Several hours have passed since Hachirou and I left the safety of Catorrem’s walls and began our four-day trek towards our next stop. As we leave the wheat fields behind us, the last rays of the sun are blocked by the surrounding trees. Hachirou’s mask is enchanted with using the same magic core back from our first quest, so travelling a night shouldn't be a problem. However, looking up at the sky there appear to be rain clouds gathering, and I’m starting to regret not booking another night at the Golden Griffon Inn. Soon enough my fears are realised as countless drops pitter-patter on my mask and we immediately retreat to the shade of a large and ancient tree. I cast and project it from the trunk to provide better cover.

“Damn, we’ll have to spend the night under this tree. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine Enbos. It’s a good thing we wrapped our items in our rain cloaks beforehand. Should we wear them for the night?”

“Yeah, we should. The only problem now is cooking something in this weather. Will you be fine with raw vegetables and bread for tonight?”

“You don’t have to worry. I’ll just have this for my supper.”

He pulls out a gourmet sandwich in a paper wrapper from his bag. While I’m impressed he thought this far ahead, I don’t ever recall him buying such a thing.

“Where did you buy that sandwich?”

“Ah, don’t be alarmed, I didn’t spend anything to obtain it. It was a gift from the innkeeper.”

“Why would she give you free food?”

“I-I’m not sure. She said something about me being hungry and told me to keep this a secret from you. I think she mistook me for a human child since she was patting me on the head.”

“Hungry? You did order dinner last night, right? I remember you having a bowl of soup…”

“Yes, I did. I went downstairs and asked for some vegetable soup to be delivered to our room. Come to think of it, they asked if I wanted two servings, but I said I only needed one.”

Ah, I get it now. The inn keeper probably thought I ordered the soup for myself, leaving Hachirou with nothing for last night. But if we couple this with the rumours from the previous town…

“… won’t they think I’m some kind of child slaver!?”

“Eh, a child what?”

“Sigh, never mind Hachirou. Go ahead and enjoy your meal.”

“Will you be casting ?”

“No, not tonight. I’m not really in the mood.”

While my partner takes off his mask and bites into the roast chicken and salad filling, I keep watch of our surroundings with . Once I’m sure there’s nobody around, I take my rain cloak out of my bag and stash my deer mask within. Since the antlers will only get in the way of the hood, I’ll be wearing my wooden one for now. I finish my change of attire by magically binding the mask to my cloak, and around the same time, Hachirou finishes his dinner and likewise dons his rain cloak. However, unlike me he’s wearing it more for warmth than for staying dry. I collect a small pile of wet branches and cast to extract the moisture before setting them alight.

“Thank you, Enbos.”

“It’s best to turn in early for the night. The next town is three to four days of travel. I’ll keep up the and fire until morning.”

“I’m sorry for being such a burden on you.”

“Staying healthy isn’t a burden. Besides, it’s not like I can spend the night doing anything else. I’ll gladly welcome the distraction.”

“I understand… Actually, before I take my rest, can you tell me about these packages you bought from the Specialty Adventurer Store, the ones you didn’t want to get wet?”

“They’re bait for the monster we’re subjugating this time around. I was lucky to find they were even selling such a thing. They’re a bit costly but we should still make a profit. I plan to gather as many of them in one spot and suffocate all of them with .”

“I-I see. Then… those this mean you won’t require my assistance for this quest?”

“I didn’t say anything of the sort. If anything goes wrong, I’ll be depending on you partner, which is more likely than not. The fact that this quest has already earned the reputation of being cursed only makes you more important, so please don’t discount yourself so-”

I notice Hachirou is no longer listening to my words and is instead perking up his ears to something else. I check with but I don’t detect anything in our immediate vicinity.

“What’s wrong, Hachirou?”

“E-enbos, please cast and use . Further down the road, I-I think… I hear somebody screaming.”

“Hurry! The shower is only getting stronger!”

“Do you see anything yet, Norf?”

“…”

“Please speak up. We can’t hear you over the rain.”

“Actually, I think he’s being quiet like usual.”

“Darn it Sen, I wish we never took this “shortcut” in the first place!”

A mild rain is upon us, and what sliver of light we had beforehand has been denied by this curtain of water. Me and my three companions are returning from our latest quest, draped in rain cloaks and trudging single file through the wet undergrowth. Originally, we were travelling along a small dirt road that would have led to some shelter, however…

“By the spirits, I swear I’m never letting you read the map again!”

“I’m sorry Minna, everybody. I really thought we could reach Catorrem sooner by cutting to the main road. I didn’t think it would rain so quickly.”

“Well it did, and I even told you it would! Now, we’re drenched, cold and wandering through the woods in the dark. If we hadn’t strayed from the path, we could have stayed at a barn or stable for the night!”

“Again, I’m sorry everyone! I thought we could sleep at an inn if we were quick enough. But look on the bright side! It’s not too windy and we’re lucky to have Lili’s magic by our side!”

Unfortunately, my comment doesn’t sit well with Minna as she whacks me over the head. Ever since we were kids she has always been strict with me, and as much as I hate to admit it, she’s usually right. I cannot count how many times she’s reprimanded me for my blunders. Still, she’s a little grouchier than normal, and the only reason I can think of is because of our newest member.

“You don’t have to be so tough on him, Minna. I’m sure we’ll find shelter once we reach the main road.”

“I’m more worried about you, Lili! We invited you into our party, and yet you’re the one covering for Sen’s mistake with your skills. If I were you, I wouldn’t hesitate leaving the party once we reach Catorrem.”

“Please don’t, we still need you for our next quest!”

“Don’t worry Sen, I won’t break our promise. After all, I swore in the name of god.”

Lili recently joined party, but only on a temporary basis. She’s an official mage with greater rank support magic, making her a much coveted member of any party. The only reason we’re fortunate enough to have her is because we once met through a mutual acquaintance, and while it was a brief encounter, she left a strong impression. Lili is kind, gentle and as graceful as an angel. She’s also a natural beauty, with long golden hair and clear, smooth skin. She’s completely unlike Minna with her short, messy hair, even shorter temper and…

“Ow! What? What was that for!?”

“Oh, nothing. I just had a feeling you were thinking something incredibly rude.”

“O-of course I didn’t! By the way, Norf! Have you spotted anything yet?”

I turn to my towering friend and the final permanent member of our party: Norf. As usual, he remains silent with his stoic façade, but he stops hacking at the foliage and points ahead. The rest of us strain our eyes against the ceaseless rain and obstructing trees to see a faint glow.

“The source of light isn’t moving, so it’s probably from a camp. Maybe we can ask them to shelter us for the night.”

“Better yet, they might be right next to the main road! Let’s hurry up and go-”

“Hold up you idiot, don’t just jump out of bushes! You might frighten whoever is at the camp!”

“Ah, I guess you’re right. In that case, let’s-”

All of a sudden, an overwhelming sense of dread crawls beneath my skin. It feels as if the darkness has become a suffocating mist or the rain has become many times colder. Looking at my companions, it seems I’m not the only one experiencing this sensation. Minna is hugging her arms and Lili is clutching her sceptre with trembling hands. Norf is still looking at the glow in the distance, but the expression he has is one of rigid shock. This feeling, this horrifying unease… is coming from the direction of the camp.

(A-are we being pressured by ? Is there a monster over there?)

(I-I don’t know. The effect is strong but I don’t think it’s being directed at us. I think we stumbled within the skill’s range. We should get closer and-)

(Don’t dive head first into something so obviously dangerous! The only monsters that can use at this level are powerful C-rank creatures or above. Let’s just leave!)

(We have to be sure, Minna. If there are people over there, they may be in danger!)

(Arrrgh, fine then! Just don’t be too quick to start a fight!)

After gaining Minna’s consent, I look to Lili and Norf who both nod in approval. I gesture to the light at the end of Lili’s sceptre which she reduces to a weak glow. With the sound of the rain covering our advance, we carefully make our way towards the distant light, all while enduring the malicious miasma that thickens with every step. As we draw closer to the source of this pressure, the faint sounds of screams and clashing metal reaches our ears, before falling into an unsettling silence. Eventually, we reach the sight of the incident behind the cover of a few bushes, and I found myself staring in shock.

Half a dozen men with varying injuries are squirming beside the road, as if some invisible force is pinning them in place. The light we saw before was coming from a magical lantern that has fallen on the ground along with several low grade weapons and household items. While I’m looking for the perpetrator of this mess, Minna taps on my shoulder and points towards the dark where I barely discern a tall, thin figure watching over his fearful captives.

The feeling of dread is emanating from this single man. His right hand is holding a broadsword, and with his left he appears to be channelling the spell that’s restraining those men. Beneath his hood I spy an expressionless mask, which makes me wonder what sort of terrible character is hiding behind that wooden shell. While it’s normal for monsters to acquire greater rank , for a human to raise that skill to such a degree is not a matter of training, but a matter of inflicting genuine fear. Only heinous criminals or powerful men possess such capability, and his appearance begs for the former.

(I-is he one of those cultists that have been terrorising the countryside?)

(H-he has to be. Do you feel that inhuman aura? He’s more imposing than I imagined.)

(Should we subdue him? He seems to be alone and those guys are begging for mercy.)

(They seem to be a ragtag party of E-rank adventurers, and yet he clearly handled them with ease.)

(We’re a C-rank party, so we should be able to offer more resistance. But just in case, let’s prepare an ambush. Norf will stay here. Minna and I will-)

“Come out! I know you’re hiding behind those bushes!”

Damn it, he found us! I have to stop him before he casts a spell!

“!”

I immediately charge out of cover and thrust my spear at his head. The masked man responds accordingly by diverting my blow with his sword.

He’s strong. He responded to my attack with one hand while his left hand is still channelling the spell.

“Who are you!? Are you with these guys!?”

“I won’t let you kill any of them! !”

“!”

He casts a pale blue barrier that brings my attack to an unerring stop, but as a trade-off, the six men on the ground are now free from his spell. They immediately begin running into the woods while my own party steps out of hiding to back me up.

“Your equipment, that crest… You’re adventurers aren’t you? Why the hell are you trying to save them!?”

“Being an adventurer means more than working for money, but I don’t expect a villain like you to understand!”

“You fools! Take a good look behind me and tell me who’s the real villain here!”

For an instant, a bolt of lightning lights up the sky, and in that split second I notice the ravaged carriage and pale faces behind the masked man. With awkward anticipation, Lili reinvigorates her sceptre light to reveal the wrecked wagon, and another masked figure guarding a terrified troupe of ten. The masked man takes a few steps back and sheathes his blade before crossing his arms in irritation.

“Huh, wait, just what is… Could it be that we…”

“Yes, you did. You just let a bunch of bandits get away.”

Of all the things that could happen, I never thought a party of adventurers would start attacking me. Well, as irritated as I am that they got away, I’m just glad that these people are safe. Since we didn’t have any rope, I was wondering what to do with the bandits before this guy showed up, but in the end, letting them go isn’t such a big deal.

Looking at the party, they’re a team of four people of varying sizes and physiques. They’re all wearing full-body rain cloaks with hoods that obscure half their faces. The one holding the glowing sceptre is the odd one out, with her pure white garb bearing the mark of the Path of Eden. Come to think of it, if I wore my adventurer crest on the outside like them, could I have avoided this misunderstanding?

“I-I’m really sorry for attacking for you. It’s just that the darkness and the rain made you look like a-”

“You idiot! I told you not to attack so quickly! If he really was an enemy, he would have bombarded us with magic instead of telling us to come out.”

“Well, you say that Minna but I’m willing to bet you only thought of that after-”

“We can save the small talk for later!"

"Y-yes!"

"These travellers were injured before I arrived. Do any of you know any healing magic?”

“Yeah, we do. We’ll leave our cleric behind to treat everybody here. The rest of us will fan out and track down does bandits!”

“Ah, before everybody leaves, let me help. .”

She conjures several balls of light that orbit each of her companions. They nod to each other and immediately give chase while their healer tends to the wounded.

So, she's a cleric, huh? Considering I'm an undead, she should be my natural enemy. Looking at her with , her mana flow is good enough for a B-rank adventurer although her equipment is kind of lacking. All in all, it's best not to make an enemy of the church or alert them to my identity, especially when I'm planning to enter the religious centre of this continent.

“Are you okay?”

"Huh!?"

"I'm sorry, I was only asking if you have any injuries."

"Erm, no, I'm- I mean, we're completely fine. Don't mind me or my apprentice!"

Keep your cool, Enbos. She may be a cleric, but that doesn't mean she can instantly tell you're a skeleton.

I take a few steps back as she casts on all the victims. It’s the same runes I’ve seen at every church, the ones that accelerate natural recovery. As their minor injuries begin to mend, she tends to each of the wounded individually. In a sense, they’re lucky this random party stumbled upon them. If it were just me and Hachirou, we would never have been able to treat their wounds.

"Are you alright, Enbos?"

“Yeah, I am Hachirou. Dealing with those thieves was easier than I thought. And you?”

“They never got pass your barrier. You singlehandedly saved everybody here.”

“You mean “we” saved everybody here. If you hadn’t noticed their cries for help, I would have spent the entire night without knowing a massacre was taking place barely 400 metres away. You should feel prouder about yourself.”

“I-I see. Thank you Enbos.”

“Wh-why didn’t it work!?”

Hearing those words, a sudden pang of grief afflicts me as I snap my head to find a tragic scene: the sight of a young man desperately holding his father’s wound atop a puddle of diluted blood. Due to the darkness and the rain, it seems nobody noticed how serious his condition really was. The healer is doing all she can to save his life, but I can tell… it’s not enough. For one horrifying instant, I find myself back in the cabin, begging Si to save Helena from her fate. Hachirou appears to be affected too, as memories of his mother come back to haunt him.

... Damn it.

“Please father! Open your eyes! Master Healer, I beg of you! Please save his life! I’ll give you everything we have!”

“I’m trying! He’s no longer conscious and has lost far too much blood! I… I don’t know what else I can do…”

Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!

“P-please, do something… a-anything…”

“I-I’m doing everything that I can… b-but it’s…”

It’s too late. He’s too far gone for her magic to save. I don’t know what kind of face she’s making, but I’m certain it’s one of frustration. Frustration at her own inability. Frustration for letting a life slip before her eyes…

My teeth creak from the force I’m clenching my jaw as I walk up to the healer who’s repeatedly casting spell after spell in apparent vain.

“… You’ve done enough. Save your strength for the others.”

“N-no, you don’t understand! My father still breathes! H-he’s still-”

“The healer has only so much energy, and there are others that still need her.”

“W-wait, I still have plenty of mana to spare! Just let me-”

“Listen to me and face the truth! Your light magic can’t save him! Now go heal the ones that you can, and leave him to me!”

“Huh? Does that mean you…”

“… you can save my father!?”

“I’m not a healer, but I know one skill that might be able to save him. He only has one chance, and I have to act now. Will you entrust his life in my hands?”

He quietly responds with a nod, so I carry his body away from the healing circle and cast to block the rain. I then begin writing magic symbols with my sheath and pour a large fraction of my mana into the enchantment. To the common eye, it would like nothing but a distortion in the air, but the cleric will probably notice the nature of my spell. Not that I care. Now is not the time to hesitate.

After I recharge my MP with , I immediately begin to chant my incantation.

“[O departed soul betwixt life and death, turn from the song of the Great River.

I shall be the instrumentalist of your return.

Let the strings of fate be rewoven, let lost bonds be reforged.

Echoing breath! Rumbling blood! Hear the sound of your beating heart!

That is the song of your vessel, that is the song you must heed!]

!”

is designed to fulfil one of the three steps of resurrection: recreate the body, reconnect the soul, and recover the memory. Since growing a body on the move is out of the question and restoring memories requires the second step as a prerequisite, I've spent the majority of my research developing this skill as my first step. I need to rebuild his spirit links before letting them naturally recover. Once his spiritual energy is flowing smoothly again, the healer should be able to heal him without disintegrating the links.

MP: 98/124… 75/124… 52/124…

Come on, come on, this has to work! He isn’t dead yet! His mind and soul shouldn’t have decayed to the point of no return.

I can do this. I’m different now. If I can reconnect his soul, I’ll be one step closer to her! This is my chance to-

MP: 24/124… 7/124…

“NO!”

I run out of mana for the enchantment and the spell starts consuming itself. The magic circle burns away and my barriers begin to fade, allowing the rain to wash away my runes. The distraught son returns to his father’s side, but his condition remains unchanged from before.

“I-I… I’m sorry.”

“N-no... No, no, no! T-there has to be more. Please do it again, Master Mage!”

“I-I can’t. I’m sorry, I… I wasn’t ready. I never had the power to save him.”

“B-but, you… Y-you charlatan! How could you! I trusted you with his life! M-my father is… is…”

“No, look George! He’s moving!”

Hearing the words of his associate, he quickly directs his attention back to his father, and sure enough, his face is twitching in reaction to the falling rain. Everybody in the vicinity breaks into a great cheer, but hearing such applause only deepens my guilt.

“I-it’s a miracle.”

“His magic must have worked!”

“Praise the spirits!”

“T-thank you Master Mage. Thank you for saving-”

“I didn’t save him.”

“… What?”

“Your father is still dying. I only delayed his death. T-there’s nothing anybody can do.”

With great dread, I watch his expression of joy turn into one of absolute despair. Feelings of guilt run rampant within my soul, yet no matter where I turn away, all I see are faces full of misery. The onlooking cleric suddenly moves in to heal him, but I manage to grasp her arm before she does.

“What are you doing! If we don’t treat him now, he will-”

“If you want to help him, don’t do anything.”

“W-what do you-”

“-on? A-are you…?”

His feeble voice draws the attention of everybody in the vicinity. He awakens with unfocused eyes and stares blankly into the storm clad night. His dutiful son draws closer to his side, and yet his half closed eyes do not waver in the slightest.

“I-I’m right here, father. I’m right here.”

“A-are you… okay?”

“Y-yes, I am.”

“Thank goodness… I’m glad… you’re alive.”

“And so are you! W-we’re almost at Catorrem. There are healers here. Y-you’re going to be fine.”

“Don’t lie to me, my boy… I can’t see. I can… barely feel the rain. A-am I… sitting up? Can you… hear me?”

“Save your strength, father! Please, don’t…”

“It’s too late… for me. There is… nothing you can...”

“I should have been the one fending off those bandits! I-if it were me…”

“It’s… alright, George…. I don’t regret… anything.”

“… Come on, Hachirou. Let’s go.”

I release her hand and leave them alone to savour this final moment. However, as soon as we detach ourselves from their circle of mourning, I hear the cleric call out behind me.

“Wait! What did you do? Those signs, that foreign incantation, the colour of your mana… You didn’t cast light or water elemental healing, i-it was-”

“If you know what it was, then you should realise… you mustn’t use light magic. There’s nothing left that either of us can do.”

“Where are you going? You’re not going to accompany these people to Catorrem?”

“I’ll leave that to your party.”

“But you saved them! You’ve done so much for these people! How will they ever show their gratitude?”

“I did not save them for any reward. If they want to show their gratitude, then tell them to get to the city.”

“Then, at the very least… will you tell them your names?”

“… We will not meet again. Farewell.”

We disappear into the rainy night, leaving nothing but watery footprints as proof of presence. I keep walking through the growing rain with weighted steps until Hachirou finally breaks the silence.

“Y-you did your best, Enbos. Nobody can blame you for trying to save him.”

“… Did I really? You know as well as I do that is incomplete. Up until now, I’ve never tested it on anything larger than a dog, and even then the results were poor to say the least. Was I… really trying to save him?”

“T-the healer wasn’t able to help him at all. Surely giving him a precious few more moments was worth everything?”

“I only prolonged his life by fifteen minutes at best, and that’s by leaving him in a half-dead state! I had no right to say those things to that healer. It wasn’t any better than what she would have done if I had left her be, except she wouldn’t have treated him like a guinea pig…”

“Enbos, that wasn’t your intention at all!”

“Maybe not at first, but... in the final moment of my spell, when I realised that saving him was impossible… I didn’t stop. I kept tinkering with his soul. For an instant, I stopped caring about his life, a-and saw him as… Just what the hell is wrong with me!?”

“C-calm down, Enbos! What you did wasn’t evil and I’m glad you decided to take her place. After all, you gave the son something the healer would never have been able to copy…”

Hachirou stops to look back at the site of the attack. It’s close enough for us to see the grieving travellers, but too far for them to notice us under these conditions. Watching the rain mix with their tears on this stormy night, I’m reminded of when Si left me and Helena alone for our final moment.

“… you gave him back his father. Even when you found it was impossible, you tried to restore as much as possible. You did it because you wanted to give them more time. Y-you didn’t want their final memory…”

“… to be when the bandits attacked. I know, Hachirou. I know.”

We keep watching over them until the bitter end. As the rest of the travellers carry his father’s body into the wagon, the grief-stricken son looks around to find we are gone. He approaches the healer to ask for our location, which she responds by pointing in our general direction. However, at that moment, another bolt of lightning illuminates the earth to reveal our distant forms. Even with improved hearing, we can’t hear them over the following thunder, but the gesture they make is louder than any words: thank you and goodbye.