It was early morning when I arrived at the Carrier Guild, waiting for the hero party I'd been assigned to. The old man, a guild staffer with years behind his eyes, gave me a firm pat on the shoulder.
"Be careful, boy," he said.
I nodded and offered him a quiet smile.
A group entered the hall—ordinary at first glance, nothing flashy about them. They approached the old man and glanced in my direction.
"Is it him?" one of them asked.
The old man nodded.
They turned to me, unimpressed. "You'll be carrying the materials. Got that?"
I replied calmly, "Void Storage."
Their expressions shifted instantly—shock, suspicion, fear. As expected. The moment they realized I was a dark magic user, the air grew tense.
Before they could speak further, the old man stepped in.
"Don't worry, he's harmless," he said, his voice firm but tired.
But the party didn't seem convinced. Their whispers turned into a brief discussion, and soon after, their leader turned to the old man with a scowl.
"We'll forfeit the contract unless you replace him."
In the end, they did.
*******
An hour passed. Still, no hero party wanted to work with a dark magic user like me. I sat there, pretending to be fine, but deep down, I was desperate—desperate to prove I belonged.
Then Lukas approached me.
"You okay?" he asked gently.
I nodded. A lie.
"If you're okay with it, you can come with us. We've been assigned to accompany a hero party from the East—they're headed to a dungeon."
My eyes lit up. "Really? Thank you!" I said quickly, standing up with new energy.
We set out together. Lukas was with Arthur and Klerin—an unusual trio but clearly close. When we arrived at the gathering point, the hero party looked confused.
"I don't remember requesting another carrier," one of them said, glancing at me.
"He's our rookie," Lukas replied smoothly. "He's coming along to learn."
They said nothing after that, simply turned and prepared for departure. I followed quietly, grateful.
Klerin gave me a grin and patted my back. "So, I heard you got replaced earlier," he said.
I nodded.
"They're cowards, those bastards," he muttered with a laugh.
Arthur quickly covered Klerin's mouth. "Quiet, idiot. Our client is a hero party. You want to die mocking them out loud?"
Klerin looked annoyed but went quiet.
Night fell, and we stopped in the middle of the woods to rest. We had a separate tent from the hero party. After Lukas finished setting it up, he went over to request food—but the heroes snapped at him.
"Get your own food! This isn't a charity!" one of them yelled.
Turns out… Lukas had forgotten to pack ours.
I looked at the others. "Maybe it was left behind?" I suggested.
Klerin's eyes widened. "Oh crap—I left it in my room…"
"Stand back," I said.
I raised my hand and summoned a swirling black portal. Shadows twisted and opened into a glowing gateway… to Klerin's room.
"WHAT THE—!!" Klerin shouted, only to be muffled again by Arthur's hand.
They stared in stunned silence as I calmly stepped through the portal, grabbed the bag of food, and returned.
"Here." I handed it to Lukas.
Silence.
Then awe.
"You're incredible, Cooner!" Arthur exclaimed.
I smiled, a small flicker of pride warming my chest.
"How many abilities do you have? Can you teleport too?"
I nodded.
Their jaws nearly dropped.
"I can also summon dark creatures."
"Whoa… You could annihilate the world with that kind of power," Arthur said, half in awe, half in fear.
"But Cooner isn't like that," Lukas said with a smile, handing me a bowl of food. "It's amazing, isn't it? Seeing someone with powers people fear… who actually shines brighter than most heroes."
The more I talked with them, the more I wanted to protect this feeling—this moment. For the first time, someone treated me like I belonged.
"I promise I'll protect you all," I said quietly.
They paused. Then suddenly, laughter.
"Aww, you're such a baby, Cooner!" Klerin laughed, ruffling my hair.
I smiled… and for the first time in a long while, my heart felt full.
*****
We set out early in the morning. The forest was quiet, and the sun had just started to rise above the horizon, casting long shadows over the path. None of us said much—we were focused. Tense. We knew where we were headed: the dungeon.
When we arrived at its massive entrance, the hero party turned to us.
One of them, the arrogant-looking one with the twin blades, smirked.
"So… which one of you wants to volunteer as the meat shield?"
The words hit harder than they should've.
Arthur froze beside me. His jaw tightened. His fingers curled slightly, shaking. I could see it—he was remembering something. Something he didn't want to. A comrade. A past. A wound not yet healed.
Before he could respond, Lukas stepped forward. His voice was firm.
"We're carriers. Not your meat shields. That's the contract. You protect us."
The hero snorted. "Contract says that, sure. But the penalty's just fifty silver. Not exactly a loss, is it? You want protection—be useful."
I felt something in me snap.
Not for me—for them.
These weren't just teammates. They were my people.
Lukas, who always stood up for what was right even if it put him in danger.
Arthur, who never spoke much but always watched our backs.
And Klerin, loud, reckless, but loyal to the bone.
They were the first ones to see me—not as a dark user, but as Cooner.
And these bastards dared to speak like that?
I clenched my fists, magic beginning to stir in my veins. One spell, just one, and I could—
A hand grabbed my shoulder.
Klerin.
His grip was steady. "Don't," he said quietly. "This isn't the time. Not for them."
I gritted my teeth. He was right… but I didn't like it.
One of the heroes stepped toward Lukas and grabbed him by the collar.
But another hero—taller, with a calm expression—intervened. "Enough," he said to his teammate, then looked at us. "Why don't all of you come inside the dungeon with us? Just in case."
I frowned. That wasn't standard.
Carriers didn't need to go inside. Heroes had summoning devices to retrieve items remotely. If they were asking us to come along, it wasn't because they needed help.
It was because they wanted bait.
Still, Lukas nodded.
"We'll go," he said. "We'll stay close to each other."
I glanced at Klerin. His scowl said everything.
"This bastard," he muttered. "They're really gonna try and use us."
We followed them into the dungeon.
The air grew cold. The deeper we went, the more the walls seemed to close in, damp with moss and ancient magic.
I stayed close to my friends—and as we walked, I quietly summoned a protection barrier around them. A faint shimmer, invisible to the untrained eye.
They wouldn't touch the people I cared about. Not while I was breathing.
But I didn't stop there.
I knew this dungeon. I knew the sigils carved into its stone. It was once the domain of one of my servants.
This was my home ground.
So I whispered a second spell—Provocation. Deep in the shadows, the monsters stirred.
A distant tremor echoed through the dungeon. The ground shivered under our feet.
"What was that?" one hero said.
Another's face paled. "Shit. I think the monsters are—coming here!"
"Why?! This isn't supposed to happen!"
I watched them start to panic.
I didn't move.
Let them feel it.
Let them feel the fear they throw at others.
Lukas turned to me, eyes wide. "Cooner… what are you doing?"
I didn't answer.
Then came the final step—Command Aura.
Dark energy pulsed from my body, crawling through the air like smoke. The forest trembled. The monsters answered. They were coming.
Screeches filled the dungeon. The sound of claws scraping stone. Roars. Thunderous steps.
The heroes turned white.
"COONER!!" Lukas yelled. He grabbed my arm. "Stop! Please!"
His voice broke something inside me.
"Don't do this," he said, softer now. "You're not like them. You don't have to prove anything. We're okay… I promise."
Behind him, Klerin was quiet for once. Arthur gave me a steady nod.
They weren't afraid of me.
They were afraid of what I might become.
I stared at them, my hands trembling. The weight of my magic pressing against my chest, aching to be released.
But I couldn't do it.
Not to them.
I closed my eyes—and let go.
The monsters froze.
Silence returned.
I dropped to one knee, catching my breath.
"You…" one of the heroes stammered. "You're a dark user! You—you'll pay for this! We'll report you to the Grand Guild!"
Klerin stepped forward, slow and deadly calm.
"If you do, we'll make sure you never leave this forest."
Arthur crossed his arms beside him. Lukas didn't say a word, but the look in his eyes was enough to make the heroes flinch.
I stood up slowly and looked them dead in the eye. I secretly cast spell to erase their memory.
"You saw nothing. You say nothing."
They nodded, lips pressed tight.
"Good," I said, turning to my team. "Let's finish the job. Slay the dungeon monster… and go home."