Drac jumped up in surprise. His new body springs up from a kneeling position. Hood's condescending voice is ringing in his mind.

Is he going crazy?

You're not going crazy. We fused. Our bodies did but not our psyches; for now, we are different personalities inhabiting the same brain. You know what a brain is, farm boy?

"Of course, my father taught me well."

Good. I thought I was going to have to haunt an idiot for the rest of our days.

"So, will this be a permanent thing? 'Cos this sounds like it's gonna be very annoying. I mean… you can see me pee."

Drac. When I said we fused, I meant I could feel every sensation as if it were mine. I see what you see, hear what you hear. I can feel the itch behind the right leg.

"Amazing…" A farmer with a deadly assassin in his head.

It was always meant to be this way for us, Copies. Well, just me, since you seem to be the original. Now take my Sword. Don't leave it behind before you search for your friend.

“So bossy,” Drac mumbles. He follows instructions. He takes the sheath from the pile of clothes and the sword from the ground. The weight of the blade, the feel of the grip—it feels familiar. Like Drac had swung the sword a thousand times. He sheathes the short sword around his waist. It feels right. Drac puts his bow around and continues to search for Bree.

The haunting chamber is now full of debris. Marks of sword fighting everywhere. The bloody pentagram was almost beyond recognition. Look at the wall.

A large mirror. It hangs on the stone wall, lit by torches. Of an oval shape. Its frame is a mess of twisting golden snakes.

“What the hell is that?”

That is where the weird feeling is coming from. This otherworldly ambience. It's best to get out as fast as possible.

“Wait. what's below it?” He walked to the mirror. Below the mirror is an altar with candles lit inside two old skulls. Between them is a book and a glass ball.

A glass terminal. Meant for communication.

The book catches their eye. Old and worn black binding, a gold eye in the middle with a slit pupil. Like a snake. Drac opens to a bookmarked page. A Manual of some kind. Lucky, it is written in Trae, and Drac begins to read.

Damn… Demon summoning, Necromancy…Mm, And Soul energy transfer.

“A how to be evil handbook ”

Take it.

Drac grabs the book and continues to look for Bree.

No sight of Bree anywhere in the room. Drac locates another door. Walk over to open it to reveal stairs going down. As Drac descends the smell of faeces and muck gets worse. A different type of horrible smell than upstairs. He reaches the bottom and turns right to see rows of Cells. Filled with the dead and the barely living.

“He’s a Mad man.”

Drac discovers a solemn girl. Close to his age. Eyes staring into nothing.

“Bree!” Her eyes gain back life.

“Drac!! You’re alive” Tears rain from eyes fill with glee.

“I will get you out. I will get you all out.”

Upstairs. Bring my picks here. Drac immediately ran back upstairs to Hood's jacket. Agile as never before, leaping several steps each bound. He rummages around to find the picks and bolts back.

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

Jump. I will control the weight.

Without a thought, Drac jumps down the stairs. Passing all the steps before landing in a crouch. Drac feels loud or a burden on his body

Mm, it worked.

“Are you trying out stuff? Now?”

Cells?

Drac unlocked cells by picking each lock.

How is this possible?

I am imparting some knowledge for you to use.

The captives hear the clank of the door unlocking. They stumble to the front of the change. Old and young are emaciated. Pale from the lack of sunlight.

“Don't worry, we will get you out.”

“We?” A young captive asks.

“Huh, almost there?” Lock opens.

Now for the rest.

More locks were picked. Captives scramble out of the cells.

“Bree, just a minute!” The last lock falls to the ground. Bree pushes the cell door to hug Drac. She squeezes tight. Drac returns her embrace. “Now where's the prick, Cal?”

Bree and Drac stare at Cal’s body. A pool of blood pours from him.

“You did this? Your father taught you how to fight between cleaning chicken pens and hunting?”

“No, it was a friend. He couldn't stay long.” Drac patted the pommel of his new sword. “But he did leave a very nice gift.

“Well, when you see him next, please give him my thanks.” Bree requests.

“Alright, I know he would appreciate it.”

I do.

“Now Bree, let us bring these people back to town.”

************************************************

It is night. After bringing Bree and the captives back to Plyton, Drac went back to his farm for a well-earned rest. Drac lays on his straw bed.

“Those people, the ones we saved. What kind of hell must they have suffered?"

Mm. There were signs of experimentation on all of them. Cal seemed to have been trying to figure something out with the captives and he sort of succeeded, given how strong he was.

“What do you mean?”

Earlier today I mentioned the Flame of The Soul to you. Aura/Ki are the more common ways to utilise energy. Used mainly by Melee warriors. You can use Aura to increase strength, endurance, speed, agility, reaction time, and senses. All the same things Soul Flame can do. So why is using Aura more prominent among fighters? Ease of use. And Death.

“Death!?”

Mm, using Soulflame is essentially using your soul to power your abilities except the mana around and within us.

Mana…

Want to see?

“Of course!”

A Wave of Colour explodes around Drac. A rainbow of colour mixed and rippled.

This is Mana or Aura. It surrounds us all. To use it, talent, skill, determination and time are essential. But it was possible for me so it will be for you.

The sight is awe-inspiring. Drac reaches out. Colour moves around his hand.

I was not taught this by my handler.

“Then where did you learn?” Drac plays with the colours

Stole books, trials and a lot of errors. Started recently so I know little of spells except my favourite; Levitation. Although, it is weak, as you have experienced”

“Would’ve expected your choice of spells to be more, um, bloody.”

Hey, what's wrong with it? Wouldn’t anyone want to be able to flee the scene easily? Plus it looked fun. Seeing the mages fly around untouched. The ability to fly wherever, whenever. Why not?

Drac Agrees.

Now back to Cal. Cal used Soulflame to an absurd degree. When a normal person would have lost all his strength less than halfway through our first fight., he kept increasing the pressure. Cal felt secure in his power. Knowing it would never end, he fought again and again.

Soul Transfer. So the sacrifices replenished him when he felt low of soul. Cal…Why…?

You have known Cal for a time, correct? Was there any time he seemed to change?

Drac recalls the days he would play in the woods with Bree, Cal the minder and our protector. Drac remembered a time when Cal would share his catch from the river. A night under the stars, cooking fish on the wood fire.

“There was a mage he would always be with. Or maybe it was the mage following him around. I think he was his Magic teacher. Bald, old, always scowling at me. After the Mage arrived he started treating me differently. He treated everyone worse but me, I got it the worst. Beatings. By him or his new friends. Slurs threw in my face. Soon the town took it as an example of how to treat me. There was something they were trying to tell me; leave this village. I left. Now I am a hero?” A tear drips on Drac’s tunic “Cheering me when those same voices cast me out.”

Mm.

Sorry, sorry I shouldn’t have-”

It’s ok. I understand.

And Drac knew he did.

Drac laid down on his bed, colours surrounding him till sleep came for him.