In the vast forests of the New Continent, within a clearing, soul-like wisps of spirituality floated and danced in the air. Kapak and Banu were still devoutly conducting a spirit ritual. They bowed before a wild spirit in the form of a bison, respectfully waiting as it consumed the offerings on the stone altar—the remnants of soul embers left on the bones.
As the wilder spirit fed, Kapak and Banu kept their heads low, murmuring softly.
"Lord Black Hoof, as per your previous request, I have cut down the diseased trees in the southern forest. The tree plague will no longer spread."
"Lord Black Hoof, as per your previous request, I have buried the bodies of the invading beasts in the northern forest and soothed their spirits. Their restless souls should now be at peace."
Kapak and Banu whispered their reports to the wild spirit. Wild spirits are chosen by the environment to act as its representatives. In areas rich with spirituality, wild spirits emerge to embody the will of the land. Thus, wild spirits work to maintain the environment they inhabit, and practitioners of the shamanic path can gain their favor by helping to preserve that environment.
Hearing Kapak and Banu’s words, Black Hoof, seemingly satiated, lifted its head. After glancing at the two, it nodded, then closed its eyes. Its spiritual body began to emit a faint glow. Kapak and Banu immediately closed their eyes as well, resonating with Black Hoof. As the spirit’s glow intensified, thin strands of light seemed to drift out and merge into Kapak and Banu’s bodies.
"Thank you, Lord Black Hoof..."
Feeling the increase in their spirituality, Kapak and Banu bowed in gratitude. The bison-like wild spirit glanced at them once more before turning and disappearing into the large tree behind it.
After Black Hoof vanished, the soul-like wisps that had been floating around swarmed onto the stone altar, devouring the remaining soul embers on the bones. Kapak and Banu remained bowed for a long time before finally standing up and quietly retreating.
"Brother Kapak, how much spirituality did you accumulate this time?"Banu turned to Kapak and asked, to which Kapak replied lightly.
"Quite a bit, more than last time. Probably because we completed Black Hoof’s tasks."
"Indeed, helping Black Hoof maintain the environment grants us more spirituality. But it’s a shame these tasks are so rare. This time, there weren’t any new ones..."
Banu responded to Kapak, and the two exchanged a few more casual words in the clearing. Eventually, it was time for them to return.
"It’s getting late. If we don’t leave now, we won’t make it back to the tribe before dark. Let’s go."
Looking up at the sun, Kapak said to Banu. Though they belonged to different tribes, their paths home overlapped for a while.
"I’ll head back first today, Brother Kapak. I want to spend more time communicating with the spirits here."
Banu said, pulling out a bone fragment from his waist to show Kapak. This bone fragment had clearly not been offered to Black Hoof. From Banu’s words, it seemed he planned to offer it to the spirits later.
"I see. You’re really putting in the effort, Brother Banu. In that case, I’ll head back first."
"Haha, you’re progressing so quickly. If I don’t work harder, you’ll surpass me soon. See you next time, Brother Kapak."
Finally, Kapak waved goodbye to Banu and turned to leave the ritual site. Banu stood still, watching Kapak’s figure disappear into the shadows.
Then, Banu’s expression darkened as he turned to look at the large tree where Black Hoof’s spirit had vanished.
…
In the misty forest, Kapak walked alone. Having just successfully completed another spirit ritual and accumulated more spirituality, he was in high spirits.
“My spirituality has grown again. According to the Scholar, the spirituality I’m accumulating is called Silence. He mentioned that besides Silence, there are five other types of spirituality in the world. It seems that beyond the sea, not only are there incredible machines and advanced technology, but the world of the extraordinary is equally vibrant…”
Feeling the growth of his spirituality, Kapak pondered to himself. Recently, he had not only been receiving traditional shamanic education from Uta but had also been consulting the Scholar, a fellow follower of Aka, through the magical picture book. This had allowed him to learn a great deal about the basics of mysticism on the mainland.
“According to the Scholar, the practitioners of mystical powers on the mainland divide their ranks into five levels. I’m currently at the lowest, the Apprentice rank. Uta told me that I’m still a shaman apprentice and need to advance once more to become a true shaman. In other words, a true shaman is equivalent to a Black Earth-rank practitioner on the mainland.”
“Additionally, the Scholar mentioned that to advance to the Black Earth rank, I not only need to accumulate Silence spirituality but also choose a secondary spirituality. I wonder what secondary spirituality our tribe’s traditional shamanic path uses?”
As Kapak walked through the forest, he couldn’t help but wonder. Suddenly, he recalled that Uta’s teaching methods had recently changed.
The old shaman had been having Kapak take his place in public appearances before the tribe, even bringing him along for important rituals. It seemed Uta was deliberately trying to boost Kapak’s standing within the tribe. He had even instructed Kapak not to be too familiar with the tribe members during healing sessions, to maintain an air of mystery and solemnity. This made Kapak somewhat uncomfortable, and he had voiced his concerns, only to be sternly rebuked by Uta.
“As a shaman, we must be the most respected and revered figures in the tribe! Our every word and action must exude mystery and authority! Remember, you are about to become a shaman who can communicate with the spirits. You must see yourself as a god within the tribe, building unshakable authority through your actions. The tribe’s feelings toward you must shift from gratitude and familiarity to worship! This is crucial for you to become a true shaman!”
Kapak’s mind echoed with the old shaman’s stern words. It made him feel that the shamanic path required the tribe’s worship, which might be related to the accumulation of secondary spirituality, as the Scholar had mentioned.
“Both Uta and the Scholar are wise and experienced individuals. To be taught by both of them is truly a great honor for me, and all of this is thanks to Aka’s grace.”
“To cast Their gaze upon me in this remote land and grant me such blessings... What is Aka’s true purpose? Although Aka seems to seek knowledge, with followers as learned as the Scholar, is the knowledge I can offer truly significant to Them? Could it be that They saw my people suffering and chose me to bring them salvation?”
In the short span of less than two months, Kapak had undergone a significant transformation. As he walked, he reflected on these thoughts. Suddenly, he frowned, as if remembering something, and patted his body. His expression darkened.
"Oh no... I forgot to take the bone fragments from the ritual..."
Kapak muttered with a grim expression. The bone fragments he had used in the ritual were from the cremated remains of tribe members. After the ritual, once the soul embers within the bones had been consumed, they couldn’t simply be left in the wild. According to shamanic tradition, these bone fragments should be taken back and preserved properly, as they could be used as tools in future rituals.
Realizing he had forgotten something important, Kapak panicked. He glanced around and saw that he hadn’t gone too far. If he hurried back now, he should still be able to retrieve the bones.
"I need to go back and get them. If Banu is still there, the bones shouldn’t be lost. I can’t let some animal run off with them."
Thinking this, Kapak immediately turned around and headed back toward the ritual site.
To make it back to the tribe before dark, Kapak quickened his pace, moving swiftly through the dim forest. Before long, he reached a spot close to the ritual site. However, here, he sensed something unusual ahead.
Boom…
A muffled sound echoed from the distance, and the ground trembled slightly. Birds in the forest were startled into flight. Sensing the disturbance, Kapak froze. Through his spirit vision, he saw wisps of spirit fleeing toward him in panic. Kapak immediately used his abilities to calm one of the spirits and asked it what was happening.
"What’s going on up ahead?"
The spirit, after flickering uncertainly, finally calmed down and conveyed its message to Kapak in a voice only a Spirit Medium could hear.
"White-skinned invaders! They’ve brought many other spirits and attacked Black Hoof’s ritual site! Black Hoof is furious and is fighting them!"
"White-skinned invaders..."
Hearing this, Kapak’s expression darkened. He immediately rushed toward the ritual site, running through the forest. The closer he got, the louder the commotion became.
Finally, Kapak reached the edge of the ritual site. Instead of charging in, he hid in the bushes and observed the situation. What he saw made his eyes widen.
The clearing where he had just conducted the ritual was now in chaos. At the edges of the site, a group of black-clad, masked figures stood, holding long rifles. They were facing the center of the clearing, where a massive creature loomed.
The creature was three to four meters tall, its body composed of rocks, vines, leaves, and soil—various natural elements pieced together to form the shape of a giant bison. In the hollow eye sockets formed by dirt, faint soul flames flickered. Its rock-like muscles were enormous, and its wooden horns were stained with blood. Around it lay mutilated corpses.
Kapak immediately recognized it as Black Hoof, the wild spirit. To confront the invaders, it had used the surrounding environment to construct a massive new body. Around its natural form, numerous soul-like wisps floated protectively. Above the clearing, unfamiliar spirits hovered—spirits Kapak had never seen before.
These spirits did not appear as wisps but as fully manifested entities. They wore clothing from the mainland, both men and women, their faces twisted in pain, bearing the horrific wounds that had caused their deaths. Kapak could sense the agony radiating from these spirits, as if they were being enslaved by something.
“Those spirits... someone is enslaving them and using them against Black Hoof! And those black-clad figures don’t seem right either…”
As Kapak observed the scene, he quickly assessed the situation. At that moment, Black Hoof’s massive form let out a deep roar and began charging across the clearing. Its enormous, sturdy body crashed through the space, sending the black-clad figures flying or crushing them underfoot. Meanwhile, the spirits from the mainland descended with mournful wails, attacking Black Hoof’s spiritual form. The soul-like wisps around Black Hoof fought back, tangling with the invading spirits in a chaotic battle.
The battle in the clearing had erupted once more. In an instant, several black-clad figures were torn apart by Black Hoof’s immense strength. Despite their comrades falling, the remaining figures showed no fear. They raised their rifles and fired at the massive natural form. The continuous gunfire echoed through the forest, but the bullets merely struck the rock, wood, and soil of Black Hoof’s body, doing no damage.
Black Hoof continued its rampage, sweeping through the clearing and crushing the black-clad figures with ease. The rifles of the invaders seemed useless against it. Yet, despite this, the black-clad figures showed no signs of retreat. They faced the seemingly invincible enemy without hesitation, which puzzled Kapak.
“These guys... they’re no match for Black Hoof. Are they not afraid of death? Wait... what’s that…”
As Kapak observed the battlefield, he soon realized something was wrong. He noticed that the remains of the black-clad figures crushed by Black Hoof showed no signs of bleeding. Instead, the shattered bodies were still moving!
Through his spiritual vision, Kapak saw that beneath the torn black clothing were exposed white bones. Even when half their bodies were destroyed, the other halves continued to raise their rifles and fire at Black Hoof. When their masks fell off, they revealed horrifying skulls.
“These guys... they’re bone puppets reanimated by fragments of restless souls!”
Using his abilities as a Spirit Medium, Kapak quickly understood the true nature of the black-clad figures. He realized what Black Hoof was facing.
“They’re Beyonders! Necromancers from the mainland! And there might be more than one. They’re hiding in the shadows, commanding their undead minions to attack Black Hoof!”
Kapak grasped the situation, and just then, the tide of the battle began to shift.
In the clearing, Black Hoof continued to crush the skeletal soldiers. On the surface, the puppets seemed no match for the wild spirit. However, when Black Hoof crushed another skeleton, something unexpected happened.
As the skeleton’s leg was crushed under Black Hoof’s weight, the immense pressure seemed to trigger a mechanism within the puppet. Suddenly, the skeleton exploded with a deafening roar and a burst of flames. The violent explosion engulfed Black Hoof’s front leg, and Kapak instinctively covered his ears, closed his eyes, and dropped to the ground.
When Kapak opened his eyes again, the situation in the clearing had changed. Black Hoof’s right front leg had been completely destroyed in the explosion. Its massive body nearly toppled over, but a strange force caused rocks and leaves to quickly gather, reforming a thinner leg to keep it balanced.
Meanwhile, more black-clad skeletal soldiers emerged from the forest, entering the clearing to face Black Hoof.
“That was... gunpowder... No! Those guys not only have mystical powers but also advanced weapons! If this continues, Black Hoof will be in danger!”
Covering his head, Kapak struggled to recover from the explosion. Seeing the scene before him, he knew he had to act.
“Black Hoof is our wild spirit. I must help it... Directly fighting the skeletons and spirits won’t work. I need to find the one controlling them!”
With a plan in mind, Kapak prepared to move. He intended to find the necromancer controlling the undead. If he could take them out, the undead would fall.
Kapak immediately set off, moving through the bushes around the clearing. After searching for a while, he spotted a figure. Just as he felt a surge of hope, ready to sneak up and ambush them, he realized the figure looked familiar.
“Banu…”
Yes, the figure Kapak had found was none other than Banu, the shaman apprentice from a neighboring tribe! Banu was also hiding in the bushes, quietly observing the battle in the clearing.
Seeing Banu, Kapak breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his guard. He approached Banu from behind and gently tapped his shoulder to get his attention.
"Hey, Banu..."
"Ah! Ah! Ah... Oh... It’s you, Brother Kapak. What... what are you doing back here?"
Startled by the tap on his shoulder, Banu turned around, his face filled with panic. He seemed to reach for something behind his back but stopped himself. After taking a few steps back, he finally calmed down and responded.
"Sorry for scaring you... I forgot to take the bone fragments and came back for them. I didn’t expect to run into this situation. Listen, Brother Banu, Black Hoof is under attack by invaders with extraordinary powers. Those undead are their minions... We need to find the ones controlling them and defeat them! Otherwise, Black Hoof might be in danger."
Kapak spoke earnestly to Banu, who nodded seriously after hearing him out.
"So it’s those white-skinned devils causing trouble? Then we can’t let them get away. Let’s go find where they’re hiding! Lead the way, Brother Kapak!"
"Alright..."
Hearing Banu’s words, Kapak nodded firmly. Having a companion by his side made him feel more at ease. He turned around, ready to continue searching for the hidden necromancer.
But just as Kapak took a few steps, he suddenly felt a sharp pain at the back of his head. A wave of dizziness overwhelmed him.
"What’s this..."
With a look of shock, Kapak collapsed. As darkness clouded his mind, he mustered the last of his strength to turn around. Before hitting the ground, he saw Banu standing over him, holding a thick wooden club, his expression cold and indifferent.