"Will you please be our witness? This is the last step we must take in order to become one."
The innocent voice echoed throughout the space. Both Archer and Pithos noticed that despite the voice belonging to the Young Master Asher they know and care about, the being that had just spoken was not him. What never crossed their mind is that that innocent and childlike voice belonged to the original Asher. The Asher they knew doesn't belong in their world.
Being a magical beast, Pithos' senses were far beyond a human's. There was a feeling deep inside of him that silently told him what needed to be done. If he were to stand witness to whatever was currently happening, his little human would reap the benefits.
"I, the Black Panther named Pithos, stand witness to this union," said Pithos while taking a few steps forward. Archer shot him an incredulous look while balling his fists.
This whole ordeal had been caused by that dammed black cat. If he hadn't been so ignorant regarding Asher's past with magic and careless in combining his magical prowess with Asher's then the situation would've been completely different. Their young master would've been complaining to Archer that he was craving his usual orange juice. For the first time in a very long time, Archer has no idea about what would happen next. He wasn't trained for the unexpected.
"Don't jest. What is your true name?"
Pithos growled. "My human named me Pithos. Pithos is my true name."
Just who is this entity?! How dare he imply that Pithos was not his true name! His little human had been lovingly calling him Pithos for quite some time now. His eyes burned with tears whenever Asher called out to him by the name he was given. Pithos had finally found someone he could trust, and he wasn't going to allow some random being to treat the name he was given as trash.
The light flickered as a panicked voice was heard. "Ah! I'm sorry! This is a misunderstanding!"
"What I meant was that this-so called Black Panther is not your true form. Show me your true form, Pithos. Without it, I won't be able to properly merge with Asher's soul," said the voice in an honest tone. The process of unifying two souls has never been done before. Even if there is a slight misunderstanding, lie, or mistrust, then the two souls would become corrupted.
From the corner of his eyes, Archer saw thick, purple clouds. As the clouds moved closer to where he was standing, he saw how they held a soft shine and slowly unraveled to reveal a tall man.
This man that had just appeared had a creamy complexion and long, sky blue hair. His body was adorned with light, golden jewelry that brought out his rose-pink eyes. His upper body was left exposed while his lower body sported loose, cream-colored pants. Finally, dangling from his left ear lobe was a ruby earing.
"Asher, you are running out of time. I have come from my domain to help you speed up the process." The man's voice was soft yet compelling. His whole being commanded an aura of respect.
His rose-pink eyes shifted from the light to the black cat who had been stunned after hearing the name of his master roll out of his pale lips.
"To see that you have fallen to such a state after the war brings me great despair. Why didn't you abandon your home and come to my side?"
He reached out to caress Pithos, sadness being reflected upon his eyes. Pithos growled at the unfamiliar man as his back arched and his tail shot up.
"Don't touch me," said Pithos. "You are here to help my human, aren't you?" Upon hearing his question, the violet-haired man nodded obediently like a small puppy. "Then what are you waiting for, you bastard?!"
The man frowned at Pithos' sharp tone but nodded nonetheless. He stretched his hand out towards Pithos and closed his eyes. From his hands came out the same purple clouds that appeared when he had just gotten to the space. These clouds twirled around Pithos, forcefully changing him from his cat form to his panther form. The clouds then completely shrouded Pithos' form from prying eyes as a painful groan was heard. Finally, Pithos was standing up with his own human form.
Archer, who had been closely working alongside Pithos was shocked. The black cat had never mentioned that he owned a human form. Only the highest-ranked magical beasts could go through the tribulation and gain possession of their own human form.
As if guessing Archer's inner thoughts, the violet-haired man glared at him while still using magic to maintain Pithos' human form. Why is this man comparing his Pithos to a mere high-level beast? The audacity!
"The panther is only one of your many forms. Your true form, however, is this."
Pithos took a good look at himself at the mirror the violet-haired man had just magically summoned. Chocolate colored skin that was adorned in strange, black markings. Spiky black hair that shot up and his feline-like ruby eyes. His body was adorned with a simple red and black hanfu robe and a single pink-sapphire earring that dangled from his right earlobe.
Pithos couldn't help but mutter while observing the jewelry that hung from his ear, "Pink is definitely not my color." He decided not to touch the delicate earing since the thought of it caused his chest to swell with unknown emotions.
"Thank you, Mikaelis! We just need the silver man as a witness and then both Asher and I can become one!"
Mikaelis nodded, his pink eyes shining in a mysterious light as he looked at how Pithos kept unknowingly toying with his earing.
Turning to look at Archer, Mikaelis shot him a warning look. "We need both of you to stand as witnesses. So you either stand as a witness or watch how this human dies a slow and painful death."
Both Archer and Pithos glared at Mikaelis for his insensitive words. Since there is no other choice, he must stand as a witness alongside Pithos to save Asher's life. Ah, how will he inform his master of such a situation?
Sighing, Archer shook his head and glared towards the bright light. "I, Archer Silver, stand witness of the union between Asher and..."
The servant stared at Mikaelis, waiting for him to clarify.
"Asher Pierce and Asher Williams."
Archer stared at him in disbelief, but he continued on. "I, Archer Silver, stand as a witness of the union between Asher pierce and Asher Williams."
Pithos stepped forward, his eyes full of determination. You could see a sliver of darkness dampen the vibrant color of his ruby eyes, but it disappeared as soon as it appeared.
"I, Pithos, king of all magical beasts, stand as a witness of the union between Asher pierce and Asher Williams."
King of magical beasts, since when has he ever been a king? For as long as he could remember, he had always been a black panther. Sure, he had no recollection of his past prior to that, but he came to believe that it was because of a traumatic event involving the humans and their deceptive ways.
Mikaelis nodded in approval before extending his hands forward. Purple rays of magic shot out from his hand into the hearts of everyone present.
"I, Mikaelis, oversee the union between Asher Pierce and Asher Williams. With each race present, we conclude that the union between these two souls will be one where everyone gets their happy ending, per both Ashers' requests. To live life alongside family and friends, we give them our power to unify their souls, their wishes, and their dreams."
"In exchange, Asher Pierce and Asher Williams will unify our realms. They will bring peace, prosperity, and most importantly, balance. Asher Pierce and Asher Williams, who will now be known only as Asher Pierce, will fix what humanity had destroyed long ago."
As soon as Mikaelis finished reciting his words, the light that had long ago consumed both Ashers had know become much larger. The light drowned the three men and the space that had been created. The darkness that was surrounding the space perished once coming into contact with the pure light.
"Asher Pierce, I hope you are right about this lost soul. May you both be blessed with a long, and happy life. And please, once you have the strength... find me. Find me, find Pithos, and restore the balance that has been shifted."
One by one, everyone arose. Pithos being the first one to wake up stretched his limbs before rubbing his head against Asher's. Asher groaned as he opened his eyes.
"Are we done?"
Pithos stared at Asher in surprise. The boy's eyes had drastically changed. His eyes weren't his usual cold dark blue color. Depending on how the light hits them, the blue orbs could either shine like precious sapphires or become an even darker shade of blue that resembles the night sky.
Asher himself noticed how easier the words formulated in his mind and flowed from his mouth. Even the way he moved felt much different compared to before. His body felt lighter, his muscles responded easily to his commands. It was like this was his body since the very beginning.
The boy smiled at the thought. His own body... he now has a place where he belongs. Shifting his eyes towards Pithos, he smiled happily before narrowing his eyes. His smile now appeared colder, making Pithos shiver slightly.
"Pithos? You can talk? You are the king of all magical beasts? You have a human form?"
Asher asked relentlessly, leaving Pithos' no choice but to lower his head in shame. Watching the scene unfold, Archer sighed. He has been sighing a lot lately. This was obviously mainly caused by the cat's carelessness and Asher's, well... Asher being Asher.
The young boy who had been scolding his friend for keeping secrets was now tackling the poor servant. His soft hands grabbed Archer's jacket as he exclaimed: "Don't you think you are safe from my scolding, Archer! Pithos wasn't the only one keeping secrets!"
"What do you mean, young master? I've never lied to you and I don't intend on doing so."
This much was true. Archer was the type of person that disliked both lies and lying to others. He had been serving Asher to the best of his abilities. The servant allowed Asher to have his fun reading books, playing with Pithos, getting all dirty and such. He also scolded and advised Asher whenever it was necessary (mostly when Asher didn't clean himself up). He had inadvertently become Asher's much-needed father figure. Archer had always been truthful. However, this did not mean that he wasn't hiding any information.
Thanks to having merged his soul with the other Asher, he was now much more aware of his situation and how this world works. Particularly, he was now very much aware of the dark forces that were trying to manipulate the other Asher when he was at his lowest and of the rising suspicion his father had. Asher now possessed the intelligence the other Asher had. But enough of 'other Asher' and 'current Asher'. There is only one Asher now.
Asher pinched his servant's cheeks while thinking. In the beginning, Asher only wanted to live his own life free of worries and responsibilities. Now, that 'dream' of his was far from what he now desired. Who would want to live under his own family's suspicion? Who would want to live peacefully as the entire world around him caves into darkness? Actually, who could? That darkness would eventually reach Asher and his 'peaceful life'. He was the first victim of the upcoming madness, after all.
Archer's cheeks were left with red marks after Asher released him. Shaking his head, Archer stood up and swooped Asher into his arms as he yelped in surprise.
"Are you done thinking, Young Master Asher? Because I believe that you are in need of a much-needed bath."
Asher pouted before turning his head, his cheeks painted in a thin layer of pink. "I was still thinking! Besides, you also need to take a bath! You stink!"
Archer dropped Asher into the bathtub before removing the boy's clothes. Unlike Asher who was still very much sweaty from the pain he had endured, Archer was still looking as clean and pristine as ever. Only his hair was in slight disarray.
"Of course, young master. In fact, I am in a worse state than yours. Still, there's no need to worry. After I'm done with you, I will give myself a thorough cleaning," said Archer sarcastically. After being witness to whatever union he was a part of, he felt much more connected to Asher.
Asher laughed at the comment while allowing Archer to help him bathe. It was weird at first. Having someone helping you with your every need after having taken care of himself for so many years. It got less uncomfortable over time. The young boy had actually begun to enjoy this treatment. He could relax as much as he wanted. He could even fall asleep and he would still get cleaned and taken care of.
After being wrapped in a fluffy towel, Asher was being carried in Archer's arms. He had become drowsy after the warm bath. Seeking his warmth, Asher snuggled into the servant's chest before saying, "Archer, take me to bed and go rest. When I wake up, take me to your master."
"Both you and your father are my masters, Young Master Asher."
"No," Asher raised his head. His sapphire blue orbs met Archer's silver ones. The servant expected Asher's eyes to be overcome by anger or betrayal. However, this was not the case.
"Take me to your master."
His eyes were warm. His eyes were affectionate. His eyes were full of determination and conviction.