“Is that everything?” Serylea asked one of the Rendaro standing by a gigantic dark carriage.

“Yep.” The Rendaro said before entering the carriage via one of its many entrances.

Serylea turned to Yna and I before staring at me specifically.

She clutched tightly in her hand a certain book and looking at it made me feel a little anxious, so I looked away.

“Goodbye.” She said before following everyone into the carriage.

I then watched curiously as the carriage slowly accelerated westward.

Three dark magicians were situated at the front and the operated the many gears and mechanisms that drove the carriage.

The carriage itself had no limit on how fast it could go, but the speed was determined by the skill and endurance of the magicians.

We watched as the carriage got further and further away.

I sighed before turning to a cross armed Yna.

“Alright, let’s start training-“

“Not until you erect two towers to the north.” Yna said before walking back towards Coh.

I let out an groan and followed Yna.

We were a couple of hundred meters away from the city and the afternoon sun generously bathed the Expanse.

“Why are you so nice to Katsíki but not to me? We’re essentially the same person.” I asked but Yna remained silent.

“Ugh! What did I ever do to you? The Rendaro, I can understand, but you… I’d say you and I have more in common than-“

Yna turned around suddenly, prompting me to stop in my tracks.

“Choose your words carefully. Because I’m sure Katsíki wouldn’t mind if I ripped you to pieces while you’re I control. We could always just heal you later.” Yna said with scarily narrowed eyes.

This made my heart skip a beat.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get aroused but Yna’s intense words definitely made my brain tingle a little.

“F-fine. I’ll be quiet.” I said with a grin.

Yna clicked her tongue before leading me to the Kommátia planes.

Any signs of Lanceberg’s vanguard were gone although they had left quite the effect on the land.

The once grassy plane was now muddy and I could still hear the screams of those who were abducted by those dark warriors.

But… that could’ve been all in my head.

Yna and I walked for a bit before arriving at what appeared to be the bottom of a valley that was about fifteen kilometres wide.

Two steep, sixty meter tall cliffs were to our east and west and the rest of Aurenia was to the north.

“Create two towers there and there. Also, create multiple access points and camps at the bottom.” Yna instructed and I did as she said.

I used what Katsíki knew about structures, towers and camps.

“Why don’t I just make a wall to block off the valley?” I asked.

“Do you think that’d stop a knight?” Yna asked as she keenly eyes the newly built towers in the distance.

“It would be an obstacle for general infantry, no?”

Yna scoffed before turning around to return to Coh, but since we were out in the open, I wanted to try access my true host form… if it existed.

“Hold up. Let me try the thing.” I said and in typical fashion, Yna crossed her arms.

I nodded before taking a few steps back.

I raised my hands before feeling around for my core using nothing but my mind.

In order to attain the form of a true host, I’d need to access the realm beyond all other realms and offer myself to that being… I think.

I honestly didn’t know, but finding out would be fun, if anything.

[Hey! Don’t have such reckless thoughts. I still have people to care for and I can’t do that as a pile of darkness and flesh.]

“Yeah, yeah.” I said before closing my eyes and sinking into the deepest of darknesses.

As expected, I sunk into the farthest of darkness, but for some reason, everything around me trembled and I was snapped back into reality.

I fell to my knees and loudly coughed up a ton of darkness all while my heart trembled like crazy and I knew exactly why I felt so afraid.

“Katsíki! What the hell?” I asked painfully while glaring at a particular cloud of smoke to my right.

[T-that technique… is-is in our subconscious… where you developed it... that’s also where you… you-]

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Speak up!” I yelled while biting my chattering teeth.

[That’s where you hurt me.]

My face twisted into a scowl but I shook aside my anger before taking several deep breaths.

“Katsíki… I know this hurts, but this is nothing compared to the pain we’ll feel when Caligo arrives. I… doing this… gaining new power will allow us to defend what you hold dear. I promise that I’ll behave. Just push through… please.” I said as tears that weren't mine welled up in my eyes.

I messily wiped them away as my heart frantically knocked at my chest.

“Push through.” I whispered while clenching my jaws so hard, my teeth were on the verge of shattering.

I then felt a surge of heat and pain deep within me and I used it to forcefully plunge myself into the infinite.

My wide eyes scanned the nothingness of the void and I quickly noticed that we were still falling.

We were still far from the realm of the dark gods.

I wanted to meet them.

To meet him.

Our possibly malignant benefactor.

My mind was then assaulted by a sharp stabbing pain, but I knew it was just Katsíki struggling with being deep in my subconscious.

To his credit, he held on and so, I sunk deeper before eventually stopping.

I’m not even sure if I had eyes in this place, but my perspective widened and my vision sharpened drastically allowed me to see the realm of the dark gods.

A strange plane filled with dark pulsating tubes of magic? Energy?

Katsíki sent me thoughts saying that this was possibly in another dimension all while being parallel to our reality.

He reasoned that it was the dark gods who were causing the collisions but as it stood, he and I still knew far too little to come to any proper conclusions.

I looked up and saw a gigantic woman floating in the void, but before I could focus on her, something touched my shoulder from behind.

I felt my very existence tremble as a tall, dark being crept out from behind me.

It was as tall as me only it’s skin looked dark and jagged, like coal.

It’s face was also severely cracked and it twisted inward and the longer I looked at it, the more I wanted to run back to the real world, but I needed to know.

I opened my mouth to speak, but when I spoke my voice was lost in a sea of deafeningly loud noises.

The dark being raised its dark hands and touched my face.

It then lowered its dark hollow head towards me allowing me to peer into a blackness that frightened me to the point that all other fears seemed… insignificant.

I shrunk into myself as my vision darkened and I felt myself moving upwards.

The dark being gently let me go and it watched as I left the dark world.

I wanted to ask it countless questions, but everything was quickly replaced by a familiar darkness.

One that I could actually move in.

With a surprising level of efficiency, I swam upwards and it wasn’t long before I was back in my body.

I gasped and opened my eyes to find that I was floating a few meters in the air.

Swirling around me were jets of darkness and standing a few meters away was Yna.

I unwrapped my hands from my legs to find that they were completely blackened.

My nails were also long and sharp, like dark claws but unfortunately, my legs remained goat like.

I sighed before willing all the darkness away.

I then slowly fell to the ground before further inspecting myself.

My chest and general torso were still fleshy and I could feel the pulse of my heart meaning that I wasn’t indestructible in this form.

A stray arrow could kill me if I was careless.

But was this form enough to deal with Caligo.

I turned to face the grassy plane to the north of the valley before raising my right hand.

A dark storm appeared in the distance and using what Katsíki knew about the concept of speed and force, I called down a gigantic dark sword and forced it into the ground from high in space.

The sword hit the ground and sent out a shockwave so strong, Yna had to stand in front of me with crossed arms.

She distorted the space around us protecting us from the wave of force that came as a result of the impact.

“Haha!” I laughed while gazing in awe at the sheer power I now had control of.

The air eventually settled and Yna destroyed the barrier around is before grabbing me by the neck.

“Do you have any idea how reckless that was?” She hissed. Her eyes still dim.

“I… just wanted to see what I was capable of now.” I wheezed as she squeezed my neck.

Yna then, for the first time since Katsíki met her, frowned- no. Her face twisted in disgust.

“Destroy the sword now.” She hissed while practically crushing my neck.

“F-fine.” I choked and she dropped me shortly after.

I loudly coughed while trying my best to breathe.

“I’d rather have his body broken than his dream threatened. Especially by the likes of a worm like you. Pull another stunt like this and I’ll take your legs and arms.” Yna spat as she glared at me with cold eyes.

“A-alright.” I said weakly before destroying the gigantic sword.

Yna sighed before continuing south toward Coh.

I stumbled onto my feet and allowed my body to return to its natural state although upon looking at my shadow, I noticed that my head looked… different.

Almost… goat-like.

I let out a relieved sigh as it turned back to normal but I was not looking forward to transforming, especially if it meant that I’d look like a freak.

.

..

Yna and I eventually returned to Coh where she assigned two squads and troops to the towers I’d built.

I then spent the rest of the day in the research facility, although none of Katsíki’s assistants wanted to talk to me let alone be close to be .

I took advantage of my solitude to read up on Farin’s notes on darkness and how it worked.

I knew everything he knew, but I hoped re-reading some of his notes would help me understand everything a little better.

Well… that was the goal but reading sucks!

I dropped the book and made my way to the mass production facility.

This is where Katsíki produced various things in mass quantities.

Everything from swords, to armour and even cutlery.

That’s how good Katsíki had gotten.

I couldn’t help but feel proud of the little guy.

I sighed before introducing myself to the workers and I simply asked that they allow me to use one of the production bays.

They nervously said yes and I entered the dimly lit empty room where I created a ton of swords which loudly clanged as they fell onto each other.

The workers ran into the room as I casually made close to two thousand swords.

Yna had told me that she’d take me to the Cohval base the following day and so I had to wait…

“Do you guys need anything? Tools or anything?” I asked and the workers ended up giving me a lost of things they needed.

I helped them make a bunch of tools and stuff.

I even asked that they help me design an armour for myself and we spent the rest of the evening casually discussing all sorts of cool ideas.

“Thanks!” I said while waving at the gleeful workers.

I suppose my presence had reduced their workload somewhat.

I made my way back to the cabin where I realized that I had been walking around the entire day half naked.

I looked on top of the table next to Yna’s bed and saw Katsíki’s dark bodysuit.

It’d be a pain to wear it all day but I didn’t have much of a choice.

I wanted to appear at least somewhat presentable.

I grabbed the suit which was made from countless interwoven strips of darkness.

I then pumped a ton of darkness into the suit and it stretched quite considerably.

I wouldn’t, however, be wearing it as the sun had long since set.

I reached out to touch the bed, but-

“You’re sleeping on the floor.” Yna hissed from behind me.

“Huh?” I sounded as Yna took off her jacket and pants, but I noticed that she didn’t take off her shirt.

So… me seeing her beautiful ass was fine, but her tits were off limits?

Haha!

“Fine.” I said with a chuckle before sitting on the floor.

“You sure are an interesting person.” I said, but Yna didn’t respond.

A moment passed as I laid on my side.

Dammit.

Part of me wondered if she’d let me sit on her lap if I changed into Katsíki’s chibi form.

Those thoughts slowly died as I fell asleep.