The Soul Keeper

"Get that thing away from me!" I said as I pushed the sword away with the back of my hand. As O did so, my body returned to normal. Soul's Aspect had ended. "Something's wrong with Asher!" My eyes focused on Fetheion. He seemed more shocked than anything.

He hesitated for a split second as he glanced at Lucius and Asher, both of whom were laying unconscious on the ground. "Right…" 

"What happened to Lucius?" I asked as I also noticed them. Why was everyone around be dropping unconscious, getting sick, wounded or dying?

"I just put him to sleep." The Divine replied, still somewhat confused. "Kai, how did you-"

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know later, just please save Asher!" I cried out. I still remembered Mona's words when she saved him. If we had been just a little been too late, he would have died. 

"Fine, fine." Fetheion rolled his eyes. "He'll be fine." He raised his hand, releasing some of his power. Black mist enveloped us, then lifted both Asher and Lucius up. "Let's go inside." 

I followed him and my two unconscious friends. After leaving Lucius in the library, he brough Asher to the room I stayed in for a few months. "So, what happened?" Fetheion asked as he touched Asher's forehead with the tip of his finger. 

Almost immediately, colour returned to the blonde sorcerer's face. He already looked healthier and Fetheion hadn't even done much yet.

"We came across something weird," I said, carefully watching the flow of the Divine's mana. Could I replicate this spell too? How different was it from that seal back in the mansion?

"Define 'weird' please." Fetheion glanced at me, his brows slightly furrowed. 

"It was a corrupted demon, a powerful one." 

He flinched. "Where?" I described the place. As I spoke his expression continued to grow darker. He was clearly worried – not because we'd killed the demon, but probably because its appearance meant something greater. Something I didn't really have any knowledge of.

"How did you kill it?" He asked as his magic continued to heal Asher. I hesitated. "Well…" I glanced at Asher – what was the spell he'd used to defeat the horde?

"Kai," Fetheion's warning tone made it clear that he wanted the whole and complete truth. "A demon corrupted my Divine magic doesn't die as easily."

I nodded. "When Lucius pierced its chest, we were sure it had died." I still vividly remembered that moment of fear as we realised it was still alive. "But it hadn't. Asher cast some spells – lightning strikes and such." I fiddled with some loose strands of hair. "That didn't work either. Eventually Lucius stabbed it from the back, and I slit its throat."

Well, I had stabbed its throat, but did that detail really matter? "I'm not sure which of those attacks killed it."

"Neither." Fetheion said with a sigh. "It must have died because it ran out of magic." He lifted his finger off of Asher's forehead. "Let him rest for a while." He headed for the door and waited for me to follow him. "Come, tell me more." 

I thought we were headed for the library, but instead, Fetheion led me through the narrow hall to another room – his room. It wasn't any larger than the one I had used while I stayed here, but it did have a second door. Fetheion immediately headed there and opened it, revealing a staircase leading down. 

"Where does this lead?" I asked as he motioned for me to approach. I could feel the pulse of magic coming from down there."

"My workshop. I need to take a look at your sword, so come on." He descended the stairs, and I followed him. 

We soon arrived at rather small room. There were symbols carved in the floor, the walls, even the ceiling. They were the source of the magic I felt before. "Have a seat." The crimson haired man said, gesturing to a comfy couch. "And give me your sword." 

I did as he asked. The couch was comfortable, and the warm air immediately made me feel sleepy. I wondered – what time was it? Probably midnight.

"Don't fall asleep – you still need to tell me everything that happened." Fetheion's sharp voice pulled me away from the sweet, warm, dark embrace of sleep. I blinked a few times, then sat up straight to force myself to stay awake.

"Well," I began telling him all about the fight – how the animals became corrupted and attacked us, how Asher decimated them, and almost struck us with his lightning strikes too, about the corrupted demon… I left nothing out – I was sure he'd know if I tried to keep a secret. 

As I spoke, Fetheion listened intently, yet still continued inspecting the sword. 

"The mansion you found," He said once I finished my words. "Do you think you could go back there if needed?" I shrugged; I honestly didn't know.

"Maybe," I replied glancing at my hand. "If I can open a rift." I wasn't sure because I didn't know if having been somewhere was enough.

"It may come in handy in the future, so do give it a try when you get the chance." Fetheion placed the sword on the symbols on the floor. "Now – like I've said before, this sword has absorbed your power – some of it, at least – when it was used to kill you. I think that was why you were able to kill the corrupted demon." He hesitated, there was some bitterness in his voice. 

"Oh," I said, somewhat concerned. "I see."

"So," Fetheion said as he stepped back. The symbols on the floor lit up with magic. "I'm making sure the sword isn't being corrupted by the demon's power." While his gaze was focused on the sword, I could tell his mind had wondered off.

"How does a demon get corrupted like that?" I asked after a short moment of silence. 

Fetheion took a deep breath – I could see how he didn't really want to answer my question. "It happens when a demon overuses their power." He said after a moment of hesitation. "You see, there are several different sources of power." His power filled the room as he raised his hand. Darkness flowed through his fingers.

"The Ereth's power comes from the Divine Pillars. When near one, they are nearly invincible, but once they can't draw power from them, all they can do is use whatever that had already taken." He pointed at the ground. "I have severed my connection with the Divine Power, instead choosing to rely on the land." He chuckled, but then his expression darkened. 

"What about the demons?" I asked. It concerned me as well, didn't it? I was – my body was – a demon's body, after all. This was something I needed to know.

"Modern demons – for lack of a better word – gain their power through study and practice. That includes the two you told me about. Vixia and Delthur, was it?" I nodded. "They are younger and have lost what their ancestors once had."

I hesitated, neither Vixia nor Delthur ever seemed like they were less powerful. In fact, the way Vixia carried herself made me think she was someone high up in terms of power and influence in the demon realm.

"The Demon Lord however…" Fetheion shook his head. "He is one of the ancients. His power is the culmination of his past experiences, the trust he has gathered, and so much more." The crimson haired Divine seemed rather unsure of himself. "Your predecessor once told me an Ancient Demon's power stems from the heart and soul, while the younglings have lost that trust."

I couldn't help but look at him with confusion. What did the 'heart and soul' even mean in this case? Did they just… believe? Was that it? The power of belief?

Honestly, that made all of this sound cheap. Of course, trust in oneself, self confidence and belief are important – but to gain literal magic from that was simply too… Cliché.

"Don't take what I said lightly," Fetheion scolded me as he noticed my expression. "The Demon Lord isn't powerful because he believes in himself. But that belief is what makes him act – just like how you fought and killed those two demons before – your desperation and trust in your own abilities is what made you overcome that fight, even though it didn't give you any literal power."

"I know, I get." I said after sighing. "But the way you put it was just so cheesy."

Fetheion rolled his eyes. "Anyways," He said as the symbols on the ground slowly began to lose their glow. "A demon becomes corrupted in two ways; when they lose trust in what they do and simply crave for more power, or when they deplete all of their power, and begin burning their life force during a fight – or whatever else is going on at the time." He glanced at me with a dark expression. "That strain on their mind corrupts them – they become little more than animals. Wild bests who are fixated on one idea, a single goal. They usually don't have the ability to accomplish that either, so they simply roam the land, looking for something to kill."

That sounded awfully like the most recent memories of the corrupted demon's soul. But he did have the ability to pursue that goal, didn't he? "But the corrupted demon we fought could use these rifts – he nearly defeated all of us."

Fetheion sighed. "Some exceptional minds never succumb to the corruption as much as the rest of them." He hesitated, then approached a shelf. He took out a portrait. "Do you know the name Dorith?"