By the time Davis arrived at the tavern, it had regained its lively atmosphere. Despite the shattered tables, broken chairs, and scattered glass, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Davis and Skye walked inside, and he immediately noticed the variety of outfits and appearances among the patrons. They took a seat next to the bartender from the previous night.

"What can I do for you today, sir?" the bartender asked, his body still aching from the previous night’s festivities.

"Just a glass of water," Davis replied, placing two bronze coins on the counter. Casually, he added, "Did something happen last night?" His eyes scanned the room, lingering on the broken furniture.

The bartender chuckled softly as he poured Davis his water. "Just the usual scuffle... We get bar fights every now and then, but last night was something else," he said with a giggle, clearly amused by the memory.

"Oh, really?" Davis raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of his water before sliding it over to Skye. "If fights happen often, something like this should be normal for you."

The bartender smiled, leaning in as he whispered excitedly, "It wasn’t just the fight that was wild—it was how it played out." He leaned back, starting to recount the events, his hands busy cleaning a wooden cup. "At first, it was just the usual brawl. I was sitting with a particularly handsome gentleman, enjoying the show, when suddenly, a man was flung across the bar and crashed into me, knocking me out for a bit."

"I'm not sure what happened while I was out, but when I came to, I saw that same gentleman taking down everyone in the room, one by one," the bartender continued, his excitement growing as he spoke about K's night. "Then, everyone else noticed him and made him their target. You might not believe me, but I watched him take down more than ten men at once—not to mention the ones he’d already dealt with before."

Davis nodded as he listened, thinking to himself, "So all the charges are true..." Beside him, Skye quietly sipped the water Davis had given her, enjoying it peacefully.

"I see, he does sound... fascinating," Davis said, his expression thoughtful, as if piecing something together. "Mr. Bartender, would you mind answering a few questions? For a price, of course." Davis flipped a gold coin around his fingers before gesturing for the bartender to take it.

The bartender quickly pocketed the coin. "What a generous tip, sir. I’ll help you to the best of my ability."

Davis leaned in closer, his eyes scanning the room as he whispered, "You see, my brother came here some time ago, hoping to make it big in the city. But he was found dead a few days ago... drowned. I was wondering if you knew anything about it?"

The bartender maintained a calm demeanor as he shouted to another customer, "Ah, yes, be right there, sir." Then, turning back to Davis with a serious expression, he said, "I’m truly sorry for your loss, sir. I believe your brother may have been kidnapped, robbed, and drowned by the mountain bandits."

Davis, knowing firsthand that it wasn’t the work of any human, pressed further. "I see... bandits. Could it have been something else?"

"Something else? I’m sorry, sir, but I’m not sure I follow," the bartender replied, his voice tinged with surprise and confusion.

Davis leaned in closer. "Something a bit more… supernatural?"

Another patron shouted for the bartender to hurry up with his order. "I’ll get your drink to you shortly, sir," the bartender responded hastily, then turned back to Davis. "Supernatural?" he repeated, his tone laced with disbelief.

The bartender pondered for a bit. "Well, there is an old legend of a forest spirit… but it was debunked a long time ago. No one has ever actually seen this forest spirit," the bartender mused, becoming so engrossed in the story that he forgot about the other customer’s order, which he still held in his hand.

The neglected customer, growing furious, stood up and began to march angrily toward the bartender from the far corner of the bar. "Hey, bartender! Didn’t you hear my order? I’ve called it out to you many times man..."

Davis, realizing his conversation was about to be interrupted, gave a calm command. "Skye, deal with him."

In an instant, Skye’s form began to shift. Her body grew to the size of an adult brown bear, the stripes on her fur becoming more prominent. Her claws and fangs sharpened as she let out a menacing growl, freezing the man in his tracks.

"Would you like to join or wait?" Davis’s eyes narrowed, sharp as daggers, while Skye’s gaze was more like a guillotine.

"I’m good, sir. I’ll just wait," the man replied quickly, backing down and returning to his seat.

Everyone’s attention shifted to Skye as she shrank back down to her smaller form, cutely licking the cup clean with her tail wagging nonstop. Her sudden display of innocence put everyone at ease.

"Now, tell me everything," Davis said calmly to the bartender, who was momentarily entranced by Skye’s cuteness. "Why and how was the legend debunked?"

The bartender composed himself before speaking. "The forest spirit legend has two different origins. The first story is about a seemingly normal woman who lives in town. She had a son and lived an ordinary life, but one day, she snapped and drowned her six-year-old boy in the river. They say that ever since the child’s spirit has haunted travelers and townsfolk alike as a vengeful spirit."

"The second story is about a nature spirit that lay dormant for ages. Once a year, it awakens, and during that brief period, it kills any passersby who aren’t pure of heart. Both stories were debunked when a high priest from the holy church came to investigate but found nothing. That was everything I could find out from the bartender." Davis said, his voice serious.

Leaning against the wall, Davis recounted the tales he had just heard from the bartender to K, who was on the other side of the metal bars.

"Hmm, so a vengeful spirit of a dead child or a sentient, evil forest spirit that craves medium-rare human flesh," K summarized, his disbelief clear as day. "Well, certainly not on my bingo card, but it's somewhat explainable."

"Any idea how to deal with this… evil-vengeful-man-eating-forest-spirit?" Davis asked, waving his hand in a gesture of mock confusion. "What even is a spirit, anyway?"

"Spirit… it’s a broad term," K replied with a shrug. "For starters, people used to consider me a primordial evil spirit." He brushed off the thought before continuing, "But in this context, there are two plausible answers: one, the vengeful spirit of that dead brat, or two, a forest fairy or elemental spirit."

Davis’s eyes widened in surprise. "Aren’t fairies supposed to be good to humans?"

K laughed at Davis’s question. "Have you ever been to Detroit?" Davis shook his head, looking even more confused, which made K giggle. "It’s one hell of a place. It’s not about their nature, but the environment. Fairies are innocent, young, and impressionable. The fairies most people know are elemental spirits."

"The ones I’m familiar with are territorial tricksters. They don’t lie, but they love to twist their words. They prank humans, and it often goes too far. And that’s when they’re manifesting in serene, beautiful forested areas. Now, imagine what would happen if one grew up in a mountain where it’s dark, gloomy, and filled with monsters and death."

Skye, who had been rolling on the ground nearby, chimed in, "Uncle, Dad, Skye remembers hearing loud thunder-like sounds moving around from afar back then before Dad met the man in the water."

K reached through the bars to pat her head. "Aww, aren’t you a darling… Spirits are often described as moving the environment around them and making a lot of noise."

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Davis frowned, crossing his arms. "Is there a way to deal with them?"

K’s smile widened. "If it’s a spirit—whether vengeful or a forest spirit—as long as it doesn’t have a corporeal form, you can trap it by tricking them. Fairy are quite easy to trick as long as you don’t make an outrageous challenge, they will never back down from a challenge."

"But if you can physically make contact with them then just cut them down, it always worked for me" K instructed, before giving a warning. "But be careful, they are very tricky to deal with and if they’re in the physical world then they can turn invisible as well."

Leaning in close, K whispered into Davis’s ear, explaining the ritual to summon the spirit and how to capture it. With a final nod, Davis set off with a resolute expression, leaving Skye behind with K.

"Happy hunting," K waved goodbye with a wide smile.

The day passed uneventfully, but as night fell, Davis found himself at the eerie location where he had last seen the dead man. He let out a deep sigh before beginning to draw a circle on the ground.

Following K’s instructions, Davis carefully sketched a pentagram on the earth and placed a lantern nearby, its door open. He sat patiently inside the circle, recalling K’s words:

"Fairies usually appear as humanoid beings with wings or light. Use a lantern with the Seal of Solomon engraved underneath, and challenge them to stay inside for some time. Once they enter, close the lantern door. Make sure to draw a large Seal of Solomon around yourself as well. Most demons and spirits can’t escape once they’ve entered the seal, so they’re very fearful of it."

"I’ve left the Seal of Solomon on your wrist," K whispered, tapping Davis’s wrist so that a seal appeared like a tattoo. "Make sure to engrave it on the lantern as well and draw it the same way as this one. All you’re missing is that damned ring, but you’ll be fine."

Davis sat in the center of the pentagram, watching as the familiar fog began to creep in from all corners. Following instructions, he closed his eyes, raised his hands to form a triangle in front of him, and started chanting K’s words:

"By the grace of evil, and by the blessing of the seven sins, I, his humble follower, use this authority as the prince of envy to call upon the evil that lurks in this place to follow, heed, and obey, as my word is his will."

In the jail, despite the distance between them, K could instinctively sense that Davis was using the symbol and authority. "And so it begins," K smirked, rubbing Skye’s belly. "Good thing you remembered the thunderous wind. I thought it was something else."

Skye raised her head. "Wind? Uncle, I didn’t hear wind... I heard something like footsteps, almost like..." She paused, her ears perked up, and she barked softly. "A horse running."

K’s smile faltered instantly at this new revelation. "Wait, it’s not a fairy… then what’s it?" He left pondered through the thousand of different creature and monsters that he knew of.

Back at the mountain, as the fog enveloped Davis, he saw no light, no demonic fairies… nothing. He sighed in relief, sitting at the center, glad that no evil had appeared.

Suddenly, a single black horse emerged from the fog. It wore a saddle and carried what appeared to be traveler’s packages, but the rider was missing. The horse was well-groomed and looked at Davis, moving closer and stopping just before the seal on the ground.

"Hey there, horsey. Where’s your master?" Davis asked, patting the horse’s head. He didn’t notice that the horse had stopped precisely before its hooves touched the seal.

K’s eyes widened with realization. "Horse—water, drowning people, and disappearing without a trace… A Kelpie."

"Skye, get up and run to your father, as fast as you can. NOW!" K’s voice was nearly a shout, startling Skye awake. "If you don’t arrive in time, he might die."

Without hesitation, Skye bolted out of the building. Outside, her form shifted into her battle stance, her nose working tirelessly to sniff out Davis’s location.

The horse’s head moved away hastily as if trying to signal Davis that someone needed his help. It flailed around and made loud noises. Unaware of the danger, Davis, who was prepared to capture a fairy or vengeful spirit, was not on guard against this seemingly random horse.

Not knowing the danger, Davis stepped out of the circle, pointing into the dense fog. "Is your master that way?" he asked worriedly, not realizing that the horse behind him was the danger.

The horse leaned down as if inviting Davis to climb on. "Let’s go save your master," Davis murmured, and with a sense of pride, he mounted the horse. It was only then that he noticed something strange—the horse, despite having a saddle, had no reins.

The horse stood up and initially turned in the direction from which it had come. Then, without warning, it veered and began walking slowly toward the river.

Davis was confused at first, but as they drew closer and closer to the river, panic set in. "The other way! That’s the river. What are you doing, horsey?" When he realized pulling the horse back was futile, he tried to leap off.

But as he attempted to dismount, he felt paralyzed, his body unable to move from the waist down. He was somehow stuck on the horse. "What the hell, stop, you stupid horse!" Davis shouted angrily as he saw the river approaching.

Desperate, he gathered his aura into his fist and swung with all his might at the horse’s neck. However, the attack seemed to have no effect, as if he had merely tickled the creature.

Neighh—Neighahaha*

The horse turned its head, and in a spine-chilling moment, their eyes locked. Davis watched in horror as the horse’s mouth widened into a twisted, grotesque smile, transforming its appearance into something eerily human.

The horse’s voice shifted from a normal whinny to a disturbing blend of laughter—half animal, half demonic, and half human. The sound sent shivers down Davis’s spine. He watched in terror as the horse’s hooves began to morph, gradually changing into human-like limbs with each step.

Davis struggled with all his might, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move even an inch. "What the fuck are you?" Davis shouted in a state of horrified desperation.

The horse moved closer and closer to the river until its front hooves, now resembling hands, entered the water. "Stop, stop… don’t…" Davis realized at that moment that he had left his sword inside the protective circle.

As the horse continued to advance, Davis felt the icy river water creep up against his body, threatening to swallow him whole. He struggled with every ounce of strength he had, but as the water reached his neck and began to pour into his mouth, his efforts became futile.

Feeling as if all hope was lost, Davis stopped struggling and closed his eyes. Whether it was tears or river water on his face, he couldn’t tell. All he could feel was the chilling cold intensify, and his thoughts drifted to his beloved family, friends, Skye, and oddly enough, K. In his mind, he imagined K dancing with joy at the prospect of his demise.

Just as the water reached his eyebrows, Davis felt a sudden, powerful force yank him backward. Before he could process what was happening, he was airborne, being hurled away from the river. And in the air with him was none other than the horse that had been trying to drown him.

Below them was Skye, in her battle form. As Davis was about to be dragged beneath the river, Skye followed his scent and, with a powerful bite on the horse's tail, yanked them both back with all her strength.

Davis crashed hard onto the ground. He felt Skye at his side, her paw gently patting his back. "Dad, are you alright? Did that thing hurt you?" Her voice was soft and teary, filled with the surge of emotion from nearly losing another family member.

"I’ll kill you!" Skye howled at the horse, her fierce screech shaking the surrounding trees and briefly disrupting the river’s flow.

"I’m alright—Skye… Can you bring me my sword?" Davis said, his voice weak and breathless. "How did you know I was in danger?"

"Uncle K told me to rush here. He said if I was late, you might be in danger and even—" Skye handed Davis his sword, her voice trembling with tears. "You—could h-have."

Davis gently patted Skye's head when a voice called out to them, "You’re alright?" They turned to see K, who had somehow managed to escape from jail. Upon seeing Davis, soaked and shivering, K snapped his fingers, and Davis was instantly restored to his normal state. "You’re welcome," K said casually.

Davis raised an eyebrow. "How did you even get out of jail?"

"Illegally," K replied with a playful wink. "Speaking of which, where’s that wheat-eating horse?" He glanced around his head swiveling left and right.

Davis pointed upward. "There," he said, with Skye barking in agreement. K looked up and saw the horse hanging from a tree branch by its stomach.

"That’s new," K remarked with a chuckle. "I can’t believe I saw a tree-climbing horse before a flying pig!" He tossed something at the horse, causing it to fall to the ground with a loud thud.

The kelpie started to get back up, but Davis and Skye tensed. K waved a hand to calm them. "Don’t worry, guys. A kelpie is only dangerous around water. On land, it’s just a walking medium-rare steak. It’s harmless"

The horse's body contorted, its bones shifting beneath the skin as it howled violently in pain. Suddenly, massive skeletal hands emerged, tearing through the flesh. As the horse's skin was ripped away, a towering skeletal figure began to rise. It stood around thirty feet tall, resembling a giant human with a split horse’s head and a human skull between the halves.

The skeletal form, now stripped of flesh, revealed a reddish, almost translucent layer that barely covered its bones. Its heart, the only organ visible, throbbed ominously in the center of its chest.

The creature leaned down, its fleshy, skeletal face peering intently at the three below. It let out a thunderous growl that reverberated through the mountain, sending tremors that reached the distant town.

K, staring at the monstrous apparition, remarked, "Okay, I don’t remember this part in legend…"