The cave was quiet.
Not the comforting kind of quiet, but the sort that pressed in on the ears, broken only by the distant drip of water and the slow crackle of heat where Brago sat near the entrance. The stone around him had darkened from prolonged exposure to infernal warmth, though he kept it restrained. Even now, he was careful.
I lay against the cave wall, wrapped in a thick cloak, breathing slowly.
Mana exhaustion was no joke.
Every muscle felt heavy, like lead had been poured into my veins. My head throbbed dully, and every time I tried to sit upright too quickly, the world tilted. If Brago had not intervened, recovery would have taken days.
Instead, it had taken hours.
"You should not force movement," Brago said without turning. "Your mana pathways are still stabilizing."
"I know," I replied, exhaling. "But I can feel it. I am almost there."
It was true. The emptiness inside me, that terrifying hollow where mana once flowed, was beginning to refill. Slowly. Painfully. Meditation helped, but Brago's presence had accelerated the process far beyond what Basic Internal Energy Recovery should allow.
He had not explained how.
I suspected it involved infernal methods that would give most healers heart attacks.
"How long until I am functional?" I asked.
Brago was silent for a moment.
"Another hour," he said. "Two, if you intend to summon again."
I smiled weakly.
"That is exactly what I intend to do."
His head turned slightly.
"The weekly summon."
"Yeah," I said. "I have been thinking about it. Four weaker units a month should be sustainable. My real power will come from the Monthly summons, but having expendable forces matters."
Brago did not object.
That alone told me he agreed.
"You will drain yourself again," he said. "Not completely, but enough to slow us."
"I know," I replied. "But information, scouting, and bodies to throw at problems all matter right now."
Especially when the Church and a top ranked Hero's guild were hunting us.
The thought sobered me.
After a few more minutes of controlled breathing, I pushed myself upright. My limbs still protested, but they responded. The system window flickered faintly at the edge of my vision.
Mana had recovered to a usable threshold.
"Good enough," I muttered.
I focused.
[Weekly Summon available.]
[Estimated duration: 20 minutes.]
[Summon range: ★ to ★★★.]
I did not hesitate.
"Activate Weekly Summon."
The magic circle this time was smaller.
It formed in front of me rather than consuming the entire room, glowing a muted green instead of the violent purple of the Monthly ritual. The drain was immediate, but manageable. Mana flowed out of me in steady waves instead of being ripped away.
Words rose in my mind again. The same strange language, though simpler this time. I repeated them quietly.
The circle pulsed.
From its center, something clawed its way upward.
A thin, hunched figure emerged, its skin gray and taut against visible bone. Long fingers tipped with blackened nails dug into the stone as it pulled itself free. Its jaw hung slightly open, revealing jagged teeth, and faint green light burned in its sunken eyes.
A ghoul.
It knelt immediately, one knee scraping against the cave floor.
"I live to serve," it rasped, voice dry and cracked.
System text flashed.
[2 Star Entity summoned.]
[Name confirmed: Firak.]
[Classification: Ghoul.]
Firak raised his head slowly, eyes locking onto me with unmistakable loyalty.
"This one greets the Master."
I studied him.
He was not powerful in the traditional sense. No overwhelming aura. No crushing presence. But there was something sharp about him. Awareness. Hunger controlled and directed.
"What can you do?" I asked.
Firak's lips curled slightly.
"I track," he said. "I stalk. I feed. I obey."
Simple.
Useful.
"Good," I replied. "You are with us now."
Firak bowed lower.
Brago approached, his massive form casting a long shadow over the ghoul. Firak stiffened, instincts screaming danger, but he did not retreat.
"A scavenger," Brago said. "Fast. Quiet. Easily replaced."
Firak did not respond.
"That is exactly what I need," I said.
Once the ritual ended, the drain stopped. I exhaled and leaned back, letting my body stabilize. Firak moved to the side without instruction, settling near the shadows of the cave wall.
After another hour of rest, we moved.
North.
The terrain grew harsher the farther we traveled. Forests thinned, replaced by rocky hills and frostbitten soil. The air grew colder with every mile, sunlight dimming behind heavy clouds.
It felt right.
"This region grows closer to undead territory," I said as we walked. "Vampires, necromancers, wandering dead. It scares most people away."
"A favorable environment," Brago replied. "Though demons are not welcome."
"I know," I said. "But they hate you less than the Church does."
Firak moved ahead of us, silent as a shadow. Every so often, he stopped and sniffed the air, head tilting.
After half a day of travel, he froze.
"Hunters," Firak whispered. "Humans. Armed."
I cursed under my breath.
"So they found us anyway."
Brago stepped forward.
"How many?"
"Five," Firak said. "Scouts. Watching. Afraid."
That confirmed it.
Zeke's guild.
They had not found us by accident. They were sweeping outward, tightening the net.
"We do not avoid this," Brago said calmly.
"No," I agreed. "If we let them run, they will report."
Brago's eyes burned brighter.
"Remain behind me."
We crested a rocky ridge.
Below, five figures crouched among broken stone, enchanted lenses raised. The moment they saw Brago, panic rippled through them.
"Target confirmed," one shouted. "High class demon. Requesting immediate reinforcements."
They did not get the chance.
Brago raised his hand.
The ground erupted.
A wave of molten stone surged forward, not even forming full elementals this time. Just raw infernal force. The scouts screamed as heat consumed them, enchantments failing instantly.
One tried to flee.
Firak was already moving.
He leapt from the ridge, landing on the man's back and tearing his throat out in one savage motion.
Silence returned.
The smell of scorched earth filled the air.
Brago turned to me.
"They will not report."
I nodded grimly.
"But they will notice they went missing."
"Yes," Brago agreed. "Which means time grows short."
I looked north, toward the distant mountains buried in cloud and snow.
"Then we do not slow down," I said. "We keep moving. Weekly summons when possible. Monthly when safe."
Firak returned to my side, blood staining his claws.
"I will watch," he said.
I smiled faintly.
"This is only the beginning."
And for the first time since arriving in this world, I truly believed it.