As the tent collapsed, already the trainees in the distance turned to look toward the commotion. Seeing the figure erge from the collapsed tent, panic set in.
Screams and warnings fused from the trainees.
"Run! He's lashing out again!"
"Warn Aberon!"
"Soone get the wolf here!"
Aberon, who was locked in a stalemate against the three summons of Astaroth, decided it was no longer the ti for holding back.
Using telekinesis, he blew away the three spirits before using a spell he seldom used, simply because of the cost it held.
Teleporting from his spot, he appeared next to Astaroth, putting his hand on the young man's shoulder, before teleporting again, bringing Astaroth with him, and grabbing Kloud in the sa fashion.
He teleported a third ti, this ti bringing the two passengers outside the cave and onto the surface. Once they appeared on the surface, Aberon pushed Kloud away with a massive telekinetic wave, trying to make so distance between them and him.
Astaroth was still in shock at the appearance of his old teacher.
Kloud looked older, and tired, like life had been hell on earth for him. But that was just half of his face.
The other half was black as soot, with a horn stabbing out from his forehead, and one red eye. The hair on the side that was black was gone, and the skin looked cracked, like dry dirt.
His Elven side was stuck in a mask of pained terror, while the side with apparent demonic traits was grinning madly, the eye darting about, like it was looking for sothing.
When it finally stopped moving, it was locked on Astaroth.
"Ahh, finally so freedom! Thank you for destabilizing his focus, mortal. Now I get to end what I had started months ago!"
But as it tried dashing forward, a powerful pressure pushed it to one knee.
Turning its gaze to the old man next to its target, it clicked its tongue.
"You are still alive, you old dented mage? Why don't you croak already?!"
Aberon was sweating bullets.
Astaroth could recognize the symptoms of mana drainage on the old man's face. It was easy to understand why.
Teleportation was not magic that could be used willy-nilly. It ca at a steep cost.
Not only had he teleported three tis, but he was also holding down the demon with the rest of his power. But Astaroth was still confused about what had happened.
Until Aberon spoke up.
"Kloud! I know you can hear . Get a grip, you idiot! Don't let that weak demon rampage again. Think of what happened last ti!"
"Shishishishi! Your friend is not available at the mont. Whatever his thoughts may be, his body is currently mine to control. Now I get to finish your foolish little tribe and complete my original mission."
"What do you an by last ti, Aberon?" Astaroth asked, realization slowly setting in.
"Now is not the ti, you stupid, emotional child. If you start a ss, you better help clean it."
Astaroth took the rebuke like a hamr to his heart. All he wanted was answers.
And now he was treated like he released the apocalypse upon his family.
"Shishishishi! Yes, talk to so more. Make this stupid vessel fall into despair so more! Do it!"
Astaroth turned to the demon, angered by the accusation.I think you should take a look at
"Who are you?! What have you done to Kloud?!"
The demon was already standing back up, the pressure on it slowly lessening. Aberon was weakening by the second.
He cursed silently.
'What's the use of having all this power, if just containing this demon takes up all my focus?!'
Astaroth could see that Aberon was about to faint, his body already trembling to maintain his spell. When he turned to look at the demon, who was now trudging towards him, he panicked.
'What am I supposed to do? I don't even know what's happening! Is Kloud still in there? Should I help hold the demon down? Should I try reasoning with Kloud's consciousness, if it's even still there?'
The demon took step after step, his body slowly straightening out, until he was re ters away from Astaroth.
"Shishishi! Yes! Despair! You seem like a better vessel than this old, broken man!"
Astaroth's senses finally picked up sothing, now that the demon was closer. Although he was still on the last legs of Royal Protection, and his perception of ti was still sped up, he activated Thousand Thoughts, to give himself ti to think.
Thousand Thoughts activated, overlapping with his already hyperactive mind, and ti ca to a standstill. Everything around him slowed down so much it was like ti had completely stopped.
He could still see the mana particles move, ever so slowly, trying to push the demon down. Focusing on Kloud, he could sense his soul.
He rarely sensed souls with his mana sense, since they weren't composed of mana. He had to be close enough for his soul affinity to sense deeper.
But the current proximity of Kloud made it possible.
Gazing at his interface, he could see the seconds tick down on his Royal Protection and Thousand Thoughts. So he wasted no ti.
Investigating what he had sensed, he focused his eyes on Kloud's midsection. There he could see a white blue-ish fla flickering inside his body.
Currently wrapped around it, a black fla was spinning violently. It seed to corrode the white fla, little by little.
But sothing else caught Astaroth's attention.
Looking closely at the white soul, he could see a small black fragnt trying to push into the white one. The black flas were emanating from that small fragnt.
'Is that the demon's soul? So it still hasn't gotten full control… Is it just able to take control under specific circumstances?'
Astaroth was trying to figure out how it was controlling the body it was in, given it was so much smaller and weaker than Kloud's soul. But he figured he was wasting his ti trying to find out how, when the damage was already done.
But he had already figured out how to help his old teacher.
As Thousand Thoughts deactivated, Astaroth looked at Aberon.
"I hope you can perform healing magic, too."
The old man looked confused.
"What? Why—"
Before he could ask his question, Astaroth took a quick step toward Kloud, stabbing his hand into his stomach.
The demon looked like he was about to laugh, at first, when he saw the young elf stab his own friend. But when he felt the hand suddenly touch its soul, deep inside the body, its face morphed into horror.
"No! Stop! What are you—"
Before it could finish its phrase, its eyes unfocused, as did Astaroth's.
Standing there, with one's hand inside the other's body, both Ash Elves were still as statues.
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