Author Note:

I have created a patreon page. If you want to support my work, please visit it. There you could find 6 chapters in advance for patrons.

https://www.patreon.com/finlegost

You can find the character concepts here:

https://www.instagram.com/finlergost

Thanks to my patrons.

*******************

When I awoke, Sabrina had come back to herself. 

Agustin had his arm back in place, and Debi's parents had been healed and tied up.

But it was unnecessary to bind them. 

Just as Sabrina had been controlled by the monster a few moments before, the village chief and his wife were in the same situation, which they explained when they regained consciousness. 

The girl was not even their real daughter, they said. She simply appeared one day, posing as a merchant. 

It was then that livestock and crops began to disappear, forcing the villagers to buy food from the girl. 

Some found it suspicious, but most seemed delighted with the girl's presence in the village. 

I guess that's when Ragnar was called to the village. 

But, by the time they realized that more and more people in the village were starting to act strangely and disappearing, it was too late. 

Ragnar's friend received him already being under Debi's control and, deceiving him with false traces, they led him and ambushed him in the forest.

 They did it that way because Debi did not yet know if she could handle trained adventurers. 

When Debi attacked them in the forest, Ragnar put up a fierce fight trying to protect his friend. But his friend stabbed him in the back, and Debi used the occasion to murder him. 

After the vampiress drained him of blood, she left Ragnar's corpse where he fell, to be eaten by the beasts. 

When we arrived, the children we talked to at the beginning warned her of our arrival, and she prepared a juice with some of her blood. 

The drink would allow her to control us and keep us asleep while she killed us one by one.

Sabrina and I found out about all this when we questioned them. 

I say she and I because Agustin is very shocked by Joseph's death. 

He refuses to talk to us and simply does what we ask with an expressionless look on his face. 

However, for obvious reasons, we don't trust the villagers' words too much. So, we went into the forest to check out the story. 

As we were leaving the village, we saw how a group of villagers were burning Debi's corpse. From which came out a cloud of dark smoke, with a pestilential smell.

During the trip to the forest, Sabrina asked me about how I recovered from the wounds, and how my clothes were automatically repaired. 

When she was being controlled, she clearly saw how I was stabbed in the abdomen, and how my cloak was shredded by her mana bomb.

 But when she came back to herself, I had no more wounds, and my clothes were repaired. 

I told her it must surely be because of what happened before the fight. What happened to me with my new ability is as inexplicable to me as it is to her, so I can use it as an excuse…

 But I know that my wounds have healed and my clothes have been repaired by a combination of the Survivor skill with the self-repair effect of the interface. 

I don't know why I will have acquired this spiritual fusion skill just at that moment, but I guess the most likely causes are my mental state at the time, added to the effect of the warlock's elixir. 

The description of the new skill says [Spiritual Fusion Nv 1: User and spirit merge, combining their stats for 12min. It can only be used once per day. Warning: mind and personality are fused. So, during the fusion, a different personality takes control of the resulting body. Cost: Physical body of the summoned spirit]

With the fusion, I understood what Azur experienced when I was in the dream and why he was so terrified. 

While I was dreaming of my parents, he did not perceive my presence and he could not see or hear anything. 

He only perceived an endless emptiness. 

So, when I tried to contact him through the link, he clung to my consciousness in desperation. Which led to my awakening. 

I leveled up 18 times in each class by defeating Debi, while Azur's skill went up to level 9 and Survivor to level 3. So, all three of my classes are at level 47.

Level 9 seems to be the maximum level of Azur's skill, as a message appears next to the number saying 'Maximum level'. Now my partner has 99% of my capabilities. 

I find the level gain a bit exaggerated, but I guess it's somewhat explained by the fact that, if it wasn't for the new skill that increased my stats, I would have died very easily. 

For that same reason, this time I decided to add some of the points I acquired to Constitution and Will to increase my magical and physical defenses, and my amount of health and mana. And I added the rest to Strength and Agility. 

With this, my stats are at Strength 61, Constitution 37, Intellect 13, Will 36, Agility 61.

We found Ragnar's body without much trouble.

 It was in a deplorable state, so we had to cover it with a blanket while digging his grave to endure the rotting stench his corpse gave off. 

We buried Joseph's body in the forest, next to Ragnar's body. Since we figured he would like to rest in a wild place, as much as his spirit was in life. 

Sabrina and I had to dig the graves without Agustin's help since he seems to have some insensitivity in the arm that was cut off and attached. 

Each time he tried to hold the shovel we borrowed from the village, he kept dropping it. He still does not speak, but it is evident that he has a hard time holding things because of the stiffness of his fingers. 

As a headstone, we used two huge stones on which we carved their names.

We did not cry either during our trip to the forest or during the burial process, as it would have done us no good and there were things that needed to be done. Although, our eyes were wet with emotion. 

We are currently camped next to the graves, as it has become dark. Sitting by a fire, we eat food that we had stored. We don't cook, since it was one of Joseph's things and none of us want to do anything to highlight even more our loss.

When dawn breaks we plan to return to the village to return the shovels to the village chief. 

Trying to shake off my depressed mood, I think that at least this time I was able to save someone. I wasn't helpless when something threatened my loved ones, as happened with the attack a year ago. 

"It was lucky you woke up from the induced sleep" Sabrina says, nibbling on some beef jerky. 

"Yes, maybe... But it would have been better if it had been a few moments earlier..." I say glumly. 

The conversation dies. 

"This is all your fault" Agustin mutters, looking at me resentfully. These are the first words he says since his cousin's death. 

"What do you mean?" I ask quizzically. 

"None of this would have happened if we hadn't accompanied you" he says simply, averting his gaze to the campfire. 

"I didn't ask you to help me..." I start to say, but he interrupted me. 

"Ahh, no, of course!" says Agustin in exasperation "You just let it slip that you were going to a dangerous place alone… It's not like you wanted us to accompany you. You just dropped the information, right?" 

He's right I guess, I think mortified. I shouldn't have let them accompany me.

 I am so stupid! A few moments ago I was trying to find joy in the idea that I had been able to protect them when if it wasn't for me they wouldn't have needed protection… 

"Well, you could have stayed..." I start to say with my head down and without much conviction, but Agustin interrupts me again. 

"You know what I think, Xelean. I think you are cursed and you bring misfortune wherever you go. First, your parents died, then Ragnar, and now Joseph. Who will be the next? Perhaps… " says Agustin hastily, practically spitting in my face as he speaks. 

He is interrupted by a slap from Sabrina, who looks at him crying, with a disgusted expression. 

Upon seeing her expression, Agustin bursts into tears as well and runs inside the tent. 

"Forgive him, he's just trying to vent his helplessness. He doesn't really believe that" Sabrina says in a whisper between sobs. 

"Yeah...I get it" I say, but the thought sticks in my mind 'you're cursed'... What if it's true? "I'm going to sleep" I add in a voice devoid of emotion and I go to my tent, leaving her alone. 

I told Sabrina I was going to sleep, but the memory of faces of my parents, Joseph and Ragnar won't let me sleep… And I squirm in the blankets uncomfortably, thinking about what Agustín said. 

What if the price for having my user interface has to be paid by my loved ones? It's crazy, but my interface is something that falls into the realm of crazy… 

No, I can't stay with them. I have to stay away from people as long as I have the slightest doubt as to whether the people who spend time with me are being negatively affected by some higher force just by being with me.

And, with this initial thought, I begin to map out a plan to leave them…