When they finally reached the edge of the city, Laron had calmed down. He was running up outcrops and jumping down to power his ability. Then when his muscles were pumped, he would jump forward, laughing as he did.

He seems calm enough now, Solus thought. He enjoyed seeing the undead jump around and have fun, but at the same time, they were moving further away from where Sig lay curled up in a cave, slowly disintegrating. He tried to keep his anger at bay. It wouldn't help if he snapped at Laron now. He needed the other to help him.

"Laron, why are you afraid of Ourlin?"

"Not afraid of Ourlin," Laron said as he took a quick run and jumped on top of the final building of the massive city. Beyond it lay a smattering of roads with the occasional pile of rubble beside it.

"Did he harm you when you helped him?" Solus asked. He felt Laron get distracted, and the undead gazed at the ground at his feet. He wasn't sure how much of what the other felt was real, though.

"Ourlin… left, left… abandoned... "Laron shook his head, and he snarled as he looked at the dark wasteland beyond the city borders. Without waiting, he jumped forward, then ran out of the cover of the massive towering skyscrapers and across the roads.

"So, he abandoned you when there was trouble?" Solus asked. The pain he felt from Laron made him sympathize, but he still needed the others' help.

Laron staggered as he ran, and Solus heard the weirdest ping. It almost seemed to echo from one side instead of all around. He quickly opened his status, but the message hadn't been for him. A line sat below Laron's status window.

> Unknown mana-field infection disrupting minion's growth

> ERROR - find our nearest office for assistance

...

The error occurred a few more times before it finally stopped. At that moment, Laron shook his head and continued forward.

> Intelligence: 3/ERROR

His intelligence can increase, but something is hampering it? Solus felt he had seen something similar. It reminded him vaguely of the black ooze on the manafield of the undead who absorbed Kaot orbs. That couldn't be. He hadn't seen any of that on Laron's mana-field.

Will the little increase help with his speech problem, he wondered.

"So, what is this Zombra we are going to?" he asked, deciding to see what reaction he would get.

"That where Ourlin got, got… his pattern!" Laron said.

He was still talking oddly, but Solus thought there might be a slight improvement.

It was dark, and Laron stumbled over every rock and thing on the road, showing he couldn't see much. The slight light from the stars above barely pierced the greyish fog that permeated the top layer of the air.

Perhaps I can clear that up when I wake, Solus thought as he stared at the filth high above. He remembered the blue skies and beautiful clouds Viridi had shown him. Before seeing those, he thought the sky looked blue, but in reality, it was just this dark grey with a blue hue.

Laron stumbled again, falling smack on his face.

How does he expect to get across the wasteland like this? Solus thought before shaking his tiny head. The other probably hadn't even thought about it.

"We need to find a place to rest," Solus said. "If we don't, you might run into Kaots."

"Kaots?" Laron screeched, and he jumped sideways, looking around with squinted eyes.

"They are out here, in the wastelands," Solus said, although he had the feeling Laron knew this already. He scanned the area, with some effort managing to float higher above Laron's head.

"There is a partially standing building that way," Solus said, and he created a small bit of illuminating stone.

"Hide, hide," Laron said in agreement. He rushed towards the light, and Solus guided him to a one-story building sprawled along the road. Half of it had crumbled into a heap, but at the back, there was a section still standing.

A pile of rubble barred the entrance, and Laron had to climb in through a small window to the side.

"Still dark, dark it is still," Laron sang softly.

Solus blinked. Laron's speech had reverted to what he used before they began running. Did fear make his speech worse? He scanned Laron but still felt fear. It was directed at the dark around him. A memory of long ago, when he had been alone in the dark, made Solus sympathize, and he forced a small bit of rock on the ceiling to glow dim green.

"You should be tired by now," Solus said, noticing Laron was yawning. "Just go lie down, close your eyes, and sleep."

Laron did as asked, but he looked up at Solus. "You leave, leave you will?"

"I'll stay here and wake you if something approaches," Solus said. "Now, sleep."

"Sleep… sleep… sleep?" Laron mumbled, and although he seemed confused on what to do, moments later, the black and purple undead closed his eyes and stopped moving. If his eyelids hadn't been twitching, Solus could have mistaken him for dead.

Solus looked down on the undead and sighed. He wished he could just do this himself, run across the wasteland, and rip open the ground to save Sig. He had never been this reliant on anybody before, and he didn't like it one bit.

As the night continued, he calmed down, and for the first time since waking, he calmly thought about what had happened, how he had changed. His body lay slumbering far below, and he could feel it change slowly. He didn't know exactly what was happening to it or how long it would take. Long though, he knew that. Focusing on himself, on his mind, the first thing that had been his, the only thing ever truly his, he noticed the similarities to long ago. When he had started as a wanderer, his mind had been all he had, and now it was the same.

Not exactly, though, he thought. As he focused on himself, he felt limits on his mind, limits that were minutely lifted as his body changed. A bit of knowledge came from Viridi's gift. His mind needed time to adjust, so after the most impactful changes to it had happened, it woke first. Now it would slowly grow and evolve with his body, giving it the time to adjust.

As a few times before, the image of Tirella floated into Solus' mind, and he focused on the connection between them. It was the same as before, thick and sturdy but grey and lifeless.

Life!

As if a floodgate opened, memories of when Viridi had given him things came to him, and he felt something in his body. It throbbed and struggled, changing as his body and mind did, a tiny flicker of something that had at one time been life, mutating into something else. When it had entered him from Viridi, it had been old, slowly crumbling under the chaotic undead energies around it, but now it was different. Instinctively he knew it wasn't true life, not as what had once teamed through this galaxy.

He got no knowledge from Viridi's gift, nor from that of the sphere this time, but he could feel what was changing. The small flicker of not-life was changing into something suited for this world of undead, merging with the as of yet a more limited set of mana. It would turn into something else eventually, not life as it had been, but more an… unlife. Solus felt that as soon as it did, the spark would ignite something, and more would appear like a fire that raged across the galaxy with the spark at the center.

Not yet, not for a long time yet, he thought.

Although the small seed of unlife was in his body, it was also in his mind, and as he focused on the mana streams, he looked at his own body. It was bursting with pure, dark-green mana, so dense he couldn't see through it. Black veins ran through, glittering and beautiful. The green reminded him of his hammer, and to his surprise, he noticed it on his tiny transparent waist, almost the same color as his mana but a little duller.

Jade, he knew. A substance of old, but also the color of his mana. Viridi had been green too, but she had been the green of lush forests. It was because of the type of mana he was attuned to. He knew so many things his mind felt aburst, but he also knew it was but a fraction of what he would gain when he fully changed.

Mana streams ran everywhere, some thin and indistinct like fog, others thick and compact like water. A purple cloud hung around Laron, and small specs of the same mana came from everywhere as if drawn to the undead. An angry red glob of mana sat on the side of his head, throbbing.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

What's that? Solus flew closer to Laron, staring at the red blotch. It's Kaot mana! How had that attached itself to Laron? No, how had he not seen it before? He turned off the mana overlay and inspected the side of Laron's head. He saw nothing odd, just black skin with thin purple lines.

It must be inside of him, Solus thought, and without thinking it through, he moved forward and into Laron's head. He felt like he was struck by a hammer, and at the same time, his perception changed as his mind moved into another shell. With a shock, he sat up, feeling the hard concrete beneath his body and the dusty air across his skin.

"What?" he muttered, but it was Laron's voice that echoed in the room.

Before he could even think it through, a massive headache formed on the left side of his head, and he groaned as he raised his head. His thoughts were a mess. His memories and impressions were chaotically surging around in his mind, as impressions from the glowing stone and the wind were trying to tell him they were super important. At the same time, he suddenly had the desire to get up and dance on one leg. It cost all his effort to keep the desires and feelings down, and as he did, a ping came from his status. Wait, not his status!

Solus called up the status and stared aghast at the single screen in front of him.

Name: Laron

Age: 52

Sex: Male-ERROR

Race: Asimalarin

Type: special

Class: Warrior

Strength: 3/12

Constitution: 8/21

Dexterity: 6/16

Endurance: 20

Intelligence: 3/ERROR

Wisdom: 1/8

Charisma: 7/7

Mana-field: 300/900

Physical density: 370/1200

Skills: 0

Inscriptions: 1/6

Mana generation: 8

> Unknown mana-field infection disrupting minion's growth

> ERROR - find our nearest office for assistance

> ...

A continuous stream of error messages continued below, and he felt his mind rebel at being where it was. Before he could stop, it felt as if he burst apart, and then his miniature mental image shot out from Laron's body. Shocked and weary, he gazed at the body below him.

The undead slumped back on the ground and stopped moving. Only its eyes were still flickering about behind its closed eyelids.

Did I just… Solus almost couldn't believe it. He tried to come up with a reason, but there was only one that made sense. Could he take over the bodies of the undead that he had a connection with, those he had awoken? Carefully this time, he floated towards Laron and slowly sank into the body. The same hammer blow came, and a few moments later, he sat upright, his head throbbing as his mind rebelled at the chaotic impressions.

Solus scrambled up, feeling the differences between this body and his own. This one was lighter but also far less powerful, and he didn't have to constantly worry about moving too forcefully and destroying everything around him. At the same time, his mind seemed to constantly wander off, and it took him all of his willpower to resist running around.

"So-" Solus said, somewhat distraught at the sound of Laron's voice. He swallowed, waving his arms around. Everything felt sluggish as if there was a delay to what he wanted to do and what happened.

Can I get to Sig like this? he thought.

A moment later, he wondered if he could do this with more of the undead he had awoken. Did they even need to be asleep? Perhaps he could just enter one and run around as he pleased. As he thought about it, he felt slightly disgusted, and it took a while to figure out why. It felt wrong to just take someone else's body. He almost felt like he was having a conversation with himself for a moment, where part of him tried to tell him it was alright, while the other said it wasn't. Eventually, he shoved the chaotic emotions away.

Fine, I'll just only do it if there is no other choice!

The thought seemed to appease both sets of conflicting desires, and they dissipated to the background.

Solus looked around, trying to decide if he should attempt reaching Sig. He knew roughly where his friend was, and with Laron's body, it would take him weeks or longer to reach. Could he take over this body for that long? Gazing at the small window, he blinked as he saw the darkness outside. Confused, he looked around the softly lit room, then turned his head up to stare at the brightly glowing piece of debris in the ceiling.

Laron can't see in the dark… he thought. And apparently, that meant, neither could he.

That meant leaving now was out of the question. He couldn't control Laron's body half as well as the other could, and Laron already had a ton of trouble moving in the darkness. Thinking for a bit, Solus moved back to the spot Laron had lain and slumped back on the ground. He only had to release his focus for a moment, and he was ejected out of the body.

Hovering above Laron's head, he began planning.

--

"Ehhwagaa…"

A completely non-understandable sound came from Laron as his arms shot up and he looked around. His eyes were wide, his mouth open, and he stared around while his hand rose to the spot on the side of his head.

"How did you sleep?" Solus asked. He watched intently as Laron rubbed the spot he had seen the angry red mana blotch. Apparently, Laron knew or felt the pain, which made sense as so had he.

"Still here, still here!" Laron sang as he laughed up at Solus.

"I said I would stay!"

Solus grinned. Now that he'd been in the other's body and felt the constant distractions and pain, he had a lot more sympathy for Laron's plight. He decided on the spot that he would try and help Laron fix what ailed him.

But first we need to get to Sig.

"Yes! Stay you say, and you did," Laron said, and as he did, another ping came from his status window, ringing out around Solus.

A quick check showed a few more error messages and another increase in Laron's intelligence.

Where did that come from?

Solus frowned.

"Wrong? Something wrong?" Laron asked, pointing at Solus’ face.

Solus wiped the frown off his face, then shook his head.

"Nothing wrong, Laron. But I want to try something. Hold still, alright?" As he spoke, Solus hovered closer to Laron who's eyes widened just in time with Solus floating inside his head.

"Feels funny…"

Solus expected something, a battle of wills perhaps, or a shock-like before. Perhaps even him taking over Laron's body. Nothing of the kind happened. He effortlessly slid into Laron's flesh and heard Laron's muted voice from outside.

So, only when they sleep… Solus thought. That ruled out all of the skeletons, and he wondered if those he took over could wake up. His thoughts were cut short when he looked around and saw a finger length, black wyrm with red eyes. The wyrm lay coiled up a few inches beneath the skull of Laron, pressing against the grey brain matter. Its eyes were constantly observing something deeper in the skull.

A ping came from Solus's manafield, and at the same time, a wave of knowledge as his sphere's gift told him about parasites and this one specifically.

Cestodia….

Solus changed his perception to the mana overlay, and a dense purple mana cloud appeared all around him. The wyrm was a bright red, with a trickle of its crimson mana floating away from it. Its gaze was on a dense purple glow with pink veins in the center of the grey matter. The shine was so bright it distracted Solus, and he moved a bit closer. As his head penetrated deeper, he suddenly stopped in astonishment when he saw the source of the glow.

A pulsating mana-orb lay in the middle of the grey matter with thin, barely visible tendrils attaching it to the surrounding flesh. The mana-fog coalesced on its surface, forming a thin layer of liquid.

Laron's mana-orb!

As Solus watched, the layer of liquid grew thicker until it fully covered the orb. Imitidiatly, the orb pulsed, and the sheen hardened into a mirror-like, reflective surface. Right away, the mana-fog coalesced on its surface again until it eventually happened again.

Solus looked at it in stunned wonder. He had only seen mana-orbs after the undead had ended, and the difference was incredible. As he followed the pattern of actions, he wondered if all looked like this or if Laron's was special.

A dull voice from outside reminded him of why he had come here, and he turned to the small red-eyed wyrm.

A mana-parasite!

Solus shivered as he opened his status window.

> You have encountered a Cestorida!

> Immediately exterminate this minion

> If this is impossible, contact the nearest law enforcement agency

Not happening, Solus thought as he took the time to understand the information on Cestorida's now bubbling in his head. He saw images of the wyrms growing slowly until eventually they ate the mana-orb. At that moment, an arm-length worm burst from the infected being and attacked everything in its path while releasing spores. Those, if left unchecked, would infect the surrounding soldiers and turn into new mana-parasites.

Another thing used by humans in their wars, Solus thought as he searched for a way to remove the parasite.

According to his knowledge, it was possible but a difficult process. Usually, it wasn't deemed worthwhile. Instead, infected undead were exterminated, while infected humans or animals were quarantined until the Cestorida matured, after which they were taken care of.

Great, so I know they can be removed but not how.

After he inspected the Cestorida for a bit longer, he took a second look at the Laron's mana-orb. He wasn't sure, but from what he now knew, the orb would need to grow for a while longer. Besides, Laron's behavior would turn worse shortly before it happened.

Solus drifted out of Laron's flesh to find the undead was gently tapping and poking his head as if looking for him.

"There, back you are. Don't enter my head… no no... "Laron muttered as he stared at Solus.

"I had to check something," Solus said, scrutinizing Laron. "Can you tell me when your head began hurting?"

"Yes... no, no!" Laron said as he backed up in a panic. His eyes were wide as he looked around as if to search for a place to hide or escape.

"Calm down. It is okay. I won't ask again," Solus said, raising his hands. "How about we go outside and see if it is safe?"

Laron calmed down rapidly and climbed back out of the building.