I was given access to all the books that were leftover after Ilon, or rather Noli, that included the notebooks of Kon, which he instantly pointed out to me the moment they were brought in.

In them I managed to confirm what I was told earlier: the process of creating the remnant. Everything was already there, including the instructions about constructing the incantation, but that was also the problem.

It was obvious that it was the reason they failed before. Right, they didn’t have a crystal with a soul as well, but even then, the incantation was where the issue was.

According to the notes, the spell was mostly written. It was not even that different from the one I’ve heard already: the ritual that they used as their funeral rites. I mean in general functionality that is. It was clear that one was inspired by the other, hard to tell which one on which.

One look at the notes was enough for me to know why they were doomed to fail. When I saw that, I was surprised that they never figured that out.

Of course, it took me maybe a grand whole of ten minutes to remake the spell in a way that I could cast it alone on the spot. The only remaining thing was the mana required for the ritual.

I hated turning again with a request to get help from either of them but there was no getting away from it: I had to get to the place somehow.

When Jack saw me leave the room and approach him he immediately called Vendi. I wanted to tell him that it was unnecessary, but it was too late, the guy was already next to him. Was he waiting on standby or something?

-Oh, so you are ready then? I can start any second now, I think I still remember the incantation from before… I can try and tell you what we did last time and what went wrong, although I don’t know if that would help us here…

-I already gave him all the notes - stopped him Jack.

-Oh. Great. So the only thing is now to somehow try and split this spell in three, so…

I silenced them both.

-It’s not needed. Everything is done already, I only need a way off the island, that’s why I came - I said dryly.

Both of them looked at me like they couldn’t understand what I was talking about.

-The spell… - finally managed to spit out Jack. - You finished it…?

-Yes.

-You cut it in three? That’s…

-Oh, no of course not.

-So how…?

-I combined it together into one. I will be the one casting this thing, I don’t trust any of you to not fuck this up. As you already well proved that you can’t be relied on.

I could see a hint of shame that struck both of them, a wavering hint of the emotion flowing through both of their auras.

-I don’t know what to say… - finally stammered out Jack.

-So don’t say a thing. Go get the body and get ready. I am waiting.

I walked away, leaving them both dumbfounded.

-Are you sure it’s going to work? - asked Kon when I entered Jack’s office and sat down to wait for them there.

-You can never be sure about experimental spells.

-That’s not encouraging.

-Good. Life magic never is supposed to be encouraging. Hell, I am worried as well. Last time I took part in an experiment similar to this, I ended up without a hand.

-I guess it’s good that I don’t have a hand to lose… - he chuckled, but I could tell that he was very worried.

-And destroyed a city in the process.

-Hope today won’t end this way.

Now he was properly scared.

-Now, don’t worry so much. The experiment that went wrong was similar to this, true, but we tried awakening a new life so to speak, not just moving it.

-Awakening…? Like, resurrecting? So what Jack was trying to do?

-No. I assure you, it was nothing like that.

-I don’t get it…

-It’s really not that important right now, but since we have time to spare and you seem genuinely worried, I guess I can tell you a bit about it…

-I am not worried at all.

-You realize that even if you don’t have the body, you are still a terrible liar?

-Make up your mind, last time you told me I managed to fool you

True. It was strange. While he was able to hide his lies to me, I could read his emotions like a book. Hm.

-Yeah… Whatever. There might be some similarities, right, but what we were trying to do was to move an artificial consciousness into… something else. Not returning it to its original place. So you can see that you have nothing to worry about.

-Artificial consciousness…? What does that mean?

-Doesn’t matter to you. The important part, at least for you, is the fact that you are a lot more compatible than it was. You already went through the same thing that we failed at and now I am just reversing what happened, or at least going to attempt to.

I was wondering if I should tell him more, but I got interrupted by knocking at the door.

-It’s ready… Can you come downstairs?

It was Jack.

Without a word I opened the door and started walking to the kitchen with him closely behind me.

-Kon, when we were at that other place, were you able to see?

-I could feel the mana… but that was it. Why?

-Damn. I thought so. I just was wondering, because I don’t really feel like being blinded in the presence of Jack and Vendi.

-I don’t think it matters… Neither of them can hurt you, right… and not like they are going to try anything… right?

-At first, of course not - I agreed. - Jack won’t even dare to think of interrupting my spell, since he’s worried about you, and by extension Vendi will do the same. I am not so sure about after the ritual. I will be definitely weakened, so it will be the best opportunity for anyone to attack.

-Sure… but in that case, can they even hurt you? Last time you already proved that you’re impervious to magic.

He didn’t seem to realize that it was not the complete truth, and I did not want to correct him.

-Hm. Right. Speaking of, I am not so sure what’s going to happen to you after that.

-You said you are sure that your incantation is going to work! - he protested, worried.

-And I still think so. But I don’t know what state you will end up in. Will you be overcharged, like me right now? Or the opposite, all the mana will go for your regeneration?

-Is that even possible? That place was so full of it I can’t imagine…

-Oh, but I can. Well, we will see when we get to it. At least I will be able to see a bit better maybe…

We reached the kitchen. As expected, the way down was open and in the cellar Vendi was waiting for us next to the door leading to the room where Kon’s body was hidden.

-Pick him up - ordered Jack to Vendi. - I’ll open the way.

He started drawing the circle on the floor. We had to move away from it, because the room was pretty cramped with the three of us and the body.

Meanwhile, I started inspecting the body of Kon.

He looked pretty well preserved. I mean, it was not that long ago he was placed here in the first place, but I still was slightly worried.

And I had my reasons for it. His body was almost completely blue and cold to the touch, almost like a block of ice - I could even feel it through my bandages.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

-Kon, you think you think you can heal frostbite wounds?

-I don’t have much practice… - he admitted. - Suo is usually pretty warm…

-Suo?

-This place. I mean, the continent.

-Oh, I didn’t know it had a name.

-Of course it has. Why wouldn’t it?

-I don’t know… so can you do it?

-I mean… I can try. Why are you asking?

-You seem to be turned into an icicle. I told Jack beforehand that it might be a problem but he insisted that everything was fine…

-Oh, if it’s me then it’s fine. I can’t imagine it would be worse than lacerations after being beaten half to death by a spiky whip.

-Holy shit…

-Yeah, I’ll be fine. If that was someone else it probably would end up with them being somewhat disfigured, but with me I can try however many times I need. It probably will be just a bit painful.

-Hell… If I knew beforehand that everything will go so fast I’d never even mention using ice…

-Don’t worry. Not the first time, not the last time. I will be fine.

-Hm.

-The necklace…

Our discussion was interrupted by Jack, who already finished the portal and was now waiting for me to give him the anchor.

-Just be quick - I said, tossing it towards him.

Familiar humm hit our ears as the portal opened in the ground and I gestured at Vendi.

-You first. But be careful with…

Without hesitation, he jumped into the portal.

-...with his body… We are not sure which way we’ll land - I finished sighing. - Eh… here goes nothing.

And I jumped behind him.

As expected, during the warp I felt the gravity shift, but it wasn’t that bad. During the warp, I managed to position myself that way, so I almost didn’t have to use my hands even, being spit out I managed to keep my balance.

I couldn’t really tell how bad Vendi ended up landing, because I immediately got assaulted by the light of magic, but I could hear him groan somewhere next to me.

Closing my eyes and trying to ignore the light I instead focused on hearing.

Humm of the portal intensified and I took a few steps forward, making space for Jack appearing behind me.

I almost tripped on something that was lying right in front of me, probably Vendi because as soon as the humm vanished I heard Jack start cursing at him.

-What the fuck have you done?

-I tripped…

-Obviously! You should’ve known that it’s not like just… If you had hurt him you will regret it.

Ah. So he dropped Kon. Now when I heard that, the thing that I almost tripped on was pretty cold… so it was him then, not Vendi.

-I’d like to remind you that I am right now blind and would recommend we’d get this thing over with as soon as possible.

I said that both to remind them that they should stop being dead weight and be useful for a change and to maybe bait them into doing something. But it did not work. I only heard Vendi mutter something in response and Jack started to walk away from me.

-Should we walk downstairs to the ground level? We are still in the ruins…

-I don’t think it should matter - I answered, realizing that Jack was talking to me. - Does the floor look stable enough?

-I mean… - I heard him stomp a few times - looks good to me… There is a lot of rubble here though…

-Hm. Well, just to be safe let’s go down. You said there is a river somewhere nearby? I can hear the water I think…

-Yeah.

I heard him walk away again.

-It’s on the other side of this thing.

-Let’s go near that. It’s infused for sure, it might be useful. Lead the way.

-Right.

He approached me, but I did not feel him touch me.

-Come on, hurry up. As long as you cooperate, I am not going to do anything - I assured him.

I am not sure that it helped, but nevertheless I felt him grab my sleeve and pull me towards what I assumed was the ruined stairs. Behind us, without a word, I felt another movement and a groan, reminding me of the existence of Vendi.

That also reminded me…

-Kon? Are you doing fine?

-I… I think so…

Like before, his voice was a lot stronger than expected, although this time he was not demanding mana, so I guess it was alright.

-If you ever feel strange, tell me immediately. I can’t feel much of a change in your mana, besides the fact that you are stronger.

-Yes… I feel strong… not as much as last time though… But I do feel the hunger…

-Hunger? That’s one way to put it.

-It’s manageable though… Last time the only thing I was able to think of was mana…

-I think that one was my fault… I did feed you despite the fact that there was clearly something wrong with you… You were essentially a rabid animal.

-It wasn’t that bad… - he protested. - I was not attacking you…

-No - I agreed. - But it might get there during the ritual. Whenever I want it or not, I will have to pour an immense amount of mana towards it, and since you’ll be a center of it, I am sure you will absorb a lot. So try limiting yourself at least for now. Soon, you’ll get even more than you want.

Even though he said that he was able to manage his hunger, on the mention of getting more mana I couldn’t help but feel his excitement. If that wasn’t a red flag, I don’t know what was.

But, alas, what else could I do? I was going to go through with this ritual… or rather incantation since I was doing it alone.

-We’re here - I heard Jack in front of me.

Sure enough, I could clearly hear the water flowing right in front of us. I sort of expected that I would be able to see the flowing water, at least some slight hint of it, but nope. The environment here was still as infused as before. It probably shouldn’t be much of a surprise, because we barely even moved away from the place where we landed.

-Place him somewhere nearby - I instructed Vendi.

He did not reply. I heard him kneel down and place something in front of us.

-Are you sure you can do this alone? - Jack asked as I approached the body.

-No.

-So why do you… - Vendi immediately started protesting, but I didn’t let him finish.

-I am not sure I can successfully bring him back, or rather turn him into a revenant possessing his old body. What I can assure is that the spell that you provided me with will work. I am sure of my ability, but not sure of the spell itself.

-Didn’t you write it?! - asked Jack, surprised.

-I just converted it - I shook my head. - You had the full formula done. Although in two parts, just as you said, I didn’t change much. Only things I tampered with were the target of the spell, that’s it. So the effects will solely be based on your work, I am just providing magic for it.

-So wait, we can do it ourselves? - asked Vendi. - Why are you here then? Give us the incantation so we can…

-Vendi! - started protesting Jack, but I did not care.

-Oh sure, if you want to, I am not going to stop you.

That stunned them both.

-But if you fail and misspell a single word, or just hesitate just a smidge, it will fail for sure. Besides that, are you sure you can handle that much mana flowing through both of you? I can.

-But still! Why won’t we do the three of us together… - he continued his protest, but I had none of it.

-Ah yes, let’s gamble with yet another life, why not. Tell me, how many rituals were you a part of? How much experience do you have with life magic and manipulation of souls?

-We did try a couple of times… plus the funerals…

-Ah yes, the funerals. Sure, if you try, this thing will definitely turn into a funeral - I said, annoyed. - Listen. I’ve been a part of an organization which only purpose was to investigate that kind of magic, and prevent it from doing collateral damage. So clearly, however many corpses you tried to animate, I have more experience in the field. So please, move away and let me do my thing. I am pretty sure that he can’t get any worse than he is already, same as me. I can’t guarantee the same for you both if you are still going to pester me. Of course there is a chance that all of us are just going to die immediately - I said before any of them could even squeeze a word in - but I am not stopping here. Now move.

I could feel them shudder on the mention of possible failure, but none of them protested for some reason.

-Before you start… how bad are the chances…? - asked Jack. - What exactly can happen?

-No one can be sure - I shrugged. - But from the bad outcomes, it can range from, as I mentioned, all of us being vaporized by the sheer amount of mana released, you being turned into the state he is in, probably trapped together with him or something along those lines, or as small as just you being either mana exhausted or overcharged. Of course there is a chance that everything will be fine and dandy, but I wouldn’t count on that.

-Yh…

-Are you done? All your questions answered? I’d like to get on with it already.

-Wait… I have to draw a circle first - said Jack, finally realizing that Kon was just lying there without any proper preparation.

-Wow, great awareness. But that won’t be necessary. As you are well aware, the idea of using a ritual has been scrapped already.

-But…

-No “buts”. I don’t need any more outside interference. It’s already weird enough without your antics. Move.

I think that it finally did it, because I heard both of them shuffle away.

-How far…?

-No fucking clue. You’re welcome to hide behind something if you want… Not like that’s going to help you - I muttered under my breath.

I think they actually listened to me because I heard even more shuffling behind me.

-Well, let’s get on with it… Kon, are you ready?

The reply was delayed, clear that his attention was on something else.

-I don’t know… What should I do?

-Nothing, really. I’ve never had direct contact with a subject while doing something like this, nor after it, so it's hard to tell what to expect.

-That’s not encouraging.

-I know. But do you have a choice?

-I mean… I could stay as this rock forever…

-Oh, now you want to? Wasn’t it you that was scared about suddenly being pulled somewhere else and dispersing to nothing?

-Yes… but nothing like that has been happening since… since I’ve been with you so…

-Sure. I can carry you with me all the time, but I feel being stuck like this is not very enticing, is it? I mean, it’s your decision. Bit late though.

-I suppose… hell, it’s too late to change my mind. Let’s do it.

-Understood. And hey, if I feel like something is going very wrong and you are vanishing or something I will try and absorb you back.

-Absorb… back? You can do that?

-I mean, I already absorbed one person into my own being, what’s another one?

-Okay… I guess… Man, now I’m even more nervous.

-Don’t be. I should be the one nervous, you just have to sit back and wait for whatever happens.

-Eh… Okay. Let’s go.