Hello Everyone and sorry for my long absence but college is very time consuming and all of my limited free time was put into working on a full length novel, which is this fiction. Hopefully with this post you will forgive me for my long absence and not try and chain me up in my basement.(The last time that happened I wasted nearly two hours getting loose.)

I have finished/dropped Azran because I ran out of ideas and it was becoming rather monotonous. The pacing in Azran was pretty horrible and hopefully this fiction will be much better as he will get stronger slower than Azran did. Sure he receives a major power boost in the first chapter but that only makes him slightly stronger than most mages, there are many more powerful beings out there, as he soon finds out.

Once again, Thank You All for your continuous support for my previous fictions and hopefully you will continue to support me in this new one. I truly appreciate all of your criticism, ratings, ideas, and views. Thank You and enjoy.

Chapter 01: Birth of an Elder Lich

A massive cracking sound erupted from inside the large pentagram that I had created. I watched as blue fire erupted into a 12 foot high blaze with reality seeming to warp around it as a portal to the Abyss opened. I had finally done it, three years of constant studying, researching and failed summonings had finally born fruit. Everyone had said that I was insane, they said that not even the biggest fool around would even consider trying to summon a 9th level demon as their first summon. Hell, even most Magister ranked summoners had only managed to summon and bind an 8th level demon. In hindsight I might have been better off if I had just started at the bottom and worked my way up but I wanted power and immortality so I decided to do something that was completely against common sense.

The demon I was trying to summon was a Soul Eater from the 9th level of the Abyss. Soul Eaters were infamous for their incredible cruelty and the ability to permanently kill immortal beings by devouring their souls. They were immensely powerful and some of them have been known to cross over to the 10th level of the Abyss,(There are 21 levels in the Abyss) a feat which is impossible for any other creature from the 9th level. It is extremely dangerous to try and summon a demon that was stronger than you are but I had a good reason for attempting it. The reason was because I needed to summon a demon of at least the 9th level to be able to preform a soul binding ritual which would result in my obtaining immortality.

There have been many humans who have sought immortality throughout the ages but I was going to be the first one to truly obtain it. Normally it would be impossible for my idea to work, but I had the Book of Shadows and Thorns, so nothing was truly impossible. I had obtained the book from my mentor when I was 12, it was his most prized possession and his greatest secret.

The Book of Shadows and Thorns was a thin book that had ten blank pages but when you asked it a question that was related to the Dark Arts, the answer would appear on the blank pages although it was often accompanied by a puzzle, riddle or cypher that contained an important part of the information. It was said to contain all of the knowledge of the Dark Arts and the only thing that kept its owner from being the most powerful person in existence was that he had to know what questions to ask and how to interpret the answer. It was a fabulous treasure and one that had ensnared me so quickly that I had murdered my mentor in his bed to obtain it.

In this world there is nothing that matters more than strength and only the strong can survive. Family, love, friendship, all of these things are worthless in the face of power. I learned this lesson when I was very young and I have walked the path of power ever since. This was why I had was risking my life for a 9th level demon servant and immortality because it would give me access to the power that I needed to survive.

I grinned widely as the demon stepped forth from the Abyss, she was beautiful. The demon was about 7 feet tall with a slim body frame, long silken black hair, large breasts and pale white skin that was impervious to most weapons. She was extremely beautiful and the only things that showed she was different from a gorgeous human woman were the white horns that curved around her head towards the front, slitted golden eyes, and the two large black feathered wings that sprouted from her shoulders. It really was an entrancing scene that could ensnare most men but I knew better. No matter how appealing her form was I knew how dangerous and cruel the monster that lurked beneath her skin was.

All demons were alike in that aspect as they constantly hungered for power and destruction, for them it was a necessity like food and water was to humans. Kindness or mercy would be wasted on them as they would exploit it as the weakness it was. The only way to truly gain a demon's respect or loyalty was to beat them down and suppress them with your power, only after you had shown them that you were strong enough to be their master would they accept you.

The problem with summoning demons that were far stronger than you were was that you would be unable to dominate them and they would refuse to accept you. Then even if you somehow managed to bind them so that they had to obey your orders, they would not respect you and would do everything in their power to make your life miserable without contradicting your orders. On the other hand if you were not strong enough to suppress them they would escape and tear you and anyone they could reach to pieces.

Ironically if you were able to suppress them they would be willingly enter into a binding with you and they would be completely loyal to the agreement. For creatures that sought power, destruction, and the fulfillment of their desires above all else, they were frustratingly loyal to any contracts or bindings.

The Soul Fusion and Binding Ritual was an extremely complex ritual designed to overcome the traditional problems that occurred with a binding. The ritual would begin with the summoning of the demon inside of a multi-layered pentagram that consisted of 13 pentagrams all drawn overtop one another without disturbing any of the runes that were carved into the pentagram below. Each of these pentagrams served a different function in the restraining and suppression of the demon's strength and magic in both the physical and astral planes of existence. Once the demon had been successfully isolated in the pentagram the summoner would then begin to chant a dual layered spell that lasted for 13 lines.

Unlike normal spells, a dual spell forced the magician to say two completely different spells at the same time. It was extremely hard to do this and it had taken me an entire year just to learn how to speak in dual layers. The first layer of the spell would use the demon's own mana pool to suppress it and then it would begin binding the demon's soul to the summoner. The second layer of the spell would fuse the demon's soul to the summoners, allowing the summoner to absorb aspects of the demon's soul such as their immortality, immense mana pool, and their immunity to fire. It also gains you a demon that is utterly loyal to you because it now sees you as the dominant part of its soul. Not all of the effects of the Soul Fusion and Binding ritual are positive though. The summoner will also absorb certain aspects of the demon's psyche and while it is not certain which aspects will be absorbed, it is somewhat disturbing to know that you are discarding what made you human.

Whatever. Power is all that matters in this world so why should I concern myself with

humanity. I grinned unconsciously as I thought of the massive amounts of power that would soon be mine in return for the small sacrifice of humanity. The enjoyable feeling quickly passed as a shaking sound originated from the pentagram. The demon slammed her fist into the invisible wall that was created by the pentagram and screamed. Even from withing the constriction of the pentagram she could sense the level of my power and she was deeply insulted that one such as I dared to summon her. The pentagram was built to withstand her power but I did not want to take any chances so I quickly began to chant the spell. As he words spilled out of my mouth I kept one eye on the demon to watch the effect that it had on her. If I was doing this correctly then I would be able to notice the effect and if I wasn't then I was shrakked since the pentagram would not hold together. (Shrakk is a common curse word in this world.)

Sure enough, as I began the third line she began to tremble as her own mana pool began to pressure her. She opened her mouth in a soundless scream as she hurriedly pounded her fists into the invisible wall with a strength that belied her slim form. I gave a silent shudder as I watched the pentagram flex for a moment before returning to its previous form. If the pentagram wasn't there I would be shrakked, her power had reached a seriously frightening level. I gave a tiny shake of my head as I concentrated on the spell, the last thing I needed was for me to make a mistake in the wording and pronunciation of the spell.

A miserable scream was ripped from the demon's mouth as she dropped to her knees. All of her mana had been turned against her and it had completely overwhelmed her physical strength. She tried to stand back up but the pressure from her mana pool was forcing her down to the ground and her muscles could not take the strain. As I watched her I began to chant faster in growing anticipation for the power that would soon become mine. By the time I had finished the 10th line, the demon was lying flat on the ground completely helpless and suppressed. The last few lines of the ritual went smoothly and in no time at all the spell was activated.

I screamed as my soul began to melt, fusing itself with the demon's soul. I knew that it would hurt but I had never imagined the magnitude of the pain involved. I knew that even the slightest injury to a person's soul could make them feel horrible pain but I didn't think that it would be like having my very existence torn apart and remade. It felt like a million white hot needles had been thrust through every part of my body, while I was being roasted alive and doused in acid. Or at least that is what I would describe the feeling as, even though I have never had any of those things happen to me. I thought that the pain of having my soul remade was as bad as it could possibly be but the next couple of seconds proved me wrong.

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During those couple of seconds I experienced every single second of the demon's life, an unseen side effect of melding two souls together, I would know everything that happened to her and she would know everything that happened to me. Some people would not consider this to be true pain but in the span of a few seconds I felt every emotion, injury, and desire she had ever felt over the 96,256 years since her birth. Her name was Navaris and she was one of the youngest demons on the 9th level of the Abyss but due to her Soul Eater heritage she was in the middle ranks of the 9th level when it came to power. There was a whole lot of other stuff that I learned from her life in the Abyss but frankly I didn't have the time to comprehend any of it.

I could feel my body shifting and changing itself as my soul finished integrating with Navaris' soul. It seemed to be recreating itself according to the attributes that I had absorbed or copied from Navaris' soul. The pain had lessened as the majority of my soul had integrated with Navaris' and now my body simply had to adjust to my new race. I had no idea what it would be or what attributes I had absorbed from Navaris but I could already feel my mana pool expanding and granting me access to a massive amount of mana that dwarfed my previous capacities. Having access to that much power was like having an adrenaline rush when you were high on Tare, it was an addicting rush of power that made you feel like you were invincible.

Unfortunately, I was only able to enjoy this rush of power for a few seconds before the pain began again as my body began to remake itself so that it could contain the power I had obtained. It was like there was an itch under my skin and no matter what I did I couldn't scratch it. This feeling intensified until I dropped to the ground and began clawing at my flesh, desperate to get to the irritant. My flesh fell off of my body in chunks as I dug my fingers into my muscles and began ripping. Strangely the amount of pain I felt from this was far less than what I had felt when my soul melted. It was possible that my new nature was suppressing the pain but before I could reach any conclusion, my consciousness dropped into the dark abyss of unconsciousness.

I have no idea how long I stayed unconscious but even while I slept I could feel my bones cracking, stretching, healing, and then hardening. It was apparent that when I awoke I would be confronted with several major changes to my body but I had prepared myself for this possibility when I decided to forsake my humanity for power. Once I managed to come to terms with forsaking my very identity for power, any physical changes seemed unimportant by comparison. It was possible that I would become some sort of human-demon hybrid but I couldn't say for sure because the Book of Shadows and Thorns said that the result of the ritual depended on how well it was performed. I would simply accept and deal with whatever form I found myself in, even if it was that of an ugly humanoid frog.

'Well it's not quite that bad, but even if it was, you should know that there are ways around that sort of thing.' An entrancing female voice rang out in my head responding to my unspoken thoughts. I was startled for a moment but I quickly recognized the voice as Navaris' and remembered that having a fused soul meant that we could always read each others thoughts, although if I wished I could conceal mine from her because I was the dominant member of our relationship.

'Well, what am I? Since you seem to be awake and aware of the situation outside.'

'Well at least you're not gloating over managing to suppress me. As far as I can tell your body is reshaping itself into a variant of an Elder Lich as that one of the forms closest to a humans that is capable of containing a being that is immortal. The reason no human has ever obtained immortality is because their mind, body and soul are unable to comprehend it and even if they could their bodies, minds, and souls would be destroyed from the sheer amount of power it takes to make and immortal. Our Soul Fusion could have resulted in your transformation into dozens of other immortal races but I am 99% certain that in this case it is turning you into an Elder Lich.”

I thought about what she had said and had to admit that it made a lot of sense but I had never heard of an Elder Lich before so I would obviously have to find out what that was. 'That is quite interesting. What is this Elder Lich? I have never heard of it before but I am rather young and I have only scratched the surface of the Dark Arts.'

'Oh, I thought all humans knew about Elder Lichs. Perhaps it has been so long since one has walked your world that humans have simply forgotten about them. I suppose it is also possible that there have never been any Elder Lichs on this world and that they exist solely on other worlds but that is highly unlikely.

Listen closely, An Elder Lich is a powerful undead creature with a skeletal form. An Elder Lich evolves from an ordinary Lich that it is much smaller and weaker. Most Lichs are actually Necromancers who used Forbidden Magic to transform their bodies into an undead skeleton. If they survived the transformation and studied and trained their magic for a couple hundred years then they would be able to evolve their body into that of an Elder Lich, which is very hard to kill and infamous for their ability to easily raise large amounts of undead. The average Elder Lich is much taller than any ordinary Lich as they normally stand around 12-15 feet tall and have dark grey bones that are harder than steel as well as being completely impervious to mind control.

However you are rather different from a normal Elder Lich since due to the Demonic nature of our fused souls your transformation went a little differently, mainly because of the aspects of my demonic nature that you absorbed. The aspects that I can currently identify are a demon's complete lack of morals when it comes to fulfilling their desires, the ability to have more than one form, and the ability to regrow or recreate yourself from a fragment of your body, but I'll explain more about that later.”

“Okay. First off it is pretty obvious that you are far more intelligent than I thought you would be and way more intelligent than I will ever be. I'm going to need some time to process that information so Do you have any questions that I can answer for you while I wait for my body to finish remaking itself?” I asked as I quickly tried to understand and connect all of what she had said. I thought that she had said I could regrow myself from a fragment of my body but that should be impossible.

“Actually I do. What is next? You fused your soul with that of a demon and jumped directly to the Magister level when you were only 23. So what do you want to do now? Do you have a plan for the future or are you just winging it? I've searched through all of your memories but I can't find any trace of what you planned to do after you achieved Soul Fusion.”

I paused for a moment as I considered the question before answering honestly. “I have no idea. I spent the last several years searching and yearning for power but now that I have it, I have no idea what to do with it. You've had the answers for all of my questions so far, so do you have any suggestions?”

There was a pause for a few moments as Navaris considered my question before she answered. “I suppose you could always try to build an empire and conquer the world. It's not like no one has ever conquered a world or two before so you might be able to conquer this world if you play your cards right. I can do the basic strategy, analysis, and planning for the beginning of an empire but you will have to obtain more followers or summoned demons to do the physical labor and combat. My powers are mainly based around my intelligence and while my physical body is strong I am rather unskilled at physical combat. My magic and knowledge on the other hand are immense and there were few on the 9th level who could match me in those areas. After you awaken I would suggest finding an empire that accepts beings of all races, religions, and powers. Most of the human dominated countries would have you killed on sight, and even though your strength is at Magister level, you should never forget that there are always people who are stronger than you.”

I nodded as I considered what she had suggested and her advice on where I should go next. Honestly it seemed like a good plan and I had nothing better to do so why shouldn't I try and conquer the world. After all, I had all of eternity to get it right. “All right, I'll do it. I'll try my hand at conquering the world. Now I believe that we have never been properly introduced. Ahem. Hello, I am Azran Vaughn, former heir to House Vaughn of the Shiran Kingdom. I am 23 years old, single, a practitioner of the Dark Arts and have currently obtained immortality by fusing my soul with yours.”

Navaris' voice seemed somewhat amused as she replied “Hello Azran Vaughn. My name is Navaris and I am a 9th level Soul Eater who specializes in intelligence, analysis, planning, and using specialized and focused magic. I am currently the subordinate personality that resides within our fused souls, as long as one of us remains alive, the other will never die. I am over 90,000 years old and could care less about this world's rules about sex and relationships. Shall we conquer the world together?”

“Yes. Yes we shall.” I grinned mentally as my body finished remaking itself and I felt myself being sucked into my new body. Light flooded my eyes as I awake and I grinned, or at least I tried to. I, Azran Vaughn, was awake and the world was about to find itself under new rule.