7 A New Home

After what feels like weeks of travelling I've managed to make it to an area with a large stone outcrop, I don't know how long it's been exactly as without Ezra to keep track of time and without any real indication of time in the Nether Realm as there is no sun, I don't know how many days it has actually been.

A noticeable change with me after all this travelling is my improved ability to use 'Telekinesis', I had an idea back when I saw the shop had 'Body Manipulation' for 500SP in the same soul category, and with practice, I have managed to shape my body using 'Telekinesis' until the point where I now have arms, well they are more like tendrils coming from my upper body, but after maintaining that form for a while I felt as if I had naturally learned how to manipulate my body. Without Ezra though it's hard to determine if I have learned the skill or not, I guess I will have to wait.

Another difference about me is the small 'gathering' I have formed around me, I don't know why but some of the Minor Ghosts that I have come across have chosen to follow me, not every one I've come across has chosen to do so, only the ones tinted greyish black, the ones with a death affinity, in total there are 4 of them. It's almost as if being a Shade has turned me into a beacon of the death element. I don't mind though, the company is nice even if they don't talk and they help me kill other Minor Ghosts who dare to try and attack me. I still remember how shocked I was the first time I met one of them.

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*Glub* *Glub* Somewhere within the eastern area of the Silent Desert, a Minor Ghost is newly born, made up almost entirely of the death element, with its grey flame like body slowly drifting about, it begins to travel towards a source of familiarity, something nearby feels so similar. It travels as quickly as it can, wondering to itself, what am I sensing? The power it holds is greater than anything I have ever sensed, and the pure aura of death itself is... intoxicating.

I sense it, the cause of this feeling, it is a mighty being with a pitch black body made seemingly of flames, it is staring at me, I feel the threat of death, I feel as if this mighty being could devour my very being whole, I move slowly towards it, the threat of death growing stronger, I push myself through the pressure to come before it. I lower myself to the ground, "M..st...r", I try to send my thoughts, my choice to follow this being.

It stares at me in shock, almost as if it couldn't believe in my choice, I look up, trying to determine what it desires to do, will I be ended here and now?

"Follow me little one, my name... is Azazel" It says with a voice so powerful my very Mana shivers in excitement, Yes! This is the one I shall serve, This is the one who will lead me to strength, the strength to not only survive in this world, but to thrive, to rule!

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Anyway back to the outcrop, it is pretty much a large stone platform raised about 40 meters into the air, there is no way anyone could get up there as there aren't any stairs of any sort, it has almost mirror smooth edges seemingly sanded down by years of abuse from sandstorms and the like, also it seems to be in a circular shape according to the map. But what really drew me here is that on the map there seems to be a smaller circle within the larger circle of stone, and I want to find out what it is.

Now comes the problem of getting up there, as I said before there is no way to traverse that 40 meters of height without rope or tools of some sort, however there comes in to play my racial advantage, as a spirit I technically can float, it's not quite flying as I need to be near a surface like the ground or a wall, but if I stand next to the stone wall I should be able to float up along the side of it. Moving towards the stone wall I notice how tall and massive it truly is, from afar it seems to be a thin pillar shooting into the air, but up close it is a behemoth of a wall. The surface is so smooth that is almost acts like a mirror, and for the first time since being reborn, I can actually 'see' what I look like.

I still have a relatively orb like shape except it has stretched to become more oblong with a pair of tendril like arms coming from my torso area, another major difference being my outer body having pitch black slow moving flames on the surface, it almost looks like a cloak of some sort, however with the movements, it seems alive. Around where I expect my head to be I see two slightly thin pitch black holes, I expect these to be my eyes, and if you look closely enough into them, you can see a dim red fire moving about.

As I move closer towards the outcrop I can feel some sort of attraction from the top, it might be related to the other circle on the map, slowly I start to make my way up alongside the smooth stone wall with my followers, it takes a while but we eventually manage to reach the top, the top is perfectly flat and extends into the distance for what seems like miles, we keep moving, closer towards the attractive force I feel. After a couple of of hours I manage to see a blue ethereal like light in the distance, I don't know why but I can't help but feel excited, Rushing as quickly as I can, even going as far as to use telekinesis to push my body, I reach the source shortly.

In front of my is a huge pool of... water? I don't know what it is, it looks like water but it's glowing and has a light blue mist emanating from it, I touch it with one of the tendrils of my body and suddenly feel my mana pool start to swell and the orb within my chest, my 'core' as I've taken to calling it, starting to expand. Mana. This is a pool of pure Mana, I didn't know something like this could exist, with the way it refills my own Mana pool, this could be a perfect spot to train my skills. Okay, I've decided, this place will be where I live from now on!

It is naturally fortified with the tall, hard to climb walls, and without something similar to my map or a stronger version of 'Mana Detection', I don't see why anyone would attempt to climb up here. Turning to my four new comrades I declare, "From henceforth you shall be known as Victor, Bell, Ventura and Mori, for now you four are prohibited from entering this pool, it will destroy your underdeveloped bodies, but feel free to absorb the mist around it, you are weak and need to strengthen yourselves, so you must train hard."

"Ye..s Mas..t.er" All four replied, feeling ecstatic for their new names and their newfound home, moving towards the Mana pool, they begin the process of absorbing the mist from the air, vowing to themselves not to let their master down.

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"Durke, Aren, we are close, I can feel it. There is a heavy scent of death in the air towards that direction, we must find it and destroy the cause if we can, if not we must make sure to inform the tribe about the dangers." Eleanora stated while staring into the eyes of her guards, she knows this will be a dangerous mission and one or more of them may die, hence she tries to see if either of them are lacking resolve, only to be pleasantly satisfied with their determination. 'They really care about the tribes safety'.

"We will follow you Eleanora, we have a duty to accomplish." They both state, while thinking completely differently from what she was imagining. 'I will protect you mistress, for your mother!' Durke thought, thinking back to a promise he made, 'Ella, I won't let you get hurt, I will protect you!', swore the young Incubus whose heart was taken by Eleanora in his youth.