Unknown location P.O.V. Klein.
The darkness that shrouds my senses fades and I find myself standing in a hellish landscape. I am standing on a plain of black rock, and here and there I can see the red glow of fires below the surface. In the distance I can see a line of jagged black mountains that look like teeth reaching upward to rip the sky.
Sensing a presence, I turn around and see that it is the girl from my dream. This time she looks real and solid, and I can see that she is about thirteen years old and has long golden hair held back by a tiara. She looks majestic in an elegant dress, she will be a real beauty when she grows up.
"You again, who are you?"
Mericel says, "I am, or was, the Second Princess Mericel of the Kingdom of Revalia."
"Princess, huh? Wait, aren't you the one I saw collapse just as I was summoned?"
Mericel says "Yes, I was the sacrifice that allowed my father to summon the other heroes."
"Your own father sacrificed you? That's horrible! Why did you agree to that?"
Mericel says, "I didn't know it would cost me my life to summon them. My father convinced me that I was just a magic battery. Anyway, we don't have time for this now."
"Okay, where are we, did you summon me here?"
"No, the demon brought you here. As for where we are, this is what you call a soulscape."
"Soulscape? I don't think I like the sound of that!"
Mericel says, "We need to find a way to escape before the demon devours you."
"Wait, how do you know about the demon and this place?"
Mericel says, "Zamart taught me a little in my lessons."
"Okay, for now tell me what you know about this place and how it works.
Mericel says, "We don't have time for this, the demon is hunting you!"
"Tell me before it finds us!"
Mericel sighs and says, "The soulscape is a created battlefield, souls fight to the death here. Every time you die, your soul weakens; once weakened enough, your soul dies or, in this case, is devoured by the demon."
"So, do I have to fight the demon again?"
Mericel says, "No! That would be suicide! The demon is at full power here, unlike when you faced it."
"Wait, wasn't it at full power? Whew!"
- Congratulations, you've unlocked mental abilities!
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩⟩.
- Congratulations! You have acquired the mental skill Mind Attack!
√ Mind Attack
√ Level: 1
- Wisdom +2
- You know how to cast mental attacks.
The lightning bolts kill the demon, but a second later it reappears standing just behind the stone spikes without any damage. I kill the demon with lightning three more times just for fun. Each time it comes back without any damage, except that after the last one I notice that the demon looks a little smaller.
"Hahaha, does it shrink every time it dies?"
Mericel says, "Yes, his size represents the strength of his soul. Every time it dies it gets weaker and comes back a little smaller."
"So, do I have to keep killing it until it disappears completely?"
Mericel says, "If you could do that, you would destroy it."
"And if I destroy it here it will die permanently won't it?"
Mericel says, "Yes, final death here means the end of your soul."
"Okay, then I'll kill this thing once and for all!"
Mericel says "That's crazy, I'm surprised you can kill it from a distance, but once it gets close, you don't stand a chance!"
"Then I won't let it get close."
Mericel says, "Listen to me, you can't win against it!"
"Just watch me!"
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Author's Note.
If 75 stones of power are reached, there will be 5 extra chapters.