This wasn’t going to be a quick ordeal, so I decided to call out to Dima. I’d just felt a response from within me—a wave of shock and confusion radiating from him. Well, naturally. Waking up to see your body spinning in what looked like a centrifuge, all without feeling any pain, would be surprising for anyone. Even I would’ve raised an eyebrow at such a sight.
“Don’t worry; it’s just an illusion,” I thought to him while outwardly continuing to feign pain and terror. The whole thing was mildly amusing.
“Really?” he asked hesitantly after a pause. “Like, *really*?”
“Really,” I chuckled. “Why would I lie to you?”
“I don’t know,” Dima replied mentally, shrugging. “Maybe you’re just trying to calm me down.”
“Nah, it’s fine. You can relax,” I waved the thought away. “It really is just some kind of illusion. On the other side, though, there’s a Psycho-Warrior and their patron deity. At least, that’s my best guess about what’s going on here.”
“Could you explain it in a way I might actually understand?” Dima asked thoughtfully. “I just woke up, and I have no clue what you know.”
“Alright, easier to show you,” I sighed, using a small amount of cursed energy to share some of my knowledge with him. “Got it now?”
“Got it,” Dima replied after a brief pause. “So, what’s the plan?”
“We wait until this psycho gets tired, and in the meantime, we feast,” I laughed. “By the way, looks like you’re bouncing back too. Feeling better?”
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“Yeah, I think so. I can definitely talk without any trouble now, and that’s a relief.”
“Oh, just wait,” I smirked. “Once we’ve gathered more energy, you’ll be able to do things you wouldn’t even believe. I can’t say for sure what’s changed in you yet, but I guarantee you’ve gotten stronger.”
On that point, I had no doubts. After all, the guy had survived adapting to the soul of a high demon and hadn’t burned out—literally. He even managed to retain his consciousness, seemingly intact.
“What do you mean?” Dima asked after another pause. “I don’t get it.”
Hmm. It seemed his consciousness hadn’t fully reawakened yet. He was still a bit slow. Or maybe I just wasn’t explaining it well. It’s been a while since I had to explain something like this—if I ever had to at all.
“Dima, look, who did you make a deal with?” I asked, starting carefully.
“A demon,” Dima shrugged astrally. “With Vulcan. So?”
“Exactly, a demon,” I said. “And since our souls are now partially connected—sharing a body and having gone through natural adaptation—you’ve definitely inherited some of my traits. Not gifts, mind you; those we share. I’m talking about unique traits.”
“Uh… like what, for example?” Dima asked thoughtfully.
“Well, at the very least, you should now be able to process and use cursed energy,” I suggested. “If we’re lucky, you might even become a half-demon—or something close to it. But the most likely trait is the ability to take control of the body.”
“Seriously?!”
“Yep, that’s the most probable outcome. This situation we’re in now is very similar to a possession. The original owner of the body is still alive but can’t do anything because the ‘driver’s seat’ is occupied by the demon. At most, they can offer advice from the ‘passenger seat’ or clarify contract terms if they were agreed upon beforehand. But the key difference here is that we’re both owners of this body now, which means both of us should have the right to control it.”
“And you’d… let me?”
“You should be glad you summoned me,” I laughed. “After all, they don’t call me the Sleeping Vulcan for nothing. There’s no way I’m going to control our shared body all the time. I need rest too, you know. During those times, the body will be yours to command—with all the responsibilities that come with it.”
“Thanks,” Dima said seriously. “Really, thank you.”
“We’ll sort all that out later,” I said, waving him off. “Look, it seems our psycho friend is starting to wear out!”
“But I can’t see…”
“Neither can I,” I smirked. “I just *feel* it. His mana flow is weakening, and a fair amount of time has passed already. Even a Warrior can’t sustain their gift for more than an hour.”
But then Marcus proved to be far more persistent than I expected. Even after completely exhausting his mana reserves—thanks to my generous assistance in draining them—he didn’t stop. At one point, thoroughly depleted, the “doctor” simply… *recovered*.