“Is there any room I can use for some quiet meditation?” I asked Lemien.

I had finished eating when Lemien strode into the room. He informed me that he’d need at least a day to have different test subjects ready for our infiltration. I was going to use my free time to communicate with Eva and try to assimilate her Fragment. I needed the extra Essence it would provide.

“I have a guest room upstairs,” Lemien answered. “But before you go, I have some questions I need you to answer for me.”

“If it’s about my mission for Auruun,” I said but was immediately interrupted by a wave of Lemien’s hand.

“No, I prefer to stay out of it,” he said with an amiable smile. “When you fought against my men earlier, you had an external source of energy. I can sense it in you now too. Do you have a soul Fragment too?”

“Yes,” I answered unblinkingly. I was prepared for this. If I could sense the Fragment inside of him, why wouldn’t he?

“Where did you get it?” he asked. I could sense he still didn’t trust me enough.

“Stalwart,” I answered. “It’s a long story, care to have a seat? I’ll try to be brief about it.”

Lemien obliged. I had to put his doubts to rest. Luckily, I had my lie ready.

“Do you know how many spies Auruun sends to Aslanor every year?”

Lemien shook his head.

“Twenty to fifty,” I answered for him. “Do you know how many come back?”

“None?!” he tentatively said.

“Right,” I said. “That’s because of the mad wizard. There’s no escaping him. No matter how you cover your tracks and hide your most terrible secrets, he’s bound to find them.”

“Then how did you escape him?” Lemien asked.

“I told him the truth,” I said. “Sending spies to Aslanor had become a death sentence to most spies in the Auruun Kingdom. The king would send a spy who failed some mission or another to spy on the mad wizard. If they succeed, then glory will await them. If Stalwart unmasks them, then they were just a pawn to be sacrificed.”

“So you told Stalwart you were a spy?” Lemien asked.

“I even told him the king wanted to steal the offering he meant to use for the summoning,” I said.

“What did he do then?”

“He put a vengeful spirit inside of me, left me to fight for my life. Either the spirit possesses me and I die, or I fight it off and I gain something in return.”

“You…” Lemien’s eyes got wider. “You survived a possession?”

I nodded. “Wasn’t difficult really,” I said, trying my best to sound cool and composed. “You just have to keep your head strong.”

‘Pfffft!’ I heard Eva snort. I ignored it.

“What happened next?” the necromancer asked.

“I fought back, by giving the vengeful spirit a taste of its own medicine. It was trying to assimilate my soul. So I struck back and did the same. I ended up with a Fragment of my own.”

“Impressive!” Lemien couldn’t hide his amazement. I felt pretty proud and scratched my head awkwardly.

‘You got lucky;’ Eva retorted, as if to erase the smug smile I had on my face.

“I can see you tell the truth,” Lemien said. “The Fragment you bear isn’t as strong as the ones granted by the Lords.”

He stood, cast me a look of admiration then said, “Go upstairs, first door to your right. You’ll be able to meditate in peace.”

“Thanks,” I said then got up in turn.

“Should you need to eat,” Lemien called out to me as I started climbing the stairs, “just ring this bell. The maid will bring you a full platter.”

I thanked the necromancer once more and went upstairs.

‘Naïve schmuck!’ Eva said.

‘Naïve sch-what?’ I asked.

‘It’s a word we have back home, means foolish, idiot.’

I reached the room indicated by Lemien and got inside. It was small cave devoid of furniture, save for a straw bed by the right side. I sat on the floor, legs crossed, and started regulating my breathing.

‘Are you ready, your highness?’ I asked.

‘Come at me anytime you like,’ she said.

I focused on my Conduits and soon found the little energy I had left. The last fight against the horde of undead drained me of Essence. Eva suffered as much as I did. The situation didn’t seem promising in case we had to immediately fight some strong enemy, but it was adequate for what we were about to do.

I willed my Essence to move toward Eva’s Fragment. Our energies gave different readings. I was sure they’d collide the moment they came in contact with each other. But that was the goal behind this exercise. I had to force synergy. It was the only way for me to get into her space and start the assimilation.

Since we were both weak, our fight wouldn’t be life threatening. If Eva feels like her energy’s fading rapidly, she’d have no choice but to retreat to the Fragment. If I felt as though I was losing the fight, all I had to do was retreat, recollect myself them come again.

The process usually takes days, months even, to grasp. But I didn’t have that much time. I relied on Eva’s consciousness to force synergy between our Essences. We soon collided and my body immediately felt rigid. I fought to keep breathing regularly. It was the key to gaining the upper hand in this struggle.

I kept breathing, steadily… in… and out… in… and out…

Our energies kept colliding, like two magnets of the same pole. I felt cold sweat break on my forehead. My back started aching. I couldn’t feel my legs anymore. I had to endure though. Fight through the pain and push back. Eva didn’t give me any quarters either. She was testing me, I suspected. But I pressed on until I finally managed to push her toward her Fragment, and in she went.

Then the hard part began.

It was like laying siege on a city. You can’t retreat or show weakness, lest the enemy counterattacks and takes you by surprise. I kept pounding at the Fragment. I could envision it with my mind’s eye, a tiny snowflake in the sea that was my soul. Most of my Essence came from the soul. But to channel it into energy to be used in magic was a different matter. I’ll probably have time to explain it another day.

I kept pounding at the snowflake. I was already feeling tired, but there was no going back. I had to get this over with today. Time went by and I had finally managed to crack the snowflake. Then my energy started seeping in, and with it, my consciousness.

I found myself in a spacious room, a four poster king size bed in the middle. The curtains were pulled and I couldn’t see whether or not a person slept in there. I approached it nonetheless, and drew the curtains open. A lady, short hair, fair skin and eyes the hue of the forest, lay there in a silk evening gown.

Her perfume reminded me of spring during my childhood when I’d sneak around the streets of Yanoku, up in the Administrative Disctrict, to witness the Courtisan Parade. Oh how my eyes twinkled when I looked at those ladies I considered goddesses.

“Eva?” I asked.

“Surprised?” she asked back.

Her cupid bow lips curled into a smile that made the world around me change colors. I was imagining things, of course, but that’s how I felt. I was her before, but I guess I saw the world from her eyes. Now that I experienced things from my side, the woman in front of me stirred the hormones I kept buried inside. My mind revved and my heart pounded against my chest.

“I-“ I stammered. “Never mind, we have other matters to discuss now.”

“You’ve penetrated my Fragment,” she said. “What else is there to discuss? You’ve reached your goal.” She smiled again and I almost forgot what I wanted to talk to her about.

“Nice choice of words,” I said. “Why did you fight back so vehemently?”

“I needed to know I was entrusting my energy to someone deserving,” she said. Her voice played a tune in my ears that made me forget what I was doing there in the first place.

“And what’s your verdict, your imperial highness?”

She smiled. Her eyes twinkled and she heaved a sigh. That voice of hers, not too harsh, not too gentle. It had a hint of hoarseness about it, not too hoarse, just enough.

Was she playing the sex angle on me? Damn women!

“So?” I urged her. “Use words, I don’t do well with nonverbal signs.”

“What changed you?” she asked.

“My past,” I said dryly.

“Oh quit it with that aggressive attitude, will you Myles?” she said. “You want synergy? Come and achieve it!” then she gave me another smile that blew all logical thinking off my mind.

“You’re here through your Essence, your soul,” she went on. “We have physical representations because that’s what makes it easier for us humans to communicate. But if you want synergy, then we’ll need a different form of communication.”

She made sure to emphasize every word she said next with theatrical pauses. “The – non – verbal – kind!” then she smiled at me again.

Is this really what my subconscious wants? Imperial sex?

“Or maybe it’s what I want,” Eva said jokingly. “I must admit, I find the new you quite mysterious!” she chuckled and her voice carried me to a world of happiness and lust.

Ah, what the hell! I needed that synergy after all.