The Soul Engine Ch. 65 (Original Fantasy) (Patreon)

A/N: Answers are had. The final secrets are spoken.

-x-X-x-

When Mikael’s vision finally clears up, he finds himself crouched down, holding Avina in his arms. When her hand had slipped off of his back he’d moved on pure instinct as she’d collapsed behind him, whirling around and catching her before she could hit the ground. Glancing over his shoulder for a moment, all he sees of Foss Sangrey is a smoking lump of robes on the floor. She’d done it. That said…

“Are you alright?”

Avina smiles at him tiredly, looking as though she’s barely keeping her eyes open.

“I’m fine, Mikael. Just… just a little spent at the moment. I’m sorry for lying to you all this time. Sorry for not telling you the truth. I… I was afraid. Afraid it wouldn’t work. Afraid it would work and cost us everything. I should have told you though.”

Shaking his head, Mikael brushes a lock of hair out of his Soul Mechanic’s pale face and chuckles.

“What are you even talking about, Avina? We did it. There’s nothing to apologize for.”

But Avina disagrees, reaching out and grabbing him by the arm with surprising strength.

“No. I… I saw things in the Truth Above All. Things I should have told you about. But I was scared, so I kept it to myself. True Necromancy… it’s a misnomer, Mikael. All along… there was really no such thing. I think my family knew that too. I think they hid behind the identifier to avoid thinking about all they’d lost.”

Brow furrowing, Mikael won’t deny that he’s confused. But Avina bulls on ahead with her explanation, so at least he’s not confused for long.

“Legend… Legend says the Royal Family of Ocreatha descended from a Summoned Hero many, many centuries ago. That Summoned Hero… not much information about them and their abilities remains. The Truth Above All showed me though. It showed me the lie inherent in True Necromancy. We weren’t a family of necromancers… we were a family of healers. We just… somewhere along the line, we lost that. We lost our way.”

Avina’s hand slips off of his arm and falls to his chest. Her fingers splay out and her palm presses into the Soul Engine as a tired but broad smile spreads across Avina’s face.

“Not just healers. My ancestor… she held command over Life and Death itself. She could heal grievous wounds. She could cure diseases and cleanse poisons. And… she could even bring the dead back to life.”

Mikael’s eyes widen at that as understanding begins to dawn on him. He starts to finally see what Avina is saying, even as she caresses him… well, caresses the Soul Engine.

“I managed to recreate a bit of that. In my own way. I forged my own path. I made the Soul Engine and I used it to bring you back to life, Mikael. It was a one of a kind creation, something I don’t think would ever have worked on anyone but a summoned hero like you. And through it… through it I was able to harness long latent powers to resurrect you, help you grow… and make you stronger.”

She trails off at the end there, looking less certain. When she starts to pull her hand back from the Soul Engine, Mikael is quick to reach up, lacing his fingers through her fingers, taking her hand in her own.

“And you did it, Avina. You were spectacular. We were amazing, together.”

Biting her lower lip, his Soul Mechanic hesitantly nods. Then, she casts her eyes downwards, towards the ground.

“… I risked it all for my vengeance. I didn’t know this would work. It almost didn’t until I found a way to save us both. I didn’t know if we would survive this, Mikael. I risked your life and mine, all for revenge.”

Mikael gives her hand a squeeze.

“He killed your family Avina. He threatened your people. He needed to die. But… what exactly did you do?”

He can’t help it. As much as he wants to reassure her, she’s finally explaining things to him and Mikael is a curious sort at the end of the day. He wants to know what happened, how she stopped Foss at the end there with that explosion of power.

“I used you as a conduit. And I ripped Foss’ army from him. I reached through you and the Soul Engine and into Foss Sangrey and I tore every connection he had to his creations away at once. But it wasn’t enough. The cost of destroying them all afterwards would have burnt us both out. Funny that… normally, it’s easier to destroy. Cheaper. But this time… this time our salvation was their salvation.”

Pausing, Mikael sees Avina’s smile grow before he slowly looks up.

“I brought as many of them back as possible, Mikael. I resurrected… as many as I could. Not all of them. Couldn’t resurrect the ones who were dismembered. Couldn’t bring back any of your fellow heroes. But… but I saved who I could save.”

His Soul Sense had shut itself off in the midst of that explosion of energy. Probably some form of automatic defense to keep his eyes from being burned out of his skull. Now though, Mikael reactivates it and looks out across the City of Alether. There are… quite a lot of souls in the city at this point. Children of Syl and Order of the Rose alike. But they’re not moving with quite so much fervency anymore. There’s no urgency to what he’s seeing.

And besides the Knights and the Beasts that they’ve brought to Alether, Mikael sees others. Hundreds more souls than had been there mere moments ago, easily. Thousands, maybe. Alether is still maimed, still grievously wounded… but it’s no longer the dead city it was moments before.

“Avina. You-!”

Just as he’s about to praise his Soul Mechanic for the truly awe-inspiring feat she’s pulled off, Mikael’s eyes gloss over the smoking pile of robes again… and with his Soul Sense active this time, Mikael is able to see the soul still within Foss Sangrey’s body, signaling that the Supreme King is still alive.

In the exact same moment, the old man sucks in a deep breath and comes springing up into a sitting position. Mikael moves without thinking, pulling Avina to his chest and darting back from Foss with all haste. Only once he’s put a few yards between them does he look back… and freeze in shock at what he sees.

No longer sunken eyes gaze at wrinkle-free hands as Foss Sangrey stares at himself in wonder. The man’s hair is still silver, but no longer pure white. Likewise, his beard has shrunk back all the way to his face, taking on a rather trimmed look. It’s not just his physical appearance either. Where before his soul had been flickering from the damage Mikael had dealt him back when he’d been puppeting Zadicus, now Foss Sangrey’s soul is pristine and glowing brightly within him.

Put simply… the Supreme King appears to have lost about thirty to forty years of age, going from appearing to be in his eighties or nineties to a distinguished and healthy-looking fifty years old.

“Oh Princess. Look at what you’ve done for me…”

Even his voice sounds younger as he slowly rises to his feet, smiling broadly and marveling at his more youthful appearance. From her position cradled in Avina’s arms, she lets out a huffing scoff.

“It wasn’t intentional Foss, I assure you.”

Mikael believes her. Not just because she would never in a million years give the bastard who’d killed her family what he wanted of her own volition, but also because… well, what she’d just done was completely insane and utterly untested, by her own admission. Some accidents were bound to happen at the end of the day.

Letting out a chuckle, Foss’ eyes twinkle with malevolent merriment as he rolls his shoulders and beams at the two of them.

“I’m sure it wasn’t, Princess. You’ve been very, very naughty. I’m of half a mind to take you over my knee for your transgressions. But I’m in a good mood, so I promise once I’ve killed your pet I’ll only rough you up a little bit before we’ll be on our way.”

Mikael bristles at the Supreme King’s insinuations, even as Foss throws out his hands in their direction. Stiffening, Mikael is quick to call a teal shield up to protect them, finding it all too easy and realizing that he’s still filled to almost capacity with power. However… it proves not to be necessary. Foss definitely TRIES to attack them… but the key word there is ‘tries’.

No shadowy magic answers Foss Sangrey’s call. No black power or necromantic energy arises from his fingertips or the ground to launch itself at them. The Supreme King’s supremely confident expression abruptly melts away into baffled confusion as he looks at his hands in disbelief.

“What… what is this?”

From within his embrace, Avina once again pipes up. This time it’s with a bark of laughter.

“Ah. It would seem there was a cost for your youth, Foss. I gave you the Life that you so desperately craved but your brand of magic… it’s anathema to both Life and Death. So in return, your necromancy was stripped from you at the same time that your army was. You’re magicless now.”

As Foss freezes in horror at this revelation, Mikael grins and chuckles to. That’s funny. Actually, that’s fucking hilarious. Both he and Avina dissolve into giggle fits as they feed off of one another’s amusement in a minor feedback loop. One that sends the de-aged Supreme King into a swift rage.

“STOP LAUGHING! YOU… YOU PATHETIC LITTLE INGRATES! I AM SO SICK OF YOU WHINING, SIMPERING FOOLS GETTING IN MY WAY!”

Of course, that only makes them laugh even harder. Until Avina suddenly chokes on her own spit as a massive, familiar pressure falls upon them both. Mikael’s shoulders abruptly tense up, hunching inward as his bones creak. Avina lets out a soft cry of pain as the pressure forces her out of his hands and to the floor.

Looking up at the standing Supreme King, Mikael sees Foss Sangrey with his hand stretched out… and a familiar ring on his finger. There’s a look of maddened triumph in the de-aged man’s eyes as he lets his lips curl into a half-sneer, half-smirk.

“I might not have necromancy… but I still hold power here, you foolish little children. This is a Lord’s Tower… and so long as I wear this ring, I am the Lord of Alether.”

He curls his fingers backwards into a fist and then pumps it in their direction. The pressure redoubles beyond anything even Zadicus was capable of bringing to bear and Avina lets out another cry as one of Mikael’s knees is forced to the ground.

“That’s right, Hero. Kneel. Kneel and beg me for my mercy. In fact, I won’t even kill you after all. Let’s make a contract instead, shall we? You and me, here and now. In exchange for the Princess’ safety, you’ll agree to serve me faithfully for the rest of your pathetic life.”

Full circle. Mikael would laugh if the situation wasn’t so serious. And this wasn’t so fucking painful. Of course, it’s not his pain that he’s concerned with right now. It’s Avina’s. The pressure… if Foss doesn’t let up soon, it might very well kill her. However, one look into the maddened Supreme King’s eyes and Mikael knows that won’t convince the man of anything at this point.

Unfortunately for Foss, he’d gone ahead and cut ties with Zadicus Quinn a little early. Before his protégé’s final battle. Before his death. So he had no idea how exactly it was that the previous Lord of Alether had died.

Funny how the more things changed, the more they stayed the same. Foss Sangrey might be able to use more of the pressure from the ring then Zadicus could… but Mikael is also a lot stronger than he was back when he faced Lord Quinn in this very same room.

Slowly, wordlessly… he rises to his feet. Foss’ expression turns incredulous and he pumps his fist in Mikael’s direction again, once more redoubling the pressure. Avina lets out another cry, but Mikael… Mikael just stretches out his hand to the side and sends a whip of teal energy to the sword embedded in the wall there.

At the same time, his other hand is thrust to the floor, more teal energy flowing out of his palm and to the ground, where it travels to Avina and wraps her in a tight, safe cocoon.

“Pathetic. This display is meaningless. You might be able to stand, but do you truly think you can defy me? My reinvigoration gives me more options than you can even dream of Hero. You will submit. Or you will BOTH die here.”

For the first time, Mikael can hear an undercurrent of fear enter Foss Sangrey’s voice. His sword back in his hand, he lets a smile grace his face… and takes his first step forward. The Supreme King’s eyes widen and he scowls, pumping his fist again and then taking a step back. But all the pressure in the world isn’t going to stop Mikael, not as he is now.

Even as waves of power from the wards of the Lord’s Tower buffet him, Mikael lets some of the energy Avina gave him spool out of the Soul Engine. Wrapping around his body in the same way the shadows wrapped around Foss Sangrey’s before he was rendered magicless, it also sheathes his sword in a teal glow.

Forging forward, step by step, Mikael closes in on his prey. Foss, meanwhile, continues to backpedal. The de-aged man reaches the balcony in no time, his back hitting the railing. Looking back over his shoulder, he clearly doesn’t like what he sees. Mikael can imagine. The City of Alether is currently swarming with Children of Syl, monsters the size of buildings straight out of legends. And that’s to say nothing of the Knights of the Rose, members of the Zuverian Empire’s premier Knightly Order.

Turning back to him, fist and ring still outstretched as he tries to stop him… Foss Sangrey finally breaks.

“Please. P-Please, we can make a deal. I… I surrender. I’ll be the one to sign the contract. Take me as your slave. The Princess will have need of someone of my services, of my experience. I was her father’s advisor for decades and I could be hers as well! I-!”

Mikael steps out onto the balcony. He considers some pithy one liner for a moment, or just laughing in the other man’s face for turning out to be even more cowardly than his protégé in the end. But ultimately… he just goes with what feels right.

“Fuck. You.”

And then he swings his sword through the air and separates Foss Sangrey’s head from its shoulders. As the de-aged Supreme King’s head goes flying through the air, falling to the city below, Mikael’s free hand snaps out, grabbing him by the front of his robes so that the body doesn’t follow. Instead, he holds it aloft and makes sure to drain every last drop of soul energy out of the decapitated corpse to make sure it’s done, once and for all.

Only once he’s sure he’s finished does he drop the headless body to the ground, turn back around, and return to Avina’s side.

And with that… it’s over.

-x-X-x-

A/N: So yeah, turns out Avina's ancestor was basically a White Mage and her family's degraded and greatly diminished magic was mistaken for necromancy after a certain point. Meanwhile, Foss Sangrey goes out like a little bitch.

See you all next week for the last four chapters of this story. Been a wild ride and appreciate you all for sticking it out with me up to this point!

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