Shadow Dragon: The Fallen Angel Is My Teacher

"Lord of Shadows, why are you looking at the pills so intently? Did you find something?"

I nodded but didn't say anything yet.

I put the pills back where I had taken them from, careful not to leave any trace behind.

Once the place looked untouched, I slipped into the shadows and left the pub.

'The pub owner had those pills.'

'This confirms he's connected to the Illegal Exorcists.'

'He must be the one who helped them kidnap Carlotta's brother.'

Even if he hadn't, he was still responsible for destroying her family.

He was the reason her mother had fallen into depravity, then killed herself.

While I could've killed the pub owner, Marco—Carlotta's biological father—I didn't.

I wanted Carlotta to have the chance to take revenge herself.

'In my last life, Marco would die three years from now.'

'Carlotta still has time to interfere and have her revenge that she couldn't last time.'

I moved through the warp points and appeared near the forest outside the Daelthorn Estate.

The familiar chill of the night brushed past me as I stepped out of the shadows.

"Lord of Shadows, so what did you find out?" Yuna asked, flying close to my face, eager to know the findings.

"It was a pill made from alchemy," I said.

"Uh-huh," she nodded slowly. "And?"

"When is pill alchemy used?" I asked.

Yuna thought for a moment, tapping her chin.

"During war times, mostly. Pills last longer. Potions are better for short use. So during war, alchemists make pills instead of potions."

"Yes. And there's only one place in our world where alchemists who specialize in pill creation exist."

"Where?"

"The same place where the Illegal Exorcist Organizations are based."

"…?"

Yuna tilted her head, confused.

"What do Illegal Exorcists have to do with alchemists who make pills?"

"Five thousand years ago," I began, pointing toward the pale moon hanging in the sky, "that wasn't a moon.

"It was a planet full of life.

"The Nocthera Empire ruled the planet moon.

"Then there was a war between earth and moon. Earth won.

"They forced the survivors of moon out of their world and sent to live on the Exiled Isle," I explained.

"So the Illegal Exorcists live in Exiled Isle with the survivors of the Nocthera Empire, and they got alchemy from them?" Yuna asked, connecting the dots.

"Well, not exactly. Most of the survivors disappeared long ago, but yes, you are otherwise correct.

"The survivors of moon stole what they could before being evicted.

"During the war, pill-type alchemy recipes were in circulation. So those were the ones that the survivors took.

"Now, the Illegal Exorcists in Exiled Isle use those old recipes. That's why their alchemy produces mainly pills," I said.

Alchemy recipes were guarded secrets among Houses and Clans.

It made sense that the Illegal Exorcists could only get their knowledge from ruins left behind by the Nocthera survivors on Exiled Isle.

Of course, all this was hidden from the public.

The Cursed Spirit Silver Whale had erased all signs of life and civilization built on Moon by Earth, reducing most of humanity in the process.

Then, it attacked Earth.

That event had destroyed nearly every kingdom on Earth.

And from those ashes, the major Hidden Clans had risen.

Yuna flew in circles, her wings glowing faintly in the moonlight. "Lord of shadows, do you know which Illegal Exorcists took away Carlotta's brother?"

"I have an idea," I said quietly.

"Well, it shouldn't be too hard to rescue him then, right? The Exiled Isle sounds like a place that major Hidden Clans would keep watch over.

"If the Illegal Exorcists are hiding there, they can't be too big. Otherwise, the Clans would have already wiped them out," she said.

"About that…"

I gave a wry smile.

"It's not that simple."

"What do you mean?"

"During the war between the Moon and Earth, the survivors of the Nocthera Empire were sent to the Exiled Isle for a reason.

"The kingdoms didn't want to get their hands dirty killing them. So they left them there to die," I said.

Yuna's expression froze.

"Wait… you're saying the Exiled Isle is that kind of place?"

"Unfortunately, yes. It's a domain of a Cursed Spirit.

"Cursed Spirit Bermuda Triangle to be exact.

"That makes it nearly impossible to monitor the Exiled Isle.

"The Illegal Exorcist Organizations grew there freely, and the Hidden Clans can't really touch them," I explained.

She looked stunned. "Then it's basically their territory now."

"Exactly."

There were more reasons why the major Hidden Clans couldn't interfere in Exiled Isle.

While Yuna would've loved hearing those explanations, it would take too long. And I had other things to do.

The next day, I went back to the forest and placed the cursed item on the ground again.

It sat there silently, its faint, eerie light flickering like it was breathing.

I crouched down and stared at it.

Its eyes—or what looked like eyes—watched me with quiet resentment.

"So, what about it? Are you up for a Binding Vow?" I asked.

No answer.

I smiled and placed my hand on it.

The cold presence seeped into my palm as I pushed my will forward.

This time, the Cursed Item didn't resist.

[Binding Vow formed.]

[Slot: 1/2 → 2/2]

A faint pulse ran through my arm.

I could feel the Cursed Item's presence in my mind, like a quiet heartbeat.

The mental pressure from the Cursed Item grew stronger, but I held my ground.

My Spirit stat had improved a lot after the Area 51 exploration.

It helped me manage the pain better.

"Yuna, show me its status."

She nodded and raised her tiny hand.

The Inspect skill activated, and a new screen appeared in front of me.

…

Cursed Item: Security Guard #$%

Rank: 1

Narrative: A newly appointed Security Guard at ■ Research Institution. He lost his job after the ■ Research Institution closed down and is now looking for a new employer.

Ability: Maledict Form — Appearance changes based on who is looking at it. People can only affect the form they perceive.

Upgrade Cost: 2,000 Soul Shards

…

"The ability is good," I said.

I wondered if its trait—the one that made it stronger than its target—was lost after it became a Cursed Item, or if it was still there and just not shown in the status.

I would need to test that later (I couldn't test it on myself since it was obviously stronger than me physically).

I activated my Hollow Eyes and looked at the Security Guard again.

Now, it no longer had several forms.

It looked like a simple shadowy figure with a long skull-shaped head.

"Its appearance has been reset," Yuna said.

"Yeah, seems like it," I replied. "That's good. It can still gain eldritch forms when more people look at it. And since the appearance has reset, even if Calliope or Lars see it now, it'll look different to them."

I deactivated my Hollow Eyes and began chanting the spell to release the Cursed Item.

Normally, even after forming a Binding Vow, a Cursed Item could harm its Exorcist.

But this one wouldn't.

According to its narrative, I was now its new employer. By making a Binding Vow, I had employed it to work for me.