We fall to the ground, the impact blanketed by the soft grass. Harou lands on his feet, and then promptly falls to his knees, panting hard. Our sudden arrival startles the magnificent white stags, making them gallop in the other direction.

“That… complicates… things,” he coughs the words out. Beads of sweat lines his forehead.

“Are you okay?” I say.

“I’m breathing. Just… a bit winded out. Never in my life have I kidnapped someone until today,” he sniffs, embarrassed by his admission.

I push myself up and dust my sleeves. “It’s not kidnapping if I’m willing,”

He fights a smile but fails. “Yeaaah. Still technically outlawed in all seven kingdoms. You know I could lose my head, right? How would you cope if you lose such a loyal and handsome servant?”

My eyes roll, making him laugh in response. I steer the conversation to relevant matters. “Where exactly are we?”

After a moment, Harou stands on his own. He surveys the dense trees, his mind racing. “We’re in the forest near the borders of Caladrius Kingdom. This place is heavily warded to prevent anyone from using teleportation magic to get in or out. I was hoping to go farther, but it seems we’ll have to walk the rest of the way. Unless I want to risk frying my magic, the teleportation spell is no longer an option.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I can help you with magic. I can’t…”

“I know,” Harou says with a soft smile. “You’re no sorcerer. That’s why I’m here to help.”

The magic power scale measures a sorcerer’s magical levels, with the highest level being a “Tier-7”, or the Deity category, and the lowest being a “Tier-0”, which is reserved for non-sorcerers. The fact that he was able to use a high-level spell speaks to his talent as a sorcerer. That puts him on Tier-3, which is the advanced category. It's hard not to be envious of his talents.

It's harder not to wonder what I could have achieved with my own magic if my circumstances were different. The problem is that I'm not able to produce a single drop of mana. That means that I can't even cast the most basic spell. It's all because...

I don't have a soul.

I shake my head and try to push away the negative thoughts. I should focus on our present predicament. I can’t change my past or the circumstances the lead me to this point, but I can control how I move forward. I take a deep breath and turn to Harou.

“So, what’s the plan now?” I ask him.

Harou takes a quick look behind him before turning back to me with a frown. “We stick to the original plan which is crossing the border. Though I fear that they’ve already noticed you missing. We must hurry before we get caught.”

Harou takes my hand and we both start running deeper into the woods. The cool, fresh air rushes past me as I push my way through the foliage, feeling small twigs and branches snap against my body. I’ve never been this far from the castle or had this much freedom since I was imprisoned. It’s both frightening and exhilarating to be in an unfamiliar place, but the excitement of freedom overshadows any worries. However, deep down, I know this freedom is only temporary.

I trip and fall, but Harou catches me in his arms just in time. As I look down, the soles of my feet are bleeding heavily. I should feel pain, but the tortures I’ve endured have left me numb to it.

“It doesn’t hurt,” I say.

“At least let me heal you with a spell I know,” he insists.

“It’s fine, really. Look,” I say, pointing to my feet as the cuts and broken skin start to heal and close up, leaving only blood behind. "Good as new."

“Your regenerative abilities are inhuman,” he gawks openly at me, and then remembers himself. “But can you stand?”

I demonstrate that I can indeed stand. I even stomp on the grass to prove it further. "Stop worrying over me. I’m not an infant."

“Well, I think we can move through the woods faster with a mount. I know just the thing,” Harou says, stepping away from me. He rolls up his sleeves to his elbows, revealing black, inky tendrils that crawl down his arms like fog on land. They stop at his wrists and flatten out, looking like tattoos on his skin.

“Come to life, demon wolf of strife, Enigma.” Harou says, speaking the mystic words as if praying to an unseen eye.

He presses his hands together, and the tattoos on his palms converge, shaping themselves into a creature made of inky substance. It expands and contracts violently until it becomes a giant dire wolf made of shadow.

The dark wolf leaps into the air and lands in front of me with a violent snarl. Its head and body are covered by living darkness, moving and writhing as if it is a separate entity. The large canine stares me down, a predator eyeing its prey. For the longest second, I stay still, afraid that the smallest of movements would aggravate it. But then, Enigma licks the side of my cheek and sticks its tongue out like a giant puppy.

Harou runs his hand down the wolf’s snout, and smiles at me kindly. “I’ve never seen Enigma be that friendly to anyone. That just proves it! You are the hero, Aegis!"

“I get it!” I groan. “But how were you able to summon him?”

“The Hero of old taught my ancestors this magic, and they passed it down in the family,” he answers proudly. “Come on! Enigma is faster than any horse. You'll love him.”

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Harou mounts the wolf as if it were a typical horse, and then helps me climb up and settle in front of him. As I run my hand through the dark wolf’s fur, I find the whole thing peculiar – it pulsates against my skin, and the inky material it is made of does not stick to my palm.

“Show us the meaning of haste!” Harou commands.

It howls and bolts forward like lightning. He is faster than a horse, alright.

Orange rays of light peek through the foliage above, giving the forest an odd, ethereal glow. Daylight is quickly disappearing. There is this all-consuming feeling in my chest that I can’t shake – it’s as if I'm being watched by something, or someone.

“How far is it?” I ask, sounding impatient.

“We’re almost near the border garrison. We’ll have to take care of the guards first before we can hope to cross,” Harou replies.

I say nothing, focusing my eyes forward. Harou breaks the silence after a minute.

“You’ve been gone for so long that my own clan has given up on the idea of your return. I don’t blame them, really. Loyalty, no matter how strong, can be eroded over time,” he says with a solemn tone.

"Your clan?"

He nods. "My father once told me that my clan was founded thanks to the hero. He granted my predecessor the power to bring creations to life using ink and granted him the title of ‘First of Shadows’. It was said that my predecessor became a master of this art and could summon entire shadow armies at a whim. From then on, he passed down his talents to his descendants, and my descendants formed a clan."

"If Aegis is so powerful that he can grant anyone that kind of power, wouldn't I be the least qualified person then? I can hardly use magic," I point out.

"It's hard to explain it," he says, holding my gaze. "There's something so familiar about you. You know that feeling a soldier gets when they're willing to follow their general without question? Loyalty! I feel loyal to you. I know it sounds stupid. Damn it. I should've paid attention to my grandfather's lessons. Maybe then I'd have a better explanation."

“Seriously? You don’t have proof? Are you telling me that you did all of this on a whim?"

"What? No! Do I look like that kind of person who just do things just because I was caught in the moment?" he argues.

I stare at him with a blank expression.

"Unbelievable," he mutters. "My gut instincts has never been wrong before."

"You can't just make me the 'Hero' just because of a hunch! I'm beginning to regret this now," I say.

"I know you don't want to come back to that place," he says, and he speaks the truth. "But if you really want proof, there's this ancient artifact in my clan's treasury – a powerful ring. It’s an artifact that the hero created a long time ago, a symbol of his authority and power."

"A ring? Why didn't you bring it if it was so important?"

He shakes his head. "Impossible. No one can wear or carry the damn thing. It weighs as much as a castle. On top of that, it's invulnerable to both magic and anti-magic weapons. My father and his father before him have tried everything to wear or lift it, but they’ve all failed. However, if we could get our hands on it, we might be able to prove that you're its rightful owner."

"Only if we get out of here first. Not to mention the fact that the ring is under a complex spell of protection, or seal, makes everything complicated. There's so much uncertainty here," I say.

"It's theorized that only Aegis could ever wear it. So that much is certain," he says.

“And if I'm really not Aegis, and we're actually doomed from the start?"

He frowns for a second, but quickly turns it upside down. “We’ll figure something out. One problem at a time. Even if you're not the hero, my clan can keep you safe.” His optimism is undeniable, infectious. Or maybe he’s only saying this to make me feel at ease.

“Where are you from, Harou?” I ask.

The question makes him visibly light up. It seems my interest of him is highly regarded, and welcomed. “I grew up in the Tamerumi Kingdom.”

Even though I was a prisoner for most of my life, there were times when a kindly servant would bring me a book in secret. Because of the strict conditions of my imprisonment, I made sure to memorize every page and tidbit of knowledge that I could get my hands on. Thankfully, I have a natural talent for learning, and a knack for understanding complex concepts.

It is thanks to that that I'm well-informed on world geography. The Tamerumi Kingdom, more commonly known as the Land of Midnight Dragons, is located in the south-eastern continent. It's one of the seven major kingdoms. I'm almost surprised to find out that he has traveled thousands of miles just to get here.

“You are far away from home,” I say, sounding sympathetic.

He nods. “Yeah. Not to sound ungrateful but I just don’t like the life that I have back at home. It felt unfulfilling and monotonous. Perhaps I’m just too adventurous for my own good?”

“Maybe. Do you miss it?”

He shrugs. "A little. But maybe you’ll like it there. The sakura dragon trees are in season, and they look amazing when they’re blooming! Once we get out, I'll bring you straight to the fields where they bloom. It’s a promise.” Harou grins.

“I’ll hold you to that,” I say, and for once in my life, I feel hopeful.

“Good! But let’s focus on the present. You must trust me to get you out of here.”

“I do. You’ve gotten me this far already,”

Harou smiles. “That is more than enough.”

The three of us emerge from the woods and into an open field, where a walled-up garrison sits in the middle and a single watchtower stands nearby. The place is crawling with a dozen soldiers, and one of them seems to have spotted our party already.

An archer atop the watchtower reaches for the horn. If he sounds it, all of Caladrius Kingdom would know of our location. Harou spreads both of his arms and summons another creature using the same inky black substance on his skin.

"Emerge from the clouds, hunter in the storm – Penumbra!" he shouts the incantation.

A dark hawk materializes above us and rams into the watchtower with thunderous force, destroying the platform with one fell swoop. The guard falls to the ground, injured but alive. The bird returns to Harou and disappears back into his skin. The whole garrison is alerted by the ruckus, and the soldiers come running at us with their weapons drawn.

“Enigma, sic em!” Harou commands his wolf.

Enigma makes quick work of the soldiers, slashing and striking them using his sharp claws. He tears through the camp with terrifying speed and ferocity. Each and every soldier is taken down with bestial tenacity.

Once the place is clear, Harou breathes a sigh of relief. A quick look around the garrison, and I notice that all of the soldiers have been taken down non-lethally. They’re wounded and in obvious pain, but they’ll live to see another day.

“Who’s a good boy? You are!” Harou gushes, petting Enigma. When he notices you looking, he grins. "We don't have to kill them. Yet."

Suddenly, a loud explosion goes off from the direction of the forest we came from. Enigma sprints up the ramparts and reach the top of the wall. In the distance, the forest is on fire, and it's spreading quickly around the edge of the woods. It dawns on me that the fire is encircling the open field, trapping us within the inferno.

We walked into a trap.