I couldn't tell how long I'd blacked out this time. By the time I could open my eyes again it was quite dark. The only sources of light were dim lanterns hang on the wall. In my drowsy state I tried to turn my head and get a better picture of my current situation, and all I could see was rock everywhere. We were definitely not in the cabin anymore. A cave perhaps? It was the only logical explanation.
I tried lifting myself of the ground, but no, my body didn't budge, and not because I was out of energy but cause of the strap over my chest and the chains and shackles binding me to this spot. I pulled on them quite a while before giving in to the fact that i wasn't breaking out of them soon. That's when I heard voices.
"We don't have much time, we have to do it today..." and it seemed I'd missed out on much of the conversation.
"I'm not sure he'll survive the process, his body isn't ready to hold that kind of power," a female voice said, one I didn't recognize.
"As long as there's even a chance, I'll take it. We will get this over and done with tonight and hope for the best," now that was definitely Reine. The person she was talking to gave a sigh of defeat.
"As you wish Reine."
"Thanks Adalla," Reine's voice was filled with relief.
They finally gave their attention to me, walking over so that all four of them were in view.
"Looks like you're finally awake," Adalla, the short brown haired girl with three piercings on her left ear spoke up.
"Where am I? Where the hell did you take me?" I asked, but none of them bothered to answer.
"Start immediately, don't mind anything he says," Reine's voice was full of anxiety. It seemed that whatever they were to do to me was her last chance at whatever she was aiming for.
Adalla nodded, beginning some weird chant while holding out her hands over my body. I would have labelled her insane right there and then if her eyes didn't suddenly give of a white glow. The cave itself was turning brighter and brighter, the light not from her eyes but from the ground. Unfortunately I couldn't see it, being confined to the raised rocky platform.
The other three watched silently, not even blinking, as if they didn't want to miss a single moment. Adalla's chant lasted a few minutes and when she was done she seemed exhausted.
"If finished powering the runes. Hopefully you brought enough mana to sustain them," she said, taking a little breather.
"The mana shells we brought should have been more than enough," Roy's voice didn't seem all that friendly. I was getting a feeling these two didn't get along too well.
"Don't worry Adalla, nobody will blame you if this fails. I can't thank you enough for agreeing to this in the first place. Right guys?" Reine gave them a warning. Galberth shrugged while Roy just kept silent making Reine face palm. "Please just continue when you're ready Adalla."
From all that I surely picked up on one huge detail, mana, as in magic and sh*t. It looked like it's a reality in this world and my first experience with it was already this crappy. I had to get out of here or kiss my life goodbye. When Reine told me about her plan sure I was enraged, but I doubted they had the means to pull it off. However at the moment my situation was looking dire. I couldn't even help myself, not so much as struggle against my bindings. I might have woken up but my body still felt plenty weak.
Adalla approached me once more, this time bringing her index finger over my head. I felt her run her finger over my forehead, drawing up something while she once more began chanting, the faint glow in her eyes again. Whatever she was doing definitely had an effect on me, my mind getting foggier and foggier, unable to focus on any thought or on my present situation.
I barely felt her withdraw her finger, only feeling it once again on my chest. Her chanting was reduced to nothing more than mumbling, and even though my mind felt all cloudy I could still see the patterns she drew on my chest, the glow that followed her finger's every motion till there was this triangular figure with more strange patterns within.
"Where is Ouras' spark?" She turned to Reine, who took out this fist sized piece of rock, or metal, I couldn't tell with the bright yellow lines running across it. What's more, it looked like it was throbbing, as if it had a pulse through it.
Adalla took the spark thingy from her, gently laying it on top of the diagram she drew on my chest.
"Stop...stop, please," I pleaded this time. The words just came out themselves, making Adalla face me. Her face didn't show any sign of remorse nor anything else, it was completely emotionless.
"I'll begin the soul transfer now," those words were followed by more chanting of gibberish. The cave became even brighter, most likely the runes she spoke of, while strands of blue soft light came from her hands making their way to the spark.
When the two made contact is when the worst I had expected from the ritual began. Intense pain flooded me all at once, the feeling of something foreign invading my body as if ripping me from the inside. It was too much, it completely overwhelmed me to keep silent anymore. I let out a scream, balling my hands into fists so hard that my nails were digging into my flesh.
My body was being pushed to the edge, like I was set on fire and all I wanted to do roll all over the ground. The source of my agony, whatever that spark was, no matter how much I thrashed didn't get thrown off me. It was literally fusing with me, and looking at my body it was just these bright golden yellow veins running all over me, be it my torso or all the way to my toes.
Maybe dying back in that forest wouldn't have been so bad, compared to what I was experiencing right now. I just wanted to claw myself open and rip out that spark, anything to end this pain. Nonetheless the spark sunk itself into me and when it was finally almost all the way in while I watched all tear eyed the pain reached its peak, too much for my mind to handle. Reality began fading away slowly, and I'd expected my old friend darkness to engulf me once more but no, this time it was the light, so bright I couldn't see anything more, just pure white.
I wonder whether this was what death looked like. It seemed quite peaceful, no more pain coursing through me, no more suffering, nothing to fear jumping out of the shadows to prey on me, nothing more to worry about. If this was the end I'd certainly except it.
I would have liked to continue floating around in this endless nothingness. It was the most relaxed and calm I'd been, be it in this world or even Earth. My solitude didn't last long though. Right in front of me this formless mass of dark swirls emerged, slowly getting bigger until it was as large as me. Then it began to take form, beginning from its lower end as two legs formed, slowly extending as the swirls cleared up until it reached the head. The face that formed, it was like looking at my own reflection. My own image on this new strange arrival as the other me stared back.
Neither of us did anything, only observed the other for a while, till the other me disappeared from its spot and came up in front of me so fast I barely so it happen. His lips curved up into a wicked grin.
"So I'll be taking over your body, huh? Not bad, not bad at all," he spoke, the voice though was not mine. It was deeper, more unnerving.
"I'll be sure to take care of it. Let this world witness my rise once more..." he stepped back, spreading his arms out and going into this cynical laugh.
"Ouras is back!" He declared to the emptiness we were in before turning back to me.
"Farewell boy, have a nice after life," he spoke, right before disappearing before my eyes once more, this time completely.