As the tent collapsed, already the trainees in the distance turned to look toward the commotion. Seeing the figure emerge from the collapsed tent, panic set in.
Screams and warnings fused from the trainees.
"Run! He's lashing out again!"
"Warn Aberon!"
"Someone get the wolf here!"
Aberon, who was locked in a stalemate against the three summons of Astaroth, decided it was no longer the time for holding back.
Using telekinesis, he blew away the three spirits before using a spell he seldom used, simply because of the cost it held.
Teleporting from his spot, he appeared next to Astaroth, putting his hand on the young man's shoulder, before teleporting again, bringing Astaroth with him, and grabbing Kloud in the same fashion.
He teleported a third time, this time bringing the two passengers outside the cave and onto the surface. Once they appeared on the surface, Aberon pushed Kloud away with a massive telekinetic wave, trying to make some distance between them and him.
Astaroth was still in shock at the appearance of his old teacher.
Kloud looked older, and tired, like life had been hell on earth for him. But that was just half of his face.
The other half was black as soot, with a horn stabbing out from his forehead, and one red eye. The hair on the side that was black was gone, and the skin looked cracked, like dry dirt.
His Elven side was stuck in a mask of pained terror, while the side with apparent demonic traits was grinning madly, the eye darting about, like it was looking for something.
When it finally stopped moving, it was locked on Astaroth.
"Ahh, finally some freedom! Thank you for destabilizing his focus, mortal. Now I get to end what I had started months ago!"
But as it tried dashing forward, a powerful pressure pushed it to one knee.
Turning its gaze to the old man next to its target, it clicked its tongue.
"You are still alive, you old demented mage? Why don't you croak already?!"
Aberon was sweating bullets.
Astaroth could recognize the symptoms of mana drainage on the old man's face. It was easy to understand why.
Teleportation was not magic that could be used willy-nilly. It came at a steep cost.
Not only had he teleported three times, but he was also holding down the demon with the rest of his power. But Astaroth was still confused about what had happened.
Until Aberon spoke up.
"Kloud! I know you can hear me. Get a grip, you idiot! Don't let that weak demon rampage again. Think of what happened last time!"
"Shishishishi! Your friend is not available at the moment. Whatever his thoughts may be, his body is currently mine to control. Now I get to finish your foolish little tribe and complete my original mission."
"What do you mean by last time, Aberon?" Astaroth asked, realization slowly setting in.
"Now is not the time, you stupid, emotional child. If you start a mess, you better help clean it."
Astaroth took the rebuke like a hammer to his heart. All he wanted was answers.
And now he was treated like he released the apocalypse upon his family.
"Shishishishi! Yes, talk to me some more. Make this stupid vessel fall into despair some more! Do it!"
Astaroth turned to the demon, angered by the accusation.
"Who are you?! What have you done to Kloud?!"
The demon was already standing back up, the pressure on it slowly lessening. Aberon was weakening by the second.
He cursed silently.
'What's the use of having all this power, if just containing this demon takes up all my focus?!'
Astaroth could see that Aberon was about to faint, his body already trembling to maintain his spell. When he turned to look at the demon, who was now trudging towards him, he panicked.
'What am I supposed to do? I don't even know what's happening! Is Kloud still in there? Should I help hold the demon down? Should I try reasoning with Kloud's consciousness, if it's even still there?'
The demon took step after step, his body slowly straightening out, until he was mere meters away from Astaroth.
"Shishishi! Yes! Despair! You seem like a better vessel than this old, broken man!"
Astaroth's senses finally picked up something, now that the demon was closer. Although he was still on the last legs of Royal Protection, and his perception of time was still sped up, he activated Thousand Thoughts, to give himself time to think.
Thousand Thoughts activated, overlapping with his already hyperactive mind, and time came to a standstill. Everything around him slowed down so much it was like time had completely stopped.
He could still see the mana particles move, ever so slowly, trying to push the demon down. Focusing on Kloud, he could sense his soul.
He rarely sensed souls with his mana sense, since they weren't composed of mana. He had to be close enough for his soul affinity to sense deeper.
But the current proximity of Kloud made it possible.
Gazing at his interface, he could see the seconds tick down on his Royal Protection and Thousand Thoughts. So he wasted no time.
Investigating what he had sensed, he focused his eyes on Kloud's midsection. There he could see a white blue-ish flame flickering inside his body.
Currently wrapped around it, a black flame was spinning violently. It seemed to corrode the white flame, little by little.
But something else caught Astaroth's attention.
Looking closely at the white soul, he could see a small black fragment trying to push into the white one. The black flames were emanating from that small fragment.
'Is that the demon's soul? So it still hasn't gotten full control… Is it just able to take control under specific circumstances?'
Astaroth was trying to figure out how it was controlling the body it was in, given it was so much smaller and weaker than Kloud's soul. But he figured he was wasting his time trying to find out how, when the damage was already done.
But he had already figured out how to help his old teacher.
As Thousand Thoughts deactivated, Astaroth looked at Aberon.
"I hope you can perform healing magic, too."
The old man looked confused.
"What? Why—"
Before he could ask his question, Astaroth took a quick step toward Kloud, stabbing his hand into his stomach.
The demon looked like he was about to laugh, at first, when he saw the young elf stab his own friend. But when he felt the hand suddenly touch its soul, deep inside the body, its face morphed into horror.
"No! Stop! What are you—"
Before it could finish its phrase, its eyes unfocused, as did Astaroth's.
Standing there, with one's hand inside the other's body, both Ash Elves were still as statues.
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