"What... what do you mean?"

Danny stared wide-eyed at the two maids, whose looks showed nothing but cold collectedness.

"Master has been solidified in his opinion that you are a spy."

"Really, Ram? And he sent you two to catch a potentially dangerous person? Sheesh, he doesn't care at all."

In truth, it hurt. Really hurt. He may have spent only a couple of days here, but he had developed sympathy for the twins. Now they were just... brushing it all off, all his attempts at making them realise what the villagers did turned out to be null and pointless. They used him. It all made sense now. All those chores were meant to keep an eye on him! They accused him of something so ludicrous he would have laughed had it not hurt so much. Thus, the only emotion that surfaced, was anger, displayed through the glowing green eyes and his shaking fist.

Ram swiped her hand, and a gust of wind flew Danny's way. Phantom dodged at the last moment. The wind hit the nearest tree and cut it in half, leaving the teen in a state of shock.

"Don't you dare say such things about Master."

"You almost killed me," Danny whispered.

"But you are fine. This time hold still."

Phantom met another strike with a green shield, dispersed the torrent, but the very edges of the blades of wind left their cuts on his hands, ripping the fabric and spilling blood.

"You don't know what you are getting into!" He raised his voice. "I don't want to harm you two!"

"Then tell us everything."

"I can't tell something I have no relation to! You don't even know if I am an actual spy!"

"Master has his reasons to believe otherwise."

When this was over, Roswaal was going to get a punch into the face. As Phantom refused to attack, he had to go back under the relentless assault of wind magic. She couldn't break through the shield no matter what, but the barrier had to be fully encompassing, or the wind would still get inside and cut him. Then, upon calming down from the initial surprise, Phantom went intangible. The first couple of strikes hit him dead on, but then passed right through, hitting the trees behind and almost entirely depriving them of their leaves. Ram looked stunned at seeing him entirely unharmed. Phantom glared at the pink-haired maid, beginning his approach.

"I am trying to be nice here."

"El fura!"

Another blast, another hit, another miss.

"It is rather pointless. You can't hit me with such straightforward attacks. You are a smart girl, Ram, you should realise this."

Growling, Ram fired another gust of wind. Sighing as the torrent passed him, Danny became tangible again.

"Look. I keep saying that I don't want this! Just calm down and let us sort out what made you think this way of me! Wait... where is..."

The rattle of chains reached his ears at the last moment, when the previous silence allowed for that. Danny looked in direction of the newest strike, and then something sharp and extremely heavy hit him right in the chest. Coughing up blood, Phantom was flung several meters away, but somehow managing to stand on his feet. Several ribs of his were obviously broken.

"Get away from my sister!" Rem commanded, in her hands a giant morning star on a chain.

"Damn it," Danny coughed. "And it all went so well."

It was just like before. Like on that accursed day when his parents did not receive a scratch while beating him up. He tried to talk sense into them and failed. And if such an outcome was during the conversation with his own parents, what was there to say about the maids who had known him for less than a week? The voice inside whispered things. Angry, furious things, it was the same feeling he had felt back then, before the first slaughter took place. His core tried to repair what was broken before he could die again. His eyes glowed brighter, as Phantom began to pull on that energy. In the meantime, however, he began to laugh.

"It always goes the same way... I thought it will be different here, but who was I kidding?"

"Are you trying to invoke pity?"

"Pity? As if I would get any," Phantom spat angrily, before falling on his back. "No, I'm just coping with the fact of being ostracised. I'm dying, you know."

"You jest, even though you are bleeding out."

"That I do," he coughed, "Otherwise it will be too much incessant drama when I pull through this. It will be embarrassing."

Rem sat on her knees right near the teen. Her hand glowed with bright light as she put her palms on the spot she herself had damaged. And Danny felt the pain subsiding.

"Rem, what are you doing?" Ram asked.

"We can't interrogate him if he dies."

"Charming, really," Danny chuckled. "I am in an abusive relationship now."

"Are you sure you didn't hit him on the head?"

Phantom bit his lip in anger. Now was not the time to beat yourself up on this betrayal. When Rem was done and his chest was healed thanks to his own regeneration and the maid's magic, the blue-haired twin got up.

"Now, you tell us what you know."

"I know that your boss is a presumptuous one. Come on, girls, I've been with you most of the time. And even when I was alone I think I actually weren't."

"This again? You want to get something cut off?"

Danny sighed. What was even the point? They would always take their Master's word over his.

"No, I don't. But I apologise for what will happen."

"For what?" Both sisters asked.

The next second electricity jumped all over the teen's body, leaped over and engulfed the twins as well. The girls screamed in pain, quickly falling unconscious, their limp bodies falling near him. With another sigh, he got up and dusted his clothes.

"For this. I didn't leave any burns, did I?"

He had been trying to be extra cautious and he had carefully measured the amount of bolts. But if he miscalculated, he could curse them with an infectious disease if he would not treat it. Danny cursed and pulled their sleeves, seeing no burns there. Why was he even bothering, damn it? They wanted to kill him, too, didn't they? He killed people like this. Guess he cared for them more than he could admit, and Danny found himself feeling disappointed more than anything. His apathetic attitude was beginning to scare him. Danny checked their backs, no burns there as well. They acted on Roswaal's orders, so they weren't to be angry towards. Their necks were fine too. But they could still stop and think, listen to what he had to say and answer him.

His examination was cut short when his ears caught a loud growl. Danny's head spun to the side, as a beast walked out of the bushes. It was a hound-like creature, one meter in length. Its brown and black hide made it almost invisible in the night forest. The obstacle to remaining unnoticed was a pair of glowing red eyes, loud growls escaping its jaw, so ripe with fangs as sharp as razors. It had something similar to Dobermans, with its lean complexion, sharp ears and symmetric proportions. Danny glared at the beast, his fist tightening.

"I am busy, you mutt," his eyes flared. "Back off."

But of course, the Wolgarm chose to howl again, and a multitude of eyes glared back at the teen. Danny took a battle stance as his eyes darted from one corner to another. The first emerged wolgram leapt straight at him. However, whilst it was in the air, about to bite into Phantom's flesh, he swiped his hand, the beast's head twisted around on its own, and now the corpse fell at the teen's legs. The rest of the beasts ran at him from within the woods, and Phantom's hand glowed green, his face contorted in a maniacal grin.

"Hello misplaced aggression!" He exclaimed, reducing the first wolgram to ashes.

The next beast that approached him was grabbed by its opened jaw, only to get it ripped out the next moment. Phantom punched the next one's head into a bloody mess. In the corner of his eye he saw one of the animals approaching the girls who had tried to kill him just now.

"Damn it. Damn it!" Phantom panted from a brief burst of adrenaline.

He couldn't leave them here. No matter how conflicted he was at the moment. He wasn't about to prove them right by leaving the girls to those creatures' dinner. The next moment a green dome surrounded the twins, and zapped the wolgram upon the impact, and its corpse let out the odorous smoke. Phantom jumped atop of his ectoplasmic structure and saw the surrounding area much better from there. His hand raised, it sparked with green lighting, its slim strings reaching farther with each passing second. With a yell he released the pent-up energy; electricity searched for the nearest conduits and jumped from one creature to another, and the forest was filled with the howls and screams of pain, before all the beasts surrounding Danny were dead. Phantom jumped down and dispersed the dome.

Grunting, the teen picked the two girls up on both of his shoulders and hurried back to the road. It was still a long way to the mansion, so it was faster to get back to the village. Besides, they would not interfere in his conversation with Roswaal if they were miles away. Phantom picked up speed, running at the speed no normal human should have been able to achieve even without an extra burden. It took him only a couple of minutes to reach the house given to him. Danny opened it with his leg and quickly examined it.

The place was not anything to write home about, having only the basic, dusty necessities. Had they been conscious, the girls would have never slept on a bed he had. Phantom touched it with his elbow, and the dust fell on the floor. He could give at least that, uncertain about whys and what fors. Putting the girls to bed, Danny put hands in his pockets, biting his lip again. Act, do something, don't let the mind ponder on what's going on around you. His mental fight with himself was cut short when he decided to finally go and have a chat. The rings of light akin to the one passing through the windows engulfed him as he turned into a ghost. Becoming intangible, he jumped through the ceiling and ascended in the air. In a burst of speed he flew towards the mansion, and the white peaks of the building could be seen a couple of minutes after.

Danny landed without any grace, the pavement in front of the entrance cracked under the impact. He changed his form back and stormed forward, swinging the doors open and coming inside.

"Roswaal! Where are you, you piece of shit?!"

"Danny? What's going on?"

Phantom looked at the staircase and saw Emilia standing there and eyeing him with confusion. And him being smeared with blood of wolgrams only added to the frightening impression.

"That bastard thinks I am a spy and so he ordered to kill me if needed! Are you on it, too?" Danny shouted angrily.

"Wh-what? He never told me anything like it!" Emilia's eyes widened and her voice began to shake. "Danny... don't tell me..."

"What?" He snapped and looked around, searching for a way that led to the man he desired to punch with all his might.

"Ram and Rem... they went after you... don't tell me that this blood..."

"No, it's wolgrams. I just knocked the girls unconscious so they don't stand in the way of our chat with your patron."

Danny began to walk down the central corridor, but Emilia stood in his way.

"Danny, please, calm down."

"Calm down?" Danny's voice cracked as well, and his new habit of a ticking eye manifested once more. "Every time, Emilia. Every time I try to make people understand that this abomination is not going to harm them at all I get slapped across the face! I tolerated this for far too long. And I say that I will take none of it anymore! Not from Roswaal, not from the twins, not from anyone!"

"Danny... I understand what you are going through. But please, calm down, it is not going to do any good."

"Move aside, Emilia, I..."

Danny didn't have time to finish his sentence, as an excruciating pain engulfed his palm. Phantom yelped in pain and lifted it for himself to see. Both he and Emilia stared at it with wide eyes, as something dark was coming out of his hand. The pain subsided. It was as if the black mist had carved its way out like blades of grass through the asphalt, for his hand had already healed after an incident with a puppy. It didn't hurt as much moments after the mist began to manifest.

"What... is that?" Phantom panted, and he heard Emilia gasp in horror.

"Danny, you have been cursed!"

"Cursed?" Danny made a laugh, "Yeah, that would explain my luck. Do I need a rabbit paw or a clover?"

"That's not a reason for jokes! You are going to die!"

"You don't scare a hedgehog with a naked ass. What even is going on?"

"Your mana is being eaten as we talk! When you are out of it, you will die!"

Emilia sounded really panicked right now. Danny sighed, and the wound on his hand healed. The mist, therefore, dissipated too.

"See, absolutely fi...ARGH!"

The wound opened again with the same pain. Danny had to stop himself from healing the wound.

"Alright, maybe not fine. How do we stop this?"

"I...I don't... once curses begin to work, you can't undo them..."

Danny cursed quietly, no pun intended. The situation was getting worse and worse. Then, he came up with a very strange proposal.

"Do you have anything to eat?"

"Now is not the time!"

"You are right. But Emilia, don't worry that much. Remember what I am? And like a spirit I can absorb the surrounding mana as the one I have is being taken. That's only a temporary solution, however. I'm not being anyone's juice box."

Emilia looked thoughtful. Danny was happy that she had calmed down at least a bit.

"Danny, were you bitten by a wolgram?"

"No, they didn't even scratch me before I came here."

"All curses are placed through touch. And the contact was made...on your hand."

"I'm telling you, I wasn't bitten by..."

Danny stopped mid-sentence. There was actually one. And he never stopped to ask himself what breed that puppy was.

"By that little mutt. Shit."

"What is it, Danny?"

"That puppy was brought by a little girl. They played with it the whole day!"

Emilia realised the meaning of his words and loudly gasped. "Oh no..."

"Forget Roswaal. We have to help them."

Danny grabbed the half-elf's hand and pulled her after him, right outside, Emilia barely had the time to make her own footsteps.

"Wait, Danny, what are you planning to do?"

"I think there is a way to stop it. Quite often curses are lifted by killing the one responsible. Your thoughts?"

Emilia looked at the ground in thought, "Wolgrams are continuously feeding off your mana. Maybe if we stop them it will work."

"Then I will crave that mutt's cranium. Let's go."

"Stop, Danny, I..."

"Are you afraid that the villagers will shun you at a moment like this?"

"I-I am just not sure..."

"Emilia, we are talking about children. Or do you want to sit this one out?"

Emilia rubbed her hands, fidgeting nervously under his penetrating gaze. That look contradicted his question, for in his eyes there was only one choice she could make.

"You are right. We can't leave them. Just let me take something before we go."

Danny nodded seriously, "Be quick."

Emilia ran back inside the mansion and, after a couple of minutes during which Danny was growing more and more impatient and restless, she was now wearing a white cloak that had two funny-looking pointy ears on very top. Phantom blinked.

"You... went back to pick a cloak?"

"It's enchanted!"

Danny sighed, turning into a ghost form again. The sight amazed the girl as much as it did the first time. Phantom approached and poked those ears.

"Alright, hold on tight, we will be flying quickly."

Emilia nodded and took his hand.

"Wait, did you say..."

The half-elf yelped and let out a scream of surprise, as Phantom bolted for the skies. The wind blew past her at deafening speed, and unconsciously she clenched her eyes close, as well as the hand that held her. She didn't know how long the flight was. And it was, most certainly, a flight, for she could not feel any ground beneath her legs. Of course he could fly, spirits were able to, after all. His condition was absolutely unique. Then, she was no longer in a lying position, and her feet touched the ground once again, allowing her to finally open her purple eyes. With the corner of her eye she caught Danny becoming human again, as he wriggled his wrist. Her own legs, in the meantime, were shaking.

"Come on."

In the village he was already seeing many torches. He would have assumed they were after him, but Danny could hear the locals shouting the children's names. Biting his lip, Phantom ran forward and towards them, Emilia trying not to fall too far behind. When one of the villagers saw him, he was quick to alert everyone by calling Danny's last name out loud.

"Phantom, thank goodness you are here, we were going to send someone after you! The kids..."

"Got kidnapped by wolgrams. Yeah. He actually cursed me, too," Danny raised his smoking hand. "I'll be fine for a long while, but the kids' mana is abysmal. So we can't waste time."

"B-but the barrier is supposed to keep them away!"

Phantom rubbed his chin. That was a very good question, actually, the village itself was well-protected. He then felt Emilia shaking him a bit.

"Danny," she whispered, "Look."

She pointed at one of the trees, on the rows of glowing gems that were attached to every second one. Except there was one crystal missing.

"Huh. That would explain it. Some local must have pawned it off," Phantom whispered, "No matter. Hey, Everyone! We need to go there and find your kids! I need some volunteers, because there is a big chance we will need to carry them, and I only have two hands! Me and my companion will protect you to the best of our abilities, but we will need your help, too!"

Danny turned towards Emilia, making several villagers to look at her. Not expecting so much attention, she directed her own confused gaze at the teen, who only made a gesture for her to say her piece as well.

"Yes. We will do everything possible!" She said maybe too loudly.

The villagers began looking at each other, and Phantom was glad when he saw several men raise their hands.

"Alright, those willing take any weapons you can get and wrap thick pieces of cloth around your limbs, they won't bite through it! Skulker! I know you are there, so how about you add some unique pets to your macabre menagerie?"

The tiny spirit floated next to him. "My suit is not ready, Phantom."

"Then fly over the forest and scout ahead. We need to know where the kids are. Everyone! I give you five minutes, if you are not here by that point, we are moving without you!"

His orders left no room for questions, and brought the entire village into action. Emilia could only watch in marvel at how everyone was running around, and even Skulker zoomed in the air and flew off, even if it was fear of refusal that pushed him there. There was something authoritative about Phantom that made people listen, he looked so confident in what he was doing that it was infectious. In five minute's time everyone had already gathered at the spot where the crystal was gone. It was the most logical path.

"Emilia, you take the rear. I'll lead the column," Danny spoke to her with a voice lower than before.

"Why?"

"I saw wolgrams for only a short while, but they behave like normal wolves. They will try to surround us, but by putting two of us on two ends we will prevent it and save at least two paths to follow. This will also prevent the most weak-willed from running off tails between their legs."

"You don't have any faith in them?"

"It is natural to be afraid when you don't have the means. That's it, basically. Come on," he patted her on the shoulder. "We gotta move quicker."

"Yes," Emilia nodded and hurried after him.

Phantom ordered to form a line, grabbed a torch, and very soon they were all marching through the dark forest. The fresh air was filled with the smell of dirt. And canine. Danny could hear the villagers' whispers, and they weren't talking about increased morale. True, without any knowledge of where to go, they would wander aimlessly. He did everything he could to look confident in the eyes of the people, acted as if he knew where to go until Skulker's return. He could rely on his senses and find at least where the wolgrams were. If they could place curses, they probably had the abundance of mana, enough to be spotted if he put his mind into it. Danny checked on the back rows after stepping on a fallen tree. Emilia was cautiously looking around as they went.

Did Danny feel bad for bringing her into this? It had been the heat of the moment that urged him to grab the half-elf and get her to the village. But she eventually agreed to help herself, so he wasn't all that bothered. However, if she got hurt, it would be his fault. She was as helpful as she was potentially dangerous for his reputation. Danny decided to roll with it, as she hadn't made him regret his decision yet. His thoughts were interrupted when Skulker returned to him.

"I found them, Phantom," the ghost reported, receiving a smirk.

"See, you can find something, not just the remote. Well?"

"Go straight ahead in that direction," Skulker pointed at a narrow path. "You will get to an opening and there you'll see the kids."

"How are they?"

"Unconscious, barely breathing, but alive. No beasties around, though. And that's strange, aren't they going to eat them?"

"Once the mana is dry, I think. You heard him, guys! We are going there! And Mr. Blacksmith!"

"Yes?"

"Please hold your pitchfork horizontally, turn it to the left. Yes. Like this."

Danny swiped his hand and the improvised weapon flew out of the man's hand and into the face of a wolgram who had been hiding in the bush. The beast let out a final howl and fell dead in a pool of its own blood. The villagers soon recovered from shock, and the blacksmith took the pitchfork out.

"We have company!"

Danny spun around and fired a blast in the darkness, vaporising the head of his target. Phantom kept giving orders to the villagers while retaining his own position. For some reason, the beasts seemed to have a need for killing him alone for the most part. As Danny cut off another one's head, he noticed another five monsters coming his way. With a sigh, he summoned an ice blade and swiped it.

In the back, Emilia received a warning from the teen about the beasts coming from the left. In the light of her own projectiles Emilia could see the animals run to them, so she adjusted her aim and fired more correctly. Despite being their main target, Danny still watched closely. Emilia, however, not adhering to the formation as strictly as he did, rushed to their help directly. As one of the villagers stabbed a wolgram in its belly, the half-elf saw another beast about to leap.

"El huma!"

The ice shards pierced the beast and made it fall on the ground, dead.

"Thank you, lady!" The man smirked, removing the pitchforks.

A small smile graced the girl's features. She was then quickly distracted by Danny's order to resume their positions, as the formation was turning chaotic very quickly.

"Good job, but don't relax until we get back! Back in line!"

"Damn, this kid gives orders left and right."

"We are doing fine, aren't we?" Whispers followed.

"Yes, you are, people, and I also happen to have a very good hearing. Move out and cut the chatter! You won't hear them coming!"

The procession quickly reassembled and continued its travel. Very soon they reached a clearing, and the light of the moon could finally be seen. People began looking around, and soon enough, someone spotted the children. They were lying around in an unconscious state, refusing to wake up despite the calls of their parents. Danny himself spotted Petra, who, as he immediately noticed, moved just a bit. He rushed to the girl's aid, dropping on his knees right near her.

"Hey, Petra, wake up."

"D-Danny," she mumbled weakly and coughed.

"Shh, it's okay, we'll get you out."

Emilia came up to them and put a hand on the little girl's forehead.

"This is bad," the half-elf whispered to Danny, "We don't have much time left."

Danny gritted his teeth, his hands balling into fists. He then examined the heavily panting child, and noticed a bite mark.

"I'll kill them all," he whispered furiously, feeling a small hand on his.

"Danny...Meili...she's still out there..."

Phantom quickly snapped out of his anger. He got up to his feet and used his sense of ghosts and mana whilst trying to find any clues.

"Emilia, take the villagers and get them back. We got what we came for, there is no need for you people to stay here."

"Aren't you coming as well?"

"There is still one girl. I can take her back myself. The villagers still need someone capable to accompany them. Just run, I have the suspicion that they won't be very persistent."

"Why do you think so?"

"They seem to hate me with extra passion. Something is really fishy here. The little wolgram could suck their mana supply from a large distance, why bring them all the way here? In any case, if I go the other way, the beasties might leave you alone," He smirked sadly, "Just don't tell the locals that they were attacked because of me, alright?"

"I won't... But I'll come back for you!"

"Don't. We won't know each other's location and you will end up getting lost. I'll be fine, the only worry you should have is about me burning down the forest!" He gave a thumbs up before looking at Petra. With her half-closed eyes she stared at him with unreadable emotions. "I'll help you, Petra. Just hold up for a little longer."

Danny saluted, before running off in direction where he sensed most mana. Since they stuffed themselves on the large supply, it stood to reason that they would be easier to spot. Phantom disappeared behind the rows of trees, his clothes getting caught up in the sticking branches. Do not panic, he told himself. It was just a stupid puppy, how hard would it be to kill one? Suddenly from the bush jumped another wolgram, but Danny grabbed the beast by its neck. His hand clenched, and the monster's neck burst open. Did they multiply like germs? There were far too many animals for such a small area. Come to think of it... he never heard, never saw any birds or smaller animals in the forest or near it. Those beasts were an ecological disaster. Soon they would begin eating their own.

Phantom didn't know how much time he spent wandering through the woods. Ten minutes? Twenty? With each passing second the pain in his palm pulsated stronger, even without the curse ripping through his flesh. That damn beast was stuffing its belly and gorging on his mana like there was no tomorrow. Didn't Felix say that the excess amounts of mana were deadly? Danny killed many wolgrams on his path, but there seemed to be no end to them. And with each beast he killed in a monotonous slaughter, Phantom was becoming more and more annoyed. More and more bent on murdering that stupid monster. How dared that thing attack those he had grown attached to? His core pulsated at the thought.

Any ghost had something they cherished. And no matter how benevolent they were, like a child or a dog they would refuse to let go of it. They would go to any lengths to keep it. When someone threatened to destroy the object of desire, ghosts went ballistic, and blood was always spilled. Phantom, so agitated by the curse, was less than reluctant to stop it. Finally his radar picked an enormous spike in energy, realising that his target was really close. Danny walked out in an open area, a dead end, where on one side was the foundation of a tall cliff, and on all the others were the tall pine trees. His boots had slumped on the muddy path for good ten seconds, as he went forward, before he heard a voice call for him.

"So you came! Took your time, didn't you?"

Phantom froze. It sounded familiar. Once the teen decided to turn around, he stood frozen. Meili stood there. She now wore a long-sleeved black one-piece dress with a frilly white hem and white cone-shaped cuffs, brown tights with vertical-facing lighter brown stripes, a white cravat, and a pair of black boots that had cuffs with purple feathery-trimming along their edge. The clothes awoke some memories in Danny's mind. And he didn't like it. There wasn't even a glint of former shyness in her green eyes.

"Meili..." Dany spoke slowly and seriously, "You'd better tell me something I would like."

"Like what?" She smiled wickedly and leaned forward. "That I am alright? I don't think this will help you. Aren't you surprised?"

Surprisingly for her, Phantom began to laugh.

"I did suspect some shit, but that did catch me off guard!"

Meili remained silent.

"That's it?" She finally asked.

"What did you expect? That I would fall on the knees and say 'Please, this gotta be a joke'!" He exclaimed dramatically.

"You look like a guy who would do like that. It would have been so nice."

"Maybe so. But seriously, spill it, Meili. What the actual hell?"

No matter how much bravado he could muster, he desperately needed to know what was going on. Before Meili answered, the same dreaded puppy from that morning ran up to her, its eyes glowed like two ambers, and it growled at the teen as much as it could.

"You really want to know? Fine. You got into a mess you don't properly understand. You killed my sister!" She screamed, looking furious.

"Your... oh. So that murderous witch was your sister? What do the kids have to do with this?"

"Simple. I don't have anything against them. We are friends, after all!" She smiled, "After dealing with you, I would have given them swift death. One bite. Haam!" Her palm mimicked the movement of jaws.

Danny's eyes glowed. "All this just to lure me here?" He muttered.

"Yep! And you took the bait, silly!"

"You really are her sister, Meili."

"Thanks. How are you still holding up? The curse should have killed you by now."

Phantom smirked, opening his arms wide, "My mana supply is infinite, you little brat!"

He bellowed with laughter, emerald flames burst all around him, even touching the crowns of the trees. The puppy suddenly grew in size, becoming as tall as an oak, a wall of muscles so reminiscent of a grown Labrador, and covered the girl. Phantom looked at it in surprise, but the shock vanished very quickly. It wasn't the first dog that could do that and whom he had seen.

"Wh-what... how do you even..."

Not only did his mana remain, he had enough to showcase the fiery spectacle. Phantom turned into his ghost form, and, for his well-masked fury always manifested physically, his very hair were tossed around by a non-existent wind. The impression he was leaving in the black heart of a child in front of him was the one he absolutely sought.

Danny chuckled, "Of all the people you chose to mess with the Sin Archbishop. You are in deep shit, girl, you know that?"

Meili's fists tightened. "Boy! Kill that stupid buffoon!"

The wolgram's eyes flashed, and the ground began to shake. Danny jumped at the last second, almost becoming a victim of a quickly emerged stone pillar. So the beast could use earth magic. Phantom looked at the animal he was supposed to kill, but he barely had the time, because the onslaught had just begun. More pillars, rocks from within the cliff, everything was tossed his way, not letting him take a breather. The beast roared, and the pain in Danny's hand grew stronger.

"You just gobble and gobble," Danny muttered, lazily dodging another rock.

More wolgrams emerged from the forest, but Phantom got to the nearest one, covered the distance of twenty meters in a split second and cut off its head with a summoned blade. Danny flung a blast at another beast, before pushing himself in the air, where they would not be able to get him. However, the alpha wolgram tried to get him with its magic, throwing gigantic rocks, but inevitably missing, for the animal could not understand that larger meant slower. Neither did the small child in the form of Meili, who kept shouting sporadic orders. Danny floated in the air, now finally allowed to come up with a plan of action. That parasite was going to keep consuming not only his mana, but that of the children. He couldn't possibly wait to tire the beast, he needed to kill it quickly, and an interesting idea occurred to him.

"You want my mana, you mutt?!" Danny yelled, pointing his tainted hand at it, "Then eat as much as you want!"

He directed his entire energy in his palm. The dark miasmas grew in size and thickness, and the beast reacted immediately, growling from sudden pain in its head. And if it could feel nauseous, then it most certainly did, for its aim became even less precise. Danny could see the result, so he pushed even more mana into the wound. His body always adapted, his core absorbed even more free-roaming energy with how quickly he seemed to utilise it. The Od, the inner container of all the local beings, could only contain this much before being twisted inside out.

"Come on! You wanted it, did you not?! So choke on it until you vomit!"

"That's insane..." Meili whispered in shock. "Nobody can have that much!"

Danny smirked, kept going, and the beast was going through an agonising pain. It truly vomited, stopping its attacks, which proved to be fatal. So far it had been expunging as much as it could, but now the container gained cracks. Finally getting the so much needed opening, Danny gathered the energy around himself, with it gaining shape of a large, several times his size, and finally he launched it downwards. On its way towards the target the spear burst with green, deathly light, thus creating a colossal pillar of ectoenergy, basking the forest in its emerald shine. When it hit, the beast roared from pain, from its skin being burned, its spine cracking. And soon, the beast died, its corpse pinned to the ground, with a spear of green, corporeal energy sticking out of it. And Phantom descended, standing on its other end with his toes.

"There should be a moral about gluttony here, but that's not my credo."

Meili backed away from him and his terrifying green eyes. Danny, in the meantime, checked his gloved hand, from which the miasma stopped coming.

"You should have figured that if I killed your sister then your pet was not going to suffice. Now what should I do with you," he asked and jumped down on the grass.

The wolgrams who were about to attack him now had second thoughts. Once he looked at them and vaporised one with a blast, they finally scattered, leaving him and sociopathic child alone.

"You... can't be..."

Meili stepped back and fell, stumbling on a log. Danny leaned forward and towered over her.

"True, I am a nice guy who cares a lot about a bunch of children. Unbecoming for someone with a title like this. Now. How do you want to go?"

For the first time Meili's expression turned into that of sheer terror.

"P-please, don't!" Tears flushed to her eyes, "I'm just twelve!"

Danny narrowed his eyes, "So? You are still a sick killer. Think I'll let you try again?"

"They won't let me."

"Who are 'they'?"

"The Assassin Organisation! I... it's not only my wish to get back at you! You killed Elsa! I waited, waited for her to return and she didn't! Then I learned that it was you! And that mission was a failure. Mother gave me a single chance to redeem myself and avenge my sister! And I failed! They will kill me in any case, so why you should bother?! I don't want to die like this!"

Danny's expression remained stone cold, "You are not getting any pity from me. You knew what you were doing," he grabbed her clothes and lifted the girl closer, "And we barely escaped the tragedy here. Nobody wanted the kids to die as well, but you chose to ignore it."

The girl's nose began to twitch, and then Meili began to cry. Sighing, Danny dropped her on the ground. As much as he hated to admit, he didn't want to harm the child. Phantom had his share of homicides, little girls were not among them. He was not an utter monster as the likes of the said child. And there was, admittedly, something else that held his hand back.

"You are a disgusting creature," he said, "A sadistic, twisted creature. But then again, so am I. My killing record is hardly smaller than yours."

Meili looked up, confused about what he was saying. What was the last part for?

"How do you control those things?"

"I..." she sobbed, "I have a Divine Blessing. I can order the hornless beasts around."

"I see," Danny rubbed his chin. "Alright, Meili. It is your lucky day!" He exclaimed and spread his hands, "This insane man has a thing for second chances."

"Second... chances?" She asked slowly.

"Yes. Don't take it wrong, Meili, I don't have any sympathy for what you do or who you are. But... I changed my ways after another homicidal manipulator gave me a second chance. So I hope you can too. I am letting you live, Meili. But on one condition, if you want to hear it."

"What is it?"

Danny smirked, "You, girl. Are tagging along on my journey."

Meili froze. What did that insane man had in mind for her? Was he going to have his way with her?

"Why do... The Organisation is going to hunt you and me both until the ends of the world!"

"They are trying this already," Danny glared, "Courtesy of you and your sister. So I have to get to the source and get rid of it. Eventually. I have some plans before that."

"I don't know anything substantial about it."

"Do you want to live or not?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "That's my condition, girl. Take it or I'm finishing you right here. I am an Archbishop, girl. More than that, actually. I am not afraid of being tracked, I'll kill everyone who tries to attack me. And this will extend to you, I guarantee it."

Meili looked at the ground, hundreds of different, conflicting thoughts circling through her mind. Danny felt no illusions. She would one day try and stab him in his sleep, all for a sliver of hope of being accepted back in her organisation. With how young she was, it was probably the closest thing to a family she had. There was probably a tiny tint of guilt for killing her relative, but he remained firm in his beliefs. Elsa completely deserved what she got. But that, another attempt at his murder would not be a part of a scheme of her boss. It was an element of chaos, something that threw off any predictions. Nobody could have possibly predicted that.

Predicted how soft-hearted their target was.