Unknown Location Ash's P.O.V.

The darkness covering my senses fades away and I find myself standing in a hellish landscape. I am standing on a plain of black rock, and here and there I can see the red glow of fires beneath the surface. In the far distance I can see a line of jagged black mountains that look like teeth reaching up to rend the sky.

Sensing a presence I spin around, it is the girl from my dream! She looks real and solid this time and I can see that she is about thirteen with long golden hair held in place by a tiara. She looks regal in a fancy dress, she will be a true beauty when she grows up.

"You again? Just who are you?"

Mericel says "I am, or was, Second Princess Mericel of the Kingdom of Revalia."

"Princess huh? Wait, aren't you the one who I saw collapse right as I was summoned?"

Mericel says "Yes, I was the sacrifice that allowed my father to summon the other heroes."

"Your own father sacrificed you? That's horrible! Why would you go along with that?"

Mericel says "I didn't know it would cost me my life to summon them. My father convinced me I was just a magic battery. Anyway we don't have time for this right now."

"Right, where are we? Did you summon me here?"

"No, the demon brought you here. As to where we are, this is what is called a soulscape."

"Soulscape? I don't think I like the sound of that!"

Mericel says "We need to find a way to escape before the demon eats you."

"Wait, how do you know about the demon and this place?"

Mericel says "I was taught a little by Zamart in my lessons."

"Okay, for now tell me what you know about this place and how it works."

Mericel says "We don't have time for this, the demon is hunting you!"

"So tell me before he finds us!"

Mericel sighs and says "The soulscape is a created battlefield, souls battle to the death here. Each time you die your soul weakens, once weak enough your soul dies, or in this case is devoured by the demon."

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

"So, I have to fight the demon again?"

Mericel says "No! That would be suicide! The demon is at his full power here unlike when you faced him."

"Wait, he wasn't at full power? Ugh!"

Mericel says "No, he was weakened from being trapped in the ice for a thousand years."

"Wait, how do you know that? Come to think of it, why are you here?"

Mericel says "I have seen everything that has happened since you were summoned. As to how and why I am here, that can wait till later. We need to start running!"

"Fine, but I have a lot of questions for you later. Now how do souls battle?"

Mericel says "Battle in the soulscape is based on willpower and imagination."

"Imagination huh?"

I turn and look at the ground before me and imagine it turning into a pool of crystal clear water. As I form the image in my mind it becomes reality at my feet. I kneel down for a drink but stop in shock as I see my reflection.

"Why am I human? This is what I looked like in my last life."

Mericel says "Despite the body you are in, your soul is still human."

"Okay, so why is Blitz here?"

Mericel says "Because you made it with part of your soul, dummy!"

"Oh, right."

I look again at my reflection and imagine myself as I should be now. I watch as my body changes to the black lion I have been since being summoned. Although it isn't quite as I pictured it, where my left eye should be is a line of scar and I also have scars across my chest.

Mericel says "What? You shouldn't be able to alter your soul!"

"This is the form I choose for my soul to take. This is me now, my past life is nothing but a memory."

Mericel says "Wow, that is some impressive willpower!"

I shrug at her and turn back to take a drink, the water is sweet, delicious, and refreshing. Then I imagine the pool showing me the demon and its image appears in the water. I can see from the terrain it is walking through that it is probably in the mountains. Judging from the size of things it passes the demon seems to be around twenty feet tall.

Mericel says "See? It is at its full power here."

I realize she has moved next to me and is looking at the image as well. I ignore her and imagine stone spikes shooting from the ground to impale the demon. It happens just as I pictured it and in the pool I can see the demon roaring in pain. Then I imagine multiple lightning bolts roaring down from the clouds to hit the demon.

*DING*

Congratulations! You have unlocked mental skills!

*DING*

Congratulations! You have acquired the mental skill Mental Attack!

Mental Attack

Level: 1

Wis +2

You know how to launch mental attacks.

The lightning bolts kill the demon but a second later it reappears standing just past the stone spikes looking unharmed. I kill the demon with lightning bolts three more times just for the fun of it. Each time it comes back looking unharmed, except I notice after the last one that the demon looks a little smaller.

"Ha ha ha! Is it shrinking each time it dies?"

Mericel says "Yes, it's size represents its soul's strength. Each time it dies it is weakened and comes back a little smaller."

"So, I just have to keep killing it until it disappears completely?"

Mericel says "If you were able to do so then you would destroy it."

"And if I destroy it here it is dead permanently right?"

Mericel says "Yes, final death here means the end of your soul."

"Okay! Then I am going to kill this thing once and for all!"

Mericel says "That is insane, I'm amazed you can kill it from a distance but once it gets close you don't stand a chance!"

"Then I won't let it get close."

Mericel says "Listen to me! You can't win against it!"

"Just watch me!"