He hadn't reminisced for too long, though it was already midday by now. Celarity was halfway on her journey through the sky.

  He activated his skill; his first time using so much of his soul spark, since Oath resonance barely needed any. He instantly felt an unnerving sensation; it was as if his being was stretching. He should have been worried, but he knew what was happening. His soul was grinding uncomfortably on the fabric of reality, changing the universe in a small way. The lack of comfort was just a cost for that.

  He was getting kind of nauseous after a few minutes, hopefully his soul would get used to the exertion. The drain on his resource wasn't worth noting, but it was constant; he felt his own soul regenerate at almost the same rate it was getting damaged. Because of that he would need to deactivate the skill in a few hours. It would take a day or two for his soul to adjust and grow. With time, he would barely feel the passive drain.

  Thump- Perytos looked to the side; it was Mercel nudging him to the side. Probably annoyed at him taking too long. "Sorry about that, needed to select my new skill, though I am ready to go now."

  They didn't bother hiding the undead corpses. Wild animals would dispose of them soon anyway; they just dragged them slightly off the road.

  As for the Survival instincts, well the skill did what it said in the description. It provided him with a location of food and shelter. It wasn't much, barely a tingle in the right direction, but in a pinch it would do. Right now it was guiding him forward.

  Sometimes while walking, he felt unnerved even though nothing gave him a reason to; it was probably some beast that made its territory there. Whenever he felt it, the unnerving chill in the back of his spine- They both sped up.

  Your skill(Survival instinct) has reached level 0-2

  Occasionally they encountered more undead drones, though nothing on the scale of before. Just lonely deserters. It set a precedent- walk for a few dozen minutes, kill the lone undead, continue walking. They both fell into a quiet rhythm. Perytos was the bait while Mercel pinned their target. After some time, they even stopped talking- Or growling and gesturing in Mercel’s case- their coordination having improved that it just wasn’t needed. Even though the wolf was sometimes uncooperative and spoiled, Perytos trusted him in battle.

  During all that time, they began finding signs of life; some abandoned tools and everyday trinkets lying scarcely on the ground. Big transportation carts laying on the sidewalk, rusted and forgotten. Sounds gradually lessened, the forest seemed less dangerous. Its impossibly terrifying presence seemed muted, as if the excavation parties had desecrated it.

  Perytos picked up a small, dirty pouch. There was only one thing inside; A picture of a family, smiling. Two women, one taller and wearing a beautiful blue dress, holding a small girl in her arms. A manly figure, wearing worker clothes, hugged them both with a wide smile. It wasn't anything surprising, a working man bringing their loved one's photos to stave off loneliness. That wasn’t anything unusual; it was something different that caused Perytos’ heart to stutter and his hand clench in rage. The photo was covered in blood; the dark-red dried liquid mixed in with black sludge- Reducing the happy memorabilia to gruesome evidence of slaughter.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Just what could have done something like that? Perytos wasn’t sure, but he definitely didn’t want to find out. The rolling catastrophe left the land devastated, the people murdered in cold blood. All the while, they were just picking up the pieces. How could he manage to stop something like that? It all felt so hopeless sometimes. In this world, without strength you were nothing.

  He felt a slight searing pain from his heart- Where his oath resided. He yowled in pain, dropping to his knees. He held his head with his arms. Thinking was painful, the thoughts about how desperate everything was were burned out of his mind forcefully. This was the price for his power- Disobeying meant pain, it wouldn’t kill him, just drive him insane. But it was also rooted in his values; he hadn’t given up then, he wouldn’t do it now.

  Perytos forced himself to stand up, legs shaking, breathing labored and heavy. Mercel looked on with worry, not able to comprehend what it was like to suffer from breaking one’s oath. The beast haven’t gotten one for himself yet.

  A distant sound made him freeze in terror. Bypassing any thoughts, speaking to the primal part of his mind.

  THUD! SHING! GROWLL

  What made those sounds was a mystery, he just knew he would be dead if he found out. He didn't know what caused it. It was coming from ahead of them; from Netcore. Something that managed to pierce miles upon miles of dense trees and leaves.

  Then, he heard it. A silent melody, reverberating throughout the land. The soft sounds of a harp, carried by the soft wind. It touched his skin, negging him to walk, to run straight ahead. But I don’t want to... I have to check for danger first...

  The melody intensified, a voice joined into the frey, singing quietly with a sweet melodic sound. The voice hummed slightly, slowly crumbling Perytos’ defenses. His mind weak from the caveat of his oath. Piece by piece, he began to give in.

  Okay fine, I’ll go. Just after I discuss this with Mercel. Then You can take me. Such a beautiful voice. Like my mother’s. With hazy eyes he looked for the Lykani, mad that he had to stop focusing on that heavenly voice. But Mercel wasn’t there; his eyes glassed over and dull, following the sound. It should have unnerved Perytos that his companion, who hadn’t once left him for more than a few dozen meters, was running away but then the Symphony intensified.

  The woman was singing loudly now. Telling a tale about love in an incomprehensible language, with the meaning somehow still preserved. Other instruments joined in. Along the whispering of the wind, the rhythmic sound of moving water, of crackling fire. It all mixed in, rising in intensity. Involuntarily, Perytos moved. Just a step first, then another. The sounds were loud now, covering all other sounds under a cacophony. He picked up the pace, marching fast. For some reason his Oath resonance activated, making his strides longer and faster. By now his ears were hurting, straining to hear all of the magnificent music. Blood run down his eyes, painting his shirt crimson. Just let go, join me. With that last sentence, spoken to him like a command, he let go of the last strands of his consciousness. His eyes glassed over.

  The melody stopped, having done its job. Everything was quiet, no birds sung, no critters hopped around. Just subdued footsteps, revealing a dark truth. With everything silent, the sounds further ahead could be heard. Screams of agony and terror, of feasting on the flesh of the unworthy. Of lesser beings.

  Somewhere, the Composer laughed. The fear just gave it fuel. Soon it could pounce and unleash its magnum opus on the unworthy hiding behind the walls of their puny settlements.

  The soft melody started once more, drawing in more victims, all while a dark entity laughed.