"Power of will," said the dove summoner. "And With frequent practice! Because my ability to control spirits was not inherited from my parents. I got it myself through effort and searching.""So-"Barbro interrupted Eryk. "Even if that ability was inherited from your parents, you still need to train it. Everything doesn't happen naturally. Like when you were a baby. You also need to practice eating. Is not it?""Teach me then!" said Eryk."It took months," said Barbro. "No, years of intense training. There isn't enough time.""I can learn quickly," said Eryk, trying to sound more confident than he actually felt.Barbro smiled. "Even if you could do that, you're not a fighter, Eryk. The people we will face… are brutal. No mercy."Black and White joined them at the bottom of the stairs. Black's beak was tightly clenched, showing tenacity."We can't give up, Eryk. We can't just hide.""Why are you so excited?" quipped White."Is it right?" asked Barbro. "Stay here with us. We'll be safe."
Eryk had a dream. A dream he had never had before. Eryk seemed to watch as a tall, pale stranger moved the knocker on his parent's house door. The moonlight glistened in his snake ring."That's Venom. Do not open!" shouted Eryk. But no sound left his lips. The door opens by itself.Eryk felt the horror that sent him flying. This time, Eryk entered his parents' house and stood behind Venom.The door slammed shut behind them.Eryk saw his parents standing side by side in front of the dining table. On the table were two half-filled wine glasses. Eryk's mom faced Venom with determination. The folds of her white dress fluttered around like bird wings. It was as if she controlled the air around her."Get out of my house!" Eryk's mom ordered through clenched teeth.Eryk could see the sweat glistening on his mother's forehead as if she was exerting herself."I won't say where it is!""Do not come close!" shouted Eryk's dad. He stood next to his wife, brandishing a fireplace stick.Venom just
"What place is this?"Eryk and the others stood in front of a luxurious apartment building in the middle of Rockwool City. Eryk carried Alyssa on his back. He bent slightly and occasionally corrected Alyssa."This apartment is one of Master's properties. Several units are still vacant. For the time being, we can hide here safely.""Okay, we'll take Alyssa to where you want to go. After that, we have to continue the search. You're okay if you're left here alone with Alyssa?""Yes. We will be fine," replied Duri.Eryk led them into the apartment building after placing the key card in the scanner by the door. When they were about to enter the elevator, another resident noticed Eryk."Are you all right?" asked a middle-aged woman. "Is she hurt? I think you should go to the hospital." The woman looked worried for Alyssa.Eryk became awkward. He just realized that not all humans can see summoned spirits. Only summoners can see the presence of the summoned spirit. At this time, the middle-ag
Eryk and the two summoned spirits flew across Rockwool City and returned to the abandoned playground. The playground was covered in a lot of police lines. Eryk watched from one of the tall trees nearby. Indeed, there was not seen any human movement, let alone the police. However, Eryk remained vigilant and didn't take any risks by returning there."What are we going to do here?" Black asked. "You don't think you're returning to the lair?""I need your help," Eryk said to Black and White, who were perched on a branch above his head."I knew this would happen," Black grumbled."Only if you want. I still have White. She would never refuse my request."The white owl didn't argue. She only turned her head 360 degrees to express her approval and was ready to accept any task, even if it cost her life."Of course, I will help. Don't we have the same goal? Revenge for the actions of those who have hurt us, "continued Black.Eryk nodded firmly. "Your job is only to find out whether cat summoner
"What are you thinking? You don't look okay," White sneered as they walked together to find the Joker's house."My parents did everything they could to protect me so that the line of bird summoners would not be broken. However, I can't control various birds like my mom. I will ensure their deaths are not in vain," said Eryk."Your parents sound very brave," Black said. It was as if the crow could read Eryk's mind. They had arrived on the other side of the river. "You must be proud.""I think so," Eryk said again.They started up the river's north bank, where arched structures line the embankment. Shops and stalls are closed at night.His newest dream is an ever-present shadow. The screams of his parents as the snakes enveloped them sounded like a faint echo. Eryk didn't feel ready to tell White yet, not when his horror was so fresh.All his life, Eryk let bitterness towards his parents grow. But now it feels like the anger is misdirected. It was Venom who deserved to be the target of
White led them across the street. Eryk followed her. Now there was an odd silence as they left the busy city center. Even the air felt different, cleaner, and fresher.There were no streetlights to illuminate as Eryk, and the two birds flew along the winding road up the hill. It didn't take long for the sidewalks to disappear, either. Then the two birds flew away until they were barely visible. They passed between the pine branches.Eryk looked at the trees but could see no further than a few yards before the darkness engulfed the trunk. Occasionally they passed the driveways of houses and the sketchy form of settlements far away from the road.Eryk's nerves tingled. He often looked back. He felt as if something or someone was watching him. Going to a new place always makes him nervous. The farther away he was from the familiar place, the more worried he was."Are you sure the way through here?" Eryk asked. His voice sounded thin and hollow.Under normal circumstances, no one can hear
"You're visiting the wrong people's house, Young Man!" said the man in the clown costume, pushing the door as hard as he could.If only Eryk had thought carefully about this meeting before. Everything depended on what he would say next.Joker tries to close the door again. At that moment, Eryk realized something was wrong. Without much effort, Eryk pushed open the door quickly. It was as if Joker didn't have the energy to close his door before Eryk.Eryk immediately grabbed the man's hand, wrapped in white gloves. And at that time, Eryk was increasingly convinced that the figure behind the clown costume was a different person from what Eryk had imagined about the Joker figure."Tell me where your father is?" Eryk asked."What? Father?" Black and White, who were also paying attention, wondered.'Is that figure in the clown costume the son of the Joker? Is the real Joker really in Rockwool prison?'Only Eryk and the costumed clown figure can answer that."My name is Eryk Wayland. I'm a
Eryk pressed his palm against the wall and pushed hard. Part of the wall sunk inward. The hidden narrow door swung inward silently."How did you know the door was there?" asked White uneasily."I don't know," replied Eryk as he walked through the door. Or maybe, somehow, he actually knew.The room inside was somber. There is only dim light."This must be one of the towers because it is perfectly circular with a single-window high above. It looks more like a cell."Eryk saw a wooden chair, an old wardrobe, and a dirty sink. However, all those details went unnoticed. When Eryk's eyes were fixated on the object in the middle of the room.He saw a glass case containing a red velvet pillow. On the pillow lay a meter-long sword. The blade is black and slightly curved in the middle.It looked like an ancient artifact dug out of the ground and polished to a shiny surface. The hilt was protected by curved metal claws and covered in a thin, black leather layer. There is writing stamped along th