CHAPTER 26: PACT MARK

The streets had grown a lot quieter by the time Edward and Aeris returned to the eastern quarter. Most of the drunks had wandered off, either to their homes or to other taverns that still burned with lanternlight. Only the wind carried between the narrow alleys, lifting faint scraps of laughter from afar.

Inside the shuttered tavern, the air was stale, heavy with the metallic tang of dried blood. The overturned chairs and stained floor looked untouched since they had left.

Aeris crossed her arms, a frown pulling at her lips. "What the hell are we doing here?"

Edward moved past her without pause, his boots clicking against the wood. "If we’re going to work together," he said, his tone calm but weighted, "there’s something you need to know."

Her brows drew together. "What are you talking about?"

He stopped near the innkeeper’s body, which still lay slumped against the wall where it had fallen. The blood around him had gone dark and sticky, soaking into the cracks between the planks.

"Do you remember the summon I used?" Edward asked, his eyes fixed on the corpse. "The one that fetched you when we fought Selene?"

"Yes," Aeris replied slowly. "What of it?"

"My summons aren’t like most people’s."

That earned him a confused look, sharp and searching. "What do you mean?"

Edward didn’t answer. Instead, he took another step forward, lowering his voice until it was nearly a whisper.

"Extract."

The word cut through the silence.

From the tavern keeper’s body, shadows uncoiled like smoke, twisting and reforming into the vague outline of a man. The figure was darker than the deepest night, its edges flickering as though it barely held shape. Its empty eyes glowed faintly green.

[Shadow Soldier]

Aeris gasped, and her hand darted to her rapier.

Steel hissed free of its sheath in an instant. She positioned herself defensively, the blade angled toward both Edward and the shadowy figure he had conjured.

Edward ignored her, his gaze locked on the shadow. He stepped closer, voice steady, as though speaking to a living witness.

"Who killed you?"

The summon stood silent. Shadows rippled along its frame, but no sound emerged. Edward waited, his jaw tight, then tried again.

"Who murdered you?"

But the silence continued.

A frown creased his face. After several long seconds, he exhaled slowly.

"I guess not all summons can talk." With a flick of his hand, the shadow collapsed into itself, vanishing into nothingness.

Only then did Edward turn.

Aeris stood stiff, her rapier leveled at his chest. The tip wavered slightly, betraying the storm of emotions beneath her composure.

"What the hell is the meaning of this?" she demanded. Her voice trembled with anger, but there was something else in it too—a hint of fear or betrayal. "How can you summon the dead?"

Edward’s shoulders lifted in a casual shrug, though his eyes betrayed how serious he was. "It’s my ability."

Her expression shifted suddenly, suspicion flashing across her face. Her grip on the rapier tightened. "A pact..." she whispered, almost to herself.

Edward blinked. "What?"

She took two quick steps forward before he could react.

With one hand, she caught the edge of his shirt, yanking hard. The sound of tearing fabric echoed through the tavern as buttons clattered across the bloodstained floorboards.

"What the hell are you—"

But she wasn’t listening. Her eyes scanned his chest, searching desperately for something. When she found nothing, she froze. Then, slowly, her shoulders dropped, and a long sigh of relief slipped from her lips.

The tension in her stance bled away as she lowered her blade. And finally, her eyes met his.

Edward stood baffled, half his shirt hanging open, his chest bared to the cool air.

"What was that about?" he asked.

She blinked, her glance flicking between his exposed chest and his confused expression. Then she stepped back, lowering her rapier further.

"I—I was checking for a Pact Mark," she said quickly.

"...A Pact Mark?" Edward repeated, disbelief clear in his voice.

"You really don’t know?"

He shook his head.

"When a person makes a pact, a mark appears on their chest. A seal, etched into the skin. It grows larger the deeper the pact goes, the more power that’s shared. Didn’t you check the stage of Selene’s Pact Mark?"

"What?" Edward said flatly.

Then, as the meaning sank in, his brows knit. "Wait... check Selene’s Pact Mark? Of course not! I’m not going to undress a dead woman!"

Aeris only shrugged, unimpressed by his indignation. "Anyways, you don’t have one. So your ability isn’t pact-related." Her eyes darted to the spot where the shadow soldier had once stood. "But then... how can you summon the dead? How is that even—"

A sudden creak of wood cut her question short. Both their heads snapped toward the doorway.

Heavy steps pressed against the wooden flooring, accompanied by the faint rattle of armour.

Chief Warren stepped inside, broad-shouldered and weary-eyed, with the soldier at his back. His lantern washed the bloodied floor in harsh yellow, throwing long shadows across Edward and Aeris where they stood.

And with his entrance, the tavern fell silent once more.