Soul Points: 5

Shane still had five of those points left, allowing him to upgrade, and morph a spell or feat into something usable for this situation. He could improve his [Minor Self Enhancement] spell given to him by Alabaster. No, the spell would quickly drain his mana and only add to his fatigue. In the future, Shane wanted to take his friend's gift and level the ever-loving hell out of it. For now, though, something more substantial was needed.

Sharlot's attacks still weren't getting through, and Cain Prime's movements were flinging webs and many of her now deceased young all over the chamber. Shane needed to act fast. This whole time he had been leveling his siphoning spell that had recently evolved to the Ascended rarity. He felt lucky that the remaining soul points would be enough to bring it to the Legendary rarity.

Typically, he would be hyped about having something of that status and power. The changes alone to the spell would be cause for jubilant dancing. In this instance, however, he quickly selected the [Soul Vortex] spell and evolved it—his soul points reading "0" as a new window appeared.

-Evolution Success!-

-Grand Soul Vortex-

(Legendary Shadow Spell)

The user touches the ground and absorbs 35% of the target's maximum HP and Mana within a 10-meter radius

Cost: 50 Mana

Range: 10 meters from the user

Duration: Instant

Cooldown: 30 Seconds

Requirement: 40 Intellect/36 Wisdom

Damn it all! He thought there was a chance this new spell would still be within the amount of Intellect and Wisdom he currently had. It wasn't unheard of for low levels to meet the requirements to use Legendary or higher rarities. I guess I just lucked out. He didn't hold much hope for this new spell's potential morphs but proceeded anyway.

Accepting the prompt to morph the legendary spell brought up the successful result. Shane didn't care what it was, as long as he could use it to help Sharlot. Besides, there wasn't much optimism that his claymore could hit Cain, whereas Sharlot still couldn't.

-First Spell Morph-

-Soul Domination-

(Legendary Shadow Spell)

Allows the user to control a person through their soul. As long as the user's Intellect and Wisdom are higher than the target's

Cost: 250 mana

Range: 10 meters

Duration: Until canceled

Cooldown: 1 Hour

Requirement: 50 Intellect

-Second Spell Morph-

-Grand Soul Cultivation-

(Legendary Light Spell)

Oh, well, that's interesting. This was the first time he had seen a spell's morph change on such a fundamental level going from shadow to light.

Grants the user the ability to increase their strength through meditation and visualization. This process can be massively boosted by consuming certain high-quality foods.

Cost: 1 mana per second

Range: Self

Duration: Until canceled

Cooldown: Instant

Requirement: 50 Wisdom

Shane briefly considered this upgrade path and was intrigued by this new avenue of growth. Unfortunately, he desperately required a useful morph in the immediate present. Seconds before he was going to confirm the first morph as his upgrade choice, he noticed a third morph option with a profound surprise.

-Lucky Roll-

-Third Spell Morph-

-Time Subjugation-

(Legendary Void Spell)

Void, that's not something I saw our team put into the game. Wild! Shane knew that creation of this nature within the game's many-layered systems was possible. It still ended up catching him off guard either way.

Allows the user to absorb a living being's future. The absorbed [Time] then becomes a finite resource the caster can use to manipulate freely. The more time absorbed, the more freedom the user has in influencing it as a resource until consumed.

Cost: Free

Range: Touch

Duration: Varies

Cooldown: Once per day

Lucky roll?! That must be because my [Luck] stat finally kicked in! It took some willpower to stop himself from shouting his thoughts and potentially giving away the plan he had just thought up on the spot. Shane's complete focus then immediately returned to Sharlot's fight. Just in time, too, because Cain Prime had started to fight back.

"Master! What should I do?!" Sharlot's voice boomed in his mind, almost sounding winded.

Her attacks were just as quick and relentless as before. Except now, in between blows, Cain Prime was flicking Sharlot's limbs as she attacked. Shane knew this because small damage numbers between two and five rose above his arachnid companion. Cain's laughing was, again, audible in the large chamber.

"That's enough!!" Shane bellowed, hoping both Cain Prime and Sharlot would stop fighting simultaneously.

To his stark relief, that is precisely what happened.

"Now, why would you spoil the fun, Shane? It was juuuust getting interesting between your spider and me." Cain Prime almost sounded like he was pleading for Shane to let them continue.

No more of this shit! He thought as he began ambling toward Cain Prime.

"Listen, we give up. I want to make a deal with you," Shane tried to put as much sincerity and determination into his voice as possible.

"Oh, hooohooOOOooo!" Cain Prime remarked, with a playful rise and fall of his voice at the end. "This is unexpected, Shane. Curious, what could you offer me that I don't already have?"

Shane had already anticipated this question.

"I'll give you Sharlot as a companion if you promise to not hurt her and treat her well."

"Master! No! I don't want to go with him! I want you!!"

She moved to look at him as she spoke. Her face and voice begged him to reconsider. Shane looked at her and felt a mixture of wildly different emotions. Sadness and disappointment at his ability to keep her safe won out amidst the torrent of feelings. Sharlot must have understood as she backed away and turned away from his gaze.

He continued walking toward the still-thinking Cain Prime. The whole time in Shane's mind, he could hear her calling to him, urging Shane to try literally anything else. Hearing her voice like that nearly broke him, but his confidence pushed his feet forward. I can't lose you, too, Sharlot. At least this way you will live, he thought to himself.

"I already lost Alabaster, and now I'm giving you Sharlot. Surely that's enough of a trade to get you to leave this place," Shane argued. He hoped his argument sounded reasonable amidst the crushing sorrow barely held at bay thanks to his sadness-nullifying pants.

"There is only one change I want to make to this little deal of ours," said a smirking Cain Prime as he snapped his fingers.

Before Shane could question the decision, the familiar sound of quickly moving bare feet came bounding into the open room. It was the other Cain, the one far more gone than Prime was. Except, wait, he was holding—

"Shane! What's happening! I can't….break….free!"

The lanky, small-footed Cain made a skidding stop next to Cain Prime, who had Liz firmly tucked underneath his armpit.