Ikrei. P.O.V.

  “Haaaa!”

  I felt a hand over my eyebrows. Energy seeped in.

  “Breath in, breathe out.”

  An unmistakable utterance, it was Volvair.

  I opened my eyes. “What happened?”

  “Short version, long version?”

  “Let’s start with the quick one.”

  “You are recuperating right now in this room. Your part in the orgy of orgies is over.”

  I tried to move but could barely lift a finger.

  “Master?! The stone?!”

  “He is busy, those two go a long way back. You will get to use it once you can.”

  “We won?!”

  “Not exactly.” The witch of witches sat next to me on the bed I was with a serene smile.

  “Why can’t I move?” Volvair just gave me the hawk eyes. “Long version time?”

  “The experience was so intense and so traumatic that your soul has sealed it away. We gave you everything you could handle and then some. You are quite the animal, little chaos.”

  She infused even more energy with that warm smile of hers.

  “You better acknowledge the great service you have received, little one. You are indebted.”

  “Tell me some reason for all of this, give me something, great witch.”

  “There are layers to this. Class is in session little chaos. First, you have just been laid bare before the many experts of many worlds, your heart and many private things are out there. Don’t betray the dark path, let it not happen that they come for your neck. The members approve of you, you can make deals and request their help with the proper offer. A form of control from the dark ones, nothing is free. This is layer one, little chaos.”

  She waited for a signal. I let her know I understood. I wasn’t too keen on anything I’ve heard.

  “Ritualistic sex can be generally divided in several categories and for your case, we went down. Instinctive, animalistic and savage. A debasing and a strip down of your manly self. You wanted to tear us apart just as much as you wanted to impregnate us. Debauchery is a mild term for what went down, you cannot please a dark demigod with just the basics, little chaos. Extreme suffering, extreme ecstasy, the special dichotomic concoction of circumstances splits you apart, Ikrei. Great killing blades are hidden ones, they can be activated when needed, they have several personalities created within them through similar processes of imprinting.”

  I got nervous, worried and many other things. Everything that was said was a terrible proposition. Sensing my distress, Volvair spoke again.

  “We didn’t imprint anything new on you, little chaos. We just let an old monster come out and play for a bit. The one you are so afraid of. A dragon, an oracle and the soul of a very unique demonic dark elf can do incredible things. Arn was very pleased.”

  Even if I couldn’t move I was about to lose it.

  “What?!”  “I can never trust any of you, dark ones!” “What the actual fuck!!!?”

  An incredible discharge of energy entered through my nose and mouth. The legendary cosmic kiss of the great witch. I calmed down within two breaths.

  “You are still you, little chaos. Izeria chose you, I chose you. Let’s just say the meat is tender and the feast is ready. You are in almost perfect condition for the next step. This is layer two.”

  Scared out of my mind and forcefully tranqulized, the words came, “Here comes layer three?” Volvair nodded.

  “What do you think sex is? Here we use magic and a resonance effect aided by the rulers, so it is an imitation. Still, what do think it really is, the end result? How it really works?”

  ‘How would I know? I only studied under a succubus!

  Volvair’s smile appeared again.

  “When the sperm meets the egg do you think life comes from anything the man does or anything the woman does? We are both receptacles, the true wonder happens when these two meet, there is a flash of light, light! I can show you some crystalinks with the recording. The hand of the gods, little chaos. And in this way so is a woman, a flash of light. The more partners she has the dimmer the light gets, the harder it is for her to connect. Dark ones replace the need for oneness with the need for climax. Regardless, it takes a toll, no matter the method, there is a price to pay. To lose a little bit of yourself every time. You are lucky to be a man, this time around.”

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  I understood her words but wasn’t sure what her point was. I remained silent.

  “A man in contrast, when he is at his most basic vibration remembers a night of passion or the touch of a hand walking down the park. Regardless, he still needs a connection, sex for sex alone becomes stale, putrid and disgusting if there is no other meaning than release. Even rapists and child molesters need an emotion that ties the experience together. Sex in itself does little for the ego without context.”

  Volvair got close, close enough for one of those grand tongue twisters of hers.

  “With all that said, why would great women like us share in your humiliation and willingly to help you? It has been many years since Izeria and I had to do anything like this. Too long to remember. It’s like asking elder Akathos to kill an ant for you. Got an idea?”

  “Why would you do this to yourself?” A reflexive question that I needed an answer for.

  “There are many types of leaders, there are leaders that love their people. I love my people, I can’t answer for that dragon but if there is the need to fill the hands with blood, let those hands be mine. If there is a need to debase then let it be me also. A killer mother doesn’t want her children to be killers. The contradictions inside the heart of a woman.”

  Volvair’s penetrating blue eyes and her threads were softly touching my cheeks. They left me with no response. I didn’t even want to ask or say another word. The entire discourse caused a complicated introspection.

  I waited.

  “Whores they may call us but not many can touch us, count yourself lucky. If we so desired half of those fools would be dead. But because it is us, they will not touch you or touch your little flower for a few years at least. This is layer three. Are you getting it, boy?!”

  I squinted my eyes few times as a nodding signal.

  “I imprinted my seal coin into your soul, you will know when the real thing appears. Help my sisters when you see it, don’t let them abuse you. Only once per person, only five people have a coin of mine. It was fun Ikrei but you could do a lot better to please me. So, I won’t read your future. Izeria left a couple of things for you. Your little flower might hate you or love you for it, though.”

  The maze of locks left my face and Volvair stood up while laughing. I noticed where I was. A resting room of some kind with all the details and intricacies of the rooms inside the villa. It was probably another adjusted reality.

  I knew there were more layers to the game of the dark ones but I wasn’t in the mood to know.

  “The philosopher’s stone is right through that portal formation, little chaos. Don’t let me down, I’ll be watching.”

  With a twist of the hand, her crown gave its light, she became smoke and evaporated.

  I stared at the wall, a squared wall with a multicolored triangle with a circle within the triangle. A small sprinkling of lights. After gazing upon it with extreme zeal, I knew I needed all my wits about me for the stone.

  I closed my eyes and rested, I had a lot of things to ponder and prepare for.

  ‘It’s almost over.’

  Freslia P.O.V.

  Mirror World. Day of Shimer. First week of the tenth month, year 9002.

  DOOOONG BOOOM! DOOOONG! BOOOM! BOOOM! DOOOONG!

  “How long we have Fres?”

  ‘Until the training is done. Just follow miss Brienus, we need to push it.’

  The streets in the large city were unwelcoming, it was shaking non-stop. And to add insult to injury, we were surrounded by several mercenaries and fuming dark mages. We never made it to where our tail was.

  Zaraki was shut down with some kind of special beam coming from the broken clock tower. It was more than an arrow, a different type of energy bolt containing the light attribute.

  DOOOONG BOOOM! DOOOONG! BOOOM! BOOOM! DOOOONG!

  The entirety of one of the main arteries of the city was sustaining a heavy barrage of spells. The Dogran had decided to hunt us without restraint. The people’s screams rose up into the clouds and dread could be cut with a knife.

  DOOOONG BOOOM! DOOOONG! BOOOM! BOOOM! DOOOONG!

  “Zaraki!!!”

  The bird glided down at the speed of blessed fearbeasts and took out another mercenary. It became far smaller after that magic attack.

  SPURT!

  “Prisdirum!” I darted straight into a dark magus as Mikros blocked charges.

  DOOOONG BOOOM! DOOOONG! BOOOM! BOOOM! DOOOONG!

  One fully powered star steps with my eyes shining.

  WHIRT! CRACKLE!

  The ice and fire spells rebounded on my arcane shield. A single energy slash made one man become multiple layers of an unplanned blood fountain.

  “Wear your mask, sister. Zaraki!”

  Zaraki entered Mikros, her reserves were in far better shape than mine. We lost our bloodied cloaks inside our rings. We were still within a soft encirclement.

  We expected the Bilfrorst wizards to arrive but they never did.

  “Zaraki, show her the path. Get us out of here!”

  The magic bird had the overview of the entire space after a speedy flyby.

  “I feel weird Fres, Woo!”

  We dashed as fast as we could, avoiding the clog points.

  ‘You are up, dark being!’

  Ikrei P.O.V.

  I waited for a long time but Akathos never came. I was sitting in a lotus position in front of the magical entrance.

  “More wicked games.”

  I decided that I had waited long enough. I stood up and checked my soul one last time.

  I walked through the magical formation.

  URGWHOH!

  A small headache made my head throb. There was a dark room that was lit in its center. A pure white light with a cone form descended upon a very thin yet intricate altar that was closer to a stand in size.

  The philosopher’s stone was there, giving its light. A multicolored piece of glassy rock that constantly switched colours. A grand rainbow. The power emanating from it was overwhelming, the entire space was permeated by it.

  “I can almost touch it, incredible!”

  I walked under the light, there was no way to tell where the light covering the altar originated. I concentrated and prepared everything I had learned in all my years in the stratas.

  ‘One shot, one breath. Pour everything you are and your heart’s true desire into it.’

  My left hand touched the stone and a flood of information poured out of me and into the mythical godly artifact. The stone returned the favor, a current, a river of information flowed into me.

  One breath.

  “Ikrei must live! Ikrei must live!”

  URGWHOH!