Jean-Pierre summoned all of his Ensouled and faced the Blood Church alone.

Zachary’s feet remained stiff and rooted to the ground. He wanted to run but was still stunned by Jean-Pierre’s sudden change.

“Let’s go!” Katherine pulled on Zachary’s arm, pulling him back to reality.

He gave one last look towards Jean-Pierre and ran after her. Various thoughts raced through his mind. He couldn’t believe that Jean-Pierre had deduced his weakness. But why did Jean-Pierre choose to stay behind? If he wanted to act like a hero, Zachary wasn’t going to stop him. But something in the back of Zachary’s mind told him that Jean-Pierre’s words weren’t just for show.

“More bugs!” Katherine shouted.

Zachary looked back. Two large insects were chasing them, their large transparent wings carrying their ugly bodies. But it was only two of them. Jean-Pierre was holding the rest back by himself.

“Damn it!”

His hands moved before he had finished thinking about it. He first pulled Arrow’s card and summoned the poison frog onto his head.

“Croak…” The little thing sounded very unhappy but he had no choice.

He then quickly summoned Boba which landed on his palm and then curled around his wrist. He didn’t bother with Onkie because it was too slow and too heavy to use as a shield.

“Arrow, poison spit! Target the bugs chasing us. Boba, stay alert, tell me if there are any dangers nearby!”

The poison frog was very reluctant but finally started lobbing poisonous spitballs at the two flying insects. This caused them to slow and change direction as they dodged, meaning that they were no longer gaining on them.

At the same time, with both Blue scouting far ahead and Boba’s sharp senses, Zachary felt confident enough to charge through the jungle as fast as he could. If they fled long enough, the bugs would have to return to their summoners. Because their anima crystals were bound to their summoning cards, if they went too far, the bond could break and they would die as a result.

“Do you think he’ll survive?” Katherine asked as she ran behind him.

“I don’t know. Maybe?”

Right after he said that, a horrible scream came from behind. It was faint but filled with terror and anguish.

“Ahhhhhh!” An even louder scream rang through the jungle.

Zachary paused for only a few breaths before he kept running. More screams followed his footsteps but it was pointless to go back now. Either Jean-Pierre was killing the Blood Church members like he had said or he was currently being tortured to death for his arrogance. Either way, it didn’t matter to Zachary anymore.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

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Zachary and Katherine were eventually able to throw off the pursuing insects. They had to zig-zag their way through the jungle to avoid unseen dangers. Blue, Boba, and Marble all contributed to the effort and managed to survive the day and find shelter on a large tree.

That night, dinner was a quiet affair. Jean-Pierre was the noisiest one among them. Without him, Zachary didn’t have much to talk about. Katherine and him sat side by side on a large tree branch, munching on dry biscuits. They faced the setting sun which cast an orange glow on the sea of green around them. Occasionally, they could hear strange cries as the creatures of the wild went about their lives.

Every Ensouled, every living thing had to struggle to survive each day. He wasn’t any different. In the Old World, in human society, he lived in comfort with little worries except for becoming the strongest summoner he could be. Here, he was a tiny existence that could be wiped out at any moment. This would have caused him deep anxiety in the past and even a few days ago when he had first stepped onto the beach.

But now, after an exhausting day of fighting and fleeing, he felt it was eerily soothing.

“I think he’ll live,” Katherine said, her soft voice breaking the silence between them.

“You think so?” Zachary asked, “How can you know?”

“I think you know too.” She replied. “He is not an ordinary summoner.”

He brooded on her words. They had several implications and possibilities. In this world, not all summoners were born equal. Some were blessed with unique talents. Others held advantages from the families they were born into. Some could have natural talent with soul cultivation, a strong affinity with specific paths and their elements, or the ability to easily bond with certain species or types of Ensouled. Others had access to legacies passed down through generations; advanced methods of training summons and raising their soul cultivation or secret, powerful abilities that could be taught to summons.

There were countless possibilities, as many as there were people in the world. Some were stronger than others. Not all summoners were born equal but that only meant that they were unique.

“Maybe he is someone special. But you heard him today, he’s not coming back.” Zachary sighed and looked up at the colorful clouds in the sky, “Why do you still follow me? Maybe we should go our separate ways tomorrow.”

“No way!” Katherine said and quickly grabbed his arm.

She held onto him and rested her head against his shoulder. “No… I’m staying with you.”

“Why? You heard Jean-Pierre today. I have a wounded soul. I’ll admit it. And he chose to face down a group of murdering psychos rather than deal with me any longer.”

“I don’t care about him.”

“So why?” He insisted.

“Why I am still following you?” Katherine smiled and let the question hang in the air.

Meanwhile, Marble reappeared after a long slumber. It climbed up her shirt and let out a soft meow. The kitten then jumped onto his shoulder and gave him a small lick on the cheek.

“Marble likes you. That’s why.” She teased.

He scoffed.

She laughed. She hugged his arm and her bright green eyes stared into his dulcet brown.

“Because… you are a special summoner.”

“How am I special?” He asked.

He didn’t believe her. She was hiding something and she was still playing him for a fool. There was nothing special about him. His knowledge of Ensouled could be achieved just by reading books. He had no special talent in cultivating summons or in battle.

"Why are you following me?" He asked again.

She tapped a finger to her lips, “That’s… a secret.”

She laughed at his reaction and refused to elaborate, no matter how much he prodded her.