Sky was held by the hooded man with black wings. He couldn't release himself from the vice grip, no matter how hard he tried.

"What do you want from me?" Sky asked.

"Your power," the man said.

"You can have it then!" Sky shouted as a darkness-infused fist impacted against the man's face.

The impact caused the man to release Sky, who collapsed onto the ground. The man wailed in pain as he clutched his decomposing face. Sky took this opportunity to finish the man before him with all his strength. Infusing his fist with the darkness attribute, Sky launched another attack against the hooded man. As his fist was about to make contact, the man grabbed his forearm and squeezed.

"You're not as strong as you think," the man said before blasting Sky with a mighty wind stream.

The force of the blast sent Sky flying into a nearby wall. He collapsed onto the ground, clutching his back, unable to take a breath. The tall man grabbed a torch from the corner of the room and lit it with his ether. He placed it in the centre of the engravings and used his wind attribute to drag Sky's body within the circle's perimeter.

"What are you doing?" Sky asked, struggling to free himself.

The man said nothing as he began the ritual. He chanted an ancient language that Sky didn't understand as he drew symbols in the air with his free hand. Suddenly, the runescript engraved within the ground started to glow a malevolent red. A stream of blood-red energy shot from the centre of the engraving, wrapping itself around Sky. He tried to rip the energy off him, but it was no use. The power was devouring him, taking hold of his soul. As it enveloped his soul space, it penetrated the walls bit by bit, flooding his inner world. The trees, plants, and artifact in the centre were wholly consumed, and Sky's heart completely stopped.

Sky looked up to see the man laughing maniacally. His face was that of Sir Nightbride's but distorted, burnt, and jagged. This wasn't Sir Nightbride but a demon.

Sky's concentration wavered, and his sight blurred. He could no longer breathe. Could no longer feel. Darkness opened its doors and invited him in once again.

"Now, now~. What do you think you're doing with my little friend over there?"

Sir Nightbride darted his head around, trying to find the source of the voice. "Show yourself!" he demanded.

"Oh, I don't think so~."

A tornado of wind shot out from a corner of the room and slammed into Sir Nightbride, sending him flying into a wall.

"You will pay for that!" he growled as he got to his feet.

"Oh, I don't think so," the voice said again. This time, a lightning bolt shot from another corner of the room, hitting Sir Nightbride square in the chest.

"Argh!" he cried out as he fell to the ground once more.

"Now, you can't blame that on me. The system has been a little moody as of late."

A small beast with a round white fluffy body and big red eye bulged. Avis smiled, exposing his pointed teeth. The glowing engravings on the floor dimmed, and the energy wrapped around Sky receded back into the engravings. "To think it would only be a couple of weeks until I was released. All thanks to you, of course. Hehe~"

Suddenly a stir of shouts from outside the room grew louder and closer. Avis turned his head to the door. "Oh? It seems like our time is up. I'll be sure to finish this next time we meet."

Avis disappeared in a gust of wind, and the door to the room was blasted open with two men rushing in. One was tall and muscular with smooth stone skin and light yellow eyes. The other man was of average height with blonde hair spread all over his body. He has perky short ears on top of his head like a cat, and they both wore a black uniform with golden accents.

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"Get the Yal! I'll take care of the boy." Matheo shouted as he speedily picked up Sky from the ground.

Beric ran towards the Yal, who tried to find his footing after the system's attack. However, he didn't let an opportunity like this slip by, so he slammed his rocky forearm into Sir Nightbride's chest.

"Gah!" The Yal cried out as he slammed into the ground, the impact causing the ground to crack.

"That should keep you down for a while," Beric said as he looked back at Matheo.

He was crouched next to Sky, who wasn't breathing and had no pulse. "He's not dead, is he?" Beric asked with a worried tone.

Matheo's hands glowed a bright green and pressed against Sky's chest. But, as the green energy made its way to Sky's heart, it immediately receded back, avoiding it. No matter how Matheo tried to wrap the green energy around Sky's heart, it was like an invisible barrier stopping it.

Before Matheo could say anything, Sky gasped and coughed uncontrollably as red energy spewed out of his mouth. The red energy gradually turned black as it left his body, dispersing in the air. He was now breathing, but Matheo's brows were still furrowed.

"I'm going to take him to the castle."

"Why? Are his injuries that serious?" Beric asked.

"He's breathing, but I think the ritual did something to him. My nature attribute couldn't reach his heart, as if there was a wall that it couldn't pass." Beric didn't say anything after that. Matheo always had a kind nature, so Beric assumed he was just worried about the kid.

Matheo had Sky over his shoulder, and Beric did the same with Sir Nightbride. Then, they both ran out of the room to find the servants huddled together outside. The sound of the door slamming open must've startled them.

"Is Sky okay?" Damien asked, ashamed of himself.

"You mean the boy? He's still breathing, but who knows what this demon did to him. I'm taking him to the castle where he can be healed. I apologise on behalf of the kingdom for our negligence." Matheo said, bowing slightly.

"Thank you..." Clara said quietly.

❖

Sir Nightbride was a powerful Yal who had been terrorising the kingdom from the shadows. His history of violence and bloodshed made him a force to be reckoned with. It's estimated that dozens of zeros were sacrifices to his power. He experimented on them, tortured them, and ultimately killed them. All in the name of finding a way to break the cycle of reincarnation and becoming one with ether. Why are individuals with no restarts or 'zeros' so valued? They can be used for many things. The most obvious is status, but how about the more obscure things? Blood rituals. Magic derived from the darkness. Things that are beyond the ken of most people.

Finding Sky was a blessing and a curse. Sir Nightbride saw him as the perfect candidate for his experiments. A boy with no restarts, an unknown who can use the nature attribute, and without memories of his previous life. All the factors were there. However, things didn't go as planned. The master of slaves with soul-binding bracelets is aware of all. He can sense when there is a disturbance, such as Clara, Damien and Sky's interaction with Jax. He could control all within the palm of his hand, but his grip was slipping. No one is capable of removing these bracelets apart from high-ranked Neenies. A race known for its wealth of knowledge and power. So why was a little slave capable of losing his grasp? A spy. A traitor. Someone who would upset the delicate balance he worked so hard to maintain must be removed.

He had Sky within his grasp. It was a surprise to find Sky held such potent dark energy, but that was only icing on top of the cake. He began the ritual, forcing Sky within the engraved circle to be consumed by the dark chaos. It was a success. However, something went wrong. The process was supposed to take minutes, but it only took seconds. The dark energy began to eat away at Sky. It was consuming him from the inside out. He could only chuckle at the outcome. Not only was Sky the perfect sacrifice, but also a quick one. How much energy would he save from this boy's death?

Then that thing appeared. The contradiction. Something small, round, and fluffy with jagged teeth and a bulging red eye. What was this thing? It didn't matter. It was insignificant. The ritual was a success, and that's all that mattered. However, it spoke and caught him off guard. It completed neutralised him, the Great Sir Nightbride. This tiny creature held such strength. It was a force to be reckoned with. From the attribute of wind to lightning, he had never heard of such a combination. Let alone nature and darkness that Sky held.

It wasn't until two men barged into the room that he finally knew what was happening. The Hall of Monarchs. The rulers of this kingdom set a trap to capture him, to end his reign of terror from the shadows. He was subtle, so how did they find out? Did they suspect him all along? Or was it the others? Did they rat him out in hopes of hiding their own secrets? No matter. He would find out eventually. For now, he had to focus on his escape.

He was a powerful Yal, but even he had his limits. And his limit rammed into him, sending him flying into the wall. It was over. He was captured. There was no way he could escape now. He would be tried, convicted, and executed for his crimes. That much was certain. But there was one thing he still had control over. One last card to play. And he would bide his time until the perfect moment to use it.