Before we left though, we first quickly performed the same ritual for Jacob - after all, his magic would be important for all this.

At first For wanted to go back down again, to go to the same spot as before, but I convinced her otherwise. After all, it was one large crystal, and where exactly the ritual was performed was a non-factor.

Few drops of blood later he was able to cast again.

On our way we checked with Eicam and Abes. They supposedly were called back from the depths and were recovering from the attack. It was For’s decision, and the only logical one - after all, there was nothing to guard down there anymore.

They both were now in one of the rooms neighboring the staircase leading to her tower. Felix also wanted to join them, but stayed upstairs for now, since he couldn’t stand up on his own yet.

Speaking of, I have no clue how that duo managed to get out of there. Between the broken leg and concussion, I guess they had to somehow lean on each other…?

I sort of expected that something would’ve happened before we arrived, but nope. Goldie still was calmly sitting in the cell.

This time there wasn’t even a single soul guarding him, he was just left here without any supervision. Sure, they had a bit of a manpower problem, but it seemed like a bit of an oversight…

The one leading the questioning and also the one who dragged him out of the cell was, of course, his brother. He also requested for me to be close as well, saying that my ability to drain mana would be helpful in case of emergency. I was not so sure about that, but complied nonetheless.

If we weren’t sure if he was possessed before, right now our doubts would be dispelled. For him to walk calmly like this and then just sit at the table with a blank expression was absolutely impossible. But, that was what was happening right now. No words, no protests, no attempts at escape.

Well, not like he had any chances to begin with, sure, but that hasn't stopped him in the past.

Jacob was not playing around. Just as he sat him down at the table that I very well knew from my interrogation, he pulled out a dagger from somewhere under his clothes and unceremoniously cut off a few strings of his brother’s hair.

Goldie didn’t even react, not to the knife being pulled on him, nor to the abrupt cut. Still was just staring blankly in front of him.

That definitely was unnerving for everyone present.

-Okay. Let’s start - announced Jacob, grasping tightly the strands of hair and took a deep breath.

-Doy niptuhu itvut qypove, nepe itvut me kyhotvu, fosy me wisup ey itvut nusvohove, no usfupet em wo voekp.

The moment he spoke the words we instantly felt the change in the air of the room, and it was not the mood that shifted. Quite the opposite, it was still as serious as before.

It was the mana of the area. I never told that to Jacob, nor I even considered telling him to attempt that, but he did it anyway, be it on purpose or accidentally: he used the crystal of the castle as a conduit.

It had some… interesting prospects.

First of all, I think I don’t even have to mention the fact that the spell was more powerful than intended.

But hey, what does that mean, that something that makes you tell the truth is more powerful? What, you’re going to be telling more?

The answer is no. For those kinds of spells the effect is premade and unchangeable, the only thing that can be influenced is scale, or in this case, the target.

Or rather the amount of them.

I can’t tell if that was on purpose, but this weird truth serum just affected the whole room.

Kon immediately noticed something different and looked at me questioningly.

-It worked for the whole room - I quickly informed him. - Don’t talk if you want to keep your secrets.

He nodded and turned his focus to Goldie.

Strangely, the moment the spell took hold, he raised his head and for the first time it looked like he acknowledged our presence. Still didn’t say a word though.

-Okay. That’s working. Let’s get to it.

For nodded and with interest started observing the process of questioning.

Bud Jacob was not done yet. He pulled out from a small pouch on his belt a… piece of wood?

To be honest, it looked not very much different from all those pieces I’ve seen on Jack, that were supposed to be the anchors. Those, though, didn’t have any markings at all. Also they looked a lot less well-made, if that’s something that can be even said about the junk that Jack had. It just seemed like he pulled out a piece of bark that had been pulled from the tree trunk somewhere.

He ignited it with a small fire spell and I immediately understood what he was intending to do.

I was about to chase For and Kon away, or maybe just mostly For, but she was a step ahead of me. She had already stepped outside of the room, but left the door open.

She even tried fashioning some kind of face cover with a random piece of cloth that looked suspiciously like it belonged to Jacob’s clothes.

Kon, on the other hand, just stepped a bit backwards, trying to get behind me. Not like that was going to help him.

The smoke was thick and aromatic, like a mixture of burning pinewood and some kitchen spices, quite different from the one they used last time.

What he wanted to do was to make him talk: and while we didn’t have any spell to do that for us, he decided to use the simplest technique: making him drunk.

-Just don’t knock yourself out - I muttered.

It worked faster than expected. I don’t know where she got that from or how she made this thing, but Eise had definitely gotten better results this time. It was a matter of one breath and his eyes were already glazed over. I mean, more than they were before…

Or maybe it was just because the smoke was literally right in his face.

-So. What the hell was that supposed to be? Why are you attacking us? - asked Jacob, being careful not to breathe in the smoke.

-...

The only reply was his gaze, absolutely vacant. Maybe even more than before.

-Mhm. Silence. Not feeling like talking?

Still nothing.

He repeated the questions a couple of times, getting increasingly impatient, with the exact same result.

Excuse me, I said that Eise’s gotten better results? Well let me correct that: she got too good of a result. I am sure that whatever that smoke was, it was packing more of a punch than the potion I had to procure to wake Jacob up. Which was now the problem.

Sure, it managed to absolutely knock his socks off, but it hit him so hard that he was unresponsive, not talkative as Jacob was banking on. Kind of stupid really. Funnily enough, if he was to use the stuff she burned down last time, it most likely would’ve worked like a charm.

-Get that stuff away from him - I finally said, not in the mood to watch him lose his sanity slowly and surely. - It’s clear that you’re overdone this.

-You can say that again - said For from the door. - I’m not even there and I feel that thing. How can you even function right now? Both of you.

I shrugged. I’ve been through a lot of weird mana surges lately, so I already decided to not be surprised by those things. On the other hand, Jacob was pretty close to the source and looked absolutely fine…

-It’s some special blend - he explained. - It’s only supposed to work on the person that directly inhales the smoke… But looking at you I am not so sure… - he said, pointing at For.

-Hm. So that’s how those incenses of hers are supposed to work, huh?

-Well, it worked for him - she nodded. - Too bad not in the way we wanted…

Yeah, he was still unresponsive, gazing into the space in front of him.

-Well, not like we’re missing much, I think - mumbled Kon, next to For. - He was already hard to understand, if anything that he said was even something understandable. Or that made any sense, actually.

-True - I agreed with him. - Since his “change” he was only talking like a strange robot.

-Hm… I think I’ve heard that term before… but I don’t remember… I think it was in one of the books back at my first home… Aren’t those some strange artificial humans? Or parts of them?

-You’re actually not that far off - I said, surprised that she knew about something like that. - Damn. Those books had to be quite interesting.

-Don’t get your hopes up. I don’t have them any more, all of them were sold to Axelrod. Well, now I know what for - she said with a dark expression, looking right towards Goldie.

-Nah, it doesn’t work that way - I shook my head. - It’s not like with the remnants, you don’t put the person into another body, you make both the head and the actual person. The second part is a bit complicated though.

-That’s… quite an interesting prospect… but I believe that we should first deal with him…

-And how do you propose we do that?

-First off, put off that stupid incense! Or we all are going to be wasted soon! I am not going to bet on her designs working…

-Right, right…

Jacob grabbed the wood and broke it in half. The burning piece he extinguished with his own hand, while the other part he hid somewhere in his clothes.

-Now, if you’d be so kind Mor, can you get a good look at him? You can see his mana, right? How’s he?

I was already a step ahead of her. But the additional time that I had didn’t help me understand what I was looking at.

First off, he looked a bit… weird, like he was split into two. It was similar to the feeling I was getting from Kon after his merge, but a bit more… chaotic I want to say? And not like I felt more than two presences, it was more like it was hard to distinguish where exactly the “other being” was.

It was not what confused me, though.

What was weird was the fact that all his mana was not that of a person… it was just like I was looking at a large piece of raw mana. Like an unrefined infused gem that I just found somewhere next to a leyline.

It was also not the same mana that I felt flowing in the room thanks to the smoke and the incense. Sure, it was present, but it wasn’t as overwhelming as I thought it should’ve been. After all, he’s been sitting in the smoke all this time, breathing it in without a slightest hint of hesitation or cough.

Yet, at the same time, the other piece, the main one I assume, was definitely human and very much weak. Be it thanks to him not being the greatest mage on the planet, or just the fact that he was now in a trance.

-This is peculiar…

I relayed the information that I just noticed to my companions. That also definitely did not help with the current situation, only made both For and Jacob be on even more edge than before.

-Well, I wanted to make you drain him a little bit so he’d be a bit more responsive, but after this, I am not sure… For you to drink that weird mana? That's…

-Even if you were not to ask this of me, I’d have done it anyway. I am curious about this too… and now doubly so.

-Isn’t that a bit risky for you to drain this kind of energy? - she asked, a bit unsure.

-Yes! It really is weird - agreed Kon. - While I’ve not seen much yet, I’ve never noticed mana this confusing before… Do you really have to do it?

-Hey, I already had drained his mana before. I didn’t feel anything, why would this time be different. Also, if any of you has a better idea, then go for it. I can’t be the only one useful in this situation, right?

But, the truth was that there was no better answer. At least for now.

Nevertheless, I wanted to be a bit careful this time. Maybe because of their worries, I started getting concerned as well, at least a little.

I carefully placed my hand on his neck and focused, preparing for the inevitable stream of mana.

But it did not come.

That was perplexing. So much that I just stopped dead in my tracks, frozen.

Kon looked worried, Jacob even more so. Especially after I didn’t remove my hand for a good moment.

-Err… Mor? Are you sure you need that much?

For was looking at me with concern, remembering the explanation of my power.

-Aren’t you going too far?! - asked Jacob, coming closer. - What are you doing?! Are you trying to kill him?!

I just looked at him with an expression almost as blank as Goldie’s.

-It’s… not working… - I finally said, not releasing him still. - I can’t…

I couldn’t find my words. I was honestly not sure what was going on. Did I lose the ability to drain mana…?

I shook myself out of confusion and released my grip. I only just realized that I had accidentally squeezed him a bit too hard, although he didn’t even flinch. But I was not worried about that.

-Did… did I…

Jacob was clearly not amused and leaned closer towards his brother, trying to see if she was still breathing.

Of course he was, there was literally no change in his behavior, nor in his mana capacity. He just… was sitting there.

Unsure about this event I approached him.

-I am sorry in advance… - I said towards Jacob and grabbed his neck, just like I did to his brother.

Reaction was immediate. From both me and him: the immediate mana flow hit me and jolted me awake.

He jumped back, startled and wiggled free of my grasp, although unnecessarily. I already moved my hand to not absorb too much and was staring at my, now slightly brighter, palm.

-What the fuck are you doing?! - he yelped, now fully understanding what just happened. - You were supposed to do that to him, not me!

-What the hell is going on with you?!

-Sorry, but… I had to check… - I said, after a minute of silence. - I honestly don’t understand either…

-What just happened…?

Iloa was as confused as I was.

-I don’t know… - I said out loud. - I wanted to absorb his mana, just as I said… but… I couldn’t…

-You mean he’s dead?! - Jacob yelped and quickly checked his pulse.

-No… it’s not like that… - I assured him. - He does have mana… quite an unusual one, but still has some… for some reason I am unable to drain it…

-But why attack me!?

-It was not an attack… - muttered For, understanding my intentions. - You thought you lost your ability, didn’t you?

-Yeah… but that’s not it, as we can clearly hear I was able to drain you, Jacob. Sorry again.

He just waved me off, still focused on his brother.

-What does that mean then…? - Kon asked the question that was on all of our minds. - What… What is he?

-I wish I could tell you…

-Does that mean… that he’s… not human…?

-Well, so far I have had no issues draining anything… including immaterial objects… - I said. - Whatever that is, it certainly can’t be just it…

-Hm… is there anything that could be more powerful than your crystal…? - started thinking aloud For.

-Not that I am aware of… - I shook my head, still unsure. - Origin Crystals are essentially just incantations of pure mana, you can’t get any better than that…

-But… I know, that is a stupid idea - said For - but what if it was another Origin Crystal…? Another remnant? Just like you two?

I gazed at her, thinking.

-No. Can’t be - I shook my head. - I mean, sure, the only thing more powerful would be indeed another Origin Crystal, but he had to be a remnant then. And I think he’d be in an even worse state than me…

-Worse state…?

-I mean, more crystallized - I explained.

-I thought that size didn’t matter…

-It doesn’t. But I noticed that the more someone is… in sync with the Crystal, the more they are crystal themselves.

-Eh… okay…

-And besides that - added Kon. - I think even being a remnant isn’t enough to protect anyone from your touch, is it? I mean, you were able to drain me no problem.

-Ah, so that’s how you woke up down there… - muttered For. - I guess you are right… Hell, then I have no ideas…

-Me neither. That is puzzling indeed… - mumbled in my head Iloa.

For the first time in a while, all of us were completely stumped.