I returned to Kahn Village with the rescued women and children—the ones meant to be sacrifices to that wretched cult. The journey back was quiet, weighed with exhaustion and disbelief. Once we arrived, I immediately explained the situation to Chief William Kahn—the truth about the Church of the Night, their twisted rituals, and how I found our people on the brink of death.
A formal report had already been sent to the Luminos Church. Given that many of the kidnapped villagers were contributors to Luminos's supply chains, it wouldn't take long before tensions boiled over between the two churches. A conflict was inevitable now.
"Mr. Kahn," I said, brushing the dust off my cloak, "I'll be returning to the capital now. I need to report the mission's completion to the guild. Oh, and before I forget—please stamp this quest paper. I need it as proof of completion."
"Of course," he said, giving me a firm nod. "And... thank you, Angel. Thank you for bringing our loved ones back from those bastards. We owe you more than just a stamp—we owe you our lives."
"All of us do!" shouted one of the villagers.
"Thank you, Adventurer Angel!" the rest echoed together.
[Still not used to this kind of gratitude... but it feels good. Genuine.]
"If any more of those cultists show up, just write me a letter and send it through the guild. I'll come running."
I turned to leave. The wind had shifted. It was time to go.
We set off back toward Luminos Capital. Along the road, I turned to the elf child beside me. "I haven't asked yet—what's your name?"
"Sofia Prena," she replied quietly.
[Sofia Prena? A last name? She's no ordinary elf, then.]
"You holding up okay? You're slowing down."
"I can still walk. It's just..." she trailed off.
"You're tired," I finished for her. "Hold on, I'll call us a ride."
I whistled—a sharp, high-pitched call that could rupture the ears of an untrained mortal.
A moment later, a beast emerged from the shadows: a Black Kyrin.
It had the head of a dragon, adorned with two horns and wide, leathery wings. Its body was shaped like a black warhorse, its hooves aflame with eerie purple fire. Its eyes glowed violet, and a chilling aura of death rolled off it like smoke.
"This is Black Kyrin, one of my mounts," I said. "Sofia, let's ride."
"O-okay..." she replied, visibly intimidated by the creature's grim presence.
We mounted Kyrin and rode toward the capital. Thanks to its ability to phase between dimensions, we returned within hours.
"Wait here, Kyrin," I said once we neared the city gates. "I need to cloak your aura and alter your appearance. Don't want to send the entire city into a panic."
Sofia had fallen asleep during the ride, curled up against my back. Poor girl—she probably hadn't had a single restful moment since being captured.
We entered the capital quietly. Nobody gave us a second glance; most passersby assumed the child on my back was my daughter. I made my way straight to the inn, gently laid Sofia down on a soft bed, then headed to the Adventurer's Guild to report my completion.
"Diana," I greeted the receptionist. "Quest's done. Here's the proof."
She looked up, her eyes lighting up. "You really are something, Angel. Most parties wouldn't have dared to touch a mission like that—and you completed it alone."
"Guess all that training finally paid off," I replied with a tired smile.
"I've recorded the completion. Two more quests logged, and you'll qualify for a rank assessment," she said.
"Thanks. I'll rest for now—I've got other things to handle first."
"Don't forget about the assessment!" she called after me.
"Yeah, yeah!"
[Now then... I've decided. I'll teach Sofia. She's not just some rescued child—she has potential. I'll mold her into someone reliable. Maybe even a noble under my banner.]
---
Luminos Inn
Sofia was still fast asleep when I returned. Her chest rose and fell with quiet breaths—peaceful, for now. I didn't want to disturb her. Instead, I headed toward the outskirts, into DarkGhost's Forest, to set up a qi-gathering array. It was isolated, shunned even by fools, which made it perfect.
It took until dawn. I had to improvise without proper materials, but I managed to get a functioning array formed.
Time to return.
---
As I approached the inn, I could hear commotion inside—shouting, crashing, something metallic falling.
"What the hell is going on?" I muttered, rushing in.
Inside, the scene was chaos.
Broken furniture lay scattered across the floor. Several unconscious or writhing bodies were strewn about. Floating between them and the far corner of the room... was a Shadow Monster.
[Skeletal face... shifting, ethereal body... no feet... That's definitely a Shadow Monster. But why is one here? I didn't summon any of them. Wait...]
Behind the creature stood Sofia, trembling—but unharmed.
[They're guarding her? That means... it must've sensed her as mine and protected her.]
"Sofia," I said, walking toward her carefully. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"I... I thought you left me. I tried to go outside, but some men cornered me. They were trying to take me. Then this monster appeared and... saved me," she said, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I see." I turned to the creature. "You can return now, Shadow Monster."
It silently phased through the floor.
"Where did it go?" Sofia asked, clutching my coat.
"Back to the Land of the Dead. That's its home."
"T-the Land of the Dead?!"
"Mm. Now listen carefully—if you don't behave or listen, you might end up living there too. Want that?"
"N-no!" she whimpered, hugging my leg tightly.
[Now then... these men aren't dead. Not yet, anyway. From the looks of them, they're lowlife criminals. Trying to kidnap an elf child in broad daylight? Unforgivable.]
I raised my hand. "Shadow Immortal, come before me."
A gust of icy wind blew through the room. Then, from the cracks of shadow, it emerged.
"My Lord," the Shadow Immortal rumbled in a deep, resonant voice.
[The highest evolution of a Shadow Monster. Formed from pure yin, it bears bones for arms and a head glowing with dense netherlight. If Yanluo, the Night Monarch, finds out one of his servants is calling me master... the entire underworld might shake.]
"Take these men. Feed them to the Yinshade Serpent. And don't tell the Night Monarch. I don't have time to deal with his tantrums."
"Understood," the Shadow Immortal said, gathering the bodies like feathers and fading into mist.
[With that settled... time to clean up. I'll repair the damage with qi before the innkeeper wakes. No one needs to know what happened here.]