Nicole stood above the corpse of a large red-haired male with an eyepatch and a familiar face. His green eyes blankly looked up. The body was also quite cold and stiff; they hadn’t made it far, and it didn’t take much. He had died long before they arrived, and his skin had wrinkled significantly.

Behind Nicole was a carriage that was currently on fire. The driver was a headless corpse. The other guards on board had various wounds, from blades of ice protruding from their hearts to guards who were boiled alive in their armor. Quite a few showed no

sign of physical damage and had just fallen dead.

Charles stood behind the four who had gone to carry out the rescue mission. Wura, Nicole, Noah, and Kiara were furious in their way. The way they took out the trained guards who had turned to treason showed as much. The older man had suspicions about what had happened, but it wasn’t his place to act.

A quiet hum echoed in his handkerchief pocket, and a small dome of mana covered his body. Charles pulled out a handkerchief with a small red flower threaded in as decoration.

The handkerchief covered his mouth, masking his speech. “Master Kyrion, is that you?”

“How? Oh right. Listen, I have someone right here than I want you to take in as an alternate. Really talented but only a fledgling right now. He has an interesting spirit that’s great for support.”

“I see, master Kyrion. You know I just can’t.”

“His ability can ignore some physical defenses. Cut straight through me despite my endurance.”

“You truly have your grandfather’s eye for people. So you know they all think you’re dead. Well everyone except Chester and Asela.”

“Ah right Nicole…I found someone who looks just like her and has a similar temperament.

According to Imala…”

“How much have you been told?”

“Bits and pieces.”

“Nicole isn’t ready for that drama yet. I’d rather she not have to deal with a divergent personality in her head.”

“So its like having two people in you head?”

“It’s like having access to the thoughts and memories of another person who could be quite similar to you or very different.”

“...”

“Need anything else?”

“Just thinking. Spirit masters can go insane quite easily can’t they.”

“Those who break become stepping stones on the paths to greatness.”

“Thats…”

“You should be fine, it’s not like you use your brain much anyway.” Charles pretended to wipe away a tear as he cut off communication.

Kyrion scowled. He seemed quite irritated as he stared at a flower.

“You ok?” Atimn asked.

“No. No I am not.” Kyrion sighed.

“So… What’s the verdict?”

“My, in, didn’t say no. So you have a chance to get in if you can impress him.”

“In where exactly?”

“Norn.” Kyrion shook his hands.

“Norn. The main school in the city?”

“Yup.”

“How do you have an in?”

“I know some important people. My imprisonment has caused quite a few problems.”

“I can see that now.” Atimn.

“If you didn’t have any baggage then I’d have you join the tailors. Your powers are better suited to their meticulous work. Now open that chest I have better things to do.”

Atimn opened the chest and scowled. “There is a mysterious blue vial and a black sphere.”

Kyrion poked his head over Atimn’s shoulder. “A spirit core. Lucky you.”

“What does it do?”

“Pick it up and take a seat.”

Atimn did so.

“Now close your eyes and send a small amount of mana into it.”

The sphere began to surround Atimn in almost tangible darkness.

“Now breathe in.”

Atimn took a deep breath.

“Now as you breathe out, speak its name.”

“Ulsafaric thou, who has become the greatest.”

“Ah…You should probably sell that.”

“Why?”

“That’s probably a demon lord’s core. Not the Demon lord, no a demon lord from one of the six hundred and sixty-seven layers of the abyss. Their titles tend to have a similar naming structure, lots of hubris and junk. I only know this because It was drilled into me. While powerful, the core of a demon lord is something that has strong effects on the user’s personality.”

“You don’t think I can handle it?”

“I’d rather not have to fight you again just because you got a bit stronger.”

“Fine I’ll...” The core exploded into black fog and entered Atimn from every exposed orifice. Before causing him to go prone.

Kyrion sniffed his potion and watched Atimn start writhing in pain on the floor. The potion smelled like condensed mana and something else.

“I do not want to fight you. Atimn if you get possessed I’m going to be mad.”

“Aggg!” Foam began to form in the Atimn’s mouth as his sclera went black.

“Huh, that’s what you look like when you transform. Psycho? Why do we look like that when you take over?”

“When two souls fight for dominance the host may reject the new pilot behind the well. The black eyes are a side effect of using my magic to move you around like a puppet while your body resist. Like white blood cells attacking foreign bodies..”

“So your magic was evil. No wonder.”

“Magic isn’t good or ev….”

“Not now he’s getting up and uggg.” Kyrion downed the small potion and felt his blood begin to bubble as his bones seemed to condense, his wounds healing. His carefully aligned core’s structure crumbled into dust and reformed as a single thread that extended throughout his body, eventually looping around to his head, where two bumps seemed to form.

Kyrion let out a blast of wind mana and felt it come easier with more available. Walls separating his affinities had been forcibly broken, the sum combining before something else joined in. Words entered his mind, and he knew how to access the power that was finally back at his disposal. The distinction was something he no longer needed.

“Jala, with your control over wind and space grant me swiftness and guide my strikes.” A looped purple and silver earring appeared in Kyrion’s left ear.

“Issac with your control over water and mind, grant me focus and overwhelming force.” A silver and blue earring appeared in his right ear.

“Karl cover my body in armor of earth. Grant me control and endurance.”

A brown robe covered Kyrion’s body, and he soon found that he was a lot more durable now.

“Spirit of nature dwelling in me grant me the strength of a mighty tree and the vitality last.” A pair of horns made of wood grew from Kyrion’s head, resembling small antlers made of branches. Blue flowers bloomed from the horns on his head. Sadly it was accurate as

“Full manifestation World within a world.” Kyrion made up a phrase that sounded cool towards the end for dramatic effect.

Atimn seemed to look at the practitioner leaking absurd amounts of mana and then at his own meager form before surrendering.

Atimn looked up with his clear eyes. “Guess I’m a practitioner now.”

“And I don’t have to knock you into next week.” As fast as the transformation came, it faded as Kyrion’s body reabsorbed all of it. He wasn’t fully healed yet.

“Dude, you just intimidated a demon by looking at it funny. I’d rather not be hit by a fist that sends me to the future. You’re scary enough as is.”

“I can’t…Well possibly. If you’re unconscious for the entire time I guess I could call it that.”

Kyrion’s eyes went blank for a moment as the potions’ effects continued to run through his brain before fading.

“So. What did your drink do?”

“Do you want the technical explanation or the in depth explanation that I’m pretty sure you won’t understand.”

“The simple one.”

“My afinites used to split my mana evenly, this allowed for me to use all my powers separately without the mixing that tends to happen when you have multiple affinities. While useful, it was more of a hindrance for me. Especially when it limits the output of certain abilities. My output doesn’t need to be limited. This was originally something I was supposed to get removed when I hit the middle area of practitioner, where my control would have been maximized. This elixir however seems to have kept that in place for now. I’ll need to be careful from here on but believe me shenanigans are back on the table.”

“My head hurts,” Atimn stated as he stood and examined Kyrion, who lost a few more inches in height but didn’t seem any shorter.

“Looks like this is how tall I’m supposed to be at my age.” Kyrion had been demoted to a solid 6’3, and it was quite annoying. He’d have to get his clothes adjusted.

“What about your height?” Atimn asked.

“Ah, my body was forced to grow to contain my mana pool when everything was separate, very inconvenient, but it was a necessary evil. I am much, much scarier than I was before, I am aware of that. Not that it matters much to me, most of this will go towards healing anyway.”

“You aren’t going to use that power to fight?”

“Not unless I need to prove a point.” Kyrion stretched.

“Do you have to do that often?”

“Not until recently and I get the feeling I’m not quite done yet.”

“Huh, why do you do it then?”

“Why do I do what?”

“You aren’t someone with a warrior’s heart. Not to be insulting, but things like honar, chivalry, pride, and bloodlust aren’t quite what you follow. Abyss, I don’t even think you care much about rules and laws. If you did you’d have never done what you did to get out.”

“I’m a screw the rules I have mana type of guy.” Kyrion crossed his arms.

“I’m sure you are, but dude, you’re a criminal.”

“I mean so are you.” Kyrion raised an eyebrow.

“Not what I meant. Where you go chaos follows, I’ve known you for maybe a week and even then you were conscious for maybe two or three of those days. Yet here we all in a mine that shouldn’t have pathways here, in my own capital. We discovered a source of corruption and embezzlement that has been going on right under our noses.”

“The stakes of my life have never been this high. Failure could have meant the destruction of my home on top of death.”

“I guess that makes you a hero then.” Kyrion smirked.

“But you also did those things.”

“I’m also dead. They won’t care if you come back alive.”

“Right. Well the exit, its here and we have what we need, lets go get the others.”

“Hey Atimn, I’m about to flex so stand back.” Kyrion stood and let his muscles relax before tensing rapidly. His makeshift clothes started tearing at their seams as he summoned an absurd of space mana and created a purple doorway, his cloth goblin shirt that fit him like a crop top ripped. The pieces got left behind as the brown-robed Kyrion passed through the fog beckoning to Atimn.

“I’ll trust you this time.” Atimn followed, stepping into a world of gray that overlapped his own. In moments color returned, but everything, save for the two, was transparent.

“So this is my overlap ability, follow me and don’t deviate. This place isn’t stable.” Kyrion slowly and deliberately stepped forward through the wall in front of them. Passing through as though it wasn’t there.

Atimn followed, keeping quiet as he went through the doorway, wonder and curiosity had peaked as they walked through another pink circle, and the two were back in the solid world. In the mess hall, they had been in earlier.

Sweat beaded down Kyrion’s form as he bent down and wheezed.

“Not much of a flex if it leaves you exhausted.”

“Heh. Taking you took more mana, but that wasn’t it. I’m not filled back up yet.”

“We have to go through the traps the next time don’t we.” Atimn stated.

“Well, I could probably ferry the goblins and Ceres by sending them to my domain. But, unfortunately, Viole will need to be carried, and I won’t be able to make three leaps.”

“Why not leave her here?”

“Pragmatic, but I can’t. I suspect keeping an eye on her myself will be more effective. If she gets out alone I won’t be able to keep a close eye on her…Oh I’m stupid.”

“Yes you are. Mind telling me why?”

“Duck.” Kyrion drew the earth-shredding cannon, which he began firing into the wall as a new jagged, almost dog-shaped doorway appeared, the tool getting tossed aside as it seemed to him before melting into sludge.

Atimn looked at the hole and then at the sludge of a weapon. ‘What?”

“I overloaded the tool with my mana. Pushing it past its safety. I assume you’d rather not be naked given your shyness.”

“Oh, well you’re right there, but don’t call it that.”

“What else should I call it?”

“Don’t worry about it. Shyness works.” Atimn seemed to think about the other options before sighing.

“What made you change your mind?” Kyrion decided that they were wasting time and moved on.

“Where are you going?”

“Go gather all the goblins, I’m going to make a speech.” Kyrion said with a tired smile.

“Well you should probably go the other way, there’s a podium and stage over there.”

“Hmmmm… Thank you. I’ll leave rounding up the goblins to you then.” Kyrion walked away at a brisk pace.