James woke to the dim glow of morning light filtering through the window. He sat up, rubbing his face, still shaken by what had happened last night. The visions, the whispers, the monsters that had materialized in the real world while he slept—

  He glanced at his arms. The tattoos remained, dark and unnatural against his skin. They felt different now, like they were truly part of him.

  A quiet sigh came from the other side of the room. Lyra sat on her bed, legs crossed, watching him with a raised brow.

  "You good?" she asked. "Because last night, you were not good."

  James exhaled sharply, leaning back against the headboard. "I don't even know how to explain it."

  "Try me."

  He hesitated, then recounted the dream—or whatever it had been. The whispers in the void, the way his mind had been pulled somewhere else, how the tattoos had burned into his skin. And, most importantly, how he'd been summoning creatures in his sleep.

  Lyra listened in silence, arms folded, her face unreadable.

  Finally, she let out a low whistle. "So, you're saying if I hadn't woken you up, you'd have summoned a whole damn army of shadow monsters in our room?"

  "...Yeah. Pretty much."

  She smirked. "Glad I kicked you awake, then. That was creepy as hell."

  James nodded. "I need to figure this out. If I can't control it, I’m a danger to everyone—including you."

  "Good idea," she agreed. "Where are you going to test it?"

  "I'm thinking Duskwither Woods. Not too far, but remote enough that I won’t freak people out if things go sideways."

  Lyra nodded. "Alright. Just don’t die out there."

  James chuckled. "No promises."

  James stepped out of the inn just as the first light of dawn broke over the town. The streets were mostly empty, save for a few early risers setting up market stalls. His body still ached from yesterday’s fight, but his mind was somewhere else entirely.

  He flexed his fingers, staring at the blackened tattoos that now lined his forearms. They pulsed faintly, as if alive, reacting to his thoughts.

  He needed to test this.

  He couldn’t risk his party seeing it yet—not until he had control. Whatever had happened to him in the void, it was clear this power was meant for him. The game—this world—had given him something terrifying. And if last night’s accidental summoning had been any indication, it could easily spiral out of control.

  Time to see what I can do.

  James made his way through town, passing through the main square where adventurers gathered, but instead of heading toward the guild, he took a different path—one leading beyond the town walls. There were fields and forests nearby, places where creatures lurked, places where he could test his newfound abilities without worrying about prying eyes.

  After about twenty minutes of walking, he found himself at the edge of a dense, misty forest. The trees stretched high, gnarled and twisted, their shadows long and ominous in the morning light. According to his map, this was Duskwither Woods—a low to mid-level hunting ground filled with various beasts and undead creatures.

  Perfect.

  He unsheathed his cursed sword and took a deep breath.

  “Alright, let’s try this.”

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  James focused on his tattoos, willing them to respond. A cold sensation rippled through his veins, like ice threading beneath his skin. His vision darkened for a moment, and then—

  A shadow coiled from the ground before him, swirling like smoke before solidifying into a monstrous form.

  It was humanoid, but twisted—its body made of pure darkness, its eyes hollow voids that radiated malice. It stood silently, awaiting his command.

  [Summoned: Shadow Wraith]

  James stared at it. His heart pounded.

  Then a UI notification flickered into existence.

  +200 Magic XP (Summoning)

  So I actually get XP just from summoning?

  Before he could process it, movement in the underbrush caught his attention. A pack of Shadowfang Wolves emerged, their glowing red eyes locking onto him.

  Four of them.

  James gripped his sword. “Guess I’ll test you in combat.”

  The wolves snarled and lunged.

  James pointed at them. "Attack."

  The Shadow Wraith moved instantly, gliding across the battlefield with inhuman speed. It struck the first wolf, its clawed hands phasing through flesh like mist. The wolf howled in agony as its very essence was torn apart.

  [Shadow Wraith has slain Shadowfang Wolf.]

  +350 Magic XP (Summoning)

  James grinned. That’s what I’m talking about.

  The other wolves circled, wary now. He took the chance to test another command.

  His mind reached out—instinctual, almost—and the shadows around him shifted. Another ripple of cold, another pulse through his tattoos, and a second figure emerged.

  This one was different. A skeletal warrior, clad in blackened armor, a jagged sword in its bony grasp. Its empty sockets burned with eerie blue light.

  [Summoned: Undead Knight]

  +200 Magic XP (Summoning)

  James barely had time to process before the wolves attacked again.

  The Undead Knight met them head-on, swinging its blade in a brutal arc. It cleaved through one wolf instantly, sending its body crashing to the ground. The Shadow Wraith tore into another, reducing it to nothingness.

  The final wolf hesitated, then turned to flee.

  James smirked. "Not happening."

  A dark tendril erupted from the shadows at his feet, snatching the wolf mid-sprint. The creature yelped as it was dragged back, thrashing in vain.

  James stepped forward and ran his sword through its throat.

  [You have slain Shadowfang Wolf.]

  +420 Attack XP+150 Magic XP (Shadow Grasp)

  As the last enemy fell, James exhaled sharply. He glanced at his summoned creatures—the Shadow Wraith still lingered, but the Undead Knight was starting to fade, its form unraveling.

  Summons didn’t last forever.

  He pulled up his status screen.

  JamesLevel 12Attack: 23Magic: 14XP to Next Level: 5,620

  Not bad. His Magic was climbing fast, and he was actually gaining combat XP alongside it.

  He dismissed his summons and rolled his shoulders.

  One test run isn’t enough. Let’s push this further.

  James spent hours experimenting.

  He summoned more Shadow Wraiths, sending them against tougher enemies deeper in the forest. He called forth Undead Warriors, skeletal archers, even a hulking undead brute that took down an entire pack of ghouls on its own.

  Each kill gave him more XP. Each summon strengthened his command over them.

  He discovered that the more creatures he summoned, the harder it was to control them—too many at once and they became erratic, aggressive, harder to direct. He also learned that his own strength affected their power, meaning if he got stronger, his summons would too.

  By the time the sun was dipping low, he had carved a path through Duskwither Woods, leaving behind a trail of defeated monsters and flickering XP notifications.

  His Magic had shot up by almost two levels just from today alone.

  But the biggest revelation came at the very end.

  James had just finished fighting a Rotting Revenant, a high-tier undead that had nearly overpowered him, when a UI message popped up.

  [New Skill Unlocked: Soulbound Summons]Your summoned creatures now persist longer and require less energy to maintain.

  He grinned. Hell yes.

  The world around him was growing darker, and exhaustion was setting in, but James felt more powerful than ever.