Tassie, slightly hurt, broke through the wall of the ship. The rest of the team, far more hurt, piled in as well. They already lost two members to the defences. Harvey, the team healer, started casting multiple spells the moment he got in. They all immediately felt the presence of a wrathful god staring at them. Then the lights went out and shadows around them came alive. A dagger in the dark, an ominous chanted spell, a branded sigil.

Bear the mark of sin

Circling up, they started using their auras to resist the hegemonic presence.

"No," rung out the voice from the dark. The presence squashed all of their auras. Necrosis started creeping up their skin as the dagger shot out again. An alien cloak with orange and blue orbs broke through any shields, magical or physical, that were put up. Leeches crawled up their legs, draining their health and multiplying. Tassie was soon alone in the dark.

"Show yourself you fucking coward! Stop this shadow bullshit and fight me!"

"Fine." said Jason.

He stepped out of Shade and cast his standard spells.

Bleed for me

Your fate is to suffer

"There you are!"

He stepped back in before the diamond rank swung a gossamer wing sword at him.

Essence (swift)

[Dragonfly Wing]

Conjuration (sword)

Cost: Moderate mana.

Cooldown: 10 seconds.

Effect (iron): Conjure a light sword shaped like a gossamer wing.

Effect (bronze): Boosts [Speed] attribute when summoned.

Effect (silver): Summoning cooldown reduced to 10 seconds. Summoning [Dragonfly Wing] gives the boon [Limitless] for a short time.

[Limitless] (boon): Removes the stamina cost of moving and attacking. Any spells or effects costing stamina are not effected.

Effect (gold): [Dragonfly Wing] can deflect small or weak spells. Deals a small amount of disruptive force damage with each hit.

Effect (diamond): Spells can be fired by [Dragonfly Wing] as if it was part of your body. Any wind, air or speed spells will have their effects increased.

"Keith, need some help!"

A wolf covered in flames burst out of Tassie's hair.

"Really, you named him after Legendary Defender? You do have bad taste."

"What?"

The cloud floor opened up and swallowed the wolf. Pained howls could be hear from under the floor, a mark of its passing.

"I'll kill you, cowardly shadow freak!"

She launched herself at one of Shade's bodies, destroying it.

"Missed"

She swung at the voice.

"Weak"

She swung again.

"And best of all?"

She didn't bother attacking.

"What?"

"YOU ARE NOTHING"

He could faintly heat someone shouting in his ear.

The words grated at Tassie's soul, breaking through as she couldn't take it anymore and let him in.

Screaming, she let him into her soul where Jason issued one command.

"DIE"

She collapsed; strings cut like a puppet.

"JASON STOP IT! SHE'S HAD ENOUGH!" shouted Shade. Shade never raised his voice. Shade didn't call Jason by his first name. Jason fell down to his knees and looked at the woman. He had seen some horrible deaths, his own powers the cause of a few of them, but those screams would mark his nightmares for many months. Silently, he vowed to never do it again.

"Mr Asano. Never do that again. Soul torture is something that even the Adventure Society stayed away from. They find skeletal suppression more humane. Please promise that you will not go down that path unless your life is on the line," stated Shade in a solemn but harsh tone.

"I promise," replied Jason.

"Good. Keep that promise. Let Colin eat the diamond rank. I think that may do something for him," continued Shade.

"Okay, if you think so. Colin, you think you can bite into her?" said Jason shakily.

Colin slithered out of his arm and nodded before starting his meal.

Familiar [Colin] has the ability to become a Voice of Will. To evolve, he will hibernate inside your Astral Domain.

"See you later Colin."

Colin disappeared into Jason's soul.

"Shade, while I was in her soul, I found where we need to go. They have a stable astral space where they keep something so large they had to forge irreplaceable chains to keep it down in there."

"Sounds like a good idea as any. Where is it?"

"Amazon rainforest."

"Let's go then."

A few hours later....

Colin slithered out of the portal and formed a clone of Jason with one difference. His eyes were the same roiling cloud of blood that was next to the [Astral Throne]. Jason looked over his screen.

* Your familiar and bonded avatar [Colin] has become your [Voice of the Will].

* As a [Voice of the Will], the summoned vessel of [Colin] has been modified. The vessel can advance in rank without a new vessel being summoned. The cost to summon a new vessel if destroyed is significantly increased.

* The vessel of your [Voice of the Will] now possesses five distinct forms: Swarm, The Worm That Walks, Apocalypse Beast, Voice of the Will and Living Armor. Current form: Voice of the Will. Increase rank to unlock more forms.

* Form One: [Swarm]

Increased biomass capacity and hive mind cohesion range. This is the default state of [Colin]

Absorb life force to temporarily increase maximum biomass. Biomass must be consumed, discarded or stored within a certain period or be lost.

* Form Two: [The Worm That Walks]

Use rags to encapsulate worms and entangle foes.

* Form Three: [Apocalypse Beast]

The [Apocalypse Beast] form has a large biomass with enhanced physical strength.

When the [Apocalypse Beast] form feeds on enemies, powers belonging to them are randomly sealed and become available to [Colin]. Weaker abilities are absorbed at first with additional and more powerful abilities absorbed with extended feeding. Using the abilities restores their use to the enemy they were stolen from, with any cooldowns for those abilities triggered.

The [Apocalypse Beast] form is strenuous. Feeding on life force or consuming biomass is required to maintain it or it will break down into a swarm state.

* Form Four: [Voice of the Will]

As a vessel for your soul, the Voice of the Will form has enhanced intellect compared to other forms. In this form, [Colin] loses the majority of his own abilities but can fully utilise the majority of yours. Abilities related to your nature as a nascent astral hegemon cannot be replicated. Essence abilities of the familiar, perception and aura types are not replicated but are replaced with other abilities.

* Form Five: [Living Armor]

[Colin] can inhabit [Sanguine Raiment]. Grants additional effects

Effect: Gives the boon [Apocalyptic Resilience].

[Apocalyptic Resilience] (boon, unholy): All parts of your form are just as easy to regenerate as other parts.

Effect: Cloth strips can be shot out and controlled by your familiar.

Effect: Cleanses any necrotic or wounding conditions off the wearer over time.

Effect: Cutting the armour inflicts the enemy with [Wages of Sin].

Effect: Attacks will deal [Necrotoxin] in addition to other afflictions.

Effect: Armor gives health regeneration, scaling with the amount of biomass absorbed into the armour.

Effect: Armor instantly repairs as long as there is sufficient biomass available.

Effect: Using biomass to replace lost flesh or limbs has a better conversion rate.

"Hey Jason."

Jason stared at Colin for what felt like hours.

"Wow. No uncanny valley. You really are a copy of me." stated Jason.

"Hey! Fuck you." said Colin.

"That makes less sense. You are part of me aren't you?" Jason questioned.

"Ummm, yeah. Shit. Stop making me think, I'm literally 10 seconds old."

"How long were you in the astral before I summoned a vessel for you to inhabit?" Jason asked curiously.

"I, don't know. Can we change the topic? I don't like to talk about that."

"Sorry mate. How are you though? Did the transition go well? I can feel your soul as part of mine."

"That's part of it," Shade interjected.

"We're almost there. Do we even have a fuckin plan?" asked Colin.

"How much enemy force do you think you hold off Colin?"

"If it's less than multiple teams of gold ranks, a lot. For a long time," proudly stated Colin.

"You'll stay outside and stomp them out if they come. Shade, Gordon and I will kill whatever's in the aperture. As far as I know, it can't even fight back, cause it's chained down."

The ship moved over the facility.

Inside the facility.

"Ma'am, the ship we were warned about is here! What do we do?" shouted the guard.

"Evacuate everyone and sent them to the bunkers. Make sure all containment protocols are in place for SCP 2317. We don't have a hope against them. But the leeches can't chew through walls." said the head scientist.

"Understood."

Back to Jason.

Colin shifted back into his normal leech form. Jason pulled the cloud ship back into the [Cloud Flask]. Sensing the aperture, he said goodbye to Colin and teleported down.

"Shade, why is it a door?"

"Mr Asano, the rules of magic are different everywhere. Apparently, this means the aperture is a door," monotoned Shade.

Jason opened it and stepped through.

In facility [REDACTED].

"Sir?"

"Go ahead Clive. This day couldn't get any worse. Please tell me Broken Glass at least killed him?"

"Other way round. Broken Glass is all presumed dead."

The general sighed.

"Send in all other essence users we have. Clive, do you want a drink?

"I don't drink sir."

"Today you do."

He pulled a bottle of whisky and two shot glasses out of the drawer next to him.

"We can only hope he dies in there." the colonel said grimly.

"Otherwise, plan Falling Star is our only hope."