WIEDERGEBURT Act VII: Chapter 9

The meeting was once again taking place outside. Everyone who had been present last time was there this time as well. King Menes, Queen Medusa, Alexis Mutig, Commander Ashten, Qawuin, Lin, Fay, Siv, Kari, Raul, and myself. Sana and Lilac were there two. They stood behind Fay like her attendants. I raised my eyebrow at Fay after noticing this. I’ll admit, I was impressed that only her ears turned red and not her entire face.

“Let’s not stand on ceremony,” Queen Medusa began. “Now that our sandstorm is gone and the Sekbeists have located our city, we must decide on what to do from here. Do we stay and try our best to defend this location? Do we leave? If we leave, where should we go?”

“Where can we go?” asked King Menes with a sour grunt. “My kingdom is gone, Nevaria has been destroyed, and the Sekbeist have overrun the Northern Plains. Is there anywhere left for us?”

That was a defeatist attitude to take, but I understood that King Menes and everyone else had been through a lot. They had been pushed to the brink.

“I do not believe we should remain here,” I decided to add my copper valis to the subject. “The person I fought against with Lin, Siv, and Kari was a Sekbeist Lord of immeasurable power. We caught him by surprise last time. However, he won’t underestimate us like he did the next time.”

“He is stronger than you?” asked Alexis with some surprise.

“Much stronger,” I confirmed. “I believe I have told you all a bit about concepts. I have mastered the Concepts of Life and Death. Meanwhile, Siv has reached a relatively powerful understanding over the Concept of Space and Kari understands the Concept of Time. These concepts might not grant someone more Spiritual Power, but the quality of a Spiritualist’s power after mastering a single concept is leagues above someone who hasn’t. It’s like the difference between a wooden spoon and a silver chalice.”

No one said anything as I spoke, listening intently as they leaned forward, and so I continued.

“Morden has mastered three concepts: Life, Death, and Negation. He might not have much more Spiritual Power than I do, but his ability to use that Spiritual Power vastly exceeds anything I can accomplish. Even if Kari, Siv, Lin, and I teamed up on him, we might not be able to win.”

My words were a grim reminder of the power that Morden had wielded. No one spoke for the longest time. It was, perhaps surprisingly, Galdr who spoke first.

“We know well the power of the Sekbeist Lords. They are far above us. It was in fact a single Sekbeist Lord who came to our village and enslaved our people.”

“Was it Morden?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Aye.”

Lightning Giants were a race that had all reached the Fourth State of Spiritualism for the lightening element, meaning they were naturally born stronger than a human. The people sitting at this table knew that. Perhaps that was why they shuddered in fear. If Morden could defeat a thousand Lightning Giants and enslaved them, then he could easily wipe out our little group of humans.

“I also believe leaving the Endless Desert is our best choice,” Commander Ashten said next. He crossed his arms and furrowed his brow. “The only problem I can see is the one King Menes mentioned. Where do we go from here?”

“The Misty Mountain Range,” Siv suddenly said.

Everyone looked over at my wife, who must not have realized she’d spoken out loud until she saw all the eyes on her. She squeaked and looked like she wanted to hide behind Fay. Unfortunately, she was sitting in a chair and couldn’t really move, so she just kind of froze in place.

However, her words gave me the answer.

“I agree with Siv. I think we should travel to the Misty Mountain Range,” I said.

“Is that not a place ruled over by dragons?” asked Alexis.

“Which is exactly why we should travel there,” I told her. “The dragons are my allies. If they have not been defeated by the Sekbeists, I believe they will help us. Speaking of, where is Meerand?

I looked at Lin and Fay, who both shook their heads sadly.

“We are… not sure. When the Sekbeists overran Vahn and forced us to flee, Meerand tried to protect us by fighting them off long enough for us to escape. He said he would be right behind us, but…”

“I understand.” I sighed. It was unfortunate Meerand was not with us. If he was, we could have used his ability to speak with his mother across long distances to figure out what was happening.

“Since it seems everyone is in agreement, I believe we should announce to the people that we are abandoning the city,” Queen Medusa said. “Some may not agree with our decision. I am sure a few may even fight against it. This queen shall leave it to Qawuin and Ashten to convince the people to follow us.”

“I wish you would do this yourself,” Commander Ashten said with a groan.

Queen Medusa smiled. “This queen would love to make the announcement herself, but the people might become so enamored with her beauty that they forget what she was talking about.”

***

With the decision to abandon the Lamia’s home made, our council split up. Galdr traveled over to the other Lightning Giants and informed them of our decision. I was certain they would travel with us since we had allied ourselves with them. They would add an extra layer of protection to our caravans, so I had no complaints about that.

There was not much that I could do to help out right now. I had only just returned to Miðgarðr and so had no authority to wield. My role for right now would be to help where I could and protect the caravan from Morden when he inevitably tried to attack us.

“Father,” Raul suddenly said.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Is Morden… really that strong?” asked Raul.

We were walking through the streets, though I wasn’t sure I could call this a street. There was no pavement or cobblestone. It was just sand. However, it was this pathway that numerous people were treading, and there were a number of buildings and stalls where people could get refreshments or snacks. Everything here was free. But since there was a limited supply of anything, every person had a limit on how much of something they could get.

“Let’s put it this way,” I began. “On a scale of one to ten, I would be a ten.”

“And Morden?”

“Probably a fifteen.”

Raul made a face at my answer, but the truth was that Morden’s power far exceeded what could be considered normal. The ability to master three concepts was already an abnormality. Only a few people on our side had done it, and only ten of the trillions of Sekbeists running rampant across the nine realms had achieved this feat as well.

That said, I planned to grow even more powerful than Morden and the other Zehn Todesharr when I could. I just needed an opportunity to apply the dual cultivation training method that Fray spoke of.

“I wonder what we should do now?” asked Fay. “Should we begin helping load the supplies?”

I shook my head. “Leave that to the others. Our job will come later. For now, let’s just try to rest as much as possible.”

Rest and relaxation was as important for a warrior as training and discipline. If we spent so much time and effort doing everything we could all the time, we would exhaust ourselves and create mental stress, though I did understand Fay’s desire to do something. I had been like that after I was first sent back in time during my battle against the Sekbeist Overlord.

Since our job was to relax, our group split off. Raul was dragged off into the city by Sana and Lilac. However, Lin, Fay, Siv, and Kari all decided to stay with me as we entered the palace and traveled toward our room.

“What’s the deal with those two?” I asked Fay.

“Are you curious?” Fay inquired with a giggle. “It’s pretty cute, right?”

“Well… maybe a little. So what’s up with them? Are they in love with Raul?”

Fay furrowed her brow a little. “I have not asked them about their feelings or intentions toward my son, but yes, I believe they are. It all began after the Sekbeist invaded the Northern Plains. Until that point, I think Sana and Lilac just saw Raul as a younger brother, but during the invasion of Midgard, when Sekbeists poured out from the Warp Gate, Raul was the one who protected them until we could all hook up. I believe that is when they began to see him in a different light. At the very least, it’s when they began expressing an interest in him as a man.”

“Hmmm.”

I wondered if I should speak to Raul about women. It was something I had noticed, but Raul seemed reluctant to engage in any form of courtship, which might be my fault. Perhaps if I had been here, he would have more gumption. I felt like it was my duty as the boy’s father to help him overcome his reluctance.

Of course, if he didn’t want to enter a relationship, that was fine, but I still wanted to make sure he understood that he couldn’t just leave those poor women waiting for something that might not happen. That was cruel.

“I’ll talk to him later,” I decided at last.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Fay said.

“Whatever. We can discuss Raul and his romance later. This princess demands you pay more attention to her,” Lin declared.

“Someone is getting quite impetuous,” Kari said with a smile. “Perhaps I need to remind you of who is in charge here.”

“Urk! T-that won’t be necessary, Big Sister! This princess did not mean it like that! She was not saying Darling shouldn’t pay attention to just her, but to all of us!”

“That had better be the case,” Kari said with a smile so wide it stretched from ear to ear. “If it’s not, then I might have to punish you.”

While her words sounded ominous, the way Kari gently brushed her hand against Lin’s back let me know that the Lamia’s “punishment” would not be anything serious. In fact, I was almost certain Lin would not mind being punished at all.

After entering our room, our group journeyed over to the bath in the center and once more sat with our feet in the pool. We had already discussed a lot, and it was a little late, but we still had quite a bit that we wanted to talk about.

“I’ve discovered a new method of refining alchemy pills,” Fay was telling us. “I call it the Spiritual Cauldron Refining Method. It’s a method of refining alchemy pills without the use of an alchemy kit.”

“How would such a method work?” I asked as I stroked Lin’s back. My Lamia princess was sitting on my lap, her long tail trailing along the bottom of the bath, face buried in my neck as she breathed in my scent. I couldn’t see her face, but I was pretty sure she was wearing a dopey smile.

“I use the wind element to contain each ingredient in a separate space, then use the fire element to refine them. The key to using this method is being able to sense how much heat is needed to refine each ingredient. Also, by refining ingredients separately like this, I can bring out their maximum potency and remove any impurities within the ingredients. That’s not something you can accomplish using the normal method.”

Fay’s method of refining alchemy pills sounded impressive. I would love to see her do this some time. She said that it was necessary to have mastered all seven elements, and since I had, I was certain I could learn how to refine alchemy pills this way. It would be a lot more useful than bringing out my alchemy set every time I wanted to refine something.

“There are many ingredients on Gudeverdenen that can also be used to refine higher-tier alchemy pills,” I said. “I’ve brought several of those ingredients with me. I’ll give them to you, and we can see what will happen if we use the Spiritual Cauldron Refining Method on them.”

“I would like that,” Fay said.

“There’s something I wanted to ask Lin while I have the chance,” Kari suddenly said.

Lin lifted her head. “What is it, Big Sister?”

“The concept you’ve learned is Negation, right? How did you learn it?”

“This princess did not learn how to use the Concept of Negation.” Lin shook her head. “It was imparted onto her through inheritance.”

“What is that?” asked Kari.

“Inheritance is a method of imparting Spiritual Power, techniques, and lessons through a blood rite. Um. That’s what he said anyway,” Lin said, scratching the back of her head. “This princess didn’t really understand it herself.”

“Who is he?” I asked.

“Our progenitor,” Lin told us. “The person who is sealed deep beneath this palace is the one who created the Lamia people. This princess is sure mother told you the story, yes? It’s all true. Our progenitor wanted to learn more about the Sekbeist. He thought that if he could master their power, he could wield it to help defeat them. Unfortunately, the others did not agree with him. He was cast out and sealed here after attempting to get revenge on the one who cast him out.”

“I see. I’m surprised this person was willing to impart his power to you,” I said.

Lin shrugged. “This princess believes he was hoping you and the others would hate her and cast her out like what happened to him.”

“It’s a good thing he doesn’t know us very well,” Kari giggled.

“A very good thing,” Lin agreed.

“It’s getting late.” Kari stood up, her legs dripping wet, and went over to grab some towels for us. “And the water is getting cold. I think we should all get in bed.”

“This princess seconds that notion,” Lin agreed immediately.

After drying off, all five of us climbed onto the bed that Lin had been using to sleep. The partitions had already been taken down, so now the room much a lot more spacious. We were fortunate the bed was so large. It must have been at least eight meters across and ten long. I found myself lying in the very middle, surrounded on either side by Fay and Kari. Lin and Siv had made themselves a place on my chest. Siv’s massive draconian wings were curled over all of us like protective covering.

None of us were tired yet, and so we ended up talking well into the night.

***

It was the next morning, and Qawuin and Commander Ashten were standing in front of the palace before the entire population. Word spread last night that the leaders had come to a decision about what to do now that the sandstorm was gone. Everyone was curious to know what had been decided, and so when several town criers had informed everyone that an announcement would be made near the palace, everyone traveled there after breakfast.

I was sitting on the palace roof with my wives, Raul, Sana, Lilac, Earland, and Aliya. We were watching the proceedings from above because it was easier to see everything.

“I’m sure you all know about what’s been happening,” Commander Ashten said, his voice so loud it reached all the way to the back of this crowd. “The sandstorm is gone. The Sekbeists used cunning tactics to infiltrate the city and kill the Spiritualists responsible for maintaining it. A powerful Sekbeist Lord called Morden is now leading the assault on our city, and his powers are greater than any of ours. We cannot hope to stand against him. Our only option now is to leave the city and head to the Misty Mountain Range.”

His words caused a restless stirring amongst the crowd. I could see the faces of disbelief and despair as these people who’d been on the run for so long were being told they would once again have to flee. That made me curious, so I channeled the wind element into my ears to increase my sensitivity to sonic vibrations and listened into the many conversations taking place down below.

“He can’t be serious, can he? It’s only been a few months since we arrived here!”

“I’m tired of running. How far will we be forced to flee?”

“This place is my home. I have lived here my whole life, and now I am being told to run? Never!”

There appeared to be a general consensus among both humans and Lamia that fleeing was not an option, and this group opinion soon picked up fervor as several people began shouting at the commander—former commander now, I guess.

“We’re not leaving!”

“I refuse to abandon my home!”

“Bring on this Sekbeist Lord! We won’t run from him!”

I glanced at Commander Ashten’s face to a grimace plastered over it. He probably knew the people’s response would be like this, which was why he didn’t want to be the one who said anything. I felt a little bad for him. It seemed like he was always getting the short end of the stick.

However, just before he could say anything, another voice spoke up.

“If you do not wish to follow us, then feel free to stay. Just know that you will die if you remain here.”

Commander Ashten’s shadow shifted and writhed as though it was a living thing, and from that shadow, a figure emerged. She looked like an older version of Lin. Her dark skin was enchanting, her golden eyes seductively narrowed, and her pointed chin made her seem regal. Queen Medusa truly looked like a queen.

“This princess wishes her breasts were big like Momma’s,” Lin muttered.

“Princess Lin…” Aliya released a weary sigh.

“That’s what you’re worrying about right now?” Kari asked with an amused smile.

Lin scowled. “You don’t understand, Big Sister. Your boobs are huge.”

Kari rolled her eyes at Lin.

“I have a small chest, but I don’t mind,” Siv said quietly. She reached up to place her hands over them. “Eryk… likes my chest even though they are not big. I’m sure he feels the same way about yours.”

Siv looked over at me as if to confirm that I did in fact like her breasts. Wearing a smile that was both amused and maybe a little befuddled, I nodded.

“I love both yours and Lin’s chest. I would not want either of you to change for anything.”

“See?” Siv said to Lin.

“Well,” Lin muttered speculatively. “This princess supposes having a modest chest is not so bad if Darling likes it.”

It seemed a bit surreal to me that we were talking about boobs while a conversation regarding the fate of everyone here was going on down below, but my wives were an unusual bunch. They’d have to be. I wasn’t sure a normal woman could put up with me.

While our silly conversation on breasts was going on, Queen Medusa had captured everyone’s attention. She gazed at the crowd, who really did seem enamored by her appearance. I didn’t think it was just her looks. Out of all the women I knew, Queen Medusa was the one who seemed the most regal, the most queen-like. Even Empress Hilda could not compare in terms of demeanor.

“Let this queen be upfront,” Queen Medusa said after a long pause. “We will be abandoning this city. It was not a decision that was made lightly, but one that was made only after thoroughly discussing other options. Unfortunately, only two options have presented themselves. Stay here and die trying to defend this city, or leave and hopefully survive.”

“Hopefully? So you’re saying there’s a chance we might die even we do leave?” someone in the crowd asked.

“There is always a chance that death might claim you no matter where you live,” Queen Medusa stated. “You might die today, tomorrow, ten years from now, or a hundred years from now. Death is a certainty. The only uncertain thing is the time of your death. However, I can guarantee everyone here that if you remain in this city, you will die soon. That is an inescapable fact. Think carefully about that as you make your choice.”

Just like she had come, Queen Medusa disappeared into Commander Ashten’s shadow. The former leader of the Midgard Spiritual Knights glared at his shadow like it was the bane of his existence.

“That woman… always coming and going as she pleases,” he grunted.

Qawuin nodded. “Queen Medusa is a mysterious woman… but you cannot deny that her methods are effective.”

He was right. The people who had been so against leaving the city were now talking amongst themselves, suggesting that it was probably better to leave and have a chance of survival than stay and die. I was sure there might be a few people who decided to stay even after that speech. However, Queen Medusa’s words had convinced most of them to leave.

“We should head to the barracks,” Earland said to Aliya, uncrossing his arms. “I’m sure orders to mobilize will come from there.”

“You are right.” Aliya nodded before turning to Raul. “Are you coming with us?”

Raul looked like he was about to say yes, until his eyes landed on me. He stared at me for a moment. I tilted my head, wondering what he was thinking, but then he looked back at Aliya and shook his head.

“I actually wanted to spend a bit of time with my father,” he said.

“I do not begrudge you that desire. Be sure to spend as much time with your father now. I do not believe there will be much time relax when we leave,” Aliya said with a smile.

“Right.”

Earland and Aliya left, one of them floating down from the roof while the other merged into the palace itself and re-emerged from the ground below. I watched the two walk off for a moment. My attention soon turned to Raul, however.

“Is there something specific you’d like to do together?” I asked.

Raul nodded. “I wanted to see how strong you are. And I wanted to also test myself against you.”

So he wanted to test his strength against me as both a means of seeing where he stood in the pecking order and how much further he needed to go to reach my level. I certainly didn’t mind obliging him. Actually, I thought this was a good opportunity.

“In that case, I think all of us should head out toward the desert. Any sparring done between us is likely to get loud… and destructive. I really don’t want to be blamed for destroying several buildings again.”

“That does seem to happen whenever you spar with one of us,” Kari said with a grin.

Raul agreed. “I know of a good place where we can train. Follow me.”

I followed my son as he took to the skies, my wives following behind me. Several people on the ground pointed at us. It wasn’t long, however, before we were leaving the city’s border and traveling further into the dunes of the Endless Desert.

Because so much of this desert was sand, most people would never have expected it, but there were actually other landforms aside from dunes, dunes, and more dunes. I wasn’t just talking about the oasis that could be found scattered across the desert either. There were places where the underground river rose from the earth, rock formations and caves located closer to the continents border, and of course, there were also the sandy beaches.

The area Raul stopped at was something similar to a canyon or maybe a bowl. It looked like something had struck the earth long ago and formed this great depression in the sand.

Raul explained what he knew about this place as he set down. “According to legend, a shooting star fell from the sky here many centuries ago. That’s what gave this depression its shape. Demon Beasts do not go near this place, so it’s perfect for our spar.”

“Sounds good. Are we going to spar at the bottom?” I asked.

“Yes,” Raul said.

I turned to my wives. “Would you ladies remain up here for now? I’d like to see how strong my son has become.”

“We’ll wait here,” Fay said for everyone.

“Thanks,” I said.

Raul and I floated down to the bottom. The desert sands shifted underneath my feet, but I noticed right away that they seemed clustered together, like they were stuck in clumps with an adhesive. Was this a result of the falling star? Was the falling star somewhere deep underneath this basin? I would be curious to find out eventually.

“Are you ready, Raul?”

“Yes, Father,” Raul said, shifting into a combat stance.

“Good.” I smiled as I raised a hand and beckoned him over. “Then come at me. I’d like to see how powerful you’ve become.”

***

The massive explosion that went up tore through the morning sky. Fire and molten sand rose high into the air. A heat so intense it made the skin blister, crack, and char washed over the bowl-shaped basin.

All that was just a smokescreen.

Raul had launched the attack the moment the battle started and then merged into the ground, becoming one with the earth. He already understood how powerful his father was. There was no room for error here.

Which was why the very moment after merging with the earth, Raul created several massive sand serpents that loomed overhead. Each one was at least fifty meters long and a dozen meters thick. Their shape was quite similar to Lin’s serpent form, but these ones had row upon row of incredible sharp and jagged teeth.

Father did not move from his spot on the ground. Raul would have frowned if he hadn’t become one with the earth. He had launched an explosion right in his dad’s face, but the man hadn’t moved a single centimeter.

“Impressive,” Father said. “You launched an attack from the very beginning, but you knew it wouldn’t be enough to hurt me, so you immediately merged with the earth element and created several sand serpents to attack for you.”

It was always odd listening to someone speak like this. Raul did not hear Father in the way a normal person would right now. Sound traveled through vibrations in the air. It was a type of energy vibration that caused movement in air particles. This was also why it was impossible to hear through certain types of material like foam made from a water type Demon Beast, because certain substances could not produce those vibrations.

Because Raul was merged into the earth, he did not hear the sound, but he felt the vibrations and could intuit what Father was saying through them. He had a theory that his mind somehow understood what was being said even though he couldn’t hear it.

“While this was a good opening salvo, I think it’s a little naive to assume something like this will be enough to stall me,” Father continued.

An immense Spiritual Pressure burst out from above him. Raul felt the sand shift as the wind picked up. Then everyone of the serpents he had created was suddenly sliced through with a wind blade. They were split in half and dispersed back into sand. Father than slammed his foot into the ground and Raul felt another will impose itself upon the earth, forcing him out.

Rather than let himself be forcefully ejected, Raul launched himself out of the ground and flew into the sky. He swung his hand and created numerous wind blades that flew toward Father. His father looked up at him, and suddenly the wind blades dispersed, turning into a light breeze that merely buffeted his hair.

Raul bit his lip.

He wasn’t about to give up.

Scattering into particles of light, Raul moved at the speed of light and reformed behind Father. If he couldn’t defeat him using Spiritual Techniques, then he would just have to fight using hand-to-hand combat.

Father didn’t even turn as Raul launched a punch at his backside. Raul’s eyes went wide as his fist passed right through his father, causing him to stumble forward. He whirled around as though expecting an attack. No attack was forthcoming. His father continued to casually stand there with a smile on his face.

What… just happened?

Still not sure what happened, Raul launched himself forward, leaped into the air, and tried to land a spinning kick on his father’s face. He blinked when his foot traveled straight through his father’s head and out the other side. There hadn’t even been any resistance. What was going on?

As he landed on the ground, Raul launched several more attacks. Each and every one of them passed through Father’s body. The man was like a ghost. What was this? Why were none of his attacks hitting?!

“How… are you doing this?” asked Raul, gasping as he backed away.

“Do you know what light is?” asked Father.

“Light?” Raul furrowed his brow. “Visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be percieved by the human eye. It’s because of light that we are able to see.”

“Right. And how fast does light travel?”

“About three hundred thousand kilometers per… second… no.” Raul’s eyes widened the moment he figured it out. “Are you… moving faster than the speed of light?”

Father gave him a proud smile. “That’s right. I’m only moving one hundred kilometers per second faster than light, but it’s fast enough that to you, it looks like I am standing still. I’m also not moving much. I simply turn my body from side to side when you attack to avoid each blow. But your eyes can’t perceive that because I’m moving so fast.”

“But how are you doing that?! You haven’t even entered the Fourth State of Spiritualism! Unless…”

“Yes.” Father nodded. “I’m using the Concept of Life to keep my body from being torn into bloody chunks by moving faster than a human body can move. I am also channeling the light element through my body to help move faster. It’s a little tricky, but it’s possible once you’ve reached a certain level of competence with the Concept of Death. If you think that’s impressive, wait until Siv and Kari show you what they can do.”

Raul couldn’t remember a time when he had ever felt this overwhelmed by someone else’s power. He looked up to, respected, and admired Mother for the strength she had displayed during the past eight years. However, he had always felt like she was someone whose power was within reach. Raul believed he could one day become as strong as her.

But Father was in a league so far above him that it felt like an impossible plateau to reach. It was honestly disheartening.

“I understand how you feel right now,” Father said as if he could sense Raul’s thoughts. “I felt the same way.”

“You did?” asked Raul.

“Yeah. Back when I first arrived in Gudeverdenen, every Demon Beast I came across was able to use a concept to some degree, and some of them came very close to killing me. I used to think matching their power was impossible. But it’s not. Thinking like that is fallacy. Once things settle down and you’ve mastered all seven elements, I’ll help you master a concept.”

It was a little embarrassing that his father could see through him so easily, but he was also happy because it meant they weren’t as estranged as he first thought. They were actually quite similar. Father probably knew exactly what he was thinking because their thought process was the same.

“Do you want to continue?” asked Father.

“Yes, please,” Raul said, sliding his feet along the ground and adopting another combat stance. “I would like to test myself against you. You said the Sekbeist Lords can also use concepts, so seeing your power will let me know how powerful I need to be to contend with them.”

“That’s a good way of thinking.” Eryk slid his feet apart, widening his stance. “All right then. Come at me. I’ll help you understand the kind of power we’ll be facing in the days to come.”

***

Morden grunted in satisfaction as he stared at the fifty-thousand people he had managed to gather. He had spent a lot of time wandering the desert and using the Concept of Life to look for cities and villages. Most of the larger cities had been abandoned, but there were many villages that hadn’t, and he’d gone to each one, enslaved the people there, and brought them to these ruins.

The ruins he had discovered were nothing special. It was probably a base that had been abandoned during the Great War. However, it did have a Warp Gate, which was what he needed.

The humans and Lamia he had gathered were all crying and screaming at him. They had not been enslaved with a control collar. He was manipulating their life force to control their actions. He could have silenced them if he wanted, but he honestly liked hearing their despair. This would also soothe the raging anger he felt at being humiliated by Eryk and his women.

“Time to begin,” he muttered with a smile.

All of the people were standing in the middle of a circle that had been drawn in Demon Beast blood. Esoteric symbols were drawn into the circle. It was the Sekbeist language rather than Dweorg runes. Opening a Warp Gate using runes was far harder and not something he understood, but he could force a hole to open in the barrier with this. He wouldn’t be able to go far. Morden suspected the third realm was his max.

His Spiritual Power flared to life. Morden manipulated the Concept of Life to tear the souls of those present from their bodies. Screams of anguish echoed around him. Cries of despair and pain filled his ears. It was a pleasant sound, but he couldn’t relish on it like he wanted as he focused on the white ectoplasm coming from the mouths of those he died. These were the souls that would be used to open the portal.

Infusing the souls into the circle, Morden groaned as blood welled up in his mouth. Controlling this many souls was more difficult than it looked. It hurt, but he shunted aside the pain pounding on his skull and continued pushing the white soul stuff into the circle, which began glowing a deep crimson.

A spark flashed.

The peel of thunder echoed around him.

Then black energy began swirling around over the circle, forming a gateway that linked this realm to another one. As the first group of his new army emerged, a smile worked its way onto his face. Eryk and the others would soon come to regret the day they had crossed paths.