« Rise from thy slumber.»

A deep voice echoed inside my mind, calling for me - waking me from my slumber. Slowly life breathed into my tired limbs. My body followed the voice's order. As I gained consciousness, my head was pounding sharp and heavy. I didn't want to wake up, but it was as if my body wasn't mine to command.

« Thou wilt be mine »

I only belong to myself and myself only! I couldn't think clearly. I felt like my head could burst any second. My agony was like a veil that clouded my senses. And yet a thought made its way through the fog of pain; I want to live! I swallowed the pain, and more thoughts went through my mind. Who did that voice belong to? Where am I? What happened? That isn't important as of now. Focus! I am on my last legs. My eyes were still closed, and I hadn't moved yet. The only thing moving, or better said, fighting was my very soul. Something was trying to take over my body. It was gnawing on my sanity, consuming my existence.

« Hearken my words; I will plunge this world into chaos, and thou wilt assists me. Submit to my cause, and thy pain will end »

I didn't ask for any of this. Assisting you?! Even if this world is against me, I don't care. No amount of pain would make me submit to you! I am nobodies plaything. But my body thinks otherwise. As of now, I wasn't the one in control, but my enemy wasn't either. My body resided in a state of emptiness, indecisive about who to obey. As bad as it sounds, that means I didn't lose - yet. I can still take back what's rightfully mine! So I refused to be ordered around by that voice and put every effort into resisting it. It seems it noticed my resistance as the voice echoed in my mind once more.

« Thou canst try to resist, but eventually thy efforts are meaningless. For I will always triumph over thee »

The voice sounded aggressive, irritated that I wouldn't just let go. But I won't let it steal my body without putting up a fight! My legs both have gone numb, compromised by the enemy. It felt like a foreign object cut through my body, separating it from my consciousness. It was slowly making its way from the bottom to the top. On the way, more of my body turned numb. I tried to devour the foreign entity in my system before they cut me completely off from my body, so I concentrated and gave it my all. The advance slowed down, but I was still losing ground. If I continued like this, it was only a matter of time until my whole body would get taken over.

« Thou art too weak. There is nought thou canst do to escape my grasp »

I was scared, but who wouldn't be. Most of all, I was angry and full of rage. I would have screamed if I could, but I had to be content with screaming internally for apparent reasons. What did I ever do to you, creepy voice? Can't you find another victim? As expected, I didn't get an answer. Even if it could read my thoughts, it has no reason to answer me. It keeps looking down on me, and I hate when people do that.

The invasion had reached my waist continuing its conquest without a halt. My anger grew, and alongside it, my resolve to win this fight at all cost. I won't let it end like this. I put all my strength and willpower into one last counteroffensive to push my enemy back. The invasion slowed down significantly, while my efforts to stop it consumed a lot of stamina. I needed to end this quickly, or my energy would be depleted soon. Pushing for my limits, I managed to recover a small portion of my body, but I couldn't keep moving for long.

« Thou hast more strength than I thought; this could get interesting »

My counteroffensive draws to an end, and I was busy barely holding the line. How can it be that strong? I felt like it was just playing with me. A frontline was established slightly over my waist, giving me some time to breathe.

« Is that all thou canst offer? At least thou canst be proud of lasting so long. I am beginning to get bored. Let us end this quickly »

The voice was holding back the entire time?! I knew it was only playing with me, but the pace at which it runs now was insane. I couldn't do anything against the bursting strength that thrusted through my body without mercy. It reached my throat in mere seconds. I am done for. In the end, I couldn't achieve anything. My resistance was genuinely pointless, as he said. It reached my head - the end is near. Most of my body already went completely numb. I was waiting for this headache to end.

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My memories began to fade as the voice devoured my soul. They were running past me for one last time. Seeing the ones I loved one last time. The pictures filled me with joy and anguish alike. I saw my mother scolding me for running away with my best friend. We always went on adventures together. We played heroes and villains, plunging the world into chaos or freeing it from all evil. Sometimes we forgot about time and wandered far off from our home. My mother hated it. If she could have, she would have chained me in our lair for eternity. Instead, she was always worried and protective. When my friend and I returned, I would hide behind her escaping my mothers' fearsome gaze.

With the last image had passed, all my memories sank into nothingness. My mind was left blank. Suddenly a monotone voice different from the first broke the silence.

⮘ Requirements reached. Skill ⟪ Lesser Spirit Ward ⟫ attained. ⮚

‹ You won't fall to the chaos here - I won't let you! ›

Another voice. This time female in tone and soft. I felt irritated confused, but primarily I was tired of all this. I wanted it to end. I know when I lost a fight. I am not a sore loser. The female voice spoke again, but this time it sounded far away.

‹ Don't you dare lose heart. Not after all my efforts! ›

Why won't she accept my defeat? I was too weak and lost. Taking it further would be futile, and I didn't have the strength anymore.

‹ Let me help you. I'll lend you my strength, but that won't matter if you can't pull yourself together! I can fend them off, but you need to learn to defend yourself from him to survive. Give it all you've got! ›

Fend them off? Who's them? Is she talking about the voice? It's not that it matters, but what if there is still hope. Even if there is still hope, what can I do about my situation? I was separated from my body. My consciousness was confined to a deep dark corner inside my mind.

⮘ WARNING - NEXUS BREACHED - MAGIC WARD FAIL... New Skill ⟪ Soul Frenzy ⟫ constructed - NEXUS SECURED ⮚

Breach? A new skill? I am at a loss. So much is happening at once. I feel like a hatchling breathing their first breath, taking in all of their surroundings. But a newborn hatchling doesn't have to worry about dying. They have their parents to keep them safe.

⮘ Requirements reached. Skill ⟪ Soul Frenzy ⟫ attained. ⮚

Another skill? Wait, that's the new skill I heard about just before. And what's with the name. I can't tell what its use is, but it sounds dangerous. How did I even get this skill? Did the female voice from earlier gift it to me? I shouldn't bother about that for now. I am on the brink of extinction. Worrying about such mundane things will not get me out of this mess. I have a feeling this new skill will prove helpful. I forgot about my despair for a moment and clung to this new glimmer of hope called; ⟪ Soul Frenzy ⟫.

Now to find out if this skill was even worth my sudden outburst of hope. I went through my skills in my mind and focused on ⟪ Soul Frenzy ⟫. I analysed the skill full of excitement, hoping it would help me escape my misery.

⟪ Soul Frenzy ⟫ ≫ Overdrives all mental and magical capabilities for a short amount of time. A state of frenzy is sustained by converting life essence and experience into energy. May corrupt soul and body.

That sounds awesome and awful at the same time. It is only fair that such a powerful ability would have its downsides, like losing experience and life essence, but corrupting my soul? That sounds way worse than all my expectations. I can live with losing a few levels or years of my life, but soul corruption. My soul is what makes me me. It defines who I am... corrupting my soul, wouldn't that change me? Wouldn't that turn me into someone else or even kill me. So many variables, but what else is left for me? I have little choice. Instead, this is my only chance. I braced myself for the worst and gritted my teeth.

I will regret this... here goes nothing! ⟪ Soul Frenzy ⟫ Guuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Mere moments after activating ⟪ Soul Frenzy ⟫, a scorching heat struck me. I could feel the warmth rush from my core throughout my entire body in a few breaths. I screamed my head off, thinking about all the pain... But, wait, it wasn't painful at all?! To put it into words, I was overwhelmed with an insane amount of mana. My magic circuits were bursting by the amount of energy, yet I didn't feel pain.

« Thou hast still that much strength slumbering inside thee? Madness! »

The pulsating magic freed my numb limbs from their slavery little by little. Finally, the victory was within grasp. But I haven't won yet. Stay focused, I said to myself. It is way too early to celebrate my triumph. Time passed, and my veins were drenched with mana. Before I knew it, my body was mine to command again, and with that, I gained victory.

« Thou hast won the battle, but the war isn't over yet. Thou seemest stronger than I thought, but that doth not change anything. I will triumph over thee in the end! »

Did I win? I mean, Hurray! I didn't lose hope at all. And I definitely knew from the start that I would be victorious! But, jokes aside, that took a load off my mind. I was so close to defeat, and yet I survived. At least for now. The voice doesn't sound like it would admit defeat this easily. I am sure we will meet again, but I will be prepared. I was surprised by the sudden attack on my soul. As it is unusual for one to attack the soul directly. This is the first time someone tried to come for my soul. I want to believe it is due to my unprepared state that I was overwhelmed, but it isn't that easy. My opponent was simply way more powerful than I. Even so, I will do whatever it takes to beat this thief. Come hell or high water, I will not fall by their hand.

⟪ Soul Frenzy ⟫ was slowly wearing off, and I began to feel more and more exhausted. But as I cheered up, a new opponent showed itself. I knew him from the start. As I tried to open my eyes, he made his appearance, and his name was... fatigue. An opponent to whom I lost before I could put up a fight. My eyes went black, and I fell into a deep slumber. Not even the mightiest of monsters could wake me from my sleep now, as my soul and body recovered from the battle.

⮘ Requirements reached. Skill ⟪ Lesser Spirit Ward ⟫ advanced to level 2. ⮚