Azunvale was a sprawling city. Before the war between the Demon King and mages, it was an important trading city and a place of learning. Now it only grew in importance as the capital of the Mentalist's country. It had a very distinct architecture that if condensed to one sentence, it would be "Squares are out". Tall towers that dominated the cityscape where round, wealthy houses had rounded corners and domed rooftops, while poorer areas had simpler oval ones. Bright colors were everywhere. A simple building might have been painted with three or four different colors, while bigger had complex patterns and paintings.

Yovan was walking around the city plaza, mingling with the locals. Halia wasn't with him, since it was impossible for the Warlock's demon not to draw attention. This part of the quest he had to do alone. Halia did provide him with an amulet through which she could observe the ritual for the soul merge and fifteen gold coins in case the ritual was expensive. He only needed to find the mage and place the amulet somewhere where the mage wouldn't notice it. Yovan tapped his fingers on the side of his body. He could do this. He absolutely could. He would feel a little better if he didn't stick out so much though. Everyone around him was… very peculiar. There were people with green hair, red, blue, with half-purple and half-yellow. Women with beards and mustaches, men in dresses. Some had one arm, others had three or even four. All had a wide smile on their face, merrily chatting and enjoying the bright sunny day. And in the middle of all of them stood a conspicuous, tall and slim man in a dark-brown, leather armor with black hair and bags under his eyes. Something seemed off to him, he just couldn't reason what. Yovan stopped one woman to ask for help. She had long blond hair, but when she turned, Yovan saw that half of her head was completely bald.

"Excuse me, could I ask you a question?"

"Oh, yes, of course. Helping everyone brings the greatest joy. My name is Helga, I use pronouns they/them. How could I help you?"

"Uhm, sure. First, is there like a festival going on here? Everyone seems so happy."

"Oh, no. This is just a standard, happy day in our glorious country. After receiving blessings of Lordx Bealuna's wisdom and ideas, our society improved for the better for everyone, so everyone is cheerful. You don't seem so happy, you should smile and be happy or Lordx's mages will help you become happy."

"Yes, well, that is why I am here. Kind of. I need a mage that can merge different souls together. Could you point me to one?"

"How wonderful! At first, we needed convincing, but I can see how everyone would want to be part of our marvelous society. There are several mages capable of what you need. The best one is, of course, Lordx Bealuna xemself. But xey is very busy, so it would probably be better to go to master Vilik."

"Where can I find this master Vilik?"

"Do you see that tower? Zie is on the second floor."

Yovan scratched his head. People here are really strange.

"Who is Zie? I need master Vilik."

The woman laughed and stomped with her feet on the ground.

"No, no, no, no! Zie is master Vilik. Master Vilik is on the second floor and zie is his pronoun! No, I meant… Aghhh."

Woman hit herself in the head, then scratched her cheeks, hyperventilating heavily. Her face alternated between manic laughter and screams of pain. Yovan backed off step by step, not turning his back towards her. Nobody around paid any attention to it. People just continued their own way, and on every single one, a smile. Oh, how he missed Halia. He could at least talk to her and feel sane. Yovan hurried towards the tower. He had a bad feeling about lingering in this place too long.

The tower was approximately ten stories high. Two guards were stationed in front of the entrance, as well on every balcony. It seemed the tower was a place of learning for mages as powerful magic users constantly flowed inside and out. Yovan considered sneaking in, but the place seemed well guarded and who knows what kind of magic traps could be there. He should try his luck first with the guards first.

"Hello, I have some matters to discuss with master Vilik. I was told he is in this tower."

One of the guards measured him up suspiciously.

"Who are you? You don't look from around here."

"Delin! You shouldn't assume things about this person!"

Delin cleared his throat after being scolded by the second guard.

"Yes, I apologize. I didn't mean to assume anything."

"Please forgive my coworker, sometimes sie forgets sies manners. I am Lodona, my pronouns are ey/em. Sie here is Delin pronouns sie/sim. May we inquire where are you from, your pronouns, and what is your business with master Vilik?"

"My name is Yovan, I am from a small village in what is now Warlock's country, and I need to merge my soul with another. I've heard master Vilik is an expert on that."

"How great! Another person to join our amazing country!", said Lodona, "I am glad people are starting to realize this is the path to true happiness in the world. We only need your pronouns before letting you in."

Yovan eyed both guards. Several people already mentioned pronouns to him but nothing about it was clear to him. He ignored it by now, but it seems he needed to learn fast.

"I'm sorry, I don't really understand. What is all this with pronouns? I don't think I have one."

"Well, how do you want people to address you in third person?"

"I see... I never really thought about it.", added Yovan with a childish smile. "I guess he."

"He/him?! He could be a spy."

"Delin what did we say about making assumptions? You dehumanize people and make them fit a pattern where they are more complex. Remember Lordx Bealuna's teachings!"

"Damn it! Why am I so stupid?!"

"Just do better. Now, Yovan, are you a spy?"

Yovan winced at the question. He swallowed his saliva and snorted a little.

"No, of course not. I am looking forward to joining this great country, I am just a little ignorant at the moment."

"See, Delin. Was it hard to ask? Thank you, you may enter. Master Vilik is on the second floor, first door to the right."

The not spy thanked the kind guards and hurried up the tower. He knocked carefully on the door, but no one answered. He waited a few seconds and then banged on the door, but the door opened slightly. Yovan pushed the door open and took a peek inside.

"Hello? I am looking for master Vilik."

A man with white, curled hair stood with his back turned, consumed by his work. Several flasks and cylinders were set on the table in front of him. The man shook the flask in his hands, analyzing its viscosity. Yovan approached the man and tapped him on his shoulder.

"Hey, are you master Vilik?"

The man jumped up, startled at the interruption. He barely managed to hold on to his flask in his hands.

"What? Who? What do you want?"

"Are you master Vilik? I need your help."

"Ah, yes, yes, yes I am. I mean no, I am no longer master Vilik. Just Vilik. I've learned recently that 'master' is an oppressive term. It reinforces a hierarchy and promotes the status quo. So please, just call me Vilik, pronouns zie/zim."

"All right, Vilik then. I apologize, I didn't quite understand the part with the 'master', nor the words that you said actually..."

Vilik sat on his chair, lowered his shoulders, and exhaled deeply. He seemed lost looking at the same spot in front of Yovan.

"I don't quite understand it either, to be honest. But those are the words of Lordx Bealuna, so I must find a way to comprehend them."

With new resolve and vigor, Vilik jumped from the chair and returned to his table, mixing a new potion and writing down notes. Yovan waited one minute but Vilik didn't seem to pay him any more attention. Did Vilik forget about him? Yovan coughed loudly.

"Excuse me, we were discussing my issue."

Vilik snapped out of his task again, confused, inspecting his surroundings like he wasn't sure where he was.

"Yes, of course. You. Who are you and why do you need my help?"

"I am Yovan, an arcane hunter from a small village in Warlock's country. I have this soul and I need to merge it with mine. I was told you could do it."

Yovan produced the flask with the soul to the old mage. Vilik took the flask bedazzled by its content. He moved it so close that he could almost touch it with his eyelashes and then tapped the glass a couple of times with his index finger.

"What a beauty! I must say, I haven't seen anything like it."

"Sure. But I have some questions first. What are the benefits of soul merges? Also, could something go wrong?"

"Benefits? It all depends on the magical creature. Some open new apeirons for you. Some add fully developed magical essences to your aperions. It all depends on the creature. Something wrong? Hmm, no. There are never any side effects. Usually. But this soul you've brought me, I don't recognize it. Where did you get it?"

"It's a dragon's soul if you would believe it."

Yovan seemed pleased that he could boast with an impressive trophy, yet Vilik furrowed his brows at this information.

"I would believe it, but dragon souls are usually blue. This one is purple. Would you mind if I performed some investigative spells on it?"

"No, go ahead."

The mage opened the flask and lowered his palm over the opening. He closed his eyes and a white glow emanated from his hand. The glow penetrated inside of the flask and lightened the purple gas. After a couple of minutes, Vilik opened wide his eyes and stared deeply into Yovan.

"This… This is unbelievable! This is not a single soul, but two merged! And outside of a body at that."

"Two souls? Are you sure?"

"Yes, it is indeed a dragon's soul, but there is a soul of a powerful demon as well. And I can't decipher where one ends and the other begins."

Yovan slapped himself on the side of his face. Why is this quest like walking a tightrope? One moment you are at the top of the world, second later you are catatonic, like a hopeless hobo on his last drop of booze.

"Please tell me it is still possible to perform the ritual?"

"Perform? Yes. Of course! But I wouldn't advise it. Effects unknown. No one did something like this. I couldn't possibly imagine what could happen. Can I interest you in something else? I have a wide variety of souls of magical creatures at my disposal."

"No, it has to be a dragon's soul. Do you have one?"

"Alas, no. Maybe it would be better if you could hunt another dragon then?"

That wasn't a possibility for Yovan. He touched his left shoulder; the corruption of the scorching curse was spreading. He only had four days left. No time to find another dragon. It was now or never. He breathed in deeply, gathering his will and courage.

"I have no other choice. I am desperate. Could you please do this?"

Vilik looked at him with sympathetic eyes. He grabbed his chin and stroked it in slow motion. He sighed and continued in a low voice.

"I could. I can't guarantee you good results. But I could do it. There is still an issue of payment. If you were from around here, I could do it for free. But since you are from another country it would cost you ten gold coins."

Yovan pulled out his pouch and silently dropped ten gold coins on the table. Five remained. Still a small fortune. And more of that to come once this is all over.

"Well, it seems we can start. Remove the clothes from your torso and lay on that table down there."

Luckily Halia wasn't here. Yovan took his clothes off and put them on the hook. Then he took out the amulet from his pocket and strategically placed it so that the area where the ritual will be performed was clearly visible. He walked to the table and lied down. Vilik appeared above him.

"Hmmmm, that is a peculiar curse you have on your shoulder. Is that a scorching curse?"

"Yes, it is. Do you think you could remove it?"

"You must've angered a really powerful mage. Usually, I wouldn't be able to remove curses this powerful, but since a scorching curse is placed upon one's soul and we are changing yours… There is a good chance we will remove it with the ritual."

"That's encouraging."

Vilik spilled the magic salt all around the table and lighted incense above Yovan.

"I'd like to explain the ritual to you first. You will need to relax completely and not resist in any way. I will pull your soul out of your body. You will lose consciousness at this point. Then I will merge your soul with the other one above your body and place it back in. In theory that's how it works."

Yovan grabbed the edges of the table with his fingers and looked intensely at the ceiling. Here goes nothing.

A sparse, purple mist appeared above Yovan as Vilik's incantation reverberated all around him. Yovan's gaze trailed the morphing mist, his body twitching at every sudden change in the flow. A bright light appeared in between, and through it, muffled, gentle voice of Vilik soothed the tensed patient. Yovan's head slid to the left and his breathing equalized. From his near slumber a breaking, twisting pull ravaged his insides. He wanted to throw up, but his body was nailed down with overbearing force. The force weakened, allowing him to settle back in, but just for a moment. Another pull, and through the darkness of pain, through the agony of light, everything was gone.

There was no sight, no sensation, no space, nor time. Just a thought. He was a thought. He was an endless lake of consciousness. Unmoving in its clarity. No happiness, sorrow, tranquility nor anguish could he experience. Just existing. Everywhere that he managed to think, it was smooth, serene energy. A sensation. An oddity. A ripple fractured his essence. Where was it? He couldn't tell. Another one. And another. A wave. His uniform and level self turned into breaking waves of commotion, slamming, and breaking into each other, agitating every function of his inner universe. He couldn't stop this wrongness. Like a butterfly with wet wings in a storm, he had no haven and no strength. A feather at the mercy of pure fury. And then a pull. It stretched everything. It opened space, just a tiny bit. A small light. It was both salvation and suffering, as his emotions returned.

He screamed. Colors filled his vision. Then shapes. A white wall. His brown clothes. Sunlight coming through the window. A smell of medicine and herbs filled him. His innards rebelled against the sensations. He threw up. A smell of bile. He used his hands to support himself. The hardness of the table. Something enveloped his body. He was bathing in sweat. He pulled his hand through his hair. Calm down Yovan.

"I see you are back."

Yovan looked to his side. The old mage sat with both his arms collapsed beside his body. His breath slow and deep, but there was a little smirk on his face.

"I feel like shit. How long was I out?"

"Oh, four hours, give or take. Yes, four hours."

"Did it work?"

"Yes. Most difficult thing I ever faced. But it worked."

Yovan collapsed back on the table. It worked. Could he believe it? He laughed with delight, grabbing his forehead with his hands. It was possible after all. Something was off though. His shoulder. He didn't feel any tingling. He touched the cursed patch of skin, but scabs didn't move anymore. In a few places they were even completely gone, and scar tissue was forming underneath.

"The curse? It's gone as well?"

"Yes. The curse was placed on your soul. When we changed it, the curse lost its power. Yes, it's gone now."

Yovan jumped and hugged the man.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Do not stretch yourself! Lay down and rest. We both need it after this."

"I guess I am no longer short for time. I haven't had a decent sleep in ten days."

"You can use that bed in that room over there."

Exhausted and happy, Yovan meandered to the adjacent room and threw himself on the bed. He fell asleep instantly.

It was evening when he awoke. Vilik was already on his feet performing new experiments.

"Good morning. Good morning. Or should I have said evening? Doesn't matter. How are you feeling?"

"Well rested. Thank you once more."

"Nonsense, you gave me a great challenge. I should be the one who is grateful."

Yovan pulled up a chair and slowly lowered himself to it.

"I just need to know. What happens now? Will there be any changes? Good or bad?"

"Ah, yes. That is also important. Let me inspect you for a moment."

Vilik placed his hand over Yovan's chest. A gentle glow warmed Yovan.

"Argghhh, ", shouted Vilik, quickly retrieving his hand back. "This… This is concerning."

Cold sweat spilled from Yovan.

"What? What is wrong?"

"The two souls, demon's and dragon's, and now that we added yours in the mix… It's too much. The structure is highly unstable. It is sucking in everything around it."

"Can we do something to stabilize it?"

"No. It's impossible. We would just do more damage and possibly destroy your soul completely. Not possible."

The young man's vision went black. Every time he went forward, someone pulled a rug under his feet. But there's no giving up now. Not when he was this close.

"Is there anything I could do?"

"There is."

Yovan's vision returned. He immediately looked at the person who gave him hope.

"Your soul is consuming everything inside you to stabilize. Soon you will feel it. It will be like a hunger deep inside you. You will need to feed it so it doesn't kill you."

"Feed it with what exactly?"

"Magical essence. Every time you feel the hunger you will need to absorb some magical essence to satiate it. You will need to hunt magical creatures. Or kill some mages."

Vilik stopped and lost himself in thought for a second.

"That… That is a bad idea. Magical creatures. Yes. You will have to hunt magical creatures and extract essence to feed your soul. And who knows. You could even get to see old age."

"That's not an easy task, you know? You can't store essence like you can a soul."

"I know, but there is no other choice."

This was worrying. But still, it was only temporary. Lord N00bpwn3r would just split his soul back to normal. And then he could just live normally.

"Another question: if the soul is split back to normal, so without added parts, would this issue be resolved as well? I wouldn't need to feed on essence anymore?"

"Hmmm, in theory, yes. But I have never heard that someone successfully separated souls back to their original forms. That sounds impossible to me. They become too intertwined. Buut. There are mages who are more powerful than me, so who am I to say that it's not possible."

"Ok, and what benefits did I get?"

"Benefits? There are no benefits."

Yovan stopped in his tracks. His face twitched, and hands clenched into fists.

"What do you mean there are no benefits? I just merged the souls of two most powerful creatures, and you are saying I don't get a new cool spell, or become more powerful, nor will I get anything from consuming magical essence?!??!"

"Yes, that's exactly what I am saying. Didn't you hear me the first time? Your soul is highly unstable. The merge doesn't work correctly. It's similar to building a house with a lousy design and expecting to get something great. Do you understand?"

"I understand. I just thought if the universe gave me something this lousy, it would give me something good to compensate."

Vilik laughed loudly, tears appearing in his eyes.

"Thank you, I may laugh all week for this. And why would it work like that?"

"Cosmic justice or something?"

"I am not familiar with that."

"Apparently neither is the universe..."

It was almost midnight when Yovan reached the designated meeting place with Halia. He didn't lose time in escaping Azunvale. Sightseeing would have to wait for a better opportunity. Something grabbed him from behind and constricted him with superhuman strength.

"You were great. I'm sooooo proud of you."

It was Halia of course.

"You should've seen me before the ritual. Blending in with the locals, schmoozing with the guards, and getting their trust… I've got some skills as well."

"My, my. How the lowly have risen. I'll put in a goooood word to other succubi about you."

"Hehe, sure. But could you release me for now? I am not cursed anymore, but I would still like to reach Lord N00bpwn3r before the deadline. So, we shouldn't waste time."

"Oh riiight, we shouldn't keep the Looord waiting."

Halia surprisingly easily let go of Yovan. Guess the near conclusion of their task softened her up a bit. Yovan walked down the road with stars in his eyes. This is exactly what he needed right now. A long walk to success.