After an entire night of elaborate planning, I ended up falling asleep with nothing to show for it except Rhun babbling more nonsense into my head.

The following morning the group once again set off. It seemed like today there was an actual plan in place. They somehow received a message to meet with a contact from some other group. I couldn’t exactly piece it all together, but it seems like they are rushing to hike further southwest to meet this person.

It must be important if it can even put a hustle into Rhun’s step. Pity, they probably won’t make it there.

Not that I have some fantastic plan all the sudden. I just refuse to see Rhun succeed ever again.

The group wasted some time arguing over weather to take the roads or to stay in the forest, but overall they kept up a fairly rapid pace. I thought Rhun would be the rational voice of the group but he was on the side of using the road to cut down their travel time. If these people are criminals, as I assume, then wouldn’t a heavily trafficked road be one of the most dangerous places for them?

Rhun’s friends seem to share my opinion too, but once challenged, the young leader refused to back down on his belief. Perhaps its typical at that age? Wait, he might be older than me. Why am I talking like adolescence is some ancient memory?

Hearing an unnatural whistle from outside, my wandering mind returns to projecting my targets. Just as expected.

“Wha’d’we do?” The bulkier man, who seemed particularly broken up about Rhun’s friendly fire, asks with widening eyes bobbing between the heavily guarded caravan and Rhun.

“What?” Rhun asks with the same dumbfounded expression he used on me days earlier. “Now we get to have fun!”

Without missing a beat, Rhun rips two bottles from his coat pockets and lobs them towards the center of the carriage line approaching them.

A guard, who was already eyeing the group quickly leaps up, extending his shield to intercept one of the bottles. Unfortunately, the second made it past and shattered in the center of a loaded wagon. And of course, the first bottle, which shattered on the man’s shield also ignited, spreading instantly to the line of guards beside the vigilant man.

With the instantaneous chaos ensuing many of the guards around the long caravan would obviously have no idea what is happening. I see archers drawing their bows at empty treetops searching for the enemy sniper or mage. And all the while, the only ones in any position to stop the three, are either burning to death or exchanging blows with the surprisingly competent swordsmen Rhun travels with.

With Rhun pulling a handful more items from his pockets, including what look like shards of a magic gem, the team regrouped and, on the que of Rhun throwing his finale, they all dash for the opposite side of the road.

I can’t deny that the explosion was spectacular. But I mean it with no respect, it’s just the textbook definition.

It seems my theory was correct, they were indeed gem fragments, I recognized the explosion. He must have been carrying unstable fragments this whole time, unless he has enough control to charge a handful that quickly, but I doubt it. The fragments explosion is simple to explain but it can only truly be grasped first hand.

When a gem or a fragment of a gem reaches a certain age, or is overcharged to a level of rendering it unstable, it attempts to hold onto its structure by splitting and releasing a lot of energy, however if those two fragments are still overcharged, well you can see where I am going with this. A domino effect of explosions that vaporize anything within range.

This explosion wasn’t as big as mine, but then again how often does one come across a magic gem the size of a strawberry like the one I used. It was probably worth more than a small country, before it exploded. Before I destroyed it.

I do have a bit of a problem about moving too quick. Looking around I can see a few other gems that would have surely done the job. I’m also fairly sure I have a jar full of poison that would probably have a fairly good spread rate. A few drops into the ground when they were sleeping would have them dead before they wake up.

But then again who knows what else would have been contaminated, perhaps the bag itself even.

And I thought I was cursed before.

Why am I thinking about the past?

Maybe it’s a masked way of planning for these upcoming festivities?

No. I won’t glamorize it like Rhun would. What I am going to do isn’t good, its simply something that must be done. Picking a weed that should have been uprooted from the start.

So I’m god now? Decider of life and death?

Maybe right now. Maybe in just this situation. If I’m wrong, something will stop me, and I will return to the silent observer. I’ll watch Rhun die of old age if I must.

What? Maybe asking for a sign is too cliché?

Then, shall we ask a crystal ball? How’s that for cliché?

Unsure of why exactly I am angry I slam a hand against the heart, this time with nothing stopping me.

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The pain I had forgotten about was nostalgic and instantaneous. The voices, familiar and unfamiliar alike echo thousands of separate thoughts, drowning each other out while creating a foundation for the baritone to again solo.

“You survived...” The growl reverberated through my body causing a shiver I thought might shatter my bones.

It knows I am here.

I can almost see it staring at me. I don’t even need to ask what it is. I’ve felt this presence before. Twice now.

I think things make more, and less, sense now. Did the king even know about this thing’s connection to him?

Almost responding to my thoughts, a laugh again rumbles through my body. “You humans think too much and fear too little. I suppose you would say it makes you strong? But I think the opposite.”

Why would I fear you anymore? You’ve already taken the world from me a dozen times. If anything I regret not dying to you from the start.

Destroy it again, then see if I feel anything.

“Liar.” The demon kings voice hisses into my head, gripping at the mana in my body and ripping it towards him through the heart. “Good, I like this anger, I hadn’t expected a human’s mana to ever feel this cold. Unfortunately, it won’t work.”

Angry. Yes, I am angry. Anything I touch dies, and now while being sustained by this…

Rhun, it’s his fault. It’s his mana infecting me. Have my thoughts even been my own? As my mana continues pouring into the stone I feel my consciousness fading as usual.

“Not yet.” The demonic voice again calls as my fingers begin to slip from the surface. “You aren’t finished.”

So he will bleed me of everything then?

What?

The heat that once pierced my fingertips from the glittering stone now felt almost cool and responsive, like a hand entangling mine as I rested further against it. An unmistakable touch, and then it was gone.

“Lotil…” I mutter, lacking the energy to restrain my thoughts from spilling out.

“So a familiar mana exists. Then take it.” The demon’s howl rings out with a grin as it forces the tender leftover mana deep through my bones and nerves. “You’ll need every bit you can take.”

“Is this really Lotil’s?” I hesitantly ask as the vitality begins to drip back into my body. I’m even more hesitant to ask why he is helping me, or seemingly helping me.

“Side effect of the scripture in the gem. Their mana pulses were happily accepted by the soul-gem the moment their pulses rang out. You should be glad on both sakes”

Every soul in the capital is inside the heart stone? And he called it a ‘side effect’? “So was that some sort of sacrifice, or something? If so, then now that this soul-gem is in here, that can’t have been good for your plan.”

A low laugh rocked through my body as the mana continued to cascade from the gem into me. “You misunderstand quite a few things, although you are partially correct on two points.”

“Your misunderstanding seems to stem from one missed point. The demon king that destroyed your home was not the same as I. I have been imprisoned in this gem for much longer than even you can comprehend, how could I participate in destroying your home?”

“What?” I can’t help but query in shock. Then there are more than one demon king?

“No, it would be better to say I am no longer he. Those brat twins thought sealing my mana source here would hinder my power, and to a certain extent it did. But in the long run, it did little more than force my body to hone its skills in other ways. And inevitably after so long it even eventually found new ways to channel mana so their efforts were nearly in vain. As proof of that he laid waste to the kingdom that sat on the grounds where he was once sealed. He probably had no idea that his soul still remained there.”

“None of this was in the children’s book.” I mutter with a glance towards the item I received from the Fel demon.

“By now my body will have realized, so you ought to too. The sword alone isn’t strong enough to completely destroy him even in this semi-weakened state. However if the stars aligned and all three relics were to find their way into the same hands then he would be powerless to resist his demise.”

The words he says are shocking and alarming but none struck me more than his first statement. It was said with such casual confidence but it goes against everything I know. “The sword isn’t enough?!”

“Pay attention damnit! I’m trying to explain it. Stop interjecting every damn minute.”

“I’m sorry.” I awkwardly apologize as a fifth source of distinctly different mana begins piping into my palm. I still haven’t asked about that, but I suppose he would just become angrier if I did.

“Fool, who hasn’t even realized that his pieces are towering over the horizon.” The demon mutters in disdain before continuing with a painfully powerful surge of mana. “I’m not planning on killing you by mana intoxication by the way. This is something that will be needed in time to come, and even it might just barely be enough.”

I hadn’t even thought of that possibility. A genuine shiver traveled down my spine for the first time since standing in that tunnel to hell. He has a terrifying level of control over me at this moment, but I am too curious about his words and actions to remove my hand. Assuming I still even could remove it.

“Those twins whether they knew it or not, set in place an opportunity. With the three gifts they and their ancestors left behind, they had created a chance for both your kind, and the demon king. Their intelligence is lauded by demons but in reality their plan had a flaw, and that flaw was caused by their own actions. In chaining part of me into this soul-gem they gave me the opportunity to return even if the sword is used. They basically gave me another life should I ever require.”

“Why are you telling me this then? This seems like the most important thing to keep s…”

“I’ve told you, he and I are different beings now. We have continued to mature, separately. While trapped in this gem I have been fed nothing but weak human mana for that past ten thousand years. How, after all that time, could I not change in one or two ways? Use your brain, fool. Why else would I be willing to impart such an important thing to such a lowly creature?”

This mana he’s giving me is that important to him?

“Not the mana, fool! This! Learn it well, this culmination of my knowledge, lest it be wasted on you!”

The sensation coming from my palm changed from one of cool energy to the feeling of vision, but my eyes have been long shut.

“You clearly lack a true understand of even the basic of perception, it’s a wonder you were able to perform projections at all.” The soul huffs as he continues feeding visual representation of mana manipulation through the palm of my hand. “Your mana is filled to it’s peak, all that’s left is for you to perfect this technique. Only once you can set foot amongst your kind once again will this all be finally finished.”

His words would have awestruck me once more if I weren’t completely caught up in the things he was showing me. I can return to the real world?

Am I not trapped?

As if sensing that I wasn’t reacting in any way the old demon adds a final piece to finally convince me to cast off any doubts, for better or worse.

“Currently the hero’s army is gathering to again push the frontline further. But they’re not aware that a grand number of humanoids have woken up for the event. You aren’t the only one capable of projection.”

“T…”

“Focus.” The demon reminds me as if taunting on purpose. “What good will me telling you ‘where’ do if you can’t even escape this place yet.”

The hero exists.

The hero actually exists.

“Focus!”