Last Life

IT WAS A WEIRD FEELING, to say the least... Just a few moments before, I had been in the middle of a battle, covered from head to toe in the blood of my slain enemies and switching from one fighting stance to another. And suddenly, without even having time to blink, I was in some completely different universe, surrounded by completely unfamiliar beings.

The temple, the battle, the demon’s incredible strength, the horrible pain, the teleportation to this new world... Simply put, the whirlwind of contrasting emotions and thoughts had given rise to a very strange feeling. More than anything, it felt like I had just slammed into a wall at full speed. I was eager to get up and keep moving, rather than hanging in the energy fog like a big useless lump.

The strong connection that had emerged between me and my golden parasite had nearly been sundered. I could still sense it, but it felt very far away. Like it was at the edge of another universe, getting farther and farther away all the time.

Without making any attempt to respond to the spirit’s words, I tried to get myself back under control, and as a first step I checked in with my body. As with my first visit to this strange place, my energy body was just hanging there, suspended in midair. At least this time, though, I was free to move around. There wasn’t anything to push off from in the middle of the air, of course, but a simple mental command was enough to set my body moving in a given direction.

Finally, I turned around to face the voice that had spoken to me. Just like my previous vision, the strange golden spirits were floating in a semicircle before me; this time, though, there were only three of them.

And there was one other change, too. This time, when I stared back at the thick, humanoid masses of energy, I could make out the features of their faces. They were vague, and normally pretty blurry. And they would shift in and out of focus from time to time. Trying to discern the details was like looking into a babbling river and trying to make out something at the bottom.

Just like the last time, the largest of the spirits, whose glow was deeper and richer than that of the others, was floating in the center. Through the rippling fog, I could see the outline of his elongated face, his gray beard, and the thin line of his lips. His eyes were like two shards of light, shimmering with an icy cold as they stared into the very depths of my soul. Whenever I tried to look into them, though, they would immediately disappear, leaving behind only a faint glow like that of a long-extinguished fire.

“He’s coming here too often,” I heard another familiar voice grumble.

It came from a short, chubby silhouette with a round face and saggy cheeks like those of a bulldog. Whoever it was, they clearly weren’t very happy to see me.

I glanced at her short, graceful silhouette and smiled to myself. She looked exactly the way I had imagined her, although I don’t know why I imagined her like that at all. I could see her curious eyes, filled with the thrill of investigation and discovery as they stared back at me through the fog, as well as her delicate facial features, locks of golden hair, and a short, stubby nose.

“Allow me, Venerable Ines, to share my conclusion with you,” the saggy-cheeked spirit replied condescendingly. “You’re about to say that this stupid savage is Unique. Am I right?”

“Why not?” The spirit (whose name seemed to be Ines) replied with a question of her own. She didn’t sound offended by the condescending tone at all. “Why are you so skeptical, Venerable Oliver? I seem to remember that you were one of the Unique yourself at one point.”

“I hope you’re not comparing me with this primitive creature?” The jowly spirit sounded offended.

Despite the fact that I had just been torn from the middle of a battle, and was still in an agitated frame of mind, I managed to overcome my annoyance enough to ask a question with relative calm:

“Am I still alive?”

My voice sounded strange. It felt like my words were coming from somewhere above me.

The head spirit drifted a little closer to me. His eyes flashed.

“I ask the questions here.”

I would have liked to respond, but I realized that I couldn’t utter a sound. And I also realized that I had lost control of my body again.

“But very well — I’ll answer this question for you,” he continued, his tone still icy. “If you’re referring to your physical shell, then yes — you can be sure it’s still alive. Judging by the way the mana channel between you is slowly thinning, however, it may not be alive for much longer. Although I’m sure you could have guessed that with a quick glance at that disgusting mark on your shoulder. Haven’t you noticed that it’s growing? And how did you manage to get it in the first place?”

The spirit leaned in closer. His eyes flashed. It seemed like if he leaned in any closer, I would start to feel the otherworldly heat emanating from his body.

“I’m going to let you speak now,” he said slowly and deliberately. “But if you start asking your own foolish questions instead of answering mine, our conversation will be over. Blink if you understand me.”

I remembered how, when I was still a kid, Vadoma used to say the same thing whenever I peppered her with questions: “Your ear often knows more than your mouth will ask.” And I had learned the truth of this saying many, many times as I grew older and more experienced.

Without hesitation, I blinked, and immediately sensed that I had control of my own body once again.

“It’s a wound,” I replied.

“Who wounded you?” The spirit was ready with his next question.

“I wish I knew the answer to that question myself,” I replied; noticing that the spirit’s eyes seemed about to flash, however, I quickly went on. “A moment before appearing here, I was fighting against a bearer of death magic. It was he who wounded me, with a magical spear...”

“Most Luminous Remigius,” the spirit called Oliver said, ignoring the fact that I was still speaking. “The savage is either mistaken or lying. The dark ones were all overthrown, and their leader was cast into the Abyss.”

“His wound suggests the opposite,” Ines objected immediately.

“Many artifacts were left behind in their world after the great battle. One of them probably made this wound, but whoever did it was probably just another savage like him.” Oliver seemed pretty adamant.

“Is that so?” The leader asked as his burning eyes turned to stare at me from the fog.

“No,” I stated flatly, before quickly describing what had happened in the minute before my appearance in their strange world.

When I finished speaking, a dark silence hung in the cavern. The way the golden glow in the cave (which the spirits’ bodies were composed of) began to fade, I could tell that my words had upset them quite a bit.

“What did he look like, this one who wounded you?” Ines asked.

Her voice now sounded dull and lifeless. There was no trace of her former spontaneity and lightness at all.

I quickly described the master of the underground and mentioned the name that my captors had used to refer to him.

“It can’t be!” Oliver’s voice was shaking. “So our sacrifice was in vain?!”

“But I saw the Accursed One and his cohort fall into the Abyss with my own eyes...” Ines said aloud in a distracted murmur.

“He found a way out, then,” concluded the head spirit, whom Oliver had referred to as “Most Luminous Remigius.” “Someone managed to conduct the summoning ritual and offer the appropriate sacrifice...”

As I listened to their conversation, I started to understand who fate had actually brought me into contact with. Although actually, it seemed fair to assume that I wouldn’t have ended up where I was without the intercession of my mysterious benefactor...

For a moment, I thought that the time had come to ask the questions that were really worrying me, but I held my tongue just in time. After all, I thought — what if the spirits end up reacting totally differently to what I’m expecting? Take Ines, for instance. For some reason (and I can’t imagine why), she’s obviously favorably disposed toward me, but right now she looks more like a big thunderhead than the cute little golden cloud she used to resemble.

I concluded that I would just have to wait and listen patiently. Judging by the speed at which the black mass on my shoulder was growing, however, it seemed like I was rapidly running out of time... I could already feel a light burning sensation in my wound. I didn’t even want to imagine what my physical body was going through...

From there, the spirits proceeded to throw dozens of questions at me. And it didn’t escape my notice that Oliver, who had basically been ignoring me up until then, was now the most active contributor to the whole conversation.

They asked me about my world, about the Shadow, about magic and those who wielded it, and about bruts — in particular, the huge brown brut that the master of the underground had been sitting on when I was brought into his presence. As I answered these questions, I could feel the dark stain on my shoulder getting bigger, and I started to lose my patience. Still, though, I tried my hardest to catch every word that the spirits uttered.

“Khaldrekar...” Oliver mused out loud. “One of the greatest masters of the Accursed One’s rituals. If he’s there, that means the process is already underway...”

“But he obviously hasn’t acquired enough power yet,” countered Ines.

Under different circumstances, of course, I might have disputed that particular assertion.

“Indeed,” Remigius agreed. “Otherwise he’d already be making his moves, rather than wasting time sitting next to a Source of Power. As soon as he devours enough mana and stabilizes his reservoir, though, he’ll be bound to swing into action.”

Oliver let out a defeated sigh.

“From the description this savage has given us, the crystal won’t be able to resist him for much longer, and then the beast will have full access to its mana...”

“Venerables ones.” The head spirit raised his voice to cut off the budding discussion. “I want to remind you that there’s no longer any point to these conversations. The fate of that world is no longer in our hands. We’ve done everything in our power, but we have no power over the Foreordained. That means that their world is fated to undergo these transformations. In this lies the balance and harmony of all things.”

Ines and Oliver didn’t respond to this, but judging by the fact that their silhouettes started to emit a brighter golden glow as he spoke, it seemed that they were in total agreement with the lead spirit’s words.

“Is that all, then?” I asked. I had finally lost my patience, and I no longer cared that they had told me not to speak. “I’ve just been floating around here with you, wasting valuable time?”

Against all my expectations, the spirits answered my question.

“Time?” Oliver’s voice was full of sarcasm. “The stupid savage still doesn’t get it.”

“What does that mean?” I snapped back as my body tensed up.

“What Venerable Oliver is trying to say is that your energy system has failed to defeat the mark of death,” Ines explained calmly. “You’re doomed. Your physical body will die very soon, and your energy body won’t be far behind.”

Her eyes appeared through the film. They were filled with sadness and sympathy. Apparently, she already considered me a dead man.

Even the head spirit condescended to answer me.

“I told you that already. Your mana flow will soon run out, and you’ll lose your connection with that world... But you don’t have enough energy to make use of that channel anyway. It doesn’t look like there’s anybody on that side who can help you this time. And you’ll never be able to replenish your mana supply on your own. Learning how to gather energy in the Reverse takes decades of training...”

As I listened to the spirit, I felt the pounding in my chest growing heavier with every passing moment. Like blows from an invisible hammer, it was soon sending vibrations all across my body.

The rage was building in heavy, burning waves, but I maintained my calm by focusing on a single point in front of me. I could feel heat rising through my neck into my head, but I didn’t let it explode out of me. Thousands of emotions were swirling through my mind. My inner animal nature tried to break through once again.

I felt the urge to snarl and growl, but instead I forced myself to close my eyes and concentrate. I knew I didn’t have a second to waste on thoughtless bursts of emotion.

The head spirit said there was nobody on the other side who could help me... But was that true? I listened to my innermost sensations and reached out for the mana flow, through which I could sense the presence of my parasite.

Nothing happened at first. I felt like a tiny fly, smacking its head repeatedly against the glass. Then, however, I finally got what I had been hoping for. I managed to get through to the parasite, who seemed to be in a state somewhere between sleeping and dreaming. My call made it start moving and wriggling...

Yes, I thought! Perfect! I could sense the beast’s joy, although in retrospect that was probably just a reflection of my own emotions. But I didn’t care...

It worked! My reservoir, which was practically empty of mana, suddenly started pulsating, and a moment later I felt a familiar movement from within it. The hungry parasite wanted some food... But its attack on the black blotch in my shoulder had already failed. Attacking such a powerful enemy, after all, would require more mana...

I opened my eyes and glanced around at the spirits who were staring back at me. I stopped on the one whose eyes were widest with amazement.

“Venerable Ines,” I said. “Please be so kind as to return me to the place where you found me.”

“That would be stupid and pointless,” the head spirit answered for her. “Why die in agony? Here, you could at least pass away in relative comfort.”

“Who said I’m planning to die?” I replied, then turned back to address Ines: “What do you say?”

“Are you sure?” She asked.

The features of her face emerged through the foggy film as she asked this, and I could see her eyes. Ines was looking at me the way one might look at a soldier who was about to march into his last battle.

“Absolutely,” I replied.

“Get ready, then,” she agreed.

The world flickered, and I found myself in exactly the same place where Ines had picked me up. The film that she had initially surrounded me with was no longer there. The gluttonous little shadows were still flitting all around me, trying to collect my last little crumbs of energy.

My sudden appearance provoked a torrent of excited shrieks.

“Mine!”

“No, mine!”

“Goodbye, brave savage,” Ines’ voice whispered out of the emptiness. “I wish you a fortunate rebirth...”

“I hope you’ll have reason to stop calling me a savage by the next time we meet,” I chuckled. I heard a soft, sad laugh.

And with that, the time for conversation was over... The spirits were already nearby.

The greedy little immaterial shadows were all around me, like vultures closing in on a dying animal. The dim glow of my aura only seemed to whet their appetites even more.

Their attack came like an avalanche, collapsing onto my energy body from all sides. I still hadn’t quite managed to get my bearings after the teleportation, and each time a spirit slammed into my aura it sent a pulsing pain into my mind.

The shadows sucked themselves onto my body from all sides like a swarm of hungry leeches. Their restless, curled-up bodies were vibrating so intensely that they emitted a high-frequency sound that soon began to resonate through my energy channels.

I could feel them soaking through what remained of my protective aura, slithering like foggy tentacles as they worked their way deeper and deeper into my system until they were right next to my reservoir. Every moment I had to spend in this condition was agony. Several of the beasts had already reached my energy system and started sucking out the remnants of my life force.

In their unsuspecting greed, however, they fell right into my trap. The beast who formed such an integral part of me was merely waiting for as many spirits to become ensnared in my aura as possible before it lept into action.

The starving parasite was thirsting for mana, and suddenly it was everywhere, stuck onto every open surface on my body.

The first spirit who had latched itself onto my energy system suddenly let out a loud squeal of pain, then started thrashing around like a fish with a spear through its side as a golden tentacle sank into its body.

A stomach-turning scream of pain and horror echoed through the yellow sky as the parasite began to devour the otherworldly creature. One of the other spirits tried to tear itself loose from another tentacle, but it was too late. The spirit disappeared, almost as if it had dissolved into thin air, and when it did I felt a surge of power return to my reservoir.

The parasite knew no exhaustion. I could feel it switch its attention to the next spirit, who was stuck in my aura like a fly in a honeypot. The little shadow was trying as hard as it could to break free; its movements soon grew chaotic, almost feverish. But resistance was futile. The gaps in my aura slowly started to heal.

The other small spirits, who had attacked me so viciously just moments before, had already started to notice the changes. Their chaotic movements quickly acquired an air of fear. Some of them tried to retreat, but by then it was too late. I felt the parasite grab them, one after the other, and devour them with unstoppable, insatiable greed. The little creatures were no longer a threat to me. On the contrary, in fact — I was starting to worry that we would have to start chasing them all across the Reverse.

As my reservoir filled, I could feel a pleasant warmth spreading through my energy body. Slowly but surely, the pain subsided, edged out by this new influx of strength.

The last spirits weren’t even attacking me anymore. They were twitching, squirming as they tried to escape my aura, while the parasite continued sucking them methodically and mercilessly into its own body. As it turned out, there were some larger fish caught in our “net” as well. Presumably, these were the same “devourerers” that Ines had been so worried about. My golden parasite had already hit its stride, however, and even these larger shadows were no match for it at all.

Another moment, and then the last of them was gone...

Silence filled the air around me. My body was so overflowing with energy that it was actually vibrating, while my aura was saturated and shimmering, fully prepared for the next attack. But there weren’t any enemies left...

I looked around, and once I was sure that there was nothing around me anymore, I turned my attention to my own energy system. And it was something to behold... I hadn’t noticed immediately in the heat of battle, but by the time I looked down at it the big black mark on my shoulder had shrunk until it was roughly the size of a pinky fingernail. The parasite hadn’t wasted a second. Once the spirits were gone, it had switched its attention instantly to the black mana in my wound. A few moments later, and the pitiful remnants of the death magic dissolved into my energy system.

Now it was my turn to use my time wisely: I focused on the mana channel that connected my energy body with my physical one, and (without any real difficulty) I sent a big burst of mana flowing through it.

It turned out to be more than enough. Easily and lightly, without any effort, my body started to rise into the air, and the lands of the Reverse began to fade into the distance. As I ascended, I spotted two golden auras frozen in the air below me.

Just before the barrier between realities flashed, I heard the tired, elderly voice of the head spirit:

“You were right, Ines. This savage is a lot more determined than we thought...”