Bubbles rose at an alarming rate from the ceramic bowl, forcing Phisola to drop it. It smashed on the ground, shattering into dozens of pieces and spilling the liquid, forming a small puddle. However, the puddle quickly disappeared as it was consumed by the bubbles that started spreading all over the floor.

Eric jumped back in alarm: “What the fuck is that? Is it dangerous?”

Meanwhile, Phisola just walked away calmly: It could be. Just stay out of it until it’s over.”

“It’s spreading all over the floor! Is that some kind of acid?”

“The reagents are reacting with each other. It will stop as soon as they’re consumed.”

And indeed, after the initial rapid spread, the bubbles stopped expanding. They simply formed and popped in the same place over and over again.

“When will it stop?”

“That depends on your blood. I have no idea.”

“Is … something tells me that’s not supposed to happen.”

“I have to admit that I’ve never seen something like it. That’s very strange.”

“Is that … a good thing? Does this violent reaction mean my blood has some energy in it?”

“Yes, it does. Unfortunately, it’s not the kind of energy that we need.”

“Will it help speed up the process?”

“It will, but … how often can you give your blood and how much?”

“Uhh … I don’t know for sure. Maybe every month, I guess? As for the how much, do you know what a gallon is?”

“No.”

Eric sighed: “Then I don’t know how to describe it properly. We can start with those cups that you have. I think I can fill one up without it affecting me. And then we’ll see how long it will take me to recover. We’ll have to guess since our civilizations use different measurement units.”

Phisola nodded: “I agree,” she turned to fetch a cup similar to the broken one, “Assuming that you can fill one of these every month, that should speed up the process for … hmm … some fifty years, I think.”

“Which doesn’t really work for me.”

“Which doesn’t really work for you.”

Eric gave her a disheartened glare, but she didn’t care much for it. Even her facial expression didn’t change.

He continued after a brief pause, “So … we’ll have to find a different way. I mean, I can still give you blood, but that in itself won’t be enough.”

“It won’t be enough for a portal but can serve other purposes, reducing my magic drain. So, we could add another fifty years that way if we rationalize my magic expenditures. Your blood has no magical properties but is brimming with life, making it more suitable for other types of magic.”

“What does that mean?”

“I can use your blood as a power source for some of my magic, meaning I could pour more of my magic into the cauldron.”

“You’ll give your blood too?”

Phisola looked at him scornfully: “No! My blood is way too precious!”

“Then I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”

“I will say this just once more!” She swung her index finger threateningly at him, “Pay attention! I can use your blood as a power source for some of my magic, which means I can pour some of my magic into the cauldron. What is it that you don’t understand about it?”

“Pour into the cauldron. It’s filled with blood, right?”

“Yes, but the blood inside of it is used just for storage. Blood itself isn’t valuable, it’s just some fluid. What is inside of it is important.”

“So, you won’t add your blood to it but will add your magic instead?”

That made her gesticulate wildly with her hands: “And how the fuck could you get a different idea when that’s exactly what I’ve said?”

“Ok, ok, I’m sorry for being stupid. I’m not trying to rile you up. But how do you do it, though? Do you need a spell?”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

She approached the bloody cauldron with a deep frown on her face: “Like this!”

Right after saying that, she soaked her hand into the bloody mess, staring him scornfully in the eyes the whole time.

They stared at each other like that for a while before Eric decided to break the silence.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“You just … put your hand in, and the magic goes?”

“Mages can feel magic, both inside and outside of their bodies. I’m letting my magic out the same way you’re letting your piss out.”

“Aha. Ok, that makes sense.”

“It’s not the blood itself that we need but the energy inside of it. And while the rodents and other small creatures we can find here have very little energy in their blood, it’s still useful for storing energy. I can enrich their blood with my magic over time.”

“So, just as I can provide blood from time to time, you can provide your magic?”

“I’ve been doing that this whole time. And while your blood has even less magic than an average animal, it is better in a way.”

“You said it’s full of life. What does that mean?”

She paused before answering.

“I’m not sure how to explain it properly since I would need some serious equipment to understand it better, but it’s as if your blood doesn’t belong to you only. It’s as if dozens of other creatures are living inside of it. It’s almost as if you’re just a hub for some invisible creatures living inside you.”

“Some … spirits?”

“No. I said it has no magic at all. And that’s what’s puzzling. It’s as if you’re possessed, but not in a magical way.”

“And you said that magic is the same as spirit.”

“In essence, it is. It’s almost as if you’re possessed biologically, if that makes any sense. It sounds stupid, I know, but I lack the knowledge to explain it properly. You’re much better off asking vampires about such topics. They’re obsessed with biological mutations,” She narrowed her eyes at him, “Wait … wait … are your people doing something similar?”

“Doing some biological mutations?”

“Yes. Do you have … ah, but you don’t have magic. I forgot about that.”

“Well …” Eric started scratching the back of his head uncomfortably, “… speaking of … mutations … we are actually doing that.”

She stared at him cynically for a while before asking: “How?”

“We use chemistry. Do you understand the word?”

“No.”

“What about alchemy? You do understand that, right?”

“Yes. But alchemy needs magic to work. It’s all about manipulating the magical properties of ingredients and reagents to create something with specific properties. Mostly potions and artifacts. But you claim there’s no magic in your world.”

“Chemistry is all about doing alchemy without using magic.”

Phisola blinked a few times as she tried to wrap her mind around it: “I remember you mentioning that before, but I’ve dismissed it in my mind since it didn’t make sense to me. What would be the energy source? You can’t change the properties of an ingredient without forcing energy onto it!”

“Are you aware that magic isn’t the only energy form?”

“Of course! Non-magical creatures wouldn’t live otherwise!”

“That’s what we do. There are other energy sources besides magic. For example, heating an ingredient under pressure can change its properties, right? Actually, isn’t cooking food all about it? You’re using heat to change the ingredients into something different, something that has more value.”

“That’s true, but …”

“Yes, I’m oversimplifying it, but the principle is what matters. Our magicless alchemy is far more complicated than that, and I’m way too stupid to explain it in detail. But the point is that the magic isn’t the only type of energy available to man.”

“Men? Is that the name of your race?”

“No, it’s … sorry, I got out of my diplomatic mindset for a moment and got way too casual. I meant to say, people.”

“What is the difference between men and people?”

“A man is an adult human male, human being the name of our species,” realizing something, his brows rose, “Do you understand the word species?”

“No.”

“Oh well … then let’s say that human is a collective name for all the human races.”

“Oh, I see! Just how demon is a general name for the entire race whereas different clans have different names.”

“Yes, but why did you have to take demons as an example is …”

Eric stopped mid-sentence and took a good look at Phisola. His eyes bulged out a little bit.

“Now … I … I apologize if this will be a little bit offensive … that’s not what I’m going for. I’m about to ask a legitimate question, and I’m not trying to be funny or offensive.”

“What got into you all of a sudden? You’re looking like a frightened rabbit now.”

“Your horns … I guess I already got used to them, so I’m not noticing them anymore. Your horns aren’t bothering me in the slightest, but there’s a belief among my people that demons have such horns.”

“Very few of them do.”

“That means that some do have them, right?”

“Yes.”

“So … I’ll stop beating around the bush and ask you directly. Are you a demon?”

She smiled from ear to ear, but not like happy people do. Her smile was twisted, making her look like a sadistic predator.

“No … I’m not a demon.”

“Ok, I’m sorry if that was a strange question. I apologize if it was offensive to you in any way.”

“Yes, it was very offensive.”

“I’m sorry for that.”

“I mean, do I really look like a demon to you?” Her twisted smile only grew wider.

“No, you … you look like a normal human with horns. You don’t have a tail or wings … or hoofs.”

“Is that how you imagine demons?”

“That’s what they look like in our stories.”

“There’s only one clan that looks like that.”

“You’ve … dealt with the demons before?”

“Yes. Quite a lot. I grew up among them.”

“You’ve … lived with the demons?”

“Yes. And they’re a lowly bunch. They’re too barbaric, too … narrow-minded and self-righteous. Stuck in their ways. Unwilling to change their opinions even after seeing overwhelming evidence. They are way too emotional and are always getting into arguments and fights with each other over the most trivial, pointless shit.”

“It looks like you don’t like them very much.”

“I have a strong disgust towards them. Although, they can be very useful. They can be useful tools once you learn how to control their simple minds.”

“And you’ve been controlling them?”

“Not from the very start. I had to learn a lot to get there. I had to figure out how their feeble minds work first.”

“So, you’re some important person back home? I mean, you did say that your mother is a lord, but what about you?”

“Hmm … you could say I’m a little bit important, but my position is still nothing compared to some other, more powerful people I know. Demons envy me and think I’m very successful, but others know better.”

“And these others, are they the same … race you are?”

“Yes. Demons are low-lives and bottom feeders. They’re very loud, but we’re the ones who are in charge.”

“And, your race … how is it called?”

“We’re called devils.”