Chapter 79: The Zodiac are Here!
Kyle stood there, frozen. He tried to summon the status screen. Nothing. He tried to open the shop. Nothing.
`The system... shutdown?`
Panic clawed at his chest. He forced it down. His command was still holding—remain calm, assess the situation, don’t panic.
`Okay. Think.`
He looked at his hand. The black dust was gone. The card was gone. But he felt... different. Fuller. Like something had been added to him, but he couldn’t access it.
`The card did something with my system... An update, maybe. Or a virus.`
He looked around the chamber. The carvings on the walls seemed brighter now. Or maybe his eyes were just adjusting.
He didn’t care anymore.
He needed to leave.
Kyle turned and walked back through the tunnel. The darkness felt heavier now. The silence was thicker. Every step echoed off the stone walls, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching him from the shadows.
He reached the cave entrance.
The mist was still there. The three moons were still bright.
He stepped outside and sheathed his sword.
Then he stopped.
Something was wrong.`
The bodies. The three Wendigos he’d killed. The corpses were scattered around the hill.
They were gone.
Kyle’s hand went back to his sword. He pulled it out slowly, scanning the area left and right.
Nothing moved. The mist swirled and the trees stood silent.
`No blood. No corpses. No tracks.`
It was as if the fight never happened.
"Damn it," he muttered. "And I thought this night couldn’t get worse."
He waited. Listened.
There was no sound. No movement.
He started walking fast toward the mansion.
He didn’t run. Running was stupid when you couldn’t see what was in front of you. But he moved quickly, sword still in hand, eyes scanning every shadow.
He doesn’t have Nightmare or his system now.
If another Wendigo were to show up, he might be able to handle it. But what if something stronger shows up? He had lost his escape route, for God’s sake!
The forest was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of quiet that made his hair stand up.
But nothing attacked him.
He reached the edge of the forest. The mansion’s lights were visible through the thinning mist. He walked faster.
He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
Kyle leaned on it and exhaled deeply.
The night had been very tough on him.
***
Three days passed.
Kyle didn’t go into the forest at night. Not once.
He stayed in the mansion. Trained in the courtyard during the day. Ate with the children. Slept in his room.
The system was still offline.
He couldn’t open his status. Couldn’t access the shop. Couldn’t see stats or points or anything.
But his skills still worked.
He tested them and all of them responded.
`So the system isn’t the source of my power. It’s just... a display. A manager.`
The skills were his. The system was just the interface.
That was... reassuring. Sort of.
And Nightmare?
The bird woke up on the second night.
Kyle was in his room, trying to control his inner mana on his bed, when the mark on his hand started glowing. Golden light pulsed from the tattoo, brighter than ever before.
Then the sparks came.
They didn’t swirl around his hand. They exploded outwards, filling the room with light. The shape that formed was larger than before. Much larger.
When the light faded, Nightmare stood on the floor.
Its four wings were spread wide, almost touching the walls. Its feathers were darker—deep black, like the space between stars. The golden eyes on its face were brighter, more intense.
And the smaller eyes along its wing roots... There were more of them. Dozens. All of them open. All of them are watching.
The air around the bird felt heavier. Colder. Like the temperature had dropped.
Kyle stared.
`He is bigger. A lot bigger.`
Nightmare tilted its head. Its three main eyes blinked slowly.
Then it tried to spread its wings further.
The left wing hit the wall. The right wing hit the wardrobe.
The bird stopped. Looked at his wings. Then at the walls. Then back at Kyle.
Kyle stared back. Then he laughed.
"You can’t fit through the window anymore, can you?"
Nightmare tried to fold its wings. They were too wide. The edges scraped against the stone.
Kyle’s smile widened.
"Finally. No more chasing you through the forest."
Nightmare made a sound. Not a screech. Something closer to a grumble.
Kyle didn’t care. He was just happy that the bird couldn’t lead him into another dangerous situation from now on. That night had been enough for him.
As for now, Kyle was walking through the forest with Leo and Virgo. The sun was pale and the mist was thin.
Virgo was carrying a bucket while Leo had nothing—he’d insisted on coming because he was bored, and now he was running ahead, jumping over roots and pretending every branch was a monster.
"You’re going to trip," Virgo said.
"I never trip!" Leo shouted.
He tripped.
Kyle sighed and helped him up.
After walking a little, they finally reached the well. It was old. Moss grew on the stones.
Virgo started pulling up the rope while Leo sat on a rock, complaining about his knee.
Kyle leaned against a tree and watched the treeline.
Something felt wrong.
He couldn’t explain it. The mist was normal. The light was normal. But his skin was prickling.
He put his hand on his sword.
"Virgo," he said quietly. "Pull faster."
She looked at him. Saw his expression. She didn’t ask any questions and pulled the rope faster.
Leo noticed too. He stopped complaining and stood up slowly.
"Brother Kyle?"
"Quiet."
Kyle’s eyes scanned the trees. Left to right. Right to left.
`There!`
Among the trees, there was a rustling. Clearly, it wasn’t by the wind.
Kyle stared intently and started pulling out his sword.
It was morning now. Not the time for the Wendigo to show up. And since there were no other animals or creatures around... that means.
A figure stepped out from between the trees. Then another.
Kyle’s grip on the handle tightened.
`The Zodiac has been able to get in!`
