Darkness filled his vision. The sound of water dripping against the cold cobblestone bricks loudly echoed in his ears. Then, the earthy musk of the dirt entered his nostrils, overwhelming his senses as he failed to move his limbs. Everything felt overloaded for seconds, then minutes, before finally vanishing into nothingness.

  The only thing he could feel was the outline of the objects around them. As he was sinking into despair, a familiar scent filled the air. A stench that hit him like a wall, one that was thick and foul, leaving a bitter, unpleasant taste in one’s mouth. Tucker’s eyes widened once he realized what it was. The surrounding area shifted as ashes fell from the sky. Burnt flesh filled the air as the veteran faced the direction of the demon.

  Before Tucker could even react, a powerful aura slash collided against them. The aftershock sent his body flying back into the tunnels as Alex stood his ground and split the attack in half. Tucker felt his body ache in pain from the recoil of the attack but pushed through the agony and brought himself to his feet. He tightly held onto Owl. His entire body shivered, with his vision fading in and out.

  I need to hold on…

  His eyes slammed shut as the ear-piercing sound in his ears rang. The rookie’s body trembled in pain from the bruises he suffered from the backlash. There were small cuts on his limbs that bled slowly and a stinging pain to his side, but he ignored it and pushed through. Dragging Owl to safety while narrowly dodging the falling debris from the crumbling chamber. He could feel the ground shake from the fierce battle between the veteran and the demon. Flashes of red and grey clashed violently from their thunderous exchange.

  He looked over to where Alex stood. His sword was enveloped in flames, and from a glance, he could tell that the veteran was running out of breath. The demon, on the other hand, wore a dastardly grin as it frantically swung its cleaver in the air. Tearing apart the surroundings without a care in the world. The look of ecstasy on its face struck fear into Tucker’s very heart as its twisted grin grew wider.

  BANG, BANG, BANG.

  The sound of their blades colliding shook the chamber. Each one tearing through the layered stone floor with a powerful rumble.

  Tucker placed Blaire down at the entrance of the tunnel with Gale beside him. His companion rested on his shoulder, and he knew the situation was far more dire than expected.

  “Gale, do you think you could do something?” Tucker asked, watching his companion shake their head. “I see… in that case, it’s probably best you head back.”

  His companion stared at him with a puzzled light in their eyes. Gale tilted their head and softly landed on his shoulder.

  “It took me a while to understand why you were so mad when I summoned you. But it’s probably because of how I used you as bait.” Tucker checked his pouch and saw the explosive grey orbs. He only had two, but it was likely enough to deal a significant wound against the demon. “Go.” He knew that if Alex could barely wound the fiend, then even with Gale here, there wasn’t the slightest chance in hell he would be able to.

  He was only a three-star aura user at best. An aura user who could barely hone aura around his body, let alone his weapon. Hopelessly outmatched by the demon, whose world-manifesting power equaled that of a five-star aura user. Even if there was a mage here, they would need to at least have formed their sixth circle to bend the laws of the world in their favor to interfere against the fiends’ domain.

  Alex could match the bastard for now, but there was no telling for how long. If he could use his life to create an opening to kill the demon, then it would be worth it.

  With one last look at Gale, Tucker brushed his companion off his shoulder. “Return to the spirit realm.”

  The stench of decaying flesh permeated the chamber, and there was little he could do to turn the tides of battle. But that didn’t mean everything was hopeless. Their surroundings had wrapped into a chaotic cluster, with the stone surroundings shrouded in a dark hue. Meanwhile, ashes from Alex’s world descended from above like snow.

  He didn’t understand what it meant to be a watchman anymore. Nor did Tucker know how valuable it was to be a spirit contractor, but if there was one thing he knew. It was that he would pave the way for himself with actions.

  I’ll make an opening.

  Tucker clenched onto the orbs and took a step forward. Yet, despite his wishes, Gale blocked his path.

  The rookie gazed at his companion. The wind lashed against his skin. It coiled around his body, gathering around his fingertips with a seamless sense of unity as if holding his hand. His spirit essence thrummed in rhythm with the steady beating of his heart. Then he noticed it—a thin, ethereal thread of string gently caressing his heart. It was something subtle yet profound and had somehow escaped his awareness until now.

  Stolen story; please report.

  His brows knit slightly in confusion, but for some reason, the thread felt soothing. Like a refreshing breeze that swept through the grass plains of his homeland on a bright and cloudless day. Swaying the countless blades of grass in harmony.

  Curiosity filled his mind as he tugged on the thread with his spirit essence. Strumming a pleasant note that resonated with his soul. Unlike the clump of raw essence that was stored in his heart before. This was something different—something refined and deliberate that guided the flow of energy. Yet, no matter how much Tucker tried to understand it, the thread eluded him. It wasn’t like aura, the pure manifestation of one’s soul, nor mana, the natural gift granted by the world. The thread seemed to connect only to Gale, yet nothing felt new. After all, their contract had been forged months ago. So why now?

  The chaos erupting on the devastated platform snapped Tucker’s focus back to the battle. He didn’t have the time to dwell on what the thread was—not when Alex needed him. But before he could take another step, Gale hovered in place with each beat of its wings, urging him to try using his spirit essence even though Tucker knew it wouldn’t work. He conceded and placed the orbs back in his pouch.

  There wasn’t a point in arguing with his Gale and as he channeled his spirit essence. He felt something different. The sensation of his spirit essence flowing out of his heart was far more pure than before. It moved naturally through his body, becoming more refined as he held out an arm and pulled back with his other arm like he was drawing a bowstring.

  Tucker focused as the air around him seemed to ripple with raw energy. The wind coalescing into an arrow in his grip, one that was far more powerful and volatile than before. Strengthening with every beat of his heart, but the newfound power was unsteady and wild. Raging like a storm that wanted to break free from its constraints. His arms quivered as he tried to hold the arrow in place, nearly losing his focus with the force whipping against his face.

  He gritted his teeth, pouring every ounce of concentration into stabilizing the energy. There was no room for mistakes, and Tucker had only one shot—one chance to create an opening for his comrade.

  And, as the demon swung its cleaver downward, Alex returned the strike back into the air. Deflecting the massive weapon back from where it came. Tucker’s instincts kicked into action upon seeing the outstretched demon. This was his chance and with a quick release of his bowstring. The arrow nocked in place soared through the clouds of dust, free from its constraints. Drawing a single emerald trail across the chamber in less than a second.

  Before the demon could react, the arrow tore through the wrist that held the cleaver. It screeched in agony, dropping the cleaver behind it. Pitch-black blood gushed out of its wrist, its murky liquid staining the ground. Without wasting a single second, Alex tightened his grip on the hilt. A fine line of embers formed on the blade’s end and glowed in a bright orange hue, with his aura fanning the flames. Every muscle in his body filled with tension as the old man took a step forward, swinging the blade with a devastating force that tore apart the ground in front of him. The ashes in the surroundings danced around him like thousands of falling leaves and rushed forth. In one clear motion, the sword whistled through the air, cutting a precise arc that blurred with the speed of the strike.

  With the full weight of the attack pushing forward, a thunderous crack echoed throughout the chamber as a vivid orange line appeared horizontally on the demon’s stomach. The sheer force behind the strike left a fierce scar on the terrain as the walls on the other side of the chamber mimicked the smoldering line on the demon’s body.

  The demon stood there with its eyes rolled back, leaving only its black sclera visible to them. As both its arms slumped over to its side, and its head fell forward with its severed torso clear in sight. Alex sheathed his weapon and walked towards Tucker. The veteran took one glance at Owl’s body.

  Whatever was left of their objective had been destroyed in the aura slash, and his world had charred the pages. It was too late to gather the pieces that were left, and all Alex could do was shake his head. “Let’s go.”

  Tucker nodded before looking over his shoulder at the darkened hues of the platform. Compared to the deafening clash before, an eerily silence now hung heavily in the aftermath of the battle. Both of them were battered and bloodied from the fight. They had narrowly failed the mission, and Blaire was barely alive. It was nothing short of a miracle. A bittersweet victory if Mark and May made it out with the other half of the canister.

  He turned away from the chamber, trailing closely behind the veteran with a heavy heart. Was this what it meant to be a watchman? If they made one mistake, and the scales tipped even slightly in the demon’s favor. Then, they would have had to abandon Blaire, even though he was still alive.

  But as Tucker was lost in his thoughts, the hair on the back of his neck stood still. He felt the air shift. His eyes darted back towards the platform, and Alex, sensing the change, followed his gaze.

  Horror grabbed hold of them as their bodies were rooted in place. The demon’s body slowly rose. Its legs stood firmly on the ground as the black ichor oozed from its severed torso, pulling its mangled form together like countless strings on a grotesque puppet. Bones cracked and groaned, realigning the torn flesh around an object that embedded itself within its chest before sinking into its ribcage.

  Before the demon could continue to heal itself, Tucker’s instincts kicked into action. His spirit essence channeled itself into several small arrows and soon drew bright green arcs in the air. The volley met the demon’s vulnerable body, each strike snapping bones and twisting flesh, but it was useless. The creature didn’t falter one bit and welcomed the attack with unnerving indifference.

  Once the demon was firmly standing in place, its eyes rolled back into place as its violet iris focused on the watchmen. It didn’t speak. It didn’t roar. Not a single sound escaped its lips. It simply stretched out its remaining hand towards the cleaver that had fallen several meters away from it. The cold steel scrapped across the cobblestone floor with a horrific screeching sound. Sparking bright embers against the grey tones of the landscape before flying into the demon’s grasp.

  I'll have to revisit the drawing board and figure out what to do with that. Probably research some more because I feel like it's lacking.

  Also, I hit 100 favorites recently, so in that case, I decided to do a bonus chapter for tomorrow!

  If you're enjoying the story so far, it would mean a lot to me if you could follow, favorite, or leave a review!