"Excuse me?" Alex kept his voice altered, different.

  "Don't play dumb. I saw how you looked at the necklace when they brought it out. Recognition. Want. So question again: why do you want it?"

  "It's... pretty," Alex said weakly.

  "Uh-huh. And I'm the Queen of England." Maya stepped closer. "Look, I'm not stupid. Necromancy item, very specialized, and a masked person with a skeleton companion bids on it. The math adds up."

  Alex's heart beat faster. Had she recognized him?

  "I don't know what—"

  "I'm offering a deal," Maya interrupted. "I bought this on impulse to spite that noble idiot. I don't need a necromancy necklace—my specialty is fire, not death. So I'll sell it to you."

  Alex blinked. "...What?"

  "Forty-five thousand crowns. Fair price considering what I paid plus commission."

  "I don't have forty-five thousand crowns."

  "Then I have another option." Maya smiled. "You work for my team. One month of dungeon clearing contracts. We get first priority on your time, you get the necklace. Considering how effective you seemed to be at clearing..." Her eyes dropped to Grim. "We could use that efficiency."

  "Why?" Alex couldn't help but ask. "Why help me?"

  Maya shrugged. "Call it intuition. Or curiosity. Or the fact that any summoner who survives level 22 boss encounters alone is probably worth knowing." She leaned closer. "Plus, I recognized your companion. The shapeshifting, the dark armor, the way he watches you. It's the same skeleton from the East Sewer Dungeon."

  Shit. SHIT.

  "So here's the deal," Maya continued. "You work with us, you get the necklace, and maybe—just maybe—I can keep Guild Investigation off your back when they start asking questions about the Ghost Hunter."

  She knew. Completely, without doubt, knew who he was.

  Alex looked at the necklace. Then at Maya. Then back at the necklace.

  Every instinct said this was a trap. But also...

  "One month," he said slowly. "One month of contracts, I get the necklace, and after that we're square."

  "Square," Maya agreed. "Though something tells me we'll still be working together after that. You have that 'trouble follows me everywhere' vibe."

  She wasn't wrong.

  "Deal," Alex said, extending his gloved hand.

  Maya shook it. "Great. We'll meet tomorrow at the guild to formalize the contract. For now..." She took the necklace out of its box, held it out.

  [Warning: Cursed artifact detected in proximity]

  "Here." She tossed it to him.

  Alex caught it by instinct. The necklace was cold to the touch, heavier than expected.

  [Soul Dominion Necklace - Acquired]

  [Equip?]

  "Thanks," Alex said, still not quite believing it.

  "Don't thank me yet. Wait until you see the kind of dungeons we go to." Maya smiled. "See you tomorrow, Ghost Hunter."

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  She left with her team, leaving Alex standing in the nearly empty warehouse.

  Grim tugged at his coat. The red lights flickered. That was... unexpected.

  "Yeah," Alex murmured. "It was."

  He turned to leave—

  And froze.

  Someone was blocking the exit.

  Hooded figure. Spectral raven on its shoulder, glowing with red-purple ethereal light.

  "Leaving so soon?" the figure said. Female voice, amused. "And here I thought we'd finally talk properly."

  The figure pulled back its hood.

  A woman, mid-twenties, short black hair with red streaks. Mismatched eyes—one brown, one glowing crimson. Rune tattoos running down the left side of her neck.

  A smile that was half invitation, half threat.

  "Hello, sweetheart," said Raven. "I'm R. But you probably already guessed that."

  Alex stepped back instinctively. Grim expanded to a meter and a half, scythe rising defensively.

  Raven laughed—a sound like wind chimes mixed with broken glass.

  "Easy, easy. I'm not here to fight. I'm here to chat." Her eyes dropped to the necklace in Alex's hand. "And maybe congratulate you on getting that? Maya just gave it to you. How sweet. Also slightly suspicious, but let's go with sweet."

  "What do you want?" Alex asked, keeping his voice steady despite his heart racing.

  "What do I want?" Raven tapped her lip, pretending to consider. "Hmm. World peace. Unlimited chocolate. An explanation of why your adorable skeleton smells of ancient death enough to make my raven nervous."

  The spectral raven on her shoulder cawed, staring at Grim with what could only be described as unease.

  "But what do I want right now?" Raven stepped closer. "I want to know why a kid with a Reaper Fragment is walking around my city without at least saying hello."

  Alex's blood ran cold. "How—?"

  "How do I know?" Raven laughed again. "Honey, I practice blood magic. I can taste the death in the air around you. And that skeleton..." Her eyes fixed on Grim. "That skeleton is leaving traces of ancient death energy everywhere. The kind that only comes from the Seven Sealed Relics."

  She pulled something from her coat—a knife. Simple, silver blade, but the handle was wrapped in what looked like... human hair?

  "So here's my question," Raven said, spinning the knife casually. "Are you a threat to me, a potential asset, or just another stupid kid who's going to get himself killed playing with power he doesn't understand?"

  Alex looked between her, the knife, and Grim.

  "I'm not a threat," he finally said. "I'm just trying to survive."

  "Survive." Raven tasted the word. "Interesting word choice. Most people say 'live.' You say 'survive.' Says a lot."

  She lowered the knife.

  "Alright. Here's the deal: I don't kill you tonight. You don't report seeing me here. And tomorrow—well, technically today already, it's almost 2 AM—we meet properly. There are people you need to meet. People like us."

  "The Forsaken Circle?" Alex asked.

  "Ooh, you already know the name. Someone's been doing their homework." Raven winked. "Yeah. The Circle. Outlaw summoners, forbidden magic practitioners, generally rejected by polite society types. We're one big happy dysfunctional family."

  "And if I say no?"

  Raven shrugged. "Then you continue alone. Which, given the circumstances—Temple looking for you, Guild Investigation suspicious, Ancient Gods probably waking up—is basically suicide. But hey, your funeral. Literally."

  She had a point. Alex hated it, but she had a point.

  "Where?" he asked.

  "Warehouse 13, Harbor District—the one you failed to show up for the first time. Midnight. Be punctual this time." Raven stepped back into the shadows. "Oh, and bring your little skeleton friend. People are going to want to meet him."

  "Wait," Alex said. "How did you know—?"

  But Raven was already gone. Simply... faded into the shadows, her spectral raven dissolving into red smoke.

  Alex stood there, holding the cursed necklace, his mind racing.

  In the last six hours he had:

  · Attended an illegal auction

  · Almost bought an artifact with borrowed money

  · Ended up getting the artifact for free (more or less)

  · Been discovered by Maya Park

  · Met Raven face to face

  · Been invited to the Forsaken Circle

  "So," he said aloud to Grim, "our life just got significantly more complicated."

  Grim shrank to 80 centimeters, tilting his head. Was it... not already? Complicated?

  "Fair point."

  They left the warehouse. The night—technically early morning—was cold, the Lower City still semi-awake with nocturnal activity.

  As they walked back to his apartment, Alex inspected the necklace more closely.

  [Soul Dominion Necklace]

  Effect 1: +5 maximum simultaneous undead servants

  Effect 2: Enhanced control over reanimations (obey more complex instructions)

  Effect 3: Undead servants gain +10% HP/damage

  CURSE: Each hour of use drains 1 point of permanent Vitality from user. Lost Vitality can be restored by killing living creatures (not undead).

  "It's cursed," Alex murmured. "Of course it's cursed."

  But the benefits...

  Five more undead meant he could have an army of fifteen skeletons simultaneously (ten base from Army of the Damned, plus five from the necklace).

  Enhanced control meant more complex tactics.

  The stat buff meant his reanimations wouldn't just be distractions—they'd be real threats.

  "Worth the curse," he decided. "I just need to be careful about how much I use it."

  He put the necklace around his neck.

  [Soul Dominion Necklace - Equipped]

  [Maximum undead servants: 10 → 15]

  [Reanimation control: Enhanced]

  [CURSE ACTIVE: -1 Vitality per hour of use]

  [Current Vitality: 50/50 (new stat unlocked)]

  Immediately he felt the difference. A deeper connection to the death power within him. Like a channel that had been partially blocked had opened completely.

  And something else—a sense of hunger. Not the physical kind, but something darker. The necklace wanted him to kill. Craved death.

  "Definitely cursed," he muttered.

  His phone vibrated. Message from Maya:

  "Guild office, 10 AM tomorrow. Don't be late. And lose that pathetic hair dye—you fooled the civilians but not me. - Maya"

  Then another message, unknown number:

  "I saw what happened at the auction. Interesting. I also saw who talked to you afterward. Be careful with that one, honey. Raven plays dangerous games. But I guess you do too now. Welcome to the club. - The Circle sees you"

  Then a third one, this from the guild system:

  "NOTICE: Guild Investigation has flagged your account for review. Please report to Administration within 72 hours or your adventurer license will be suspended. - Guild Director's Office"

  Alex stopped in the middle of the street, staring at the three messages.

  "Tomorrow," he said slowly, "I'm going to have to:

  · Meet with Maya and formalize a one-month contract

  · Report to Guild Investigation

  · Decide whether to join the Forsaken Circle

  · Avoid Temple hunting squads

  · And somehow not die in the process."

  Grim expanded to a meter and a half, put a bony hand on Alex's shoulder.

  The red lights in his sockets glowed steadily.

  I. Protect you. Always.

  "I know, buddy," Alex said softly. "I know."

  They reached the Riverside Building at 3:17 AM. Alex climbed the stairs, each step heavy with exhaustion.

  He opened the door to 4B—

  And froze.

  Someone was sitting on his mattress.

  A figure in the shadows, barely visible. But definitely there.

  Grim immediately expanded to Awakened form—two and a half meters, massive scythe materializing.

  [MP: 85/390]

  "Who?" Grim growled, his ancient voice resonating.

  The figure moved into the moonlight coming through the window.

  It was the Paladin. The woman from the Celestial Temple who had given him twenty-four hours' warning.

  Except now she was sitting in his apartment, waiting for him.

  "Hello again," she said softly. "Your grace period just ended. And we need to talk about what you're going to do next."

  Behind her, Alex could see more figures in the shadows of the alley outside his window.

  A full squad.

  Temple Hunters.

  Here for him.