Published at 15th of April 2026 12:10 am

Chapter 141. And into the fire

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Thats no I exploded into motion mid-sentence, stopping my stealthy mana manipulation and hurried completion of the spell, fighting against my tiredness.

As I attacked, the mans hands rose to draw a rune in the air. Before I dematerialized from where I stood, I noticed his twin also moving his hands. Their gestures were strange, the runic patterns incorrect by themselves, but together they completed one another, melding into one whole.

Blink.

The strategy was the same as for the duel. The spell brought me right in front of the man who spoke. I expected surprisea flinch, a pausebut he just continued casting as if nothing had happened. In the same movement, I pointed my hand at his forehead, bringing it close so any shield would need to adjust to appear between my fingers and his skin, and released the second spell.

Pierce.

A missile spell cast with second-circle mana, adjusted into a thin, see-through needle, maximized for penetration. No shield appeared, no armor to block the attack. My spell hit the mans forehead and went in without issue, lodging itself between his eyes.

It worked.

The man I killed stood between his twin and me, blocking any retaliatory attack. Now, just fling myself away with Force Control from the staff

I took a step back, activating the spell, just to notice the other man had fallen to the floor with a hole in his forehead while the one in front of mewho had taken the attackwas still standing, calmly finishing his casting without even a twitch.

How? was all I managed to think as Force Control activated alongside the opponents attack.

I didnt recognize the spell, as magic in the air coagulated into two massive scythes. I flung myself back, but the attack was faster, bordering on the third circle. Or rather attacks, as I realized it was a dual cast of two identical spells.

It would lop my head clean off.

In the split second, all I managed was to bend backward, trying to get my throat out of the blades path, sacrificing my ribs in the process. The attack landed while I was still mid-air. It was exceptionally well placed, using a similar strategy of materializing too close to the skin to be blocked by instant shielding.

My thoughts were too slow.

I felt the upper scythe almost bite into the thin skin of my throat. If it were to sever the artery, Id be a dead man. I felt the armor spell give way as the second blade cut. It tore into my side, changing my trajectory. The blades entered and exited my flesh, flinging me into the wall in the process, right next to the entrance into the back room.

I willed the staff to activate a Shield by instinct. Then pain in my side assaulted my senses, while my right arm hung limplymuscles likely severed. Thankfully, my hand seemed to have saved my flank as the edge bit into the rib bone but stopped there. My throat was a problem too. Judging by the pressurized blood spurting, it had nicked an artery.

My vision swam as I brought my left hand up to my throat to stop the bleeding. At the same time, something slammed into the shieldsomething death-attunedbut I didnt have the presence of mind to check. I needed to get out before I lost consciousness, and the abyssal song wasnt helping.

I staggered toward the exit, forcing out another Shield by pure willonly for it to be shattered by a projectile spell.

He wouldnt let me get down there, I realized.

So. This is goodbye, I heard the mechanical voice from my side, devoid of emotion. I looked and saw the man finish casting, taking his time to complete a more powerful cast of a spell I was sure I didnt want to witness.

Defiance surgedmy strange brand of desperation accompanied by a flood of adrenaline that sharpened my thoughts for a second. I needed to get down those stairs before him.

The man raised his hand and pointed at me.

Well, there was one way to buy time. I let the heaviness drag me down, deep into myself. My consciousness arrived in the gray field, and I could see how much of a mess I was. Here I had no body, just a shape made of mental power, and it was barely there: a see-through ghost, parts like legs completely gone, my form flickering and weak. Worst of all, the abyss loomed behind me, coming down on my tired mind like a black, pulsating avalanche, making me feel like a bug under a giants boot.

But I needed it. It was the only cast that could turn this around.

But how?

Any attempt at the spell calling the Young would kill me for sure. The Last Syllable was the fastest to cast, but it wouldnt buy me enough time in this state. Squirming Void came to mind. But how many tentacles could I manage? One was a stretch.

My mind was slipping. I had never used Eldritch Magic three times in a row without rest.

I could use Squirming Void, but the problem was the command needed. Eldritch magic was fast, almost instant, with much of it being completed in this space, but Squirming Void needed another command to act. I didnt have time to make a sound, let alone in two tonguesand what would I tell it? Attack? It would be too weak.

No, I needed something else. I needed

A reverberation hit me, a deep sound from behind, like a thump heard underwater. Something stood right behind me, egging me on.

Silent castingI needed to perform a silent cast for the entirety of Squirming Void. With mana, a deep connection sufficed. But for the unknown itself?

I had no choice.

Invoking the Name, I felt the magic flow and willed it to appear behind me.

Squirming Void

I snapped back into the world and saw the man flinch the moment the strange energy burst from me alongside one pitiful tentacle.

Nowto command it.

I let it sing. I connected to the strange music, the sleepiness and weakness oddly helping, muting the world and sharpening the song. I felt everything around me in a way I never hadits origin in the Void, its disgustingly defined forms. I went beyond merely letting it into my body and formed a small bridge between it and my mind. I ignored my hatred of how mathematically correct everything around me was and showed the magic what I needed done.

The whole process was done at a speed of thought, no sound needed. The black, squirming mass moved as the man regained his bearings. He didnt let the sudden presence of the unknown disturb his cast. His attack materialized. A stinger-like construct rose from his hand and shot for my heart

Only to miss by millimeters as a mass of entropy filled with gnawing mouths wrapped around my torso and threw me. Like a ragdoll, it hurled me into the room behind and onto the stairs, then kept the motion, slamming into the cracked wall that supported the massive carving over the doors. In one movement, it flung me, hit the wall, and wrapped around the supporting column, trying to continue.

Whether it succeeded, I didn't know. I hit the floor hard. My hand slipped from my throat, and blood flowed. A crash boomed behind meI prayed the wall with the carving came down.

My body was giving up as I tumbled down the stairs. I cut myself off from everything around me and used the new strength Id bought to cast Armor to let me survive as I slammed down the long flight of stairs.

But I had more pressing matters: the eldritch magic and its flow. Id connectedand now it wouldnt stop. It was like trying to plug a leaking pipe with bare hands, the water soaking me, filling the room until I would drown.

A new pain bloomednot from any wound, but from my entire existence. My cells wanted to join the music, rearranging to match it, listening to the shapes it described and yearning for themstrange, abhorrent shapes. I stoppedeither on a landing or at the bottomuncertain of anything around me as I used every ounce of power to stop the leak.

I couldntnot with brute force.

In a last-dtch effort, I deepened the connection, fell into the rhythm, and then, with both tongues, screamed at it.

Stop!

And as if cut by a knife, it did.

It obeyed in a way I never knew possible.

I lay there, my world full of pain, blood seeping through my fingers, which I once again wrapped around my own throat. The ache drifted away as my body grew lighter. Footsteps. Someone approached. My hand tried to reach the hook at my belt, but the limb didnt movemuscles severed.

Its okay, a whisper came.

To my absolute relief, I recognized it. Luna. She moved my hand from my throat and yelped in surprise. Then her magic entered me, my flesh twisted together, and the bleeding stopped. Thankfully, from all possible wounds, this one was a veinbest case for Lunas brand of healing.

I fumbled for my belt, and a massive hand guided mine, helped me fish out the potion, and poured it into my mouth. Darius, judging by the palm holding the back of my head. After a few seconds, the constant swirl eased, and I opened my eyes fully. With vision, voices also rushed in.

Judging by the confused faces, Id crashed into the middle of an argumentpeople frozen mid-shout. The room where I lay was a defensive position. The twisted staircase opened into an elongated space, with openings in the walls that let one fire into the room from adjacent corridors. Further in stood something like an arcane gun emplacement. Whatever weapon had stood here was long gone, but runes and parts of the mounting remained, along with complicated shielding arrays.

Four groups filled the room. One was the Church, with two popes, four remaining paladins, and a few priests and cardinals. Another was the noblessome of Riswalts people, among them. Then there were others from smaller religious factions. Finally, the Third Chamber: warlocks, a hussar, a few druids, knights, and ward wizards, plus a handful of small two-person teamsother races and outsiders.

Most of all, four people bent over me with deep concern etched on their faces: Luna, William, Darius, and Ophelia. And AstridI realizedwho stood farther ahead, head turned in my direction, eyes wide.

What the fuck happened to you? Luna asked, voice tight with worry as she looked at my neck.

You dont wanna know. I half-groaned, trying to sit up, only to be pushed back and scolded. Not that I needed the remindermy flesh protested on its own.

You see? the mortal-world pope said loudly. They are right on our heels. We should move!

I looked. They were mid-argument with Astrid, who stood in the groups way. She was distressed, and I doubted it was because of me, but my thoughts still dragged.

She tore her gaze from me back to the man before her.

Im telling you, we shouldnt! she shouted.

Propose another way, the man said.

Astrids eyes darted. She glanced at the staircase, but everyone seemed to know that wasnt an option. Finally, the Pope nodded and walked around her as she stood helplessly, searching for words. I forced my head to tilt, wincing, and saw the man pull something from his robes and approach a massive gate at the end of the room.

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