Spirits.
Unique entities born from the powerful emotions of living beings.
In the world of Novara, spirits were not mere myths.
It was said that whenever a person's emotions reached their peak, they gave birth to a will.
Those wills could take any form: anger, resentment, regret, love, or an unspoken wish.
Most wills fade after death, resolving themselves one way or another.
But some are too strong to disappear. They linger, gathering similar emotions from the world around them.
Over time, those lingering wills grow stronger until they begin to take shape, the form of a spirit.
Yet, without a physical body, they cannot interact with the living world.
So they seek out those whose wills are weaker than their own, invading and using them as vessels to fulfill their lingering desires.
That is why spirits are considered a true menace in Novara, because, on rare occasions, they grow powerful enough to condense mana itself and manifest a physical form.
But this was only a theory. The truth was, nobody truly understood what spirits were.
After all, there existed spirits older than any known lifeform on Novara.
If spirits were really the manifestation of will, then whose will were those ancient beings born from?
It was a mystery Novara never answered.
Still, among all races, there existed a very rare few born with spirit affinity, the ability to sense, communicate, or even host spirits within themselves.
So rare, in fact, that there were only a few hundred among elves and beastkin, a mere few dozen within human and dwarf domains…
And only two within the demon domain.
One of those two was Cale.
"You were here, Young Miss."
A red-haired man with matching eyes, clad in light knight armor, emerged from behind the bushes.
My senses screamed danger as I caught sight of multiple shadowy figures clinging to him, black, writhing shapes latched onto his body like leeches.
I blinked, and they were gone.
'Spirit affinity...? But Cale never managed to use it before. So why now?'
From Cale's memories, I knew he had never been able to manifest his spirit affinity properly.
And according to the novel… Cale only awakened it after forming a contract with an ancient demon spirit.
I watched as the man stepped out of the shadows, his expression unreadable.
'Young Miss? What is he—'
My thoughts froze as I turned toward Grace.
She quickly averted her gaze.
'This little sh*t.'
"S-Sir Ewan! Are you alright? What about the others?" Grace asked, her voice tight but polite.
The knight, Ewan, continued to approach, his steps heavy, deliberate.
When he stepped into the light, I saw it clearly.
His sword was dripping with fresh blood.
'Something isn't right.'
The knight's eyes looked murky, clouded, and unfocused as he continued his slow advance.
"Sir Ewan?" Grace also sensed something was wrong as the knight continued to approach.
"It's alright," he said softly. "Everyone's alright. They just... are free of this dream."
A dry branch cracked under his boot as he stopped a few paces away.
Then, slowly, he lifted his bloodstained sword, crimson glinting in the faint light.
"Please…" he whispered, his tone eerily gentle.
"Let me awaken you, too."
"WATCH OUT!!"
"Wh—!!" Grace yelped as I kicked her, sending her flying out of the way.
I stepped back just in time to dodge an aura slash that tore through the ground and cleaved into a nearby tree.
_Creak!
The massive trunk groaned before toppling, crashing to the ground in a burst of dust and splinters.
Tension gripped my heart.
'A… master!?'
The opponent wasn't just strong, he was a master-class knight.
Had it been before my core fractured, I might've stood a chance. But now? I was far too weak.
'I need to run—'
"A friend of the young miss? How wonderful. You should wake up, too."
My eyes widened as the knight suddenly appeared right in front of me.
'Damn it! I didn't even sense him approach!'
Before I could react, a kick wrapped in crimson aura came flying toward my chest.
I raised my sword and coated both arms with mana,
_Clang!
The sharp clash of metal echoed through the forest,
then the sword exploded into fragments under the pressure.
The kick followed through, slamming into my guard, sending me flying.
_Crack! Creak! Thud!
The world spun. I smashed through several branches before my back hit a thick tree trunk with a bone-rattling impact.
_Eeeeeee!
A piercing vibration rang in my ears as my vision blurred, the forest twisting out of focus.
I caught a glimpse of my arms, both dangling, trembling uselessly.
'I… I need to move.'
Pain burned through every muscle, but I forced my body to respond. I tried channeling mana to mend the damage.
'Damn it… It's too slow!'
"Huh? Still not awake?" The knight's calm voice slithered into my ears. "You must be a heavy sleeper."
My heart dropped. He was already standing a few paces away, his blade dripping red.
"No worries," he said, tilting his head slightly. "Let's try again."
'YOU FUCKING—!'
I tried to shout, but no sound came out. My throat was locked.
The knight raised his sword again, aura gathering along the edge, glowing deep crimson.
My eyes widened in horror as I forced the mana in my body,
'Move! Move!'
But no matter how much I tried, it refused to budget.
'Ah! I am going to die.'
That was the last thought on my mind as I saw a crimson slash ready to cleave me in half.
The knight finally slashed, and this useless body refused to move till the end.
I just continued staring at the approaching slash time seemed to be slowing down.
'Just when I finally got a second chance... What a waste.'
".."
But something was strange; the slash I was expecting never came.
I blinked once... twice and noticed that everything was frozen in place.
The leaves, the birds, Grace raising her hand in panic, the knight slashing,
Even the clean aura slash was suspended mid-air, completely frozen.
"...What?"
::THIS ONE HAD SENSED A MEDIUM OF SPIRITS HERE::
A loud voice rumbled across the forest, as something large lurked behind the trees.
::YET… I HAVE FOUND THEE::
The air trembled. The world itself seemed to bow under the pressure of that sound.
::SPEAK, MORTAL. WHAT MANNER OF SOUL HAST THOU?::