《Twin Rulers of Light and Darkness》


 Prologue

    Tom felt strange like he was free falling through an endless dark void.


    There was no light, sound, all there was is complete emptiness, time felt numb with him having no idea the length of time passing.


    Tom began to feel this is what his remaining existence will be, experiencing utter nothingness until the person he was eventually became extinguished from existence.


    His memories were already beginning to fade, he had already forgotten his parents, childhood, friends, he even felt his own name starting to slip from his mind, only pure stubbornness to hold onto his identity kept that from going.


    However, that was when he noticed it, he felt for the first time a presence, something other than him and he knew it was angry.


    It was impatient, it did not expect him to last this long and it disliked that he was resisting stubbornly.


    Yet the existence did not expect this to trigger something in Tom, the will to not give it the satisfaction of winning.


    Thus from that moment onwards Tom felt himself constantly fighting the unknown being.


    Now that he had noticed it, Tom began to feel the oddity of the numbness in his entire being, he realised whatever the existence was, it was a predator, one that had been targeting him from the beginning.


    Whatever it was doing before had seemed to dull his feelings, making him far too easily let go of elements that he recognised were essential parts that made up his soul, his very being.


    Elements of his being that he would have previously held onto at all costs. Nonetheless, he now felt a strange detachment of these concepts, that his family, friends, loved ones, his likes, dislikes, hobbies, that none of it mattered, that it never did mean anything to him, that he should just let it all go and give it to the existence that continues to loom all around him.


    Yet this only seemed to let off a hidden spark in Tom, a deep seated anger, he wanted to feel a sense of loss for what it had stolen from him, but there was just nothing.


    He felt hollow, but that was wrong, his existence just felt so empty, like he was the strange one for even thinking to care about this.


    That was when he heard it for the first time.


    ¡°You cannot win.¡± A screech of whispers filled his mind over and over, he held little recollection of his life but recognised this was the most disturbing chorus of noise he had ever heard.


    ¡°I know. But you won¡¯t either¡­¡± Tom found himself responding with determination.


    The existence seemed incensed by this, like it was the first time it had been defied in such a way.


    And that was when the tug of war between the creature and Tom continued, with Tom playing defence and the entity continuing to take more and more away from Tom.


    At first Tom tried to defend all of his remaining memories fiercely, fighting every bit of action from the entity.


    Yet, he soon learned this was not viable, there was simply too much of the entity to contend against, it felt similar to being outnumbered on all sides whilst having to defend from numerous fronts.


    Whenever Tom would split his attention to focus on defending against the entity in one area, the existence would launch pincher attacks towards the unguarded areas leading him to lose and more and more of himself to the entity as he struggled to hold onto what he had left.


    Tom realised he did not have the means to fight the entity in an equal battle, or rather he never did, even when he was at his strongest never mind after the entity had taken so much from him.


    Knowing it was hopeless to try and beat the entity at its own game, Tom instead adopted a new strategy, born out of pure stubbornness to delay and frustrate the entity as much as possible.


    Tom knew to do that he had to willingly sacrifice parts of himself to the entity, he could not hold onto everything, so instead evaluated what he felt was most to least important, he would leave the least important memories less guarded to tempt the entity to focus on them.


    And it did. Thus, an unknown amount of time continued as Tom was whittled down more and more but remained in a constant fight with the entity, through the constant battles against the entity Tom gained experience and a depthness to his being that wasn¡¯t there before.


    He did not know how to explain it, but he felt that he was more solid somehow, that despite having less quantity than before due to losing parts of himself to the entity through constantly tempering himself against the entity, Tom felt that the quality of his self has experienced a qualitative change.


    He felt that he could do more with less of himself than before, and this ended up prolonging his struggle against the entity even more.


    The entity grew more and more frustrated as time went on, it felt irritated that this time its prey was proving to be so bothersome to consume.


    Tom felt satisfied from being able to detect this from the entity, finding himself a husk of the person he once was, he found he lacked a direction, a purpose, yet the day he discovered the entity that was consuming him that spark was reignited.


    He had no idea where or what the entity even was.


    Tom memories were beginning to grow blurry, fragmented but he had a strong precognition there was nothing like this strange entity in his world.


    He had no idea how he ended up in this situation but he became even further intent on frustrating the entity.


    Like this the stand off between the entity and Tom continued, with the entity consuming more and more of Tom but growing more and more dissatisfied, impatient, that was when the entity finally made a mistake and suddenly Tom found he wasn¡¯t as alone as he had thought.


    Tom was focusing on defending himself from the entity when he abruptly felt something different.


    A gap, a breach, a hole that the entity had briefly left open and with it an opportunity.


    Tom saw a light, he felt the presence of something, a feeling similar to himself, at that moment Tom didn¡¯t mind sacrificing more pieces of himself, he just had to reach that light.


    That was when the entity noticed where his attention was, and for the first time Tom felt an emotion he thought was foreign to the entity.


    Fear.


    ¡°No¡­ impossible¡­ how does another remain?¡± The whispers grew more and more intense as the chilling voice of the entity once again made itself known, but Tom was already zoning out as he desperately focused on the light, trying to reach it.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    The entity tried to stop him, seemingly deeply distressed at the thought of him reaching the light.


    However, Tom used all the tricks he had learned from fighting against the entity, he distracted, separated, sacrificed parts of himself, utilising all of his capabilities to delay the entity as he battled hard against the entity to reach that light, and just as he thought he may not make it, suddenly he found a voice in his mind.


    One unfamiliar. One that was not the entity.


    ¡°Hello is anyone there?¡± An unfamiliar feminine voice entered his mind.


    ¡°Yes¡­ are you real?¡± Tom couldn¡¯t help but voice aloud, even now he couldn¡¯t quite believe in meeting another existence other than the entity.


    For all he knew this was another one of the schemes that the entity employed for him to lower his guard so that it can consume him.


    Yet, for some reason he did not think this was the case.


    Why was the entity afraid?


    ¡°Huh¡­ so I am not imagining things? May I ask your name, my name is Zoe I think¡­ I can¡¯t remember much¡­¡± The voice continued, the gentle feminine voice seemed to have a calming affect on him as he felt the most relaxed he had since arriving in this dark, void of nothingness.


    ¡°My name is Tom¡­ do you know how we got¡­¡± Tom was about to continue when he felt it again, and somehow this time it felt more, but less at the same time.


    The whispers grew louder and louder, disturbing both him and Zoe, ¡°How did you let this one disturb the consumption of this one¡­¡±


    Another chorus of voices arrived in retaliation, ¡°This one is not dealt with either, the others are digesting whilst they remain whole¡­¡±


    The screeching, horrifying sounding whispers continued, despite him suspecting to not even have eardrums, or even a body anymore, Tom felt a splitting headache from the noise, or at least he felt what the feeling of one was like.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter¡­ we share¡­ consume together¡­¡± The entities whispers finally sounded in sync seeming to compromise.


    Tom felt fear but trusting in his instincts he knew something was off, was I mistaken?


    He thought the entity sounded concerned, afraid even at the thought of him going to the light¡­


    Yet, why¡­ unless, it was not afraid of them alone, but what if¡­ they were together¡­


    ¡°Zoe listen to me¡­ you know how that strange thing has been eating away at us? I know you must have experienced the same thing¡­ I think we can beat it, but only together¡­¡± Tom found himself quickly voicing, worried that Zoe would not trust him as he tried to come up with a reasonable sounding explanation.


    Yet it seemed Zoe was far more adaptable than he thought, or rather was forced too, probably after suffering through a similar hopeless experience like him for an unknown period of time.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to explain¡­ I was ready to give up soon before hearing your voice, I have lost so much, I feel I have nothing left but my name, Tom, please just make this worthwhile, all the pain, all the emptiness of losing myself, was it worth it to stubbornly hold on so long? To not just give in¡­¡± Zoe voice grew lighter and lighter as she continued, almost sounding like sobs at the end but Tom knew it was just an illusion.


    She felt just an empty as him, she just wanted to try to feel something, to know what they were doing was going to matter.


    ¡°Alright then so I think we need too¡­¡± Tom tried to explain but Zoe, him instinctively already knew what needed to be done, and before Tom could word out how they would approach this, he felt a power, energy pour into him like nothing before.


    It felt foreign, strange, it was a different kind of feeling than the one he felt of his being growing more dense, stronger, if that was quality, then this was pure quantity, and for the first time he felt an abundance of energy, to the point he felt that he could tear apart the entity right now, but he knew this was merely an illusion brought about the sudden increase of power.


    Tom felt emotion for the first time in a long time, excitement, that quickly turned into confusion when he felt a sudden surge of memories.


    He suddenly felt different. There was more to him, to them than before.


    He was Tom. She was Zoe. He quickly figured it out, Zoe has poured her very being into him, but that didn¡¯t mean she had disappeared.


    On the contrary he felt they were both alive, like they had become something more, something unique.


    It was when he felt the sudden feeling of pain as he realised they were not alone.


    The entity, or is now the entities, were again trying to continue devouring their beings, only now it felt far less subtle, blatant even, Tom was resisting before but not on anger or hatred but more a stubbornness in his very soul, he felt numb to negative emotions such as anger but for the first time he felt the very wrongness, invasive meaning behind the entities actions, like whatever power it used to manipulate him had become ineffective.


    And it led to a foreign feeling, one he never had since arriving in this strange space of nothingness, pure abhorrence towards the entity.


    Therefore for the first time in their meeting, he did not play defensive, feeling the weight of Zoe¡¯s soul supporting him instead he did what the entity had been doing to them, he felt himself figuratively opening wide and preceding to take a big bite out of the entity, and for the first time he encountered the entity he heard a scream.


    It was a horrifying, guttural sound that sent shivers through his very being, however despite him figuratively not even having a body anymore he felt himself smiling.


    ¡°So you do feel pain¡­¡± Tom muttered ignoring the threats from the entity as he found the fear he felt for it suddenly dissipating.


    He continued to bask in the warm feeling that was from Zoe¡¯s soul, she was different from him and he knew it, her soul felt bright and full of energy, power that drove him forward.


    Though he knew despite the strength and power from her soul it would up to him to do the dirty work.


    ¡°Is it over? Can I go home now?¡± A weak soft voice suddenly emerged in his mind as he felt Zoe weakly murmur.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine you can rest now¡­ I will handle this.¡± Tom found himself replying, he did not why he felt such strong feelings to a person he just met but the sudden intimate, protective feelings he felt over Zoe seemed similar to a brothers urge to defend his little sister.


    It seemed his words were all that was needed for Zoe to finally relax and drift off to a type of slumber, allowing herself to be protectively embraced by his soul.


    ¡°Now where were we¡­¡± Tom found himself voicing as the entities felt a sudden chill from his words.


    Despite Zoe withdrawal into her soul, the strange connection they formed remained and with it the bursts of vitality and power that it represented.


    One the entities seemed unable to match, one they seemed utterly befuddled about.


    ¡°You represent opposites¡­ an impossibility¡­ how can one of light and dark combine?¡± The entities shrieked in anger and disbelief.


    ¡°Who knows? I got to admit my curiosity of whatever it is happening but I despise the very presence of whatever you are and leaving you things alive for a second longer is taking every fibre of my being¡­¡± Tom found himself monologuing as he snapped out of it.


    He was curious about whatever this light and dark nonsense was, he didn¡¯t even know how he found himself here but what he did know was that the entities have now locked themselves in an inescapable battle.


    A battle he wanted to take every bit of advantage of whilst he had the chance.


    The entities continued to put up a struggle, and Tom clearly felt its superiority whether it came to both quality and how they utilised its strange energy, he found himself tricked, trapped and outwitted constantly in the way they manipulated their energy to take bites out of his soul and defend against him trying to do the same.


    Yet he found this all proved utterly worthless, simply because whatever energy Zoe contributed provided a constant source of nourishment and healing that repaired the damage the entities caused and seemed to bolster his defences significantly.


    He quickly discovered that the entity required far more effort to devour Zoe¡¯s energy and the properties of her energy seemed to combine, merge with his own, covering up both of their weaknesses.


    If before Zoe was able to defend well against the entities onslaught, she seemed to lack a means of taking the fight back and could only slowly be devoured, however he clearly did not lack these problems at all, he was able to do exactly what the entity did to him and with Zoe¡¯s support replenishing his reserves he finally could take the opportunity to bring the fight to the entity.


    Thus no matter how deadly, conniving, cunning the entity was, it found itself slowly devoured until nothing was left.


    It continued to threaten him in the beginning, trying to strike fear into his very soul like it did previously but eventually when it found these threats ignored, with it continuing to lose more and more of itself, these threats turned into pleads of mercy and Tom found even a creature of darkness is afraid of death.


    He had no idea how he suddenly knew what it was, but he felt a sudden invigoration in his being, like he grew stronger, much stronger, and then a click happened as patches of memories of the entities filled his soul and then his mind went black.

 Chapter 1 - Awakening

    When he woke up Tom found his mind felt scrambled making him think he was hallucinating, if he had to find a word to describe what was happening, it was as if his vision was cut in half and each one had a different view.


    After experiencing such a peculiar problem he quickly summarised that his memories were still patchy, in fact even more so since he found they seemed to be jumbled with another, a noble boy named Aldric Westerling as he continued to experience movie like dreams as he viewed the perspective of Aldric¡¯s life causing his mind to drift aimlessly.


    Aldric¡¯s memories were strange, seeming completely foreign to the viewpoint of Tom that allowed him to identify that he was definitely not on Earth anymore.


    However, this shockingly did not feel that big of a deal to him as to the Aldric¡¯s part of his mind this world was a home that he had spent his life growing up in.


    Deciding to put this to the back of his mind for now, he went ahead to go to the more pressing issue, the reason why he felt so strange with an uncomfortable amount of limbs he felt the need to stretch, and having decided to sit up to get more comfortable he craned his neck in order to properly observe his surroundings.


    The first thing that entered his view was the room that he was in that resembled a medieval prison, it was dark, gloomy with a cramped tight space that was enclosed with stone-bricks with the entrance being thick bars made of iron.


    A heavy layer of dirt and gruel covered the stone-walls and floor making him twitch his nose in disgust.


    His senses felt overwhelmed with the damp, cold feeling of the cell finding the clothes he was wearing were rough, ragged with numerous patches exposing his delicate skin with the clothing doing little to protect him from the harsh conditions.


    Tom, now Aldric let out a sigh as he suddenly heard an unmistakable soft tone sigh in sync with him as he turned his face with a look of shock towards the second occupant in the cell with him.


    Presented in front of his eyes, was a young woman in her early twenties at most, she had a head of long blonde hair cascading straight down, and beautiful bright blue eyes that seemed to twinkle with spots of gold.


    The young woman was unmistakably beautiful, with delicate features, and smooth flawless skin that any women would envy.


    However, despite her being the type of girl that would have made the Tom back on Earth swoon, Aldric felt not a smidge of desire towards her, rather the moment he laid eyes on her an aura of familiarity and protectiveness filled him as he found the other end of his perspective shift as he saw a young mans reflection in the gaze of the girl, bearing features that bore a striking resemblance to her.


    The young man seemed almost equally as delicate as the girl with beautiful features, though his sharp jawline gave him a hint of masculinity that made him more handsome than beautiful.


    Aldric would say the main difference to the young women, however was his eyes, whereas hers seemed to hold the clarity, brightness of the universe his cold blue eyes was the opposite, seeming to hold an unmistakable darkness.


    ¡°What has happened to me?¡± The both of them said simultaneously.


    The two of them looked at each other with gazes of confusion, mouths wide open as the sudden realisation and influx of memories came crashing in.


    Zoe, now Anastasia Westerling memories consisted up to now were similar to Tom, her time on Earth being now patchy due to the entity but her circumstances up to where Tom found her and how they somehow ended up conjoining in an effort to vanquish the creatures has led to this.


    Before this moment they were somehow suppressing each other, subconsciously operating two separate bodies with their distinctive personalities however despite retaining themselves they knew that they were now one in soul completely.


    They had no idea how these terms seemed to float into their minds, but since devouring the entities more and more information about souls, how they ended up in their clutches started appearing in their mind.


    ¡°Incredible.¡± Both found themselves voicing in perfect unison, matching each other so flawlessly in timing as if they had rehearsed this over and over numerous times before syncing so faultlessly.


    Yet even then they found themselves matching each other with such a degree of perfect accuracy, that even tireless practice with another person would find it impossible to replicate, with the two of them seemingly matched in spirit making even the tone of voice as they utter these words sound identical.


    ¡°This is something¡­¡± Both of them found themselves smiling dumbly at each other, their eerily similar features matching in unison.


    Aldric found similar to him, that Zoe now Anastasia has adopted her new identify extremely readily, it was strange, befuddling that they have adapted so quickly but Aldric and Anastasia both already knew the reasoning.


    The entities memories were filled with knowledge about the soul, including what it means to throughly assimilate one like they have done with the nobles twins they have found themselves possessing.


    They have perfectly integrated into their bodies and have found their memories overlapping with the ones from Earth, however whereas their memories of their lives on Earth were disjointed, seeming to resemble a movie that jumped all over the place with clear missing parts, the memories belonging to the Westerling twins they found themselves in remained in perfect clarity.


    And from this they have already learned they are currently in a precarious situation, the Westerling twins were both minor nobility, being the twin son and daughter of Baron Clayton Westerling, who most recently hosted a small gathering that ended in complete bloodshed.


    Clayton Westerling held a small feast as per usual after returning from a hunt out in the wilderness in his territory, however upon his return he soon found himself poisoned and abruptly besieged as a gang of marauders have not only infiltrated his fief, but went on to slaughter every able bodied guard that could pose a threat to them.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Despite their Father Clayton being among the first to be killed, Aldric and Anastasia found themselves among the few survivors and since they were deemed valuable hostages both were soon thrown into their own families prison to be secured.


    Nonetheless, before they could think further about their situation the sound of loud foot steps were heard, as the clunking of boots indicated a pair of men were nearing them as a rough voice sounded.


    ¡°So where are those noble brats?¡± The voice stated.


    ¡°They are just down there, we have put them in the worst conditions as requested. You said our contractor wanted them as broken as possible before they arrived so I know you said the girl was off limits though¡­¡± A smarmy voice said with a pleading tone.


    ¡°No the girl is off limits as ordered, we are not savages, just because we have to play the part of marauders does not make us have to act like it.¡± The gruff voice responded firmly.


    ¡°The boy then? He¡¯s as pretty as the girl anyways, I promise to make him a good obedient puppet for your superiors if you leave him alone with me for a few days.¡± The smarmy voice replied with the rough voice seeming to pause for a period causing them to unconsciously shiver from the silence.


    However, the rough voice soon replied removing these worries as he said, ¡°Denied. If you need to satisfy those urges there is a brothel in the Town, and make sure your boys don''t disturb the townsfolk, we¡¯re not here to pillage, the contractor wants everything left in one piece. Also for the last time do not mention or even think of doing anything to those noble brats outside of what I order, or I¡¯ll snap your neck myself and hang your corpse along the front gate for insubordination.¡±


    The smarmy voice seemed to go meek after that, as all his previous bravado seemed to vanish as he replied, ¡°Yes boss.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now I¡¯ll return in a few days, reduce their intake to the minimum amount of water needed to keep them alive. I want them starved, desperate and pleading for their worthless lives.¡± The rough voice said before the heavy sound of footsteps seemed to grow distant seeming to indicate him leaving.


    Yet just when they thought the two men have left, the sounds of keys jingling was heard as shifting of a lock sounded as the locked wooden door opposite their cell shook slightly, before opening to reveal a man of average height, fully decked in tough leather armour that had a red skull symbol painted on the right sleeve.


    A long-sword was sheathed at his waist as his rat-like face icily searched the room before landing on them.


    Aldric and Anatasia felt a degree of familiarity as they caught sight of the man, and the chilling-feeling they have felt since he entered the room was only amplified as the rat-faced man eyes roamed hungrily over them like a predator, especially seeming to linger on Aldric as he licked his lips revealing his dirty, rotten yellow teeth.


    ¡°Greetings your lord, lady-ships¡± The rat-faced man smarmy voice drawled out in a sarcastic tone.


    Being met with silence did not seem to hinder the man at all as he continued to talk loudly in the gloomy, silent room.


    ¡°Unfortunately¡­ no gruel on the house for you today. But good thing we still have plenty of fresh water graciously sourced from the Towns well, unfortunately your Father can no longer play the role of the gracious host but no worries, I can make do. And since the two of you stink like shit there will be no shame in a quick wash.¡± Rat-face drawled in a mocking tonne as he reached for a large bucket filled to the brim of freezing cold water.


    The evil glint in his eyes lit up as he regarded their disheveled state, a mocking smile filled his lips as he lugged the bucket forward and stood in front of them as if searching for a reaction.


    He was soon disappointed as Aldric and Anatasia stared at him blankly as if unimpressed by his antics, only seeking to irritate rat-face further.


    ¡°Broken already huh? Worthless, weak cretins, the two of you were so full of hope, so much arrogance promising your Uncle will send his Knights to cut me up to bits to avenge Daddy... Where is your pride now?¡± Rat-face muttered in disgust as he spat towards them before he threw the large bucket of cold water over them.


    Aldric and Anastasia involuntary found themselves gasping as the freezing cold water hit their bodies, sending uncontrably shivers down their bodies, the noble youths they have now become were incredibly weak as if they had not been outdoors a day in their life, therefore it was only natural they did not seem to cope well under such treatment.


    The rat-face man seemed to enjoy this heavily as loud bursts of laughter filled the room.


    Yet whilst the rat-faced man was gasping for breath in amusement he did not notice the dark, chilling look that filled the twins eyes as the shadows in the room seemed to shift towards him as if reaching out to devour him.


    The rat-faced man did not seem notice this as he continued, ¡°If you think that''s the worst you¡¯ll get, just you wait for what else I have in store for you, now drink this up, boss orders, or don''t, not like I give a shit, just means I¡¯ll have to come in their and force-feed you¡­¡±


    And with that he turned around locking the wooden door he entered from behind him as he went, leaving behind two small cups of water near them that he obviously filled from the bucket before he decided to throw the rest of its contents over them.


    Aldric and Anastia quickly retrieved the cups to take small sips before gulping it all down, feeling the relief from their dry, cracked lips as their soaking wet bodies continued to shiver from the cold in the damp cell.


    Both of them needed to act fast, find a plan to get out of here.


    Aldric who was always not the most optimistic person in life, even when he was Tom on Earth quickly found himself comforted by Anatasia as the entwined nature of their souls allowed them to feed of each others strength, and Anatasia who seemed to shine with a light that brightened his soul encouraged him to close his eyes as he relaxed and searched his mind for a solution.


    And that was then a weird ding happened as a notification sounded in their mind.


    [Class system activating...]


    [Compatible user found¡­ error, multiple compatabilities found¡­]


    [Determining paths¡­]


    Aldric and Anatasia thoughts were filled with wonder as the mysterious text continued to fill their vision.


    [Paths selected. Unique life form detected, soul compabilities allows the selection of two seperate paths.]


    [Please select your separate paths for both of your avatars.]


    Hearing the mechanical voice continue to sound in their minds, they couldn''t help but look around as if to search for anything that could be the source of the voice, as if to discover anything that can explain the situation.


    However, knowing the rat-faced man seemed long gone, and with it sounding like nothing that a bunch of marauders from some primitive world could come up with, they continued to try and listen to the mysterious voice, a blossom of hope that this could be a way out of their seemingly hopeless situation.


    Avatars? Does it consider both Aldric and Anastasia two separate bodies of the same being?


    Just as they abruptly thought that they soon found their vision changing as a number of paths begin to be listed.


    [Available paths¡­]


    [Path of the Warrior]


    [Path of the Rogue]


    [Path of the Mage]


    ¡­.


    Aldric and Anatasia quickly found the path options to be typical that of a fantasy game, with the basic classes available however that was when they found two paths that seemed to call out to them.


    Staring at the two paths they soon found them flickering before them, with it offering to show the description of the paths.


    [Path of Darkness]


    [Path of Light]


    With a grin, they activated the notification seeing the description of the classes appear.


    ¡®Now that could work¡­¡¯ they found themselves smiling, the cold, wet feeling of their soaked bodies forgotten.

 Chapter 2 - Path Selection

    Realising they could select each of the paths to learn about them, Aldric and Anastasia were reading over the descriptions of the two unique paths they discovered.


    [Path of Darkness: You will grow through utilising the power of the energies of the dark, you will learn to manipulate these energies and enlist creatures of the dark to serve under you. Though weaker than a traditional mage and warrior initially this path has one of the greatest potentials of growth. However, be warned there can only be one ruler of the dark.]


    The path of Darkness appeared to be hydrid of a rogue, warrior class along with a mage attuned to the dark attribute. By the description it seemed weaker initially, yet hinting in having one of the higher potentials of growth among the different paths.


    The feeling seemed confirmed at their expectations of the path as they found a description of the abilities that the path would offer them. The first was shadow step, an ability to transverse in the darkness to reappear in a specific distance depending on the users abilities.


    Aldric felt it sounded similar to a rogue-like ability found in videogames back on Earth, Tom was an avid player of such games whereas Zoe never played one, but the concept of them was still similar to them both and the windows they were looking at seemed to mimic them.


    The second ability offered was a ranged ability called shadow-bolt, sounding similar to the classic fire ball that most Mages gained in their novice classes but was obviously darkness attuned.


    Aldric felt the class appeared good and also seemed to suit him, as the Tom on Earth always seemed to have an affinity for rogue-type characters in games and adding a slice of magic always helps, yet the last skill listed on the path seemed foreboding to them both.


    [Create Spectre: You have usurped a portion of the Ruler of Darkness Sha¡¯zeels authority by devouring his soul-bound servants. You have created an inconciliable grudge by stealing what was promised, by accepting this path you will bound this power to your soul unlocking a unique skill-tree.]


    With a gasp both their minds went back to the encounter with the strange entities in that dark space, the eerie void where they met. It was there that Aldric somehow managed to fight back against the creatures that have entrapped them, succeeding in doing what they intended to them back.


    Despite this Aldric and Anatasia still did not regain the memories lost to the entities but somehow attained something more, and judging by the description it was a power that could be both a boon or curse depending on how they view it.


    However, noting that the grudge was called inconciliable by the system Aldric decided it shouldn''t be a factor that disuaded him from the path.


    Anastasia on the other hand began to view the description of the other path. Both of them shared a similar perspective, can feel the thoughts, emotions of each other but their distinctive personalities still shone through despite sharing the same soul, it was like having split-personalities that can control two different set of limbs.


    Anastasia knew upon reading the Path of Light it was clearly intended for her, as the Path of Darkness seemed to be for Aldric.


    [Path of Light: You will grow through utilising the path of light, using the energies that provide boundless vitality to support and uplift humanity. You are a beacon of light that exposes the truths, darkness of the world. Though be warned your soul holds a deep potential that is attractive to beings that would want to consume you to uplift their own power, continuing on this path will increase that attraction towards these entities.]


    The skills of this path again seemed to reflect the description, such as the first being a skill that transformed the individual into becoming a human lie detector being able to detect any deceit, machinations from an individuals soul.


    Additionally, the skill after that was a healing growth based skill that will improve as the individual progresses further on their path. It is cost dependent on the extent of the injuries and strength of the target, with similar to a video-game the user will possess a certain amount of ¡®mana-like energy¡¯ that is not limitless and needs to be regenerated after it is used up to utilise the skill.


    The final skill was a type of soul-sight that allowed the user to view the unseen truths of the world, and can view the natures of souls.


    It is the complete opposite of the Path of Darkness, reflecting their differences, whereas Path of Light is about revealing the unseen, deceptions of the world and healing, the Path of Darkness is about remaining unseen, conquering from the shadows. Strangely both complimented each other with the two of them being conjoined as they are.


    Though this path similarly seemed to promise to attract enemies from unknown powerful beings.


    Yet neither of them felt turned off by the path due to this, in fact judging by the description of the path it seemed that it had already brought attention to them previously.


    Such as the mysterious entities that seemed to be servants of the being called the ¡®Ruler of Darkness¡¯.


    A notification from the system that described there being a enmity being formed due to stealing what was promised.


    The complex mystery of their arrival upon this world seemed to grow even deeper as they grew even more puzzled at the thought of their circumstances.


    Though Aldric was always a pragmatic type of person when he was on Earth, and Anatastia now shared these feelings as she felt the comfort of the togetherness of their soul. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    They knew there was no use concerning over these issues, especially since the souls of the two nobles youths seemed to have also melded into them seeming to shape their personalities on top of the conjoining of their souls.


    Therefore, already used to their strangely quick adaption of the events, they swiftly made up their minds on their chosen paths, after briefly reviewing the descriptions of a few others like Warrior just to compare and see it if was similiar to what they expect.


    [Path of Warrior: You will grow through slaying your enemies utilising the strength of utilsing your weapon skills such as the blade. A standard combatant class, Warriors are a common presence among awakened, often having an all-around augmentation in physique alongside their weapon skills.]


    Comparing the skills to the previous paths, they found it was just a bunch of generic weapon skills, with the option to choose the weapon you would like to base your path around.


    And after scrolling through the description of rogue, mage finding them to be similar to the generic versions of these classes in video-games, without hesitation they made their decided, locking in the selected paths.


    Finding the decision made the system notification sounded.


    [Paths selected¡­ intiailising]


    Aldric and Anatasia awoke to suddenly find their bodies bursting with energy.


    The energies brought from both paths seemed to be entwined, enfuse as it filtered to each of their bodies through their conjoined souls.


    Unknowingly to them, it led to their bodies experiencing an even bigger change than intended, as the originally frail bodies of the noble youths experienced a quantitative improvement in physique.


    Though their bodies remained frail-delicate-looking in appearance, the injuries such as the scrapes, scratches and bruises formed from their last few days from the rough treatment spent in the prison completely vanished under the baptism of the energies that washed over them.


    At the moment despite still reeking from all the dirt and filth covering their bodies from their time spent in the prison, they felt as if their whole world was refreshed as the originally gloomy dark prison cell appeared clear in their eyes.


    It was then that they finally reviewed their situation with the presence of the system, turning their attention to the matter at hand the first thing of utmost importance is securing themselves in this world.


    According to the memories of the twins, even despite their new-found power, the precarious situation they have found themselves in still remains.


    Loslosean, the world Aldric and Anatasia now found themselves in was much like a fantasy world from one of the stories on Earth. The level of technology was low, reminding them of a feudal society from the Middle Ages. Unlike Earth, however, this world was inhabited by number of fierce monsters, supernatural entities that could rip a human apart with no effort, not to mention ignoring the most obvious and pressing danger, humans.


    Memories of the fierce beasts that littered outside the walls outside the prison they currently reside in caused them to shudder, the dangers in this world were numerous but even then, these are the same beasts their father Clayton would regularly venture outside to hunt and thin their numbers down to protect his territory.


    Equally dangerous if not more so were the humans who have awakened great powers.


    These humans awoken a core that would form in their souls, these cores gifted them supernatural powers that took on many forms, some similar to Warriors in fantasy novels, would boast great strength and vitalility making them ideal front-line combatants whereas others though have a weaker physiques can now manipulate and control flames.


    The humans who awoke their cores were referred to as awakened and were those that ruled and protected humankind from the vicious beasts that plagued the world, yet often not the biggest threat and danger to humans, were not the fiercebeasts but themselves and the awakened who possessed great power over the common people were the first to often abuse their leverage.


    Aldric and Anatasia father Clayton was one such awakened, and a powerful one at that, being the peak of the first stage of awakening, and was on the brink towards of progressing to the next stage before he died which was considered rather strong among the nobility that held the rank of Baron within this Kingdom.


    With Clayton being dealt with by the mauraders, even with the poison weakening him meant that the leader of the marauders was at the very least an awakened and was maybe even near the peak of the first stage similar to Clayton, which if so meant they were in great danger since not many would be his match in this region, and with Claytons death the value of his two non-awakened heirs would have shrunk tremendously making the likelihood of a noble in the region coming to support them being slim-to-none.


    Dwelling on these thoughts, Aldric and Anatasia decided the first step was to start utilising their new-found abilities and trying to discover just how the system works, since there were no records of a system in the memories of the noble youths, either making it a secret among awakened or something that might be unique to them.


    Either way, it was time to spend their time attempting to manaveur outside of this mess.


    ¡®Now where do we start¡­¡¯ they thought as they looked through their skills before landing on the one that stood out in this situation.


    ¡®That could work¡­¡¯ Aldric thought evily as Anatasia harumped wondering if they were the evil ones.


    ¡®Ha¡­ this skill does seem pure evil, but it seems way too perfect for our current situation not to use it.¡¯ Aldric thought as he reviewed the skill that was described as being usurped from the Ruler of Darkness Sha¡¯zeel.


    [Create Spectre {1}: Form an apparition from the darkness realm, a sinister and cunning being, a spectre can posses the chosen target as decreed by its creator. Once the spectre has possessed a host the spectre will devour their soul entirely, assuming the role of the person, holding all the skills and memories they held in life making the spectre indistinguishable from the person they devoured. The spectre will be linked to the creator, and you can issue commands, or assume control of their sight, senses when needed. Once a spectre has consumed a host, they will now become linked to the body and be no longer able to separate from the host until they are vanquished. You can only create a set limit of 0/200 spectres, this limit may be increased depending on your realm, skill level. The strength of the beings a spectre can possess depends on your realm, skill level. New abilities may be unlocked at further levels.]


    ¡®No wonder Sha¡¯zeel is filled with hatred¡­¡¯ Aldric thought reviewing the skill, it was not just this either, the skill was only the first in a long-line belonging to a third separate skill tree across from the other two skills that have their own skill-tree that was linked to the Path of Darkness.


    ¡®Guess I better see how this goes¡­¡¯ Aldric thought without a hint of guilt as he thought of the perfect target to send an evil ghost to consume their soul.


    Anastasia splitting off from his train of thought was looking over her own set of skills as she wondered what could be helpful in this situation, trying to ignore the fact that she, well they were about to bring a horde of evil ghosts into the world, maybe the first of its kind after all, neither the noble twins have heard of anything like a spectre and the thought of there being creature thats like that roaming in the darkness in this world was a terrifying thought.

 Chapter 3 - Create Spectre

    Aldric focused on the {Create Spectre} skill in his notification window after both he, Anastasia decided that it was the only real means of defeating the marauders and taking back their fief.


    After reviewing their memories they had decided retaining their noble identify was crucial in this world, since being a noble would open many doors for them allowing access to the resources they required to grow.


    Not to mention it would be difficult even if they were stronger than Clayton was to attain the fief they have now if they were to lose it to the marauders, since deserting the fief to escape would cost them everything as a noble losing their fief to a bunch of marauders would be considered humiliation.


    Aldric and Anastasia both knew from their memories that they could not ask for any assistance from the nobles nearby either, since requiring the assistance of another to retake the fief from marauders would be gravely frowned upon.


    The identity of a noble was considered highly valuable, and the Kingdom was always in need of available land to grant strong, valuable awakened who have achieved great merits territory to tie them to the crown.


    If their Father, Clayton was alive it would be a different story, but being a pair of fresh awakened who have achieved nothing of note, requesting the aid of a noble to take back the fief from the mauraders would be the perfect opportunity to strip them of their title and use it as a reward for a powerful awakened that has great merits.


    Therefore, they needed to act fast in dealing with the marauders in order to be before the opportunistic individualsintervention.


    However, the main issue is they required a small army to defeat the marauders, and since their families standing guard have all been practically eliminated, to deal with the marauders that was well over two hundred strong would¡¯ve usually been an impossible task for two greenhorn nobles.


    Yet they were not ordinary awakened and possessed the perfect abilities to rectify these problems.


    Aldric knew what he was about to do could be considered immoral, the very skill punctuated it belonged to a Ruler of Darkness after all, yet he felt no real guilt at the thought of what he was about to do.


    After all none of these marauders were good men and have openly slaughtered not just his fathers guards, but even the servants who were of no threat to them just because they did want to have the bother of feeding them under lock and key.


    Aldric and Anatasia were already rapidly integrating with their new identities, and although have not completely lost their former identities of another world, found themselves perfectly adapting to their new bodies.


    In fact they felt exactly like Aldric and Anastasia, just more seeming to have merged with their souls becoming a mixture of their personalities.


    They had no idea how it worked but the rage both twins felt towards the marauders who butchered, not only their Father but the servants, guards who were present throughout their childhoods demanded to be sated.


    And Aldric knew who the perfect target to test his new skill on would be, his thoughts drifting to that of the rat-raced man who was their would-be jailer making him think he couldn¡¯t have found a more perfect target.


    Focusing on the {Create Spectre} skill he decided to try it out, meanwhile his mind split off as Anatasia was looking through her own abilities.


    And after reviewing them it seemed that {Soul Sight} was rather unique, allowing her to view the auras of individuals, she had yet to see awakened other than them so does not know for definite but when viewing their own auras she was able to see a bright signature that enveloped the outline of their bodies, which after summarising identified that this likely reflects what the aura of an awakened would look like.


    And she was satisfied after seeing something else, it seemed thanks to the uniqueness of their soul, the nature of their energy was entwined, meaning that if another who had a similar skill to hers was to look at their aura, the light aura brought from her path seemed to encompass the darkness from Aldric¡¯s, whose dark aura took the initiative to use it as a shield, remaining hidden and practically undetectable.


    She would not have been able to find it herself if not for the aura of darkness instinctively revealing itself to her eyes, it would mean that others would find it difficult to identify the nature of their abilities and would likely underestimate them.


    Both of them knew there were healers in this world, and individuals who awakened as ones are considered highly valuable.


    And from viewing their auras Anastasia had an instinctive feeling that viewing her aura would reveal her as one and would likely identify Aldric similarly.


    This lead herself to grinning at the thought of the chaos this can cause, yet she suddenly frowned at the realisation she could be hurting others.


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t even able bear the thought of hurting a spider as Zoe¡¯ she thought thinking of all the times she would gently carry the spiders to the safety of her porch instead of squishing them like her mother asked.


    As she grew lost in these thoughts an abrupt feeling filled her as she felt a converge of energy through the connection of their soul surge.


    It was then she noticed a dimming to their aura through {Soul Sight}, as the brightness receded a bit before an intangible energy seemed to drift from their bodies before gathering at the front of their cell.


    Aldric and Anastasia found themselves froze as the darkness of the room seemed to converge towards this area, as an outline slowly formed in front of them eventually assuming the shape of an average-sized man.


    Yet these were where the similarities ended, as the man-shaped shadow possessed a gaseous-like quality to it, as a smoky tar like substance constantly evaporated from it.


    It was the creepiest looking thing they had ever seen and it did not help when the beady-red eyes of the shadow regarded them with a look of worship.


    ¡°Oh great lord of darkness, this one thanks you for using your great powers to bring this one to life, I will endeavour to serve you to the best of my abilities.¡± The spectre voiced emitting squeals of sounds that was as eerie as its appearance.


    Both of them stared stupefied staring silently at the spectre as it decided to cock its head to the right as if confused at their stillness.


    After thinking for a period it decided something must be wrong with it since obviously its masters were perfect, ¡°O¡¯ have I done something to displease you great ones¡­¡± the strange spectre looked down despondently at the thought of being disappointing.


    It was a strangely innocent, child- like gesture that was quickly ruined when it decided to let out a strange despondent cry when it opened its mouth impossibly wide as a maw filled of sharp teeth were revealed.


    ¡°If this one does not meet your satisfaction¡­¡± The spectre was about to continue but Aldric decided to intervene.


    ¡°Oh no, you¡¯re perfect just the way you are¡­ I¡¯m just, no we¡¯re unfamiliar with this, so you may need to bare with us when we figure out how this works exactly. Maybe we can start by asking you about what you can do for us?¡± Aldric said measuringly, his voice firm but he was also cautious when speaking to the spectre.


    The thing clearly seemed to view them as its masters, but its evaluation of their power was beyond what they actually are, they were under no illusions of grandeur.


    Despite their unique abilities for their level, in reality they were merely fledgling awakened at the moment, and though rare compared to regular humans there were thousands upon thousands of awakened like them that were present in this Kingdom alone never mind the world.


    Therefore, both of them couldn¡¯t help but be incredibly wary of the seemingly naive, harmless behaving Spectre, its aura was simply ominous and seeing a real ghost-like creature was disturbing when comparing it to creatures similar from the stories on Earth. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Even Aldric and Anatasia had never seen anything like it, and they had heard many things from their Father who had fought plenty of horrifying creatures in the wilderness.


    The spectre seemed to pause at the question as if in deep thought, its red eyes stared at them and despite being motionless it gave off a sinister presence.


    Finally it spoke as it replied, ¡°I can serve as your eyes and ears from the darkness. I can possess who you desire so I can become a servant abled to interact in the physical plane, I will retain all of the skills and experiences that the individual possessed, without their deficiencies such as fear, greed, lack of loyalty, I will always be loyal, as my existence is bound to you. I am an extension of your own power and will be until either I perish, or you terminate me yourself. Possessing a host makes me vulnerable, I will be tethered to the body and will no longer posses the specific invulnerabilities in this form, and will be subject to the vulnerabilities of a physical body. I also have other weaknesses, but your powers has reduced them significantly, a typical spectre such as myself is afraid of the light, if we are present when daylight emerges it would disperse us when we are a spirit, there are also powerful priests, and the individuals you term as healers that are also capable of purging us from the possessed with their light-attributed abilities though that always ends in the death of the possessed since we do not leave a soul behind, though your lets say, uniqueness of your paths has made me now highly resistant to all light aspected abilities, after all we are extensions of yourself, servants to carry out your will.¡± The spectre replied as it did a deep bow to them as if to illustrate its point.


    Now further getting use to its presence, they grew more comfortable around the spectre allowing them to become daring enough to ask more forward questions, after all the creature was the first some-what denizen of this strange world they could gain answers from.


    ¡°If your an extension of our power, how do you understand your abilities so well, how do you realise these new immunities brought by our connection and how do you you know so much about your weaknesses if you had just been born?¡± Aldric voiced mirroring what both of them felt curiosity about.


    The Spectre gave them a deep look before replying, ¡°Creatures of darkness such as I, we gain inherited memories of our predecessors, we are all aware perfectly what we can do once born, we are aware of the threats our kind face here, especially among our favoured prey, humans. The skill you have, for our formation, you input an extension of yourself that if I were to use an appropriate analogy infuses a seed, such as I, this extension will form the basis of my personality but I will retain my base instincts and foundation from being a creature of darkness. That is why I am so pleased by the gift you provided me¡­ you have no idea how great it is to be freed of the threat of those brainless priests, they have been bumbling about so long, no idea of the¡­¡±


    The spectre then gave a look of confusion as if a loss of words.


    ¡°Huh¡­ the what?¡± Anatasia asked bringing the spectre out of its thoughts.


    ¡°I can¡¯t really recall why we feel such hatred¡­ strange.¡± The spectre mumbled with a distant look in its beady red eyes.


    That was when they were interrupted by the sounds of the door clicking as they realised someone was about to enter, realising he had to most fast Aldric locked eyes with the Spectre and said.


    ¡°Alright no time for messing around we need to move now, wait in the corner for my signal, we may need to see you in action sooner than I thought.¡± Aldric ordered as the spectre obediently moved towards the darkness in the corner of the room.


    Its beady red eyes remained staring at them from afar, but Aldric had a feeling he could only identify the thing because it was his servant, to other individuals the spectre would not able to be gazed upon by normal means since it was a immaterial existence not of this plane.


    Soon enough the door was thrown open as the familiar rat-faced man barged in with a sneer on his face, ¡°Ya miss me twerps?¡±


    Unpleased by the blank looks on their face at his arrival, rat-face mouth opened hysterically as his rotten-yellow teeth in clear view as he yelled, ¡°Looks like I been too soft on ya¡­¡±


    That was when Aldric decided he had enough, nodding to the corner of the room to the Spectre who was able to understand his desires even without him saying anything verbally.


    Though it was a shame to give his first Spectre such a terrible host, he knew possessing the rat-face who was the jailor responsible for watching over them was a clear priority.


    Rat-face meanwhile was continuing his rant as he bellowed out to them, shaking the iron bars in an attempt to intimidate them as spittle left his mouth as he raged at them.


    It almost made him want to laugh at how much of a cartoonish villain vibe the guy was given off until he saw the glint in the man¡¯s eyes change as he turned dangerous.


    Aldric often knew fools and incompetent individuals could often be sheer dangerous just out of the sheer reckless thought of just proving they ain¡¯t all talk, and this was the vibe rat-face gave off, shame he didn¡¯t have the time to carry out such thoughts.


    As the Spectre that already began to envelop the man, soon started to zeep into his body, the strange gaseous-tar like body creepily, seeped into rat-faced orrices without the man even noticing.


    Rat-face was still babbling even when his eyes turned blood shot, even when his expressions began to change rapidly without him seeming notice anything amiss, it became even creepier as a spectre-like image of an exact copy of rat-face appeared behind him looking at him with an evil expression.


    The clone seemed to have an ethereal quality to it, but that did not seem to stop it as it slowly moved it hands around rat-faces throat, rat-face did not even blink as the strange clone started grinning as its started to squeeze his throat.


    It was then rat-face finally reacted bringing his hands to his throat in a futile attempt, his face was filled with horror and pain as he started rolling around the floor.


    Gurgling rat-face eyes searched around for anything to save him, he banged the floors with all his might futilely trying to call for help as his throat let out a strange mumbled noise.


    Yet he quickly realised nothing was going to save him as he whimpered defeatedly, his last thoughts before he finally succumbed was when he found his gaze meeting the twins finding the most coldest, apathetic eyes he had ever seen as the pretty boy Aldric stared at him from behind the bars emotionlessly.


    An eerie voice filled his mind, ¡°You finally realised your folly, those who dare to mess with Master will suffer, and now your worthless body will serve him in death.¡±


    As the light faded from rat-faced eyes something new replaced it, foreign a red light filled his eyes before it reverted to normal like nothing was amiss, yet as rat-face brought himselfback to his feet there seemed to be far more poise as he stood straightly before the twins.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Rat-face said with a servile grin that seemed extremely incompatible on his features.


    And that was then they received a notification from the system.


    [You have defeated mortal human. 1 EXP awarded. You are now 1/10 EXP towards reaching next level {2}]


    ¡°Looks like we have some work ahead of us, time to give you some more friends¡­ hmmm though we definitely need a name for you, how about Marcus?¡± Aldric mumbled after he pooled his and Anatasia minds together through their soul.


    ¡°This one will accept master wishes, though we feel unworthy for a nameless servant as I to receive such an honour.¡± Marcus bowed servilely.


    However, after he tried to create more spectres he found, he felt his essence dwindling as he created the second, third, fourth.


    ¡°Hell that¡¯s my limit for now¡­¡± Aldric mumbled as both he and Anatasia felt the drain on their soul.


    Awakened had a pool of essence in their core that supplemented their powers, they were greatly weakened after running out of such essence, since Mages could not pump out fire endlessly and neither could Warriors perform feats of supernatural strength forever, however every awakened essence naturally replenishes overtime and there were ways to even speed up this natural recovery such as meditation.


    Aldric and Anatasia had a larger pool of essence in comparison to others in their stage due to their unique soul and paths, but even they felt fatigued after over utilising their abilities.


    ¡°Well¡­ look like going to be busy¡­¡± Aldric thought as he imagined how long it would take to fully utilise all of the vacant spots for created spectres.


    [4/200 Spectres]


    ¡°This is going to take a while¡­¡± Aldric said as he felt bottomed out just from creating four and having no idea his recovery time, he knew the amount of marauders here numbered more than two hundred and this did not count awakened who he felt would not be so easily dealt with.


    Gazing at the remaining three spectres he ordered, ¡°Go find three marauders to possess, and avoid any awakened, Marcus warned me your limit is mortal humans at my current stage of strength, so avoid any awakened and only target the most suitable targets you can find. And do not cause any disturbances like Marcus, it was fine to torment him a bit here with no witnesses but the rest of this place is crawling with them and I want no risks, understood?¡±


    The spectres just nodded accepting their orders, seeming far less emotive in comparison to Marcus, though he supposed that may have to do with him being the first.


    As they scuttled off to find a suitable target, he had already ordered Marcus to act as rat-face usually does to avoid suspicion.


    And since being awakened meant they required less sustenance he felt none of the pangs of hunger or thirst he did upon awakening in this world.


    Turning to Anastasia he felt her meditating in an effort to speed up their recovery of essence.


    Meditating speeds up the rate of the energy in the air being naturally absorbed into their body replenishing their soul-core.


    It was something Clayton had taught Aldric and Anastasia in preparation if they have eventually awakened.


    Most noble children received such education since it was far more likely a child belonging to awakened to become one themselves rather than those from mortal families.


    Clayton had another son who was their older brother who was also awakened, however he was also killed in the attack by the marauders deemed too dangerous to be left alive.


    Therefore, the skill came naturally to them being something both the twins often practiced at a young age, making them efficient in the technique.


    They found meditating together seemed to double the speed of their essence recovery much to their delight.


    Now it was time to focus on creating more Spectres and converting each of the marauders one by one until they had the leaders enclosed in a vicious trap.


    The thought delighted them both, as soon it would be time to leave this cell and take back their birthright.

 Chapter 4 - Harken

    Aldric and Anastasia soon found themselves in a routine. Aldric would use the skill {Create Spectre} until he had expended their reserves of essence, and then they would engage in meditation until they fully recovered.


    They had already discovered that Aldric could borrow the essence available to Anastasia which effectively doubles his output of utilising the skill, however this would lead to the both of them being drained entirely.


    The feeling of being devoid of essence was not good since it made them lethargic and reduced their capabilities.


    Overall this led them to summarise that doing so would leave them vulnerable to others'' machinations.


    Nonetheless, regarding their current situation, they decided the risks were worth taking.


    Aldric had already specially instructed the newly formed Spectres to locate suitable targets among the Marauders under Marcus¡¯s direction, and judging by the constant notifications he was receiving Marcus had been busy.


    [You have defeated a mortal human. 1 EXP awarded. You are now 2/10 EXP towards reaching the next level.{2}]


    These notifications continued an additional eight times before the one they eagerly anticipated occurred.


    [You have defeated a mortal human. 1 EXP rewarded. You are now 10/10 EXP towards reaching the next level. {2}.]


    The notification was quickly followed.


    [Congratulations you currently have enough experience points to level up. Would you like to progress to level 2?]


    Viewing the notification came as no surprise since they were already expecting this.


    Nodding their head decisively, they choose to level up.


    [Please choose two of the skills you wish to advance. Then select your level advantage.]


    The familiar window then popped up, allowing them to view their current abilities. Looking over the abilities they found an option to advance, with it then showing the changes this brings.


    [Shadow Step {1} > {2}: You transverse the shadows allowing the user to teleport from one place to another.


    *NEW* The energy cost of activating this ability is reduced. The maximum range of this ability will increase from 10m > 15m.


    Skill level: {1} > {2} ]


    Aldric liked the upgrade and already knew the choice was going to be difficult.


    Moving onto his next skill he found the upgrade for {Shadow-Bolt}.


    [Shadow-Bolt {1} > {2}: You conjure a condensed ball of negative energy you can launch at will. Physical creatures hit will experience darkness elemental damage.


    *NEW* The energy cost of activating this ability is reduced. The purity of negative energy will increase improving power.


    Skill level: {1} > {2} ]


    Aldric found it another good option though he favoured {Shadow-Step} since it seemed more pragmatic currently.


    And finally, the skill he was utilising the most with it being essential to his plans.


    [Create Spectre {1 > 2}: Form an apparition from the dark realm, a sinister and cunning being a spectre can possess the chosen target as decreed by its creator¡­


    *NEW* Your spectres host physique is enhanced. The bond between you and spectres is improved. Spectre limit increased: [200 > 210] You unlock a new category of spectre; Baleful Spectre. Born from deep-heated resentment they are natural leaders among their kind. Stronger than their counterparts, they are capable of possessing individuals of similar strength to the user. Baleful Spectre limit [0/3] ]


    Eyes widening he found herself grinning at the sight of the improved version of the skill.


    It was simply perfect for their needs since the one problem with their plan was that the spectres were currently too weak to possess awakened.


    Marcus was able to provide a good summary of the marauder''s capabilities. They were two hundred and fifty men strong, most of which were well-trained unawakened mortal soldiers.


    They did not find this surprising since even her Father Clayton had a mere few awakened under his command.


    Most had perished according to Marcus, yet there was one survivor a turncoat named Harken.


    Harken was a typical awakened with an all-around body enhancement. He joined her Father¡¯s elite guard a few months back and was well-trusted among the guardsmen long before that. He was newly awakened and should be similar to them in strength.


    Similar to Rat-face now Marcus it felt like fate had given him the perfect target to bolster his forces with an awakened.


    It would also allow him to search through the turncoat''s head to discover the reasoning behind his betrayal.


    With his mind made up, he decided to go with the straightforward choice of advancing {Create Spectre} to Lvl 2 and the next one was {Shadow Step} after he reasoned it was a good escape skill, suiting his nature of remaining in the shadows.


    After he had selected his skill advancements, he had to pick an ability from the tree diagram that showed his options. He saw that each of his current skills had a branch extended from them allowing him to see what was next.


    The skills further along the tree were hidden and he could not view them since he must not be at a high enough level.


    After {Shadow Step} was an ability called {Darkness Shroud} that reduced the likelihood of those discovering his presence, hiding him in a veil of darkness that muted his footsteps and gave off an-aura muting effect.


    He was not super interested in such an ability so moved on to the next one.


    {Shadow Bolt} branched out to a skill called {Shadow Grasp} that allowed him to create an illusory hand of negative energy that can appear out of the shadows latching onto a desired target and infusing it with negative energy. It can also hold onto objects and seems similar to the spell Mage Hand in dungeons and dragons. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    However, the new skill that came from the same skill tree as {Create Spectre} seemed the more promising.


    [Create Nightmare {1}: Unlike Spectres Nightmares are bestial and lack cunning, rather than possess the more intelligent races like humans their preference is beasts and animals. They are fiercely loyal to their creator and although not capable of much independent thought in comparison to spectres will follow orders absolutely. Nightmare limit: [0/50]]


    Aldric had already decided to select this skill since he felt it would prove valuable because he wanted to bolster the number of forces available.


    He was never going to progress to the level of the marauder leader in the short time frame he possessed.


    Therefore he needed to focus on defeating him through overwhelming force which meant the Nightmares who can control beasts may be invaluable.


    However, he firstly was going to target the awakened among the marauder ranks. Luckily most of them were early awakened with the two that were not being the marauder leader himself and his primary lieutenant.


    According to Marcus the marauder leader was at the very peak of the first stage of awakening, which doesn¡¯t seem much but was considered impressive in this area of the Kingdom since most awakened progressed slowly.


    Non-awakened are referred to as mortals and are what most of the population is made up of. The bulk of soldiers belonging to nobles, and mercenary companies are well-trained, competent mortals, with even early stages awakened being the elite showing their value.


    According to their memories, the first stage of awakening was known as foundation building. It was when an awakened core had just been formed determining their augmentation.


    Usually, this came in many forms such as bolstered speed, strength, or supernatural abilities like manipulating fire.


    Every awakened receives a general upgrade in physique with the essence that circulates from their newly formed core in their souls providing a baptism.


    This means even a weak awakened would be superior to any mortal.


    For a newly awakened to progress they must refine and improve on their foundation.


    Most would do this through utilising meditation, with there being many cultivation methods to draw in essence to continuously refine and perfect their core.


    This an arduous process since newly awakened would also be required to perfect their new abilities, as there are many directions for an awakened.


    For instance, a speed-based awakened could go down a more assassin route, excelling in short bursts, but lacking in confrontation.


    Additionally, another path for a speed-gifted awakened is becoming a swordsman who excels in utilising speed.


    It may not seem as essential as building the foundation of your core but there is a correlation in the speed of your cultivation if you have a direct mental path of which direction you want to utilise your gift.


    Not many understand exactly why but the stage after foundation building, the core refinement stage is formed from solidifying the transparent, faint core formed upon your awakening.


    The speed of your cultivation is often improved the more direct, clear the mental path you expect of yourself, thus a speed-specialised swordsman that is pure of heart and dedicated to the sword often finds the refinement of their core improving faster than a directionless individual who is unsure how to utilise their gift.


    It is what stumps many to remain as an early stage awakened. Of course, some resources can speed up cultivation, yet these individuals are often weaker than those who progress naturally and eventually meet a bottleneck.


    Not that it mattered to Aldric and Anastasia as it was already clear through the system that their means of advancement would not be the norm.


    However, judging from how their levels work, they¡¯d estimate that they are currently early foundation staged awakened.


    This meant the marauder leader who was at the late stage would be the equivalent of a level nine, far beyond them at the moment.


    Yet Aldric and Anastasia had the element of surprise with the marauder''s leader unaware of the extent of their abilities.


    They on the other hand knew a lot about him from Marcus and knew the only way to deal with him was deception.


    Therefore, Aldrics next priority was converting Harken meaning he had to utilise one of his few Baleful Spectre slots yet he knew having a loyal awakened at his service was well worth the trade.


    Examining his essence to see if he could afford the expenditure, he estimated it took them over six hours to form the ten basic spectres that had already found hosts.


    Having just created a spectre not too long ago he knew that they would have to meditate a while to recover some of the essence before utilising the skill {Create Spectre}.


    Therefore, he decided to go over Anastasia''s skill selection with her, as their joint soul allowed them to synchronise when they did not want to split off their thoughts like they had been doing.


    Anastasia''s skills vastly differed from his, and she was already going over the skill selection still undecided compared to him who had a much easier time.


    The first was the skill known as {Truth Seeker}.


    [Truth Seeker {1} > {2}: You see the truths of this world, you will gain an instinct allowing you to detect deception and untruths told.


    *NEW* You can sense emotions such as guilt, anxiety, and concern, nothing remains hidden whilst under the scrutiny of the light.]


    Anastasia found the skill to have its uses and would be an asset when they assume their noble identities but at the moment it would not be a priority to enhance.


    The next one was one she was confident would be one of her enhancements.


    [Healing Touch {1} > {2}: You utilise your essence to form healing energy that can speed up healing and recover any wound as long as you have the energy.


    *NEW* The energy cost of activating this ability is reduced. The light energy created is purer, enabling it to better combat poisons, curses or other forms of hostile energy.]


    Antastia thought the enhancement was great and had good utility, it would likely be a very important skill in building their noble identity.


    And finally viewing the last skill.


    [Soul Sight {1} > {2}: You can view energy signatures and auras allowing you to view the nature of souls.


    *NEW* It is more difficult for the unseen to escape your detection. You can inspect soul cores allowing you to examine the capabilities of a person within one stage of you.]


    Going through the abilities with both their minds, they found the choice a bit more compelling than Aldrics in some cases, with the abilities being less straightforward with more mystique behind them. However, they ended up deciding {Healing Touch} and {Soul Sight}.


    A healing skill is always invaluable to have and they had a feeling {Soul Sight} will come in handy to examine the marauder''s leaders'' full capabilities since even Marcus was only able to give his best estimate.


    Anastasia also had to select a brand new skill but found the choice straightforward.


    {Truth Seeker} skill tree branched to an offensive skill called {Smite} that dealt light and lightning damage.


    It was a skill that dealt damage bonuses based on the conviction of Anastasia herself, so if she felt conviction that an individual was deserving of retribution the more powerful the skill would be yet there is a maximum limit of course and this bonus is costly.


    {Healing Touch} progressed to another healing skill called {Regenerate Limbs} which she thought sounded very useful since {Healing Touch} can only close wounds and rapidly speeds up natural healing, a missing limb was something it could not heal so this skill could prove very useful.


    Lastly {Soul Sight} progressed to another offensive skill, but an interesting one that targeted the soul; {Piercing Glare} that requires direct eye contact and allows her to directly target an individual''s soul core causing an individual to freeze.


    From her memories such skills were astonishingly rare among awakened with it being likely the marauder leader had never encountered it before.


    Deciding it could be an excellent ace to have she selected {Piercing Glare} thinking it may prove valuable for landing a decisive blow.


    {Smite} seemed good but she was too weak currently to confront the marauder leader directly.


    She decided it would be best to support utilising her healing skills before using {Piercing Glare} at the right moment.


    Now with their advancement sorted it was the perfect time to focus on meditation to recover their essence so they could finally deal with that traitor Harken.

 Chapter 5 - Baleful Spectre

    Aldric and Anastasia spent a while recovering their essence since the essence cost of a Baleful Spectre is double that of the standard {Create Spectre}.


    Sensing the feedback from the other spectres, Aldric felt the prompt to share their vision if he desired.


    Marcus had already integrated into the role perfectly, with it being disturbing how seamlessly the spectres resumed the roles of the marauders they possessed.


    Despite the immoral nature of the skill, the twins found themselves gladdened to have the ability.


    Since the fief is vulnerable if it remained without a standing army, if not for the skill to replenish the army it would be impossible to recover from the damage the marauders caused.


    It seemed ironic that the marauders themselves would not only fix their problems but would also provide a superior army.


    The twins already knew the marauders were well-trained, boasting far superior prowess to the guardsmen under Clayton.


    The only issue was the assurance of loyalty yet that problem is solved with the spectres guaranteeing that.


    They even found themselves excited at the prospects of controlling such an army.


    Ambitious even since Aldric always felt destined for more on Earth.


    He felt his particular skill set didn¡¯t suit his time explaining his mediocrity on Earth. However, Anastasia was far more subdued reigning in these feelings.


    Calming down the bold thoughts they settled on focusing on subduing Harken first.


    The Baleful Spectre required an even more lengthy summoning compared to Marcus.


    Nonetheless, it did not disappoint its formation carrying far more weight than the Baleful Spectre emitting an aura leagues above Marcus.


    Similar to Marcus the Baleful Spectre was a man-shaped shadow, though where Marcus was of average size, this spectre towered over them.


    The Baleful Spectre retained the gaseous, tar-like quality, though its shadow had clusters of crimson.


    Once fully formed their eyes met with it bowing its head to signify subservience.


    They sighed in relief with the tension they didn¡¯t even realise they had left their bodies.


    With the large spectre remaining still, they realised it was awaiting orders.


    ¡°Rise. Your task will be to remain hidden, find Marcus and let him direct you to your target.¡± Aldric said assertively.


    With its order received, the large spectre left silently, disappearing from the room as it floated through the stone wall of the cell.


    Through the vision of the spectres they already learnt none of the occupants here could see them.


    They were similar to the ghosts in stories in their old world, able to remain unseen unless they wanted others to see them.


    Therefore, as long as the spectres stayed incorporeal it remains challenging to discover them.


    It is not fool-proof though, of course, with there even being strange occupations such as ghost hunters in this world, yet the twins were assured there were currently no measures in place in the fief.


    There were records of monsters and creatures like Spectres though usually they were directionless, unintelligent or fixed to a location.


    And since formations, exorcists, and priests to protect against them are rare and expensive, a fringe noble like Clayton would never have access to them, the marauders even less so.


    This allowed the Baleful Spectre to move unhindered as it quickly rendezvoused with Marcus, who was yelling at some marauders before it once again made its way further into the castle.


    Aldric and Anastasia were already familiar with the fief and the castle that stood proudly in the centre of the territory.


    The Westerling fief held a medium-sized Town of a few thousand individuals with the castle in the centre overlooking it.


    A decently sized wall surrounded the Town, with there being a second wall in the inner layers formed around the castle.


    Clayton had focused much of the available funds on the castle, with it being the prized asset of the fief.


    Not that it served much use with the marauders securing entry under the meddling of Harken.


    Now the marauders were entrenched and secure as ever using Clayton¡¯s tireless work.


    Numerous marauders littered and patrolled the castle grounds, with even more located on the outer walls ensuring the civilians remained confined to the Town. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Looking through the Baleful Spectre''s vision, they admired the simple yet stylish decor of the castle. The twins couldn¡¯t deny that Clayton had a good sense of style and class.


    It was a shame this Father of theirs met his maker before they awoke their powers; Clayton was a hard man and was cold to his children, though they couldn¡¯t prevent the deep yearning of the former Aldric and Antastia''s need to impress him.


    It seemed it just wasn¡¯t meant to be though, as Clayton, their Mother and brother all were long dead.


    The marauders were thorough and merciless, it was strange the twins were the only ones left alive, though maybe Harken might have answers.


    Shortly the Baleful Spectre seemed to reach its target. It stopped before a large door that the twins recognised as their father''s bedroom.


    They were curious towards the reason Harken was there until they heard the loud thumping noises.


    ¡°Call me the Baron! Say I¡¯m the Boss!¡± A high-pitched voice groaned as they let out vulgarities.


    ¡°Oh, Baron! You''re the best! Everyone loves you! Only you are worthy of one such as me.¡± A sultry female voice yelled in reply as the thumping continued growing in intensity.


    ¡°Oh, Genovere!¡± The high-pitched voice grunted in reply.


    Wait a minute why does that name sound familiar?


    The twins were at first disgusted at the sounds of their father''s murderer daring to do such a thing in his bedroom, yet when they heard the name the man yelled they realised something even worse.


    Isn¡¯t Genovere their mother''s name?


    Feeling even further disturbed, Aldric voice grew cold as he mentally ordered, ¡°Destroy that cretin already. He does not deserve to live a second longer.¡±


    The Baleful Spectre vanished quickly reappearing inside the bedroom.


    Inside the decor of the bedroom remained consistent with the rest of the castle, simple yet stylistic.


    It was neat and every item was placed functionally.


    An area of the room recently dishevelled ruined the orderliness, however, as a large desk in the centre of the room was left disturbed.


    In front of the desk was a sleight fair-looking man who seemed diminutive compared to the large desk, especially when he was currently thrusting with all his might, red-faced as he stood on his tip-toes barely reaching waist level with the lady in front of him.


    Harken did not seem weighed down at all by his betrayal. He did not even wait for their father''s body to turn cold before he began frolicking in his bedroom.


    The lady meanwhile was someone whom the twins did not recognise, she was for sure not their mother who had her throat slit by the marauder''s leader lieutenant.


    She did not seem particularly impressed with Harken though, her voice yelling all sorts of profanities whilst her face told another story, remaining stone-cold with a look that screamed ¡®Please hurry up and finish already¡¯.


    Luckily for her, Harken won¡¯t be around for much longer because the Baleful Spectre has already made its way towards him.


    ¡°Oh yes Genovere I am the best¡¯ only I am worthy! Who does he think he is taking you from me?¡± Harken was going to continue his rant until his eyes suddenly rolled back and he trembled.


    It was at that moment the Baleful Spectre began its possession, and unlike Rat-face it seemed Harken was far more weakly willed.


    The Baleful Spectre did not even have to put up much of a fight as Harken''s mind crumbled in moments.


    Despite being the first awakened to be consumed by their spectres, Harken was a weak man with a victim complex never once considering that his inadequacies made him undesirable, not what he offered as a man.


    He grew up as a simple boy, both innocent and free-spirited, he became best friends with the local lord and despite him treating him nothing but as a good friend, the simple boy became envious of the local lord to the point where this initial friendliness turned to hatred.


    Even when he was among the best guardsmen in his unit, where he was treated above and beyond normal guardsmen, despite receiving everything that he always asked and dreamed of from what he told the Lord growing up. The boy never stopped wanting, always envious of the life he always wanted, the one person who had more than him, Clayton Westerling.


    ¡®What a sad way to live¡­¡¯ The twins thought shaking their heads.


    The bond formed with the Baleful Spectre was even more impactful than they imagined, showing a glimpse into the person Harken was.


    And frankly, it was disappointing. All of this for such a petty reason. It made Aldric want to kill him all over again, even Anastasia who held the more forgiving aspects of their personality felt deeply dissatisfied towards him.


    ¡°Are you alright, sir?¡± A quiet, meek voice suddenly sounded reminding them of the woman in the room.


    ¡°Everything is good! Did I ask you to speak wench?¡± Harken replied as the Baleful Spectre resumed his mannerisms without pause.


    A fearful look appeared in the woman''s eyes as she hurriedly said, ¡°No sir! Oh sorry sir!¡±


    The twins couldn¡¯t stomach the sight anymore and told ¡®Harken¡¯ to come up with an excuse to make her leave.


    ¡°Great job you ruined the mood. Get dressed and leave, I want some alone time.¡± Said Harken.


    The woman just nodded obediently and rushed to leave, dressing quickly before heading out the door.


    Noticing they missed a notification they took a look at the interface.


    [You have defeated a low-foundation awakened human. 25 EXP awarded. You are now 25/100 EXP towards reaching the next level.{3}]


    A grin appeared on their faces. Already a quarter away from the next level after dealing with one opponent was a great feeling.


    Though a grim thought appeared at the sudden high of levelling, were they relegating humans to just EXP in their mind?


    Harken was pure scum and his memories showed that, however, they knew it was a dangerous thought to start viewing humans as a resource to grow stronger.


    Deciding to take precautions but knowing they had to continue, they knew Harken couldn¡¯t be the only awakened in their ranks otherwise they¡¯d stand on a chance at handling the marauder leader.


    At the same time, the twins had a bad feeling that they needed to hurry, from all accounts the bandit leader was no schmuck.


    And involving someone like Harken in such a regimented, disciplined company did seem to fit his character.


    Even Marcus despite his vulgar attitude was loyal to the marauder leader to a fault before their possession.


    A man like that would not keep traitors and turncoats like Harken around, he seemed far too paranoid for that which made them realise Harken''s days were likely numbered even without them intervening.


    It was one of the reasons they were confident this plan could work despite the marauder leaders strength.


    He would never expect his company to turn on him, which is why they needed to keep up their production of spectres, eventually, they would entrap him in a net without him none the wiser.