Dawn had only just begun to brighten the horizon when Aiden finally left the old cemetery. He cast one last glance at the black grave. Beneath the pale morning light, it looked perfectly ordinary. The glowing cracks had vanished.
The ancient inscriptions had become almost invisible once again. Nothing distinguished it from the other old abandoned graves anymore. As though everything that had just happened had been nothing more than a dream. Aiden knew, however, that it wasn't. A faint sound of footsteps echoed behind him.
Tok.
Tok.
Tok.
He turned around. Bone was slowly making his way forward. His movements were awkward, almost stiff. Every joint produced a faint clicking sound with each step. He took two more steps. Then he tripped over a root. His body pitched forward. Both hands slammed into the dirt before he managed to catch himself.
"Are you alright?"
Bone remained motionless for a few seconds. Then he slowly pushed himself up with his arms and got back to his feet.
Aiden couldn't help smiling.
"You're really not very good at this..."
Bone tilted his skull to one side. He didn't seem to understand the words.
Or perhaps he understood them without knowing how to respond. The young man resumed walking.
"Come on."
The skeleton followed him. Always about a meter behind. Never closer. Never farther away. Together, they left the old cemetery. The forest was still wrapped in silence. Only a few birds had begun to sing. A light mist covered the fields surrounding Ashbrook.
"No one can see you."
Bone simply kept walking.
"If the villagers find out a skeleton is following me..."
He let out a slow breath.
"They'll probably try to destroy you."
Bone showed no reaction. The skeleton seemed incapable of displaying even the slightest emotion. Yet, several times, Aiden noticed Bone slightly turning his head whenever he came across something new. An unusually tall tree. A bird taking flight. The first wildflowers growing along the side of the path.
"You're watching the birds?"
Bone raised his head. A blackbird had just landed on a branch. The skeleton remained perfectly still until the bird flew away. Then he resumed walking.
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Aiden frowned slightly.
"You're curious..."
Naturally, he received no answer. A few minutes later, the first houses of the village came into view in the distance. Only a handful of windows were lit. Most of the villagers were still asleep.
"That's for the best..."
Aiden quickly looked around. No passersby. No hunters. He quietly slipped between the first houses.
Bone copied him with surprising precision. Whenever Aiden slowed down... Bone slowed down. Whenever he stopped... Bone came to an immediate halt. It was as though their movements were naturally synchronized. They finally reached the family home. Then the problem he had completely forgotten suddenly came back to him.
"I can't let you come inside..."
The young man walked around the house. Behind the garden stood a small wooden shed. Edgar kept his farming tools there, along with a few hunting traps and several broken items he had been promising to repair for years. The building was far enough from the house that no one would hear any quiet noises. Aiden pushed the door open.
The inside was shrouded in darkness. Bags of seeds were stacked against one wall. An old plow occupied one corner of the room. Rakes, shovels, and several rusty tools hung from the wooden beams.
Aiden reread the status several times.
"Unknown Potential..."
That detail immediately caught his attention. All the other information was clear.Except for that.Even the System itself seemed unable to determine how far Bone might be able to evolve. At the bottom of the window, one final line slowly appeared.
The skeleton couldn't speak. But he seemed to understand the meaning of what was being said.
"Alright..."
Aiden crouched down in front of him.
"If someone comes in here... hide. Okay?"
Bone remained motionless for a few seconds. Then he looked around. His gaze settled on a large worn sheet hanging from one of the beams. He walked over to it. Grabbed it awkwardly. Then draped it over his shoulders. The fabric nearly reached the floor. From a distance, it simply looked as though an old blanket had fallen over a pile of tools. Aiden blinked several times. Then a small laugh escaped him.
"You..."
He shook his head.
"Did you really think of that all by yourself?"
Bone tilted his skull. The sheet slipped slightly. He awkwardly adjusted it back into place.
"You're really not very scary..."
Aiden couldn't help feeling a growing sense of responsibility deep inside him. Bone wasn't just a summon. He didn't resemble a weapon.
Nor a tool.
"I'll come back tonight."
He walked toward the door. Before stepping outside, he turned back one last time.
The moment Aiden placed his hand on the doorknob, a window finally appeared before his eyes.
________________________________________________________________________________
Servant Status Unlocked.
Bone
Race: Skeleton
Rank: Common
Level: 1
Experience: 0%
Health: 15 / 15
Mana: 0 / 0
Strength: 3
Agility: 2
Vitality: 3
Soul Stability: 100%
Traits
Loyalty: Absolute
Fear: None
Pain: None
Growth Potential: Unknown
Evolution: Locked
Current Soul Capacity
1 / 1
Maximum Servants Reached.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Aiden reread the status several times.
"Unknown Potential..."
That detail immediately caught his attention. All the other information was clear. Except for that. Even the System itself seemed unable to determine how far Bone might be able to evolve. At the bottom of the window, one final line slowly appeared. He let out a quiet sigh.
"So... for now... you're my only companion."
Then he left the shed.