In a clearing deep within the forests of the New Continent, what was once a sacred Wild Spirit Altar had now become a fierce battlefield. The wild spirit, Black Hoof, had formed a massive, natural body from mud, stones, branches, and fallen leaves, taking on the shape of a wild bull. It rampaged through the battlefield, trampling and goring the skeletal soldiers that surrounded it, crushing wave after wave of the black-clad undead. Above the altar, the spirits guarding Black Hoof clashed with the wraiths controlled by the Beyonders, filling the air with eerie howls and screams.
The skeletal soldiers used firearms and explosives against Black Hoof. While bullets had little effect on the spirit, the deafening explosions repeatedly shattered its massive natural form. Although Black Hoof quickly repaired the damage by drawing on the surrounding environment, this process consumed its spirituality, and the hastily repaired parts were unstable.
On the other hand, the skeletal soldiers could continue fighting even when severely damaged. Even when reduced to just a torso or a head, the bones would still move on their own. In some cases, they could even reassemble themselves if the damage wasn’t too severe. While Black Hoof could easily crush and scatter the skeletal soldiers, completely stopping their movements was far more difficult. The relentless, damaged skeletons continued to fight, and some even attempted to reassemble themselves. Over time, Black Hoof’s strength would only continue to wane, and this was not a sustainable situation.
Black Hoof understood its predicament. Faced with the relentless attacks of the skeletal soldiers, it devised a new strategy. This time, the massive horns made of intertwined branches began to glow faintly. With a powerful swing, it shattered a large group of skeletons, sending bone fragments flying in all directions. However, this time, the shattered bones did not rise again. Instead, they lay still, becoming nothing more than lifeless remains.
This time, Black Hoof had infused its attack with spirituality, using its Silence spirituality to destroy the fragmented souls within the skeletal soldiers. Once the souls were dispersed, the skeletons could no longer move.
This move successfully rendered a large number of skeletal soldiers completely inactive, but it also further drained Black Hoof’s spirituality. And this was exactly what the mastermind behind the attack had hoped for.
On a small hill not far from the altar, a figure cloaked in a dark robe and hood watched the battle between Black Hoof and the skeletal soldiers. Observing the natural form Black Hoof had constructed, the figure, a woman with a low, calm voice, spoke.
"The wild spirit... a powerful spirit fused with its surroundings. Truly an impressive spiritual entity... far stronger than most malevolent spirits born from resentment alone. It’s a shame... such spirits are far too rare on the mainland…”
"Now, Black Hoof has been sufficiently weakened... Next, we just need the medium..."
Muttering to herself, the hooded woman continued to gaze at the distant battlefield, seemingly waiting for something. Before long, a figure emerged from the nearby woods. It was Banu."Lady Larena, I’ve obtained what you asked for."
Speaking in Spirit Glyph, Banu addressed the woman named Larena. Hearing his words, Larena pulled down her hood, revealing the face of a middle-aged woman with black hair tied up, slightly tanned skin, and a few wrinkles. She gave Banu a stern look and replied in the same language.
"You’re late. This isn’t the speed you promised."
"I... I apologize, Lady Larena. I ran into some trouble while searching for Black Hoof’s tomb, which delayed me. But I’ve brought what you asked for—the soil and bone fragments from Black Hoof’s grave."
With that, Banu untied a small pouch from his waist and handed it to Larena. She opened it and found a small amount of soil and a tiny bone fragment inside.
After inspecting the contents, Larena nodded. She then crouched down on the ground, still gazing at the distant battlefield. She placed the small pouch in front of her and pulled out a small jar from her cloak.
Next, Larena focused her gaze on Black Hoof in the distance and began to mutter something under her breath. As she chanted, the jar opened on its own, and strands of grass, writhing like snakes or worms, crawled out. These strands of grass entered the pouch, wrapping around the soil and bone fragments, and began to reshape themselves. Soon, the grass had formed a small, crude figure of a wild bull. Larena picked it up and held it in her hand.
"Bear my curse... Spirit of the Land."
Muttering, Larena extended her hand and crushed the head of the grass-formed bull. At the same moment, the head of Black Hoof’s natural form in the distant altar suddenly exploded without warning, scattering stones, mud, and wood chips everywhere.
After this, Black Hoof’s spirit let out a mournful cry and began to reform its head. But Larena crushed the entire grass-formed bull in her hand, causing Black Hoof’s entire natural form to explode into dust and fragments.
Using the crucial medium provided by Banu, Larena, after expending a significant amount of spirituality, completely destroyed Black Hoof’s natural form, forcing its spirit to manifest in the dust. At this moment, Larena tightly gripped the bone fragment of Black Hoof and continued to curse its spirit, pouring more spirituality into the curse. The powerful curse forced Black Hoof’s spirit to kneel in weakness.
At this moment, several figures emerged from the woods surrounding the altar. Unlike the black-clad skeletal soldiers, these were white-skinned men dressed in various outfits, their faces unmistakably from the mainland. Some carried firearms, keeping a vigilant watch.
Among them, two or three focused on Black Hoof’s spirit, muttering incantations as if casting curses of their own. These were Larena’s Beyonder subordinates. The skeletal soldiers that had been fighting Black Hoof were mostly controlled by their sigils, and now they were joining Larena in cursing Black Hoof’s spirit.
Behind these Beyonders, more ordinary men emerged, carrying a large iron coffin. These men silently approached the cursed and subdued spirit of Black Hoof, placing the coffin in front of it and opening it. Inside the coffin were dense inscriptions. Seeing the men before it, Black Hoof’s spirit burned with anger.
"Its spirit has been subdued. Take my men and place its grave soil and bone fragments into the Soul Confinement Coffin. Then we can forcibly capture this wild spirit’s soul," Larena said to Banu, who nodded in response.
"Yes, Lady Larena."
…
In the forest clearing, the fierce battle had come to an end. The battlefield was now filled with white-skinned men busily moving about. A few were collecting firearms, burying skeletal remains, and cleaning up the traces of the battle, while the majority were focused on capturing the spirits.
With Black Hoof gone, the remaining spirits in the altar were virtually defenseless. They were cursed by the invading Beyonders and controlled by the wraiths they commanded. The Beyonders brought small, coffin-like boxes filled with inscriptions, stuffed them with soil, and sealed the captured spirits inside.
As for the largest spirit, Black Hoof, it was sealed inside a heavy iron coffin nearly three meters long, containing its grave soil and bones.
Using mediums and soul coffins to seal and tame powerful, unruly spirits was the specialty of these Beyonders.
Amid the busy clearing, Larena, cloaked in her dark robe, inspected the scene. Watching as spirit after spirit was sealed into the prepared coffins, she approached the iron coffin containing Black Hoof’s spirit and asked one of her subordinates standing nearby.
"Calais, how’s the situation?"
"Respected Lady, without that wild bull spirit, these spirits are much easier to handle. The spirits near the altar have almost all been captured. We plan to venture deeper into the forest to capture more."
The subordinate named Calais responded respectfully. Hearing his words, Larena nodded and continued.
"Then, how many spirits do you estimate we can capture this time?"
"I think we can get at least thirty. The main issue is that we’ve lost most of our skeletal soldiers, so we don’t have enough labor to carry all the soul coffins back. Otherwise, we could capture even more," Calais said, glancing at the stacked coffins before adding, "However, the spirits of the New Continent are far purer than the wandering ghosts of the mainland. Refining their spirituality will be much more efficient. Not to mention, we’ve captured such a big one today. Taking it back to Dankt will surely shock many people! This is all thanks to you, Lady, for knowing the exact location of its altar and grave."
As he spoke, Calais glanced at the iron coffin containing Black Hoof’s spirit, the greatest prize of their hunt.
"Hmph, that’s why I said we need to start with the people of the New Continent to understand its secrets."
Listening to Calais’s flattery, Larena smiled slightly. She then turned her gaze to where Banu stood. At his feet lay an unconscious young man dressed in tribal attire—Kapak.
Larena walked over to Banu, and soon stood beside him. Banu greeted her respectfully in Spirit Glyph Language.
"Lady..."
"You’ve done well. This is your initial reward. Once this batch of spirits is refined, you’ll receive even more spirituality that can be directly absorbed."
Seeing Banu, Larena spoke while tossing him a small vial. Banu caught it with delight and quickly stashed it away, then tentatively asked.
"Thank you, Lady... About what you mentioned earlier, about formally guiding me onto the path of curses..."
"That depends on your performance. As I said before, as long as you provide us with information on other wild spirits, your advancement will be assured. We will elevate you to heights you’ve never imagined."
Larena continued speaking to Banu, who nodded in affirmation.
"I understand. I’ll find a way to communicate with the shamans of other tribes and learn the exact locations of other wild spirits."
Hearing Banu’s words, Larena nodded silently, then looked down at Kapak, who lay unconscious at Banu’s feet.
"Is this... the trouble you mentioned earlier?"
"Yes, his name is Kapak. He’s an apprentice to the shaman of the Tupa Tribe. He came with me today for the spirit ritual. He had already left, but for some reason, he suddenly returned. He saw us attacking Black Hoof, and I was afraid he’d cause trouble, so I knocked him out."
Banu spoke frankly to Larena, who paused for a moment after hearing his words, then glanced at Kapak and said.
"Why didn’t you just kill him?"
"I can’t kill him! He can’t die right now! His teacher is Uta, a very powerful shaman, even stronger than my former teacher! If Uta sees that Kapak hasn’t returned, he’ll immediately assume something has happened. A shaman like Uta has incredibly powerful spirit communication abilities, and he definitely has a close enough medium connected to Kapak.”
"If Kapak dies now, Uta can use that medium to summon Kapak’s spirit directly. Kapak saw my unusual behavior, and if his spirit tells Uta, Uta will surely inform the entire tribal alliance about me. At that point, I’ll either have to flee or face judgment from the shamans of other tribes for my grave crime. Then... then I won’t be able to gather information about other wild spirits for you, Lady!"
Banu spoke with a tone of fear and urgency. A crime like betraying a wild spirit would surely result in his death.
"A shaman..."
Hearing Banu’s words, Larena frowned slightly and muttered. At this moment, Calais stepped forward and spoke to Larena.
"They’re just some spirit-summoning natives. What’s there to fear? Let’s use one of the soul coffins, kill this guy, trap his soul inside, and take it back to refine. Can those natives still summon it then?"
Calais spoke in broken Spirit Glyph, his tone filled with disdain. Banu quickly refuted him.
"You underestimate shamans too much. Uta isn’t just capable of simple spirit summoning! He can perform spirit communication! Ordinary soul confinement won’t stop spirit communication!"
Banu explained that there were generally two ways to call upon spirits: spirit summoning and spirit communication. Spirit summoning involved setting up a ritual and using the deceased’s belongings as a medium to attract their wandering spirit. Spirit communication, however, was far more advanced. It also required a medium, but it allowed the summoned spirit to cross space and even dimensions, directly appearing before the caster.
Hearing Banu’s rebuttal, Larena nodded and said.
"Indeed... I’ve heard that the shamans here are incredibly skilled at spirit communication. Ordinary soul confinement can be broken by their communication. The soul coffins we have now can’t withstand it."
Looking at the wooden soul coffins used to contain the spirits, Larena muttered. The strongest coffin they had, the iron one, was already being used for Black Hoof. The remaining wooden coffins couldn’t withstand spirit communication. If Kapak died now, his spirit could easily be summoned back. Without large-scale refining tools, Larena could only disperse a spirit, not completely destroy it.
As an experienced Silence-path Beyonder, she understood the power of spirit communication. Even fragmented spirits could be summoned back.
For now, Larena still needed Banu to gather information about other wild spirits from the shamans, so Banu couldn’t be exposed. Therefore, Kapak had to remain alive to prevent his shaman teacher from summoning his spirit.
"Tie this guy up securely and keep him alive. Take him back to Dankt with this batch of goods. Have the people at the base there kill him and refine his soul on the spot using the ’furnace.’ That way, those native shamans won’t be able to summon him back."
With a wave of her hand, Larena gave the order. Her subordinates quickly bound the unconscious Kapak, while Banu watched coldly.
"Farewell, Brother Kapak. I didn’t want to do this, but you forced my hand by coming back..."
Muttering, Banu watched as Larena’s men lifted Kapak and threw him onto a carriage.
…
After what felt like an eternity, Kapak’s consciousness slowly returned from the depths of unconsciousness. His mind drifted from darkness to clarity, as if he had slept for centuries.
As his awareness gradually reconnected with his body, Kapak felt a sharp pain in the back of his head.
“Ugh... it hurts... what happened to me…”
Gritting his teeth, Kapak endured the pain. As the pain subsided, his consciousness grew clearer, and memories began to flood back. He remembered the moment before he was struck, the skeletal soldiers surrounding Black Hoof, and the familiar face he saw as he fell.
As these memories surfaced, anger burned within him.
"Banu! You actually..."
Kapak wanted to speak, but he found his mouth gagged, his words reduced to muffled groans.
Realizing something was wrong, Kapak tried to open his eyes, but only darkness greeted him. Feeling around with his head, he realized his eyes were covered with some kind of cloth.
Panic set in as Kapak struggled, only to find his hands tied behind his back and his feet bound as well.
Unable to speak, see, or move, Kapak faced this dire situation as soon as he woke up. He tried desperately to free himself from the ropes, but to no avail.
In the darkness, his heart grew more frantic.
“No... no... where am I? What’s happening? Am I dead? No, the dead don’t feel pain. I’m still alive.”
“I’ve been... tied up by someone... my eyes covered! Damn it... what should I do…”
Gritting his teeth, Kapak’s mind raced with panic. In the darkness, he forced himself to calm down and think of a way to escape. He continued to struggle against the ropes, but it was futile.
“Breathe... breathe... I can’t waste my strength like this... I can’t just brute force my way out. I need to think of another way…”
Kapak thought anxiously, but after much deliberation, he realized there was only one thing he could do—pray. Pray to the being who had granted him his unique abilities.
Kapak wasn’t sure if this would help him in his current predicament, but in this desperate situation, he had no choice but to try.
“Great Aka, Recorder of All Things... I sincerely pray to You…”
Closing his eyes, Kapak prayed with all his heart.
…
Far across the ocean, in front of a warm fireplace, Dorothy, who had been enjoying sweets while reading a book, suddenly paused. She turned her gaze to the world map hanging on the wall, focusing on the New Continent.
"It seems... someone’s in trouble again..."