Everyone stared at Brady, waiting for him to say something.
"This is incredible!" He shouted finally.
"Brady?, Valerie looked worried. "Are you okay, what just happened?"
"Oh Hell yeah, I am more than okay Val!"
"So, you want to share with the class Jake?" Linda asked with a hint of panic in her voice.
"Well, if the change was anything like mine, the evolution orb has just completely evolved Brady's body as well as his ability. It seems that this orb and the one that we all touched on our first day here are supposed to be used together. For whatever reason, I doubt anyone else knows of its existence, which will work in our favor. Never-mind all of that for now, who would like to go next?"
I held the orb in my hand and waited for someone to step up, to my surprise, it was Dana. She held out her hand and hesitated for a moment before allowing it to drop onto the orb. As with Brady, Dana stood still for a moment before collapsing into a heap on the floor, writhing in excruciating pain.
The process continued until everyone had touched the evolution orb. Once that was complete, I decided that it was time to go to bed and start the next day with some tests. Nobody opposed as I assumed the mental stress of the evolution put them in a state of fatigue.
What happened next genuinely surprised me. The girls asked if they could sleep in our dorm with us. Brady immediately looked over to Valerie, blushing like a fool. I asked what had brought on the sudden request and Linda said that we were essentially starting our new lives as a party, and we should room together from now on.
Our dorm had three beds and one couch, and as gentlemen, we offered our beds to the girls. They were thankful and accepted, but only on the condition that we shared the beds with them.
That caught me way off guard as I spit out some water I had been drinking. While my mind was not so far in the gutter to believe that tonight would be a sexual exchange between any of us, the prospect of a kiss or two had crossed my mind.
After eating a quick snack and getting rehydrated, we all climbed into bed. Dana with me, Brady with Valerie and Finn unfortunately slept alone. Linda took Finn's bed while Finn opted for the couch. Linda looked a bit disappointed in Finn's choice, but didn't push the subject. I too was curious, I was well aware that Finn had never shown himself to be very interested in Linda or anyone for that matter. Maybe he was just the type of person who preferred to sleep alone.
I would be lying if I said that being in such tight quarters with Dana wasn't making my heart pound out of my chest. At first We both chose to lay flat on our backs, but after a long, awkward pause, Dana turned towards me and lay her head on my chest, her arm falling across my abdomen. I put one hand on her back and with the other I held her hand that lay across me.
In the dark we made no sounds, no attempts at conversation, only enjoying the feeling of being close to one another.
It was then that the silence was cut by the sound of a kiss being shared from below us. It seemed that Brady had finally gotten the nerve to make a move with Val. As for me, I was more than content with Dana just pressed against me. Eventually, I ended up falling asleep while trying to figure out how I became so lucky.
....
Looking around, I found myself in a dark, empty space. There seemed to be infinite swirls of dark energy flowing around me as I floated in an abyssal sea.
"Why have you come here human?"
The voice sounded like it came from all around me, it sounded feminine, ancient and dangerous.
"Who are you and how did I get here..and where is here exactly?" I asked, still trying to locate the source of the voice.
"Oh dear, to have traveled to my realm without knowing it, how amusing." The obscured voice laughed aloud.
"Can you answer any of my questions or am I supposed to guess?" I asked, getting annoyed at her lack of helpfulness.
"Little human, I am Sila, queen of the vampiric demon race, and devourer of humanity."
At the sound of her name, my body stiffened up to the point that I might as well have been frozen. My mind formed an image of what Sila looked like and the massive well of power she possessed I began to audibly hear my heart slamming in my chest.
"You see how inferior you are I presume, little human?" She said, letting out another chuckle.
"I would like to leave now if y-you don't m-m-mind." I managed to stutter out, hoping to escape her presence.
"I will only allow you to leave on one condition, little human. I have grown bored in this realm, I wish to see the human realm again. Let a small part of my essence inhabit your ability core. You will see a growth in strength and ability, while I will gain enjoyment from gazing into something other than this wretched abyss. I can tell that you are someone worthy of my power as you aren't like any human I have come across before. There is something odd about your ability core, strong yes, but also mutated…divine even?" She paused as she pondered my secrets.
I thought about her offer and came to a decision. While I was not keen on having a demon in my body, I also needed power.
"I agree to your terms, but I have a condition of my own. You will help my companions and I gain strength enough to topple even the strongest pillars of ruthless evil in my world." I finished stating my terms and awaited her response.
"I suppose I can do that, but you must let me add more of my essence as you grow stronger." She countered.
"Deal." I said.
"I, Sila, queen of the vampiric demon race, do hereby swear upon my dark soul, that I will aid you and your friends in your goals. I will be an aiding force to help fuel your strength at times of overwhelming odds. I will also be an advisor to your companions as well, for anyone in your court shall receive my backing. From today onwards, we are a bonded force!"
As she finished her vow, I was assaulted by a dark force invading my body. It was painful, but not as painful as the evolution had been, so I had confidence that I would not be passing out again.
"You could not be more wrong about that little one, sleep well, we will meet once more when you wake." Sila said as my mind fell into a deep sleep.