“My lord!” Eztara shouted, withdrawing from the menacing aura. Lunarius clenched his jaw, then leaned back, allowing the weight to lift for a brief moment.

  “I see you’ve found one of Luminarch’s relics. How wonderful,” the demon seethed with an undertone of sarcasm.

  Finnlen glanced around, or at least, that’s what it looked like he was doing. “I’m sorry, I’m rather confused—”

  “Silence!” Lunarius roared, and I felt his intimidating presence begin to take hold of the atmosphere once again. I collapsed to one knee, barely able to stand.

  Joshua glanced at me worriedly, unsure of how to react, straining against the power of the Primordial. I raised a heavy leg, barely able to move, but managed to place myself between the demon and the glaive. “Isn’t this what you wanted me to do?” I asked quietly.

  “Yes,” Lunarius replied, letting his presence fade again. “But I was hoping you would find him last.”

  “I don’t know—” Finnlen started, but Joshua slapped the glaive with the back of his hand, interrupting his sentence.

  “I’m pretty sure he has amnesia,” I commented.

  Lunarius stared at me for a moment, then sighed with exhaustion. “It is because he has been separated from his master for too long. Should he be reunited with the other relics, he will return to his former state,” The Primordial explained with disdain.

  “Well, if that’s all, I’d like to begin our preparations.”

  Lunarius regarded me with a blank expression. “Go ahead.”

  Joshua and I left the room in a hurry, Finnlen following shortly after. I heard the door close with a heavy slam, and I could’ve sworn I heard Lunarius screaming, but it also might’ve been my imagination.

  “What did you do to him?” Joshua questioned the glaive, confirming my suspicions.

  Finnlen seemed to shrug his nonexistent shoulders.

  After a few moments of silence as we ran through the hall, we made our way back down to the front entrance to the fortress, but my companions were no longer there. We pushed past the front gate, which led into the courtyard directly in front of Lunarius’ domain.

  It was a tall, imposing structure, created from blackened stone laid upon each other with intricate precision. Spikes jutted into the air, as if lying in wait to impale any creatures that dared to fly above the castle. Dark, glass windows were carved into the stone, each one nearly impossible to see into. Multiple towers made up the bulk of the fortress, culminating in sharp, black points.

  My companions were all gathered within the courtyard directly in front of the entrance, and I could see small tents pitched in small groupings. A smoldering fire lay at the center, and a few of my companions were gathered around, deep in conversation.

  “So, how did you meet Lucivar?” Zorrack questioned Kril.

  The Imp hovered by the fire, shivering slightly. “I was his first friend back in Hell! We’re brothers!”

  “He’s my brother,” Azazel harumphed, curled in a small bundle of scales and talons below the Imp.

  The pair of adoptive siblings stared at each other with contempt.

  “First?” Cedric questioned wide-eyed, and Kril began to recount the tale of our adventures in Hell from his perspective. Some of the details may have been slightly embellished, but I expected no less from my first friend.

  I elected to let my companions be for now. I noticed several somber Dryads and Treants gathering as well, with Viressa comforting a crying Thuldur. I couldn’t see Druval anywhere in sight.

  Viressa met my eyes, then she glanced away knowingly.

  “Let’s go, Joshua. We need to test some stuff,” I said, voice steeled with determination. We made our way off to the side, far enough away that I could barely see the smoke rising from the encampment in front of us.

  Joshua and Finnlen stood and hovered a few feet away from me, and we needed to experiment quickly. Only a few minutes remained on the skills duration, and there were a few bits of info I needed to gather before I could begin planning the best course of action.

  “First off, what happened back there, with the whole ‘spirit unity’ thing?” I questioned.

  Joshua shrugged. “When I tried to summon Signeir, the whole system freaked out and replaced the skill with something else.”

  “You said you could hear someone when you were using it, was that Signeir?”

  The parasite shook his head. “It wasn’t him.”

  [Summon Lesser Named Fire Spirit]

  Signeir appeared, then whirled around in confusion. “Where are we?”

  “I don’t have time to explain right now.”

  “Did we defeat the Elf?”

  I didn’t answer, and Joshua shook his head.

  “I see…” Signeir replied. “Then, for what purpose have you summoned me, demon?”

  I ignored his question for a moment, prompting Joshua to activate his new skill.

  [Spirit Unity]

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  In a flash of crimson flames, Joshua transformed into the spirit-clone hybrid he had used to fight against Lirien. Signeir seemed surprised, but in a manner that it appeared he was familiar with the skill.

  So he can use the skill even when Signeir has been summoned. Interesting.

  “A spirit fusion! How wonderful!” Signeir exclaimed, then looked down at his body. “But… I’m still here?” He added, voice pitching up in confusion.

  “That’s what that bastard Elf called it as well,” Joshua commented, the spinning orbs above his head casting a golden glow on the trees and plants around us. “And why do I have to deal with so many voices all of a sudden?”

  “I’m not just a voice!” Finnlen called, breaking his silence.

  “Shut up, spear.”

  “Glaive,” the glaive corrected. Joshua clenched his jaw in anger, but didn’t reply.

  “Hold on,” Signeir said suddenly, then his eyes widened. “Demon, or, second demon…?”

  “Joshua,” I prompted.

  “Joshua. Ask the voice what his name is.”

  It was silent for a moment as the parasite held a mental conversation with the spirit in his head. Finally, he responded with a name. “Ignatius.”

  Signeir’s eyes bulged. “Are you joking?!”

  “Why, what's wrong?” I inquired.

  The fire spirit shook his head in disbelief, pausing for a moment before speaking. “You’re clone, or parasite… Joshua? Whatever he is,” He stopped, looking me dead in the eye. His next words were spoken with great awe, such that it seemed even Signeir did not believe what he was about to say. “He has fused with the most powerful being in the Spirit Realm.”

  “He doesn’t seem like all that—” Joshua’s new twisted voice came to a halt, then it suddenly changed. His eyes glowed with an intense flare, and the orbs above his head began to accelerate.

  “Do not speak ill of me, demon. I am the King of all Fire Spirits. You would do well to remember that.” The new voice was deep and commanding, similar to that of the Elven King.

  Signeir hesitantly grabbed the hilt of his blade. I sharpened my claws, digging my feet into the ground cautiously. Finnlen flew to my side, aiming a blade towards Joshua’s, or perhaps, the Spirit King’s neck.

  “Give me back my parasite,” I spat.

  The spirit let out a roar of laughter. “Do not fear, weaklings,” Ignatius replied confidently. “I have no qualms with you lot. I simply wish for the respect I deserve.”

  “Lord Ignatius,” Signeir said slowly, bowing his head in respect. “I have only ever heard tales of your might, to think that I would come to meet you, even if through a rather… unconventional method.”

  “Your respect has been noted, spirit. Your name?”

  “Signeir.”

  “Signeir,” He repeated, letting the name gradually roll off Joshua’s tongue. “Well, when you return to the Spirit Realm from your summoning, I will meet you in my domain,” Ignatius said, less a request and more of a fact of the world.

  My summon nodded, and I could see his eyes widening in surprise.

  “Well then, demon. I will allow your… friend to regain control. I hope I will have the pleasure of meeting you someday,” The King concluded regally, then added a final thought. “You are quite interesting.”

  Joshua’s eyes returned to normal as the orbs above his head began to slow. He blinked a few times, then turned to us with a foreign expression on his face.

  It was almost… fear.

  “It’s alright,” I comforted. “That guy seems nice enough.”

  Joshua snarled, letting his face snap back to normal. The Spirit Unity spell dissipated, and he returned to the withered version of me once again. Only a few seconds remained on his duration, so I stepped forward, laying a hand on his shoulder. Without prompting, the parasite did the same, catching on quickly.

  [Shadow Mark]

  Joshua disappeared in a cloud of dust.

  “What was that?” Signeir asked, tilting his head curiously.

  “A skill I gained from my new Primordial Brand—”

  “Primordial?!” The spirit shouted in surprise.

  I took the next few minutes to explain everything, from my adventure in Hell where I had first met Lunarius, to the events leading up to where we were now, including Ossara’s sacrifice.

  “So the Ruler allowed your escape… how noble of her.”

  I nodded in agreement.

  “Then, what exactly does that skill do?”

  I stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. Signeir seemed apprehensive, recoiling slightly, then allowed me to touch him. A crescent-shaped moon appeared on his shoulder. “You will now be able to summon me with a thought, though I can cancel the teleport at my discretion.”

  Signeir regarded the mark carefully, then nodded a few times. “I see. This may have potential in combat… hold on, will this allow you to travel between realms?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you could come back to the Spirit Realm with me!” He exclaimed with a child-like giddiness.

  “Perhaps another time,” I replied. “For now, I have other business to attend to.”

  The spirit seemed saddened by my words, but nodded knowingly. “I see. Well, I will be heading back now. The Spirit King requests my presence after all!”

  He disappeared in a flash of crimson light.

  Finnlen hovered closer, not yet following his master. “What will we do next, demon?” He questioned.

  “We train,” I answered. “But first, I have some questions for you as well.”

  “Go ahead!”

  “Why were you in the Celestial Realm?”

  “Not sure!”

  “Why did Isarion have you?”

  “Not sure!”

  “What do you know?”

  “Not sure!”

  Are you kidding me?

  [See what I have to deal with?]

  “Hold on!” Finnlen shouted, hovering with excitement. “I do know something!”

  I stared expectantly, waiting for further elaboration.

  “That scary-looking demon, Lunarius, right? He said that I could ‘return to my former state’ or something, correct?”

  “Yes…” I sighed, waiting for the weapon to get to the point.

  “Well, remember how that big Elf guy had a crown on his head?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “When he started getting closer, I felt a tingle!”

  A tingle…?

  [I’m going to kill this thing.] Joshua seethed.

  “Get on with it!” I raged uncharacteristically.

  [I didn’t know you had it in you.]

  “Alright, alright,” Finnlen said, floating back a few inches. “What I’m trying to say is, I think I can help find the other relics… or whatever!”

  “That's great,” I replied. “But we have other things to worry about first.”

  “Oh.”

  I began walking back towards the encampment where my friends were situated, but something interrupted me along the way. A slight shift in the wind was all I needed to sense it.

  One of my hands caught the encroaching tail, and the invisible beast slowly uncloaked, revealing a glowing, golden hide.

  It was a Nightstalker, and the info panel showed the creature was now in its third moon variation, which meant that the amber moon above me was next in the sequence from the violet one that had originally floated in the sky. The animal snarled viciously, readying its jaw to blow me to smithereens with its Lunar Blast skill.

  Without even sparing a glance towards the creature, I let loose a barrage of blood lances, killing the animal with a swarm of sharpened liquid.

  I was done playing games.

  The Elves were going to pay.