"Huff…puff…!" Duketace sprinted through a forest, gasping for air as he felt weak, having been running for the past two hours. He felt a searing headache, resultant from his Invoked Spirit almost getting destroyed.
If not for his robust foundation, he would have fallen unconscious, never to wake up for the rest of his life. Unable to rely upon his Invoked Spirit, Duketace had no other choice but to run for his life.
Casually chasing after him were a team of four assassins, not dealing him the killing blow. They maintained pace, chasing after him for two hours now.
The moment Heela noticed the family of four splitting up, she alerted Runka who picked up the pace and rushed straight for Duketace.
Duketace didn't run right after he regained consciousness. He was stunned, to say the least, suffering an emotional blow to see that not one, not two, but all three of his family members betrayed him to save themselves.
He was a dead man in their eyes the moment the Lan Clan placed a kill order on his life. In order to escape pursuit from the Lan Clan, they decided to abandon him without batting an eye.
With him dead, the Lan Clan might brush this matter under the rug, allowing the rest to survive and make a life for themselves in another place.
Even though he had been scum, having treated his subordinates worse than slaves, he had at least treated his family a lot better. Heck, he even dotted on his children.
And in return, all he received was a resolute betrayal. By the time he was done moping about, the assassins were already on his trail, chasing after him on horseback.
Left with no other choice, he could only fly using his eagle. His first plan was to head into Heppeturn Town. As assassins couldn't move about in the open, it was his only chance at survival. Even though he would become a sitting target, having a high risk of being attacked the moment he left town, it was still better than facing death here.
At least, as long as he recovered his Mental Strength in the town, he would be able to take flight and leave this place behind. He had set flight towards Heppeturn Town with that intention, only to notice Runka calmly standing a certain distance before the town, arms crossed.
Duketace had witnessed the strength of Runka's arrows, able to conclude its range, understanding that there was no way he could go past him.
The moment he arrived within Runka's range, he would be struck down. And, even if he wished to circle around and enter the town from another direction, Runka would also move accordingly.
With that, Heppeturn Town was out of his option as Duketace could only rush into the woods, hoping to throw his pursuers off using the dense vegetation. His eagle's state meant he couldn't be in the air for long, for the expended Mental Strength was many times the usual.
This was Runka's plan from the start as he gradually lead Duketace through the forest stretch before he eventually stumbled into the valley beyond. By this point, he was too exhausted to even move, barely managing to stand.
He glared at the lady before him, indignant as he roared, "You damn murders will pay! The Lan Clan wouldn't let you off…"
"You can stop wasting your energy. You know the truth better than everyone." Fowma smiled gently, tilting her head as her grin widened, "You've been abandoned, not only by your Clan but also by your own family."
"D-Dammit!" Duketace shed tears, unable to bear the emotional upheavals he felt now, facing death.
"Maybe if you had been a better individual, you might have ended up differently," Pilkan said, revealing his face, shocking the other party.
"Y-You!" Words failed to come out of his mouth as Duketace stuttered like a broken recorder. Runka's Invoked Spirit appeared behind him and clutched his neck, knocking him out unconscious.
"Consider this my gift." Runka looked at Pilkan, pointing at Duketace, "Kill him, and his Mental Fragments are yours."
"Are you sure?" Pilkan was surprised, "Aren't the Mental Fragments of a Common Invoker valuable?"
"It's fine, just take it." Fowma patted his back, "We're still segregating the Mental Fragments we obtained from our last hunt."
"Thank you." Pilkan nodded and focused on Duketace, taking out a knife as he approached him, intending to deal the killing blow.
He felt his breathing accelerate automatically while his heart thumped faster than usual. One that seemed untouchable to him before now lay before him, his life and death in his hands. So, despite being prepared, Pilkan still felt unready.
Thinking for a moment, he closed his eyes, focusing on his Dreamland as he tried to collect his thoughts through it. But suddenly, the starlight in the eyes of the Invoked Spirit brightened as its eyes focused on him, with its head moving on its own, without any command from him, shocking him.
Pilkan felt as if the Invoked Spirit was able to see right through him, shuddering in response as he realised that the Invoked Spirit that he was nurturing wasn't his own. And strangely, the features of his Invoked Spirit seemed more humane than usual, alarming him.
The Invoked Spirit's eyes formed a starlight spiral as Pilkan fell into a daze, noticing that he was in the Dreamland all of a sudden. "W-What the? What happened?"
He stared at himself, noticing that he was a swirling mass of Mental Fragments that almost resembled his actual self. And, standing before him was a mysterious blob, one covered by chains.
Pilkan stared at the blob when his eyes lost their lustre, his body gradually approaching it before standing right before it. He extended his hand and gently touched the blob, suddenly expressing despair right after he had done so.
"No…no! No! No! No!" Pilkan shouted as he stared at his crumbling hands, alarmed as he tried to exit the place, realising that things weren't in his control anymore. "Please! Spare…m…"
His figure vanished as the Invoked Spirit in the dreamland nodded subtly, opening its mouth to mutter, "Finally. It took me some time to take over."
The Invoked Spirit closed his eyes as in response, Pilkan's eyes regained their lustre. His mouth moved, muttering, "I am indeed the Main Character System. It took me less than two days to take over his mind completely."
"Pilkan, are you alright?" Runka asked in concern, patting his shoulder, "Why are you standing around in a daze? Are you planning to kill Duketace or not?"
Pilkan didn't reply and instead stared at the sky, 'I see, this child has a pretty complicated fate. If I return to Hitlawn now, I'll become embroiled in the upcoming chaos that results from the escaped family, and Pilkan's own in the Lan Clan.'
'It's best if I sever them all and have free rein in this world.' He thought, his eyes turning sharp, 'I'll be here for three years. By then, I'll make you regret ever making a move on me, Conjurer.'
"Pilkan…?" Runka stared at Pilkan, watching the other party reveal a subtle smile. Immediately after that, a mysterious mist spread around, swallowing them all.
