Even with the abrupt shift in perspectives, the physical pain of having my body used as a lightning rod tore through me. Jolts, shocks, spasms, each flicker snapped my limbs into odd angles.

In the blurry corners of my vision, I saw Chomperz land next to me and bite the air. Soon, golden threads rose from the lake's surface and stretched toward my limbs and wound against my body.

The agonizing pain slowly subsided as cool mana seeped over my avatar. Heat wicked away through other threads and muscles finally calmed enough for me to take a breath.

"Fuck… That hurt," I coughed.

Sitting up, the threads fell away and I rubbed my eyes. My vision cleared, free from the strain, revealing the baleful glare of the demon I pulled into my realm. His limbs were similarly wrapped in thread, but rather then comfort and soothe, they bound him tightly with each rope a chain of steel.

"You are a tricky bastard," Arz'odral said. His voice was normal now, less imposing. He attempted to move, but golden bindings tightened eliciting a short hiss. "I'll admit, that was smart. I should have removed your limbs when I saw you, but I wanted to play, fledgling. My mistake."

I freed myself fully of the thread and stood up. Chomperz took flight and landed on my throne, watching with the rest of my familiars. Arz'odral glanced their way, his eyes lingering on my throne and Chomperz but kept his focus mostly on me.

"It's always the ego," I said, clearing my throat. Already the avatar in my realm was restoring itself to neutral, but it was struggling. "You all talk so much shit. You can't help it. Classic villain monologue from assholes like you who love the sound of their own voice."

Arz'odral laughed. "Guilty. But again you surprise me, fledgling. I knew you were special, but oh you are so much more."

He turned his head and sneered at Mordred who stood to his right, arms crossed. The other me watched him warily, and he wielded the athame-spear, keeping it pointed at the demon's back. Then Arz'odral stared at the throne, giving it a look with hunger in his eyes.

"Tier one… And you already have the bones of a pillar of authority. Your soul space is well refined too. More solidified and woven into your soul then should be possible at this level. Not too mention… that thing."

Mordred shrugged, and raised the spear. "I'm on the lower end of crazy in this place."

"Indeed. You are not the first of our kind to share a split soul, but its certainly rare."

I stopped a few feet away, examining the bindings. They held strong but I knew the demon was holding back. Even if this was my realm, he was an ancient being and currently at tier four in terms of power.

To prove my point, the demon flexed a finger, and the end of his claw cut into the thread.

Mordred stabbed the athame through Arz'odral's back, the tip of the spear emerging below the sternum. The demon growled and a crimson aura radiated outward. It tore at my skin, slithering like snakes and maggots as it tried to invade my body.

With a growl of his own, Mordred activated his aura, muting the bright crimson and pushing it back. "Settle down, or I'll aim higher next time."

The demon's aura retracted, but it stayed present, ever-slightly pushing against his bindings.

"So what's the plan, fledgling? You have me here. Torture? I've been through centuries. It won't do much. Maybe you think of killing me here? It won't matter. This is but a fragment of my self. You'll have to fight a marquis once we're away from your little, fragile soul."

He started to laugh again but I cut him off. "I thought you were a viscount."

Arz'odral's eyes narrowed. "I used to be."

I waited, but the asshole was content being silent. His claws snipped through a single thread, and Mordred pushed further with the spear. He didn't care, neither acknowledging the wound nor the angry version of me looming behind him.

I shook my head. That wasn't right.

I could hear the anguish and fear in Teddy's scream. The beaten whimpers from Arturous as the crystals kept forming and shattering with every breath.

No. It wasn't an angry version of me. We were the same, both Cyrus. He just knows how to wield his rage better.

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Steadying myself, I moved in closer, lifting the demon's chin up.

"Those are some good eyes, child," Arz'odral grinned. "I can't wait to crush that defiance, oh little Wrath."

Threads kept snapping, and Mordred pulled out the spear and plunged it higher, pushing through the upper-center of the demon's chest. Blood leaked, and Arz'odral's aura spiked, but it didn't expand as my own bubble of grey smothered it.

"I'd love nothing more than to torture you till you begged for death. It's better than you deserve. But I'm not stupid like you. I won't make the mistake of keeping you alive," I whispered, voice cold as I tightened my grip.

Snap!

"Too bad, because you already have!"

The threads were torn apart in a whirlwind of crimson blades. They sliced through the air, tearing through my avatar and forcing me back. Mordred was devoured and ripped to shreds, the athame catching one of the blades and sparking against the red metal with a snap of pink and sent into the mana lake.

I rolled to my feet but Arz'odral grabbed me by the throat and slammed me into the side of my throne.

My familiars howled in outrage, but a crystal javelin appeared, one far more sinister than previous incarnations. Each inch was another face howling in misery while reaching hands stretched the pseudo-crystal shaft as if attempting to escape. He held it above my head and dragged me upward while crushing my throat.

He leaned forward, eyes expectant but his sneering devolved into confusion when he caught my smile.

"How dare yo-"

The bloody lance he was holding deformed as I grabbed its tip and let it penetrate my hand. The howling faces froze for a brief second before disappearing as I leeched the color from the mana.

From behind, Zagreus appeared. All four heads bit down on the demon's limbs, holding him in place while I spun the spear and shoved it through his stomach. Golden threads sprang from the lake and bound us in place as I wrapped my arms around his chest.

"Galarion, now!"

In the physical world, Mordred took over. Blackened, charred flesh limply slapped my chest and threaded mana into Galarion's skillwisp. The astral squid appeared and ballooned as he stretched two limbs around our skulls. One dived into my head, tethering the galaxy filled with memories. The other slipped through the sizzling skull of the demon, and pulled.

In my soulrealm, the island's runes flashed as reality slipped away and we dove into the sea of stars.

Arz'odral screamed, casually crushing the bones of my left arm. I held tight, and we sank further into a memory locked behind a visage of Chomperz' spectral skull.

The dragon's jaws parted and we crashed through the crack of burning golden light.

***

Once more I found myself spasming on the ground. This time instead of cold glass, it was the rough floor of earth made of stone and broken branches. Nearby a broken metal husk contained three bodies.

Shakily pushing myself up, I barely saw a blur as Arz'odral slammed me into a nearby trunk.

"Where are we!" he demanded. With a snap, he broke through the trunk of one tree and spun me around into another. "What is this, fledgling? You think you can keep me here? In a memory? Pathetic!"

"I-"

Crack!

More destructions later, my vision wobbled as I started to feel the connection fade. Somewhere in the outside, Galarion stabilized the connection, bringing me back into the memory. Including all the pain, and physical sensations, the blood from my cracked skull flowed free and plastered the trunk behind it.

"I don't know how you've managed to do these things, but I'll make sure to extract every detail from your broken psyche when we're done!" Arz'odral growled.

He looked around, observing the forest, and the mountain. His eyes flickered to where a man sat a child on the grass and handed him a device. Spitting to the side he crushed my head against the tree's rough bark.

"Well, Wrathling? What's next? What other clever trick do you have to share?"

I bit onto his finger, grinding against the steel-like flesh. He merely grunted and slapped me in return.

The noises in the background started to grow desperate, and the demon almost turned.

I raised a shaky finger and licked my lips. "You want to see? Really? You can't handle it, bitch."

In defiance, Arz'odral shoved a claw through one of my eyes and looked away. Toward the source of the noise, where the first sparks had already started.

This time I laughed, and fought through the pooling blood in my throat, willing it away. The damage cleared and the wobbling in my vision returned before settling.

My chest ached, it hurt. Instincts in my head screamed at me to turn away, to run. Instead, I joined the demon and smiled as the child screamed.

Flames exploded outward, rushing in a jet that should have incinerated the child. The man was engulfed, as was the vehicle and the woman in his arms.

I ground my teeth and watched as time in the memory slowed to a crawl.

The demon's expression was bewildered and he tightened his grip in anger before he caught the appearance of the golden orb.

A singular mote, the size of a coin hovered near the child's face. In moments it stretched and a gentle hand caressed his cheek.

My breath hitched, but the demon's body started shaking.

"No. No. No! There's no way!" he screamed. He started to back away as he took an unsteady step. "She can't be here! They can't! You're just a tier one! I refuse!"

"Don't find it so funny, now. Do you?" I chuckled.

In his scramble to run away from the golden apparition, his grip loosened. I swung my legs forward and kicked his back, sending him tumbling toward the woman. He screamed in terror, but then froze.

Literally, frozen mid fall; the golden woman stood before him, her eyes narrowed.

"Pest of pests. Scourgeling, blood whelp. You do not belong. BEGONE!"

The fire she held back rose as an avalanche. Bright orange turned golden as it crashed through the forest and swept the demon away in a furious tide.

"Noooooooooo!" Arz'odral roared before the flames devoured him whole.

My soul shuddered and my vision cracked as the flames washed over me. Except they didn't burn, and the inferno became a gentle blanket and held me up.

I blinked through tears and split glass. The woman kneeled closer and smiled.

"You shouldn't be here either, Cyrus."

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