Upon realisation of a certain room's true purpose, a frantic vampire moved deeper into its bowels and profusely apologised to the single occupant. The single occupant met his sincere explanation and apology with flaming rage. This was not a metaphor, the lone figure, a woman, and likely the one known as Sara.

She sat in the centre of the room, her body steaming and her surroundings properly scorched. She was pretty, at least from Al’s perspective; it made her literally fiery temper appealing. If you were attracted to a Pyro whose frown could set you aflame. Her displeasure at the vampire's interruption caused her to expel a gout of fire.

Alek dodged it while Al just stood there, his eyes transfixed by the woman. What he was seeing was beyond the flesh. Without his magic glasses, he could still see magical forces with the naked eye. It was just harder to notice and required concentration. He didn't need the glasses with her. Her body radiated energy, far more than humans should naturally possess.

He could identify the energy pattern; it was spiritual. It reminded him of the fire worshippers, although they were candles compared to the volcano before him. The subject's fire originated internally, not externally. The Order of Pyrus used a patron to mortal relationship to funnel power. This woman had an actual spirit within their body. Possession seemed like an excellent description.

She shivered in place, shaking her head every so often. Muttering and blinking rapidly, she appeared very incoherent. Al stepped forward, keeping his distance. The surrounding radius, roughly a metre in diameter, was hot to the touch. He noted that the floor remained oddly impervious to the heat. There was magic all over this room. He would have liked to observe, but had other priorities.

“Can you help her?” Alek asked, almost pleaded.

“Possibly, but I will need some time.”

“Take all you need.”

The two nodded, and Al went to work. With a cursory examination with magical sight, augmented by his glasses. He could infer the issue based on what he could see. Two vital forces existed within the same body. Every being has a magical signature. With his enchanted glasses, he could even tell people apart. Shifting to Alek, the black lines running through his body told the story of his nature. He was not alive, but animated, kept active by a type of magic that resembled necrotic energy.

Two separate energies, fighting for control, composed the woman. They appeared to be gorging fires trying to consume each other. Possession was not his area of expertise, but he knew someone learned in these manners.

“I have to make a call. Will you watch over her?”

The vampire titled his head, uncertain what he meant by making a call. Eventually, he nodded, accepting it as something related to magic. Al left the room, turning down the hallway towards a dead end. Activating his spell of communication, an ethereal figure appeared before him. It was Jasmine with her back to him. Her shoulders rose, and she spun around, acknowledging the presence.

“Mr Klark, what do I owe the pleasure of your call?”

“Please Jazz, call me Al or Alistair.”

“Mr Klark is sufficient.”

“Suit yourself, but this isn't a social call. I need to speak with Maligore. I would summon him, but he might be busy with his work.” He made air quotes to emphasise the point.

“The demon, I have not seen him lately. But he has been hanging around Peter. I would have to ask him.” She said, turning her head to acknowledge someone else's presence.

“Who are you talking to?” A young boy's voice asked.

“Speak of the devil, Peter. Do you know where that demon is? Maligore was his name.” She inquired, trying to ignore the question.

“Maligore is around. I can call him for you. But first things first, what is that?” Peter pointed at the strange shimmer next to her.

Al regarded the unknown figure, entering the radius of the spell. It was indeed Peter, and he was clearly pointing at him. For a moment, he wondered how the boy could see him. He hadn't studied the heroic trinity, as they were called. They were clearly a different order of summoned. Classifying the different types will come later. But one major difference is that they don’t use magic. Peter is a spirit user, so he shouldn’t be able to use or even detect magic.

“That’s magic Jazz, at least I think it is. Has Elisara been teaching you stuff? If so, how are you ahead of me?” Peter asked, a little annoyed.

The apparition nodded, which Peter recognised as a strange, magical blob. Al was smiling. Of course, just because they were blessed by the great spirits, doesn’t mean they can't learn some magic. One of the first lessons you learn is to perceive magical forces. If that is the case, Peter is on his way to becoming a wizard.

Deciding it was time to lay his cards down, he tweaked the spell. The strange blob formed into a discernible figure. Peter’s eyes widened at the sudden appearance of a ghostly figure. His first thought was holy crap, its Obi Wan, but he didn’t say it out loud. He had been trying to keep his inner nerd from coming out. But being in a literal fantasy world, it was quite the chore.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Who’s the ghost?” He barked.

“Not dead yet, dude. Names Alistair Klark, you can call me Al.” The apparition waved.

“So, who is this not-ghost named Al exactly?”

“That's a long story, kid.” He sighed, recalling how long of a story it truly was.

“I'm not a kid.” Peter replied indignantly

Both Jasmine and Al looked back at him dubiously. The teen shrunk back from the glare.

“Ok maybe I am a kid, but it feels reductive when adults say it.”

“Reductive, quite the vocabulary for a kid.”

“I read a lot. Now, is someone going to explain what's going on with the Obi Wan wannabe?”

“OG Star Wars fan, have you seen the new movies?” Al asked, his eyes a light.

“Of course, dude, I was there in the cinema the first day. Heir to the Empire was epic.”

“Dude, live action Thrawn was the best. I know he is technically the bad guy. But I totally want him to win.”

“I know right.”

The two then went on geeking out over Star Wars for a full ten minutes, discussing how Thrawn could effectively rule the galaxy. Jasmine stopped them, clearing her throat and glaring at them like they were wayward cats in need of herding.

“Children, the adults are talking.” Jasmine cut in, talking down to both a younger and an elder.

“Terribly sorry Mistress, young Master Peter and I were only chewing the fat.” He smiled cheekily.

“Chewing the fat?” Peter asked, perplexed.

“Old English idiom.” Al answered.

“Can we please move on?”

The two chuckled, agreeing with smiles. Jasmine then explained who Al was, regularly checking with him to correct any misunderstanding.

“So let me get this straight. This guy is also a summoned hero, summoned to another world, not this one. He completed his heroic duties there and then returned to our world. Stuck around there for a few months and when it was our turn, he hitched a ride?” He explained, eyeing the two for confirmation.

“That's pretty much it.” Al added.

“Does this mean there was magic back on earth?” Peter asked.

“That's a good question, their might have been in the past. But currently there is no detectable magical field. The magic I brought over was all I could scrounge up for the trip. Like taking your GameBro charger and finding there are no outlets. So, you must run everything on battery and hope you don’t run out.”

“That sucks.”

“You do not know, but all this is not what I came to discuss.” He turned to Jasmine and regarded her.

“I need to talk to Maligore. I can let you know how to summon him.”

Nonchalantly requesting a demon, he waited for Jasmine’s reply. She didn’t even bat an eye, which he found comforting. Anything demonic terrified most people he met, especially on Matesh. Certain regions and nations had more tolerant views about them. But the consensus was disgust or fear.

“I can attempt such a procedure.” Shifting her gaze to Peter, she inquired about the demon's position.

“Mal, oh, he left to go tend to the wounded. Not sure what wounded he was talking about. Maybe the wounded in the war.”

“Wait, what war?” He asked, deeply concerned.

“The invasion of the eastern plains by the United Realms of Lankos. Have you been living under a rock?” She explained, tilting her head in puzzlement.

His hand slammed to his forehead and shook his head from side to side. The information he just received appalled and irritated him.

“Bloody damn medieval primitives. Can't they not try to slaughter each other long enough for me to cross the border?” Shaking his head, he sighed.

“Fine, it's okay. Ventus will be annoyed, but I can manage him. How is the war going, by the way?”

The pair looked at each other for a moment before Jasmine explained. From Al's perspective, Ventus' worries did not involve a world war-type scenario. The Federation and the Empire were not actively at war. The vassal kingdom of Tarkon was being invaded by the United Realms of Lankos. It was a simple invasion to claim apparent ancestral territory.

The war had started with an expected victory on the Lankosian’s side. A large and formidable Lankosian army besieged and claimed the border forts. They were now supposedly planning a full-scale invasion of the eastern plains. Aresla was one of the several targets they expected to get hit. The Empire's forces remain difficult to deploy until Helgos rejoins the Empire.

“Wait a second, Helgos seceded from the Empire. Rather ballsy of them.” Al added with a grin.

“Yeah, we had to jet before the stormtroopers could get us. Bailed through a portal and everything.”

The two smiled, with Al humming the imperial march, Peter joining in a second later. Jasmine rolled her eyes, surrounded by nerds. It was something she had never considered being her future. After their geeking out calmed down, Al shifted back to the topic of Maligore.

“I can call for him. He said all I need to do is call his name and he will pop up like a genie.” Peter added.

Al looked back at him, dubious. He recalled his past dealings with the demon. Never had he been so accommodating. He felt a tinge of jealousy, which was highly irrational.

“You can just call him up, just like that?”

“Yeah, he said I was his patient, and he wanted to check in.”

“Well, cool. Can you call him now? It's kind of urgent.”

Peter thought about it, nodding his head a second later. Calling out the demon's name, a figure seemed to walk out from the space behind the boy. The teenager's size concealed the figure, though it was much taller.

“Peter, my favourite patient. Have you reconsidered my offer to attach demonic horns surgically to your head?” The demon offered with a slick voice, tempting for anyone with a weak will.

“I think I will pass.” He answered.

“Oh come now, I can sweeten the deal, perhaps a prehensile tail or bat-like wings?”

For a second, the young man seriously considered it, but quickly rejected. The demon shrugged before taking in his new environment. His demonic eyes affixed to the apparition. Grinning from ear to ear, as if his face would part.

“Al, what a pleasant surprise to see you, not so in the flesh.”

“Hey Maligore, I would love to go over the demonic pleasantries. But I got a medical mystery for you.”

The demon's eyes grew wide, his grin oddly wider. The look he gave Al made him shiver.

“Oh, Al, you offer the most intriguing of things. Tell me of this mystery.”

“But first, can you head over? You need to see it for yourself.”

Maligore nodded, and the pair said goodbye to the heroes. It only took a little time for the demon to teleport over. The communication spell Al used gave him the perfect highway to travel. Appearing in the dungeon, the pair greeted each other in the flesh.