Just like Fawn said, he was a leech to the world.
The ethereal realm around me quivered with the surge of newfound power, an electric current that coursed through my spirit.
A luminous figure appeared before me, radiant with an other-worldly glow. The same glow my goddess possessed. Its form transcended the boundaries of my understanding. It was as if I was in the presence of Hexarium itself—the very essence of the magical world.
I couldn't see its face clearly, but I could feel a sense of profound wisdom and ancient power emanating from it. I’d never been one truly devoted to the spirits, but I never disregarded them. I knew right away this was a spirit of Hexarium.
"Do not be afraid, Jasper,” the spirit spoke, its voice soothing yet commanding. "Your time in this world has not yet come to an end."
“I am immortal because of your doing, aren’t I?” I tilted my head, trying to decipher what the spirit looked like.
“It is the will of the spirits,” it answered, almost as if more than a few spirits were speaking at once.
“How am I not dead?” I racked my brain. “I was killed by the bone dagger.”
“You were killed by your brother’s power before the wound from the dagger finished your vessel off,” they corrected.
I swore I could both kill and hug my brother for killing me.
My heart pounded as I tried to comprehend the gravity of the situation. “Fawn is fighting Matthieu, and Ineedto help her. I cannot lose her.”
The spirit's radiant presence seemed to grow even brighter. "In every age, a chosen one arises to face a grave evil that threatens to consume the world. You and the shield of the Lethium Empire are destined to be the catalyst of change, the one who will aid the true champion in vanquishing the evil sucking out our magic.”
“Fawn’s the true champion,” I murmured, my heart swelling with pride for my goddess. Even the spirits of Hexarium recognized her magical abilities.
"Yes," the spirit affirmed. "A powerful elemental mage with a pure heart and unwavering resolve. I’m sure you already know that about her. However, she needs yours and your shield brothers’ guidance and support to triumph."
“Matthieu is killing Hexarium…” The spirit's voice resonated with power. “You must take what is left of it without killing us instead. You need to bring Matthieu down far enough for Fawn to pierce his heart. It needs to be done now, or Hexarium will be lost forever, and you and your bonded ones will perish with us.”
With those words, a surge of energy cascaded through me, a fusion of Hexarium's magic and my own spirit's essence. The luminous thread that connected me to the well of power glowed brighter, intertwining with the threads of my bonded mages and Fawn's spirit.
As the fog began to dissipate, the realm shifted, and I felt myself being drawn back to the physical plane. The spirit's words echoed in my mind, a resonating promise of hope and strength.
My vision cleared, and I found myself back in Hexarium, gasping for breath with my brother hovering over me.
“Fuck, Jasper, don’t ever fucking do that to me again!” Caper let out a heavy breath as relief flooded the bond. “Do you know how hard it was tokillyou so you wouldn’tdie die?”
The pain of my death was replaced by a newfound sense of purpose. I knew what I had to do.
“Missed you too, Casper. You can bitch at me in a few.” In the blink of an eye, I materialized in front of Matthieu. “I told you that I’d fucking end you for hurting my goddess,” I snarled.
Power surged through my vessel, and a dangerous energy built inside of me. The power of Hexarium flowed through my veins, completely under my control.
“You think because of Hexarium’s useless spirits, you’ll be able to defeat me?” He chuckled, swiping hair out of his face. “Try me.”
“Fuck you.” I summoned dark wisps of energy that twisted and thrashed around me like a storm, their power amplifying my own. A deep red hue enveloped my vision, and a surge of absolute power rushed through my veins.
I focused my attention on Matthieu and unleashed the full extent of my dark mage powers upon him. Raising my hands toward Matthieu, a dark storm lashed out at him from every direction. My darkness had already overpowered him before he could even attempt to run.
My dark wisps closed in on him quickly, and he screamed in agony as he was forced to his knees. “What is this? What power are you wielding?”
I slithered my wisps through his flesh, wrapping around each rib bone before pulling them from his flesh with thunderous force. Blood splattered everywhere as his screams filled the castle. His bones hit the stone floor with funny sounds.
Matthieu's fatal mistake would be underestimating the spirit’s power.
My darkness pushed him against the ground, and I sliced open his chest cavity, moving his ribs enough to reveal his beating heart.
A glimmer of ivory bone shone in my peripheral vision, and Fawn stood beside me with her face soaked in tears. She held the bone dagger, and her face was cold as she approached Matthieu, who had all but lost consciousness.
