsters descended onto their world, they would leave behind traces of Mithril where they landed. It was like a glimmer of light that came alongside an incoming calamity.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that expression? Just take it.¡±

    ¡°Well I have to at least¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ega, it¡¯s a gift. Don¡¯t you know what that means? And besides, don¡¯t you need a replacement for the sword you currently have? I¡¯m surprised it''s kept up with you for this long.¡±

    She was right. His sword had quite a few chips and cracks accumulated over his hunt for Mithril Blood. Though he had it repaired and maintained a few times on his journey, who knew when his sword would eventually fail him.

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ega.¡± Not wanting this conversation to drag out any further, she put her foot down.

    ¡°Right¡­¡± He stared at the sword, feeling the weight more on his heart than his hands. ¡°Thanks, I mean it.¡±

    ¡°I know. Also, I have something for Ella.¡± Returning back behind her desk, she pulled out a thick leather bound book inside the drawer. ¡°It¡¯s for learning how to read and write. You probably didn¡¯t think of this, huh?¡±

    Ega averted her gaze, not needing that sly look at his incompetence.

    ¡°It''s good to train yourself physically, but don¡¯t forget about the basic things, okay?¡±

    ¡°Thank you grandma.¡± Now it was Ella¡¯s turn to say thanks.

    ¡°Grandma?¡± Ega looked back and forth between Ella and Hela, unsure if his ears were working correctly.

    Hela smiled as she placed the book into her hands. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°N-no¡­¡± Ega thought about the implications of that word, ¡°grandma.¡± Strangely enough, he wasn¡¯t against it. ¡°What, should I call you ¡®mother¡¯ then?¡±

    ¡°Mom is just fine.¡±

    Ega shuddered at the thought. Nevermind, it did bother him. It felt strange, embarrassing even, but he didn¡¯t detest the idea.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be on your way now? I know the ¡®Blood Hunter¡¯ must be a busy man.¡±

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°What? You want us to leave that badly?¡± Fully sheathing the sword, Ega got ready to leave.

    ¡°Be safe on your adventures, and Ega.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Half turning around, he listened.

    ¡°I know you can¡¯t tell me why you¡¯re hunting for Mithril Blood, but don¡¯t try to .¡±

    Ega wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to her words, so he said the only thing that came to his mind before taking his leave with Ella. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    And with that, he closed the door behind him, ready to set off again. Although he couldn¡¯t see, Hela was smiling as she sat behind her desk. It was the soft type of smile, similar to that of a mother watching her son take off from the nest. Though she worried for him, she knew Ega would get through everything one way or another.

    ¡­

    Ega already knew where his next destination was. At first, he couldn¡¯t believe it, but after running his finger around the map of Lanier for nearly ten minutes, he had to accept that Purgo would be his next destination.

    Purgo was like any other city, except for the fact that it was a city full of criminals and the Lord was a vampyre. It was a deal made long ago, between the kingdom of Lanier and the small group of vampyres that used to terrorize small towns. Vampyres would have their blood supplied in the form of criminals, and in return, they had to maintain and keep them within the confines of the city.

    He didn¡¯t care too much that it was a city of criminals nor the possibility that his target could be a high profile criminal, no, he already knew who his target was. Lord Vadim of Purgo, the vampyre that possessed the Mithril Blood that Ega needed.

    The blood of a god, as a blood sucking creature, wouldn¡¯t you get curious about its taste? Well, Vadim did, and he gathered a large amount of it for his tasting.

    When the body of Yolu fell down onto the kingdom of Lanier, the king had tried to take control of it. They tried to protect it from those seeking to gain power from harvesting the parts of an Old God, but such a task was impossible.

    No laws could truly be enforced when it came to the body of an Old God because no one held ownership of such a thing. Strangely enough, not much power came from possessing parts of an Old God.

    Yolu¡¯s blood only made a person a little stronger, his bones were too hard to make into any useful tools, and his flesh, though contained an unthinkable amount of souls, were insignificant. Most were just souls of simple plants, useful only for soul burning.

    Without a real threat arising from the harvesting of Yolu¡¯s body, his parts were passed around just like any other object. They were passed around like human souls, with a sense of guilt and shame, but passed around nonetheless.

    Being a Lord of an entire city, Vladim was bound to have gotten his hands on a good amount of it, but to try and kill a Lord, not to mention a vampyre of all things, that was suicide. Even if Ega succeeded, he¡¯d be marked a criminal for the rest of his life. Of course, he had considered this possibility before.

    Wouldn¡¯t it just be too convenient that all the blood that he needed to gather would come from criminals? What if they were just a normal person who lived life virtuously? What if they had too high of a standing? What justification would Ega have for stealing blood for them?

    Telling the court that he needed it to save their kingdom from Outers would only make him sound like a madman, so he had to approach his target differently this time.

    Although he was still unsure of how to get the blood from Vadim, he had to put that thought aside for now. The first issue was getting there, and where he was headed toward now was hopefully going to be a solution to that.

    Looking up, Ega read ¡°Al¡¯s Carriages¡± carved into the hanging wooden sign. It was a small store, not one that you would expect to hold a bunch of horses and carriages. Stepping inside, he was greeted by a small, but well kept shop. On one side was a man sitting behind a counter and opposite to him was a large poster reading off all the prices for the different types of carriages.

    ¡°Welcome! Welcome! Looking for a carriage?¡± The man¡¯s face instantly lit up a new customer.

    ¡°Yes, I just want to rent one good enough for a two week trip.¡±

    ¡°Perfect! Just take a seat and we can discuss the¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be heading to Purgo if that¡¯s a problem.¡±

    The shopkeeper paused for a second trying to process his outlandish destination.

    ¡°Seems like that will be a problem.¡± Seeing the man¡¯s face, Ega turned to take his leave. This wasn¡¯t the first time that he had been turned down, after all, what kind of carriage business has one of their branches located in a city of criminals.

    Just as he opened the door however, the shopkeeper stopped. ¡°No! No. That won¡¯t be a problem at all.¡±

    ¡°Really? You have a way to recover it?¡±

    Falling into deep thought for a second, the man nodded. ¡°Yes, your trip to Purgo will be no problem, it''s just¡­ it¡¯ll cost a bit extra for the recovery fee.¡±

    ¡°How much?¡± Interested, Ega closed the door and took a seat at the counter.

    ¡°Two silver if that¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°Done, now about the carriage.¡±

    The shopkeeper was stunned for a second. He had expected Ega to try and haggle down, but it seems like this deal was going to be much more profitable than he thought. Business had been slow, so he was expecting to lose some money on the recovery of the carriage and horses just to land a customer, but it seemed like things were beginning to turn around for him.

    ¡°Of course, two weeks, correct?¡± Opening a drawer, he pulled out a piece of paper. ¡°Will it just be you two?¡±

    ¡°Yes, just the two of us.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯d recommend a small carriage for the two of you. It should be enough to carry all the supplies needed for a two week trip.¡±

    ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°Including the supplies, ten silver coins. We can organize everything by today if you need.¡±

    ¡°If you could, that would be great.¡± Pulling out the coins from his pouch, he placed them on the table. ¡°Where is this carriage by the way? It doesn¡¯t look like you have space for it here.¡±

    ¡°Ah, we have them stored somewhere else. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll arrive in front of this store in about two hours so you don¡¯t have to go anywhere else.¡± Taking the coins, he began to count them. Satisfied, he slid half of them back to Ega.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Ega looked at the coins in curiosity.

    ¡°It¡¯s a tradition, you keep half until we have everything organized for you.¡±

    ¡°A good practice.¡± Taking the coins back, Ega couldn¡¯t help but respect this business a little more. He couldn¡¯t remember how many times people had tried to scam him and subsequently, how many times he¡¯d have to draw his sword to take his money back.

    ¡°It was a pleasure doing business.¡± Just as the shopkeeper was about to send him off, he remembered something. ¡°Oh, right, I never caught your name.¡±

    ¡°Ega. It''s Ega.¡±

    ¡°Right, I¡¯m¡­ Paul.¡± Hearing that name made Paul say his own name quieter, almost as if it meant less than Ega¡¯s.

    ¡°It was a pleasure.¡± Standing up from the chair, Ega started to leave with Ella.

    Paul sat rooted into his chair, still stunned by the fact that he had just done business with the Blood Hunter of all people.

    As they stepped outside, Ega looked around, trying to find the road towards the last place that he needed to visit. There was a debt that he had to repay, and though it was only a debt of three copper coins, there was also something that he needed to confirm.

    When he had asked Ella how she had gotten captured by Lily, the answer she gave was quite strange. She stated that the only sound she heard was when Lily had broken into the room. Maybe Ega was reading into it a bit much, more maybe Ella wasn¡¯t remembering correctly, but the fact that Lily breaking into the inn didn¡¯t wake her up was putting him on edge.

    Just how did they learn about Ella in less than a day? How come there was no sound of them breaking in? It was possible that they had a large information network above ground, but just who was involved in this mysterious group?

    Ega felt like he was beginning to grasp at something. Even if it was just a small, loose string, even that could be part of a much greater web. Whatever the result would be, he would have to see it for himself.

 Chapter 20

    Stormkeeper Inn. It was too unique of a name for Ega to forget. He found it quite easily with a few leading points from a few people of Ashier and here he stood, ready to pay back his debt.

    ¡°Ella? Something wrong?¡± Before he could enter however, he noticed that Ella was shaking a little.

    ¡°N-no¡­¡± Despite her words, it was obvious that she was scared of entering the inn again after what happened.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± Ega grabbed her hand, hoping that it would help calm her down a little. ¡°Are my hands too rough?¡±

    Ella shook her head, steeling herself to enter the inn as she clutched his hands. Opening the door, they were quickly greeted by a waitress.

    ¡°Welcome! Are you here for¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to return the keys and pay back my lodging fee.¡± He held up the room keys in his hands. ¡°Ega is the name.¡±

    The waitress tensed up at that name. ¡°Right, I can get the owner to sort this out, just give me a second.¡±

    She went off into the back, but unlike last time, the innkeeper didn¡¯t come out instantly. Ega and Ella stood there for a few minutes, waiting until he¡¯d finally greet them with those sunken eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯d never thought you¡¯d return.¡± He spoke in that same monotone voice.

    ¡°I always pay back my debts.¡± He handed the innkeeper the keys and began to search his bag for the three copper coins. ¡°I heard some sort of monster broke into here not too long ago.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was quite unfortunate. The repairs cost me quite a bit.¡±

    ¡°Repairs, huh.¡± Ega had scanned the entire inn with his sharpened eyes, and nothing seemed to have been ¡°repaired¡± at all. Either the carpenters he hired fixed everything down even to the grain of wood, or there wasn¡¯t as much damage as he was making it out to be.

    ¡°Ah, right. Do you mind if I come back to the room one final time? I think I may have lost something inside of there.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, we¡¯ve already rented out that room to someone else. It would be quite awkward for you to suddenly barge in and search.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you ask them for permission? It was quite important to me.¡±

    ¡°I can ask them to return it if they find it. What did you lose so I can ask them to keep a look out?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that will work, see, I¡¯m leaving Ashier in just a few hours. So if I could¡ª¡±

    ¡°No.¡± It was the first time the innkeeper spoke in such a defiant manner. ¡°I apologize, but it seems you¡¯ll have to look elsewhere. You should have come back last minute to search for this ¡®important item¡¯ of yours.¡±

    ¡°Hm. That¡¯s unfortunate.¡± Sharpening his eyes even further, Ega glanced at the hallway with all the rooms. ¡°By the way, I never caught your name.¡±

    Ega turned back to the innkeeper, meeting his sunken eyes. There was a few seconds of silence between them before he finally revealed his name.

    ¡°Vin, that is my name.¡± He spoke slowly, as if to make sure that Ega would remember it well.

    ¡°Well, it was a pleasure, Vin.¡± Pulling the coins out of his pouch, he handed Vin the three copper coins. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡±

    Turning around, Ega took one final look at the hallways with all the rooms, noticing not a single door having been replaced on the first floor. There were no marks of anything being damaged, and even if repairs were done, the pattern of wood was the same as when he had walked in last time.

    Ega couldn¡¯t investigate any further than this, in part due to Vin¡¯s suspicions of Ega and another part being that he would have to take off for Purgo soon. Still, he could at least have Hela look into it a bit deeper.

    As the two of them walked away from the inn, Ega began to notice that Ella was still stricken by fear, her hands still a bit shaky as they walked. Looking around, he tried to find something to help her shake off that fear.

    ¡°Hey, Ella.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± There was a futile attempt to hide shakiness in her voice.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we get you a dress? You¡¯re going to need some proper clothes since we¡¯ll be meeting a noble.¡± Ready to pay back on his promise, he suggested looking for a dress for their remaining time in Ashier.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Although there was still some fear on her face, it seemed like excitement was beginning to take over. ¡°How expensive can it¡­¡±

    Ega couldn¡¯t help but laugh at her concern over money. ¡°Just choose some dresses and I¡¯ll tell you if it''s too expensive or not.¡±

    Hearing that Ella began to scan her surroundings, using her sharpened eyes to find the perfect dress. For the first time, she was the one leading Ega along to their next destination.

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    ¡°Hey, hey, slow down a little will you?¡± Still holding onto his hand, she began to run around.

    Seeing her so excited, Ega couldn¡¯t help but grin. For some reason, he couldn¡¯t seem to wipe it off his face no matter what he tried, and so, he kept it on as Ella continued to drag him along to find the perfect dress.

    ¡­

    There was something Ega learned about Ella on this quest for a dress, and that was that she was surprisingly very picky. Maybe seeing that purple dress on display when they had first entered Ashier had set her expectations too high, but it had taken them two hours before she could finally decide on something.

    She had chosen a frilly blue dress, and though it wasn¡¯t as fancy as that first dress that she saw on display, she was satisfied with her choice. Her face was practically glowing as they walked back to Al¡¯s Carriages to depart for Purgo

    Ega spotted a loaded carriage right outside the store alongside Paul standing next to it. Supplies were loaded onto the back and enough space was made for Ella to sit in there.

    ¡°Is it ready to take off?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir, you can take off right now if you¡¯d like.¡±

    Sir. The word irked Ega, though he tried his best to hide it. He¡¯d have to get used to people knowing him and possessing a strange level of respect.

    ¡°Great,¡± Making sure that everything seemed to be in good condition, he handed Paul the rest of the coins. ¡°Is there anything special that we need to do once we arrive at our destination? Or will your business be handling all of that on their own?¡±

    ¡°No need to worry sir. A few of our men will be by the front gate when you arrive. They¡¯ll give you a seal just like this and you can hand the reins over to them.¡± Paul showed off the symbol of their business being a winged horse.

    ¡°That¡¯s a unique symbol.¡± Ega would have never expected a pegasus to represent a carriage business.

    ¡°If you do forget what it looks like, we have it carved on the back of the carriage.¡± Paul pointed at where it was located.

    Usually merchants would have the symbol of their group carved into that spot, but since Ega was only renting it for his trip, they held the symbol of Al¡¯s Carriages.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t think I can forget it even if I wanted to.¡± Helping Ella onto the back of the carriage, he moved towards the front.

    Jumping onto the front seat, he began to man the reins, shifting around in his seat to try and get used to controlling horses again. Usually, he¡¯d just hitch a ride with merchants who needed some extra protection, so it had been a while since he was the one holding onto the reins.

    ¡°Safe travels to you sir.¡±

    ¡°A pleasure doing business.¡± Turning his attention toward the horses, he shook the reins. ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s move!¡±

    The two horses kicked into action and began to walk, clopping their hooves against the stone pavement at an even pace. As they moved toward the front gate of Ashier, Ega began to take one final look at the city.

    He watched as people came and went. He admired the tall buildings which loomed over him. He lost himself inside the noise of the hustle and bustle, letting his mind wander alongside the messy, yet strangely beautiful blend of sounds.

    It would be a shame to see it all disappear, for the Outers to raze it to the ground. Ega found comfort in life, and though he understood that death was an integral part of it, he hated to see the Outers be the ones to bring it to them.

    Those monsters gave no regard for life. They simply destroyed for the sake of destruction, mindless beasts that only knew how to consume. As much as he feared those things, he also hated them to an even higher degree.

    Ega was beginning to retrace his fingers over old memories and feelings as he drowned himself in the sounds of city life. Part of his desperation was to try and survive this calamity, but another part of it was because, in all honesty, Ega loved life.

    He was so deep into his own head, drowning in old thoughts and emotions that it wasn¡¯t until they had arrived at the front gate that he noticed Ella having climbed to the front and taken a seat next to him.

    ¡°When did you¡­¡± Seeing the guards by the gate had finally snapped him out of his thoughts.

    ¡°A while ago. Am I not supposed to sit up here?¡±

    ¡°No, it''s fine¡­¡± Ega was surprised to have let his guard down so easily to the point that Ella was able to sneak up beside him.

    Stopping by the gate, the guards instantly recognized Ega¡¯s face. Still, they needed to conduct a search of the items on the carriage to let him through. After the inspection was finished, they finally left Ashier behind and ventured out into the autumn wild.

    Ega hoped that the trip would be an uneventful one just like the trip from Vitir to Ashier. But two weeks was a long time, enough time for things to happen on the road. Life always found a way to screw things up one way or another, and with recent events, he had to keep his guard up for the entire trip.

    ¡°What do you want to do? You can start studying the book Hela gave you or¡ª¡±

    ¡°Eye training.¡± Before he could even present all the options, Ella had already decided on the activity for the rest of the day.

    Recalling what Hela had said before about teaching Ella the basic things, he decided their activity for tomorrow. ¡°Alright, eye training today, but we¡¯ll start reading that book tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± She seemed less excited about learning how to read and write than training.

    Although he appreciated her enthusiasm for training, he needed to get some other knowledge into her brain before she became a muscle head.

    The season was perfect for training the eyes. It painted the leaves orange, yellow, and red for Ella to catch. There was an abundance of leaves falling, and as a gust of wind brought down a torrent more of them onto their carriage, Ega gave her a goal.

    ¡°Two yellow, one red, two orange.¡±

    Hearing that Ella reached out, trying to grab all those colors in one motion. As the wind settled, she opened her hands to show it off to him.

    ¡°Four out of five, pretty good.¡± Seeing her improve so fast was scary. It was like seeing a genius suddenly break down all the walls that took you years to overcome.

    Rather than envy, Ega felt a strange sense of pride. Maybe because he was the one guiding her growth or maybe it was because she was traveling with him, but seeing her progress was enjoyable. It beat traveling in isolation, seeing faces come and go before moving onto the next target possessing Mithril Blood.

    ¡°One red, three orange, one yellow.¡± Ega said as a gust of wind passed by them.

    They repeated the training method again and again, though Ella couldn¡¯t seem to break past the limit of four correct leaves. Still, he knew she would overcome it in due time as they watched autumn slowly pass by in front of them.

 Chapter 21

    The first incident, or rather, streak of incidents occurred on the third day of their travels. Heading eastward, Ega and Ella were deep into a forest, possibly another day or two before they¡¯d break through to the other end.

    Autumn leaves were falling like usual, however, there was something off about the forest. Ega¡¯s eyes were sharp enough to spot the discrepancy from far away, bandits sitting in the brushes and behind trees, ready to ambush them.

    It didn¡¯t matter how still they stood nor how well they blended themselves into the forest, his eyes could catch even the tiniest details. Turning over to Ella, he wanted to test her.

    ¡°Do you see them?¡±

    Confused, Ella looked around.

    ¡°Keep your head still.¡± Holding it in place, he directed her gaze straight forward. ¡°Move your eyes slowly and focus. Don¡¯t blur your own vision by moving it around so much.¡±

    Ella began to focus, trying to catch anything strange among the foliage. After a minute, she had finally noticed something.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Just as she was about to point it out, Ega stopped her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make it obvious. Don¡¯t let them know that you know.¡± There was still a decent amount of distance between them, so they couldn¡¯t hear him talking yet. After getting close enough for Ega to use his bow, he pulled on the reins, halting the horses.

    ¡°Let¡¯s set up here for today.¡± He said, winking at Ella. ¡°Go get the supplies behind the boxes, I¡¯ll go hunting.¡±

    Understanding his signal, she crawled to the back of the wagon, taking cover behind the boxes. Once she was in a safe space, Ega pulled the bow and quiver of arrows from his soul sack. He fumbled around, trying to make it seem like he was inexperienced with his equipment.

    Sensing that their guard had dropped enough, once he fastened the quiver to his waist, he swiftly drew an arrow and shot it straight toward the bandits. As the arrow pierced through the skull of one of the bandits, the other eleven froze for a few seconds, unsure of what to do.

    Their position had been revealed and just from that one arrow, they could tell that Ega wasn¡¯t just a normal merchant. Still, they couldn¡¯t turn back now, not with their supplies running so thin.

    ¡°All at once!¡± At their leader¡¯s words, a few of the bandits began to spread out and charge forward to strike at all of his angles. The others stood back, shooting arrows to try and pin Ega down.

    Slipping the bow back into his quiver, he drew his mithril sword for the first time and deflected the flying arrows. Just by the speed of the arrows and the pace that the bandits were charging at him, Ega didn¡¯t even bother to mix any souls.

    Rather than let all the bandits strike him all at the same time, he charged forward, disrupting their formation. Picking off a group to his left, Ega clashed blades with them, and in just a few movements, he had stained his sword red.

    Their blades were shoddy, their teamwork was lacking, and worst of all, their skills were subpar. They had hoped to bring Ega down with sheer numbers, but after seeing three of their comrades fall in just a few seconds, they were beginning to doubt their odds.

    Weaving in between the volley of arrows, Ega started to charge at another group only to be stopped by one of the bandits. Their swords clashed, and just from the way the sound resonated through the air, he could tell that the person before them was their leader.

    ¡°Scatter!¡± As he held on for dear life to hold Ega¡¯s sword back, he issued another command.

    Although they were hesitant to leave their leader behind, there was nothing else they could do, not in the face of such a monstrous opponent.

    As Ega began to overwhelm their leader with just his pure strength, suddenly, he couldn¡¯t push his blade down any further. The bandit¡¯s eyes had changed, twisting into a more animalistic form.

    ¡®Shallow.¡¯ Ega thought, unconcerned by the change.

    Kneeing the bandit in the groin, he swung his sword again, trying to cut him down as he was stunned. Unfortunately, the bandit was used to dirty moves like that and quickly moved out of the way of his blade.

    With just a moment to breathe, the bandit took the opportunity to use the tricks in his bags. Just before Ega could slash at him, he threw an entire bag full of self igniting smoke bombs onto the ground.

    Although Ega could move his blade just before the entire area was enveloped in smoke, his rushed strike was quickly parried.

    ¡®Shit.¡¯ Not wanting to let him get away, he quickly mixed the soul of a snake into his own.

    Seeing the bandits heat signature, Ega was just about to chase after him only to stop himself. Swinging his head toward the carriage and Ella, he decided to return back to her. Whether they had actually retreated or faked one to try and strike at the carriage, he didn¡¯t want to take the risk.

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    Returning back to the carriage, Ega scanned the area only to find it empty of bandits. Ella was poking her head over the crates of supplies, having watched the entirety of his fight.

    ¡°What were you looking at so intently?¡± He asked, seeing the sparkle in her eyes.

    ¡°I was just watching you fight.¡±

    Strange. For watching bandits getting slaughtered, sparkling eyes was the last thing he had expected from a little girl. Maybe he had trained her a little too much.

    ¡°Look away next time, I don¡¯t want you to see all of that.¡±

    ¡°But, you were so cool. You took care of them like this, and this.¡± She copied the way that he had shot an arrow and swung his sword.

    ¡®What a strange thing to be excited about.¡¯ He thought. Still, it wasn¡¯t like Ega was any better when he was younger.

    In a way, he understood her excitement. Witnessing strength and power, it was only natural to want to obtain it as well. But that wasn¡¯t everything in this world, far from it. Maybe Ega would have to teach her that some day or maybe she¡¯d figure that all on her own.

    ¡°Just keep training and you¡¯ll be able to do the same.¡± Flicking the blood off of his blade, Ega turned back toward bodies of the bandits that he had killed.

    The smoke had cleared, and now it was time to clean up. Keeping himself ready just in case the bandits returned, Ega gathered up the bodies of the four men that he had killed, one with an arrow, and three with his sword. Ella watched, curious at what he was doing.

    Sensing this, he began to explain. ¡°Soul ceremony for all four.¡±

    ¡°Even though¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, even though they tried to kill us. Everyone deserves a proper ceremony, even if it isn¡¯t very grand.¡± Ega lived by that rule. It didn¡¯t matter who¡¯s body it was, if it seemed like no one else would do it, he would.

    Of course, he wasn¡¯t some Soul Shaman roaming the world for bodies that needed a ceremony, but if it was convenient, he¡¯d do it. There was also a fear that stemmed from certain outcomes when leaving bodies to rot on its own.

    Parts of the soul still clings to the flesh and bones, giving the opportunity for animals to try and take it for their own. Beasts with a soul realm were tough to deal with, and giving the opportunity for one to be made was not on Ega¡¯s to-do-list.

    There was also another issue with leaving a body with pieces of a soul out in the wild,

    and that was corruption. When souls slowly detach themselves from the material world, especially when it is happening for multiple different souls, they begin to blend and mix in the air.

    A corrupted soul could form, creating a truly monstrous being. Death, when unattended to, could bring great corruption. There was already an entire piece of land which served as a lesson to such laziness; The Valley of Fractured Souls.

    It was an old warzone where dead bodies continued to pile upon each other, each one never receiving a proper parting ceremony. War also meant its soldiers would make desperate attempts for survival, the most common being mixing too many or mixing them too finely into one¡¯s own soul, causing a fracture.

    A valley filled with horrendous monsters and mindless beasts with fractured souls, it had a deadzone, a place where you would only find death. That valley fed off itself. Death feasted upon death as more and more monsters would die and be remade into a different monster.

    Since then, wars would be fought with a crate full of nova burst petals at the ready. In a way, the smell of those petals was closely tied to the smell of war.

    ¡°Do you understand now?¡± Ega asked as he lit the bodies on fire.

    Ella nodded her head, still trying to process all that he said. He didn¡¯t expect her to understand it all, but at the least, he wanted to expose her to more common knowledge. Internally deciding that he¡¯d tell her more stories, they watched as the four souls departed from their world.

    Returning back to the front seat, Ega shook the reins, signaling the horses forward. Keeping his eyes focused on the road, Ella was catching the falling leaves by his side, trying her best to collect the right combination of leaves.

    They traveled until the sky was stained orange. Setting up camp was simple, just a fire was enough with the carriage acting as their shelter. After eating dinner, Ella quickly fell asleep leaving Ega to watch the night.

    Looking up to the sea of stars, he admired them for a moment. A beautiful, endless sight, but one which hid the greatest threat of all; Outers. Maybe he had jinxed himself, because just as Ega thought of them, a purple streak began to dart across the starry sky.

    His heart began to beat a little faster as he witnessed the sight of Outers descending. This wasn¡¯t the start of the calamity, he knew that, or rather, the piece of Yolu knew that. Those monsters came down to them now and again, but they would be taken care of in due time.

    Usually Yolu would have taken care of them, but with their guardian gone, it was up to them to take care of it on their own.

    Watching them travel, Ega watched it with baited breath, praying that they wouldn¡¯t land near him. As it moved farther and farther, he let out a sigh of relief knowing that they wouldn¡¯t be anywhere near his position.

    Still, he kept his eyes alert for any changes both in the forest around him and the skies above him. It might have been a bit much, afterall, what were the chances that Outers descend so close to them?

    But Ega thanked himself dearly for his cautiousness, for a few hours later, another purple streak began to draw itself across the sky¡¯s canvas, and it was landing close to Ega. Way too close.

    As he watched the black mass enter the atmosphere and crash onto the earth, he could feel his heart racing. The Outers had landed maybe a few hundred kilometers away from him, and although it wasn¡¯t toward the direction they were headed, they had landed parallel to their path.

    They could roam toward his position. A few hundreds of kilometers was nothing to those creatures who knew no pain nor exhaustion. Maybe paranoia was beginning to take an irrational hold onto him, but Ega felt the need to move.

    Waking up the horses, he tied them back to the carriage. Putting out the fire, he quickly kicked the horses into action. Although he wouldn¡¯t be able to scan the road and forest as well moving through the night, it was better than sitting around and dreading the arrival of Outers.

    The sudden movement had woken Ella up, and just as she was about to get up, Ega eased her back to sleep.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just sleep. I figured we¡¯d make some more space between those bandits.¡±

    Not wanting to worry her, he spoke as calmly as he could. There were a hundred different fears and concerns running through his mind, but he tried to suppress them, to rationalize the entire situation. However, it didn¡¯t matter how much he tried to calm himself down, for there would be much more to deal with very soon.

 Chapter 22

    Dallen narrowly escaped the clutches of Ega alongside the rest of his comrades. If he had known that the person they were going to attack was so powerful, they would have never thought about it in the first place.

    Maybe desperation was beginning to take too tight of a hold on them with how little supplies they had left. He had recognized Ega too late, and for that, he paid the lives of four of his men.

    ¡°Dammit, I knew I shouldn¡¯t have accepted this request.¡± Cursing under his breath, Dallen continued forward through the forest.

    After a few hours of running through the eaves and brushes he had finally returned back to camp only to be greeted by a very unpleasant sound.

    ¡°You ran away from one man!¡± Illia, the person who had hired them, was screaming her head off. ¡°You can¡¯t even take down a single person?¡±

    The bandits could only stand in silence as they were getting yelled out, however, once Dallen showed his face, all of her anger was directed at him.

    ¡°Dallen! Just what the hell are you doing showing your face around here? You are your men couldn¡¯t even¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut it will you! You don¡¯t understand what kind of monster we were fighting there. Were you even aware of who that was when you sensed his soul? You sent us out to take supplies from the Blood Hunter of all people!¡±

    ¡°Well maybe you should have just died fighting him. Seeing as only four of you are dead, it doesn¡¯t seem you tried all that hard.¡±

    ¡°Oh you goddamned bi¡ª¡± A sudden power gripped his chest, or rather, his soul, stopping him from speaking any further.

    ¡°Let another word slip from that mouth of yours and I will tear your soul apart.¡± Illia extended her soul realm to grab a hold of Dallen¡¯s soul.

    He could only stand there, gritting his teeth as his very being was being held in her hands. Once she was satisfied with his suffering, she finally let go of his soul.

    Dallen fell to his knees gasping for air as he held his chest tightly. Soul manipulators. He always hated them and the way they played around with people¡¯s souls so carefreely. It really was unfortunate that he was hired by one of them.

    ¡°Useless bunch. If only I didn¡¯t have to be so secretive about my movements then I wouldn¡¯t be stuck with you lot.¡± With that final remark, she walked away.

    The weight on his chest had finally lifted, leaving him coughing and wheezing for air. A few of his men ran to his side, trying to help him back up on his feet.

    ¡°I knew I shouldn¡¯t have¡­¡± The words had slipped from Dallen¡¯s mouth, but thankfully, Illia hadn¡¯t heard them.

    He was beginning to regret taking on this request. Of course there was going to be some caveat to such a high ranking person hiring them.

    Glancing over at the wagons that they were bringing along with them, he could see the shine of metal in those opened boxes. They had hundreds of well forged weapons but very few rations left. They could only spread out the rations so thinly, hunt down so many wild animals before there would be nothing left.

    Once Dallen was back to his feet, he brushed his men away, ordering them back to their posts. Looking at their faces, it was obvious that they were beginning to grow irritated by Illia as well.

    Not only had she failed in planning this mission out properly, but the divisions of rations weren¡¯t affecting her. She could eat all that she wanted, and they could do nothing about it but watch with empty stomachs.

    Letting out a sigh, Dallen looked up at the sky. All he could do now was wait for the comfort of night and sleep. Hopefully that would get his mind off of things, but knowing that all they were going to have for dinner was a small piece of bread and jerky, he doubted it.

    Still, night had eventually fallen on them and all he could do was try and find comfort in sleeping in his tent. But even sleep wouldn¡¯t take him, because just as he was about to push through the pain in his stomach and fall asleep, a commotion suddenly echoed across the camp.

    He would have fallen asleep after the commotion had subsided, but after a few hours, another wave of it swept through all of his men even louder than last time. Irritated, Dallen lay in his sleeping bag until someone entered his tent.

    ¡°Dallen, wake up.¡±

    Hearing Illia¡¯s cold voice, he begrudgingly picked himself up. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re ransacking a village just ahead.¡± Having a map and lantern ready, she placed it in front of Dallen.

    ¡°Have you gone mad? Do you understand¡ª¡±

    ¡°Outers.¡± That one word had silenced Dallen. ¡°You heard the commotion didn¡¯t you? Outers have landed close by. All we need to do is make it seem like those monsters had raided the village, not us.¡±

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    ¡°This is¡­¡± Just as he was about to call the plan crazy, the pain in the pit of his stomach was stopping him. He was already too deep into this mission to back away now.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much, I won¡¯t let a single soul escape to tell the tale.¡± A sly grin began to form on Illia¡¯s face. ¡°I just need a bit of manpower to take all that we need.¡±

    With that, the plan was set, ¡°Fine. We can strike in the afternoon. Most of them will probably be in the village for lunch.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t screw it up this time around, well, not that you¡¯ll be able to since I¡¯m joining all of you for this mission.¡± Picking up the map and lantern Illia began to head out. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to brief your men on the plan.¡±

    Seeing her disappear into the night, Dallen couldn¡¯t help but wear a scowl. Outers. Just their name sent shivers down his spine, and for the first time in his life, he was going to take advantage of their existence.

    ¡°I just hope they don¡¯t get to us.¡± He muttered as he laid back down. Tomorrow was going to be an eventful day, and hopefully the first day in a while where his stomach would be full for bed.

    ¡­

    The sun had finally veered its head over the horizon as Ega continued forward. Pulling out a worn out map from his bag, he took notice of a small village ahead of them. At the pace that they were traveling at, they¡¯d arrive sometime in the evening.

    As he was examining the rest of the way toward Purgo, Ella had woken up. Since they were on the move, he could only feed her some jerky and bread. Without any complaints, she bit down on the meager meal and turned back to her training.

    Waiting for the leaves to start falling, Ega finally told her the leaves she needed to grab. ¡°One red, two orange, three yellow.¡±

    There was a different air around her that time. Her eyes were incredibly sharp, her small hands ready to catch even a moving fly. The moment his words made it to her ears and the leaves began to drift down to them, she swiped her hands.

    The movement was delicate, taking a hold of only the leaves that she wanted. The little adjustments in the middle of her strike, the precision of capturing each leaf, and her eyes which could read them and the path at which they were falling, it was perfect.

    With the five leaves in the palm on her hand, Ella paused for a second, excited to show off her accomplishment to Ega.

    ¡°Ega, loo¡ª¡± Just as she opened her hand, however, a sudden gust of wind blew the leaves away, scattering them back into the forest. ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    Looking at where the leaves went, he looked back at Ella ¡°One red, two orange, three yellow. You did it.¡± As if those leaves could escape from his eyes.

    With a small, but proud smile, be patted Ella on the head a few times. He couldn¡¯t stop his smile from growing even larger as her face began to radiate joy from finally being able to catch the right five leaves. What had taken nearly a year for Ega to accomplish was done by this child in about a month.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you teach me how to be a soul bearer?¡± After completing one goal, it seems that she had already set her eyes on the next one.

    ¡°A soul bearer? Don¡¯t you think you''re moving a bit too fast?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡± Ella tried to use the moment of accomplishment and puppy eyes to try and convince Ega.

    ¡°No.¡± But her actions were ineffective. ¡°You¡¯re still too young to be a soul bearer. Give it a few more years.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. That¡¯s my final answer.¡± Ega had to set a clear boundary here.

    People¡¯s souls needed time to develop before they could create their soul realm. If a person rushed the process too early on in their lives and failed to create their own realm, either they¡¯d live life as a cripple or just die then and there.

    The stories were all too common. Sometimes it happens by accident, other times it''s out of desperation, and a lot of the times, it''s forced upon them. Ega hoped it would never happen to Ella, that she would never feel the need to try and create her soul realm so early on in life.

    Putting on a sulking expression, Ella turned back toward the leaves. If she couldn¡¯t go that far yet, then at least she could work on this.

    ¡°Just give it two or three years, I can teach it to you then.¡±

    There was a moment of silence before Ella said anything back, just enough time for a breeze to brush past them. ¡°Will you even let me stick around for that long?¡±

    She looked straight into his eyes before turning back toward the forest. That question froze Ega for a second, and for some strange reason, he couldn¡¯t find the words to respond to her.

    Two to three years from now, Ega had never thought that far ahead. He was too focused on gathering the Mithril Blood, on reviving the Old God Yolu that he hadn¡¯t thought about what he would do after.

    Looking at Ella, he noticed she was wearing a strange expression, one that he couldn¡¯t quite decipher. Turning his gaze toward the map in his hands and then at the road ahead of him, he wondered about two to three years from now.

    Why couldn¡¯t he give her an answer? Just what did he¡­

    Both of them sat in silence, listening to the swaying of autumn leaves, the rolling of wooden wheels, and the steps of the horses against the road. They were stuck in their own thoughts as they were carried down this road, uncertain of what lay ahead of them.

    They were not just uncertain of what life had planned for them, but of each other and themselves. Right now they were ¡°father and daughter,¡± at least, that was the front that they were putting up, but when would that all come to an end? Ega didn¡¯t know.

    He had always been living one day at a time, one more step toward his goal, one more day to survive, but, just where was he headed? He let his thoughts travel with the autumn breeze, still unsure.

    As much as he wanted to think about it even further, Ega noticed something far in the distance. Smoke was billowing out from somewhere in the forest. Looking at his map, he instantly figured out where that was.

    ¡®Are they burning something? Just what in the world could they¡­¡¯ Outers. A possible answer instantly came to Ega.

    They didn¡¯t land too far from the village, and given their endless stamina it was possible that they had started attacking it. That would explain the fire, since the only way to bring an end to Outers was by burning them into nothingness. If the fire had been misused or spread out too much, then that would explain the large amount of smoke.

    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Despite Ella being right beside him, he instinctively cursed.

    Unless there was some sort of capable soul bearer in that village, there was no way that they could take on Outers on their own. Ordering the horses to move faster with the reins, Ega began to charge into a possible hellscape.

 Chapter 23

    Charcoal and ashes. Those were the only things left of the village when they finally arrived. Tiny embers still glowed from underneath the rubble of cinders, ready to burn out any second now.

    No matter how many atrocities he had witnessed, Ega couldn¡¯t help but feel his chest tighten and let his expression turn grim. Still, he had to look at the remains with careful eyes.

    ¡®Strange¡­¡¯ That was the first thing that Ega had thought as he cast his gaze across the village.

    Despite the horrible scene, he couldn¡¯t see any bodies strewn across the earth, only bloodstains here and there. Stopping the horses, he jumped down from the coachman chair. Although he kept his eyes out for any potential Outers, something about how this village was razed to the ground seemed off.

    Not a single body or building in sight, almost as if everything had been burned away. As Ega examined the rubble, he could see the charred remains of the villagers, many stacked together.

    Just what kind of Outers purposely burned their victims? Just how was there not a single building standing? Where were the bodies of escaping villagers? How come he couldn¡¯t see any marks left by the Outers?

    All the missing parts were pointing toward one thing, and that was that the village had not been attacked by Outers, but by other people.

    ¡°But just who¡­¡± As Ega pondered the question he looked around further to try and find some sort of evidence to whom it may have been.

    It didn¡¯t matter where he looked, as whoever had razed this entire village to the ground had covered their traces well. The only thing they had failed at was trying to make it seem like it was the Outers that had attacked the village.

    Maybe if some other person had investigated the scene, they would have chalked it up to Outers, but Ega had witnessed the destruction of those monsters far too many times.

    ¡°Those bandits?¡± Ega muttered, but not even those bandits were enough to catch every single villager and burn them. Even if it was them, just why would they risk putting such a big target on their back?

    No matter how much he thought about it, the answers weren¡¯t coming to him. The only thing that he knew for certain was that he needed to leave quickly. With all that fire and smoke, there was a high chance that Outers were converging on the remains of the village.

    That was what the perpetrators were probably betting on to cover up their actions, but Ega had caught them at a bad time. Returning back to the carriage, he was met by Ella¡¯s concerned gaze.

    ¡°What¡­ happened?¡±

    ¡°Nothing good. We have to leave right now.¡± Having to force the horses on the move again, Ega was beginning to feel bad for running them into the ground.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we look around for any¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, they¡¯re all dea¡ª¡± Ega chose his words in a more careful manner, ¡°gone. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone left.¡±

    Not wanting to scare Ella with knowledge about the Outers, he quickly got the horses to move again. As he considered the entire situation again, Ega began to curse inwardly. It was clear that there was some sort of powerful group ahead of them, but at the same time, there was a high possibility of Outers behind them.

    Wedged between two dangerous groups, all he could do was stay ready and push forward. At the very least, he needed to get away from the remains of the village.

    The sun began to set a few hours into their travels. The horses had grown exhausted, but they could push through until the night, Ega would make sure of it. For some reason, Ella seemed to be wearing another worried expression.

    ¡°Something wrong?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Uh¡­ Don¡¯t you need to sleep? I can try and control the horses so you can sleep.¡±

    Ega couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback. Was she that worried because he hadn¡¯t slept yesterday?

    ¡°No, no, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± A day without sleep was nothing. Once it gets to a week however, that¡¯s when the trouble begins. ¡°You want to learn how to control these horses?¡±

    It was a good opportunity to teach Ella something other than martial arts. Although he worried that the subject would be too boring for her, seeing that little glimmer in her eyes quickly quelled his concerns. It seemed like she was interested in learning anything but reading and writing.

    ¡°It''s simple, you just use these reins. Pull at it to slow them down, whip it lightly to have them move faster, and to bring them to a halt, just pull as hard as you can. Easy, right?¡± Ega presented the reins over to Ella.

    Looking at them for a second, she gingerly took it from his callused hands. She held them awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so tense. Just have a good hold on the reins and the horses will respond to your commands.¡±

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    Hearing that, Ella took a deep breath and pulled at the reins, slowing the horses down. Shaking the reins, they began to move at their previous pace. For a second, Ega thought he could feel the horses side-eying him at the strange commands.

    ¡°See, easy.¡± Ega took the reins back, letting her go back to studying. ¡°If I never need you to take the reins, you¡¯ll know what to do, right?¡±

    Ella nodded her head,  wondering when he would ever need her to take the reins. But that moment would come a lot quicker than they had both imagined.

    Night quickly fell on them, and their pace had slowed down to a crawl. The horses were exhausted from walking the entire day, and just as Ega was about to stop them and set up camp, a night breeze passed by, sending a chill down his spine.

    There was something sinister in the air, and as he veered his head around to find the source of his fears, he had finally laid eyes on it. An Outer.

    Its figure was otherworldly, constructed from some sort of black sludge which held some semblance of form. About the size of a wolf, it shambled forward on its odd number of legs, its dozens of beady white eyes piercing through the moonlit night locked onto their carriage.

    It seemed to snarl as it caught sight of them and in an instant, it began to sprint toward their direction. If that wasn¡¯t already bad enough, another Outer of similar size quickly followed, pounding its legs against the ground as it moved.

    ¡°Shit shit shit.¡± For a second, all Ega could do was curse. Thankfully, there was a good amount of distance between them and the Outers, giving him some time to react.

    As he tried to calm himself down, Ega whipped the horses, giving no regard to the amount of strength that he was putting behind it.

    ¡°Go! Go!¡±

    Maybe they had also felt the presence of those Outers, because despite their exhaustion, they had quickly kicked into a full gallop. Still, they were moving slower than usual, and it was only a matter of seconds before the Outers were on them.

    Ella darted her head around, unsure of what was going on. ¡°Ega? Just what¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ella! Take the reins!¡± Ega began to pull out the quiver and bow from his soul sack. ¡°When I jump off of the carriage, just keep on going and count to five. Once you do, stop the horses, understand?¡±

    Despite the sudden bombardment of commands, Ella gripped the reins and nodded her head.

    Hearing the sounds of twigs snapping and the messy drumming of the earth grow louder and louder, Ega turned his attention back toward the Outers. Scrambling toward the back of the carriage, he began to mix all of the useful souls that he could into his own. It didn¡¯t matter that he¡¯d have to spend the next few days focused on separating them later, he needed to give his all here and now.

    Knocking an arrow, he sent them whistling straight toward the Outers. Although most of the arrows missed their mark, they were slowing them down, even if it was just by a tiny amount. As the Outers dodged one arrow, Ega released another arrow, skewering one of them. Prepping the second Outer in a similar fashion, he quickly pulled out the bag of nova burst petals.

    ¡°I¡¯m jumping off!¡± Praying that Ella remembered the slew of commands he had given her, he jumped off the carriage.

    Scattering the nova burst petals in front of him, he drew his sword. Getting into the proper stance, he focused on the two Outers. Although piercing each of them with the arrow was slowing them down, they were still charging at him at an incredibly fast speed.

    He had dealt with Outers before, having the method of killing them being hammered into his head over and over again. He waited for them to get closer and closer until finally, they pounced toward him like ravenous wolves.

    Remembering how his soul felt when he was training in the rain, he ignited his soul once again. Strength suddenly surged through his entire body, and just as they were a meter away from tearing him into shreds, Ega swung his blade.

    His mithril blade shimmered under the moonlight, and for a second, he had created a shimmering white horizon in the endless darkness. The pieces of the Outers fell onto the petals that Ega had scattered about, but they were far from dead.

    The pieces squirmed about, desperately trying to piece themselves back together. In almost a second, they had clumped together, but that was as far as they would get.

    Creating a spark with his flint and steel, Ega ignited the nova burst petals to burn the Outers away. He continued to hack away at the pieces of the Outers, preventing them from regenerating as the fire tore them away from existence.

    After three minutes of slashing at those disgusting beings, he had finally rid them of their world. Sweat was running down his face as he tried to catch his breath. No matter how much stronger he had gotten, those monsters still shook him down to his core.

    Ega looked down the road, seeing the tiny light of the carriage lantern. Looking back at the last bits of fire, he considered himself lucky that the Outers he had faced weren¡¯t any bigger than the size of a wolf. Even with the rest of his nova burst petals, there was no way he could have burnt away the Outers without preparing any kindling beforehand.

    That was what facing the Outers usually hinged on, preparation. Having a way to hamper their incredible speed, the ability to cut them into pieces, and preparing a strong enough fire to burn away those pieces were the essential parts to dealing with Outers.

    After mixing so many souls into his own in a short time and igniting his own soul to deliver that strike, Ega was beginning to feel a heavy weight on his chest. Turning toward the carriage, he began to walk back to Ella.

    Needing some rest, he figured that they would just camp where she had stopped the carriage, but rest would not come easy. Having not even taken ten steps forward, Ega something pressing against his chest, no, his soul.

    It was light, but whether it was light or heavy, he could instantly tell what was happening. Someone had expanded their soul realm across the area.

    Bursting out into a sprint, Ega began to expand his soul realm outward as well. Inexperienced in such a method, he could only extend it out a few meters in front of him, but that would be enough.

    In one breath, he arrived by Ella¡¯s side and quickly scooped her into his hand. Just as he did, a volley of arrows flew toward their position. Although he had dodged the sudden attack, a few of them hit the horses, preventing them from escaping.

    Bandits had surrounded them, and they were keen on revenge. Although there were more of them this time around, that wasn¡¯t what made them so confident in this fight.

    The weight on Ega¡¯s soul began to grow heavier, splitting his efforts between keeping the other person¡¯s soul realm at bay and having to fight off the bandits. Not only that, but he had to keep Ella protected as he fought.

    From a fight against Outers to a fight against bandits, it was going to be a long, bloody night for Ega.

 Chapter 24

    There was no other option than to keep Ella close to himself. If he let her escape from the radius of his own soul realm, who knows what the enemy would do with her unguarded soul. Without possessing a soul realm herself, Ega had to extend his own realm outward to keep her safe.

    ¡°Get on my back.¡± Ega crouched down as he placed her back onto the ground.

    Despite her shaking hands, she climbed onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. More than a dozen bandits were lurking around, ready to strike at him. With a weight on his soul and shoulders, and an unknown enemy who specialized in soul manipulation, Ega had to tread carefully.

    Arrows whistled through the air as a few of the bandits charged forward with a newfound confidence with a soul manipulator supporting them from behind. Unable to dodge the arrows with Ella on his back, Ega swiftly deflected it with his sword.

    After getting rid of the projectiles, he charged forward to try and catch one of the bandits on their own. However, just as he moved, so did the rest of the bandits. Dashing over to support their comrade who had been picked off by Ega, they held back his strike.

    Sparks lit up the night as their swords collided, and though four of them faced him head on, they were no match for his subsequent strikes. With all the souls that he mixed, the bandits could barely keep up with his speed and strength. Before they knew it, their blades were pathetically parried to the side and they were cut down in just two slashes.

    Arrows whizzed by Ega as he took care of the bandits in front of him, and although he didn¡¯t get hit by them, an arrow had nicked Ella in the arm.

    ¡°Shit.¡± Ega cursed as he felt her flinch and held onto him even tighter from the pain.

    Ignoring the other bandits who were charging at him, he went straight for those who had been trying to pelt him with arrows. In one breath, he dashed forward with all of this strength instantly cutting one down before they could reach for their sword. Just as he was about to dash toward another hiding in the bushes, he clashed swords with a familiar face.

    Dallen stood before him, his eyes still that of an animal¡¯s, but all that he could do was clash blades a few times before his shoddy swordsmanship was quickly dismantled. Ega left a deep gash across Dallen¡¯s body before turning back to his other men.

    More arrows flew toward him, and not wanting Ella to be caught by them, he stood his ground and deflected them. Unable to catch all of them, one arrow has slipped through, ready to pierce his chest. Just before it could, however, the Old God¡¯s bones that he had taken from Olian quickly moved to his chest.

    The arrow shattered against the bone, but Ega still felt the power in that shot. With no less in his tempo, he dashed toward the archers. Swing after swing, dash after dash, kill after kill, he was beginning to bring their numbers down closer to zero.

    But just as fast as the bandits¡¯ numbers were dropping, his stamina was also plummeting as he tried to rush this battle.

    Just as he thrusted his sword through the last bandit, the weight of the enemy¡¯s soul realm suddenly crashed down on him. Ega crumbled to his knees, barely able to breathe. If he withdrew his extended soul realm, he might have had a better chance to hold off the effects of this soul manipulator, but he couldn¡¯t put Ella at risk.

    ¡°Ega? Ega!¡± Ella shook him, hands trembling from his sudden loss in strength.

    Seeing that he had grown too tired to hold off the pressure of her soul realm properly, Illia had finally decided to show her face. Every step forward toward Ega was adding more and more weight onto his soul. Her grip on his soul was beginning to grow stronger and stronger, but it took every ounce of effort to hold him in place.

    Her steps were stiff and slow, her gaze solely focused on Ega, and just like him, her movements were incredibly limited. As much as she wanted to stab him in the throat, it was taking everything to even keep such a tight hold on his soul.

    Seeing Illia step closer and Ega¡¯s face twist into even greater pain, Ella reached into his coat and pulled out a dagger. Gripping it as tightly as she could, she charged at Illia.

    Noticing this child¡¯s attempt to stab her, she was left with two choices. Let go of Ega and stop her, or simply hold her ground. As Ella got closer and closer to pressing the cold steel into her flesh, Illia made her choice.

    Loosening her grip on Ega¡¯s soul, she drew her sword, swiftly slashing at Ella. It was a shoddy attack, but Ella couldn¡¯t block it. Having the eyes to see it was one thing, but possessing the mind and body to respond to it was another. As steel cut into her flesh, Ella fell, her blood staining the earth.

    However, at that moment, Ega charged forward and thrusted his sword straight toward Illia¡¯s abdomen. Maybe the weight was still too much to bear or maybe he was too exhausted, but he missed, only slicing the side.

    Screaming out in pain, Illia suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Ega¡¯s head. As he tried to carve his blade deeper into her flesh, he suddenly lost control of his body. His eyes which could have seen all of the night suddenly had a black veil placed over them.

    For a second, he couldn¡¯t see, feel, or even hear anything, and as light finally entered his eyes again, he was greeted by a clear blue sky. Feeling the pickling of grass all over his body, he quickly shot upright in a panic.

    But what was he panicking about? Ega couldn¡¯t quite remember. Just where was he? What was he doing?

    As he contemplated those questions, he felt something cold touch the back of his neck.

    ¡°What are you thinking so hard about?¡± That carefree voice, Ega could recognize it from anywhere.

    Whipping his head around, his guess was proven true. Standing behind him was a man holding a metal staff against his neck. Seeing that strange weapon and that familiar messy hair, he instantly recognized it as his master¡¯s.

    ¡°Oh, this memory.¡± Ega looked out at the wide open field.

    His chest began to tighten as he recalled everything that happened here, as he felt the familiar spring breeze. How long had it been since he had heard his master¡¯s voice? How long had it been since he had seen his face?

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    Ega thought he would have forgotten it by now, but it wasn''t easy to forget such an important time of his life.

    ¡°Enjoying the view?¡± Pulling the metal staff away, he stood beside him.

    He knew this was an illusion, he knew that everything that he felt and saw here was just a trap to let down the guard around his soul. But when he saw his master¡¯s face, that scruffy yet strangely refined face which didn¡¯t seem to have a care in the world, Ega couldn¡¯t help but want to stay here for a second.

    ¡°It''s a nice place. It wouldn¡¯t be too bad to settle down in this place after I¡¯m done with all my travels, but who knows when that time will come. You know there¡¯s a flower field close by? Why don¡¯t we go check that out? Might see some nova bursts in the wild.¡±

    Did Ega ever say anything here? Probably not, but now would be a good time to do so. As his master turned away, ready to check out that field of flowers, Ega spoke.

    ¡°Hey, master?¡± Even at this age, he couldn¡¯t stop calling him that.

    ¡°Master again? Didn¡¯t I tell you¡ª¡±

    Unable to meet his eyes, he spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ for everything.¡±

    A torrent of emotions began to break into Ega¡¯s heart, slowly destroying the illusion around him. The blue sky began to crack, the horizon began to blur, but just before everything disappeared, his master smiled.

    ¡°Oh come on. How long are you going to keep blaming yourself, Ega?¡±

    Surprised, Ega turned toward his master. He had never said those words before. Were his memories being changed? Or was he subconsciously creating an answer his master might have given. Ega would never know.

    As the illusionary world crumbled into nothingness, all he could focus on was his master¡¯s smile. That soft, pained smile, similar to the one that he had worn as he died in front of Ega.

    ¡°Just how¡ª¡± Those were the first words that came out of Illia¡¯s mouth as Ega broke back into the real world. Those would also be the last words he would hear from her.

    The moment he had regained consciousness, he broke her grip on his head, and with all of his strength, punched her right in the face. The weight on Ega¡¯s soul had lifted as he knocked her unconscious. She wasn¡¯t dead yet, but that was the least of his concerns.

    Whipping his head over to Ella, he quickly scrambled to her side. His hands were stained red as he turned her bloodied body over. For a few seconds, he couldn¡¯t feel her breathing.

    ¡°Shit, shit, that can¡¯t¡­¡± Ega stopped cursing as he felt a faint pulse through her skin.

    Pulling a vial and bandages from his soul sack, he began to pour the green liquid over the wound which ran from shoulder to waist. Flesh began to mend, but the wound was too big. Blood was still pouring out, and if Ega tried to bandage her up now, he could undo the effects of the potion. There was no way to save her.

    No, there was one way. As he contemplated whether or not to perform the method, Ega felt something wet touch his cheek. Ella reached out to him, touching his cheek with her bloody hand. Looking at him with hazy eyes, she tried to say something, but couldn¡¯t push out the words with her dwindling strength.

    Witnessing this, Ega made his choice. Even if this failed, he told himself that he¡¯d be ready to kill her with his own hands.

    ¡°Ella, listen to me.¡± Seeing that little change in her expression, it seemed like she was conscious enough. ¡°I¡¯m going to help you create your soul realm, okay? Just focus on yourself, close your eyes and try to look inside of yourself.¡±

    Ega¡¯s voice was shaking, but Ella could understand him. Closing her eyes, she followed his directions.

    ¡°Just try to imagine what your soul would look like, what it would feel like.¡± Using his expanded soul realm, he tried to guide her toward her own soul. ¡°Think of a vast, endless space separate from everything else.¡±

    She was beginning to get there. Right now, her soul realm was big enough to hold only her own soul.

    ¡°Focus, just focus.¡± Ega tried to calm her down as her face twisted in discomfort. ¡°When you see that little light in your soul, get closer. Imagine yourself getting closer, feel yourself getting closer and once you¡¯re there, just¡ª¡±

    Before Ega could even finish his sentence, Ella had begun to expand her soul realm.

    ¡°Careful, careful. Slow down a little, don¡¯t¡­¡± It didn¡¯t matter what he said, Ella¡¯s soul was beginning to burn brighter.

    The flames of her soul were melting away at the darkness of her soul realm, expanding it at an incredible rate.

    ¡°Not so much! Not so much¡­¡± Feeling her soul begin to calm down, Ega heaved a sigh of relief.

    Thankfully, they had avoided both a soul fracture and burnout. However, now was the hardest part of the process. Soul mixing.

    Normally, it would take a soul bearer years to even begin to soul mix, but Ella would have to do it right after unlocking her soul realm.

    Drawing out a salamander soul from his own realm, Ega placed it into her realm.

    ¡°Mix this into your own soul, just a tiny bit of it. I¡¯ll guide you and¡ª¡± Realizing that Ella was beginning to lose consciousness, he tried to keep her awake. ¡°Ella! Ella!¡±

    She tried to grab a hold onto reality, but all the blood loss was getting to her. Still, she could manipulate her own soul, and that was enough. Feeding small pieces of the salamander¡¯s soul into Ella¡¯s, Ega showed her how to properly mix it into her soul.

    It was like two flames mixing together, but the process was delicate. Mixing too much at once could cause the soul to erupt and suddenly make it impossible to remove. He had to do it bit by bit, at least for the level that Ella was currently at.

    To take the two flames and create one but with each flame distinct enough from each other so that they can be taken apart, that was the essence of soul mixing. Slowly, more and more of the salamander¡¯s soul was mixing into Ella. Her wound began to mend, and once it was small enough, Ega quickly bandaged her up.

    Feeling her breathing stabilize, Ega felt his entire body grow weak. He closed his eyes, needing a moment to digest everything that just occurred. Prying them open, he made sure Ella was okay before turning toward the battlefield. There were still two people left that he had to take care of.

    Rising up from the ground, he picked up his sword with blood still stuck to his hands. Walking over to Illia¡¯s body, he was about to plunge his sword into her chest when Ega took notice of something on the back of her hand.

    A tattoo was etched onto her skin, but not just any tattoo, it belonged to the Black Flame Syndicate. The blob of black ink was in the form of a flame, but the one detail that made Ega¡¯s blood suddenly run cold was the fact that instead of an outline, the entire tattoo was filled in.

    It was an indication that she stood as one of the Seven Torch Bearers to the syndicate. If he killed her here, he would make enemies of the organization who controlled the kingdom¡¯s underworld.

    If the Imperial Family was considered the light of the kingdom of Lanier, then the Black Flame was its shadow. From slavery to the black market and even human experimentation, there wasn¡¯t anything that they didn¡¯t do.

    He remembered an old phrase surrounding that group, that, ¡°The Black Flame casts a light even upon its own shadows.¡± It was almost like they knew and saw everything that occurred in Lanier, and there was no way they would simply let go of the death of one of their core leaders.

    Now, Ega was left with a choice, to finally end this battle here and risk making enemies with the entire underworld, or spare her for the chance that they would let this incident slide. The blade was in his hands.

 Chapter 25

    No knight nor lord, not even the king of Lanier could protect Ega from The Black Flame even if they wanted to. When one thinks of Lanier, they think of the Imperial Family. They think that they are the ones which hold control over everything in the kingdom, however, that couldn¡¯t be farther from the truth.

    The Black Flame¡¯s control over the underworld often seeped into the dark alleyways and hidden shadows of the kingdom. The syndicate was full of monstrous soul bearers, so strong that they were able to carve out a piece of land in the northern part of Lanier as their own.

    The Imperial Family had tried to bring them to justice, but after years of fighting and losing precious resources and manpower, the best they could do was create a treaty. Although many saw it as a horrible compromise, the treaty was for the better.

    In a way, the Black Flame kept many of the uncontrollable soul bearers in check. Rather than have them wreak havoc all across the kingdom whenever they wanted, their actions had become much tamer and controlled. Those who lurked and sprouted in the darkness would stay in the darkness.

    The Imperial Family turned a blind eye to the more petty crimes committed by the Black Flame. They¡¯d obviously intervene whenever the syndicate would overstep their bounds, but events like those were few and far between.

    Just as the Black Flame had boundaries, so did the Imperial Family, and subsequently, the citizens it ruled over. Right now, Ega was walking a line between that boundary, having shaved the line so thinly that he was unsure of where he stood.

    Had he already crossed it? Or would killing Illia here push his actions over the edge? It didn¡¯t matter that Ega acted in self defense, the bigger thing here was the fact that Illia was a core leader to the Black Flame, and he was only a vagrant.

    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Cursing underneath his breath, Ega pointed his sword away from her.

    Hearing rustling from behind, he turned his head around only to see Dallen stumbling over, sword still in hand. His tunic was drenched in blood from Ega¡¯s strike, but it seemed like the wound had already closed.

    ¡°You bastard¡­ You killed¡ª¡±

    With one stride, Ega reached out and gripped him by the neck. Lifting him up for a second, he threw Dallen onto the ground as hard as he could.

    ¡°You¡¯re durable.¡± Unable to kill the person who had placed Ella on Death¡¯s door, he had to take his anger out elsewhere. Still, he needed to at least hold onto some rationality.

    As Dallen was trying to catch his breath after getting the wind knocked out of him, Ega squeezed out any remaining air by pressing his foot down onto his chest. ¡°So, just what in the world are all of you doing out here? Just what are bandits doing working with a Torch of the Black Flame.¡±

    Dallen didn¡¯t answer, or rather, he couldn¡¯t answer with Ega¡¯s foot digging into his chest.

    ¡°Come on now, spit it out.¡± He moved his bloody sword, pressing it against his neck.

    ¡°Breathe¡­ I¡­¡± He croaked.

    Easing the weight on Dallen¡¯s chest, Ega pressed the blade deeper into his skin.

    ¡°Wait! Please! I¡ª¡± Dallen began to choke on his spit as he gasped for air. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything!¡±

    Letting him catch his breath for a moment, Ega began to interrogate him. ¡°Just what are you bandits doing working with a Torch of the Black Flame?¡±

    ¡°We were hired by her, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°And she didn¡¯t think to use any of her own men from the syndicate?¡±

    ¡°She couldn¡¯t. She¡­¡± Dallen hesitated for a moment, but feeling the blade prick his neck quickly eased up lips. ¡°She was going behind the Flame¡¯s back! She couldn¡¯t use any of their members so she decided to hire us.¡±

    ¡°Going behind the Flame¡¯s back? Just what were you doing?¡±

    ¡°We were just transporting weapons to Purgo, that¡¯s all I know. What she was going to do with it after that, I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Weapons?¡± Something about this entire situation was setting Ega off. ¡°What type?¡±

    A Torch of the Black Flame was going behind the organization¡¯s back? Just what was she doing that would warrant such an action?

    ¡°Silver, I know it''s strange, but we had boxes full of silver weapons.¡±

    ¡°Silver?¡± Ega¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Are you stupid! Do you not understand¡ª¡±

    He was about to reprimand Dallen for his stupidity in choosing to work with Illia, but the presence of someone behind him quickly shut his mouth. Whipping his head around, Ega froze, unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

    ¡°Oh? Has the situation already been resolved?¡± A woman had emerged from the forest with two hooded figures by her side.

    Her golden hair fell down to her back, glistening under the moonlight. The way that she carried herself, those striking red eyes, one would mistake her for a noble. However, Aurora was no noble, she was the current leader of the Black Flame.

    ¡°What is your name?¡± Her voice was soft, but chilling. ¡°You don¡¯t seem like a member of ours.¡±

    ¡°Ega. I am just a simple vagrant.¡± He could barely force those words out under the mere presence of Aurora.

    She wasn¡¯t bearing her soul realm onto him nor was she pressuring him in some physical way. The simple fact was that one wrong move or word, and Ega¡¯s head would come flying off.

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    ¡°Ega? That sounds familiar¡­¡± Aurora examined the battlefield that he had created. ¡°Simple vagrant, hm?¡±

    Ega held his breath, unsure of how it would play out. Even if the bandits weren¡¯t important to her, the fact that he had nearly killed a Torch of the Black Flame could be the end of him.

    Aurora broke away from the two hooded figures guarding her, slowly approaching Illia. Arriving before her side, she looked down at Illia¡¯s ragged figure for a long second.

    ¡°Wake up you bitch.¡± Sticking her hand out, Illia¡¯s body began to heal at an incredible rate. Her wounds were quickly torn away, replaced by new flesh. Her body began to twist, her broken bones reconstructed and repositioned.

    Once she had been healed, Illia lurched forward from the blood stained ground, gasping for air. She recognized that feeling from anywhere, that disgusting feeling of someone playing with your body, moving around and remaking certain parts of it.

    Turning her head upward, she met Aurora¡¯s blood red eyes. As she opened her mouth to try and speak, Aurora reached out and grabbed her by the neck. Raising her up into the air, she began to talk.

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d learn your place by now, but then you go out and do shit like this behind my back.¡±

    Illia thrashed around in her arms, struggling for even a breath of air. She tried to say something so that Aurora would let her go, but she wasn¡¯t having it. Squeezing down on her neck even harder, she sent a shockwave through Illia¡¯s body, knocking her unconscious.

    Ega stood on the sidelines, unsure of what was going to happen. There was something obviously going on between those two, but just how would it spill over to him?

    ¡°Let¡¯s investigate their carriages.¡± As Aurora dragged Illia to her two guards and handed her over to them, she turned to Ega.

    She walked toward him, each step making him even more tense than before. She met him face to face, and despite being shorter than him, it seemed like her figure was towering over Ega.

    ¡°Let me mend your wounds for all the trouble.¡± She reached out to him, ready to perform something similar to Illia.

    ¡°That¡¯s all right, I will heal from these wounds quite easily.¡± Ega bowed to show respect. ¡°If you could, please help my daughter instead.¡±

    He gestured toward Ella who was still laying on the ground to which Aurora¡¯s eyes quickly followed.

    ¡°Daughter?¡± Seeing the little girl laying on the ground, she approached her.

    ¡°It won¡¯t hurt her¡­ will it?¡± Ega trailed behind, wanting to make sure that she wasn¡¯t going to do anything bad to Ella.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be more careful than I did with that bitch.¡± Touching Ella¡¯s chest, Aurora began to mend her wounds.

    Although the salamander soul and bandages were keeping her alive for now, he couldn¡¯t guarantee that it would heal properly. After a minute or two, she pulled her hand away from the child¡¯s body and rose back up from the ground.

    ¡°I apologize for my subordinate¡¯s actions.¡±

    ¡°No, no, there¡¯s no need for that.¡± Of course, he didn¡¯t really mean that. ¡°But, if I may request for two of their horses. They killed the two leading my carriage, and without them I can¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Blood Hunter.¡± Aurora suddenly cut him off. ¡°Ega the Blood Hunter, I remember that name now.¡±

    Her lips curled into a smile, sending a chill down Ega¡¯s spine. Just why did she suddenly bring up his title? Was she interested in all of the blood he had gathered up? Or was there something more behind that smile?

    ¡°Sure, I can give you two horses.¡± Aurora suddenly placed her hand on his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s only fair that I make up for my subordinate¡¯s mistake, no?¡±

    Instead of feeling grateful, Ega was beginning to feel fear. The moment her hand fell onto his shoulder, he couldn¡¯t move. It was like a snake had coiled around Ega¡¯s body, squeezing him with all of its might.

    ¡°Thank¡­ you¡­¡± He was barely able to choke out those words of gratitude, but the intentions in those words stood in stark contrast to the look in his eyes.

    Even with such an overwhelming power coiling around his throat, his eyes were fierce. Aurora noticed the fire burning inside of his eyes, as if he was ready to swing his blade the moment she even loosened her grip on him.

    She couldn¡¯t help but feel her smile grow wider at Ega¡¯s resistance. The most interesting thing to her, however, was the fact he wasn¡¯t completely focused on her. Following his gaze, her eyes quickly landed on the child by her feet.

    Having her fun, she let go of his shoulder. ¡°Just wait here a bit, I¡¯ll have one of my guards lead the two horses to you. Kal, take that bandit for interrogation and Zel, if you could bring him those two horses.¡±

    Walking back to the two hooded figures, the three of them disappeared off into the darkness with Dallen in hand. Ega dropped to his knees, choking for air as he tried to recover everything that had been squeezed out of his body.

    It had taken him everything to resist Aurora¡¯s pressure. He had even ignited his soul to try and hold off that strange hold on his body, but the most he could do was give himself enough air to croak out two words.

    Thankfully, it didn¡¯t seem like Ega had made enemies with her, but he wasn¡¯t quite sure what to take away from that interaction. He had heard of her enigmatic personality, but to witness first hand had brought a mix of fear and confusion.

    Once Ega had finally recovered, he carefully lifted Ella into his arms and carried her back to the carriage. Careful not to wake her up, he placed her head down onto a pillow and draped a blanket over her body. Seeing her face no longer twisted in pain, he could feel a weight fall off his shoulders.

    Moving toward the front of the carriage, he began to pluck off all the arrows which had pierced it. Throwing the arrows to the side, he released the dead horses from their harness. Pushing the carriage away from their bodies, he turned around only to be surprised at the sight of a hooded figure standing right behind him.

    Ega had nearly drawn his sword if not for the fact that he recognized him as one of Aurora¡¯s guards.

    ¡°Horses.¡± He handed Ega the reins to the two horses that he had brought over.

    The moment he took the reins, the hooded figure walked away, seemingly uncaring about Ega¡¯s existence. Letting out a sigh, he examined the battlefield around him. Too exhausted to gather up and give the bodies a proper ceremony, he left it up to the Black Flame to take care of it.

    Putting the harnesses back onto these new horses, Ega began to move the carriage again. Bloodied and battered, the only thing left to do was to move forward.

    ¡­

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a good idea?¡± One of the guards spoke up as they inspected the crates full of silver weapons.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Turning her gaze away from the weapons, Aurora turned back. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Ega, wouldn¡¯t it have been better just to silence him? For being a former knight, he probably knows¡ª¡±

    ¡°It''s fine. It¡¯s because he knows enough that he¡¯ll stay quiet.¡±

    Even if Ega had told the Imperial Family about this incident, what could they do? The treaty was still being upheld and they were the ones trying to take care of anything, so just what would they have to complain about?

    ¡°And besides, he seemed quite interesting. It would be a shame to remove such an interesting person from this world.¡±

    Seeing the smile curl on her lips, the guard looked over to his brother. Even through the hood, he could sense that they were feeling the same thing.

    ¡°Understood.¡± After hearing her answer, he put the conversation aside. Knowing Aurora however, this probably wasn¡¯t the last time they were going to encounter Ega. ¡°Interesting¡± people to her always seemed to show their faces again, whether or not they even wanted to see Aurora¡¯s face again.

 Chapter 26

    How many days has it been since Ega has slept? Two? Three days? He had lost count in the sudden chaos in the previous days and nights. As the horses trotted forward, he turned his head back at Ella who was still sleeping.

    He had been watching over her the entire time, and thankfully, it seemed like her body was just adjusting to all the sudden changes. Creating her soul realm was a part of it, but Aurora accelerating her healing by stimulating the soul had drained all the energy out of her.

    Still, it was for the better. Guaranteeing her life was of utmost importance to Ega, though, he needed her to wake up eventually. The salamander soul was still mixed into Ella¡¯s soul, and the longer it was left like that, the harder it was going to be to separate.

    As he looked up into the sky and back at the map in his hands, Ega let out a sigh. There was still more than a week left of their journey to Purga and they had already ran into trouble. Was the world just out to get him? Or was he just stepping closer toward the eye of a storm?

    Whatever it was, one thing was certain, Ega needed to find a safe place to leave Ella. Even though he allowed her to come along on his journey, it was already evident that it was far too dangerous for her.

    As he wondered if there were any suitable places for her, he heard some rustling in the back. Turning his head around, he spotted Ella struggling to sit upright. Trusting that the horses would be obedient, he quickly arrived by her side.

    ¡°Lie back down, just lie back down.¡± Easing her back, Ega noticed her hazy eyes. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°A little weird, but¡­¡± She started to trace the scar across her chest. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s probably because you¡¯ve made your soul realm, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°I made my soul realm?¡± Ella could barely remember what occurred when she was on the brink of death, but as she looked inside of herself, she had confirmed it. ¡°I¡¯m a soul bearer now!¡±

    ¡°What are you so happy for? You almost died back there. Just what were you thinking? Charging at a¡­¡± Ega stopped himself as he saw her stunned expression. Letting out a sigh, he calmed himself down. ¡°Don¡¯t do that again, okay?¡±

    ¡°B-but you were getting attacked by her and¡ª¡±

    ¡°I would have been fine. All I needed was to wait for a gap in pressure she was placing on me with her soul realm. It¡¯s difficult for soul manipulators to move their bodies and try to pressure someone else¡¯s soul realm so¡­¡± Ega stopped himself again, unsure if Ella really cared about his ramblings.

    ¡°So?¡± But it seemed like she was interested in learning more about soul bearers, especially since she just recently became one.

    ¡°So, once she tries to finish me off with her sword, a gap will open up in the pressure she¡¯s putting on me. I throw a dagger, she has to alleviate more pressure to try and dodge it, and then I can finish her off.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Although she didn¡¯t completely understand what he was saying, she got the general gist of things. ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t put yourself in such a dangerous situation again.¡± Ega instinctively patted her head. ¡°You should have just run if you saw me fall apart like that. At least they¡¯d be distracted with me and then¡ª¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Ella furiously shook her head. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Well you¡­¡± Seeing that strangely tough expression on her face, he couldn¡¯t really talk back. ¡°Whatever, let me get you something to eat and then we need to remove that salamander soul from your own soul.¡±

    Jerky, bread, and cheese was the only thing that he could bring out at the moment. Ella ate a lot, needing all the energy she could get to recover from her wounds. Even if everything looked okay on the outside, who knew if she still had internal injuries.

    Once she finished eating, Ega started to guide her on separating the salamander soul from her own. The process was intricate, but as always, Ella picked up on things quite quickly, almost too quickly.

    He had to force her to slow down in fear that she would get too overzealous and accidentally tear her own soul. Seeing Ella¡¯s face strain to keep any more focus on her soul realm, Ega decided that he would end it for today. At the rate that she was going, it seemed like she would be finished in just two days.

    Not wanting to push Ella after she had just woken up, Ega tried to figure out something for her to do.

    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Glazing around the carriage, he suddenly remembered the book that Hella had given them. ¡°Let''s do some reading.¡±

    He could see Ella¡¯s expression worsen in real time just at the suggestion of reading. Hella told him that she seemed quite focused when she read to Ella, but it seemed like she didn¡¯t like to read on her own.

    Looking over at the horses, Ega trusted that they wouldn¡¯t go out of control without him commanding them. Seeing that Aurora was still around the area, it seemed like there would be some peace and quiet around such a monstrous figure.

    ¡°I¡¯ll read along with you.¡± He said begrudgingly. Just like Ella, he didn¡¯t really enjoy reading and writing.

    Hearing that he was joining in on an activity that they both disliked, her expression began to brighten.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Just lay there, I¡¯ll read right next to you.¡± Reaching into the soul sack, he pulled out the book gifted by Hella.

    Despite having it for a few days now, he had actually never looked at the contents inside. Wondering how boring it was going to be, Ega was quite shocked to see that it was a book about¡­

    ¡°Fairy Tales?¡± Flipping through a few more pages, his suspicions were confirmed. There was no title imprinted on the cover, so actually reading through it was the only way he knew what it was going to be about. ¡°So, what do you want me to read? ¡®The Mage of Flowers,¡¯ ¡®The Nameless King,¡¯ ¡®Soul of a Guardian¡¯ or¡ª¡±

    ¡°Guardian soul!¡± There was a wide smile on her face as she made her choice.

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Flipping back at the beginning of that fairy tale Ega began to read, tracing each sentence with his finger so that Ella could follow along. ¡°Once upon a time¡­¡±

    ¡­

    Moonlight washed Vladim¡¯s figure as he sat upon his throne, bored out of his mind. He lived too long, experienced too much, and now here he was chained to this throne. If only he wasn¡¯t a vampyre, maybe then he could have finally left this world and passed on the shackles to someone else.

    But even after all this time, there was no one who has become more intelligent and powerful than him. Although that thought was a bit arrogant, it was a fact. Vampyres nowadays were too complacent. They didn¡¯t have the same hunger that Vladim used to have at their age, and so, he was the only remaining vampyre who could ignite his own soul.

    He couldn¡¯t help but scoff as he looked back at the treaty between humans and vampyres. It was necessary, but it had also weakened them in more ways than one. There was no hunger to drive them, no challenge to be had, no thrill in the hunt.

    And here Vladim was; forced to uphold this sanctuary of weakness. It didn¡¯t matter if he owned this city, nor if he could control an army of men, not even a mountain of gold meant anything to him. He missed the thrill of fighting, of spilling blood to grab a hold of some goal. But as a Lord over a city full of criminals, such ¡°entertainment¡± couldn¡¯t be found anywhere.

    Vladim wished he could find that joy again, but who would dare fight a Lord, let alone a vampyre, to the death? Rising from his throne, he began to descend the steps toward the exit. His path was shrouded in darkness. No lantern or torch lit his way, but that was no trouble for a vampyre.

    To lose the touch of sunlight to gain the powers of an Eternal Blood Bat was a favorable exchange in his eyes. Exiting the throne room, Vladim stopped by the window, watching as his subordinates flew around the city, gathering the blood tax from the criminals.

    They would return soon, and he had to be there to receive the report. Walking upon the blood red carpet dressing the hallway, Vladim eventually made his way toward his advisor¡¯s office, just as he arrived, one of the generals exited the office. Spotting Vladim, he quickly bowed.

    ¡°I greet the Blood Lord.¡±

    Vladim nodded his head, giving him the signal to leave. As the general returned back to his post, Vladim entered his advisor¡¯s office.

    ¡°Lord Vladim!¡± Noth shot up from his chair, bowing as Vladim stepped in.

    ¡°No need for the formalities, I¡¯ve grown sick of it after all of these years. So? How was tonight¡¯s harvest?¡±

    ¡°There was no need to come down to see me yourself my lord.¡± Noth raised his head. ¡°I was just about to¡ª¡±

    ¡°I was getting bored sitting on that throne. Just give me the report so that I can continue on my walk.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Glancing down at a document on his desk, he continued to speak. ¡°We have exceeded tonight¡¯s quota by eight percent. With this trend, all the vampyres should stay well fed for the months to come.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Unamused, Vladim was about to turn around and leave until his advisor spoke up again.

    ¡°I also have something somewhat important to report.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± His attention was suddenly caught. Just what had caused a change in this monotonous schedule?

    ¡°I have received news that a certain individual has started moving their way toward Purgo.¡±

    ¡°Just how important is this individual for you to report it to me?¡±

    ¡°Ega the Blood Hunter, I¡¯ve heard that he is heading here. I¡¯m unsure of you are aware but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, of course I know, anything else?¡±

    Noth was about to bring up some concerns about this ¡°Blood Hunter,¡± but seeing Vladim¡¯s uncaring expression, he refrained from it.

    ¡°No, that would be all.¡±

    Despite his calm demeanor, the moment Vladim exited the room, his lips curled into a smile. He had heard stories about this infamous ¡°Blood Hunter.¡± How ironic was it that a human with that title was heading into a den of vampyres?

    Vladim was no fool. He knew exactly why Ega was heading toward Purgo. But just how was he going to try and take away the blood that he owned? He wasn¡¯t going to try and commit treason just to achieve this lofty goal, was he?

    As Vladim thought about it, he couldn¡¯t help but secretly wish that was the case. When was the last time he had gotten into a good fight? The thrill of battle, the sight of spilling blood, he could already feel his heart beat faster at just the thought.

    It didn¡¯t matter if Ega didn¡¯t want to fight. It didn¡¯t matter if he would try to negotiate. After being chained down to a throne for so long, he couldn¡¯t wait to finally break free and have a proper fight. Vladim would make it happen, no matter what.

    ¡­

    ¡°...And so, rather than relying on the soul of a guardian, he had ignited his own soul and become a guardian himself. The end.¡±

    Looking back at Ella, he noticed that she had fallen asleep. Was his reading that boring? Or was she still just too tired to stay awake for too long? Regardless, he¡¯d let her sleep easy.

    There was a strange feeling in his chest as he watched her sleeping soundly. Was there a place where she could sleep soundly like this every time? If he could find that place, he¡¯d let her stay there in a heartbeat.

    With his hunt for Mithril Blood, some unknown group keeping their eyes on him, and now being involved with the Black Flame, Ega was just finding himself trouble no matter where he went.

    Just as he was about to return back to the front of the carriage, Ella suddenly grabbed a hold of his hand.

    ¡®Ah, not this again.¡¯ He was just about to pull away this time around until he heard something strange.

    ¡°Dad¡­¡± She murmured in her dreams.

    Ega froze up, unsure of what to do. Was she dreaming about her dad? Maybe she was with her family right now in some blissful place.

    Not wanting to disrupt that dream, Ega, yet again, sat still. The horses seemed to understand the situation. They continued to move forward without guidance waiting until Ella would finally let go.

    But it would be a while until that would happen, because Ella never had a family. She never knew her mother or her father nor did she have any siblings. She had never been with someone who she considered a parent.

    Well, not until she met Ega at least.