James stood still for a long moment after the visions faded.
Sampon's life lingered in his chest like a dull ache, betrayal, abandonment, a death that wasn't just physical but emotional. James understood it too well. Being discarded by the one person you trusted wasn't something time erased. It stayed. It twisted. It changed you.
"No wonder you became an evil spirit," James murmured quietly. "Anyone would."
He exhaled and raised his hand.
"Designated Summon."
The air rippled.
Cold spread through the room, not sharp, not hostile, but still and heavy, like the moment before snowfall. A faint glow gathered in front of James, forming a silhouette that slowly took shape.
A man appeared.
Sampon stood there in ghostly form, looking no older than his twenties. Long brown hair fell loosely past his shoulders, slightly wavering as though moved by a wind that didn't exist. His face was calm and well-balanced, not beautiful, not ugly, just… human. The kind of face that wouldn't stand out in a crowd.
His body was lean, trained, bearing the quiet marks of someone who had once lived with discipline. As a spirit, his form was faintly translucent, his skin touched with a pale silver sheen. Light passed through him, softening his edges, and his feet never quite touched the floor.
He hovered.
Silent.
Caught between memory and reality.
Then he smiled.
"Oh!" Sampon said brightly, eyes lighting up with unrestrained curiosity. "So you're my new master?"
James blinked.
Sampon drifted closer, peering at him with open fascination.
"You look kind of fragile. Are you strong? Do you like ghosts? Am I allowed to kill people again? How long has it been? Wait—what era is this? Did my master finally come back?"
"…What?" James said flatly.
Sampon kept talking.
"Because if you're my master, I should probably behave, right? Or do you prefer chaos? I'm very good at chaos. I once—"
"Stop," James said instinctively.
Sampon froze mid-sentence.
James stared at him, baffled.
An evil spirit.
A mass murderer.
A being born from rage and betrayal.
And yet, standing in front of him was someone who radiated a bizarre, almost childish brightness—as if curiosity had swallowed whatever malice should've been there. To James, Sampon didn't feel dangerous.
He felt like taking care of a confused child.
Before James could speak again, a system window appeared between them.
---
[Summon Contract Information]
[The summoned adheres to the Three Principles:]
[1. The summoned prioritizes the summoner's life above all else.]
[2. The summoned obeys the summoner's commands without exception.]
[3. If Principles 1 and 2 come into conflict, Principle 1 takes absolute priority.]
[Additionally: If a summoned entity dies, it cannot be resummoned for 100 days.]
---
James read the window carefully.
"So you'll obey me no matter what," he muttered.
Sampon nodded enthusiastically. "Yes!"
James hesitated, then decided to test it.
"Sampon," he said cautiously.
"Yes?"
"…Bark."
For half a second, James expected resistance. Will. Limits.
Instead-
"Woof! Woof! WOOF!"
Sampon immediately dropped lower in the air and began barking loudly, spinning in place, drifting through furniture, barking at the wall, the ceiling, the door.
"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"
James's eyes widened.
"Stop-stop! Stop barking!"
Sampon instantly froze, straightening as if nothing had happened.
"…Was that good?" Sampon asked earnestly.
James rubbed his temples.
"So there really is no line," he muttered.
He sighed, then straightened his posture.
"Listen, Sampon. I don't need barking. I need to survive."
Sampon tilted his head. "Then I'll help you survive."
There was no hesitation in his voice.
James nodded slowly.
"Good. We're leaving."
James grabbed what little he needed and headed for the door. As he stepped into the hallway, Sampon floated silently behind him, alert now, curiosity replaced with something sharper.
James descended the stairs from the third floor, each step echoing with distant screams and crashes outside. When he finally reached the ground floor and pushed the door open-
Chaos greeted him.
Fires raged in the streets. Cars lay overturned. Monsters roamed freely, tearing through what remained of order. The air was thick with smoke, fear, and the stench of blood.
James stepped forward.
This was no longer the world he knew.
And with an evil spirit floating at his side-
James began his exploration of the new world.