"Mmm... how fascinating..." Seria pokes Rishya in a few places, making her squeal strangely. They're both dressed now.

"And you can speak freely?" She says to the staff Rish is holding.

"Quite so. Rishya's power increase appears to triggered this." Michael says.

"What an interesting thing! Fufufufu!" Seria cackles, rubbing her hands together.

"Mmm... well... now is not the time for further investigation. But if it is okay, I would ask further questions of you at some point... Michael?"

"That is acceptable." Michael says.

Seria cackles happily. She adores more things to investigate, as usual.

She looks around, doing her long hair back up carefully into her trademark twin-tails as her neck chain clinks.

"This is truly a bizarre place as well. These flowers, for one."

"Oh, you noticed it too, Seria-sama?"

"Quite so. I will be taking a few to study. I am not sure if it is a strange offshoot of the Ghostfruit, or something else entirely, perhaps this strange pillar, but for sure, the spores of these appear to contain crystallised prana, easily absorbed by spirits. The cavern itself is rather dense in power ejected from them. And yet there is clearly no ley-line here. Very strange. It is little wonder we got so drunk on lust here. Fufufufu..."

She crouches and picks a few of the non-crushed flowers. So, they're like... aphrodisiacs to mages? That's pretty strange. It does explain alot about Rishya and Seria's scary intensity and lust for sex despite their first times. And the fact I had little inhibition myself.

Wait!? Does this mean future threesomes are not a thing? Godsdammit!

That aside... there is something else I need to bring up with Seria, isn't there?

"Seria... I'm not sure how, by the way, but it seems I may have two spirits now." I carefully state.

She jumps in shock, taking on an incredulous expression, but then she squints, her eyes suddenly blazing with golden light.

"What...?" She splutters, her eyes then returning to their natural chocolate state.

"Whatwhatwhat!?" She shouts.

She jumps up again, and dashes over to me, her eyes blazing once more. She is still holding a few glowing flowers, which makes for a strange juxtaposition of images.

"This!? This is... this is not..." she gapes. "...possible."

Her brows scrunch.

"But apparently... it is..." she chomps on her outstretched index finger, pondering.

"How in Agon's fiery arse have managed a twinning, boy!?"

"I don't know what a twinning is. Is it bad? I thought you said I couldn't have two spirits without going mad and dying?"

She sighs, and facepalms.

"There is... an incredibly rare circumstance where my advice was incorrect. I have never seen it, but two past sages have. That is twice in a thousand years, boy." She gulps.

"And I have never heard of it occurring from a harrowing." She states.

"In effect, your spirits have combined to form a single entity. Velour managed to create a handful of thundermetals like yours in her experiments. When the two have a constant mixture of power. But them actually being inside in a bond..."

Twin merged spirits! That’s pretty crazy but I love the idea. I would why... no... if it is a known factor to become mad and dying from trying it, I understand why others don't attempt this.

"Hah..." she sighs. "The previous examples I know of were a Fire-Wind and Earth-Water. The first mage in question specialised in explosions like your vials, and the second had a peculiar affinity for swamps and quagmires. Metal-Thunder was an unknown combination until Velour’s recent experiments. But it makes sense, given what you have informed me of this... 'electromagnetism'."

She paces around, as if looking at me from different angles will help with a conclusion.

"I wonder if it is due to your weird Etranger properties once more. How vexing!"

Then she sighs dramatically, and her big eyes look at me with some intensity.

"Mmmm... I am surely living in an interesting time. It is all your fault, E-li-jah, fufufu..." she chuckles.

"Elijah-sama is a weirdo!" Rishya remarks and giggles

"That’s one way of putting it!' Seria laughs as well.

"Doesn't that that make you both weird for wanting to be with me, then?" I taunt.

"Fufufu, quite so."

"Indeed, we cannot refute that."

We all laugh.

"In any case, I shall prepare a return transport spell. I was concerned I would not have sufficient power to send us all at once, but that is no longer a concern."

She hands her bouquet of glowing flowers to Rishya, who nods and adds it to her void bag with that usual whistling crack noise.

Then Seria breathes in deeply, and a magic formation erupts around her, making her cape and twin-tails billow.

Rishya smiles at me, and offers her hand once more. I smile back and take it.

Seria holds out both her hands as well, and we take them, forming a triad.

And then, my thunder spirit feels hugely excited, and everything distorts, similar to when Kaede knocked me out the way of that flying pincer.

And we're back in that room.

But we three are instantly shocked.

We come straight back into a pitched battle!

Aria soars literally right past me, but is distracted by our sudden appearance.

"Onii... shit!" She cries, swerving to a stop. Barely in time to prevent herself being split in twain by a sword and board wielding skeleton knight due to her hesitation.

Shit! Save her! Not gonna!

She dances backward as it wastes no time in pressing the advantage, and it slashes her deeply, making her scream as a cut of blood sprays up.

"Aria!" Rish squeals.

Make it!

I leap in to prevent her from losing her head from the backswing as she staggers.

Claaaanng!

My unsheathing of Kiku's sword is just barely in time as a rain of sparks basically blind me. Fuuuck! It's too strong! I'm a wuss! I can't!

I fall on my knees as its grinning jaw clatters. It forces me back further and further. The sword creeps towards my own neck...