"Well yeah, they could build their own armies of perfectly obedient troops. Hmm, that gives me an idea. Maybe I should see about learning more about golems."

Myria says "Uh oh! What idea?!"

Lin says "Can you even afford to learn golem making?"

"Sure I can. Unlike most mages who want to learn it, I can gather my own materials. That should negate most of the cost. Besides, I'm pretty sure we already have most of the books I will need."

Lin says "I have come across several books about making golems, but I didn't bother to read them."

Myria says "Please don't ignore me. What is your idea?"

"I was thinking that maybe I could make a golem that would be capable of killing me if it becomes necessary."

Myria says "What?! Why?! What do you mean if it becomes necessary?!"

Lin says "He is worried that one of his evolutions might go wrong and turn him into a monster."

Myria says "If you are worried about it, just stop evolving! You don't need to be any stronger, you are not going to be fighting the demons alone. Learn to trust the rest of us to help you!"

"It's not that simple."

Lin says "He thinks that the stronger he is the more people he can keep alive. Which is at least partly true."

"That's not all there is to it."

Myria says "What else is there? You can achieve the same goal by helping others get stronger."

Lin says "Ash? Is there something you haven't told me?"

"Yes, because I didn't want anyone getting their hopes up."

Lin says "Well, you may as well tell us. Now that you have mentioned it we aren't going to let it go until you tell us."

"It is a real long shot and the odds of it working are pathetically small."

Myria says "If the odds are that bad, is it even worth the risks?"

Lin says "Stop delaying and just tell us."

"If I can get strong enough and evolve enough, there is a chance I could survive past my time limit."

Myria says "Really?! That is worth some risk!"

Brightfire says "Where did this idea come from?"

"Krenocia never expected things to go the way they have. In fact, I have already done things that shortened my time limit. Luckily, I also learned how to steal lifeforce and that can increase my time."

Lin says "So, as long as you can steal enough lifeforce, you won't die when the time runs out?"

"Possibly. The problem is that the stronger I get the more lifeforce I use. Right now, I burn as much in a month as a human does in years. If I keep getting stronger the amount I need will also increase."

Myria says "Then if you get stronger, you might die earlier than the time limit?"

"If I don't gather more lifeforce, yes."

Lin says "How long do you have right now?"

"I'm not sure. Krenocia will warn me if I start running out. I drained a ton from the eggs of the controller, enough to last a few years."

Myria says "Wasn't that before you went through the portal? Have you checked with her since you gained your newest form?"

"Um, now that you mention it, no. I forgot to ask."

Lin says "Ash!"

"I'm sorry. Finding out I was trapped on the wrong side of the world sort of distracted me. Come to think of it, I haven't really drained any lifeforce either. Other than stealing energy from the maker's minions."

Lin says "Summon her right now and ask!"

"Okay, relax. If it was bad she would have warned me. Krenocia, I invite you to my soulscape!"

Krenocia appears and says "Hello, Ash, ladies. What can I do for you?"

Lin says "This idiot just told us about the changes to his time limit and that he hadn't checked it recently. Can you please tell us how he stands currently?"

Krenocia says "Oh, that. Currently my power inside him will run out in about a year and a half. He has enough lifeforce to last longer than that but I can't give a time frame. Once my power is gone the rate that he consumes lifeforce will change."

Myria says "If the rate stays the same how long will he have?"

Krenocia says "If nothing changes, around fifty years."

"That long?! But how?!"

Krenocia says "You absorbed a lot of lifeforce from the maker."

"No I didn't. At least, I don't think I did. All I did was steal the energy she uses to control her undead. That wasn't lifeforce, at least not after I purified it."

Krenocia says "You mean you didn't intentionally absorb what was purified from the energy you stole?"

"I what?!"

Krenocia says "You didn't know?! I thought that was why you were doing the smart thing and staying away from her!"

Myria says "Ash doing what you considered a smart thing should have made you suspicious!"

"Hey!"

Brightfire says "Why would Ash need to stay away from her?"

Krenocia says "Because he is very close to having enough of her energy that she can control him."

*Smack!*

"Ow! Lin, what was that for?! I didn't know I was absorbing her lifeforce!"

Lin says "Because you are an idiot! Why didn't you ask about this sooner?"

Krenocia says "Honestly, it might not entirely be his fault. He was using the origin energy to help my sister and I get stronger. That was distracting enough that we weren't paying as much attention to other things as we should have."

"Yeah! It wasn't my fault! I had permission for everything I did, even freeing the maker."

Krenocia says "Not everything. You didn't ask us about the maker's energy until you had already stolen some. However, I do admit that we are to blame for letting you talk us into agreeing with your crazy plans."

"Hey! They may not have worked exactly as planned, but they did work!"

Lin says "Ash, are you seriously arguing with a goddess?!"

Krenocia says "Don't let it bother you, Lin. Ash's willingness to stand up to us is one of the things my sister and I like about him."

Myria says "I completely understand that!"

"Anyway, so I have a year and a half before I need to worry about things."

Krenocia says "Correct. That may change as you continue to change, but I will let you know of any major changes."

"Thank you."

Lin says "Forgive me for asking, but can't you just put more power into him? After all, you are stronger now than when you summoned him, right?"

Krenocia says "It is true that I am stronger now, thanks to Ash, but it won't work. The power was put into him by the summoning spell that I used and I don't know how to do it again. At least not without summoning him all over again, which I don't even know if it would work. When I summoned Ash my spell was using another summoning spell as a guide."