Knew it!

After calming down and letting his body get comfortable with his new Heart/Core. Link went upstairs again, making eye contact with Ronaldo.

"~Hey. Link!~" Ronaldo greeted as he kept staring at Link up and down. It felt like he was scanning him, trying to figure out something.

"Hey" Link replied politely before returning to his corner. He sat there as he conversed with Zero and Ora. "I have a question"

<Yes?>

"Let's say that the Core is the perfect size for the Realm Travel Spell to fit it perfectly, but what's stopping it from claiming a small part to the side, injuring the Core?" Link asked.

<First of all, it IS the perfect size.. It might have taken only an hour, but the work we did will probably never be done again in the Mortal Realm. You have a Core the size of a pea. And as for your other concerns, you do not have to worry. Even if the Fragment is twisting the Realm Travel Spell's structure, it is still our Spell, and this will allow us to have a certain Level of control over it.. Giving it an order to take away your Core wouldn't be a problem>

[The real issue here is the process, Link. Your body will be torn apart until a path is opened to your Core, and that is when we'll give it the signal.. It will be painful]

Link took a deep breath as he was lost in thought. But that did not last for long as Ronaldo started approaching him, still looking him up and down like a pervert.

"What do you want?" Link asked, annoyed. The last thing he needed right now is this suspicious man's presence.

"~I. Wanted. To. Ask. You. About. What. You. Did. Down. There~" Ronaldo asked. "~I. Thought. Since. We're. Friends. You. Wouldn't. Mind. Telling. Me~"

Link was appalled by his shamelessness. He had been literally ignoring and avoiding this man for a while now, and seeing his interest, Link was more certain.

"We're friends?" Link asked sarcastically.

"~Are. We. Not?~" Ronaldo asked, feigning confusion. His face was irritating as whatever game this fucker was playing was getting on Link's nerves.

"Fuck off!" Link didn't want to further proceed in a worthless back and forth with this man for it to end in the same way. So he skipped all of that and told him straight away.

"~What. Did. I. Do?~" Ronaldo spoke with a surprised expression and a hint of being wronged. This would have had at least a small effect if not for the suppressed grin on his face. Ronaldo was grinning slightly as he tried his best to hold it back. Link did not even respond to him as he asked.

"Is there a Spell to attack Spirits?" Link asked with a whisper.

<Yes, there is!>

Zero answered with a slightly excited voice, as if she was waiting for this moment. But, unfortunately for her, Ora chimed in.

[Don't attack, you're body should still be adjusting to the changes and if using Spells and getting in a fight would leave a side effect or not, we're unsure, so don't risk it]

<You're no fun>

Link sighed, agreeing with Ora. His escape from this place is way more important than risking it all for a freak like Ronaldo. Link quickly activated his Barrier Skill, pushing Ronaldo back and opening a small space free of Spirits.

"Let's get this over with, I want to leave this place!"

<Alright!>

[Everything should be good, let's get started!]

Link glared at Ronaldo, who was standing behind the barrier staring back at him, unmoving. He was no longer holding back his grin as he watched him get up, dust his clothes and take a deep breath.

"Realm Travel!" Link didn't hesitate to activate the Spell after getting the ok from Zero and Ora. He was prepared to face whatever was coming at him.

<Realm Jump Is In Progress>

<Destination (Spirit Realm)>

<3>

<2>

<1>

The same happened as before, as the area around Link started to shake, with the same water rippling effect. Then, the fragment shone, sending the same waves towards Link.

Argh!

Link let out a muffled groan as small chunks of flesh and clothing were disappearing. Blood was spilled, slowly dripping all over the ground. This scene somehow got the attention of some of the other Spirits. They stared at Link with a blank expression, god knows what's happening inside their heads.

"FUCK!" Link yelled, as his face, stomach, arms and legs were being torn apart. His teeth were chipped, his nose was nothing but an empty spot and his scalp was no more as his bare skull showed.

Time went by and Link started to lose consciousness. No matter how much vitality a Master Mage has, they can't stay awake for long, especially after their heads were opened up like a watermelon, chipping into their brains. This was exactly what was happening to Link. Blood covered his torn clothing and what was left of his skin. His stomach was opened and his organs were slowly getting chipped from. The scene was extremely disturbing, catching more attention from the Spirits. This kept going on until finally, Link's chest opened and a small glowing pea sized orb was finally in view.

<Now!>

[Now!]

A wave of light wrapped itself around the Core, and after a few more minutes of this outrageous scene, it vanished.

***

In a dark and gloomy place, two moons shone proudly, providing just enough light to everything on this cursed land. In a field, blood and torn small body parts were everywhere, including a glowing small ball.

WOSH!

[Undying Regeneration Activated]

After the notification appeared, a powerful Mana wave wrapped the Core as it started dispensing blood and flesh. The process was lightning fast and after a few seconds, a naked body of a Human formed, lying there unmoving. Blood covered it all over making it hard for anyone to recognize the person.

***

ARGH!

Link opened his eyes with a roar, further showing the level of pain he was in. He quickly stood up and looked around before sighing.

"It worked!" He chuckled.

<Of course it worked>

He quickly grabbed a set of clothing from his Inventory and wore them, covering himself. After he made sure everything was ok without any side effects or changes, he flew up, scanning the area.

"What is that?" Link asked, pointing at a shining spot in the field.

[Proceed with caution]

Link slowly approached it from above as he scanned it. The moment he realized what it was, shock filled his face as he yelled. "It's the Fragment!"

<What?>

[Smart!]

"What do you mean?" Link asked.

[The Stone in the tower isn't the real one.. Whomever set all of this up had the perfect trap in place.. He hid the stone in the Spirit Realm while blocking the Realm Travel in the other Realm, making it almost 100% impossible to find a way out even if by the rare chance someone that knows Realm Travel appeared]

"But we made it out though" Link said.

[I said almost 100%.. That place is 99.99% impossible to escape, while you are the 0.01%]

"So this is the real Stone?" Link asked.

[Yes, you should be able to take it now]

"That sounds good, but wouldn't that break the barrier on the other side?" Link asked. "To be honest, I don't want those things to roam outside.. The Kingdom is in enough chaos!"

[You do not have to worry about them. Like I said before, they are being rejected by the Living Realm and they'll jump at the first chance to move on..]

"Great!" Link grinned. "Let's get this over with.. This whole thing was such a pain in the ass"

Link approached the Stone and reached for it. He firmly grabbed it and took a deep breath before using all of his force to pull.

WOSH!

There was no counter force, forcing Link to perform a powerful swing, sending air currents everywhere.

"YES!" He exclaimed as he watched the Stone get absorbed, slowly vanishing into thin air.

<Collect all Fragments of Consciousness (6 / 10)> <Attunement> -- New --

Clap! Clap!

Link turned around after hearing someone clap behind him. The moment his eyes landed on the source, his heart sank.. Or Core i guess.

"~I didn't think you would actually succeed!~" Ronaldo stood there with a wide grin. His eyes looked like they got back their livelihood. His skin was slowly healing while his face became clearer.

"Fucking knew you were suspicious!" Link took a step back as he prepared himself for battle. He could sense it. Ronaldo was no longer a Spirit.

**********************************************************

Don't stop the comments and votes, it helps. <3

--- twitter.com/Moncef_Zm ---

--- instagram.com/monopia.wn ---

**********************************************************