It was what felt like another 2 weeks before he was able to do something. He had been watching Lyenn. Parade around in his body for a month. And he fully believed that it was at least a month before he was capable of seeing the betrayal. Was this her plan all along? Wait till he was powerful enough to take over his body. To then reclaim her own.
The more rational part of himself took over. No you dipshit then why is she still here? She has your ship. The ship you taught her how to use. You know the engines where she only needed herself. Why would she hang around in Zakor for 2 months.
Yes but the weather. She needs to wait till winter is over so she can sail easier.
She is a master of water magic. She can probably sail fine.
Well-
On top of that she could have waited until winter was over and THEN taken our body.
What if us being knocked out was the only opportunity and she took it.
Then we are worse at telling one's character than we first thought.
We? Xane was going a little mad and was now arguing with himself. A month was a very long time in Averinth. Days were more around 28 hours with months having up to 35 to even a 45 day long month. The winter months were longer with 3 months with Frumth having 38, Duramth having 37, and Briamth the 45 day long month. Xane believed they were now in Duramth. Hunting was scarce and the freezing temps forcing most creatures to bunker down.
Xane saw more times where he was referred to as Lyenn. So after all this time she wanted me to be silent about her and the moment she is in control she tells Calrin and them?
Or she was found out and had to explain herself.
Whose side are you on?
Myself of course.
It was a few days more of watching when he got some interesting news. Calrin was speaking with Lyenn while they were going through the ghost dungeon again. “When do you think Xane will heal?” He sounded sadder than the mourning ghosts they were surrounded by. Neither paying any true attention to what they were killing.
“I feel his strength growing. And sometimes I swear I hear a whisper in my mind but I can never hear it. I appreciate your help and your silence on this. You weren’t supposed to know but you seem really chill about it.” She replied and then vaulted herself with Hymil’s staff launching herself through a ghost and twirling. The action outright killed the ethereal being.
The grace looking odd on Xane Calrin chuckled. “Well if you truly are a god helping you out has to come with great rewards.” He said with his usual smirk slashing his undead ending blade bisecting 3 zombies. He sombered again the smile quickly disappearing. “Do you think he can hear us? See us as you were able?”
“He should soon. His mind and spirit was damaged when he overloaded himself. Locking him away for a while was the only way I could save him. Even then it took all the energy I had been collecting all this time. If anything happens again I am powerless to help. Truthfully the only reason I’m in control is that I'm tapping into all of his mana regeneration. Not being able to cast spells is a drag but I fear using any would harm him.” She paused to decapitate a skeleton, the head turning to dust on hit. “I hope soon he gets better to at least speak with us.”
This did more for Xane than he thought it would. He wanted confirmation on what was happening for a month now. And knowing that she didn’t do something nefarious calmed his mind, which was a raging turmoil barely restrained.
Fuck you doubtfull self.
Jeez dude I was wrong, chill.
Ok he needed to stop doing that. Going insane wasn’t going to solve things. He watched them go through the dungeon. Instead of the anger and jealousy of seeing them do the very thing he loved to do he was now happy for Lyenn. This is what she must feel watching Xane do literally anything. It was sobering and Xane had a newfound light on her situation. And appreciated…how little she complained. He couldn’t say she didn’t complain because she did. Just in a more jesting way.
Xane also enjoyed watching her fight. She was a master when it came to fighting with the staff. Effortlessly keeping enemies at bay and landing devastating blows. Xane knew that if Calrin and Lyenn fought, Lyenn would win if she used her full skill.
They fought the two bosses together, ending it quickly. Nothing of interest dropped and there was no extra loot in the hidden cellar. Xane swore that the core glittened in a ‘frick you, you over leveled pieces of crap.’ Something around there. But he also felt fear coming from it as they passed the floating perfect gem. It was an odd sensation that none of the two seemed to notice.
It was another 2 weeks before Xane’s consistent probing to contact Lyenn was finally heard. “Test 150. Testing. Testing. 1. 2. 3. Hello hello.”
“Xane! Is that you? Oh my me. It's really you!”
“Wait you can hear me!”
“No, I can't sorry. Must have been the wind.” Xane wasn't sure. For all he knew this entire time he was in a coma dreaming. Wouldn’t that suck. “Of course I can hear you.”
With that out of the way he asked the question that had been burning him whole. “What happened? How did this happen? Last thing I remem-”
“You scared me Xane. You scared all of us. One moment you were just sitting at your chair making one of those weapons you use. And then you passed out. I felt A huge surge of power rush through you threatening to destroy you. Without you allowing me access to your sheet I couldn’t see what was going on.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“I gained a lot of stats at once. All of them are above 100 now.” Xane tried hard to push his character sheet to show. For the first time a notification appeared. It wasn’t the one he wanted.
Error
Nothing else appeared to explain why. “I tried to bring up my character sheet but it just said error.”
“I don’t recommend trying anything for a while longer. Don’t want to use up energy you don’t have.” At first she seemed alarmed and rushed but hearing that I wasn’t that concerned seemed to calm her down. “Well I’m sorry about this. I had to take drastic measures to make sure you…and well me, survived. Your mind and spirit was heavily damaged by some much more powerful force. I had to use the last of my godly energy that was stored with me to lock you into…well its hard to explain. In one of the movies there was this doll that had other dolls in it.”
“Yeah a nesting doll yes. What do-”
“I’m getting there. Think of you as the biggest doll. And I was a smaller one.”
“Sure I get that-”
“WELL I kinda shoved you into me.”
“That doesn’t make sense. How would that work?”
She visibly shrugged. “I have no idea really. I just did it. Whatever attacked you couldn’t harm me so with you in me in you, you couldn’t be hurt anymore. After a while the energy dissipated. That was like 2 weeks where neither of us had control.”
“What happened then?”
“Well we were both sent to the church of healing. To where they told Calrin that they had no idea what was the underlying issue. They could keep my..I mean your body alive but it was in a coma like state.”
Xane didn’t know he could get a headache but he felt one coming on. “He stop that I don’t want a headache.” Lyenn complained.
“I’m understanding barely anything here.” he shot back in his defense. “Anyway its my body so I can choose if I want one or not.” He said this mostly jokingly.
She got defensive about it and quickly started speaking. “I’m sorry I don’t want to take your body it just-”
“It's fine. It's fine. I appreciate you making sure neither of us died. I was only joking. Trying to keep the mood up.”
She deflated. “Ohh. it's just been a lot.”
“Continue with the story.”
“Well after 2 weeks in the church I found a way to take control with the energy I was siphoning off. By the way the gang all visited you daily. In groups and by themselves…except Hatchet of course.” The image of Hatchet somehow hopping his way to see Xane was funny.
“When I took control I attempted to make it seem like it was you. I’m really bad apparently. At first I just hid in the room ‘resting’. But Calrin stopped dragging me from the room to spar. It didn’t take him 2 minutes after that to realize something was wrong. I played it off as you just recovering. It worked for a few more days. I think he was onto me from the start though. One session he went full out and slammed me against a wall sword to my throat. He is very strong and I can only access parts of your strength. Definitely the weakened state I was in at that time.”
She mimicked Calrins voice poorly. “You better tell me who you are and where Xane is right now. No funny business I can decapitate you faster than you can blink.” Xane laughed at the mockery.
“I told him it all. It just came vomiting out. You acting weird, being stronger than what you should be, and also he heard some of our conversations. You should have purely stuck with mental communication.”
“Yeah it was unnatural to do so so much ok.” Xane said mock hurt. Talking to Lyenn instead of himself was feeling better and better every moment.
“Well he knew something fishy was going on and the explanation helped. It wasn’t the end though. I had to go to the church of healing again and they did a test to prove that your body had a godly body part in it. They only detected the eye though. Even then it was enough for Calrin. Also side note even though the priest who did it swore to secrecy it is a possibility that the information could spread. People would kill to take that power.”
“They would have to kill me first.” Xane regreted it moment he said it. “That was cheesy huh?”
“Yeah… Anyway after that we just did things waiting for you to come back. Don’t tell Calrin but he is totally different with you than me. Like really different. All those beating and scruff nature isn’t the Calrin I now know.” Xane had a feeling about that from what he saw but kinda liked gruff Calrin more. Xane needed that in his life. Less praise, more slaps for when he did something wrong.
Xane and Lyenn talked for hours in his room. A knock interrupted them. “I can hear you two. I think that it's our turn.” The voice of Calrin could clearly be heard through the door.
“No he is mine!” Xane heard Lyenn say. It felt weird being the center of attention. Lyenn got up and opened the door. “Sorry for not telling you. I was preoccupied informing Xane on what was had happened. He had been able to see for over a month.”
“And did he try to contact he”
“Yes I most definitely did.”
Lyenn relayed it. “He said yes.”
“Well knowing Xane he probably didn’t try hard enough.” Xane would slap that smirk off his face when he got his body back. Xane’s stats still weren't on Calrin’s level but would be much closer by now.
“I will beat the-”
“He also says nice to see you” She smiled calmly.
“I bet.”
They were led to a private drinking area and they spoke for practically the rest of the day. Telling tales. About how Lyenn got herself fully swallowed by a devourer worm. How Calrin tried and failed to court a lass who came into the inn. He got ale tossed on him and and then was kicked to the ground.
A story that Hatchet retold about how he single handedly helped defeat the boss in a dungeon. As in when Huntress was punted across the room Hatchet fell from her waist. Apparently the curse harms anyone who touches it. Xane didn’t know how Huntress was fine but the ogre was on its last straw and died from the curse.
Xane listened happily, having Lyenn add in comments of his. It was weird. Even though he wanted to have his body back he somewhat enjoyed this point of view.
It was another 2 months later when Xane felt fully recovered. He felt whole. His mind and soul repaired. It was an odd sensation to feel. The feeling was similar to when he cultivated. How he could feel the energy course through his body and his soul, he only knew it was his soul because of this experience.
The day came when he needed to take his body back. “Lyenn you ready?”
“Yes I am. Are you sure you are up to try? It will task your reserves and we might have to wait awhile till it refills to try again.”
Xane knew what he wanted and wasn't about to change his mind. He knew he could do it. Apparently the action was going to be easy. Xane and Lyenn had poured over books about souls and minds. They had learned a lot. Not even Lyenn at first knew that she had moved not just her mind but her soul into Xane when all of this started. But after reading scriptures on the matter and what she was able to do she had done just that.
The only thing he needed to do was concentrate on moving his soul back into its rightful spot. It would take a lot of juice. Lyenn was thankfully there to help.
Xane focused on his soul he could now see. He urged it to move. Pleaded it to move. Demanded it to move. They all worked but what got it to move was to be his own soul. Do or do not do, there is no try. This process was slow. It felt like shoving a balloon filled with water through a small hole. It might morph into shapes you believed should go through but just can’t. In the end after what felt like days but was actually mere hours he did it and could feel the world again.