“What do you mean you recommend him as a Sovereign?!” Mal practically shouted, her green skin flushed and tusks glinting in the guildhouse light. “Do you know how many Sovereign candidates there are per year? And do you even realize what that label demands of someone?!”

  Alric’s armored head tilted slightly, the smooth surface reflecting the sunlight from the yard. “If we are forced to assign him a standard role, a Shikigami fits closest. But look at how he duels—calculating every move, combining feints and traps—it’s Sabre-like. Someone who walks dual paths, balancing cunning and aggression.”

  Mal slammed a fist onto the counter. “He already has dual paths! A Status and a Sphere! You can’t just slap another label on him as if he isn’t a person in all this!”

  Alric’s calm, measured tone cut through her outburst. “I remind you: his Excellia is low. He likely comes from a Mana Desert. Without that limitation, he would be a Shikigami naturally. With it, the path of Sovereign optimizes his potential. He has capacity for more than one discipline—hence my recommendation.”

  I opened my mouth to speak. “Excuse me—”

  Alric didn’t even glance at me.

  “No! You don’t understand!” Mal barked. “He’s going to attract attention just by existing! Sovereign is too much—you’re setting him up for failure, for chaos! It’s reckless!”

  “And any other choice,” Alric continued, voice calm, “removes potential. Limits growth. Denies the synergy of his dual-path capacity.”

  “Pardon me—” I tried again, stepping forward.

  Mal’s glare softened slightly as I raised my hands.

  “Listen,” I said, keeping my tone steady despite the knot of frustration tightening in my chest. “I understand the logic. I understand both of your points. But I think we can compromise.”

  Alric’s head tilted, registering curiosity. Mal’s eyes narrowed, skeptical.

  “I’ll officially register my role as a Shikigami,” I continued. “That satisfies guild protocol and keeps me in line with the rules here. But when I’m back on Earth, learning and training…that’s where I’ll adapt the cane for Sabre-style combat. Feints, thrusts, imbued mana attacks—I can learn to integrate both methods. That way I’m following your guidance, Mal, while still developing the versatility Alric sees in me.”

  Mal’s hands dropped from the counter slowly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Finally. Someone here making sense,” she muttered. “Took you long enough to speak up, lad.”

  Alric’s armor shifted slightly as if nodding. “A compromise, then. You will train as a Shikigami, focus on that skill set officially, and yet explore supplementary techniques during off-site training. It is…logical.”

  I exhaled, feeling the tension in the room finally ease. “Good. Then let’s get the paperwork done. I’ll take Shikigami as my official designation, and we can start training accordingly.”

  Mal leaned back, still eyeing me, but the heat in her voice had dissipated. “You will work hard, yes? I don’t want any slip-ups or laziness. Shikigami are tricky, and walking the dual path isn’t something most newbies can manage.”

  “I understand,” I said, bowing slightly. “I’ll follow guild protocol here, but I’ll also make the cane my own. That’s where my innovation will come in.”

  Alric’s helmet tapped lightly against the floor, a metallic nod. “Your initiative is noted. Begin with Shikigami training immediately. Focus on illusion, manipulation, and control of cursed techniques. As you adapt on this so-called Earth, integrate your physical and mana-based attacks into a Sabre’s framework. This combination could yield unprecedented effectiveness.”

  Mal shook her head in disbelief, but a grin cracked across her face. “You better not die trying, lad. And when you start experimenting with your cane, remember: subtlety is key. Magic isn’t just about power. It’s about precision, timing, and making your opponent doubt reality.”

  “I’ll remember,” I said, feeling a spark of excitement despite the lingering apprehension. “I want to master both. Not just one or the other. Officially, I follow the Shikigami path. But in practice…well, we’ll see how far I can push the cane.”

  Mal leaned forward, resting her elbows on the counter. “Then you’re on your own for experimentation once you leave. I won’t be babysitting your dual-path antics. But…if you do it right, maybe you’ll end up impressing more than a few people around here. Just don’t hurt anyone unnecessarily.”

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  “I won’t,” I said firmly, gripping the cane that had become an extension of my intention and focus. “I’ll train. I’ll push boundaries. But I’ll do it wisely.”

  Alric stepped back, giving a slight hum through the armor’s resonance chambers. “Very well. Shikigami it is. Initiate training. Observe, adapt, refine. And remember—when your Sphere and your Status grow together, your effectiveness multiplies exponentially. Do not waste a single opportunity.”

  “This said…how does one become a Shikigami officially?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

  Alric and Mal exchanged a glance. The look they gave each other was…unexpected. Heavy. Sad. Not disappointment, not irritation—something deeper, a quiet weight that pressed on the chest.

  “To the Underworld,” Mal said finally, her voice low, tinged with reluctance.

  I blinked. “The…what?”

  Alric’s armor shifted with a soft metallic groan. “The system recognizes only those properly bound to the Underworld’s thresholds. To become a Shikigami…you must first engage its bureaucracy, and its custodians. It is not merely a lesson. It is an initiation.”

  I frowned, trying to process that. “So…I just…walk there?”

  Mal shook her head slowly. “No, Morgan. The Underworld does not bend to casual passage. You must prove yourself capable of walking between life and death. And even then, it only allows entry to those marked for the bond.”

  I swallowed, feeling an unfamiliar tightness in my chest. “Right…sure. Sounds…friendly.”

  ***

  We walked in silence out of the village, along a narrow dirt path flanked by dense trees that filtered the fading sunlight. Soon, the landscape changed: the undergrowth thinned, the soil grew heavier and colder, and the faint smell of damp moss and decaying leaves filled the air.

  Before us was a small graveyard, modest but strangely alive. Gravestones jutted at odd angles; some were cracked and moss-covered, others smooth and freshly carved. But many had no stones at all. Instead, a thin, elegant tower of black iron and etched glyphs marked the resting place of the nameless dead.

  At the center stood a mausoleum, simple yet imposing. Its doors were carved from dark stone, engraved with patterns that seemed to shift subtly if you stared too long. The air around it vibrated faintly, a resonance that prickled my skin and made the hairs on my arms lift.

  “Alright,” Alric said, stepping back with a faint sigh. “We can’t go further. Only you—and other Shikigami—can enter. The Underworld’s thresholds won’t allow us. Not a single step.”

  I raised an eye at that, trying to mask the unease creeping up my spine. “Wait…so you’re just…leaving me here?”

  “We aren’t Haunted,” Mal said, shaking her head. Her voice carried a weariness I hadn’t expected. “Alric and I are Sabres. This part is…yours alone. And no, it isn’t something either of us can shortcut.”

  I exhaled slowly, looking at the mausoleum as if it might answer me. “So…what now?”

  Mal stepped forward, gesturing to the heavy stone doors. “Go in. Knock on the statue inside. That’s it. Nothing fancy. Don’t overthink it. A door will open. That door…takes you to the Marketplace of the Dead.”

  “Marketplace of the Dead?” I repeated, raising a skeptical brow.

  “You’ll see,” she said, her voice softening slightly, almost like a whisper meant to calm me. “There, you’ll find a broker. They’ll locate a proper entity to…Haunt you. That is how a Shikigami bond is formed. The broker handles all the formalities. Don’t ask how it works. Even we don’t know the mechanics. It just does.”

  I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. The reality of it began to settle: this was no simple training exercise. This was crossing into a place most never touched, a domain between worlds, a liminal space where the living and the dead intersected.

  I stepped forward, the ground cold beneath my feet, the air heavy with silence. The closer I got, the more the mausoleum seemed to hum with quiet life, subtle but insistent. The shadows shifted at the edges of my vision, fleeting but tangible, as though hundreds of eyes were watching, assessing.

  I approached the carved statue inside the mausoleum. It depicted a robed figure, a delicate balance of elegance and menace, holding a small, empty casket in its hands. My hand hesitated over the stone, feeling the faint thrum of magic through the cold surface.

  I knocked once. Twice. The vibration echoed softly through the stone, resonating like the toll of a distant bell. The air shifted. The shadows deepened. And then—a low, grinding click sounded from somewhere beneath the floor.

  A door slid open, the stone moving as if it had a mind of its own. Beyond it lay a faintly glowing corridor, the walls etched with shifting runes that pulsed gently, illuminating the path. It smelled faintly of iron and old parchment, a mix that made my stomach tighten with anticipation.

  Mal’s voice called softly behind me, though neither she nor Alric stepped forward. “Remember, Morgan…this is your step. Take it carefully. The Marketplace will judge you, and so will your potential Haunt. Respect it.”

  I swallowed and stepped through the door. The threshold closed silently behind me, sealing me off from the familiar world, from Mal, from Alric—and from anyone else who might influence what came next. The air inside the corridor shimmered with latent energy, and the faint pulse of life and death intertwined around me, brushing against my senses like the softest of winds.

  And in that instant, I understood: I wasn’t just walking into another place. I was stepping into a crucible. One wrong step, one misjudgment, could leave me stranded…between worlds, without guidance, without allies.

  I tightened my grip on the cane at my side. Sphere or Status, Shikigami or Sabre, it didn’t matter yet. For now, I had to survive the passage and reach the Marketplace. Only then would I begin the process of becoming what I was meant to be: a true Shikigami.

  The corridor stretched endlessly ahead, shadows dancing and whispers brushing against my mind. I took a cautious step forward, feeling the first thrill of fear and anticipation. The real journey had begun.