The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. –Mark Twain

This... I can't actually be sarcastic about it. This is incredible.

Despite the threatening stature of the Dragon, which was about 7 feet tall and twice as long, it was only made of leaves and branches. I found that it's most dangerous weapon was the powerful gusts of wind that it breathed at me. It swiped once with some claws of exposed wood, but it was slow enough I could avoid it easily. The wind breath? Not so much.

It was an interesting affinity to have, but what I found to be a Topiary Guardian was far from an ordinary monster.

I fired at it, and the slig passed clean through its face, tearing the rest of its body apart in an explosion of wood.

-1381hp

Monster killed:

Damage dealt: 1381

Exp earnt: 200

It sucked that there was such a low experience gain for the damage that I had done, but what was worse was that there was no soul left over to reap. In fact, none of the monsters streaming towards us or the breach in the house had souls at all, nor did they show any indication that they were alive according to my skills.

Annie tore the head off another draconic bush and then backed up to me again as I was reloading.

"They're filled with mana. Don't use magic against them if you can help it."

"Don't have much of that anyway, prefer the point and shoot tactic."

As I said that, I fired at two guardians that were trying to flank us. These ones looked like tigers and were faster than the dragons. Still, my shots tore into them, tearing the front limbs off one and the head off the other. Surprisingly, both died.

"Damage doesn't have to be lethal. Just do enough and-"

I was cut off by the sound of Annie using the broken body of one guardian to pummel one of the stickmen into the gravel. The sheer ferocity in her eyes unnerved me. A lot.

"O... k..."

I analysed the stick man approaching me. It seemed more dangerous than the Topiary Guardians due to the caution that it displayed. It was smarter.

Wicker Warrior

Level: 30

Hp: 450/450

Mp: 200/200

It had far less health, but even it's appearance suggested it was more impervious. If only the analyse skill showed more information, I would be able to adapt better to the fight.

Regardless, I shot at its centre of mass, realising it's thin and angular head was probably not any more of a critical spot than anywhere else on its body. It dodged in an instant, but aside from that, no other sudden moves were made. As it slowly advanced in a bare-handed stance, I focused on the sound of its limbs twisting and creaking against eachother.

Annie ran back and forth keeping the few attacking topiary guardians away so that the warrior and I could duel. And I had a plan. A plan that started with me putting my shotgun away.

I drew my short throwing knife, holding it out ahead of me in my weak hand, obviously ignorant of any stance that would make the best use of it. But that was the bait.

The Wicker man rushed me, knocking the knife from my hands and gripping the outstretched wrist to throw me. It had gripped the edge of the armoured section of my arm, and though I felt no pain through the scales, I could still tell the incredible pressure it was attempting to exert. Instead of resisting the throw from the surprisingly strong warrior, I stepped towards him, pushing him off balance.

In the second I had to react, I pulled the animated bundle of sticks closer to me and pulled my shotgun from storage at the same time. At such close range, it could do nothing but try to push me away, but a mana infusion focused on my hand kept it in an iron grip as I fired.

-273hp

I had angled the gun to tear through it as much as I could, and the wide cone of branches that had been blown away from it was more than just a superficial wound.

Though no status effects appeared above it, the left side of its body stopped working, and it fell onto the gravel; easy prey for me.

-127hp

Monster killed:

Damage dealt: 450

Exp earnt: 260

The exp gain was better, but still disappointing considering the ferocity of the monsters attacks. Everything in this garden was an obvious and unashamed glass cannon. Though they were relatively easy to deal with one on one, the obvious intention of the monsters formation was to attack any invaders at the same time using mob tactics to overpower.

Luckily for us, but probably unluckily for someone else, the forces were split in our favour. Only one in ten of the animated garden decorations had actually targeted us, and despite my initial relief at this, I steadily grew more dismayed as the remainder ran towards the very obvious marker.

Another hive mind?

It was a smarter one if it even was one. But if not a greater intelligence, what was it? Some trap?

"What's the point in this?"

Annie was taking a moment to catch her breath as I put a fresh five shells in my gun and summoned another ring to hold in reserve. Both were buckshot this time. A larger cone would eliminate the need for close range tactics. At least in theory.

"What do you mean?"

"What's the point in these monsters? Here? They're protecting something, surely."

"Well. What would you call a themed building of waves of monsters?"

"You can't mean a dungeon?"

"I mean a dungeon. Why else would something explode in there?"

"I don't know. But I do know some guy called James is dying in there."

Annie tensed up, and stormed up to me, holding her face threateningly close to mine.

"What?"

I hadn't mentioned it?

"Some guy James Lander is in there, and I have... about twenty-seven minutes to save his body."

"Do you know about any others?"

I gulped. She had grabbed the collar of the shirt I was wearing and I could feel her vice-grip all too well.

"I don't. Sorry. But I think our best move is to find out what the hell happened in that room. And also kill all the wooden things that attack us."

Seemingly reluctantly, she let me go and walked towards the smoking hole in the side of the house. I mumbled to myself as I followed from a distance, severely disgruntled by how the confrontation had gone down.

"Friggin nekopara thinks she's so good because her stats are way high and she has a nice butt with a tail."

"I HEARD THAT YOU WEEB!"

Annie yelled without turning, and I froze for only a moment, scolding myself for making such a stupid mistake.

Idiot. Just focus on the mission... And the dozens of guardians and warriors in there... Piece of cake, right?

It actually turned out to be more of a piece of cake than I thought.

The parts of the exploded house were very much on fire, as the explosion had apparently been more pyro based than outright explosive pressure. Hence, a large part of the garden along the side of the house was on fire. As were many of the monsters that approached.

As one might expect, the leaf and stick-based fighters were all lit up relatively easily and burned down just as fast.

By the time I rounded the corner and got a good look at the damage, there was barely a handful of the previous army that wasn't engulfed in flames. And the few that were unscathed would likely not stay that way for long.

There were survivors of the explosion. A few humans. They were hopelessly burnt and at best guess, none of them had much time. One of them, a girl I guessed, was still in a fighting state, and she poured streams of fire from her hands. She alone had been stopping these guardians, and I had to admire her fighting spirit. She had the most life still in her, and she would probably live even without my intervention. But I didn't know what kind of recovery she would handle. Whatever she was wearing was little more than ashes and I could see raw muscle under burned flesh.

The other three singed bodies were the problem. One was the quest objective and was undoubtedly the worst afflicted. The extremities of his limbs were gone, ending in ashed stumps.

Annie leapt into action over my shoulder and finished the last of the guardians. She ran to one of the bodies, then the other, checking to see if they were alive. She then attempted to tend to them with water. There was little more she could do. Neither of us were healers, and while I had had some lucky breaks, I didn't think I could save anyone. Least of all my quest objective.

He looked very dead already, but a slight fluttering of life deep in his chest told me I still had time. But something was off when I looked at him through Life Seeker. His soul seemed... off. But that was part of the second objective. I had time to worry about his soul later. For now, his body.

I rolled him onto his back, noting with some discomfort that not only had all his clothes been burnt off, but he now resembled a male doll that had been thrown on the fire... smooth.

But I refused to dwell on it any more than I did the smell. As under the thin veil of smoke, the scent of burning meat was all too obvious.

"Sam, can you save him?"

I turned, and while Annie had done what she could for the two still figures, it didn't look good.

"I don't know. I don't think so... I can improvise healing to an extent, but I'm not a miracle worker. I haven't... I haven't got the skills."

I grew angry at Nephthys. Properly angry this time. It was an emotion that rarely crossed me, but when it hit me, it hit me hard. And only when I was faced with an impossibility.

How the hell am I supposed to save him without a healing spell or skill? She knew what I could do, and I can't do this. It was just a trap to bring me down a peg. I lose favour and a hard earnt affinity, and Annie watches her friends die. It makes no sense.

"Here."

Annie rolled a golden ball towards me. It was about the size of a tennis ball, and as I picked it up, I felt it give under the pressure of my fingers. It felt like a kids toy that was just filled with air, but it was heavier than that.

"What's this?"

"It's an experience orb. It can, like, upgrade your skills, or... give you a skill. I used a silver one a while ago and got a class. Try to upgrade your healing skill."

I analysed the ball, unsure of what to even do.

Gold experience orb (A):

Stored xp: 500,000

Viable Applications:

• Skill gain

• Skill upgrade

• Class gain

• Class upgrade

• Affinity gain

Burst to use.

The rarity label on it alone told me the potential it held.

Could I use this to gain Soul Reaper instantly?

The thought crossed my mind, but I couldn't let myself get so greedy so early... or ever.

I squeezed it and It popped with little effort, spraying a jet of gold confetti into the air.

Experience orb used.

Select desired application:

• Skill gain

• Skill upgrade

• Class gain

• Class upgrade

• Affinity gain

"Skill upgrade."

Select desired skill from compatible list to upgrade.

Calculating compatibility...

Oh no. What if the skills that don't level can't be upgraded?

Compatible skills for upgrade:

• Basic fitness [4] (D)

• Pain Resistance [2] ©

• Mental Strength [6] (B)

• Improvised Care ©

• Analyze [5] ©

• Mana Infusion [2] ©

• Mental Resistance [2] (B)

• Spectral Empowering [3] (A)

• Trackers sense [3] ©

• Rapid Step [3] ©

• Silent Step [3] ©

While I was heavily tempted to take the opportunity to upgrade my more stubborn skills, there was only one thing I could realistically do.

"Improvised Care."

There was a slight click inside my head, and I shook off the dizziness that followed it.

The skill: Improvised Care © had been upgraded to (unique) rank and is now called: Chaotic Restoration.

Chaotic Restoration (U):

Attempts to heal someone through any means have a much higher chance of a critically successful healing. (99%-100%)

It seemed not that much better than the previous skill, and by definition, something unique isn't always better. Just different.

I selected 'critically successful healing', hoping to figure out exactly what it could do.

Critically successful healing (effect):

As if it were an act of a God, the ailments of the target are removed.

So... pretty overpowered huh.

"Do you remember what exactly your orb gave you?"

Annie wasn't expecting the question and was busy trying to get the fire-wielder to drink some water.

"Um... I got this Hunter class and it levelled me to ten instantly. I think there was five thousand experience in the orb."

"Ok..."

I was more than a little stunned by the ability I was handed all too easily.

That orb was far too good to be used so recklessly, and I had essentially made myself an expert healer by accident.

Shit.

"Oh well."

I opened one of my bottles of water and poured half of it over the wrecked body. After a tense moment of waiting, nothing happened.

What?

Oh Yeah. Can't heal the dead.

I smiled despite the time limit I was on and added the rest of a bottle of Vampire blood to the water. Then hesitated.

If I could help it, I didn't want to make another vampling without a good enough food source for him when he woke.

So evolve him.

I sighed almost happily. I loved it when I had such great ideas.

But what to mutate him with? There's nothing here... except humans.

It was worth a try anyway.

I made a slight cut on my thumb and let a few drops of my own blood mix in with the vampire solution. I figured that it probably wasn't the vampire blood itself that saved the girls when I changed them, but rather the insane forced evolution and how it altered the body.

If he had some of my blood to evolve with, I wondered what hind of change would overcome him if anything. I doubted he would end up looking like me, but I really had no idea if it would even work.

Except that I knew it would. Chaotic Restoration promised an almost 100% success rate when using non-magic means to heal. This was probably the one shot I had at saving him.

I poured the remainder of the bottle down his dry throat, past nonexistent lips that had been burnt away.

Through Life Seeker, I watched as the faintly glowing liquid hit his stomach and slowly spread outwards.

It was working. I could see movement in his soul as it pulsed, and I realised what was so wrong about it. His soul was both there, and not. Almost like it was only partly there. This wasn't what usually happened after death. Usually, the soul just began to dissolve into the air from the outside in. But the soul of this guy was intact in shape. It just... Almost wasn't there.

Heat brought me from my curious gaze, and I saw steam rising from the body as it slowly began to reform and fill itself out.

But the heat it was giving off was intense. The burnt flesh was being shed, and light pinkish flesh lay underneath, but there was a glow under the skin. I could make out golden threads of fire in the place of veins in his chest.

Life Seeker showed his life force was burning, throwing sparks through his reforming limbs. As the bones grew, I saw runes being scorched into them before they were covered in the golden strings of fire that formed tendons and muscle.

The heat was unbearable by now and the temperature of the room was far too high despite having an open wall.

"Annie. We have to get out. Grab her."

Annie looked up at me and then stared wide-eyed at what was unfolding on the floor of ashes.

But she didn't question me and picked up the burnt girl over one shoulder before carrying her quickly outside.

I stuffed the water and blood into my storage as fast as I could and ran for the two other burnt bodies. I had to get them out, but both were naked, so I was reluctant to initiate much contact. Unfortunately, trying to drag them both out by a limb proved to be impossible as their delicate flesh gave way too easily.

I had to swallow my disgust at the barely living and slightly oozing flesh and picked them both up with an arm around each chest. As I dragged them past the almost reformed body of James, I noticed the air above him was fluctuating with the sheer heat he was giving off. The ashes scattered around him were lifted with the ascending air and the sight of the glowing body and rising darkness might have been beautiful if I wasn't running for my life.

I jumped over the low wall of remaining bricks and landed heavily on the burnt grass. Annie ran to me after having deposited her own passenger and grabbed one of the bodies I had dropped.

"Follow me."

She carried him over her shoulders, a comically small body lifting a fully grown man. But I did the same, wanting to see what would happen from a safe distance.

We ran around the corner of the house, returning to the entrance.

"What the hell did you do?!"

Annie pointed an angry and accusing finger at me, and for a moment I wasn't sure what to even say.

"I... don't really know. I tried to force an evolution into the living parts of his body with a bit of my own blood."

"Why?"

"We wouldn't have been able to stop him from killing us when he woke up as a vampling. And I've seen it happen three times, so trust me on that. His appetite would have been impossible to handle. So I used my blood too."

"So what's happening to him?"

I went silent, again unsure of how to answer. I didn't make him more human, did I?

"The only guess I have is that I've forced him to evolve more as a human. You know? What humans might have been a million years in the future."

Fire Beings. Yeah right.

"Can you do that for them?"

She indicated the mostly dead male bodies on the ground. I looked for the female victim, and she was asleep on the grass with Annie's coat over her.

I guess she will make it after all.

I didn't have to analyse her to see she would live. Would she heal right? Who knew.

You do, you idiot.

Like the true idiot I had called myself, I had already forgotten about my Chaotic Restoration. I could heal her. Easily. Probably.

Annie was looking at me. She was irritated at something. What this time?

"What?"

"Well? Can you force an evolution in them too? Save them?"

Oh yeah.

"I guess. But they don't really need it. They're still alive and I can heal their burns without forcing an evolution. Besides... something tells me they wouldn't survive it anyway."

"What do you mean? They're in better shape than James was."

"I don't know. Somethings telling me they just wouldn't. But I can heal them like this. Watch."

Annie watched me, dubious, as I opened a bottle of water and poured it roughly over the two bodies.

As the water made contact with the burnt skin, it bubbled slightly. But the water washed away the blackened flesh and new skin grew before her eyes.

Thank Nephthys. I totally winged that.

It took almost all of our water, but I healed every visible burn on the bodies of the three. Annie insisted I cover my eyes as I poured the water on the girl. I was slightly insulted that she would assume my thoughts turn sexual when I was only trying to help, but then remembered her opinion of me. I was just annoyed I had to have my eyes open as I healed the naked bodies of the men. Both of them remained sleeping despite being healed. It must have taken a lot of energy for the body to do that with only water to help.

All the while, the heat being produced by James was increasing. I peered my head around the corner of the house and despite not being able to see much of the interior of the room, I could make out a definite yellow glow coming from inside.

Awesome.

Despite the potential dangers, it provided so much entertainment and wonder. I was throwing out evolutions left, right, and centre.

I just hoped his body would return to some stable state soon enough. I was already fifteen minutes into the initial thirty I was given.

Sighing in concern for my own gains, I turned my attention to the survivors we had rescued. The girl who was awake was whispering with Annie with tears rolling down her face. I didn't know why she was so sad, I was saving the last of their group. Maybe she was worried about the last guy we had left to evolve in peace. Surely Annie had told her that's what was happening?

Maybe it was because all her hair had burnt up. Like the two sleeping guys, she was completely hairless. But something about her was familiar. The shape of her mouth? I felt like I had seen her before, but without any hair, it was hard to make a connection.

Time to introduce myself. 'Hi, I'm a soul reaper and your friend in there is halfway to becoming the human torch.'

I smirked a little. Though I found myself hilarious, it probably wasn't a good idea to be sarcastic around someone who had survived an explosion.

As I walked closer to them, I caught snippets of what the girl was saying. She was recounting what had happened while they were in the house, and I kept hearing references to someone called May. A fifth person in the dungeons party.

There was no sign of a fifth in the room the others had been in. Was she separated from them before? But as the girl talked about the last room, I sat down silently with them, with no reaction from either.

Apparently, that was a library before, but in the explosion, all that was left of the books and shelves was ash. The girl May had encountered something in there. A type of abomination. Three of them, each made from a family member who had been in the house at the time it was made into a dungeon.

The party had been overpowered, all the while May had been frozen at the door. When all her allies were downed and dying, she used some alchemy skill to fill the room with a flammable gas and suicide bombed the place. Only after using glass to try and protect her dying friends.

It didn't make all that much sense to me, but I couldn't fathom the kind of emotional damage such a revelation could make. To find out her close family had been tortured by the system and changed so horribly with no chance at redemption was probably harsh.

But when Annie heard about the nature of Mays demise, she started crying too. I didn't know what to do, but I didn't particularly need to use social Chameleon to know the girls needed space. I couldn't relate, and pretending to would disrupt whatever the two shared.

It was time to check up on James.

After almost fifteen minutes of progressively getting hotter, his body seemed to have calmed down. The room was still almost too hot to stand in, but it was rapidly cooling as the day darkened and ambient temperature dropped.

I analysed the body as I could stand within the range without being burnt by the residual radiation.

James Lander:

Species: human+

Hp: -/103

Mp: -/99

Status effects: soulless(-">

So he has become more. How intriguing.

The evolution didn't surprise me, but the fact that his status was acting this way did. He appeared to be both alive and dead, and since the deities had gotten involved, I could easily credit it to them.

Though his body was healed, it wasn't technically alive, and though Life Seeker, I could see his empty soul was beginning to dissipate.

I ran back to the others, and found that the girl Annie had been speaking to was dressed suddenly. She wore a red and black dress that gave me hints of maid and dancer at the same time.

My god... magical girl?

Even her hair had returned somehow. But my knowledge of magical girls solidified the fact that a transformation was absolutely overpowered. There was no reason why her hair and eyebrows as well as eyelashes would reappear with her clothes. At least she was wearing something. Which was more than I could sat for the other survivors.

While James and the other two were understandably naked, I wasn't exactly happy about it. But I didn't have the items required to clothe them properly. We would have to clear the dungeon, or at least find a room that held clothes in it.

But that wasn't important. I needed souls. And quickly. I addressed the magical girl. I interrupted whatever they were talking about, but it didn't matter. James' life likely depended on it.

"Hey. This is important, so think. Where did you kill things in the house? Where did you clear rooms of monsters?"

The blonde girl stared at me, and it finally clicked. I saw her with another guy back at the college. She and this guy had passed me while I sat by the vending machine. She looked slightly different then, but the effects of the magic transformation had applied makeup and a new hairstyle so it made sense why she looked slightly different.

Maybe the guy with her was James. The two of them looked close. Maybe they were a thing?

James still hadn't grown back his hair if he was even going to. It was impossible to see if he was the same guy I had seen before. But all logic pointed to the fact that it was.

Either way, I didn't need to worry about that, and instead listened to the fiery girl recount the monsters they had killed.

It was a scarce list.

There was a mini-boss they had killed a while ago that was fairly close into the main entrance, but there was also the bodies of the abominations in the library. Apparently the ash-filled room had been a library before it was blown up.

I hadn't seen any souls or even dead bodies in that room (which I wasn't supposed to save), so the claim warranted a more in-depth search.

There were, in fact, four souls scattered through the debris of the explosion. The part of the body with the highest mass held the soul when it died, so there were four humanoid ribcages in various states of incineration that I could reap.

One was obviously human, and likely belonged to the 'May' that they had referenced. She was long gone, and even I couldn't help her. Her soul was powerful though, and while she hadn't chosen a soul skill to develop, she had three available. I guessed she was indecisive, and that hesitation may have been part of what caused her mental and physical blow-up.

She gave me a decent 30 essence though, which was nothing compared to the other three souls.

These were fascinating immediately to me, as they were fundamentally human, but also seemed to be monster at the same time.

It was as if someone had taken a human soul and forced it to devolve into something simpler. But they weren't simple.

These human souls were pierced with shards of monster souls enough that they were completely corrupted. Something had experimented on these souls and created abominations that were aggressive to their own original species.

That was until they were destroyed. And now that they were little more than slightly spiky skeletons, I could harvest them. And despite the confusing and glitched message they gave, the essence gain was more than enough for what I needed to do. Each one gave the same amount of essence despite the body size making my mental count easy to keep track of.

PowerfuU.Grtr HuMOnster s0ull (++) +) absorebd at 5.00000000% efficiency.

99.20112000 essence ga ained.

"Nephthys. Why is this happening?"

There was no response. I imagined it was an embarrassment of sorts for this to have occurred.

The essence from the four ended up putting my total just over 300. Annie's soul had required 275 which meant I would have a safe buffer of excess. The problem was the strength of the souls I had found. All three would have had a total soul capacity of just under 2000 which was monumentally higher than anything human so far. Maybe it was the fusion between human and monster that allowed such a dramatic increase in strength. It was just good that attempting such a jump would inevitably cause the fool to lose their humanity. Self-experimentation was never the way forward.

I returned to James, and threw my jacket over his lower body from a distance. It didn't begin to shoulder or smoke at all, so I decided he had cooled enough to get closer to.

As I used Soul Sealing on his soul and body, I stared into his chest.

His fundamental biology had changed slightly. I couldn't see much in terms of detail due to the uncertain nature of the suspended life in him, but the vague image was enough.

Target soul will require 0 spectral essence to bind to target vessel.

Continue?

"Yes."

His heart had shifted and now sat centrally in his chest, more symmetrical than it had before. His entire mid-section seemed familiar but so alien at the same time.

He had more ribs than he should, and they were thicker than before. The bands of muscle between them seemed larger too. Every change I found theoretically would have made sense if I were to predict how humans might evolve. Except from the heat radiation. Even now, his dead skin felt living and wasn't cooling down.

Perhaps some inherent ability of evolved humans is metabolism so high that any excess is burned off as heat?

It would certainly make sense considering how the average human had gotten steadily fatter over the last hundred years. At some point, only those who could metabolize more efficiently would survive.

The process finished simply, and I was happy that the system had barely recognised the shell as a soul and so hadn't cost me any of my precious essence.

Quest: A Bad Time

Phase(s) 1 and 2 have been completed successfully.

Rewards: +1% spectral affinity, skill: Anima Curse (U)

"Well done Sam."

Skill Learnt: Anima Curse (Unique)

Curse the very soul of your opponents by turning essence into a weapon. Curses will be unlocked with progression into spectral affinity, Divine Favour and doing what I ask.

Curse 1 - Fero (See the terrors of your soul become your own reality. Face your darkest dreams and feel fear. fero.)

Curse 2 - Pareo (-)

Curse 3 - Religatio (-)

Curse 4 - Vesania (-)

Curse 5 - Cogitatio (-)

Curse 6 - Secerno (-)

Curse 7 - Umbra Mortalis (-)

I sighed in relief that the quest was over. I didn't know what more I could do to preserve his body if the soul sealing didn't complete it.

I sat back in the ankle-deep ash, suddenly exhausted. I kicked against something hard buried under the grey sea that caused a scattering sound and retrieved it.

It was the same pure white pistol that I had seen on the guy in the hallway. That confirmed the identity at least, but the pistol really was something else.

It was sleek and slender, a marvel of gunsmithing. It opened in much the same way as my own shotgun, and I cracked it to check inside the cylinders. Instead of bullets, there were crystals with a gold web way of cracks running through them.

Mana crystals?

I couldn't pull the crystals from the chambers, and attempting to analyse it just told me what the entire component itself was.

And it was incredible.

Universal revolver clip (legendary piece):

Rarity: (XXXXX)

Capacity: 6

Ammo type: Mana (customisable)

Value: 570 golden ivory

I didn't even know how much one golden ivory was worth, but I was sure it was a lot.

I clicked it back into the frame and analysed the gun itself.

Spear Of The First Martyr (legendary) {bonded to James Lander}:

"James, son of Zebedee was one of the first to be called for his faith, and so, he was the first to be killed for his faith."

Quality: legendary

Condition: perfect

Attack Rating: A*

Level requirements: (+)

Stats gained: (+)

I let my arms and head fall weakly. It was so unfair that he got a legendary weapon that only he could use. Or at least I assumed.

I pulled the trigger and instead of any sort of projectile, a painful zap of mana caused my entire arm to spasm then go limp.

-10hp

"Mmm. Yeah... should have expected that."

I grimaced with the strange sensation mixed with pain, but I distracted myself with searching for other stuff hidden under the ash.

I found handfuls of green crystals and gold coins that the party must have looted. There was also a few other assorted pieces of gear like a vicious looking military knife with an acidic green sheen to It. I picked it up and spun it in the remaining light of day when a voice caused me to jump and almost drop the knife.

"What are you doing?"

+2 Agility (0:11)

I caught the knife by the tip, somehow avoiding cutting my fingers.

I turned and in the space where the wall had been was the fiery figure of the blonde girl.

"Magical girl."

I barely murmured it under my breath but she heard and looked pissed.

"So I've been told. I'm Dana. Annie tells me you're Sam. And that you saved her... and that you're saving James."

She looked over at James uncertainly and walked to him without me making any sort of reaction.

"Is he ok? I mean. Is he going to be ok?"

I dusted off some ash from my trousers and walked over, dropping the knife point-first into the floor. It landed with a satisfactory thud and I knew it had stuck there.

"He's already healed. More than healed, really. I forced him to evolve so his body would survive. Kind of like... jumpstarting a car using a nuclear generator.."

"Evolve how? Annie told me you can do that. What did you make him?"

Her tone bordered on threatening. I smiled easily and put my hands up to show no ill intent.

"Don't worry. He's still human, just... More than what we are. He's what humans would have been, say... a few hundred thousand years into the future."

"So he's not a monster?"

"No. And neither is Annie. I think."

Dana knelt next to James' head and lifted him up, letting his head rest on her lap. I was instantly envious. For all her personality flaws that were glaringly obvious, Dana was immaculately attractive. She was curved in all the right places and knew how to hold herself. Maybe it was only a product of the system, but that made it no less real. I seriously wanted to hit that.

"How did you do it? She was dead when we found her. Her mana was gone."

"That's the thing. It's... complicated. I can't really tell you how to raise the dead like this. It's a secret."

Her eyes blazed as she looked at me and I felt the temperature in the room rise.

"Know that I will do anything to keep my friends alive Sam. This day has opened my eyes to that fact. I thought James was all I had, but after losing Annie and then May, I knew I wouldn't hesitate to get what I wanted. And I know the others feel the same."

Her eyes flashed blue and for a moment, I thought I saw the shadow of flames flicker over her face.

"I can see your capabilities. You have no mana talent, and you have no class. Your occupation is weak too. Tell me what I want to know."

She let James' head down gently on the floor again and stood to face me.

Embers began to form in her hands, and I backed away with an incredible poker face on. This was the perfect time to see what my new skill did.

"Dana, please... I can't tell you. My deity said I would pay if I shared the knowledge."

She stepped closer too, a savage grin forming on her face. I used Social Chameleon to let fear wash over my own and made sure my body language reflected it too.

"Sam, you seem to have the misconception that I care about you. You saved my friends but if I can use that power, then you become useless. So. Teach. Me."

She threw a thin stream of fire at my legs and I pushed back quickly before it hit.

"Dana, please. I'll... I'll call Annie for help."

I wouldn't really, but she didn't need to know that.

"She's already back inside the entrance to the house with Dom and Callum. She can't hear us."

I hit the wall and stood shakily against it. Inside I was cackling, but outside, I looked ready to piss myself. Dana looked frustrated and I saw flames grow in each hand.

"Tell me, Sam. And I can heal. I can keep you burning for a long time."

"Please, think about what you're doing. You're ready to torture someone after just a few days of struggle? What's wrong with you?"

I had hit a nerve there, as I saw anger turn to outrage.

"YOU DONT KNOW WHAT IVE BEEN THOUGH YOU LITTLE SHIT! IVE LOST TOO MUCH TO LOSE ANY-"

I halted her with a simple soul hold.

"Wha-?"

She tried to move, but even with my abilities weakened after the bond, I was still able to hold her for a while at least.

My body changed in front of her very eyes, and as I changed the effect of Social Chameleon, I appeared to grow and become taller.

"You're right. I don't know what you've been through. But. That's no excuse. I've spent my whole life living by the rules of others that acted as my ethics. They will stay with me forever, and while I won't wish you any physical harm, I think your mind needs a bit of a reset. Don't you?"

I wasn't sure how to activate the curse, but I knew the words given had to be spoken.

"See the terrors of your soul become your own reality. Face your darkest dreams and feel fear. fero."

-10 Spectral Essence

As I spoke the last word, the trigger, it appeared in front of me like a floating rune.

Through Life Seeker, I saw a black mist appear around her soul and constrict it.

Instantly, her struggles began anew and I knew she was feeling the truest fear of her life. It was the worst thing she could imagine and while I wasn't sure what that was, her earlier rant hinted towards the fear of loss.

She couldn't even scream as I held her soul tight enough to keep her petrified. But tears rolled down her cheeks, and she began to drool from her open mouth.

Gross.

I didn't want to do that to her. I didn't want to do it to anyone. But she had pushed me. I couldn't reveal what I was able to do, but she wasn't taking no for an answer. I wouldn't hurt her, so this was my only option.

Her body sagged in my mental grip and I saw that her soul had relaxed. The mist had gone and done what it was supposed to do.

I released my grip on her soul, and staggered back into the wall. It had exhausted me to use the curse and spectral force at the same time.

Dana landed heavily on the ground, sobbing.

I left her there to reflect for a few minutes as I carried James around to the front of the house. The front door was open, and inside I could see Annie draping coats over the still sleeping guys.

I dropped James off inside onto a separate pile of coats and jackets. Annie looked at me suspiciously as I aimed to walk out the door again.

"Where's Dana? She said she was checking on James. And is he ok?"

I sighed deeply. But it wasn't aimed at Annie. I was annoyed I had to torture the mind of a misguided girl and then carried a naked guy with only a coat to hide his dignity that wasn't very good at hiding anything.

"Dana's collecting the stuff they left behind. Most of it survived. And yeah. James is fine. He'll recover whenever his soul returns."

"His what?"

How do I phrase this?

"Um. His soul isn't here. On ea- Gaiesus. Only the shell of it. I'm guessing the essence of his soul is in the deities realm right now. So whenever it leaves there and possesses his body again, he'll wake up. Better than ever."

Annie nodded at me and got some water out of her bag. That was all the dismissal I needed and returned to where Dana was.

The magical girl herself was sitting against the wall with her head in her hands, sitting completely still.

I sat next to her. Far away enough to not suggest any form of comradery, but close enough that she knew I wanted to talk.

"So. I'm sorry that I did that. But I had to. You were... crazy."

She looked over at me through the cracks between her fingers and sniffed a little. Tears still dropped from her hands, but at least her breathing was normal.

"You can't just... turn like that. You're still human and you need to act like it. You spent your whole life living by the rules society set out. And while it's up to you what you do with yourself now, I think it's pretty stupid to just throw them away as soon as you can. You know?"

She shifted to her knees and crawled closer to me on all fours. She was being cautious. She was afraid of me. For good reason.

But her hesitation and abrupt stopping and starting started to cause her ample cleavage to swing a little.

Not the time.

I focused on her face again, and while I count tell what exactly she was feeling, fear wasn't the only thing. She appeared vulnerable and she sat next to me, hugging her knees to her chest and looking directly at me with a sad expression.

"What did you do to me?"

"I'm not sure. I guess I showed you your deepest darkest fears. And right now? I think everyone has a lot of those. Well done on not soiling yourself though."

She managed a small smile which was all I needed to see that I hadn't permanently wrecked her mind.

"Do you see why I had to do it? You're strong. I can tell. You... should select your soul skill though. I know you have all three available... But I digress. You can't wield strength like that. It's monstrous. And that's what's so important to hold onto. Your humanity. Even an evolution doesn't take anything away from that. It just adds to it."

She nodded slowly. It was good she got it, but I didn't want to have forced her into see in it from my point of view. My view of humanity was... skewed to say the least, so it was probably better she didn't share that.

"What did you see, by the way? I've never tried that skill before."

"What are you, Sam? You... you changed in an instant. You froze me without activating a spell. I didn't see any mana used at all. You keep talking about souls... what are you?"

Wow. Big questions, huh?

"I can't tell you that either. Seriously. What I do and what I am can't become public knowledge. So here's what we're going to do. We're going to pick up every bit of loot you can find in here and we're going to go back to the entrance hall and not tell anyone about this."

She nodded again with a bit more certainly this time. I couldn't imagine what was going through her mind and I didn't really want to either. I had something more important on my mind.

I've gone through such efforts to hide what I'm going to become, but I told Klaudia everything, and someone could just analyse me to see my class name... must consult Nephthys about that.

But I dutifully collected everything I could find which was mostly coins and gems. There was also a white token and a red key. But I didn't waste time or stamina analysing them. I was tired enough and the sun was almost completely gone. All that remained was a slight orange glow.

Dana did the same and though not a word was uttered, I felt all the tension between us was gone. I was like the harsh teacher and her the unwilling student.

We returned to the entrance and Annie was finishing up some makeshift beds for us. She hastily told Dana what I had told her about the location of James' soul but Dana just nodded with a visibly strained smile.

She lay next to him and was asleep in seconds. I noticed with mild interest her dress disappeared when she slept, but a sharp glare from Annie prompted me to move my bed as far from the group as possible. As I did so, her glare softened to something akin to sympathy, but I ignored it.

I waited until everyone else was asleep, fighting my own heavy eyelids. When Life Seeker showed everyone was in a deep sleep, I crept through the house, using Night vision to navigate. I popped a caffeine tablet before I left and opened my status several times to ensure I had two and a half hours of increased stamina before I would crash.

There was nothing of note in most of the rooms on the ground floor. In a large hall with a huge fireplace, I saw evidence of a massive but weak soul that had not only inhabited the hall but had been connected to the rest of the house. Lingering strands of essence mixed with something else I couldn't perceive (I suspected mana) spread through the floor and walls, curving out of my effective viewing range.

I stumbled upon the banquet hall quite by accident, but when I found it bright and full of food, I realised how hungry I really was. A light snack on the road was the last thing he had eaten.

At least the hall counts as a safe zone. Don't have to worry about poison.

I spent a good half hour gorging myself on all sorts of food, stopping only when I felt nauseous. But no more than five minutes later, the bloated feeling was gone and I merely felt full.

With one crisis averted, took a closer look at the end of the hall I hadn't encroached upon and found a hemisphere of metallic silver in the ground that looked like it shouldn't be there. It was divided into three vaguely triangular regions. Each with a different colour and styled engraving. There was also a key slot in the centre of each. I took the red key from my storage and put it into the corresponding slot.

When I turned it, the whole section disappeared instantly and revealed a third of another keyhole underneath it. This had no engraving, but the way the sections were placed, whatever key belonged there couldn't be used unless the three previous ones were used.

So where are the other keys?

A written engraving around the base of the hemisphere I hadn't seen before caught my eye. I couldn't read it as it appeared to be in Latin. But as I dragged my eyes around the circle to see it, it was translated in a white box for me to easily read.

"Disturb not the harmony of fire, lightning, or ice. Lest these titans wreak destruction upon the world in which they clash."

I read through it once with a blank face. Then again to make sure I wasn't missing something. Then I broke down in laughter as I realised what it meant.

"Ahhhh. I love this."

The novelty of the reference wasn't lost on me and I reminisced a crowned pink creature speak those words to a young group of heroes.

So there's three mini-bosses and a big boss. probably.

Annie's friends had killed the fire one, leaving the ice and lightning ones.

I checked my status to see how much time I had.

Stamina regen ×2 (102:18)

Shit.

I'd spent longer than I thought wandering and then finding the hall. I doubted it was enough time to find and kill the remaining bosses.

More tablets right?

I grinned and set my mentality to: fuck it.

I was planning to leave the next day anyway. I could just barricade myself in any old mansion and be fine.

So where would an ice or lightning boss be?

The answers came to me pretty easily. A house this big definitely had a basement which would have a wine cellar or something similar where it would be cold.

As for the lightning boss, I could only think of one place. The extension. It added another 50 meters along the left side of the original house and was obviously more recently built. Wherever the centre of electricity and wiring was for that place, that's where the lightning boss would be.

I oriented myself as best I could guessing the back of the feast hall was also the back of the house.

I pulled open a heavy studded door that stood down the left side of the hall and was put face to face with a ghoul. Despite the surprise, I should have felt, I didn't jump or even react in any way. Some deep part of me had not only expected this but waited for it.

To my knowledge, a ghoul was a creature of darkness that held onto its previous body as much as it could. Thankfully, the ghoul I was faced with was far too decomposed to have once been a human. Logically, it couldn't have been one. Mays family were the only ones in the house at the time, and they had all been accounted for.

The ghoul used long fingernails to paw at the barrier between it and I caused by the safe zone. It looked sad, but I guessed without enough muscles to hold it together when relaxed, it would always look that way.

I looked over its shoulder and saw several more ghouls queued up behind it.

Easy.

I edged closer to the door and pulled my throwing knife into my hand. I realised with some amusement I couldn't remember if I had ever thrown it. It was such a nice knife that I was using it to stab as a replacement for the saxe knife.

Before I could reminisce about the knife any more, I swung my arm up in a shocking fast arc and pushed the knife through its lower jaw, pushing it up until the knife was lodged into its decaying brain.

-263hp (Critical)

Monster killed:

Damage dealt: 263

Exp earnt: 304

I pulled my arm back down, and the ghoul fell in a limp and damp pile. Before I could reach through the barrier again to collect its meagre soul, another ghoul had pushed its way to the front and was scratching at the barrier in the same way as the first.

It felt like a cheat to be able to do this, and I was sure any moderately smart monster would be able to avoid being manipulated by this tactic, but the ghouls were mostly mindless, so they focused only on the fact they could see me but not do anything about it.

I killed them all without breaking a sweat using this method. And when the room behind them was clear, I activated Night Vision again and proceeded, collecting their souls on the way. They were all weak souls, giving me between 3 and 5 essence each. But as there were almost a dozen of them in the room, I got about 50 from them all.

The room itself was miscellaneous. It contained an old TV and several sofas. It was obviously not in use and so had no use to me.

I traversed the house, keeping to the same direction and hit an outside wall quickly. Luckily for me, as I headed towards the front of the house, looking for the link to the extension, I hit the kitchen.

If I'm going up against electricity...

I stumbled through a surprisingly large and modern looking kitchen to find that there was something else in the room.

I stepped down and my movement was slowed. My health and mana began to bleed quickly and weakness spread through me. I stepped back immediately and the effect stopped.

I looked around with life seeker, but... nothing. No life and no soul. But there was a sound. Like grating stone.

Try as I might, I couldn't see whatever it was. The sound was surrounding me and I backed up into a corner with my knife ready. I didn't want to wake up the others as they were probably not far from where I was right now. They would hear...

Hear! That's it!

I activated Trackers sense and unsurprisingly, saw and smelled no evidence of a monster.

So I shut my eyes and waited.

The grating sound became clearer to me. I could tell it got louder in some places in a regular cycle. Like whatever this was was moving faster or harder there.

I visualized every point the sound was coming from and mapped them out. No matter how I looked at it, I was surrounded.

I wanted to leave, but without getting what I wanted from there, the upcoming fight would be much harder. So I needed to push through my sensory limit and hear everything.

I let my mind swim and forcefully blocked off every other sensation. I ignored the smell of disinfectant. I ignored the green tint that I could see under my eyes. In fact, I deactivated night vision. It was less than useless. I ignored everything except the sounds. And I could hear it more. I could hear it better.

Each source was linked. And each source moved at the same rate in a circle. It was like... a worm. The louder grating was from where it moved, and it compressed and stretched its way slowly around the room. I could tell a source was turning and reaching for me.

This invisible and scentless worm was an incredible feat of magic, but it had several glaring weaknesses I could identify. Firstly, it was slow. Secondly, it still made noise. And lastly, any competent person would just swing, fire or cast randomly until they hit it.

As I thought that, I opened my eyes to see a green particle effect taking the form of sound waves as it surrounded the worm.

Trackers sense has levelled up.

Trackers sense is now level 4.

I was right in thinking that the worm was big, because I could see it coiled around the room several times over. It was as thick as... I struggled to find an analogy, but it appeared to get about 20cm in diameter and dozens of meters long. I was just guessing though as I couldn't see the monster, just where it wasn't.

I was stumped at what to do though. Something that had no soul or life, wasn't visible or anything. Was it even something I could kill?

Maybe it has a source?

I was such a genius it hurt.

I reactivated Night vision, looked at the doors and windows near in the kitchen and saw that one was open. The area around it was silent, but it was enough of a hint to be worth investigating.

I stepped over the shifting length ahead of me and reached for the door. The shifting grinding sound seemed to get more intense as I neared, and I knew I was doing the right thing.

Inside the door, which was just a large cupboard, was a mess of shelves stocked with all manner of appliances. One caught my eye, or rather ears. It was emitting a low hum, and despite looking very much like it fit in, any close look would reveal it didn't. It was as if someone took a look at every mechanical whisk, mixer and blender and tried to put them together. And failed.

It was a large handheld piece that had three whisk blades arranged in a helix that rejoined at the end of their reach. It was almost a flawless disguise, but I took a close look at it through Life Seeker. Through a surprisingly realistic plastic exoskeleton, this thing was very alive and somehow producing that phantom worm.

I analysed it, more curious than nervous about it. If it posed a threat to me, it would have done something other than just sit there.

Creeping Leech Mimic:

Level: 9

Hp: 20/20

Mp: 78/293

"Impressive mana capacity. But a disappointing health. Sorry, little one."

I picked up the fake appliance and broke it between two hands.

-20hp (critical)

Monster killed:

Damage dealt: 20

Exp earnt: 23

It was gross and fleshy inside, still pulsing slightly off a residual circulatory effect. There was a hint of a soul inside, but based on the strength and level of this creature, it wasn't worth digging around inside.

Instead I returned to complete my objective. With the mysterious force gone (which turned out to be really weak), I could rustle through the cupboards and find what I needed. And find I did.

I successfully looted a thick pair of rubber washing up gloves, a rubber-lined apron and a large bottle of ground salt.

I imagined what an outside audience would think if they saw my selective choice. Some might have followed my train of thought. Some might just be excited to see what I would do with them.

"These are special items that will help us later."

I then winked off to my side and chuckled softly. It was important to keep myself occupied like that. If I left myself alone with my thoughts for too long, it tended to get destructive. Plus it was entertaining.

And something this world had lost a lot of was entertainment.

Walking into the extension on the house was like walking into another world.

Drab stone and dark wood hallways with taller-than-necessary ceilings became simple, but stylish rooms with modern deçor.

Evidence of high class electronic devices surrounded me. A flat-screen TV embedded in the wall over a basin of stones. It was a ludicrously upper class feature to have in a place where it would be rarely used, but I had to imagine that with that much disposable income and technology, what would I be facing? And how would I defeat it?

Those were questions I would answer on meeting this mini-boss. Though one thing pressed on me more than anything else. I was reluctant to use my shotgun as it would undoubtedly wake up the others in the house. So what would that leave me with? A knife, some stats and the ability to tear apart a being at its very core.

So that last one was probably my only choice, but I would have to play it smart. I felt weary to my very soul upon sealing James' own, so any manipulation, seizing or infusion would be minimal.

I would have to make it quick. Or somehow learn a new skill on the fly to give me an edge.

I wondered about a skill acquisition within my abilities as I wandered through the house extension. I was constantly wary of monsters, but I was seemingly overreacting. There wasn't a monster to be found anywhere on the two floors easily accessed. There was an attic of sorts which, by process of elimination, was where the boss must have been.

I waited a few hours in the dark on one of the long leather sofas in a large living room with long blacked out windows, letting my soul manipulation energy regenerate some. I occupied myself by messing with my phone and checking on the functions still allowed by the system. It was my only real comfort that while I was searching for the mini-boss, I'd found the cables and battery necessary to recharge my phone. I might not have been able to search the internet for any information, but at least my music was back.

To help me relax despite my caffeine-accelerated heart rate, I listened to melodic electric guitar covers. The hours stored was just one of many specific genres I had kept building up since getting the app.

The music alone ensured I wouldn't get bored while I waited. But that didn't help and I started routinely tending and relaxing my muscles.

"Fuck it."

I ended up wasting the battery like I said I wouldn't, and started writing on my phone. Just in the notes. I started a diary of sorts. Something to help me remember the details of what had passed. But my attention slipped still, and i ended up searching for anything that was working properly without internet.

The most important feature I found to be the clock. It was still running and if I assumed it was uninterrupted, then it would be an invaluable asset. It was at 4 in the morning that I finally decided to get up and fight the boss. My health, mana as stamina were all full, and I was confident I could use spectral infusion briefly without overstraining myself.

I was three more tablets deep by now, and my stamina regen was essentially stuck at triple it's previous value. I felt like I was high, but the kind where everything is great and I felt like I could do anything.

It's dangerous. You know the come down will be bad.

I sat back with a sigh. Typical of me to find something do addictive and readily available. The fact that the drugs effects were not only amplified but regulated cause me to speculate wildly about what else drugs had become.

But I stopped that short. It was a dangerous spiral to fall down that, while it might cause temporary respite from the drags of reality, would undoubtedly get me killed sooner.

To help stave off any nerves, I kept my headphones in as I approached the door into the attic of the extension. I'd switched the genre from relaxing guitar to fast and loud electro. Chills went down my spine and spread through my body as a fifth and hopefully, final caffeine tablet was activated.

The resulting sensation brought a smile to my face, and my mind sharpened and focused.

Skill learnt: Audionaut (A)

Audionaut [1]:

You feel the music flow through you like few can. Your very chemistry is affected by the sounds. Mental and physical prowess is increased in accordance with attachment to song.

INT +1 (1:36)

AGI +3 (1:36)

STR +2 (1:36)

A quick check confirmed that the buffs would only last until the song ended. The good news was that I liked a great deal of songs. The bad news was my attachment to them was fleeting at best, and to hold any constant entertainment from my music meant the extensive library I had was necessary.

Perfect skill for me... While I have headphones.

With that final encouragement, I pushed open the door and was greeted with a loud technical buzz emanating from somewhere in the darkness that not even Night vision pierced. It seemed to resonate in my bones and it was maddeningly loud even through my headphones.

Wait. What?

I shut the door again and the buzzing stopped. Open, the loud vibrating noise blew past me and must have been heard in a large radius. But when shut, the door blocked all sound and the only thing I could hear was the still heavy beat of my music.

A savage grin erupted on my face as my sole concerns were alleviated. With the soundproofing this room granted, I would be able to fire with reckless abandon after all.

The hallway ahead of me was so much darker than the rest of the house. Even with Night vision, I couldn't see more than a foot in front of me. I used my phone torch to see around the doorway and found a light switch. All logic dictated that it wouldn't switch on. That this light, like the others in the city wasn't working.

But the air practically hummed with energy and I switched the light on, keeping my expectations low. To my surprise, bar lights lit up a pair at a time, illuminating the impossibly long hallway ahead of me. The black mist that previously seemed impenetrable only hanging in the air as a slightly grey annoyance.

The walls, ceiling and floor all consisted of a yellowish chipboard with wooden support beams place periodically above me. But burnt into the floor just past the doorway was a few words.

Be careful about what you walk into in the dark.

I dismissed it as a joke. It was something you would only see if you had turned on the lights, so made itself a moot point. I ignored it and started walking.

I took my shotgun from storage and held it loosely at my waist, pulling on the makeshift rubber armour I had picked up before. The mix of rubber gloves an apron I hoped would protect me at least from the worst of an electric based attack. Hopefully, my stats and miraculous healing skill would do the rest.

Hopefully.

I continued walking down the hallway warily, focusing on my music to keep my nerves down. But no matter how much I tried to drown out the buzzing, it got louder as I continued. But there seemed to be no end in sight. The hallway extended further than my eye could see, and the only noticeable changes in the basic chipboard walls was an increasing mass of organised white wires.

At least there's a sense of progress. But I'm betting this is a puzzle of sorts.

I tried to watch out for any patterns in the wires, but every few meters, more just seemed to sprout from the floor or ceiling. They were always white and always aligned themselves with the existing branches.

Almost fifteen minutes in, and I was bored. At a point, the walls had reached a point where the wires couldn't possibly be more packed and had stopped increasing in number. At this point, not only was there no sign of the exit, I couldn't see the entrance behind me either.

I ran back the direction I had come, but even after a few minutes, well past where I should have seen the wires receding, there was no change.

Both directions seemed to extend to infinity and I felt a knot tighten in my stomach.

Calm down. You're beginning to feel trapped. Panic wouldn't help. Alleviate your frustration.

I did it the only way I knew how and shot a wall.

A large hole opened up cutting several wires and removing a large area of the wood behind them. Only blackness lay behind. I reached out a hand to feel what was beyond the wall, but something spoke to me on an instinctual level to not.

Once the feeling passed, all that remained was a feeling of fear and anger that caused me to panic. I was trapped and at the mercy of a dungeon.

Dungeons are meant to be beaten. There's a way to do this.

But I couldn't find it. Maybe there was an item I should have picked up, or a hint I should have been told...

But you were given a hint.

I recalled the words that had been burnt into the floor as best I could. My memory of them was hazy despite the very very short time since I saw them. Something about being careful in the dark.

Oh. Ya big dumb idiot. Its meant to be dark.

I shot out the long filament light above me, ducking my head as hot glass showered down.

The area I was in was drenched in darkness, and the lights at either end of the destroyed set flickered off. The chain reaction spread and in only a couple of seconds, it was pitch black again. But this darkness was calming. It signified progress.

I walked forwards again, holding my hand ahead of me, feeling along the wired walls for obstruction.

All too soon, I felt something protrude at a right-angle from the wall. I felt around and realised it was a doorway.

I hesitated for a moment, concerned I had gotten turned around at some point during my panic and was back at the entrance, but I still felt the wall full of wires beside. I pushed the door open, expecting light, only to be greeted by a disappointing lack of it.

By the sound of the mechanical hum, I guessed I was in some tech hub. It was far quieter in that room than it had been on the approach. I guessed everything that had happened up until then was an intimidation technique, or a trial of sorts.

It made sense considering I was about to face up against a mini-boss. Monster rooms, traps and puzzles were to be expected. Monsters I had of course faced, the mimic seemed like more of a trap, and the puzzle trap I had just passed. It was a genuine dungeon that just had a weird theme.

LED's began to light up around me, each small spot raising the light level in the room slightly.

White and yellow lights began to form the image of a massive face in the tiny bulbs. All to soon, I realised the walls of the entire room were coated in them.

The door swung shut behind me, and I jumped, not realising how far into the room I was. But I was now in the centre of what was looking more and more like a boss room.

The yellow lights outlined a jagged, fluctuating face with a white mouth and eyes.

It grinned at me with a flickering, digital mouth and I both heard and felt it speak to me. Vibrations passed through me as it spoke, the sound seeming to come from everywhere at once.

"SMART ONE. YOU HAVE DONE WELL TO REACH HERE. IT IS A SHAME YOU WILL GO NO FURTHER!"

Animations of lightning spread from the face surrounding me and bathing the room in enough light to see properly for the first time.

It was a completely circular room that was far bigger than I thought at first. Even as I watched, the scale of the room seemed to increase rapidly. The small room that was barely five meters in diameter had already passed twenty and was still going. The wall of lights rushed away from me, growing, until I couldn't distinguish each bulb from the next.

I quickly and quietly reloaded, putting birdshot in. If my guess was right, it was in my best interests to destroy as much as possible as fast as possible.

I reminded myself that it was a boss fight. These always worked in the same way. There is a set method of attacking, a subtle but easily exploitable weakness, and everything will be way easier with a gun.

I sun in a quick circle. From the centre of the room, it was impossible to tell where the door had been. Branching flashes of light covered every vertical surface not already obscured by the image off the boss.

"WHY DO YOU WAIT, HUMAN? PARALYSED WITH FEAR?"

No, I was trying to vague it's abilities by waiting for it to make the first move. I was calm, but ready.

"FINE!"

Like the moment before thunder, I felt a crackling in the air, and smelled ozone.

With a sharp intake of breath, I dove forwards and rolled a few times to get clear. Looking back, I saw a thick, bright bolt of electricity spring up from the floor like a deadly pillar.

+2 SPE (0:11)

The lightning did more than just provide me with an idea of the power this being held. I was hit with an odd debuff. Likely because of how close I was.

Static vulnerability (1:30)

I didn't have time to read up on what exactly it did, but I guessed I would be weaker to electric based attacks.

In an instant, I was back on my feet and started sprinting for the nearest wall. I was no longer as concerned about the danger, as the powerful attack I had seen seemed to have a long charge up.

Weaker sparks began to flash into existence in front of me as I heard the crack of another larger bolt behind me. I began to try and avoid these small floating sparks, but brushing past one caused it to crackle into me to no effect.

I stopped trying to avoid them as they were far too numerous to avoid properly, and they didn't even seem to be doing damage. The only effect I began to notice was my hair was beginning to stand on end the more I hit.

Static charged? What's the point.

I had no more time to wonder why I was being slowly charged up, or if there was some exposed metal I would need to earth myself on. I was already within range of the wall of lights.

Instead of stopping and letting the strong lightning attack hit me, I turned and began running alongside the wall. I fired twice in quick succession at the wall, satisfyingly large spots of darkness appearing. Dozens of tiny windows floated upwards, each displaying only one or two damage.

"YOUR FEEBLE BULLETS CAN DO NOTHING!"

"Shut the fuck up!"

It wasn't my best comeback, but I was focused on other stuff. It was hard to run in the long apron, but since it was allowing me to ignore whatever damage the sparks may be causing, I didn't dare take it off.

I fired off another three shots, ready with a second ring to load. Even the gloves were making it more difficult, and the fact that the face of the boss kept moving to keep up with me was enough to make me generally pissed off.

Suddenly, I was launched forwards to the sound of a sharp crack behind me, followed by a burning pain in the small of my back.

My lower body seized up and I slid to a stop on the smooth floor.

-30hp

Burnt (9:10)

Paralyzed (0:15)

The shuddering laugh of the boss followed me as I scrambled for my dropped weapon, my legs spasming and being generally unhelpful.

"DO YOU FEEL MY POWER NOW?"

I rolled over so that I was face-to-face with the digital boss and fired repeatedly at the same spot, ruining the animation. But after the first shot, it was doing no damage.

"Fuck off!"

This was bad. The constant build-up of a charge on me had made me act like a lightning rod, so the range at which the dangerous bolts could hit me grew. Getting hit was no joke either. There was a slightly smoking burn on my lower back where the electricity had hit, and it had caused chaos in my muscles.

The chaotic effect only lasted fifteen seconds, and I counted at least 30 between each of the stronger lightning strikes. The only issue was the sparks constantly spawning.

I was on my feet an running again, trying to ignore the burning pain that was beginning to spread from my back. My headphones had fallen from my ears when I fell, and been ripped from the phone as I rolled, so I could only hear the still rumbling laughter of the boss and my own pained breath.

With so many buffs ending all at once, I felt weaker. To combat this, I pulled a bottle of water from my bag and awkwardly splashed it over my back while running, where the burn was worst.

You have been randomly healed.

+30hp.

You are no longer burnt.

Instantly, the pain was gone and I could take my breaths without tensing in pain. I continued running and shooting, doing my best to swat away the sparks with my insulated hands. I had no interest in getting shocked like that again.

I just need to find that weakness.

While I could easily while away at the boss' health with my gun, I had to try and figure out how else I might beat this.

If I had a sword, how would I win?

Just slash at the lights?

No...

My foot hit the floor at a bad angle, and I slipped on the smooth surface. I was quickly up again, but not before I realised the floor was metallic.

Why would a room full of circuits and electricity have a conductive floor?

"Because it's the weakness."

I stopped immediately, then ran into the centre of the room, waiting. In less than ten seconds, I would be hit by a strong bolt of electricity.

As quickly as I could, I threw the gloves and apron in a small pile on the floor, crouched on it, and raised my left hand in the air. I also pulled my throwing knife from its scabbard and raised it above the floor.

"Come on you static shitheap!"

Ha.

As my mental clock hit zero, I stabbed the knife into the metal floor. It pierced the metal, sticking about an inch deep.

In the same instant, the bolt of light hit my hand, and all my muscles seized up completely. But with my feet insulated properly, the electricity had nowhere to go but down.

The metal seemed to flash for a second before the entirety of the walls exploded in a massive ring of sparks.

Hundreds of individual messages floated above each breach in the circuit, and the voice fell silent. I looked around, expectantly, but the only thing I could see in the room was the fractures of heated wire and glass that were still glowing.

I activated Night Vision, but still nothing. The floor was still, and the ceiling was a completely uninteresting, plain canvas.

Interrupting my confusion, my phone vibrated. I froze, mainly because I thought it was a recurring effect of being struck by lightning, but also because I turned off all notifications on my phone with the exception of messages. And there was no way a message could have come through, right?

I unlocked my phone, and my screen filled with a familiar yellow light.

It condensed on the screen and formed the face of the boss, except it was in a higher definition now. There was a subtle smoothness to its eyes and mouth that hadn't been there before. But it didn't look happy anymore, or even angry. It looked grim. It's mouth opened and moved for a few seconds before it realised I had the volume on mute without the headphones in.

With a look that reminded me of irritation, it instead warped it's own features to make a white box with black lettering in it.

What have you done to me?

It reformed a face peeking up over the top of its text box. It was almost cute in this form.

I smiled, relishing the moment of confusing but satisfactory victory.

I swiped up on my phone, dragging up a keyboard on the screen. The face looked pissed off as it was suddenly pushed up, but didn't push back. I typed a reply in, hoping it would understand.

You did this to yourself. You're trapped.

It looked thoughtful for a moment, then sad, then changed what the text on its face said.

This prison prevents me from moving or doing much of anything at all. Will you give me more freedom within here?

A system box appeared on my phone. Something so ordinary and so bizarre at the same time.

Azash of the Charge would like to access Files.

Accept/Deny

Azash, huh? Certainly sounds powerful.

I denied the request. The system popup disappeared to show the boss looking dismayed.

You can have freedom within the device as long as you agree to a deal with me.

His eyes lit up at that, and with a not-at-all sly smile, he agreed.

Azash, you will assist me where you can, providing information. You will keep this device charged, and you will not attempt to attack me or hinder my progress.

He read the message, and with a snooty expression, shook his face as much as he could yo immitate a head shake.

I see no reason to agree to this. What might I get in return?

I will let you live. At any time, I can destroy this prison with you inside. If the device is depleted of charge at any time, you die. If you just so happen to piss me off at all...

I get it. But I must think.

I smiled at his reaction. By now, he must have understood what a ridiculously bad position he was in, and that I held every card. He couldn't fight back, because there wasn't even a fight anymore.

Take all the time you need. Just buzz me when you decide. One last thing though. Disconnect yourself from the dungeon for a moment.

His face twisted in an unpleasant way, and he appeared to have gotten the misconception he had the upper hand in some way

Why would I do that?

I held down the power button on my phone, causing the confirmation option to appear. Instantly, the demeanour of the electric spirit changed and he dimmed for a second.

The energy in the room seemed to shift and I heard the tinkle of falling metal behind me.

Azash of the Charge has been defeated.

The lightning guardian released the third key.

Miniboss defeated.

Damage dealt: 810

Exp earnt: 920

Final blow bonus: electric resistance (skill)

Shotgun Mastery has levelled up. Shotgun Mastery is now level 3.

The new skill was weak, it was something I probably could have gotten by repeatedly shocking myself with a low current. But it would save me some time and effort, so it wasn't so bad.

I pocketed my phone, letting the spirit stew in his prison. For now, I was interested in the loot. Which was disappointing to say the least. Only two items had dropped.

I picked up a small yellow key, looking exactly the same as the red one before. Aside from that was a single white coin. I couldn't even call it a coin because there was nothing printed on it, and it didn't even appear to be made of metal.

Analyse.

White Ivory Piece (Currency)

This stupid currency is too complicated. Why couldn't they just stop after gold?

It was entertaining though that one of the rarer and most sought out metals of the previous world was losing value incredibly quickly. But maybe that was why. To make sure that the rich and powerful wouldn't have immediate power over everyone else.

I quelled my musings and picked up my discarded headphones. I was annoyed I couldn't listen to music while Azash was pouting, but it would be an invaluable asset to have a monster on my side acting as the search engine I could no longer use.

I returned to the banquet hall with the intention of anonymously unlocking the yellow lock, then leaving the mansion. It was close to morning, and I didn't want to deal with everyone waking up and asking me questions.

I swallowed another tablet, grimacing at the meagre extra hour it gave me. Turned out the effect didn't stack in a linear fashion, but it was enough.

My path back to the hall was peaceful, and uninterrupted. It felt good to move without danger. But I still felt relief when I reached the warm banquet. The hole in the back of my clothes was letting cold air in, and it was chilling sweat I had worked up while fighting.

But to my surprise, I wasn't alone in there.

"Magical girl..."

She looked up sharply at me, a mouthful of something stopped mid-chew. She was still in her magic outfit, still looking flawless.

"I'd appreciate it if you called me Dana."

"Sure. What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were napping with loverboy."

I sat at the table on the opposite side of the room to her and began to chew on a skewer. A side effect of the continued use of the caffeine tablets was that I got hungry incredible quickly. Despite my calm demeanour, I was ravenous.

"I couldn't sleep. So I went boss hunting."

"Oh?"

Now that's a surprise.

"And how did your boss hunting go?"

She lifted her hand, and in it, I saw the blue glint of tinted metal.

"You tell me."

"Fire vs ice, huh? Seems you had quite the advantage."

"Maybe, but it wasn't easy... wait, what are you doing here?"

Ah. She caught up.

"Samesies."

I also held up the key I had earnt.

"Lightning? How did that go?"

"Shockingly," I said dryly.

With not many chances for comedy, I had to take my shots when I could. But she didn't react, just nodded uninterested.

"So you wanna see whats behind that door?"

That got her attention, and she was up at the locks within seconds.

"Wait. Did you unlock the fire one already? How did you get the key?"

"I picked it up earlier. Besides, it's what it's supposed to be used for. I didn't waste something."

After a sullen silence, she begrudgingly agreed.

"I guess. Is that the only thing you took?"

"Of course. I wouldn't put it past the system to put a thievery brand on someone who brazenly stole. And that wasn't stealing."

She ignored the better part of that, and unlocked the blue section. I did the same with the yellow, and we looked at the final plain keyhole that remained, now unobstructed. Dana broke the silence.

"Do you think there's a fourth boss somewhere?"

"No... But I wouldn't put it past this place to just hide it in plain sight."

"Do you think the words around have anything to do with it?"

I looked at her with obvious loathing. She drew back, scared.

"What? Do you know what they mean?"

"My god, I hate you for even asking that."

"What!? What do they mean?"

"It's... It's from... never mind. But no. The inscription has been fulfilled. Unless there's some magical instrument resembling a mix between a jar and an ocarina-"

"A what?"

"-somewhere... I don't actually know how to open it."

I left her at the lock, and returned to eating. My mood quickly improved as I relaxed for a few minutes just eating.

It was interrupted all too soon by Dana again though.

"What was it you said about the dungeon playing tricks?"

"I didn't. I said it would hide it in plain sight. Because this place is a nightmare. Filled with asshole bosses."

"I... don't really get what... But I know where the key is!"

"Oh?"

I was dubious, but she had been in the house longer than me. Maybe she did know something.

"Mays house key. The key for the house, right? Wouldn't that be the obvious key?"

I smiled. She was right. That was exactly the kind of puzzle I expected. But I wouldn't let her know that.

"Maybe. Probably worth a try. Any idea where one of these keys is?"

"In the library. May had one on her when she... you know. And I left it in there."

I stood up, picking up a stack of bitesized sandwiches to eat on the way.

"Lead on."

"Ok. But the food can't really leave here."

I stiffened mid-bite.

"What?"

"Yeah. I think it's because the food is just made of the mana in here. As soon as you take it outside the doors, it begins to dissolve.

"It'll still fill me up right?"

"Yeah. As long as you eat it in here. I don't know how though."

I sighed and put the sandwiches on the table. But my stomach growled and I relented.

"You'll have to go on without me. I need food right now."

"Uh... ok. I'll be back in like ten minutes?"

I threw her a thumbs up, already busy eating a huge slice of some meat pie.

Damn, this food is too good.

It ended up taking Dana almost half an hour to get the key, at which point, I was struggling to stay awake while lying on a bench with a satisfyingly full stomach.

I sat up when she returned and she threw the key to me.

"You want to go first?"

Her tone suggested I didn't have a choice. I did of course, she couldn't make me do something, but she did retrieve the key for me, and I supposed I owed her that much.

"Fine."

Kneeling in front of the lock in the floor, I pushed in the key and turned it. She was right, and the house key was the final part of the puzzle.

The white stone that was slightly raised to accommodate the lock sunk into the ground, and disappeared, melding into the same floor design the rest of the hall held. I heard several slid clunks above me, and the heavy door swung open. A spiral staircase began past the door, leading up. Several small white stones set in each of the steps illuminated the way.

I looked back, and Dana was right behind me.

"Ready?"

She looked nervously at me and shook her head.

"Good."

I started up the stairs, and several seconds later, could make out the steps of Dana following.

A surprisingly short climb later, I found that the staircase led into a huge open room that must have been the top of the tower.

It reminded me of the deitys realm, or what I first saw of it, as it seemed to go on forever, and a light mist covered the ground.

A white plinth rose from the ground and a black sphere floated above it. It was the size of a basketball, and seemed to be fluid inside. I saw slight variations in shade shifting at the surface.

Dana joined me and gasped at the impossibly big space.

"Where are we?"

"Best guess? The fucking moon."

A splash of water hit me in the back. It held almost no force, but it seeped down my back through the open hole.

"Ok. Maybe not. This is the dungeon control room. Probably. I think we need to destroy the core."

I pointed at the sphere and pulled my shotgun out.

"Reload. Slug rounds."

"Wait!"

Dana pulled me back before I could reload.

"What?"

"When we first entered the dungeon, it told us to claim it."

"So no shooting the ball of evil?"

"Not yet. Let me try something."

She touched the sphere all the darkness swirling inside froze.

"Yes. Party. Yes"

What? Oh. Verbal confirmations.

She shuddered and from the point where her finger was touching, tendrils of red infiltrated the darkness and overtook it.

In seconds, the sphere was glowing ruby red, and Dana was looking at something big.

"What rewards are you looking at?"

She responded over her shoulder, still staring at whatever the dungeon was showing her.

"I get to choose a few things."

"How many?"

"Five. Three weapons and two armour sets."

"I want a weapon and armour."

She turned to look and stared at me incredulously.

"What? No way. I'll give you a weapon as thanks for killing the lightning boss. But that's it."

"What about saving your boyfriend. And Annie. And... The other two."

She relented, bobbing as she knew she owed me there.

"Fine. What do you want?"

"A long sword. Can you choose any of the stats on it?"

"No. But I can choose a colour theme, and an enchantment."

"Ok... black... And light."

"Do you mean physically light? Or like the element?"

"Physically."

"Ok... And the armour?"

"Hardened leather. Also black. And give it a stealth enchantment."

"Hmmm. Can't do that for the entire set."

"Ok, just give me a strength enchantment."

Two white squares appeared in the space above me, and the requested items fell from them.

I picked up the sword she selected and looked it over, impressed.

It was definitely a long sword, given the two-handed grip and basic guard, but it was thinner, and was made entirely of a very dark metal, almost completely black. But it had a metallic sheen to the edge that appealed to me.

I held it in one hand and swung it a few times. It was easy thanks to the weight enchantment, but it still felt like it could do a lot of damage.

I analysed To see what it could do.

Weightless Ebonystone Longsword

Quality: High

Condition: Perfect

Attack Rating: B

Stats gained: (-)

AGI +6

SPD +1

STR +9

DEX +2

Darkness affinity +1

"An Ebonystone longsword, made of a dungeon. The unique property of Ebonystone allows darkness manipulation, used to obscure sight."

It was good. Just a bit better than the jade warsword I had gotten from Nephthys.

Dana was still deciding on the weapons and armour set she could still get, so I turned to the leather set I had myself.

Before I tried to put it on, I analysed it.

Hardened Demon Leather Armour (set)

Quality: Demonic

Condition: perfect

Defence rating: B

Set bonus: 50% stat given increase

Stats gained: (-)

VIT +16

INT +16

WIS +12

Chaos affinity +1%

Neutral affinity +1%

"Made by a dungeon from the hide of demons, this armour set incurs neutral chaos through its wearer."

Awesome. This is so like DnD.

With that, I had nothing left to gain in the mansion. I had gained good gear, a lot of money in the form of a single coin, and a spirit of a boss that was possessing my phone.

I took off my jacket and through some trial and error, put on the armour. The leather was a dark grey, so it fit in with my ideal aesthetic.

Hardened pieces of leather enclosed my vitals while overlapping so they didn't restrict me. Each piece was loose at first, but tightened to ensure a snug fit overall.

The only issue was pouting the leather armour on my left forearm. I was still Wearing the scale armour there, and they apparently didn't stack. I was reluctant at first, but ended up aking off the scale gauntlet In lieu of the set bonus. It was just too good to pass up.

There was even a loop at my belt that could hold my sword on my right side. I just had to find an appropriate scabbard for it, as the rangers one was far too small.

But the best part of the entire ensemble was the hood that covered my head, obscuring my face in darkness. Only the glint of my glasses would be seen.

"You done with the rewards yet?"

I turned to Dana who was tying a bejewled cloak around her shoulders. She picked up a pair of bladed gauntlets and a double ended blue knife too.

"Yeah. You ready?"

I nodded, feeling way cooler than I had any right to in my new armour.

"Ok. Let's go then."

By the time I reached the entrance to the house again, it was getting light. I knew this because ever since Dana had claimed the dungeon core, the windows had become transparent again.

Dana stopped in the banquet hall to eat a bit more, so I left her and continued alone. Despite that, the house was no longer unsettling at all. It wasn't that dark and the sense of danger was dissipating.

It seemed to be a normal house now, albeit a cold one. Even through my armour I was still cold. I needed a cloak like the one Dana had.

I pushed open the door from the dining room, And two faces looked at me instantly. One was Annie, who was sitting up in a coat, cross legged, meditating.

The other was one of the two guys I had rescued. He had somehow made a skirt of sorts out of coats and a scarf and was air-boxing.

He gave off a weird vibe and I wasn't sure whether to perceive him as a danger or not. I could tell he was well built, but that meant little if it was all due to the systems customisation. He seemed to easy-going to have been like that for any extended period of time.

But he had confidence at least. He walked over to me instantly and held out his hand. His face was stern, but when he looked at me, his eyes looked sad.

"I'm Callum. You must be Sam. Thank you for what you have done. The Deckers Blood will remember this."

I nodded And shook his hand. He seemed too into this, but considering he had almost died recently, I could understand the focus.

He smiled while maintaining the hard expression, which was a little unsettling, but he pointed at the other sleeping bald guy.

"That's Dom. He's... well, he's kind of the nerd of the party. You'll meet him when he wakes up."

Annie piped in from her seated position.

"Callum don't forget you're also a massive nerd. But Sam is too, so it's all ok."

We both shot her a dirty look, but she wasn't looking at us. Or anything at all.

"Tch."

I smiled at Callums reaction. Despite my seeing through his act immediately, it seemed a defence mechanism for him, nd would likely serve him well in the future.

"Oh well. Can't get anything past her."

He smiled and shrugged then went back to his air-exercises. He had switched it up and was pull in off some very rapid punches from some martial art.

"Any changed with James?"

""No.""

Both Callum and Annie answered at the same time.

I sighed a bit. I wanted to see what had happened to him, but I couldn't do that until his soul returned from wherever it was and he woke up.

I checked my status, and saw I only had half an hour left until my caffeine wore off. When that happened, I wanted to be far away from there and somewhere I deemed safe.

"I'm leaving soon. I'll only wait until I know James is ok. I'll... Probably leave the city before long. There's some stuff I have to do."

This broke Annie's focus. She stood up and walked over to me.

"What stuff? Why would you leave now?"

Though I kept my expression neutral, I smiled inwardly. She was obviously reluctant to see me go.

"Reaper stuff. My calling insists I wander."

"Keep in touch, ok? You're a valuable asset."

Ah. So it was my ability she wanted to keep around.

"Sure. If they put in a message system, I know your name, and you know mine."

"Ok."

We left it at that. She walked out of the room towards the banquet hall, and Callum left soon after.

I sat there, watching the space around James' body, waiting for something. Anything.

But that something came all too soon and a pillar of red light scored through the ceiling and struck James in his chest.

I jumped up and ran over, watching what exactly was happening.

His soul had descended, and was forcing his body to adapt to it. The shell that had remained was no longer suitable for his soul, and was being forcefully changed.

I assisted his struggle by using spectral force to push and pull his soul and mould it better. It was a sealed soul, so I had more power over it than I thought, so it was surprisingly easy to force his body to accept the soul.

Spectral force has levelled up. Spectral force is now level 4.

James's body stilled, and I looked closely at his soul.

Soul Read.

Powerful human soul: [BOUND] (Soul of the destroyer)

Essence capacity: 250

Attribute: +5% damage dealt

Scary powerful.

His eyes began to move under his eyelids, and his limbs began to twitch.

Feat improved: Dead ringer 2

Necromancy Unlocked.

I did it. I returned him from the dead.

He sat up with a gasp, then his face contorted with pain.

VIT +3 (0:11)

The mix of that jumpscare and my excitement at my achievement was causing me to take deep breaths to calm myself. But could stop myself from breathing quickly and smiling too.

James looked at me, his eyes positively glowing like an ember.

Incredible. He's barely even human anymore.

I put out my hand.

"Glad to finally meet you... in one piece... not on fire... I'm Sam, the Soul Reaper."