Sarkan P.O.V.

“The princess is here, Lord Sarkan.”

“Send her in, thank you.”

Before long, the extremely beautiful daughter of Shakam was gracefully seated inside my sealed space.

“Thank you for coming, princess Asara. Would you like some tea?”

“Tea? You are finding our products unpleasing, Lord?”

“Da Hong Pao from the mountains of Yushan, home of the Emei Sect.”

“I definitively would, sage.” I served a couple cups.

“It would be a waste not to indulge in the delicacies that can be found in this kingdom.”

I opened the floor. I was hoping for a little return courtesy from her.

“This is certainly something, delicious. Please speak your mind, sage.”

‘Good. You elucidate quickly. A politician’s daughter.’

“Keep drinking this, princess. These cultivator crops are good for a slim figure.”

She smiled a little. It was time for business.

“We are aware of your talent your highness and also the political leanings within the walls of Malaktaraf. I would like to offer a word regarding your future pairing.”

She showed no reaction. She was waiting.

I knew she would not react positively but at least she wasn’t reacting negatively either.

“Which of the two are the Andurin leaning towards, sage Sarkan?”

“As you know, we like to have all available cards on the table at any given moment. And the best move on the board is for you to give serious thought to the idea of joining hands with the empire.”

She sighed, a long sigh.

‘Krigsain does nothing and these women still flutter around him. Beacoup de merde!’

“I’ll be thinking about this conversation.” She answered.

“I’ll offer three other tidbits; first, you cannot control or manipulate either of this men. Treat them as true equals but remain guarded. For your prospects and the prospects of the kingdom, Isoray is the choice, even if he is an imperfect one.”

She listened quietly without emotion. Properly trained in political etiquette.

“Second, if you are to pursue Krigsain it will come with more hardship than Isoray and you have less time. Krigsain will begin a tour of the continent after he is officially recognized as kotari. As your elder, you have to shoot your shot sooner rather than later.”

She was surprised knowing that her timeline and her little games were in a pinch.

“Third, if you help us willingly, we have a suitable reward. You will train as the direct kotari of Eisvogel.”

Her mouth almost hit the floor.

“The left hand of the Patriarch?” She asked timidly.

“Who else? There is not another woman with a chance to be Matriarch.”

“The Ice bird, the Ice bird.” She kept whispering the name like a mantra.

After politely bowing, she left in a hurry.

“Will the troublemaker take her or will she see reason? With Krigsain's new limitations in partners, the value of the princess rises up the tower. The game’s a foot, Shakam.”

I pressed my communication crystal.

“How are things with the trials of the twenty-four, Lukia?”

“Everything is almost ready, my sage.” Her polite voice is always soothing.

“And the estimated costs of THE operation?”

“Fourteen million two hundred thousand Ucra, Lord Sarkan.”

“Prepare the billing report for Lord Akathos Lukia, make sure he signs it.”

‘Your changes, your problem my friend. Your charge is an expensive endeavor.’

----------------------------------------

Ikrei P.O.V.

Pummeling, Freslia’s version, was unimaginable. Far worse than it had ever been before. The humanization pill’s effect that we used never truly wore off. That’s because we kept taking them over and over from the tables.

Whenever they ran out, Mikros brought out another batch.

‘Insane amounts of money, beyond my capacity to believe the situation.’

Mikros strictly checking and supervising with energy transfers and recirculation of the flow, etc. All the damn time, not allowing for any mishaps with the food or the over consumption of pills.

I estimated over forty thousand spars but I was no longer sure. Training seemed endless.

I was in a lotus position preparing for meditation with despicable eye patch.

I was on the boiling point, the kind that imitates a flaming arrow towards a certain blue eyes.

In case you do wonder, Freslia did retaliate like mad for a while. Either because I called her “mad eye bitch” or because I grabbed her ass with the nail attack.

‘Close a few times, but no cigar. No answers, these fuckers!’

Freslia began teaching more stuff that had nothing to do with what I wanted to know.

“Your current core is consequence of your connection with your consort. It is not YOUR CORE. That will come later, but what it is yours is the dark energy within you. Soul Contracts are not supposed to allow you to bypass a divine level barrier for soul communion. That only happened because both of you share the same unique dark energy inside, and the depth of your connection.”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

She let her words sink deep, simmer.

“How do you know that?” I was shocked.

“Mikros went inside your memories while you rested. True healing is not the treatment of just the body but the soul.”

More shock and awe.

“Yes, I can alter your memories and your personality if I wanted to, you are too weak for a fend off, Ikrei. Apologies. And no, there aren’t many like me around.” Mikros explained standing impassive.

‘Scary, scary! Poor guy, whoever is her partner.’

Mikros had taught me not to dwell on the gods that were interfering, least I attract more trouble. I needed to concentrate on dealing with what was in front of me. I begrudgingly did as she said.

“Can you tell me everything your little girl is doing now?” Freslia put forth a question I wasn’t expecting.

Even though I borderline wanted her dead, the eye patch did make her look striking. I didn’t like the fact that I found my punisher attractive.

Pushing away idler thoughts, I wondered if I had to answer with the truth. In the end, I did, I couldn’t see the benefits of doing otherwise. I meditated searching for Yun Hee.

Twenty breaths. I reached her, felt her and bled. I coughed up blood, just like Yun Hee did that night. Mikros healed me from behind by infusing energy.

I needed a change of clothes, the blood pool wasn’t nice.

I released the connection once I felt Yun Hee’s consciousness awaken a little.

Thirty breaths. “I can’t really tell all, contract matters. But I can tell you that she is resting and is at peace. I think she is recuperating from what happened during the ritual.”

Freslia’s reaction reminded me of Yun Hee’s when she complained about the song “Me” not being written about her.

‘Ixur checked on Yun Hee, now Freslia. What’s going on?’

“You just bypassed a time dilation barrier inside Malaktaraf. Truly incredible, a 1% probability of occurrence. Never let anyone know about it. Others will hunt the two of you down to the ends of the world, your nexus is the thing of legends.”

For once, I felt pain in her voice.

‘Remembrance? Something’s up.’

The 99% awakening probability estimate of Pricks Krigs was right. A 1% chance soul connection materializing is absolutely otherworldly.

Freslia turned to look lady Mikros in the eyes.

“Mikros never share this with anyone, not even to preserve any life.” A somber order.

“ANAM KALIM DES GLAOH!” We chanted after the surprising revelation of Mikros’ ability.

The power of a grandmaster healer brought from Lemuria that was momentarily turned magic mopper.

The resentful blood soaked Ikrei soul communed with the one eyed demon for the first time. In soul communion the stronger party has the control. When it is among equals it is a two way, most of the time. Or you can force a one way through a ring, like I did once.

There are always exceptions but strict conditions do apply.

Freslia tried for several minutes to impart arcane knowledge of the dark energy arts. I could feel it. But it never happened. The knowledge just vanished from my mind the moment I could sense it.

Our soul communion broke.

Freslia was heaving.

Mikros stood behind her infusing energy.

“It seems there are entities that don’t want any resemblance of Eriel to return.” Freslia said catching her breath.

“The interference?” I had to ask, this was a troublesome situation.

“Exactly, we expected the ritual to be enough, a full cleansing. You had and have an amazing ability to piss off the wrong people, so I guess not. We will have to teach you the hard way. It’s going to hurt.”

‘Shit. Just my luck! Fuck you, old me!’’

Mikros served us orgon based concoctions. We stood seven cubits apart from each other inside the circle.

“Mikros give him THE pill.”

She did as instructed. Black, pure black, half the size of my index finger. I waited for an explanation.

“Sagecraft Sycophantic Soul Pill, goes for 500000 Ucra in the black market.” Lady Mikros described.

“This one is a special blend created by and for Mikros.” Freslia added.

The pill I was holding was very similar to at least twenty other black pills in one of the tables yet this one glittered even more. That idea was starting to get me truly distraught.

“What does it do?” I stammered.

“It will aid me, allowing me to create a stable calm soul within you, full manipulation while retaining your gains from your sparring. Not that much different from your succubus, only tens of times stronger. You need to be at peace in order for us to proceed.”

Mikros sat in a lotus position speaking, just behind me. Her cores exploding around us.

“I know you are angry Ikrei, I know you don’t trust us. We don’t care. You got that?”

Freslia prepared herself letting her core energy expand as well. I was already regretting coming back with these people.

“Swallow that pill, it is time for you to learn who you once were.”

I felt it in my bones, spirit, soul or whatever you want to call it. This was bad, frightfully bad.

“The principles of the Andurin are liberty and choice!” I shouted.

One third angry, one third betrayed, one third unsurprised.

I didn’t want to proceed. My fingers were sweating while gripping the dammed alchemical poison.

‘These fuckers always push me around while dangling a carrot in front. Enough!’

“I’m not doing it! It feels wrong and that’s the end of it!” I shouted again.

Anger, disdain, impotence and serious threads of hatred. I opposed it. Something was telling me I would change forever if I went through with it.

A lively discussion took place for a while. Shouts, recriminations and counter arguments.

“I want to be me!”

“What is the self?”

“The world is not enough if you lose yourself!”

“You have nothing to lose, the order gave you everything!”

“It took my soul, my sanity!”

“You were dying!”

“I just wanted a better life than hunting rabbits!”

“And you are surrounded by exceptional people who care for you!”

“Care?! The spider was awful! The spirit almost as bad. Let me stick one up your ass and let’s see about that!”

“You think being a Claimere is easy?!? There’s always a price to pay!”

A couple of hours later after rounds of continuous bickering, I laid down the hammer or so I thought.

“I choose to leave! Great Will, I choose to leave!”

SWOOSH!

Freslia exploded into a dash. A Core Condensation expert against a forced first core practitioner. The crazy woman force fed me the black thing.

GURP! GURP!

I retched, better said, I tried to retch with comical results. The pill still went down my throat.

The reality of never having a choice. Disgusting. Nauseating.

I landed flat on my back with Freslia on top of me, her right hand covering my mouth vehemently. The merciless blue eye was glaring menacingly.

A powerful resounding shout came from mad eye patch.

“Activate the soul seal in this formation now!” Mikros executed the command.

The floor glowed blue, strange letters and sigils illuminated, energy covered us.

“I have tolerated you long enough. So listen well, you are only as free as you are strong, does that ring a bell, weakling? What about the choice Eriel made? What about him? Should I let him disappear for your sake? Disregard everything that has been done until now? When he is this close to me?”

She made a pinching hand gesture right in front of my nose.

Stillness and a heavy atmosphere. I was looking around seeking Mikros’ help.

“Perhaps you can choose a different path than Eriel, perhaps you are different Ikrei. But perhaps, just perhaps you really are not that different from who you once were. You just can’t remember or you don’t want to remember.”

Mikros spoke from her lotus position.

“Alas, we are going to find out, whether you like it or not.” Mikros spoke once more as she gobbled up one of the shiny black pills too.

‘What’s the relationship between Freslia and Eriel?!? Crazy, all of it is crazy!’

I tried to free myself, a flagging rag doll, of course there was no luck. Many ideas ran through my head. Every theory wilder than the previous one.

Freslia got close, close enough for a bite, almost.

“I want my brother back. You, twerp!”