As the voice in my head spoke, Common runes flashed across my vision just like when the System communicated with me. Unlike this new voice, however, the System communicated in my native language of English.
Confusion and fear filled my mind. The emotions did not originate from me, so I knew that these negative emotions came from the voice. Not only did we share a mind, but we also shared emotions. The voice must have been the source of those flashes of emotion I had been experiencing that day.
Where am I? Are we still in Sableton? Who are you?
The voice could not read my thoughts, that much was clear. Even as I considered my own situation, my thoughts were not shared with the source of the voice, and I did not receive any of its thoughts. That was definitely for the best. The one thing I valued above all other things was the privacy of my own mind. If I had to share my thoughts with another, that would certainly be unacceptable.
The same force from earlier once again tried to take control of my body, but I was ready that time. My body did not move at all as ethereal, clawing hands scraped against my consciousness. Yep, the attempted possession was coming from inside my mind rather than outside. In the coming years, I learned that this actually made possession easier to resist. I knew the source of the psychic attack, so I just had to put up a defense between me and the source of the voice.
Answer me, damn you!
For a bare instant, the force trying to worm its way into my mind increased before disappearing entirely. I could tell that this burst of force exhausted the source of the voice, and I would not be in danger of any further possession attempts in the near future.
Rage filled my mind. This surge of emotion was far stronger than any other I had felt previously. This was the anger of someone who had much experience with the emotion. Though I could easily resist the more obvious attempts to wrench control of my body away from me, I could not prevent the rage from affecting me. My lips curled into a snarl, and a roiling heat filled my chest. The fire burning eternally within my body surged as it was fed by that bone-deep anger.
Return my body to me, demon!
Just then, all the pieces fell into place. The original inhabitant of this body was a powerful Archmage, and time magic was not unheard of in the world of Ferrum. In fact, the game's respawn system was often justified with in-universe time loops. Just like I had done when I responded to the voice the first time, I formulated a message in my mind and sent it to the other entity in my mind.
It all makes sense, now. You're him, Count Thale Feldrast.
A brief feeling of annoyance and surprise made it clear to me that I was correct. Instead of responding to my statement, Count Thale Feldrast continued to shout, and the rage suffusing my body became greater.
Begone from my mind!
As the rage within me reached a fever pitch, three loud cracks rang out behind me in quick succession. Miriam and I turned toward the source of the sound to find that three of the brass braziers atop the Hellfire lamps had exploded. In their place were three large Hellfire motes that had each expanded to about a meter in diameter.
Though I only acted unconsciously, my Talent was resonating with the nearby sparks of Hellfire. Certain emotions increased certain Talents, and rage greatly increased the power of the Hellfire Talent.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Miriam screamed, and I threw my hands in front of my face to protect myself from flying brass shards.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Miriam pleaded, afraid that she had somehow angered me.
Stop it, Thale! You're going to hurt her! Didn't you do enough of that in your old life!?
The rage completely disappeared from my body and was replaced with a muted feeling of regret. With my emotional state suddenly calmed, the Hellfire motes instantly returned to their normal size.
You're right. I killed her.
The voice was suddenly much weaker. Most of the emotion in the voice was gone, and its volume had decreased significantly.
I'll probably just...
I couldn't make out the rest of the sentence because the voice had faded so much that I could no longer hear it. The voice had returned to its long slumber; the same that it had been in for the past ten years.
Turning back to Miriam, I noticed that tears were falling down her cheeks. I grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a hug as I extinguished the three naked flames floating in the air. It would be easier to rebuild the Hellfire lamps without a mote present.
"It's okay," I said to console her. "I'm not angry. I just lost control of my Talent for a second."
Sitting on that park bench, I held Miriam until she stopped crying. All the while, she did not know that her murderer resided within my mind.
----------------------------------------
That night, I was approached by Melissa. She told me that Armond wanted to talk to me in his study. Preparing myself for whatever punishment Armond might have for me, I stepped into the home office of the Count of Northwind.
The walls of the study were covered with bookshelves, large glass windows, maps, Hellfire braziers, and economic diagrams. Near the floor of the study were various locked chests and a single fireplace. In the center of the room was a single large table. Three chairs had been placed next to the table, and large piles of parchment sat atop it.
The top of the table also held envelopes, a lit candle, an inkwell, a fountain pen, and a signet ring of House Feldrast. Some of the envelopes were sealed, and they bore the salamander crest of our house. Armond must have been engaged in official business before he called me in.
Armond somehow managed to look exactly like the adult Thale Feldrast while also looking completely different. Despite his pale skin, Armond looked healthy. He had an athletic build, and his clothing was tailor-made to not impede his movements. His black hair hung down to just below his shoulders, affording him a somewhat wild look that did not detract from his noble features. Despite his regal bearing and expensive clothing, Count Armond Feldrast looked like he could just as easily be a middle-weight boxer. There was a strength and vigor to the man that the adult Thale Feldrast completely lacked.
I hadn’t noticed it before, but Armond wore a single red earring on his right earlobe. Gems were frequently enchanted with magic in [Ferrum Online], so I wondered if the garnet in Armond’s earring had some kind of magic effect.
“Come in, Thale,” Armond said. “Have a seat.”
As my father instructed, I sat down on the chair opposite Armond's own. This was the chair that visiting diplomats and minor nobles would sit upon when meeting with Armond.
"I hear that you destroyed three Hellfire lamps. Is that true?" Armond asked, putting strong emphasis on the number of lamps destroyed.
"Yes," I said, looking down at the floor. "I lost control of my Talent for a second. I told one of the guards as soon as possible."
Armond chuckled quietly and ruffled my hair with one hand. "Trust me, I've lost control of Hellfire many times before. I just wish you would have come to me with this immediately. Everyone in town knows what happened by now."
"Sorry," I said quietly, annoyed that I was being treated like a kid.
"Solana's blown out Hellfire lamps before, but only one or two at a time," Armond said. "What I'm really interested in is the number of lamps you blew out. Can you really affect three Hellfire sparks simultaneously?" By the time Armond had finished his sentence, a wide smile had formed on his face.
"Yes?" I said, my confusion turning the simple statement into a question. To provide evidence, I snapped my fingers, and three motes of Hellfire appeared floating above my head in a triangle pattern. A moment later, the small sparks transformed into three rings.
"Wow," Armond said, pride obvious in his voice. "I didn't have this much control of Hellfire until I was well into my twenties. What else can you do?"