Ikrei P.O.V.
Third Strata of Outer Darkness. One hundred and fifty years inside the realm.
“You sure we have to do this? I have to do this?”
[Yes, we do. These caves are the home to the trial of Lakesha. You need this to stabilize, I’m joining you later so I don’t want to hear any more complaints.]
Master Akathos was adamant, no more sidestepping.
‘Fine. I’m in control, chanting and the Will, the seed of Malgrun, dark energy.’
The third strata is home to the dae-mon, the original name of the word demon. Unless you are as strong as master is, better leave them alone, not because all of them are powerful but because they travel in packs, like wolves.
The king here has many vassals, all prominent, even dark winged ones. But the wolf pack type demons are scary.
The true servant of King Shamyl, Legion, for he is many. Thousands of fast, dangerous shadowy men. Their leaders have horns.
LegionCaptain [https://i.imgur.com/gK4agYC.png]
We evaded them and went for the cave.
Another vast darkened plane of existence. Purple skies and constant lightning strikes with thunders constantly resounding.
[Now, today you are allowed to use all the shadow forms if you need. Make me proud.]
Shadow Warrior of the cultivators, Kagemusha. Or Shadow Blade of the Andurin, Dosik.
Dosik is andurian for gloom.
I swallowed hard. Ten years training the stuff and this was the first time I was going to truly use them out on the field. I was nervous because the dark stratas were overtaking me, the reason we were here.
This was also an allowance from master so that if and when I could fight Krigs or Freslia on equal footing I could put the hurt on them. I was welcomed to try against him.
‘Nope, don’t think I will for that last one.’
We kept slowly, carefully walking into the cave, empty, quiet, eerie.
Three levels down through the special mineral cave system tunnels and still nothing.
‘Say master, where are the suffering souls here, I didn’t see any?!’
[Remember the capstone? Thousands upon thousands of cells with jailers, mockers and torturers. You won’t find it unless the demons want you to find it, the prison.]
There was an extremely large white capstone we saw on our way here, it read:
—Here lie the bloodthirsty, the conspirators, the warmongers, the instigators and the spillers of innocent blood—
Ten levels down, the tunnels became gigantic in size, enough to fit several fully equipped armies. Astounding.
Something was headed our way. Dark energy, the immense kind. Only Soul Merge and above would dare thread against this kind of thing.
Shivers, it reminded me of a certain Spider Queen.
[Remember everything I taught you. Don’t ever say I didn’t give you a fair shot!]
A typical reminder after so many years.
‘Yeah, yeah, I got it.’
“Inhale, exhale. Release.”
THUD! THUD! THUD! ZOOOOM!
Star Shadow Steps, the art of the Dosik.
A blue streak of Will infused art.
The cave rumbled and like a speeding carriage pulled by a thousand Ialpilgars. The beast appeared, a monster of monsters, the great snake, the Basilisk.
Two arrows heading towards each other.
Two breaths of distance.
“SHHAAAA!” The incoming beast launched a venomous attack.
Green, viscous liquid in front of us. Dangerous.
A split second decision going back to Ciel’s training sessions. I plunged the materialized sword with my left hand into the rocky floor and made a forced course correction.
I zigzagged to my right. Even in the spirit world, this is painful. The whole arm seemed to break. The stratas give you pain, they feed of pain, a never ending tormenting cycle.
Heavy sidestep to the right and unto the wall of the large tunnel.
The basilisk coiled unto itself at a speed that should be impossible with a creature of that size. More venom, hundreds of spits, this time.
[CHARGE!] The scream from my master jolted me into action.
‘Fuck! Fine, here goes energy depletion. One shot kill just like the capture of souls.’
The equivalent of losing two and a half cores worth of energy. Extreme speed for two breaths according to your realm with the aid of the Will.
To use this chant without that kind of penalty you need one of three things: sagecraft artifact, lightning attribute or a soul master class. Master and I aren’t any of these things and the Sagecrafts are property of the order, hard to use them outside their controlled environments.
“ADOHI!” Andurian chant for storm wind.
“ARLUN! FAILEN!” Malgrunian chant for soulfire shadow.
ZOOOOM! UUUFGH!
One breath. A High speed bolt of engulfing fire that disappears. The gift of our first capture.
The venom hits where I was just a second before, the entire rocky structure melted a little, gas came from the rocks, no different than boiling water.
UUUFGH!
I reappeared like a materializing shadow right above the head of the massive beast.
There was only enough energy for the killing blade. The energy reserves of a monster like Akathos almost depleted in less than three and half breaths since the confrontation started.
The beast seemed to be frozen in place from our viewing position.
[NOOOOOW!!!] Master’s furious order caused a reflexive action.
The fusing of the two swords and one hundred and fifty souls trapped within the two resonated.
Two breaths. The world restarted and the basilisk wanted to react. A death dive, directly into the head, right in the middle of the eyes.
The beast dies or we die, the fighting style of the chaos blades.
“MIOHAIL!” Andurian chant for metal cry.
Blade in front we went down.
The beast emitted a massive magic barrier.
The entire cave system shook. A few rocks broke off from the ceiling in the spirit world.
DOOOOOOOOOOOONG!
The resonance felt like a crushing hand upon our souls. The godly unified metallic wonder doesn’t cut through but absorbs the barrier, the souls inside began feeding.
“HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!”
The feelings of hatred, and vengeance from the souls came like a wave. The metal glinted, the power increased. Otherworldly is an understatement.
We wanted to laugh madly with them.
“First form, lonely thrust.” We thought within, like a whisper.
A shriek, venom everywhere. We went through the mouth of the basilisk, the beast managed to move to swallow us whole.
The great basilisk closed its mouth.
The swords became two again, one in each hand. I went for the final move.
“Byeolfeng, second form, Eodumxuēruò, Dark Weakening”
SWISH! SLASH! SWISH! SLASH! SWISH! SLASH!
The double cut style attack destroyed the beast from the inside.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
We crashed unto the rocks exiting the beast from its belly.
Heavy gasping and need for air, in a place where there is no air. It means your soul is strained. Akathos and I, just stared at the destroyed beast for many breaths.
One hundred breaths. The body of the beast became smoke and disappeared into thin air that wasn’t really air.
“What?!” I remained with my hands on the floor like a dog, in fours.
[This was YOUR test. The caves adjust to any who come. Of course Soul Merge is the minimum requirement.]
Always teaching, always correcting. And since no congratulations came, he was not happy.
[Your control over the second form requires a lot more training, it seems.]
‘Ah, so that’s what it was. Got it.’
[How was it, the power of the Miohail?]
“Will infused metal attacks are awesome, no penalty, master!”
I was truly left in puzzlement with such an increase in power with the unified swords.
[Your affinities are great: darkness, fire, metal. You will have to check your complete affinity chart once you are out of here. Years of trial and error to figure out things can only be done in places like this, like we have.]
‘Yes, master. If you help me get out of this trap, I’ll do that.’
[And on that note, your demonic little thing is like you, metal root, fire root and chaos root at least from what I can gather. You are almost a perfect mirror of each other minus the affinity levels of each attribute, of course. Almost…almost like fate.]
‘Yeah, legendary kind of thing. I have heard that before.’
I settled for a long round of meditation and recovery. The stratas negative energy were a terrible proposition for a spirit body with low energy reserves.
[Happy thoughts, Ikrei. Do whatever, what do the young blades say? Get your freak on, right?]
An instruction that was an allowance. I was having severe problems with the influence.
I started meditating with my master’s help.
I didn’t want to do it but there was no choice, we needed to recuperate against the encroaching threat. So I let my thoughts go to the source of my problems in the last few years. As master said, happy thoughts.
‘A kiss, long strands of hair and a cute rounded bottom.’
A long meditation cycle took place.
----------------------------------------
Freslia P.O.V.
Mirror World. Day of Sukur, fourth week of the tenth month, two minutes to midnight, year 9002.
“Say sister, can the empire do what we are doing?” Mikros was nervous.
“They can, and even more. Their magic is bordering the realm of legends.”
“So, they’ll know or something?” Mikros was really nervous with that last one.
“Eventually, they’ll do some magic of their own and we will counter and they will counter that and on and on for who knows how long.”
“Sister, I feel like I don’t want to do this anymore.” Puffed cheeks and closed fists.
‘Nervous, panties on the point of tearing kind of nervous.’
“You know, you wanted in. You have heard people say, men are like dogs and women are like cats?”
“What’s that got to do with anything, Fres?” An expression of confusion appeared.
“It’s true. Cause curiosity killed the cat!”
I played with her hair, stuck out my tongue and winked.
She finally smiled a little.
“Big sis is here, don’t fret too much.”
We were looking at our target. The Dogran Industries facilities in Katopr. The elegant clock tower in plain view.
DogranClocktower [https://i.imgur.com/aet6vfz.png]
“How are we going to get in, this looks tight. I don’t mean your muscles, sis.” Joking always relaxes miss Brienus.
I showed her the seal coin my “necessities” pouch had inside. The little magic pouch, the original magic space containers before the rings had plenty of things for various possibilities, including the meddling of Bichmeyrul.
ImperialSealcoin [https://i.imgur.com/lrjnheN.png]
“A real empyrean seal coin? How?” To say Mikros was open mouthed would be an understatement.
‘I could probably feed her a whole chicken, right now.’
“Just follow my lead, our insider is awesome, is he not?”
“I guess since it's war time you have detailed files on the Dogran family, right sis?”
I nodded and with confidence we started our synchronized walk through the streets once more.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
‘Zaraki, stay hidden and track your master’s energy or whatever dark stuff you can find interesting in there. Mikros prepare everything for forced compulsion.’
I sent the last orders as mental messages before we went inside for checkups.
We were ushered in and headed to a gorgeous waiting room with plenty of amenities and delicacies, the excess and luxury of the richest family in the empire.
We were having a grand old time with the cookies and wine when the pesky bird got bored.
‘Don’t mess around Zaraki or you will never get inside me again! Stop putting those thoughts in my mind! Naughty, naughty warbler!’
----------------------------------------
Ikrei P.O.V.
We stood silently in a small strange cave that was further down the tunnels. A single golden cup in the center, a nice but simple marble arrangement underneath. The glow of light bounced on the stones and rocks, the small passage felt both inviting and unwelcoming.
Golden colored lightning continuously striking within the cave that made no sound when it hit the rocks.
Poisoncupofowgods [https://i.imgur.com/rpG56Oh.png]
I knew we were here for this but master hadn’t explained anything about it.
[This my boy is the cup of poison of the dark otherworldly gods. This is your first crossroad, Ikrei. You’re going to drink from the cup and we will see what happens.]
The terrible words not only jolted me but caused a hateful reaction.
“Poison?! Poison?! What the fuck?!”
I was screaming so loud that if we had been in the real world, I would have been hoarse.
The powerful force of my master’s soul stopped the screaming dead on its tracks.
[Your control is slipping; the energies will overtake you at this pace. You need to prove to me, you are as good as or better than Eriel with proper training. Do you think the Andurin are a charity or something? This is a test, your first real test.]
I was released from my master’s control.
Seventy breaths.
‘Fine, how does all this work? I want a detailed explanation with nothing but the truth. I know a thing or two about test’s and soul contracts. And unless I agree, we will sit here for whatever time I got left. You have twenty-seven hours in the world outside, remember?’
I let Akathos have a piece of my mind. I added a famous little sound for absolute emphasis with my spoken word.
“Tick, tick, tick, tick. Master!” I was cold and merciless just like mad eye.
Several grains of sand later, about three thousand.
[Not bad kid. Only once so listen good, okay?]
‘Sure.’
[The drink will materialize when you take the cup. This is one of the places where chaos mages can take their true initiation. Eriel came here, same with you now. You are a bard, a creative. Something that is, something without the need of order, a reflection of chaos. If the dark path approves of you, you’ll live and give you what you need to endure the trials to come. If it does not, you die and I’ll spend my remaining time trying to bring Eriel back once you are gone. Detailed enough?]
Cold, merciless and all those other words cannot begin to describe what I felt.
“Why? Why is this shit again?! Why must I walk the path of absolute darkness?” I complained and questioned bitterly.
[Come on kid, the power you have is not YOURS, it is the power Eriel earned. You are a placeholder. I wanted and want to give you a chance, Eriel was known for going off the cuff and making it work. If you won’t, you won’t. You are a good kid but you are in the middle of other people’s lives. I’ll figure something out once this ends.]
Akathos words were slamming and bouncing inside my mind. The reality that whoever Eriel was, he was the one that was loved, cherished even if he was evil.
‘My attempt to not be so evil, dark or whatever, means nothing to you guys, in comparison.’
[Ikrei, you don’t have to evil but you MUST have the ability to be. Otherwise you cannot overcome what you have not become. The power to rise with one’s own strength, the Will loves such people.]
Akathos continued to explain but I wasn’t having it, not yet anyway.
“Where’s the liberty and freedom? Can I be free to change my mind?”
There was more complaining. A true self-pity party.
[What if tell you I can take your soul out of all this pain but you must give up all the power?]
Akathos has a knack for shaking people down to their bones.
‘What? Heck, what did you just say?’
The cave and the cup felt foreign and distant in the noiselessness space with golden light.
Three hours of convolution, thoughts, feelings and self-loathing. I wanted to cry again but couldn’t.
[See, Ikrei. You want the power but you want it in your own terms. That’s not going to happen. Again, it was never yours in the first place. If you decide to go through with it. I’ll tell you how to pass the test but the dark path will be your home.]
My spirit body moved by itself, Akathos’ doing. I held the golden cup in my left hand.
‘The irony.’
A green and red substance soon came to be within the chalice.
[It is time to decide.]
‘Why wasn’t I born as one the quasi saints of the order, like Ciel?’
‘Why must I bear the choices made by someone else?’
‘If I am Eriel, why is it so hard for me to accept this? Why?’
“What will I gain besides power if I do this, master?” I actually worded my thought.
[Those who choose this path have chosen themselves above everything, the world over heaven and enforce their own rules upon others in a form of their choosing. You have to internalize that first. Gain? The freedom to live as you may if you are strong enough. For most that’s an impossibility but for you, it is a plausible reality.]
Ikrei was dying, not totally but he was, I was.
‘Stop lying to yourself!’
Her words repeated like a drum.
“Can I be good, kind and all that, later?”
[Sure, I do that. But going down the depths is unavoidable. You can still choose to walk away from it all Ikrei. But by now, you must know you really don’t want that.]
[I’ll be joining you, we are connected but my trial will be separate from yours. One cup, two souls, two trials.]
‘What? Aren’t you a full on chaos mage?’
[Think of it as a renewing of vows. You can always get something.]
I sighed as I thought I was going to drag this man with me at least, for just a moment.
And then I thought about my father for a long, long time.
“How do I pass this trial then?”
[Endure the poisoning, do as you did in the meditation, exactly like that. Then you will receive what you need for the future.]
Master’s answer was filled with expectancy.
“But what will happen after the poisoning?”
[Only what you take with you.]
Another cryptic answer, unsurprising.
All this happened because deep down even if Ikrei, I, wasn’t fully evil, I was just as selfish as the cute little lass. Even if it was for different reasons.
And like this, the small time forest hunter joined the ranks of the motherfuckers with one hard gulp.
“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!”
That poison was no joke, no joke at all.
----------------------------------------
Freslia P.O.V.
“Thank you for receiving us at such a late hour, Viscount Dogran.”
The opulence of the clock tower office could not be missed. Having the greatest luxury in the world with a working glass magic clock behind you is nothing but striking, almost as much as how handsome the man sitting across us was, the brother of the head of the family.
The relatives of the Magician Emperor, Thyrian Bichmeyrul.
“It is of no matter; we are always working on something. I hope you enjoyed our accommodations.”
“Of course we did. Thank you for the hospitality.” I placed the seal coin of the empyrean blood on the desk of the Viscount.
Viscount Asir Dogran checked the coin carefully, he even used an artifact for a scan.
“Very well, it checks out. Now tell me what does the reincarnation of Avair Zela is doing here.” He waved his hand.
The room sealed itself. A sealed space with the power of hidden artifacts under his control.
“Viscount, I’m looking to increase my prowess to enter the ranks of the blades of Andukir or the Claimere, whichever the order finds me suitable for.”
I used my most pleasant voice.
'This is the empire.'
“We have plenty of products that can aid a smoother path, not a justification for using the Imperial coin.” An understandable correction by the Viscount.
“We want whatever deal Basgram has, great noble.” Mkros interjected just as planned.
Asir Dogran showed no reaction, a consummate politician used to the dealings and traps transpiring in the Imperial Court.
Since he wasn’t speaking nor denying, I pushed the gambit.
“I’ll let you see the sincerity in our words, Viscount. I’ll soul commune with you without any protections. You can decide if my hunger for immediate results is real and if we are worth investing in. A member of the Brienus family and a former rising star whose career was cut short. Giving you the name of my previous life incarnation was enough show of sincerity already, great noble.”
I bowed my head just a tiny bit, an intent of submission sign.
A deathly stillness of more than thirty minutes, a man weighing his options with a smile.
“Alright, if what you say is a lie, the two of you will be lost forever, never to return to Lemuria.”
He motioned for me to stand in the middle of the magnanimous office sealed space.
I did as I was told and prepared for soul communion. Mikros pretended to be excited yet worried, she stood up to watch.
In reality, she was getting ready to act as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
“ANAM KALIM DES GLAOH!”
“FALAM BRIE AITOR!”
The convergence of souls occurred but with a massive surprise for Mirror World’s Asir Dogran. He was converging with Zaraki.
Eriel’s magnificent otherworldly servant and friend.
A special being that doesn’t belong and shouldn’t be here.
“Woo!”
The great noble was rooted to the spot unmoving. Zaraki was inside of the noble playing puppet master.
“Now!” I ordered Mikros.
One breath. “ANAM KALIM DES GLAOH!” “ANAM KALIM DES GLAOH!”
With each of our hands on the head of the petrified noble we soul communed again. A three way with Zaraki as the nexus.
Mikros had to use all my reserves to search quickly for any information related to Eriel’s future disappearance and if possible, the information on more spies, deviators and plans the empire was executing.
The window of time for this, was tighter than the magic clock.
Ten breaths. The sealing in the space dissolved, the office rumbled.
“You got something, Mikros?!”
“Yeah, I do!”
“Got to go!” We forcefully cut the connection.
From my pouch I took several pills and swallowed them in a single hand motion. I needed energy.
Mikros took out the armors from her pouch and placed them in front of me, near the clock.
Using my true greatest affinity, the special alloys of the armors split into thousands of little pieces.
Needles, forcefully made needles from Runecraft armor. I sent them crashing unto the glassy clock.
“MIOHAIL!” Fully powered metal affinity with the Will.
ZIIING! ZIIING! ZIIING! ZIIING! ZIIING! ZIIING! ZIIING! ZIIING! ZIIING! ZIIING! ZIIING! ZIIING!
The magic barrier was unable to take such a hit. The magic clock of the clock tower exploded into even more pieces that were falling over the heads of the unsuspecting in the streets below.
“The tower!” “The clock!” “Magi!” Magi!” The count!”
Shouts of all kinds came from below.
“Grab him Mikros, before he stabilizes!” I gave her the final order before the escape.
BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!
The arrogance and overconfidence of the empire in full display. Viscount Dogran closed the door with a seal, thinking he was the lion when he was the prey.
The Magi outside blasting the door to enter.
With the remaining needle I made a cut in my neck. I bled, considerably.
“Zaraki, feed! Take us out of here! Don’t drop him, Mikros!”
“Woooooo!” Zaraki bit on the wound and devoured my blood. We jumped out into the open air and plunged down.
WHOOOSH!
Mikros closed her eyes, she is afraid of heights.
“Sisteeeeer!!!”
“Ha, Ha, ha, ha!”
‘I love dives, like, who doesn’t?!’
Two breaths.
Half a furlong from hitting the ground and being surrounded by the security forces, Zaraki grew in size from my blood. The incredible new wingspan allowed for a comfortable high speed glide outside of the facilities.
A closed eyed Mikros holding on to the great noble like a scarecrow and a laughing companion flew away in plain sight of everyone in the vicinity. Held by two massive legs from a creature most had never seen before.
“HELP!” What is that thing?! “Magi!” Magi!” “HELP!”
They didn’t fire because we had the noble, a scratch on his clothes would mean death for anyone in the place. Even if someone saved him, being tricked by two girls, was a step too far.
A humiliation of the Dogran name that someone always has to pay for.
The security did activate the magical barrier of the Dogran Industries to keep us in but it could not. Zaraki crossed the barrier like it was nothing. Nevertheless, the dark magi of Dogran made their pursuit once they realized what was happening.
Just like Malaktaraf has a Will infused barrier, the Empire has Falam infused barriers.
Only very special beings can cross these types of barriers, Krigsain can cross anything.
Zaraki can cross any darkness based barrier, including Falam’s.
And this is why they wanted Eriel, dark energy from Outer Darkness. The empire uses the Void of Consciousness, the blessing of Falam. And this is also why, the Andurin order values Ikrei’s life so much.
Chaos mages with a dark blessing that is not from Falam are very, very rare. Akathos being the second in our entire order, Eriel the third.
Six breaths.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
The dark magi were getting close, close enough for an encirclement.
“Zaraki! Takes us where our tail from the order is!” I shouted an order
A sharp downward turn left, we headed into the valley where the majority of the city of Katopr is located. A feast of lights, a memorable sight, with wind in my hair.
ZOOOOM! ZOOOOM! ZOOOOM!
“Drop him, Mikros!” She did as I said.
“AAAHHH!” Great noble had resentful eyes, he had just shaken off Zaraki’s influence.
A few dark magi went with him, a trio stayed in pursuit. They began firing spells.
Mikros covered us with her area type spell blessing and made the attacking spells dissipate, deflect or explode.
BOOOM! CLANG! DOOONG! BOOOM! CLANG! DOOONG!
“Sister, what happens if we die here?”
“Don’t know, forgot to ask.”
BOOOM! CLANG! DOOONG! BOOOM! CLANG! DOOONG!
‘We will see you soon brother.’
BOOOM! CLANG! DOOONG! BOOOM! CLANG! DOOONG!
An uncharacteristic and exasperated shout came from the brown raven.
“FREEEEESLIAAAAAA!”
----------------------------------------
Ikrei P.O.V.
‘What happened? Where am I?’
‘The poison wore off? Did I make it?’
SMOOCH! SMOOCH!
The unmistakable interlacing of tongues that I knew and fantasied with was transpiring.
Blessings resonating an all that. I reached out and grabbed her waist, those killer shadow reflecting curves that can drive a man mad.
I finally was able to open my eyes.
“Mm.” Yun Hee arched herself back.
Only then, did I have an idea of what was happening, albeit not how or anything else.
A tighter feel, a longer hair, all the way down to her waist and a more pronounced rounded bosom. All in all, a more mature look.
Yun Hee, an older Yun Hee, a few years’ worth of growth.
“Paramour?” Words escaped me easily.
A view that can only be achieved in dreams, lay before me, on top of me.
“Paramour?”
Yun Hee slowly, seductively slithered to my eye level as she said my words back to me.
“What’s going on?”
A thoughtful question that was largely due to my mature and revealing consort.
Her eyes were very similar to a certain phoenix belter.
“You are getting cold feet or something, Ikrei?”
“Cold feet? What?!” Everything was truly confusing.
Even more so when she placed my hands on that derriere.
“I got to hand it to you, really! Like how can you look at me with those eyes?!”
More confusion and intrigue.
“What eyes?”
“The eyes of someone that’s seeing me for the first time. How do you do it? I can tell it’s real, I can feel you. You want to go again?”
Confusion, intrigue, desire. A mess. I still nodded, whatever this dream, illusion was it was an irresistible proposition for the current me.
“Alright, but I need time. You did me good tonight, bewitching. I’ll be taking a rest in the pool, I’ll see you later, Ikrei.”
Just as before, she expertly and softly left my side. Not before letting me have an extensive feel, a dance of hands, the taste of foreplay.
“Wait! What cold feet? Why are you not addressing me as lord?”
I asked whatever came to my mind first. I wanted a taste, I needed a taste.
“She slightly turned her head and those eyes had confusion written all over them.
“You got me a new home, right? Just like I wanted, right? Right?!”
She wasn’t forceful but it was almost there, on the cliff. I had an idea of what she was talking about but I felt if I asked anything, something bad was going to happen.
“Your feelings are all over the place, Ikrei. The, I see you for the first time angle is getting bitter not sweeter, LORD.”
‘I better play the old trustworthy here, poker face!’
‘Inhale, exhale, Release.’
“You will get something better, just leave it to me!”
I concentrated in all my positive memories, stabilizing my emotional flow.
‘Strata training to the rescue!’
“Really?! Yeobo.” She smiled.
She headed for the door not before retracting her hair just enough for a full fleshy view of the complete opposite of a fly by night posterior.
‘Grrr.’
“I don’t call you lord in the chambers, Ikrei. After all the shit I’ve tolerated, I’ve earned it.”
The door closed.
“One hour!” A shout came from the other side of the door.
I could feel it, once she rested she wanted another go.
Little me was 100% ready for some deeper meaning.
I began to check the room, a new room, another one of Yun Hee’s refurbishments. I had an idea that this dream was close to four years into the future.
‘Why else would she need a new home on my dime?’
The room was luxurious and spacious. Three of the villa’s rooms made into one. Instruments, recording glyphs, tables, mirrors, craftmics and a gigantic rose shaped bed, petals on the floor and all that.
‘Her perfume permeates the air in here.’
I searched the room and found “my clothes,” the Andurian cloak with magically embroidered symbols in the fabric. A cacophony of sounds, thoughts and feelings came over me.
I dressed lightly, there was going to be no need for coverings for a while.
I decided to play around the room with the instruments, the music sheets and the artifact candles while I waited for an hour to pass.
Most of the music where rough drafts, workable ideas that require a lot of that, work. Many pages had annotations done with my own hand, my handwriting. Others had lips drawn into them.
Little consort seemed to be in good spirits, in this reality.
Eventually I headed for the door, I turned the knob but nothing happened. The door wouldn’t open.
Being in a state of need for physical intimacy, I crashed unto the door like meteor, with everything I had.
“ADOHI!”
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!
A resonance occurred, I flew back landing my own ass on the bed.
I have no words to describe what I felt or thought at that moment back then.
‘What is this? The future? A ruse?’
I tried everything.
“Yun Hee!” Hazu!” “Open up!”
Every time I trashed the room, the room reverted back to the previous state before my destructive rampage. All in a space of four breaths, every single time.
In magical terms and arcane knowledge, the number four is equal to door in certain practices and belief systems. Of course, I had no clue back then.
This was a clue left by the chalice of the dark path.
Horny little me had no idea.
Several hours later, I gave up and started to do some real introspection.
‘What I need for the future. Only what you take with you.’
“Whatever I need is here, it’s got to be! I’m still me, not Eriel!”
I looked around and scavenged like in my old days of rabbit hunting with Teng.
Three hours later I had everything I could lay my hands on the giant bed.
Sitting in a lotus position I held the magical panda toy I gifted Yun Hee.
‘Can’t hurt to listen to Strangers while I check all these stuff.’
“Well not all, the panties are just a reflexive retrieval, right Ikrei, right?”
I activated the little toy and placed it on the pedestal table to my right.
I had some clippings from newspapers with me. The headlines read as follows:
Brett Black introduces Yika Moonlight!
A new style of music is born!
An underappreciated genius, Yika Moonlight first album sales disappoint!
The novelty of fast cadence speech music tracks increases!
Dark light night! Yika’s true unveiling, a star is born!
Yika disappears from the limelight. Incomprehensible!
A parchment, a divine grade parchment, a letter. The last lines sent shockwaves through my being.
* You are hereby summoned by the court of the Queen of the Night. You have been chosen to become one with the Underworld, refusal will not be tolerated.
Demir, the Seer.
A flask an intricate, delicate flask with less than a single drop of blood. Dark energy, the kind that you feel in the stratas. The flask had runic engravings from the cultivator world, the eastern tongues.
The song that the toy was playing was not “Strangers” but a personal work of little lass.
I checked all the music tracks from her debut album and the other four that were released before her disappearance with the things on the bed. The song wasn’t among them.
It caught me, the groovy feel had my fingers snapping with the rhythm. it was about a lot of things but it was also about us!
With all the revelations I knew, I had to learn everything here in detail, just in case.
I was Ikrei, years later, I had made it, made it!
‘COOOOOOME OOOOOON!!!!’
Dal is moon in her eastern tongue, a singing blade from the Nation of the Sword, Bonguk Geom.
Forgetting time, I immersed myself completely in everything related to Yun Hee while listening to her song. The strange and catchy musical style of what would later be known as the song from the "Bard of the Underworld."
“Ye, ye ye, de ne de.”
It means yes as a word play on pronunciation. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
‘I can’t believe she actually recorded a couple of orgasms just like Ixur did, in a song. This relationship is doomed.’
I snickered strangely.
A cachinnation of the highest order, like a certain someone.
18yrs YH [https://i.imgur.com/1kyh3nq.png]
YHanime [https://i.imgur.com/hCehNTc.png]