Without hesitation, Aiah thrust her hands forward, sending a stream of fire toward him.
The commander moved fast, faster than she expected. With a swift motion, he spun to the side, dodging the flames. His black cape billowed around him as he avoided her attack with ease.
"Tsk, tsk," he said mockingly. "You'll have to do better than that."
Aiah clenched her teeth. She had to be smarter. She feinted left, then flicked her wrist, launching a sudden burst of fire toward his legs.
The commander smirked. In an instant, he swung his cape downward. The thick fabric absorbed the flames, smothering them before they could reach him.
"What?" Aiah gasped.
"Did you really think I'd come unprepared?" The commander chuckled. "I've fought mages before. Fire's useless if you can't hit your target."
Aiah stepped back, her mind racing. He was fast, and his cape gave him an advantage. She needed another strategy.
She took a deep breath and raised her hands. A small flame flickered to life in her palm, then grew into a swirling fireball. She had to time it right...
Before she could attack, the commander moved.
He lunged forward and snapped his cape outward. The heavy fabric whipped through the air, covering her hands completely.
Aiah's fireball flickered and vanished.
"What?"
The commander yanked the cape, twisting it around her wrists. In one swift motion, he pulled, yanking her off balance.
She stumbled forward, right into his fist.
A powerful punch slammed into her stomach, knocking the air from her lungs.
"Gah…!" Aiah gasped, her body doubling over in pain.
Before she could recover, the commander spun behind her and hooked an arm around her neck. He pressed his forearm against her throat, locking her in place.
"Shh, shh," he whispered near her ear. "It's over, little firefly."
Aiah struggled, kicking and twisting, but his grip was too strong.
The commander laughed. "I love it when they fight back."
With a sharp motion, he swept her legs out from under her and slammed her to the ground.
Aiah's vision blurred. She tried to summon her flames again, but her hands were still tangled in his cape.
"Don't waste your strength," the commander said, kneeling beside her. He reached out and roughly grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. His eyes gleamed with cruel delight.
"Not bad," he admitted. "But in the end, you're just a Class-D little mage playing with fire."
He turned to his men. "Tie her up. She's mine now."
Aiah's heart pounded as rough hands grabbed her arms. She tried to resist, but she was too weak. The last thing she saw was the chief's smirking face as darkness overtook her.
—-------
Inside the void once more…
Isaac's soul came out from the dark and stood face to face with the being once more.
"You're weak. How can you fulfill your promise if you get defeated so easily?" Isaac's voice echoed in the emptiness.
The being clenched his fist. "If I had my full strength, no one would be able to match me."
He studied Isaac for a moment. "Your soul should have faded, yet you are still here." He paused and thought. "Is it your will to avenge your death and your parents' murder that keeps you locked here? Is it witnessing me fulfill my promise?"
Isaac remained silent.
"Could this be the reason why the integration can't be completed?"
"As long as this continues, I won't have full control over the body. And if I remain limited, my strength and abilities will be useless." The being's voice was calm, but frustration flickered in his tone.
A moment of silence passed as both of them thought.
Then the being spoke again. "There is one solution."
Isaac looked up. "What is it?"
"Soul Fusion."
Isaac's eyes widened. "Soul fusion?"
The being nodded. "If we merge completely, we will become one. No more resistance. No more hesitations."
Isaac hesitated. "What will happen once our souls combine?"
"I don't know yet because I haven't tried it before. But what I do know is that the result will be half of yours and half of mine. Everything will be divided equally, attitude, abilities, and skills," the being answered.
"Whether my power and strength are split or reduced, I think it's better than having nothing," the being added.
Isaac remained silent.
The being continued, "It's the only way for us to survive. And... for you to avenge your parents."
Isaac narrowed his eyes. I want full control. My body, my choices."
The being tilted its head. "Full control? Then tell me… when the time comes, can you handle killing? Can you be ruthless when needed?"
Isaac hesitated. "What do you mean?"
"Killing is easy. Buy true vengeance? That takes cruelty." The being stepped closer. "Can you watch your enemies beg and still cut them down? Can you silence the screams of the weak if it means victory?"
Isaac's stomach twisted. He wasn't a monster and he had never killed a person before.
"See? You hesitated. You think you can walk this path with kindness? Foolish."
Isaac glared. "I will fight my way. I don't need to become like them."
The being let out a low laugh. "We'll see." Then his dark smokey figure darkened. "But we have no more time. Your body is failing. If we delay, we both gone."
Isaac took a deep breath. He could feel his body slipping away in the real world.
Whatever the outcome… he had to do this now.
"Fine. Let's do it."
The being grinned. "Then brace yourself, Isaac. This will hurt."
The void trembled. The fusion began.
Isaac's body arched violently on the ground. His veins glowed, pulsing between light and shadow as something both holy and unholy surged through him.
His bones cracked. His heart stopped, then restarted. His skin burned, rejecting the power forcing its way inside.
The being screamed inside his mind.
Two souls were not meant to exist in one body.
The fusion was unstable. Unnatural.
A system message flickered in the darkness.
[Warning: Host Soul Integration Failing. Emergency Adaptation Initiated.]
Pain unlike anything Isaac had ever felt ripped through him. His past and the being's past blurred together.
Visions of the Past.
Isaac saw battles from a thousand years ago, divine warriors clashing in the skies.
He saw wings torn off, their owners screaming as they fell.
He saw a swarm of locusts, endless and unstoppable, devouring entire kingdoms.
And then, he saw the moment of betrayal, the being sealed away, locked in darkness for eternity.
Then the visions twisted, becoming his own suffering.
His parents' lifeless bodies.
His village in flames.
King Belmont's laughter, mocking him.
And Mikaela's cold, heartless words:
"I just used you."
Isaac screamed.
The system responded.
[Skill Unlocked: Dark Regeneration]
[Skill Unlocked: Darkness Instincts]
....
[Innate Ability Unlocked: Colossal Might]
[Innate Ability Unlocked: Tool Savant]
[Innate Ability Unlocked: Shadow Reflexes]
[Innate Ability Unlocked: Endless Labor]
The being's power settled inside him, not fully but he could feel it, like a beast lurking beneath his skin, waiting to be unleashed.
The system whispered its final words.
[System Integration Progress: 100% complete.]
[Soul Fusion Complete. You Are No Longer Just Isaac.]
[You Are Something Else.]