Marco: So… How do we do the thing?
Tamamo: It's pretty easy. Alice.
Alice turned towards Tamamo with a curious look, before Tamamo gestured her to get closer.
Tamamo: I may look small, but I have more than 400 years of practice with seals and magic, I just need a bit of your blood, and reveal your chests.
Marco and Alice nodded, before they bit their finger, drawing blood, Marco removed his shirt too, revealing the scar that Erubetie gave him. Nanabi watched everything from far with admiration, it was rare seeing her teacher at work, and she couldn't lose it.
Then Tamamo used her finger to pick the drop of blood of Alice, and when she put it on Marco's chest, magically, more blood came out and used it to create a big circle with some symbols around.
Then she used Marco's blood to make a smaller circle in Alice's chest, and wrote a big symbol inside the circle, the two seals looked like they would complete each other if they were done in the same spot.
Tamamo cleaned her hands and smiled in satisfaction from her good job.
Tamamo: Alright. Now, Marco, Alice, don't try to resist.
The two of them nodded, and Tamamo laid her palms on their chests, where the symbols were. Then she took a deep breath and started to concentrate.
Marco waited a bit, and unexpectedly the system sent a message.
*Ding*
*Analyzing…*
*Recognized: Alipheese Fateburn 16th*
*Status: Descendant of the Goddess of Darkness*
*The status is not high enough to enter the soul of the Host*
*Status: Friendly+* (AN: The rank is like this: Blacklist/Hated+/Hated/Stranger/Non-Hostile/Friendly/Friendly+/Partner, from the Stranger and lower, the status will not be analyzed except in certain cases)
*Correction: The status is high enough to enter the soul of the Host*
At this moment, Alice glowed and turned into pitch black orbs, which slowly floated to Marco's chest, and the same symbol that was on Alice appeared on Marco's chest, inside the big circle.
Marco blinked a bit before looking at his body, not seeing any change at all he asked.
Marco: That's all?
Tamamo: Yeah, what did you expect? A boost in power? You need monster blood to do that.
Marco: No no, I am already strong, it's just… It is a bit anticlimactic. I thought there was something more…
Tamamo: Reality is often disappointing… Deal with it, do you want me to take you at Illias Village?
Marco: Wait, isn't it dangerous for you to get that near to Illias Temple?
Tamamo: I will teleport us some kilometers away from it, it's alright.
Marco shrugged and extended an arm, which Tamamo took and then turned towards Nanabi, who talked before her.
Nanabi: Don't worry Lady Tamamo, I will stay here to protect Kitsu.
Tamamo smiled and turned to Marco.
Tamamo: We can go now… Oh right, before we go, you need to know that the seal is for one single use, Alice can decide when she wants to leave, and can listen to your thoughts.
Marco nodded and took a deep breath.
Marco: Let's go.
Then Tamamo and Marco teleported away, leaving Nanabi and Kitsu alone for some minutes.
[Illias Village]
Marco and Tamamo appeared some kilometers away from the Village and Tamamo hurriedly said.
Tamamo: Bye Marco.
And vanished immediately, well, they were near the village so Illias could detect a dark energy if one stays long enough.
Marco turned towards where the village was and took a deep breath.
Marco: 'I'm back…'
Suddenly, Alice's voice was heard.
Alice: Goddamn this place is big!
Marco jumped a bit in fright from her sudden appearance, and took deep breaths.
Marco: 'Don't scare me like that…'
Alice: Oh, sorry, it's just that this place is so-
[In the mindscape]
Alice: -BIG!!
She was currently floating around, she was watching one of the biggest forest she ever seen after Plansect Forest, nearby there was a big lake and a river, and far away there were mountains, over her head there was a clear sky with clouds too, but there was no sun.
However, the place was still bright, and the cause for it was the gargantuan pillar at the center of the mindscape, it was as bright as the sun, but it didn't hurt her eyes at all.
When she touched the pillar, she could feel an insurmountable power flowing in the pillar, the feeling it gave was similar to the one that Marco gave out, however it was more tyrannical, probably because of the sheer amount of power it had compared to Marco.
If this was the place where his energy came from, then she feared how strong he would be when he reaches the last gate.
She turned around, and looked once again at the land in front of her, even if it was devoid of living beings, it was still an amazing sight.
Alice: Wow… Who thought that you had this in your head…
?: Hey!
Alice turned around, and found Sylph waving her hand at her.
Alice: Is that…
Sylph: Hey Beautiful Lady! Come with me!
Alice shrugged and followed Sylph, she seen that they were going towards the mountain range, and once they came past it, the scenery was completely different from before.
At the other side of the mountain range, there were countless tall structures, each one had so many glass windows that it would put her castle in shame, some of their heights could even overcome the biggest monsters she ever seen.
But every building here was gray colored, between the buildings there was a strange road, it was black and had a light grey line in the middle, there were things like trash cans around, pots with plants, gardens, parks… But everything was grey or black colored, everything except a house.
The house was average, there was nothing special with it, it had a small backyard, a gate in front of the house, fences, glass windows, everything was average, but unlike any other structure in this world, the house was colored.
Alice saw Sylph flying to the house, and Alice followed her inside, the house was kept really well, there was nothing dirty, under her tail there was a wooden floor with a sky blue carpet which was going from the entrance to the stairs, and maybe beyond.
Alice looked around, somehow, even without sun, torches, or candle, the house was illuminated, she noticed that the thing that was illuminating the house was a light coming from a small glass container on the ceiling.
She continued to look around, and found some paintings, some were made well, worthy of being put on her castle, while others were representing people, then she found a small painting, there was Marco like she knew, 15 years old, red eyes, brown short hair, and strange clothes.
Around him, there were two people, which looked like his parents, the mother had brown hair while the father had black short hair and light red eyes.
However… Who were really they? Marco told her that his mother died when he was young, she saw his mother and her death on a dream of hers, and the house was completely different than this, which looked extremely modern.
And about the father, he wasn't there, and judging from the informations she got, she had a little idea about who might be the father, the kid, Luka, really looked like him, and now she started to feel guilty about making his father half blind…
Alice: No… He already knew about it…
She remembered the conversation with Lazarus, Marco talked about Marcellus as if he knew what really happened to him. And she realized that Marco never blamed her about it, making her smile a bit.
But there was still the question… Who are those two people? And the best method to find it out was…
Alice: Hey Marco, I found a picture about you with two people, who are they?
Marco: 'Huh? What are you talking about?'
Alice: I found a picture in your house inside your mindscape.
Marco: 'How the fuck is big my mindscape?!'
Alice: Pretty big… About the two people…
Marco: 'Describe them.'
Alice: There is a lady with brown long hair, she had brown eyes and looks like a 40 years old lady, at her left there was a man in a shirt, he had black short hair and light red eyes, he is grinning.
Marco: …
Alice: Do you know them?
Marco: '...Alice… Put the picture where it was…'
Alice shrugged and put back the picture where she found it from, then Marco voice was heard again.
Marco: 'I know you have some questions about it… And I will answer them, just… Not now… I promise you that we will talk about it in future…'
*Ding*
*Special Quest: Tell the truth to Alice.*
It seems that she was unable to listen to the message, Alice trusted Marco, and if he said it like this, then the answer must be something serious.
Alice: Alright, I will wait.
Marco: 'Thanks Alice, thanks a lot… Now I will enter Illias Village.'
Alice nodded and started to go on the first floor, and entered the first door she found, inside the room, there were the 4 spirits waiting on a clean bed at her left, at her right there was a desk with strange machines over it, maybe Marco was talking about this when he said he knew a more modern place.
In general, the room looked like a bedroom for a boy, and judging from the picture she saw, it was Marco's bedroom.
Sylph: Hey Beautiful Lady! My name is Sy-
Alice: I already know it.
Sylph: -lph. And they are…
She kept ignoring Alice and introduced the three other spirits, who looked too tired to deal with Sylph.
[SPECIAL QUESTS]
1st. Achieve coexistence between Monsters and Humans
2nd. Kill Illias
3rd. Return to Lucifina's grave
4th. Visit every places in Illias Continent, Sentora and Hellgondo
5th. Turn back to Sabasa Kingdom
6th. Make Alice happy
7th. Rescue Sara, again…
8th. Turn back to the original world with Alice (Alpha)
9th. Haunt Luka as a ghost if you are killed because of his decision
10th. Tell the truth to Alice