67 Mark of Greed (1/2)
”It's a clever trick. They're turning the rebellious aristocracy against me,” Kilian, who lounged on Lena's lap, explained while Jezebel smoked vaporized dra from a vape pen. The six aistis sat around the couch.
”On the outside, they're deferring to my new status and enabling me to enjoy all von Skoll privileges in the open. But when the news spread, the aristocracy will investigate my background and realize I have 36 Unlocked Dra Roots but no attributes. Instantly, they will infer that the imperial family recruited and plans to turn me into their new weapon. With the von Skolls' resources, setting up a ritual to give me at least one attribute is entirely doable. The Dark Eden Society is a prime example of that. From that point on, my value experiences a seismic change.” With a chuckle, Kilian rose in the couch, and from his watch summoned a chart detailing Rupert's current advances.
”To the aristocracy, the von Skolls are at their weakest. With Rupert's military successes, many must believe that the dynasty nears its end. The fence sitters will soon make a stand, and it won't be in favor of the imperial family. For too long those nobles have been wanting to get rid of the Arcadian Emperors' absolute power. Ayden's recent bullying and Niklas' mass-purges only give them more reasons to.
How then can they tolerate a new weapon with the potential of becoming a hundred times more dreadful than Niklas? No, even before they join Rupert, the fence sitters will prepare my murder. If they fail, the von Skoll assassins strike and shift the blame. If they succeed, all the better.” While Jezebel and Lena didn't show much surprise, as they listened to Kilian's words, the aistis' eyes blazed with fury.
On the one hand, never could they expect that the imperial family would be so crazed as to reject the will of Adramelech, and turn against his herald. On the other hand, after turning into Kilian's Fehl Shifters, he became their raison d'être. Those that threatened him all deserved to die.
”Never mind. If the elder council wants to play, let's play. From now on, until the Sura Hunting Game begins, act in the most tyrannical manner possible. Let's give them the impression that my new status got over my head, and hasten their planning,” Kilian told the ladies, then connected to the high priest's mind.
”Make a formal marriage proposal to Gerlach for his daughter's hand and spread the news throughout Arcadia. The answer doesn't matter. Also, have the Duke of Verden publically abdicate his titles to Olaf von Verden. Make sure the world deduces it all stems from my will.” Though startled by Kilian's order, the 340 years old high priest didn't delay, and carried on his task.
Closing his eyes, Kilian was about to dive into the Hellforge when Jezebel's voice echoed in his mind.
”Ready to play the alchemist?”
”Mhm.”
”Try not to make it flawless.”
”I will try my best and accept the result. However, going in to create a defective product is not my style.”
”You know that's not what I mean. Flawless stones drive trouble. Across the ages, they often brought their owners more harm than good.”
”There is no end of legends of men whose greed for immortality incurred nature's wrath, making them bear the mark of their greed throughout the rest of their lives. But the cases are so few that even you don't know much on the topic. In any case, with all the big guns surrounding me, I dare say that if I die early, it won't be because of greed.
Who knows, perhaps I will just get fed up of all the wretches and leap off the edge of a cliff.” Kilian ended the exchange with a jest, and went back to the Hellforge.
With three more weeks before the Sura Hunting Game, Kilian dared not waste any time. And while he reviewed the hendecagram ritual circle he'd prepared beforehand, Adam gathered the magi. Six hours later, he delivered the 100 High Emissaries. Bringing them into the Hellforge, Kilian settled them on the hendecagram, knocked them out, and in a pain-free process, extracted their souls.
The creation of a Philosopher's Stone followed five steps: Corruption, Dissolution, Merge, Condensation and Crystallization.
However, with dark-gray or black souls, Dark Philosophers could skip the Corruption stage. Joining his hands in a prayer sign, Kilian bound his dra to the 100 hovering souls, and through his Lv. 4 Transmutation, started melting their individuality to accomplish the second stage: Dissolution.
Across six hours of spiritual flaying, the souls lost their uniqueness and bond to their original selves—lost their human shape—and became floating masses of dark fog. Moving his hands in esoteric gestures, Kilian spent another five hours to force the dark fog into one single soul orb, and slam it into his hendecagram. Dark light surged from the circle's center, filling the Hellforge with the eerie, nefarious energies its name deserved.
For the first time since the ritual's start, Kilian's limbs trembled under the process' strain, his eyes went bloodshot, and sweat poured from his forehead. This step, the Condensation, was the ritual's most sensitive part. The united, depraved souls would clash with Kilian—resist his control—and attempt to force their way out of the Hellforge to seek a new future. Many Dark Philosophers failed at this step, and either perished from the backlash or ended up possessed by the amalgam of dark souls.
From the moment Kilian destroyed their individuality, he no longer held any sway over those souls. But as his knees wavered under their resistance, he closed his eyes, sang the Gospel of Pandemonium, and shaped his dra into an invisible cage that forced the souls into submission.
Without delay, Kilian slammed his hands on the ritual circle, transmuting the united souls into a blood-red liquid that twisted in the center as if animated by restless revenants.