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It's Christmas so I thought I might as well give you a chapter for you guys to celebrate. Merry Christmas!

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Chapter 36: The Cost

What on earth is Multi Species Friendship? I guess it was to do with what I just did. Forming a sort of friendship with the badger by giving energy to him. I wonder how this will evolve? Why is it at beginner lv.1? Again I am frustrated with all these questions with no more answers than before. However I had slowly gotten used to it now. Many things in life would not have answers but I had decided it is best to find your answers when you can. I shelved the Multi Species Friendship for another day as I had felt the strain of giving energy and perhaps it needed to be trained slowly. It was now time to start on my Dark and Light practice.

I remembered back to what Greg had said about the swords, Dark consumed energy while Light used energy to protect. I also remembered that my Light sword seemed to react to Dark creatures and seemed to wish to obliterate them while my Dark sword wanted to consume the Dark Creatures for energy. Perhaps the Dark sword had an effect on other types of creatures? But first it was better to master how to use the Dark sword to control its energy absorbing function.

I entered the Magic World once again and searched for what I wanted. After a few minutes I found my target, a large lizard that seemed to be lounging near on the tree above me. I remembered back to what Angil had said about my affinity towards reptilians so perhaps it was better to start on something I was closer to and try to get energy from. I reached my spirit body towards the lizard trying to impress that I meant to be a friend. The lizard seemed to initially trust me more than the badger had. I impressed that I wanted it to come near my location and although it was initially hesitant I convinced it by giving some of my energy to it. I felt it was more efficient than when I gave to the badger. Perhaps it was a combination of affinity, trust level and even my third hypothesis which was that the more objects between you and the target made the energy transfer less efficient.

Having impressed on it that I was friendly it came down from the tree and came to me. I spent a bit more time on convincing I meant no harm. After about half an hour it seemed to be fairly relaxed around me. I decided it was now or never, I held the Dark sword near it. The lizard stared deeply into my eyes and I felt a bit guilty at what I was doing but I pressed on as I reasoned being able to control this power was needed for the future.

As I poured my thoughts into the sword it immediately reacted almost instantaneously as if it was telepathic it seemed to hum like the light sabers in Star Wars as it voiced out its voiceless thoughts. The lizard was frightened and instinctively felt the force in my hand was an unnatural existence. However due to my efforts it did not run away. Dark urged me as if it was the Devil whispering in my ear, urging me to bring it closer and take the life force from the creature in one fell swoop.

I followed its call and touched the fuller onto the lizards body, the lizard jumped as the cold metal touched its skin. In the same instant I could feel Dark start drawing the energy from the lizard’s body rapidly I resisted its calls to take all the energy and instead I impressed on it to slow itself down. It fought at first and as I pounded it with thoughts of slowing down it gave up and slowed the rate at which it took energy from the lizard. Alas it was too late and as it was slowing down I felt the last of the lizard’s life force slip away from its body and into my sword which hummed with content with the animal sacrifice it had just procured.

I felt sick as I had vowed I would avoid life loss as much as possible but I had killed the lizard who I had bonded with. I could feel the loss it had felt, it had almost seemed to reserved to its fate of being dead. I could feel its sigh as the last of its life force come away from it and the darkness draw it into the abyss. I felt my eyes water even if I was mentally an adult I still felt the sadness from taking an innocent life. But I had learnt a valuable lesson. It was vital that I train Dark to answer my orders without question and not fight me as that had wasted precious seconds that could saved the lizard’s life.

I took a few breaths, breathing in and out deeply to calm myself and put Dark back into its hilt. I drew the life force energy that had proven fatal for the lizard into my body. I felt the emotions that it had felt. From confusion to fear to resignation of its fate. I felt its last seconds of life and sickened me, it sickened me to my core that I had done something to this innocent life. I vomited as it proved too much for me.

I trudged my way back to the lodging we were staying in and I kept this life lesson that had cost the lizard its life in my mind. The sword Dark was not meant to be taken lightly, it must be taken with as much caution as I needed to swing my blade. It had risks for me and the other beings I drew from, I kept that close to my heart as I walked up the stairs to reach the room where we were staying in. I decided to keep this to myself as I wished not to have them bear the burdens that I had placed on myself.

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