(Fey’s point of view)

“What do you think they did here?” I asked the wolf.

She answered with a low growl.

“Relax, there’s no one here. After seeing those cells… all the claw marks on the walls…”

The wolf whimpered and nudged me with her snout.

The place was definitely unpleasant. After we got past what seemed like an ordinary entry way and lobby, we came into some kind of medical lab. That was where things started to get strange.

In the main room, there was an oversized examination table. It was large enough to accommodate a beast of the wolf’s size and was equipped with reinforced leather straps. Chains served as an additional layer of restraint. Some were left dangling from the ceiling, others were hooked alongside the leather straps. Along the side wall of the room, there were three platforms with broken glass all around them. At one point, the glass probably connected to similar structures that hung from the ceiling.

Flashbacks of X’s memory overlapped almost perfectly with the room. There were obvious differences, however I couldn’t help thinking that this was a similar facility.

Beyond the medical room is where we found the cells.

Row after row of empty cell lined hallways lead to the room ahead of us.

As soon as we opened the door, the stench of rotting flesh clawed into my nostrils. As if to force back the acrid stink, bile bubbled up from my stomach, spewing on the door frame and wall.

The wolf winced at the smell, but that was all. While I was still trying to recover, she pushed the door all the way open.

An emaciated corpse hung limp from chains around its wrists. I couldn’t say exactly how long the body had been there, but it was black like char. Cracked skin still remained, thinly stretched and peeling from its darkened bones. A brownish liquid goop covered the floor around its feet. Red hair, like rusty wires, lay stuck in the mess and in sparse piles around the room.

Are those…?

As I was shutting the door l noticed two bone-like stumps erupting from the corpse's head.

“Was this a beastman?” I asked, not expecting an answer.

“No, he was a fairy… but why would one be chained up here?” X answered.

The wolf’s ears twitched, then she started pushing me back toward the exit with haste.

“Is something wrong?”

She yipped in response as I began walking on my own and kept nudging me to say go faster.

I soon realized why.

When we got back to the lobby, there were two men waiting for us. They were both clad in black robes with hoods, their faces covered by carved masks with glowing purple runes. Their masks resembling beasts were striking, though not as intimidating as the reaper I’d encountered before.

The man on the left wore a grizzle claw mask, the other was some kind of cat.

When they saw us, the man on the left spoke. “Who are you?”

“What are you doing here?” The other demanded.

They were clearly caught off guard by our presence. I considered casting ignite, however I was sure they’d easily counter the spell.

Talking my way out would certainly have been the better option, but before I could answer, the wolf stepped in front of me growling at the men.

The spirit reapers exchanged a glance, then the one on the left stepped forward.

“Settle your beast and come with us.” He said.

“And if I refuse?” I asked.

“Then we’ll have to use force.” The other replied. He turned up his palm and a saber of ice materialized in his hand.

The wolf lunged at the mage, who swiftly dodged to the side. He swung the ice saber, catching her flank as she slid by.

The beast yelped and twisted around, swinging her claws at the man’s head.

The other reaper, the one in the cat mask, scratched at the air in front of him.

By instinct, I dodge rolled right. Behind me, four wind blades ripped past, leaving deep gashes in the floor.

I could sense more already heading towards me, but I wasn’t about to dance into his trap. Unlike my training bouts with Emilia, I had magic now.

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“Dragon’s roar!” I yelled as a red-orange inferno bellowed forth, consuming the wind blades, and hopefully the reaper along with them.

These guys are nothing… no wonder they rely on underhanded tactics!

Another yelp from the wolf caught my attention. She was bleeding badly from a cut running the length of her side.

The man in the grizzle claw mask molded his ice saber into a lance, then hurled it at the wounded wolf.

She tried to dodge, but she was too slow and the weapon buried its point in her shoulder.

With a yelp that sounded much more like a scream, the wolf’s form vanished. Mai fell to the floor with a pained grunt.

With a rasping laugh, he gloated, “To think it was a child all along. You have no idea the power of the relics you use.”

“Shouldn’t your eyes be here?” The other reaper hissed.

I turned in time to see him leaping toward me with a battleaxe. The weapon was unlike any I’d ever seen before. The black handle was ordinary enough, however the amethyst colored blade seemed to vibrate with a violent energy. I would’ve compared it to the weapons formed with a CAD, but it seemed clear that the concentration of energy was substantially higher.

I jumped back and willed a blade of energy to appear between us, blocking his slash.

His weapon cleaved through mine, confirming my worst fear. The axe was something I couldn’t block.

Having caught no resistance, the man was temporarily off balance. I seized on the opportunity to kick him away. Then I ran to Mai’s side.

The other reaper was kneeling down, reaching to pick up Mai, but I cast “Ignite” on his hands.

With a pained growl, he jumped up and pressed his hands into his stomach. I scooped up Mai as I was running.

“What the fuck! Why haven’t you dealt with this kid already?” He shouted at the man in the cat mask.

“Fey,” X called.

“He has power like that of the architects! Don’t let them escape.”

“Fey, you need to listen to me! I can get you to safety, but you have to surrender… let me take control of your body.”

Hell no! You’ve been plotting to take over since you were put inside me, why would I trust you?

“Because right now, you don’t have a choice. You aren’t ready to fight even one of these guys alone, but you’re fighting two and if they get serious…”

X didn’t have to finish. Two loud thuds and rumbling told me something big was behind me. Then, a huge shadow passed over me and with another big boom, a Grizzle claw landed in front of me.

By its size, I knew this wasn’t an ordinary beast. A panther-like beast hurried from the research building, stopping behind me.

The smaller beast spoke, saying, “Come with us. If we fight in this form we might accidentally kill you.”

I bit my lip hard. There was definitely no way I could handle these two, especially not while protecting Mai. Trusting Xander wasn’t a sure bet either, he might just abandon Mai and run away.

Without having a spirit relic of my own, I couldn’t think of a way I’d be able to break free of these guys. So the only option was to give in and let X try. If he failed, the outcome was the same. If he succeeded and tried to run off to his Legacy or whatever, I’d have to worry about that—then.

Do it. I said to X and closed my eyes.

I wasn’t exactly sure how this was supposed to work, but a moment later, I was floating behind my body. Well, not really floating since I didn’t have a body or form of my own, but I saw the world as if I was watching a holofilm.

I could look in any direction regardless of where my physical body was looking, but I couldn’t move forward, backward, up or down on my own. It was like my vantage point was locked in a specific place a few feet above and behind my physical body.

This must be how X sees everything…

My body began levitating. Silver liquid splashed into an invisible orb above my head, filling it as if being poured into an invisible sphere in the air. Then two energy blades, more pure than the battleaxe used by the reaper, appeared, hovering behind me like wings.

“He really is an architect,'' said the giant grizzle claw, “I thought they were all dead.”

“I did too, but this could be our key into the legacy! We can’t let him go.”

Without opening my mouth, X spoke. “If you know of the legacy, then it’s me who can’t let you go.” His voice was calm and smooth, but it felt as awful as when I’d experienced Sadie’s magic and I didn’t even have a form now.

The two spirit reapers squinted and twisted their heads as if trying to cover their ears when he spoke. Even if they had succeeded, the pain was mental, so it wouldn’t have helped.

The liquid above my head finally filled the orb, then it broke open and fell over my body. As it fell, the silver fluid clung to my form like a new layer of skin, only it covered everything including my hair. X was still carrying Mai, but somehow none of the fluid got on her and not a single drop hit the ground; Although, there was extra fluid that spun in small drops, orbiting me like a belt of stars.

Where my eyes should’ve been there were two rectangles, glowing with an electric blue light. They blinked twice before X burst into action.

We practically teleported next to the grizzle claw. With a kick X sent the beast tumbling into the research building. The impact caused part of the metal structure to crumple on itself, but the beast recovered quickly.

With a mighty roar he summoned a gale that shook the trees, though it couldn’t disturb the liquid or glowing blades hovering around me.

X allowed the breeze to carry him a bit, effectively bating the panther into a reckless attack.

The beast charged, leaping at us with its claws outstretched. The little orbs of silver liquid congealed together, forming a flat plate that slammed into the black cat’s side, knocking it to the ground. The plate then separated back into orbs which swiftly resumed their orbit.

“You fools think you can challenge an architect with only this level of power?” Xander’s grating voice felt like shards of glass rattling around in my mind.

He was clearly enjoying himself, but something wasn’t right. I was feeling pain in every part of my nonexistent body.

Is this what my actual body is feeling? But I haven’t been hit yet? “X, what’s going on?”