Liberty, Yotta, and I stepped out of the house’s side door to the sound of the strangest laughter that I had ever heard. As we walked across the grass, I glanced at the ground as we walked through the grass along the side of the building. The individual blades of grass had a soft, golden undertone from the mana flashing across its surface intermittently.
“Lady Morgana is as impressive as the rumors say,” Yotta commented even as her mana began to move in the pattern of a defensive technique. Her eyes, glowing under the effect of some kind of perception-augmenting technique, analyzed the scene with professional interest. “I heard that druids were troublesome opponents when engaged on ley lines, but to create such a complex technique so quickly…”
She trailed off, seemingly enamored with dissecting Morgana’s display. I understood. It was an impressive technique that wove together several lesser techniques for greater effect. She had done three things of note: bolstered the vitality of the environment around her, animated the nearby trees, and sealed the domain of her technique to stop errant mana from escaping.
We rounded the from of the house in time to see Regis’s power swell in tandem with Morgana’s. Instead of enacting sorcery of his own or shifting, his mana harmonized with his wife amplifying her technique by multiple degrees. Their cooperation was nearly perfect and unconsciously, my eyebrows shot up in surprise.
In theory, I knew enough about the soul and sorcery in general to understand harmonic techniques and their potential. Besides theoretical knowledge, harmonic sorcery also encompassed my assistance with Libbu’s sacrificial ritual. The shocking thing for me was that Morgana and Regis exhibited higher synchronicity than Libbu and I had so long ago.
These humans… My fist clenched and my jaw set. Surprise turned to anger. You see, it’s likely obvious by now, but as a former being of the Astral, I placed much higher significance on the interactions of mana than those of a physical nature. The couple could’ve been paragons of physical intimacy and I wouldn’t have cared, but to see them perform harmonic sorcery with synchronicity higher than I had managed to achieve during Libbu’s ritual? The comparison made me want to punish them for daring to draw attention to my inadequacy, my selfishness, and my regret.
“Eric?” A hand touched mine bringing a cool sensation to my clenched fist which felt hot like the rest of my body. I looked over at Liberty who had stopped and favored me with the kind of worried expression only a mother could muster. Her concern and touch gave an opening for my will to reign in the rampant anger.
“I’m fine,” I said with a scowl.
Emotions were insidious things. Although I had disdain for them as an astral being, they hadn’t truly been a hindrance when I experienced them. After all, astral beings didn’t feel emotions in the same way humans did. As an astral being, I struggled with emotions, but more so as perplexing pieces to a puzzle. They might’ve distracted me or affected my actions, but there was always a certain level of separation. The only exception was the loneliness I felt after Libbu’s sacrifice. However, since becoming Eric Blackthorne, almost every emotion felt like that loneliness, if not in intensity than in nature at least. Each feeling crept into my thoughts, conscious and unconscious, nesting like cancer within my mind that caused my rationality to collapse. Even minor sentiment somehow wormed its way into my consciousness.
Liberty was a prime example of that. She was a human woman with slightly above average talent and no qualities that I would deem noteworthy aside from her tenacity and intelligence. And yet, I found myself consistently affected by her moods and her perception of me. Why? Because she had given birth to my physical body? I wasn’t sure. I knew from my knowledge of the human body that certain biological factors played into the equation and given the reciprocal relationship of the body and soul, these emotions would influence his mind over time.
I just didn’t understand why it seemed to be happening so quickly. Why didn’t the process work in reverse? My soul was infinitely more powerful than the frail, if well-made, vessel that housed it. Shouldn’t the rationality with which I had operated for the majority of my existence have stripped down much of the mortal sentimentality? After all, there were humans with malfunctioning brains who acted with barely any emotion aside from desire and self-interest so I knew the disconnect was possible.
A scream broke me out of my rumination.
In the center of the chaos, the skull released an ear-piercing screech. Because of their superhuman senses, every shifter except for Regis and myself collapsed to the ground clutching at their ears. A quick thought and a sliver of psykhe created a thick layer of flesh over my ears which dampened the sound. Meanwhile, the pack leader appeared to be weathering the sonic attack through sheer force of will and body.
Sadly, the screech’s primary function wasn’t to attack us. Large globs of skin sloshed off of the wretched, laughing man. Those unaffected by the sonic attack recoiled in disgust. The man’s skin almost flowed like liquid leaving a mess of dermal tissue, muscle, and the white of some bones. Blood dripped from his exposed tissues and his face became a rictus of pain, yet his laughter never stopped.
The globs of flesh undulated for half a second in the golden-green grass before they grew rapidly into grotesque human figures with black markings covering their lumpy bodies. Each creature stood no taller than my waist. Their eyes, nose slits, and… other orifices leaked trails of black vapor. As soon as they were fully formed, the skull’s screech went silent and the creatures let loose piercing wails that chilled the bones of all who could hear them.
I saw the entire ordeal unfold and couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of the sorcery that had taken place. Hideous as the result was the process had been well executed from the catalyst of flesh and blood to the fragmented souls stuffed within the vessels of transmuted tissue. However, the most impressive facet of the sorcery was that it had all been done remotely. The pale man was essentially a transmitter for someone or something far from our current location and the skull acted as an amplifier for the mana.
For the briefest of moments, I sensed the practitioner’s presence, only for it to be masked again after the sorcery completed.
The flesh puppets lunged at Nessa, Dante, and one other shifter, another cousin of mine, who were struggling to their feet after recovering from the skull’s screech. Nessa, who had grown twice over in size and sported a coat of bristling, chestnut fur spread over corded muscle, intercepted one of the creatures. Much to my surprise, her claws which gleamed golden under the moonlight barely wounded the fleshcrafted monstrosity despite the strike having enough force to launch it two meters backward.
After that, the melee began in earnest between the three and the monstrosities. A glance at the porch revealed Morgana and Regis who had joined hands. They chanted in a language that I didn’t recognize, but I understood the nature of the technique from the movement of the mana.
So, they’ve figured out that someone outside of their barrier is behind this stunt. Impressive, I thought as I began to weave a tracking technique. Morgana and Regis intended to strike out against the entity or individual responsible for the current situation. I wasn’t sure how they would accomplish that since I wasn’t very familiar with druidic sorcery, but the intent and design were clear. I hope they don’t mind if I borrow the strength of their efforts.
The couple’s voices swelled to a mighty crescendo moving more and more mana with each utterance. All at once, they stopped and Morgana let go of Regis’s hand. She radiated yellow light like a reincarnated sun goddess finally awakening to her potential. With one spry movement, she leapt from the porch and landed on the lawn where her hands sank into the ground like it was liquid. Instantly, a golden circle appeared beneath the writhing man and skull.
Now! I released my technique which flew from the pupils of my left eye. The projectile resembled a thin, iridescent needle and an even thinner thread of psykhe tethered it to me. The need traveled through the air faster than the time it takes to blink impacting the golden circle without a sound or ripple. I felt the technique draw more psykhe from my reserves increasing the length of the thread even as the attack went off.
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
A pillar of light erupted from the circle, but the skull responded in kind. Its eyes erupted with black gas. It was identical to the substance that leaked from the flesh puppets. The vapors covered the skull before the light began to burn the man. His laughter changed as each gasp was punctuated by a miserable scream before the sadistic compulsion took hold again causing him to laugh.
Morgana’s eyes were resolute, but a disgusted scowl twisted the angles of her normally regal features. The black vapors fought the light for several seconds before Morgana roared. A sudden wind whipped through the neighborhood releasing her hair from its usual well-kempt state and the ground shook. I sensed power surging beneath my feet and my eyes widened.
To my augmented sight, the earth looked like a river of rushing mana. Everyone else, including myself, stood on the surface of the “river” of power as though it weren’t there while Morgana was submerged in its depths. However, rather than sink, the mana swirled around her supporting body and seeping into her skin.
This must be how she taps into the ley lines. I followed the path of the river of mana and indeed, one way led in the direction of the Grove to the northeast while the other curved toward the south.
The vapor held for another second before Morgana overpowered the defensive technique. As soon as the light touched the skull, another pillar of light shot into the sky in the southwest. I couldn’t tell exactly how far it was through mundane means, but it was at least a few miles. Then, I sensed my needle as it pierced my target while riding the pathway of Morgana’s attack. Although I lost a large portion of my available psykhe because of the sudden jump in distance, I couldn’t help a smile from spreading across my face.
I quickly located the weak link between myself and Morgana. With a bit of psykhe, I encompassed a message. Morgana, it’s Eric. I have the enemy practitioner’s location. Leave it to me.
I glanced ahead at Liberty who had joined Yotta’s efforts to support the shifters. With the two sorceresses who might try to stop me distracted, I hopped over the nearby fence and almost fell over when I landed. I followed the driveway into the street behind Dante’s home. I spotted a few vehicles parked near the back entrances of some houses and even caught a few people peeking out of their second-story windows. Uncaring about the observers, I activated the shifter formation bound to my soul.
My blood suddenly ignited like molten fire in my veins. My heart rate nearly doubled and my skin crawled as though thousands of insects squirmed beneath the surface. A low growl slipped from my throat unbidden as the transformation began. The formation drove my body into a state of fluidity striving to achieve a predetermined form.
However, I wasn’t bound by the constraints of an ignorant human activating their shifter legacy for the first time. I directed some of my psykhe into the formation and made a few small alterations to the form. Once I was done, I let the transformation begin in earnest.
My bones cracked as they reshaped themselves and my skin took on a pale hue. Iridescent light swam over my body as the shifter formation incorporated my natural mana growing more powerful and fearsome. My perspective lowered as my center of gravity changed. I bore the discomfort silently suppressing the volatile urge to roar or lash out as the fundamental shape and composition of my body changed. The process took less than ten seconds which I was certain I could speed up with a bit of effort.
Needless to say, my clothes were absolutely ruined and for a second, I dreaded attempting to button up another shirt.
In the distance, the pillar of light disappeared, but I sensed my needle move and took off down the back street. A thrill bled into my mind from the shifter formation in my soul. The very idea of the puppeteer behind this attack fleeing as I pursued him made my blood sing. I ran faster and faster allowing the euphoric sensation to drive my speed higher and higher. I leapt over vehicles and clambered up the sides of small buildings only to jump from their roofs. I felt untethered and in control for the first time in longer than I could remember.
In this state, I reached the edge of town in less than three minutes. Conveniently, the road out of Holsburg went in the same direction that I needed to go. The convenience brought a thought to mind. My quarry likely has one of those vehicles.
I wasn’t very familiar with modern automobiles, but conceptually, I understood that they allowed humans to travel far faster than what would normally be possible. These vehicles also, amazingly, didn’t use mana, or at least, the ones that I had seen didn’t. Fearing the target might escape, I reluctantly activated a body-strengthening technique. I wanted to conserve my mana for the confrontation with the individual since they must’ve been powerful to launch an attack on Holsburg, but my mana would be useless if they got far enough to break the tether of my tracking technique. Inwardly, I cursed not having the time to establish a more robust connection since that would allow me to attack the target remotely.
I sped down the road. My shifter formation showed its merits. Despite its downsides which I would no doubt have to address in the future, the intended effect, augmentation, and transmutation, worked seamlessly. The shifter formation pumped strength into my body like a roaring engine and my blood sang. On top of the augmentation technique that I just activated, I moved far faster than any second-order practitioner should. My speed rivaled that of my past self when I tracked down Libbu.
Of course, I had been piloting a corpse back then while my current vessel was healthy, living, and had the highest mana conductivity of any human that I knew of thanks to the Akashic Records, and psykhe was much more suited to the task than pure mana, but still. I was impressed with my capabilities.
***
Theo chuckled as he leaned on the steering wheel of his car. The old junker wasn’t ideal as a getaway vehicle, but his means were limited and the Laughing Blight forbade him from telling any of his brothers about his task. The laughter spilling from his throat grew more frantic as the master’s power filled his body.
His chest started to hurt. It was worth it though. The black fog spilling from his mouth crawled up his face and along his arms easing the pain there. His eyes fell from the road ahead to the still-bubbling skin on his hands. It was all he could do to keep his hands locked on the wheel.
Morgana Holston. The Witch of Lake Barkley. Pack Mother. He’d heard so many names for the woman who had gained a near-legendary status for her efforts during the Shadow’s Passing. Even the local vampire clans and astral covens didn’t dare cross her. All that said, after she had almost roasted him alive, Theo had an entirely different name for her on his mind.
That dog-fucking bitch… He let loose a cackling howl and the pain in his chest lessened ever so slightly. That was the way: embrace the master’s will. He grabbed onto the knowledge that his flesh puppets and the skull given to him by the archbishop would leave a nasty surprise once they were destroyed. She’ll see… Master’s gonna get her…
His laughter mellowed into a crazed giggle when he glanced at his side-view mirror. He had company! A small wolf, barely bigger than a german shepherd, was rapidly gaining on him. The wolf had a coat of white-gray fur that seemed to glow in the moonlight and its eyes looked like miniature prisms. More black fog spilled from his mouth and a gray filter fell over his eyes as the vapor leaked from his eyes. It was time to play!
Caught up in the power of his master’s mana, Theo slammed his elbow into the driver’s side window, the button for lowering it completely forgotten. Glass flew everywhere, some landing on his lap.
“Catch me if you can, little doggie!” He shouted out of the window. His foot pushed the gas pedal as far as it would go bringing his junker to its top speed of almost one hundred kilometers an hour. He saw the dog quickly get farther and farther away. Some kind of light flashed across its fur and seemed to gain even more speed, but it couldn’t catch him.
Theo’s laughter echoed in the night. This dangerous and beautiful creature, probably a member of the Holsburg pack wanted to catch him for attacking its territory. He wondered if he had managed to kill any of its pack mates. Wouldn’t it be heartbroken or angry? But, it couldn’t catch him. It would fail!
Hilarious!
Giggling like a maniac, he reached over grabbing the vial of purple liquid in one of the cup holders. He ripped the cork out with his teeth and downed the bitter brew in one go. Instantly, he felt the power in him surged. This was the third dose of refined astrīs that he’d taken and the last one he had. His mana swelled increasing the density of the black fog by another step.
With one hand, he gathered the mana fighting to escape his body. The skin on his forehead itched as his Blighted Eye opened once again after being forcefully closed in response to Morgana’s attack. A ball of black gas swirled into his hand and small arcs of purple lightning flashed across its surface. The destructive force would poison and corrode anything it touched while trapping the minds of those affected in a fit of dark hysteria.
Every dog needs a nice, shiny ball, right? His face became a rictus of sadistic excitement as he considered whether he’d just chuck it out the window or even slow down to give the mutt hope then hit it with the surprise. While he considered the possibilities, something appeared on the road— no, not something, someone.
“Found you, eyeman.” Said the person in the road before bringing his fist down on the hood of the speeding car.
Theo’s only thought before his car went airborne was sudden confusion. Why was this man in the middle of the road? How did he get there? What was that distortion around him?
And why was he so goddamn big?