The alley around Mar and the black-clad mages vanished. The world blurred but eventually the tugging sensation at the center of Mar’s being began to ease. After several long moments Mar was able to see straight again. Mar looked around and realized the area around him was completely different from before. It was was on top of a hill in an empty green field. Off in the distance where he knew the rest of the city lay he saw pale specters floating across the ground. Mar realized those must be the spirits of everyone in the city, the cloudy haze the only thing visible of them from the spirit realm.


    The spirit realm was bizarre, and yet strangely familiar. He couldn’t recognize any of the scenery around him, and none of it resembled either Orlem’s school of magic or the wider city around it. Orlem wasn’t a planned city but there was order to it. The roads were straight and the buildings were mostly square and packed together neatly. In the spirit realm there were tall pillars of somethings strewn every which way. Mar wouldn’t have called them buildings, they were more like a thousand different people had sculpted a random shape out of clay and then piled them atop one another. The spirit realm was a place of thoughts, ideas, and emotion so it was no wonder that every feature appeared to have a thousand different hands at work crafting it.


    Mar tried to blink and clear the blurriness out of his eyes, but he realized he couldn’t. He panicked for a few moments before he remembered an old book he had read about the spirit realm. The most common practice when coming here was to immediately manifest a humanoid body that was as similar to the mage’s real body as they could manage. The familiar form would provide focus for a mind that would otherwise wander. Ordinarily traversing the spirit realm would be quite dangerous, but the mages would all be trained and the entire trial would be carefully overseen.


    Mar turned his thoughts inward and began to concentrate. To anyone looking, the cloudy shape of his spirit began to twirl and twist into itself until it was tightly packed like a ball. Then five projections shot out of the floating white sphere like the the limbs of a five pointed star. Four of them extended and morphed into crude arms and legs. The fifth one at the top stayed short and stumpy. The ball that had been at the center of the star-like shape shifted upwards and attached itself to the truncated limb, forming a head.


    Fingers formed at the ends of the upper limbs, and toes on the lower ones. Mar refined the shape of the limbs to bend at the joints in the right way, picturing his own skeletal structure to refine the motions. With the basics down, he began working on the details. He formed facial features on his head and sprouted hair. Mar was trying to get the color of his eyes right when he realized he’d never studied that detail of himself very well. He knew they were a vague shade of amber but Mar just couldn’t get them to feel right. In frustration he just made them the same color as his hair. He clothed himself exactly as he remembered he had that morning.


    Mar glanced at his hands and body. Everything was so ethereal. The thick and coarse weave of his cheap tunic seemed thin and gossamer, though Mar knew the clothes he imagined he was wearing were only a projection generated by his own mind.


    He took a few moments to appreciate the weightless feeling. He took a deep breath even though he knew this form didn’t need such corporal things. He had read so much about the spirit realm, but not being a mage he assumed he would never be able to venture there. Everything here was forged from the mind, and altering it was merely an effort of will. After all, the entire spirit realm was forged from thoughts and dreams.


    Mar glanced at his tunic again. He thought about how soft and well trimmed the ones the school had provided him in his youth had been. He had had a favorite set of clothes back then. They were the clothes of someone wealthy and powerful. The robes of a young mage destined for greatness. Mar recalled how they felt on his skin, and how they slid against his body as he moved. To his delight he found himself wearing the very clothes he was remembering, scaled up to match the size of his seventeen year old body.


    Mar noticed other figures flickering uneasily into existence around him. Those must be the mages who lay around him the the physical world. He braced himself for the ‘killing’ blast of magic that would send him back to the physical realm. It wasn’t like he could do anything except wait to be sent back. The magic cast for the Trial would prevent him from re-entering his body unless it deemed that he had taken sufficient damage to be knocked out. He could try to run from them, but they were mages. They had likely practiced in the spirit realm before and would no doubt know enough of it’s ins-and-outs to catch him in no time. And even if he got away he would just be blasted to smithereens by another mage who saw him as free points.


    Worse, Chetz and company might take enough offense to decide to rough him up in the real world. Mar’s bones still ached from Darrik’s little stunt with the rocks the other night. The most productive thing he could do with this time would be to figure out how he was going to talk himself out of the situation his physical body was in.


    Mar was surprised to see how long it was taking the mages to manifest bodies for themselves. And how crude their attempts were. Of those that could even produce human-like shapes, only one of them had any features besides a general blobish form. Maybe the mages from Orlem were right to act so superior if this was supposed to be the best and brightest of Volfsdown.


    Mar continued refining his own ethereal body while he waited. It was quite exhilarating really. He’d read so much about the spirit realm but never thought he’d get to test out what he had read for himself.


    Mar glanced around. The voice had been so crisp and clear, totally unlike the distorted half-formed sounds that could be heard constantly buzzing in the background in the spirit realm.


    <In your pocket.> the voice continued.


    Mar reached into his pocket and his fingers touched the face of the gray stone.


    “Hoaaarw yoo” Mar tried to speak but the words dribbled off his tongue like a mouthful of sand. He realized that he had forgotten to build internal organs for himself and set about producing a set of lungs and throat.


    <Don’t bother with that.> the voice Mar now realized belonged to the gray stone commanded. <It’s much easier to speak mind-to-mind in the spirit world. That’s how I am able to talk with so little mana to power myself.>


    Mar looked at the stone, furrowing his brow in concentrating, dimly aware of the fact that he had to modify the texture of his skin in order to do so.


    <Y-you’re the… stone?> Mar tried to ask telepathically.


    <Yes, fleshling. I’m the stone. Or at least part of it. I’ve been talking with the other entity that’s inside here and it’s given me some very good reasons for its actions the other night. In fact, I think winning this stupid little game you meatbags put on will be very good for us, so that’s what we’re going to do.>


    Mar mentally snorted. <Even if I thought that was a good idea —which I don’t— I wouldn’t be able to win the Trials. All the top mages are competing. This is what their entire lives up to this point have lead up to. They’ve been practicing for the past seven yea—> This time it was the stone’s turn to snort in amusement.


    <Seven pitiful years of practice means little to me, mortal. I’ve been alive since… since… well, I can’t remember exactly, but I’m sure it’s been a long time.>


    Mar huffed. <Thousands of years of experience won’t do you any good without mana or a body. And you don’t have either.>


    <You know human, you’ve got the highest base mana regeneration rate of any mortal I can remember ever seeing. With a few modifications you’d be able to sustain our functionality indefinitely once some of the larger holes in our circuitry are patched.>


    <Ser cu’ e’ tree? What’s that?> Mar asked in confusion.


    <Ley lines.> the stone corrected. <Complicated artificial ley lines. So what do you say human? Shall we make a pact? My offer still stands.>


    <Master Warric’s the best artificer in Orlem, and if he thought you were repairable he would have said so. Secondly, I’ll never make a pact with you demon. Not even if the burning pits of the abyss freeze over and the elder gods return. I’ve read about what happens to warlocks. I will not be turned into your puppet of destruction.>


    The stone made a ticking sound. It reminded Mar of how his nursemaid used to cluck her tongue at him whenever she was annoyed.


    <This makes things much more difficult. This process would have been much easier if you’d just accepted the wealth and power. At least then you could have maintained the delusion of control.>


    Mar felt the stone in his hand grow warm. Then it started to get hot. Really hot. The ley lines inside of it became visible and they latched into Mar’s ethereal body. Mar threw it to the ground but the feeling didn’t go away.


    He felt at his hip where his pocket was. That’s where the painful invasive sensation was coming from. Mar felt around but there was nothing in his pocket. He glanced at the gray stone which he had thrown to the ground, but it was no longer there.


    Mar pulled up his shirt and saw that thin, pulsating lines were traveling across his body. They reached his right shoulder and it was like all sensation in that arm went suddenly dark. As if the arm was no longer his.


    <Ahh!?> Mar mentally exclaimed in fright. <You’re not supposed to be able too… you need a contract! A warlock has to let you in. You can’t just take over a body!>


    The stone cackled malevolently. <You yourself realized I am not a warlock’s totem, or even an enchanter’s eye! We are more than merely the sum of our parts! As for your body, think about where I am, and where you are, fleshling. You’re mind is off in the spirit world, separated from your mortal shell. Meanwhile I’m tucked safely away in your pocket in the physical world. I started intercepting the signals to your nervous system the moment you left the physical realm. Soon I’ll have full control of your physical body. The only thing left to do is to dominate your aura and eventually make it mine. With access to that massive mana supply I’ll be able to move freely in the physical realm! At last!>


    <No…> Mar whispered in horror. His body was not going to become the plaything of a demon. His soul would become a part of the spirit in the stone. <No, no, no.> The stone would make him kill people. Hurt them brutally. And the whole time they’d be thinking it was him.


    <GET OUT OF MY BODY!> Mar screamed mentally. The ley lines stopped their spread across Mar’s spirit body. Then, slowly at first, they started shrinking. Slowly, bit by bit they started retreating back towards Mar’s hip.


    It was the stone’s turn to be shocked and confused. <Impossible!> the stone snarled.


    <Aren’t you just full of surprises, human. I must have become weaker then I thought. No matter. This will just take a bit more…>


    The pain in Mar’s side doubled, but he grit his teeth and held on. <GET OUT!> Mar screeched, but force of will could only get him so far, even in the spirit realm. They came to a stalemate. The stone was unable to take over Mar’s ethereal body, but Mar was unable to completely banish the stone’s influence. Even worse he felt a peculiar sensation like he was asleep but his body was moving. The stone must have started manipulating his physical body.


    <You’re a stubborn one.> the stone remarked dryly. <But no matter. I have complete control of your physical body. Dispatching these guards will be difficult unarmed and without magic, but not impossible.>


    <So you’re going to hold my body hostage?> Mar asked abrasively.


    <That’s right. Quite a powerful spell that’s running this little ‘Trial’ think of yours. The Realmstone’s work no doubt. Very few meatbags would be able to direct enough mana for a spellweaving with such a massive effect. But it’s function is clear enough. Once one of the other competitors blasts you back into the physical realm you’ll come flying right into my clutches. I need only wait for that pathetic creature behind you to finally manifest a form sufficient to destroy yours.>


    <Or maybe I’ll take my body right back from you as soon as I get back in it.>


    <Ha! You had the home ground advantage in the spirit realm, but I’m digging my claws in deeper and deeper into your physical body as we speak.>


    Then Mar had an idea. <Maybe I’ll just wait you out. It takes mana for you to function, so maybe I’ll just keep myself here in the spirit realm and wait you out.>


    There was silence for a few moments before the stone spoke. <I could kill you human. There are plenty of other hosts for me. Any one of these mages would do. All it would take from me is a sloppy grab for the dagger at that large human''s hip. You would be left stranded in the spirit realm. A rogue spirit without a body.>Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Before Mar could respond a pale figure clothed in half-formed rags stood up. It was a crude approximation of a human. It’s legs came to points and it balanced precariously on them. It’s hands were like mittens and lacked individual fingers. But still it stood, and from the folds of it’s torn and ragged cloak it withdrew a shape of short wooden rod. A warwand.


    “B-bastard Orl-Orlem mages.” The figure mumbled unsteadily. “Mana… is d-different here. No w-wonder you cheats a-always win.” The human-esque creature stuttered out verbally. Studying it, Mar realized that this must be Chetz’s manifestation. Four other blobish shapes were pulling themselves together around the same time, and two of them seemed to be aware of their surroundings. All seemed to be slow and lethargic though. Mar was surprised, since for him movement in the spirit realm wasn’t any more difficult than in the physical realm.


    <You’re damn lucky.> Chetz growled, pointing his wand back at Mar’s face. <You get to be the first sacrifice to Chetz Illarious. After I win this stupid trial of yours I’ll lead Volfsdown to replace Orlem as the leader of the League! My name will go down in the history books. Be grateful for this small part I am giving you in my glorious story.>


    Mar turned around and looked down at Chetz, whose humanoid form was hunched and disfigured. Despite his bluster, he seemed so… weak. So fragile. In comparison, Mar felt as strong as he did in physical body.


    Chetz hissed and mana bubbled from the center of his aura. Mar realized that Chetz’s manifestation wasn’t as simple as he originally thought. It was made out of his aura after all, and that included all of the modified bits and pieces that Mages used to manipulate mana. As the raw energy tore through Chetz’s arm it lit up the elaborate series of patterns that instantly forced the mana into a spell pattern. Mar realized this is what combat casting actually looked like. Weaving a spell with raw magic by hand was tedious and impossible in a short time span, so instead mages forced mana through pre-made spell templates which allowed for much shorter cast times. The downside to this being that an aura could only fit so many templates at once.


    The air around the warwand stirred and rumbled as electricity arced off of it. The bolt of lightning sped towards Mar. He’d seen this spell demonstrated before, but something didn’t seem quite right. It was so slow. As if the bolt of electricity were traveling through molasses. Mar stepped to the side and allowed the bolt to glide easily past him.


    <That’s an impressive body you’ve made for yourself. No doubt they’ve drilled you Orlem mages here endlessly to give you every possible advantage against us.> Chetz sputtered. <Nevermind that. I can exploit this realm just as well as you can! There’s so much free mana here I can cast a spell ten times as powerful!>


    Chetz began channeling mana again and it accumulated just as fast as it had before, but this time he held the position for much longer, ever second charging a more powerful blast of magic. Even using a spell template carved into his aura, this spell was taking Chetz time to cast. Mar knew it would be stupid to give him any more of it.. He closed the distance between them and punched Chetz in the stomach.


    <Gaah!> Chetz let out a pained telepathic shriek, which Mar assumed meant he had done something right. Electricity arced from Chetz warwand back into the caster, skittering all over Chetz’s body. Mar watched curiously as his opponent doubled over in pain, sparks flying off him in all directions. This must be spell backlash.


    That’s when something hard and cold impacted the back of Mar’s head, slamming his whole body forward to meet the ground. He realized that he’d forgotten about the other mages.


    Mar winced in pain, but he was able to get up. Three of the four were moving now. They had manifested bodies much like Chetz, though somewhat lower in quality and each flawed in their own way. Perhaps Mar had misread something and building an accurate human body wasn’t actually standard technique for surviving in the spirit realm, but Mar was beginning to suspect that these mages were simply bad at this. Mar focused on the back of his head, redistributing his aura and repairing his manifestation using new mana drawn from his center.


    <Beetle dung. He’s already regenerated! We need more firepower, everyone at once, Now!> a female voice was mentally projected from a blob-like creature that vaguely resembled a human to Mar’s right.


    With Chetz down she seemed to be taking the lead, so Mar prioritized her and charged the blob-like creature. He tackled it, and her gelatinous form gave way instantly, letting Mar pass harmlessly through it. Then he took a blast of water magic to the face. To Mar it felt like he had stuck his head under a waterfall. It was quickly followed by two similar spells, one of which burned like fire and another that sliced at him like a whip. Those were probably a fireball and wind slice, respectively.


    Mar’s left arm fell to the ground from the force of the magic hitting him. He glanced down at the stump, which was dripping golden colored mana. He focused at it for a moment, drawing mana in from his center and pulling it towards wound. It was strange seeing his body damaged so, even though he knew none of this was real and he felt no pain from it. Within seconds he formed a new arm in it’s place.


    Mar roared mentally and swept the stray bits of elemental mana from his body, casting it aside. He charged at the blob again and swept his hand through it as if his arm were a blade. He dug out a handful of the mushy substance that made up her aura in this twisted plane of existence. The water mage shrieked in response, and began preparing another blast of water magic. He cupped his hands like shovels and began tearing into the blob, ripping chunks out and throwing them aside. He’d removed a head sized chunk of mass by the time the thing collapsed in on itself, dissolving as the mind controlling the manifestation was sent skittering back to her real body by the Realmstone.


    Mar didn’t waste any time. As soon as the water mage seemed to be incapacitated he leapt on the pyromancer and grabbed his manifestation by it’s crooked neck, hurling it into the gangly form of the air mage. Then he leapt on the earth mages back and pushed it’s crab-like humanoid form face first into the dirt. He grabbed one of the arms and began to pull.


    Just when Mar was starting to feel something breaking he was hit in the back by a massive bolt of energy. Chetz was back up and had hit him with a bolt of electricity.


    <I admit, you’re a damn good spirit mage. I’d thought Orlem frowned on such magics. Too easy to turn to necromancy or chimeramancy, but apparently not they haven’t forgone the art entirely.>


    Mar groaned. His manifestation was hurting badly. Most of his torso had been blown to pieces and was only being held together by the spine he had built his body around.


    <That was a good show you put on. But we all know you’re kind are useless in a real fight.> Chetz loosed another blast of electric magic. This time at point-blank range. It tore through Mar’s manifestation, which he was just starting to pull back together.


    <You have quite the mana regeneration rate. This might take a few blasts.> Chetz followed his comment with another burst of magic that completely separated Mar’s legs from the rest of his manifestation.


    Mar twisted his arm behind his back and tried to grab at the leg jabbing into his back, but it was too much effort. Chetz responded by grinding his pointed foot harder into Mar’s back. Mar re-modifying his manifestation, trying to repair the damage, but with Chetz standing so close it was hard to move his aura around.


    <I’m surprised the Realmstone is letting you take this much damage before sucking you back to the physical realm. It must think you’re tougher than most. But in this case that just means you’re going to whimper slightly longer than you otherwise would have.> Chetz blasted him with magic again, scattering Mar’s attempt at reforming a body.


    <You cost me a team member. Valesa was our scout. It’s going to be much harder to mount an ambush without her, and that makes me very upset.> Chetz dug one of the pointed stumps at the end of his legs into the back of Mar’s neck. He pointed down wards with the warwand. <I bet she’s pissed about being knocked out so early, so I’ll send you back to her so she can pay you back. Don’t bother running.> Then as an afterthought he added <Oh, and don’t let her kill you. I still want to find out who hired you to spy on our plans for the Trial. I bet it was the Pyrasterns. Those arrogant bastards.>


    While Chetz ranted to himself the area around Mar’s leg started to grow warm. He knew without looking that veins of mana were creeping along his manifested body, but this time he didn’t have the strength to fight back against them.


    Mar couldn’t hold onto complete control but He wasn’t about to give up his entire being to the entity in the stone. Mar pulled at his aura around him and pulled inwards with all his might, building a shield around himself. Just in time, because that’s when the tendrils reached his manifestations head.


    Chetz noticed the shifting of the body under him. He grew more alarmed when the veins of mana could been seen creeping across them.


    <What in the hells!? Chetz exclaimed loudly. He let loose another bolt of electric mana, sheering off Mar’s only remaining limb, and sending the newly built orb Mar had built to protect himself flying off a dozen paces.


    It was only then that he noticed the pieces he’d been blasting off Mar weren’t dissipating into free mana. They were retaining their shape, coming together and reforming.


    <What type of trickery is this? I’ve never heard of a spell that could… Is this some sort of conjured monster?> He trailed off as the mana started forming a body of its own. It was human shaped, though a bit smaller then Mar’s original body. It was more detailed than even Mar’s original form, though it was completely lacking any sort of head.


    <Blast that thing!> Chetz commanded to his remaining subordinates.


    The air, earth, and fire mages all turned their hands, warwands, and staffs towards the collection of rouge mana. Fireballs, wind slices, earth darts, and a massive electric bolt blasted into the headless figure.


    <That... Will... Show... Him...> Chetz said between heavy breaths. <Now, we have a competiton to win.>


    <Uhh, boss?> questioned the air mage. <I don’t think we got it.> She murmured nervously in thought-speech.


    Chetz turned and saw that the figure was still standing, completely unscathed. A shimmering bubble flickered around the headless creature.


    <Idiots! You let him get a shield up! And you call yourselves mages!> Chetz cursed.


    <That’s not a shield, that’s an electrical mana absorption field!> The air mage shouted in alarm while backing away.


    Chetz snorted. <If he had an affinity for my magic he would have used it to fight back. He’s not a combat mage.>


    The last of the sparks from Chetz’s blast fizzled out. They had been suspended in the air around the shield, slowly growing weaker before dissipating entirely.


    <Boss, he just absorbed your lightning bolt! Combat mage or no, he can use your magic!> the earth mage commented in alarm.


    Chetz roared angrily. <Alright, so you’re better then you let on. So, you let us catch you in that alley. Was this your big plan? Get close to us and then take me out right at the beginning of the Trials? I think you underestimated me! Nobody makes a fool out of Chetz Illarius!> And then Chetz let loose a massive continuous stream of lightning from his warwand. It let loose with a thunderous crack, but it was brought to a dead stop by the shield in front of the headless figure.


    <No you idiot! That’s an electric mana absorption field! You’re only making his shield stronger.> The air mage protested.


    Chetz ignored her. <Stop standing there and help me kill this bastard!>


    Immediately several others started chanting and soon the mages were blasting hammering the shield with their offensive spells, from all sides. There was a cloud of dust and the spells sizzled out.


    <That... Will... Show... Him...> Chetz said between heavy breaths. <Now to deal with our troublesome friend.> Chetz turned back towards the still smoldering husk that was Mar’s manifestation in the spirit realm.


    Just then the dust cleared and the headless figure could be seen stepping forth from the cloud of debris.


    <Delicious.>


    <Impossible< one of Chetz companions said. <His shields held though all of that?>


    <Not shields.> The air mage said in awe. <Absorption fields. Our spells were just converted back into raw mana and absorbed, even across the full spectrum of elements.>


    <Who the hell are you!> Chetz demanded. <There are only three people who can use the full spectrum of elements from our generation! Illatheil Verandon, Mathic Mvort, and that orphaned half-elf bitch.>


    The spectral figure let out a deep chuckled that resonated strangely, as if they were in a small room instead of an open field.


    Chetz turned back towards where Mar had been thrown. <That sphere! It must be the weak point! If we damage his primary manifestation enough the Realmstone will send him back!> Chetz picked up the object that had been the head of Mar’s manifestation until a minute ago. It was the most intact piece that remained of his original body.


    <I don’t know how the Realmstone is letting you stay in the spirit realm after taking this much of a beating, but I plan on finishing you off here and now.> Chetz growled at the unresponsive white orb in his hand.


    Mar had changed shape again. He’d abandoned all semblance of human form, gathering as much of his essence as he could salvage and dragging it together towards him, forming a hard, crystalline sphere. The red tendrils from that had taken over the rest of his body were unable to penetrate its glossy surface. Even now they still clawed at the shell around him to no effect.


    Chetz grabbed the sphere in both of his crudely formed hands. He squeezed them between his fingers, channeling mana into electric energy and driving it into the sphere. Then, as if he blinked as missed something, the sphere disappeared from in front of him. Along with his hands.


    Chetz gazed at the stumps in uncomprehending confusion. In a flash the headless figure closed the distance between them and grabbed Chetz by the back of the head. The center of it’s chest opened up, revealing a sinister looking vertical mouth. The mouth opened up to reveal rows of sharp teeth like a shark, and they expanded outwards, far larger than the size of the body should have allowed.


    The creature lunged forward, engulfing Chetz in its maw and sucking him inside.


    <D-did that thing just eat Chetz? This screws everything up! We needed him to make it to the city! We’ll never even make it past the first challenge now!> the earth mage exclaimed.


    The headless manifestation closed it’s mouth and reverted to a mostly human form. It strode over to the place where Mar lay and picked up the hard, milky white pearl of aura he had encased himself in, placing it on top of it’s headless neck. More red tendrils creeped out of the creature''s neck and gripped the crystal orb, trying but failing to penetrate the hard outer shell.


    The air cleared her throat. <Good afternoon, sir poly-element. I don’t know your name, but clearly you’re more powerful than us. I’d like to join your group. I’m not so great with battle magic but I’m good at breaking barrier enchantments, that’s something you’ll need if you’re looking to get through the final doors to win first place, which you’re no doubt aiming for.>


    <Synthia! What are you doing! We made a deal with the Illarius family! If you break it they’ll be pissed!> the fire mage shouted at her.


    <Screw the Illarius family! I’m hopping aboard a much bigger boat! Why, I bet—> But she never finished her sentence. She felt a powerful and dangerous presence behind her. She noticed that the thing she had just been speaking to had vanished in a heartbeat’s span. Tentacles of dark energy spilled forth from its shadow and wrapped the air mage firmly in it’s grip.


    The voice spoke again in a deep and sinister voice, and even Mar behind his protective shell could make out the words as the reverberated through the air.


    <The only thing you can provide me, fleshling, is your mana. Which is what I’ll be taking.>


    Synthia gasped as her aura was engulfed and absorbed. In a puff of light she disappeared as she was yanked back to her physical body. The swirling mass of black tentacles expanded, grabbing the two remaining mages and pulling them inward where they were quickly devoured.


    Then the spirit from the stone turned its attention inward, towards the egg-like sphere Mar had encased himself in.