Ten months of sitting in a cell makes you appreciate the little things in life, such as the dazzling sunlight in Mico Square. The glimmering water in the fountain makes me awestruck. I have not seen such beauty in ten months. The morning air that brushes against my skin is a refreshing bath, washing away the self of yesterday who’d been rotting away in cell 2509. It’s all so unbelievable that it brings a tear to the eye.

“Why are you tearing up, Haruki?” asks Louisa.

“Nothing,” I say, wiping the tears welling up in my eyes. Yes, I am a free man once again. Well, partially free. Because of this collar around my neck, I can only stray a town’s diameter away from Louisa, or any of the Five Crosses.

“Don’t tell me you’re crying because you’re a free man?” she asks jokingly.

“How did you know?” I reply, surprised. “Can you read my mind?”

“You’re… joking, right?” She tilts her head and lets out a cute giggle. “You seriously cried because you’re free. That’s hilarious.”

“Well, I apologise for being happy about the little things,” I mumble.

“Aw, don’t be angry,” she says, smiling wryly. “It’s a bad omen to express anger on a date.”

“It is?”

“Who knows.”

“Then why would you say it is?”

“It took your mind off your anger, did it not?”

“Well, yes…”

Yes, we’re on a date. Louisa suggested it, saying that I never got a chance to view Mico’s tourist spots when I first arrived ten months ago. So, here we are, prepared to walk through town and take in what the City of Romance has to offer. “Did you make a wish on the Tree of Wisdom?”

“The plaza was crowded, so I never found the chance to. Since the Tree of Wisdom sprouts for a measly hour, it becomes difficult to get the blessing.”

“I see.” I gaze off at the fountain. “What would you ask if you had the chance?”

She looks at me, smiles, and then says, “I would ask it how I can make you mine.”

“Do you enjoy teasing me like this?”

“Of course. You’re my summon, so I may do as I please, right?”

“I might be your summon, but I still have a degree of freedom. So I won’t be obeying your every order.”

“Oh, but you will.”

“How so?”

“Because you will fall in love with me. And what man… or in this case, what dragon would ignore a request from their beautiful partner?”

“Though we may be on a date, I never agreed to become your ‘partner’. And you’re too cute to be beautiful.”

“Cute? Well, I’ll accept that for now.”

We continue our date throughout Mico’s tourist spots. The carnival, the travelling circus, the restaurants, everything the city has to offer, we peruse. Lilith seemed to have more fun than I did. Her bright smile was a breath of fresh air after ten months. But I can still sense mixed emotions as we walk through the city. Peering eyes. Hateful eyes. My actions ten months ago made headline news. The extensive damage leapt through the underground headquarters into the city, causing mass panic and some deaths. Grand Order is known to be located in Mico, which is why the citizens care less about the organisation, and more so about the cause of the disaster. My face is known throughout the city… No, Louisa said that the news spread throughout the Borneheimer Kingdom. Maybe even further.

“Just ignore them.”

“You don’t have to tell me. While I feel guilty for the deaths, I don’t bother with the hate people throw at me.”

“That’s quite the outlook. What if I hated you? Would you concern yourself with that?”

Despite only knowing her for a few weeks, I grew fond of Louisa and Niklaus. They are a unique duo to surround yourself with. So, if they hated me, I would feel isolated—only a tiny bit, though. But of course, I will never say that to Louisa.

“Hey, how is Niklaus doing?”

“Avoiding the question, are we?” She turns to face the bustling street. “Niklaus is… let’s say managing. He does not like being defeated. It’s an emotion drilled into him through Father’s intense training regime. So, he’s been training for the last ten months as he did his Hero duties.”

“Hero duties?”

“Ah, yes. You were not present when we told him. Niklaus is a Hero.”

“Like in the fairytales?”

“Heroes are more than just fairytales. They are beings chosen to save the world. And Niklaus is one of them. He possesses a rare magic known as Holy Magic. It was this that indicates his title of Hero.”

Holy Magic? I remember reading a grimoire about it. A magic series known as a Jack of All Trades. It focuses on offensive, defensive, and support spells, making it a desired attribute. It’s uncommon for someone to attain this magic because of its rarity, as Louisa said. “So, does having Holy Magic make anyone a Hero?”

“Not Holy Magic specifically. More so rare magical attributes.”

“What about your magic? I recall you summoning Aquos, the Water Spirit King. So, I assume you use Spirit Magic.”

“Quite perceptive. Yes, I use Spirit Magic. It’s rare, but not as rare as Holy Magic. And you?”

“I use Healing Magic.” Louisa pauses. She stares at me as she wrinkles her brows. “Are you okay?”

“Y-you said you use Healing Magic?”

“Yes.”

“Not Spatial Magic?”

“Spatial Magic? No, I was told that I’m a Healer Dragon.”

“Who told you this?”

“Alvis Ragnarök—the most powerful dragon in Ragnarök.”

“Why would he…” She purses her lips and raises her hand to her chin as she thinks.

“Is something the matter?”

“Hmm? Oh, no. Just forget I said anything. Anyway, you say you are a Healer Dragon, right?”

Louisa had the same expression on her face that Alvis had. Does she know something about me that I don’t? Does it have to do with me going berserk ten months ago? I want to know, but I assume she is tight-lipped. She’s avoiding the topic as best she can.

Well, it’s not like I want to force the answers from her, so I’ll play along.

Time flies, and evening arrives. “What did you think?” she asks, leaning over a balcony.

After touring the city, we ended up at the clock tower. “It was fun.”

“Fun? Is that all?”

“Sigh, I experienced many things that I never knew existed. The carnival, the food, and the people… were all different from Ragnarök. This was the most fun I’ve experienced in a long time. Thank you, Louisa.”

“See, was it that difficult to express such raw emotions? But it’s not over yet. When this bell strikes, indicating midnight, you will see Mico’s true beauty—a city that does not sleep. A showcase of lights like fireworks on the ground. Mico is most beautiful at this—”

“AAHHH!”

A woman’s bloodcurdling scream makes its way up the clock tower. Louisa looks down to where the sound originated—the fountain. There, holding a panicked woman in his hand stands an impish creature. Its skin is pruned, and its eyes are bloodshot. It’s no bigger than a goblin but looks quite different to the long-eared rats. This creature’s head is bird-like, and its body, as if to contradict the head, is much smaller than a goblin’s. Even a young goblin has a larger body. Its hands are detached from its body and float around freely, which is why it can grasp hold of someone bigger than itself.

Wasting no time, I leap from the clock tower and land like a meteorite to the earth. I charge the creature, but it leaps backwards into the shadows and disappears. The hands follow suit. The woman falls to the ground, limp. A young boy arcs the fountain, screaming, “Mommy!”

“Haruki, where did the creature go?”

“Sorry, I let it get away. It disappeared when it came in contact with the shadows.”

 “There’s nothing to be sorry about. We don’t know what that creature was, or what it was capable of. It managed to sneak inside Mico without being detected, so it is highly skilled at evading detection. If you’d pursued it, things could have gone south. At least you saved the woman from its grasp.”

The crash and the woman’s scream caused a large commotion. People started to crowd the area to find out what happened. Alongside the crowd of people came officers from Grand Order. They sanction the area and patrol the scene of the crime, searching for traces of the creature.

“Haruki, I just finished tending to the woman. There are no physical injuries on her body, other than the handprints on her neck where the creature held her. She appears to be comatose, but nothing too serious from what I could tell.”

“And the boy?”

“He had a scratch on his face. Nothing major.”

Is that all? I want to believe we made it in time before the creature could do what it set out to do, but something feels off. There’s a scent in the air. A rancid smell. It smells like the creature… or more like its mana.

I close my eyes and follow the trail of the scent. It leads me to the boy. More specifically, the scratch on his cheek. “Louisa, there are traces of the creature’s mana seeped inside the boy’s wound. It also reeks around the mother’s neck. I don’t think the creature wanted to harm these two physically, rather, I believe it targeted their souls. I can sense the woman’s presence is weakening like she’s slowly dying. As for the boy, his presence, though weak, seems to be stable.”

“Target the soul? Could it be…?” Louisa calls a guard over. He leaves and returns with an orb, similar to the orb used by Alvis.

“What is that?”

“It’s a Soul Orb. It can be used to peer into the soul of any being in the Seven Realms. Used in inexperienced hands, this orb can be a dangerous weapon. But used correctly, it can do wonders.” She holds the orb over the mother’s body and it glows red. Her eyes widen and she sighs. “So, my hunch was correct.”

“What is it?”

“This woman’s soul was corrupted… no, it’s more correct to say that it was devoured.”

“Devoured? Then, could this creature be…”

“Yes.” She calls the guard again and says, “Inform every member of Grand Order in the vicinity to watch their backs. The creature that attacked this woman is a Soul Eater.”

“A-a Soul Eater?” he yells.

Soul Eaters. Creatures from the depths of the Underworld. Though weak creatures, they consume the souls of living beings to grow stronger. And use the shadows to appear and disappear when they feel endangered. The worst part of their behaviour is their choice of hunting in large groups.

“Tell the people to get into their homes. Hiding inside the Shadows could be hundreds… maybe even thousands of Soul Eaters ready to prowl when the chance arises.”

“Yes, M’lady.”

“What are we going to do?”

“We need to inform Raizo of this situation as soon as possible. This matter is beyond what the two of us can handle alone.”

As she said, we went to Grand Order HQ and informed Raizo about the Soul Eater infestation.

“…And that concludes our report.”

“I see,” he says, sorting through a scatter of documents on his desk. “This is an urgent matter, as you say. Melody, which of the Five Crosses are available in Mico?”

The assistant manager from before is named Melody. She is Raizo’s assistant and is the person who directly reports to and relays orders from Raizo—to anyone other than the Five Crosses, who have the same authority as her. “The Flame Cross is in the Sentrial Kingdom on an extended mission. The Poison Cross is returning to the city. She will, however, arrive tomorrow evening. The Shadow Cross recently left for a new mission, investigating Trist’s disappearance. The Moon Cross recently left Grand Order Headquarters to attend to a mission. We can catch up to him if we send someone soon.”

“Which exit is he leaving from?”

“The South.”

“Have him investigate the southern area of Mico. Haruki, Louisa, you two will investigate the northern region.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“When you find the Soul Eaters, crush them. We will not allow any more of our citizens to fall victim to this charade.”

“That’s what he said, but…” Our search ended with no results. “Are you sure there are hordes of those creatures? Maybe this one was unique.”

Louisa lets out a deep sigh. “I sure hope it’s alone because an army of Soul Eaters is not something we can handle alone. Unlike other monsters, they have great intelligence and battle senses. It’s comparable to humans—which is the cause of my fright.”

“Hmm?” I pause after a faint sound reaches my ear.

“Is something wrong?”

After the sound, comes a smell. A rancid scent. “This is…”

“Did you find something?”

“Yes, it’s a similar scent to the mana left behind in the boy’s wound.”

“Where is it coming from?”

I look at the manhole under our feet. “It’s coming from down below.”

Louisa acts fast – opening the manhole and leaping in before me. She splashes in sewage water more rancid than the Soul Eater’s mana. “Why didn’t I think of this?”

“Think of what?”

“Soul Eaters love the dark. In the Nightless City, their paradise would be the only place where the light does not shine through.”

“Yeah, but why did it have to be the sewers?”

“What? Are you afraid of the stench?”

“Not afraid. Moreso, sensitive to the stench. You see, dragons are creatures with heightened senses. If I step into these sewers, it will ruin my sense of smell.”

“Why must you be such a high-maintenance pet?” she sighs. “Hear me, Oh Spirit of the Breeze. Purify the air and grant us immunity to all impurities.” A green spirit appears and creates a gust of wind. The sewage stench disperses and gives way to clean air. “Is that better?”

“Much better.”

“Good. Then, I have to do something about this darkness.” She takes a deep breath. “Hear me, Oh Spirit of Flames. Light a path through this dark tunnel.” Another spirit appears one with an orange-red hue this time. It floats above us and lights the area around us like a lantern.

“Spirit magic is convenient.”

“It is. But it’s also looked down on.”

“Why?”

“As a Spirit Mage, I borrow the power of Spirits to fight my battles. By doing this, I don’t put my body in harm’s way and hide behind the Spirits. Because of this reason most see this as the power of a coward.”

“That’s dumb.”

“What?”

“The reason for being labelled a coward. It’s idiotic. If we’re speaking about hiding behind otherworldly forces, we can say that humans hide behind their mana. And if those cowards don’t accept this reason, they have no right questioning someone’s bravery.”

Louisa stares at me, then bursts into laughter. “You,” she says, calming down, “are quite right. It never bothered me that others called me a coward. Their opinions are worth the same as grains of sand. So, your hilarious reasoning for making me feel better was worthless. But even though it was pointless I still want to thank you. You’re the first person to try and cheer me up like this. Thank you, Haruki.”

Her sincere smile is as bright as the fairy floating above our heads. ‘She’s adorable,’ is what I want to say, but knowing her personality… I think it’s best if I refrain from poking the bear.

We continue down the tunnel until we reach a hollow area, where the water from multiple tunnels converges. At the centre, a cylindrical drainage mechanism absorbs the sewage water to a lower level—possibly releasing it into the ocean. Louisa jumps onto the mechanism, and I follow.

“Now, just where might they—”

She pauses after multiple screeching sounds echo throughout each tunnel.

“Louisa,” I say, looking at the ceiling. Red eyes return my gaze with a frightening glare. “I think we’re surrounded.”