Part Nineteen

“I trust you know why I am so disappointed?”

“Mn, gkh, ah, uk.”

“Ah, right. You can’t speak if you can’t breathe. Well, then perhaps you can listen this time.”

Azanorn had used a very particular spell to allow himself to escape Michael, though he’d been caught by his master almost as soon as he appeared. Now, he found himself suspended in the air, the larger being gripping him by the throat. He desperately wanted to respond, but couldn’t due to his esophagus being closed shut. All he could make were little gasping sounds.

“You were to show the boy what he was missing, not kill him. Why would you go so far as to unleash a Charybdis Replica?”

His Lord finally dropped him after asking that question, leaving Azanorn spasming on the ground. Demons may be tougher than mortals, but even they need to breathe.

“Haah, haah, but my Lord, surely you saw what happened? I had no choice but to unleash one of those old test subjects! Otherwise he would’ve ripped me to shreds!”

“So? Did I not tell you that you would return to me, even in death? The power of [Soul Convergence] can not be overturned by something as simple as dying. You of all people should know that.”

“W-well yes, I do know that. I am the one who created that spell after all. But even with [Soul Convergence] in effect, there was a very grave danger back there! You saw what he was doing! How is that even possible!? Those powers may be dormant inside of him, but he shouldn’t be able to access them yet! That’s what the Dungeon is for!”

The being in the throne regarded him with a look of absolute contempt. Azanorn was grasping at straws, and he knew it.

“That just shows how much latent potential the boy has. To draw out the power of the Dark without first undergoing his Evolution. But if he is left as he is, he shall amount to no more than a withered bud. A token of what could have been. Do you not wish to see what he will become?”

“Not a chance in hell. I’d rather fight a hundred Seraphs by myself than see that thing again. I don’t care what he looks like, that wasn’t a human. No human should be able to use Aura of Fear. If I wasn’t already resistant to it, I certainly wouldn’t have been able to escape. I ain’t going back there.”

“Hmph. And yet, you shall do exactly that, or I shall Reconfigure you. Is that what you’d prefer?”

“…No, my Lord. Haaaah, what would you have me do?”

“Listen well, Azanorn. That boy is currently struggling to unshackle his potential. Perhaps merely telling you to test him was a mistake. What I want you to do is to show him what he lacks. Show him what you can, and the shackles will fall. Do you understand?”

“…Maybe? I’m not sure I follow.”

“Haaaaah. Fight him yourself, Azanorn. No Undead, no monsters, no tricks. Only then will you understand. I will set the stage, all you have to do is stand on it.”

“…Very well. It shall be done.”

***

Perhaps I was hallucinating, but I wasn’t in the room I’d gone to sleep in. Instead of the waystation I’d limped into, I was in a large, cavernous room, made of the same dark-colored rock that had been present in the areas where I’d encountered that Demon. Given previous experiences, this wasn’t going to end well. And sure enough…

“So, you’re up? Haaah, guess I can’t put this off any longer.”

The Demon from before was standing on the other end of the cavern, looking completely fed up with all this. Which to be fair, so was I. I really hadn’t wanted to see his face again.

“You again? Do you have it out for me or something?”

“Not at all. If I had it my way, we never would’ve met in the first place. Unfortunately, the Boss won’t let this not happen, so here we are.” Wait, that sounded…? Oh, shit.

“Fuck. This is another of those messed-up dreams, isn’t it?”

“Oh? You sure catch on quick. That’s exactly right. This space has been graciously prepared for us by my master. In here, neither of us can summon our familiars, and even death is only a temporary state. Honestly, I can’t understand why he’s going to these lengths, but so be it. I’ve got a job to do.”

“Do you now? And if I refuse to play along with this nonsense?”

“Then I’ll just tear your soul apart. You won’t last long like that, trust me.”

“Oh, so you’re not going to run away again?”

“Tch, low blow, dude. I didn’t run because I wanted to, but because you were on the verge of-. No, I’m not telling you that.”

“And why not? Too scared?”

“I don’t have to tell you because it’s only a matter of time until you stand before Lord Vanaer himself. Then, and only then, will you understand.”

“Hmph, then I’ll just beat the information out of you!”

Channeling mana into my legs, I charged across the room at the Demon, momentarily taking it by surprise. Unfortunately, it seemed that a surprise attack wasn’t going to be enough, as the Demon managed to dodge my first attack aimed at his legs, and jumped back to make room to cast.

“Well, at least you think like a Demon! But you’ll have to do more than that to beat me! [Soul Armament], [Soul Malaise]!”

Like before, a glowing longsword appeared in the Demon’s hand, wrapped in a sinister aura. The Demon then met my charge, using his blade to block my flurry of blows. Despite his attitude, it seemed he was fairly strong, even when he wasn’t hiding behind other enemies.

*Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!*

Even though the blade appeared ethereal, it was very much a physical weapon. The fact that each clash made my hands more and more numb was evidence of that, but also showed just how physically strong the Demon was. His blows weren’t enough to completely overwhelm me, but he was managing to keep pressing me further and further back. I had to fully devote myself to defense, or he’d kill me before I could react. And even more annoyingly, the Demon was able to talk even as we fought. And he for some reason chose to lecture me.

“Huh, you’ve got pretty good control over your mana. Well, for a mortal anyway. Though you are overdoing it on the Aura, though. It doesn’t need to be that thick. Compressing it will not only make maintaining it easier, but also up its effectiveness.”

“Your stance is off. You’re a dual-wielder, so you should try to maintain a high center of gravity. It’ll make reacting all the easier.”

“Using Grudge Magic like that is clever, but you shouldn’t use it against enemies that are obviously resistant. It’s not only inefficient, but it gives away your hand too early. Even if it doesn’t work normally, you might be able to chain it into a different attack if you time it right. But if your enemy knows you can use it, then they’ll be on-guard against it, rendering it ineffective.”

“Ooh, was that an ability of your weapon? Again, hide those things until you have an opportunity to capitalize on them. Cutting your enemy’s weapon only works if it’s the only one they have. Most experienced fighters should have at least one backup.”

Okay, I know this is all good advice, but it’s just pissing me off more and more. I really want to punch this guy in the face, just once. But…that’s going to be really hard.

For someone who said he wasn’t good at swordplay, he sure seemed to be holding his own. I honestly felt a child fighting an adult. He’d even easily handled me when I used Beast of the Nightmare. Even the Death Knight, probably the strongest enemy I’d fought to date, had been pushed back when I used that Skill. It had been my ace-in-the-hole all this time, so for it to do nothing was a shock. It wasn’t enough to break my spirit, but I wasn’t sure how I could win.

“What exactly am I supposed to do here? I know he said to fight him, but I am and nothing's happened. He couldn’t just want me to train him, that would be better left to her. So then, why make me specifically come out here? Unless…well, I guess I could try it.”

“What the hell…are you going on about?”

“Uh, nothing. So uh, don’t hate me for this, kid. Break, shatter, tear the immaterial- [Soul Crusher].”

I felt the Demon cast a spell, but worn down and exhausted as I was, I couldn’t respond in time. A blast of eerie light struck me in the chest, though it went through me harmlessly. Or so I thought.

In the span of a heartbeat, intense pain wracked my body, forcing me to fall to my knees. And while the pain took me clean by surprise, I wasn’t the only one. The Demon practically screeched in panic, and began throughout spell after spell at me. He only stopped when the pain faded enough for me to talk.

“…W-what the heck!? Are you secretly an Undead, kid? Because that shouldn't have done that to you.”

“What…the fuck…are you talking about? You used a spell that targeted the soul! What did you think would happen!?”

I didn’t know what spell he’d used, but everything I knew said that targeting a person's soul was a good way to kill them. Even [Soul Bind] caused me a good deal of pain whenever I got it wrong, imagine what having your soul broken felt like.

“But, but, but, that spell is supposed to only harm beings with an exposed soul, like Wraiths. A flesh-and-blood mortal shouldn’t be affected. At worst, you’d experience a mild amount of vertigo or nausea,not intense pain! There has to be some explanation for this. Hm, Gaze at the unseen- [Soul Sight]. Wha!? What did you do to yourself!?”

Astonished by whatever he’d seen, the Demon recoiled from me in abject horror. His expression had been pretty laid-back during the entire battle, and more puzzled for the last few seconds, but now it was twisted into one of shock and disbelief.

“Do? Nothing, I’m fine, aside from whatever you did. What the hell are you on about?”

“…You may be fine physically, but spiritually you’re the equivalent of someone who’s lost half their torso. Your soul's been hollowed, like something caustic ate it from the inside-out. You won’t die right away, but it’ll happen soon-rather-than-later. This is…in all my years, I’ve never seen something like this. How the heck did that happen?”

What the heck is he talking about? My soul's damaged? When would that have even happened? Did this Demon go crazy in the last few seconds?

“I…I can’t in good conscience ignore this. I’ve spent most of my existence working on souls. To leave one in this state is just…haaaah, provide this weary lamb with sweet succor- [Soul Salvation].”

Before I could even get my head around the sudden shift the Demon underwent, he was already casting another spell, causing me to be engulfed with light. Seconds passed, though nothing happened aside from feeling like a weight lifted from my mind, like I’d been stressed without even knowing.

“What…did you just do?”

“I fixed your soul. You’re welcome, by the way. Honestly, why didn’t master just tell me to do this? It would’ve been done so much faster and without all this fuss. Plus he wouldn’t have had to choke me! I bet he just wanted an amusing show to watch! He’s always been like this! I mean, who sits and watches people from the dark like that!? He’s just plain creepy! Oh, why did I have to work for one of the worst of the Kings? Lady Azura would’ve been a much better mistress. Haaaaaaah.”

Somehow, the stream of complaints that came out of the Demon’s mouth made me feel sorry for him, though I didn’t really understand why. He looked so dejected that all my ire at him from before just faded away.

“Uh, are we still fighting? ‘Cause I kinda have things to do.”

“Haaaah, fuck it. I’m tired of this shit. I’m just gonna self-destruct so you can go back to doing whatever it is you’ve been doing. Though I do have one question. Have you ever tried using Abyss Magic? Especially any spell that target your soul in particular?”

“Uh, sorta? I’ve cast [Soul Resonance], but I couldn’t get [Soul Bind] or anything else to work. Wait, is that-?”

“Yep, the damage to your soul was keeping it from working. And I’ll bet you felt pain every time you tried to cast the spell, right? You need to learn to listen to your body. Haven’t you ever heard that pain is the body's warning system?”

I’m being lectured about caring for my health by a Demon I was just fighting to the death. What even is my life anymore?

“Haaah, whatever, I’m done. If master gets angry, then he gets angry. Bye kid, I hope we never have to meet again, but I’m not holding my breath. Consign thy life to the Abyss, fated to face oblivion- [Soul Implosion].”

There was another bright flash of light, and the Demon was gone again, though there was a pile of ash left where he’d been. He really self-destructed.

I…feel like this whole thing could’ve been wrapped up with a friendly “hey, your soul’s apparently damaged, let me fix that for you!”. I am very, very, very confused right now. Also, how do I get out of here?

Guess I’ll just go back to sleep? Or wait, would that force me into yet another dream? Oh shit, don’t tell me this is about to become Inception. Uh, fuck……

***

“Well done Azanorn. Well done indeed. I would’ve preferred you finish out the fight, but this outcome is acceptable to me. Now that the boy’s shackles have fallen away, his growth is assured. Hahahaha!”

“I’m glad you’re happy, my Lord, but perhaps tell me about the soul damage next time? What would you have done if one of my spells caused his soul to collapse? Dealing with the results of that wouldn’t have been pretty. Those soulless husks don’t really understand what “limits” are.”

“Then that would mean that that was all he was worth. I would’ve been disappointed and no more. But now…now I cannot wait. Mark my words Azanorn. That boy shall stand before me. I have no doubt that he will pass through the Unholy Fortress and the Writhing Graveyard, break the tower's seal and pass its trials, and climb to the summit. The only thing I cannot foretell is whether he shall survive the final trial.”

At those words, both Vanaer and Azanorn, who was laid out on the ground, turned to look at one of the far walls. Standing there was a metal suit of pitch-black armor. A four-foot greatsword was stuck into the ground in front of it, and two glowing red eyes glared out through the helmet’s visor. And given how an inky Aura seemed to boil off of it, this creature could only be one thing. A member of one of the most terrifying races to have ever existed, though this was a mere facsimile. The real thing was a thousand times worse.

“Heheheheh, hahahahah, Mwahahahaha! Do you not realize it, Azanorn? For the first time in millennia, nothing is certain. Nothing is assured. Time is running out, and soon, very soon at that, we shall see the dawn of a new age. Prepare yourself, Azanorn, for this age shall upheave all, leaving nothing the same as it was. All bonds shall shatter, all ties shall come undone. All shall be as dust is the wind. Not even my brothers and sisters shall be exempt from the mayhem! Hehehe, I cannot wait.”

As Azanorn watched his master gleefully cackle to himself, all he could think was: Why me?