“Master!” I heard Isabella shout. I held out a hand, so I can show her I am okay. However, that did not stop her. She is suspiciously worried for me, despite the fact that I killed her friends, and her previous master. It feels good to have a beautiful girl worry about me again. I began to cast another spell, as I got up.

“I am fine.”

“Master! Your eyes!”

“Yes, I know.”

“Your hands…. what happened to your hair, Master?” Isabella said. She is in confusion; she sounds like she does not know who I am. I had to reveal this to someone eventually. I just did not know how to explain that I am a skeleton. “It is still me Isabella.”

“Is this...part of your bloodline?” Isabella asked. Part of my bloodline? Did she think this is some ability, or curse? In a way it is. Technically I wouldn’t be lying to her if I said it yes.

“Yes it is.” I said. Isabella went quiet for a few seconds.

“That explains how you survived. We have been discussing theories of why you didn’t die when Victor burnt you. This makes you much stronger than Victor. Forgive me for speaking so freely, I’ll accept any punishment you give.” Isabella said. She glanced at the bed, just long enough for me to see.

“No punishment. You may speak freely whenever we are alone Isabella. I’m not sure why you are helping, but thank you. Why is a concern that I am stronger than Victor?” I ask. At least my transformation back into a skeleton began a conversation. I’m terrible at starting conversations. If I want to slowly gain the trust of the vampires, the easiest person to start with is Isabella. Having a few friends around you never hurt.

“The strongest always lead.” Isabella replied. Is that the only reason? They follow me because they think that I’ll be a better leader. I thought their would be more to it than that.

The bed is soft; I have missed being on a bed. It is one of those things that you don’t know the value of until it is gone.

“Your soul took some damage partner.” Djinn said. He didn’t seem worried about the transformation.

“Am I going to go in some comma soon again?”

“I’ll never let that happen partner. You should keep your soul under order whenever you get a chance.” Djinn replied.

“You mean, go back into my soul? How exactly do I do that?”

“The same way you bring order to your memories.”

Djinn isn’t good at explaining things properly. Bring my soul under order? He did say it was like bringing order to my memories. If he used that as an example, then he must mean to use my willpower; since that is what I had use to move the books.

I spot my sword on a rack above the bed. It looks a bit blackened, but still sharp. Vicktor’s cutlass is sheathed above it on the same rack. I’ve been looking for an extra blade, since all knights of Almeria carry two I’ve been thinking about carrying two swords, despite not being a knight of Almeria. It must be related to the soul I first consumed.  

“Jax is my second in command. You will be my underboss.” Isabella perked at my words.

“Sweet! It's always been my dream to be under you. I will not disappoint you.” She paused for a second, “What exactly does an underboss do?”

“You’re in charge of making sure my orders are completed. If I’m not around you take my place until I return, I also will like to have status reports on a regular basis.”

“You are promoting me to the rank of Dark hand?” Isabella said. Dark hand? They must call it that instead of underboss. The ranks in the syndicate are unknown to me. It’s best that I affiliate myself with them.  

“What are the ranks.” I ask, casting a quick speech spell.

“All of the ranks? Well, their are; recruits, soldiers, cutters, trackers, spies and bodyguards. Those are for the humans. We take notice of the best and most loyal of our members, and we allow them to take the passage to become one of us. The inner circle doesn’t have any ranks, besides the dark hands, and the keeper. However, they are all dead. I never liked them much.”

“That’s good. Fools shouldn’t be in places of power.”

“No they should not Master. You must tell me, how I can thank you for ridding me of my sire.” Isabella said, she folded her hands below her breast, which made them enlarge. If only I had a dick right now.

“I’ll take you up on that offer,” I gesture to my body of bones partially covered in dead skin and flesh. “But, I won’t be able to right now.”

Isabella smiled and gave a soft chuckle as she said.” That won’t be a problem. I have very unusual taste.” Isabella said, as she began to unbutton her shirt.

“Wait, please no. Not now, I have things to do. Let me know when my orders have been carried out. Also, I don’t share your taste.” I said. This had to be the freakiest girl I have ever come across. However, it also a bit obvious that she is trying to wrap her fingers around me. As much I like her being friendly with me, it’s best to let her know I’m in charge.  

“Are you sure. I-”

“Yes, don’t make me repeat myself. Also, I want to speak to the people currently here.” I said with another quick cast of the speech spell. It is best show people that I am well. I am sure a lot of rumours are going around about me. Isabella bowed her head, and quickly button her shirt back up. “As you say master.” She said as she closed the door shut.

“Smart move partner.”

“What do you know about women?” I said with a chuckle.

“I had my days you know. I didn’t always look like this.”

“Uh-huh sure. Is there any way for you to talk to me while I am inside my soul?”

“I can’t partner; it takes energy to do that.”

“Is that why you suddenly vanished when you were back in my soul?” I asked.

“Yes partner. I am not sure what will happen if I run out. I’m trying to conserve energy. All this talking doesn’t help.”

I had a feeling it would not be good if it did run out of energy. The little rock is useful, and I’m stronger with it around. I abhor the idea of giving away my energy, but the gains were greater than what I could potentially lose.

“You can take some of mines then.”

“I can’t partner you have to give it to me. You are the master of this bond.” Djinn said. The master of the bond? Did it mean that I am the control our connection? That’s pretty good. I’ve found that I like being the master of things, and lording over people. A trait most likely gained from the skeleton side of me. I wonder what would happen if I did not have the human part of me to bring balance to the skeleton in me. I would have certainly killed Isaac, Thea and Jax. Or, they would have killed me.

I will not shed any tears if they did die. If anything they are only assets to me. Why destroy someone you can use? I have yet to give much thought to who I have become, I found that I love this new me.

“How exactly do I do that?” I ask Djinn. Transferring energy sounds like a complicated process.

“You have to instruct order on your soul. Look for the link partner, it connects our souls together, like a string.” Djinn said. I will have to use my willpower again. I am unsure what he means by the link. I am sure if I ask for details it will most likely give me a complicated response. However, he did let me know I am looking for something like a string. I take the shard out of my pocket.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

I focus on myself, and it takes a few seconds for me to see the colour of my own mana around my body. It is mostly blue, with touches of burgundy. I expected to see only blue, but the burgundy raised a few questions.

I feel an odd sensation as I try to find the string that connects us. The room slowly begins to turn dark, until all that is left visible to me, is a line of glowing string. I quickly noted how similar this is to when I saw the vibrations from Jax’s lute. On closer examination of the string, I found that it is not just a string. This is a thread that connects us, it is thin because the link contains few sub-threads. I move the shard further away from me, to see what would happen. In response the thread grew longer, to keep us connected.

This is interesting. Never a dull day in this world. I use my skeleton fingers to flick the thread back and forth. The thread vibrates without sound. If this is like the last time with the lute, then I could not maintain this mode for long.

“Flow” I commanded my mana. I imagined it flowing into the thread that connected both of us. My mana creeps across the thread, and is absorbed by the dark purple mana of the shard.

“You’re a natural partner!”

Yes, I am good at this. I see a pattern with using my willpower. My resolve seems to be used for spiritual, or otherworldly manipulation. This is an entirely new branch of magic I have encountered. Time to repair some of my soul damage.

“Alright, hopefully this goes well. Just wake me up if anyone comes into the room.” I said. I imagine myself back inside my soul. I close my eyes; I’m not sure how I even did this, considering I have no eyelids right now. I replicate the shelves, and the fountain in my mind. I then visualise the grey clouds above. Finally, I imagine the platform. I use all my resolve to put myself into my soul.

When I opened my eyes I saw the fountain, and the circular formation of bookshelves. I hate to be back in this place after just leaving it. However, it is important to keep my soul clean of chaos. I want to avoid going in a soul comma.

The fountain caught my interest. I kneel down before it and pass my hand through the mana. It feels heavy and cold on my hand; similar to mercury. It’s also fun to play with. The fountain constantly flows and pumps more mana. Surprisingly it never overflows.

I stand up, and begin the walk towards one of the pathways between the books. Occasionally, I come across a book which has fallen off a shelf. As I reach to the end of the platform, I spot a toppled shelf. The shelf caused a domino effects; toppling other shelves in different rows. It’s the first time I have seen a fallen shelf.

The books were scattered all over the ground when the shelf fell. I reach other with my willpower to lift the shelf. When I try to concentrate, I find it difficult. I sense that my low energy has something to do with it. I gave Djinn more energy than I should and it is now affecting me.

I push the shelf back into place with my willpower, causing more books to fall from it. I steady the shelf until it’s balanced, then I begin to lift the books up with my will. The books float into the shelf, seven at a time. It didn’t take long to fill the shelf. I exited the row of bookshelves and start fix the other shelves and fallen books.

After I finished I start to search around the platform. I came across a new row of books that should not have been there. Did the platform grow larger? Perhaps it adds a shelf after each soul is consumed. This new shelf must be the memories of Kalon. I move on, and begin to search the platform for more fallen books.

I found a few more books that fell off the shelves, and put them back. After going through the maze of shelves twice, I am certain I cleaned up everything. It did not fade away back to reality like last time. Unlike the first time being here, I actually wanted to stay. It feels good being surrounded by books filled with knowledge. This is truly how I would have imagined my soul to be like.

I sat on the fountain ledge. My khopesh is in my hands, and I have Victor’s cutlass strapped to my waist. I now that the swords are not real. I imagined a perfect replica of myself when I first willed myself into my soul, with the addition of my khopesh and Vicktor's cutlass. I don’t think Victor will be needing his cutlass anymore, so this sword is now officially mine. The real one, not this fake imaginary replica.

I twirl the khopesh in my hand as I stand. This would be a time to practice my sword forms. Time passes quickly as I practice.

I start with Sea of Light: which is used as a draw-cut, meant to unsheathe the sword and strike in same motion. I follow up with Leaf in The Wind: which is three quick strikes meant to push an opponent back. I flowed Leaf in The Wind with Bear Rushes Down the Hills: it is a series of aggressive strikes raining down from overhead.

I’ll most likely never be as good as Victor when it comes to the swords. At least I have the memories of the sword forms he used in his last battle. All I have to do now is practice. I have the knowledge, but I lack the experience. I take several steps back to the ledge of the fountain and sheath the khopesh. I was about to repeat the sword forms, when I am interrupted by the voice of Djinn.

“Partner, your wild cat is back. She just entered the room.” I quickly begin to gather my willpower. Using my resolve, and pull my consciousness out of my soul.

“Master.” I hear the lusty voice of Isabella. I start to form the threads for a speech spell.

“Have my orders been carried out?” I asked as I sit up on the bed.

“Yes Master, we are prepared for another attack tonight. The headquarters is also fortified.” Isabella replied. I get off the bed, and take my khopesh off the rack. I am about to slide it into my belt, when I remember I don’t have one. Right, it was burnt to dust by Victor’s fire breath attack.

“I asked Cassandra. I figured you would need one for tonight. Let me know if you want anything that you may desire.” Isabella lifts up a black leather sword belt, and a new sheath for my khopesh in her hands.

“Ah, yeah I will be sure to ask. Thank you.” Isabella turns her head slightly, it looked like she is slightly confused.

“What is wrong?” I ask.

“Nothing master. Well, It’s just your actions have been, so random. The others are rightly scared of you, but they are more terrified of what you will do. Victor would have never thanked me.” Isabella said.

“Really? I thought the meeting went pretty good. They didn’t seem scared.” I said, as I wrap the sword belt around me. I don’t think that I am that random. Well, I can be, it feels as though I have two personalities fighting for control. I attached the khopesh to the left side of the belt. I raise the cutlass off the rack, and attached it to the right.

“Everyone was scared….  The meeting did go well Master. The meeting was unexpected, because orders are usually handed down to the Dark Hands only. Vicktor, or any of the previous Dons never did anything like that.” Isabella said. Giving orders to only two people seemed inefficient to me. I think Vicktor’s nobility hampered his vision. This syndicate could turn into something greater than just a small gang.

“Are the others prepared for the assault?”

“Yes, let me escort you outside.” Isabella replied.

I follow her outside my bedroom, and across the throne room. We enter a long hallway, then went up a staircase. I must have spent five, or seven minutes walking up the stairs. We come across a solid wall of stone. A dead end? Isabella pressed her hand on the stone wall, and I hear a faint click. The door then begins to revolve, and Isabella walked into the room beyond. She held the wall open for me, as I follow her through.

The room we enter looks to be an office. It has candle holders against the wall, which offers enough lighting for the room. A large desk is to the right, with a chair against the wall. The room had one bookshelf that looked poorly organised. An hourglass, and an opened book is on top of the desk.

“Patrols have been regulated Master Laoch. I wish you only success tonight. The syndicate is awaiting you on the balcony.” The voices sound familiar, but I did not remember whose voice it is until I turned to see the face. The voice came from the square chinned man who called himself Hairu.

“Wish us all luck.” The vampire bowed his head at my words. My skull, and empty eye sockets are still exposed. However, he didn’t flinch from the sight of me. Isabella must have told them about my condition. They must have grown use to unnatural things. We walk out the room, and into another hallway. Moving down the hallway, we encountered even more stairs going up. After that we came across a wooden twin door, which Isabella pushed open.

The sound of chattering quickly died as Isabella and I step onto the balcony inside the warehouse. I spot the vampires lined in front of the balcony railing, their backs faced towards me. Isabella gestures at a podium as she joins the vampires in the line.

“My Lord,” I hear the voice of Thea, and I turn to see her standing against the wall. “Your mask.” She held out a mask to me. The same mask I had on when I fought Vicktor. But, that mask was burnt to charcoal, so this must be another mask. I nod a greeting to her, as I take the skeleton mask from her, and strap it around my skull. I loved this mask, it did much a great job of hiding the glow in my eyes. It would have certainly affected the sight of a normal human. No such drawback was applied to me.

Thea has her daggers attached to her belt, and she is also wearing her leather armour this time. Does that mean she is coming with us to help Jax? Saving Jax was just one of the reasons I am doing this. I’m definitely going to murder someone tonight for sure; I need a soul to consume. If I can also take over another syndicate in the process, then all the more glory to me.

I step up onto the podium. The faces of one hundred criminals look up at me. The silence is almost too much for me. I stare at their faces. These are the faces of men stained with blood and crime. You should have prepared a speech, I tell myself. The room is tense, and for a moment I was satisfied to just say nothing, then leave. But, the skeleton in me would not have that. It wants to be glorified and feared.

“You are all lost sheep.” I said, with a quick speech spell.

“But fear not. For I am your shepherd. I am sure you all have heard of the things I can do. Follow me. I shall lead you to wealth and power like no other syndicate has seen. You all know what I can do by myself in one night, imagine what we can take when we are as one.” I said, rapidly casting speech spells.

“Gentlemen, Talon has too many syndicates, and I intend for us to be the only one.” I cast another quick speech spell. I draw my khopesh and raise it in the air for all to see. I modify my next speech spell, so it should linger in the air, to create an echo.

“Red City Under Red Skies!”

The sound echoes through the room. Everyone is still silent. Then the sound of one hundred blades being draw from their scabbards fills the room. The light from the candles glitter of the mass of swords and daggers, as they are raised.  I bask in the glory of the moment as a slow chant begins to erupt in the room.

“RED CITY UNDER RED SKIES!”