Aurora stood silently, still processing what she had witnessed. Micreal remained seated atop his horse, observing his master's effortless display of power.Alistor's summoned skeletons relentlessly tore into the monstrous creature. Though it fought back with savage strength, the creature could not overcome the unyielding onslaught — for only Alistor himself could end the assault.
With a furious roar like a crashing storm, the creature leapt toward Alistor.
"I'll end this quick," Alistor muttered, raising his arm.
The skeletons immediately sped up, attacking with merciless precision. As the creature lunged, Aurora shouted in alarm, "Dodge! Quick!"
But Alistor did more than dodge — he leapt toward the creature, passing it like a whisper in the wind. Landing calmly behind it, he turned slowly to see the creature collapse, sliced into clean pieces.
"Well, I made a mess," Alistor said nonchalantly. "Better clean this up. Micreal, lend me a hand."
"Right away, sir," Micreal replied, hopping down from his horse.
Aurora dismounted, still stunned as the summoned shadows dispersed around them.
"What did you just do?" Aurora asked, barely above a whisper.
"I killed the creature. That's what," Alistor answered simply. Meanwhile, Micreal burned the remains, ensuring nothing unnatural remained.
Alistor glanced around the charred remains of the village. "It'll take time to rebuild."
"Yes… but it will be done," Aurora replied, pulling a small bag of gold from her robes. "Here. It's not much, but it should aid your journey."
Alistor accepted the gold with a nod. "What about you?"
"I'll stay and rebuild. My helpers are on their way," she said confidently.
Micreal, curious, asked, "But... you didn't send any message?"
Aurora smiled mysteriously. "I have a few spells up my sleeve."
With that, Alistor and Micreal departed, riding down the dirt road back toward the capital city of Zulu.
As they rode, Alistor tilted his head back, looking at the endless sky. "This world isn't so bad after all," he said.
"Sir?" Micreal asked, riding alongside.
"Our old world... it was beautiful too, but there's little left to discover. Here? New lands. New mysteries. New wonders." Alistor smiled.
"But what about our comrades back home?" Micreal asked, concern flashing in his voice. "They'll be lost without us. Maybe... even start another war."
Alistor nodded solemnly. "We'll find a way back. But for now, we live. We explore."
"Hope so, sir," Micreal said quietly.
[A Few Days Later]
Back at the capital, Alistor and Micreal gathered supplies and found a small house in a grassy plain — a temporary base. Dusty and neglected, but promising.
"Well, it's dusty," Alistor said at the doorway, preparing to leave. "You're the best at this, Micreal. I'll leave the cleanup to you."
Micreal smiled proudly. "Sir, I once cleaned an entire castle by myself. This? Easy."
Alistor chuckled and headed back into town to gather more supplies.
As he walked through a crowded street, he noticed a girl being dragged into a dark alley by a group of thugs. His gaze narrowed. Without hesitation, he slipped into the shadows, peeking around the corner.
In the alley, the thugs sneered at the frightened girl.
"Hey missy, want to have a little fun?" one said, grinning wickedly.
The girl shivered and tried to scream, but the deep alley swallowed her voice.
"C'mon, just a peek," the thug said, reaching for her skirt.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Alistor's voice cut through the gloom like a blade.
The thugs turned and saw him standing there, smiling calmly.
"The hell are you, you top-hat freak?!" one barked.
Alistor's smile never faltered. "Doing that to a lady is very bad manners. I suggest you leave — while you still can."
The thug threw a knife — but it stopped in midair, deflected by a living shadow. The thugs froze, stunned.
"I warned you," Alistor said, his voice low and cold. "Little lady, close your eyes and turn away. This won't be pretty."
The girl obeyed without hesitation, pressing herself against the wall.
"Attack him!!" one thug shouted.
The thugs rushed forward — but they didn't make it far. The shadow behind Alistor lashed out, snapping their arms like twigs.
"I told you," Alistor said, stepping forward, "Run."
Broken and terrified, the thugs fled the alley, cradling their shattered arms.
Alistor turned to the girl, his expression softening. "Are you alright, little lady?"
She slowly opened her eyes and saw him standing there — hand outstretched, smiling warmly
[Chapter 4 end]