Collective

Damian consciousness slowly faded as he felt the warm blood splatter across his face, the breath escaping his weak lungs,

As he closed his eyes for his final slumber he saw images of a dark space.

'hmm, where ..

It's vast nothingness, '

"So cold .."

"Yea, I told you lad----nd gentle--- he is my fri---... "

A muffled familiar voice reached his ears as his vision faded and came back, someone was discussing something about him,

"Oh, seems he is conscious"

"Avi---an ?"

"Yes buddy, it's me ? Well not exactly but yes in a sense I am Avian"

Avian responded cheerfully to Damian,

"What are you saying? where are we, why is it so dark .."

"Well, Collective calls it Mindspace, It's the place they make transactions ..

I am still here since my main terms were not fulfilled yet"

"Collective? Terms ? what are you saying .. "

Damian exclaimed in a weak voice, his mind was still muddled and could not keep up with Avian's explanations,

"Buddy .. the thing is .. "

As Avian began to explain his words slowed and he went silent, as if he could not bear to say something.

"SHIT, I can't do it, I can't be the one to break it to him .. It's not fair ..

Collective .. you explain"

"what is wrong Avian, what do you mean break it to him,

what is this collective you are talking about over and over again ?"

- That is the name the loudmouth calls us ..

"There is another voice in my head !! shit is this the side effect of the curse, I can now talk to dead people .."

-Technically you are talking to dead people however it's not an effect of the curse, though this thing you call curse seems somehow familiar .. we can't remember where we observed a similar phenomenon ..

-Child, you are on the verge of death, we cannot save you, we are prolonging your brain functions however with the failure of all your organs we cannot keep you alive for much lon-

"THAT'S A LIE!!"

Damian hysterically screamed interrupting Collectives monotonous voice

"I can't die, I can't die, I can't die, I can't die, I can't die ....

not yet, my master my brethren their sacrifice their achievement, I can't let it all go to waste all because I was not good enough because I went ahead and got myself killed .."

Damian cries echoed through Collectives mindspace, and everyone went silent, Avian stifled his words as he heard the hollers of his comrade,

"Damian my friend, I don't know what kind of burden you are carrying .. but, this might be your chance"

"My .. chance ? .."

"Yes, my friend Collective here, wants to make a deal, will you listen to them ?"

=====

"What the hell is wrong with those eyes Vin"

Conner had an apprehensive look on his face as he was looking at Vincent, cold sweat precipitated over his eyebrows,

Cold mist rose off from Vincent's orifices his face was painted in frigid blueish tint, his eyes peaked through his wavy blond hair that was turning white, his gray eyes turned icy blue there was no sclera or pupils, all of it was drenched in glowing icy chill, specks of crystalline white were swimming through the vast blue ocean in his gaze,

Vincent broken arm started crackling and wriggling over and over until it took back its previous shape,

Deathly cold crystal particles surrounded his body as he pulled himself up from the ground, everywhere he touched would freeze over,

'This does not look good, I already did not plan on projecting my mala into an aura, but his mana is growing, so overwhelming at this rate I might not be able to hold back'

Vincent Aura enveloped him in a cold blue cocoon, sharp like blades of ice, in his right hand formed an ice blade straight without blemish,

As Vincent took a step Conner raised his Great shield, his greenish aura covered his weapons,

All of a sudden Vincent Rushed towards Conner like a streak of blue light, as his frost blade made contact with Connors great shield it froze the area of impact with every hit Conner had to take a few steps back his green sinister aura was struggling to keep up with onslaught of domineering strikes,

'Damn at this rate'

Conner concerns became a reality as his great shield shattered into small icy fragments, the crystalline dust of ice and debris from the shield scattered before them,

Conner jumped a few steps back to create a distance between them and shouted at Vincent in a half excited half anxious voice,

"You fucken monster, this is not the level of a mercenary, I doubt many in the imperialist knight order can even keep up with this"

'I blew it, I knew this bastard has a unique condition but I did not expect this, I guess I have to finish this off, I did not hear from Puppeteer for a while, He might have let Damian escape or worse, get himself killed'

Conner was having a hard time keeping up with Vincent's murderous blows, every time he could not dodge he would parry with his Axe and every time he did the cold seeped into his finger tips,

After countering a few more strikes his palm was numb and he could not keep a tight grip on the handle of his axe, Vincent launched a full swing attack that Connor could not dodge once he tried to fend it off the battle axe slipped from his hands,

Now the disarmed Conner looked at Vincent for the first time with murderous intent, for the first time since they met he had shown a face as enraged as this,

Conner voice echoed through the cold misty pit,

"Vin .. My friend .. Don't blame me for this, all of this would not have happened if you'd been a little dumber, just like all those mercenaries"

Conner demeanor changed as his greenish aura was tainted with inky blackness, all over his body patches of black hair grew, his taught body full of muscles expanded as he grew double in size, his teeth turned razor sharp as large horns grew over his now hairy head his snout elongated like a canine and his eyes turned green,

By the end of it, resampled a horned half man half wolf beast, blackish green markings surrounded his whole body,