Piers blinked at the notifications.
Four new skills. From naming two souls.
Appraisal—probably lets him analyze things. Useful.
Modal Maker—no idea. Something about forms? Modes?
Charisma— social influence, probably. Useful in ways he didn't fully want to think about yet.
Soul Puppet—that one he sat with for a moment longer. Controlling bound souls. Creating servants.
Dark, the uncorrupted part of him noted.
Interesting, said everything else.
His mind immediately started racing with possibilities.
He could test them. Right now. Mutou and Gyuunyuu were right here, perfect test subjects—
"Young Master?"
Mutou's voice cut through his thoughts.
Piers looked up to find both of them staring at him.
The blue flame where Mutou's head should be flickered nervously.
"You have a very particular expression, Young Master." the knight said carefully. The kind that precedes something unwise."
Gyuunyuu giggled nervously. "Master's eyes are scary right now..."
Piers realized he was grinning.
That sharp, excited grin that meant he'd just thought of seventeen different experiments and couldn't wait to try them all.
He opened his mouth to suggest they start immediately—
And stumbled.
His legs went weak. His vision blurred.
Exhaustion hit him like a physical blow.
[NULL SYSTEM ALERT]
[PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION: EXTREME]
[RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE REST]
Right. He'd just fought a zombie horde, created an original spell, performed two Soul Bindings, and completed a naming ritual.
All in one night.
As a three-year-old.
Maybe testing could wait.
"Later," he muttered, catching himself against a tree. "We'll... test the skills later."
Before he could say anything else, both Mutou and Gyuunyuu dropped to one knee—well, Mutou knelt, Gyuunyuu's bottle lowered to the ground in an approximation of a bow.
"Young Master," Mutou's voice rang with absolute conviction. "You have given us life. Purpose. Form. We pledge ourselves to you. Our swords, our souls, our very existence—all of it belongs to you now."
"Forever and ever!" Gyuunyuu added brightly. "We'll protect you and serve you and follow you anywhere!"
Piers stared at them.
"What? No. I didn't—I just gave you names. That's not—"
"You saved my daughter from centuries of torment, You reunited us when I thought all hope was lost. You granted us the power to exist, to persist, to live again."
His blue flame intensified.
"We are yours, Young Master. Completely. Eternally."
"I don't want followers," Piers protested weakly. "I'm three. I can barely tie my shoes."
"We will tie them for you."
"That's not the point—"
"Master!" Gyuunyuu floated up to eye level. "Please? Let us stay with you? We promise we'll be useful!"
Piers looked at the hopeful bottle-girl and the kneeling headless knight with the dramatic fire-head.
He sighed flatly.
"Fine. But you're not calling me 'Master' anymore. It's weird."
"Yes, Master!" they said in unison.
"That's still—never mind." He rubbed his face. "Look. I need to go home. My parents are probably asleep, but if they wake up and find me gone..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
Mutou rose smoothly to his feet. "Then we shall accompany you to the edge of your home's barrier and stand watch."
"Stand watch?"
"We are your guardians now," the knight said simply. "Even if you do not require us inside your home, we will remain nearby. Ready to answer your call."
Gyuunyuu nodded enthusiastically, her bottle bobbing in the air.
Piers was too tired to argue.
"Fine. Whatever. Just... stay in the forest. Don't let my parents see you. Especially not my mom. She'd have questions I can't answer."
"Understood!"
They began walking back toward the house, Mutou's silver armor gleaming in the moonlight, Gyuunyuu floating alongside like an overeager fairy.
The miasma parted around them now, unable to touch their stabilized forms.
Piers walked in silence, his mind churning.
He'd gone into the forest to help a ghost find his daughter.
He was coming back with two bound followers, four new skills, and a working knowledge of dairy-based necromancy.
Not bad for a night's work.
The barrier came into view—shimmering faintly in the darkness, marking the edge of his family's property.
Mutou and Gyuunyuu stopped at the tree line.
"We will remain here, Call if you need us, Young Master."
"I won't need you. I'm going to sneak back in, sleep for twelve hours, and pretend this never happened."
"Of course, Master." =Gyuunyuu added.
Piers gave up correcting them.
He approached the barrier, found the same junction point he'd dissolved earlier, and slipped through with a touch of mana.
On the other side, he turned back.
Mutou stood at attention, sword at his side, blue flame burning steady.
Gyuunyuu hovered beside him, glowing softly in the darkness.
His first followers.
His first... friends?
No. Not friends. Companions. Tools. Useful assets.
...Who happened to care about him.
He shook his head and turned toward the house.
The window he'd jumped from was still open—dark and silent.
Perfect.
He crossed the yard quickly, grabbed the windowsill, and—
Stopped.
Looked down at himself.
His clothes were covered in small bloodstains.
Dried blood from his severed hand. Zombie blood. Milk stains. General forest grime.
He looked like he'd been through a war.
His mother was going to murder him.
Piers stood there in the moonlight, staring at his ruined outfit, and felt genuine fear for the first time that night.
Not from zombies or miasma.
From the absolute certainty that when Xylia saw him tomorrow morning, she was going to lose her mind.
Maybe if I pretend it's paint?
No. She'd never believe that.
Mud?
Also no.
Maybe he could just... burn the clothes and say they disappeared?
[NULL SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[EMOTIONAL RESPONSE: FEAR (PARENTAL DISCOVERY)]
[VOID CORRUPTION: 29% - STABLE]
[NOTE: HOST PRIORITIES PROPERLY CALIBRATED]
[ZOMBIE HORDE < ANGRY MOTHER]
Piers climbed through the window anyway.
He'd figure something out.