AN: This next chapter was in the middle of the editorial process when our main Beta reader for this chapter passed away. As such we couldn't bring ourselves to make any further changes and the uploading of our story was put on hold.
Iris and Mitsu met on the other side of the mirror, happy to see each other again.
Suddenly Celebrimbor's voice rang through Iris' ears and into her mind, "Approach the heart of this tower and I shall make you an anchor to return to should you fall."
With these words, Iris descended to the room of the tower heart. As she approached, the heart rose from it's watery home, shining it's white light across the room.
With much trepidation, Iris placed her right hand upon the glowing orb. With a rush of haziness, the wraith reached deep into the tower heart, and it's once white coloration turned an eerie black.
As the fog cleared from the girl's mind, she looked to her partner. All missing the fact that the rune on Mitsu's ankle took on a purple glow for the briefest of instants.
"Well that was certainly weird," Mitsu said.
As the black orb slowly descended back to the depths, it's once white glow now a deep amethyst hue.
It wasn't but the very next day that a high priority assignment arrived straight from Kid.
They were to go hunt a notorious serial killer who was slaughtering boys and young men just outside of Death City.
As Iris took hold of Mitsu's weaponized form, she felt her partner screaming in agony, tinged with a hint of pleasure.
As a surge of power raced through the whip, arcing like miniature bolts of lightning, the rune on Mitsu's blade (from her ankle) shown a bright crimson
and was noticed for the first time by Iris.
As the power rush stabilized, the sensation receded. With that they were off on the hunt.
After a little travel, they reached the edge of Death City where the last known location of the murders took place.
It wasn't long until they found their target, torturing yet another boy not much older than they are. "John Wayne Gacy," Iris called telepathically getting the killer's attention, "Your soul is mine."
With that she rushed the killer clown and dodged his knife swing.
With a speed only possible from a wraith, she struck the clown with pin point precision. In a blur of swings, each threatening to cleave the very flesh from his bones,
the killer fell to his knees.
Seeing her opportunity, she reached out with the same lightning speed jammed the blade of Mitsu into his rib cage, then under his chin, then finally through his forehead, right between his eyes.
With a slight shove removing the blade from his head, the clown fell backwards, crumpled to the ground.
From his bloody carcass, his red keshin egg soul arose, which was quickly devoured by Mitsu's now human form.
The girls returned to the tower, a job well done and drunk from the intoxicating power that now surged through them.
Work became a blur of fighting and killing Keshin eggs.
So much so that Iris and Mitsu started to become bored with the simple jobs and started taking the highest paying, and most dangerous,
jobs simply looking for some thrill.
One day, three months into their boredom, as Iris sat upon her throne after their latest job, she heard the voice of Celebrimbor speak to her once again.
"I have watched as you girls have gained in power for some time now. I shall teach you a new skill to use in your travels.
Take hold of one of your creatures, and I shall teach you how to brand your enemies into becoming your slaves."
Intrigued by this prospect, Iris called forth a random blue minion from the hive.
"Take hold of the creature and concentrate some of your power into it's mind through your hand," The wraith said.
Doing so, she picked up and held the minion at face level. In her youthful hubris, she failed to realize that instead of branding the minion, she was using her evil presence spell.
As she waited for the effects of the branding to become apparent, the minion was reduced to ash, swirling around her hand.
All at once the cloud of magical ash was absorbed into her gauntlet, with a minor rush of power. Seeing this Mortis and Gnarl decided to run a small test.
"Washout come to the princess," Mortis instructed. As the minion did as he was told, Gnarl instructed Iris to kill the blue creature.
After doing so, Iris felt a slight pull from the gem on her gauntlet. Reaching out with her right hand she waved it above the fallen minion.
With a surge of blue-white energy, the creature was brought back to life.
"It seems you assimilated the power of the blue minions my lady" Gnarl rasped.
"With this you can now resurrect fallen minions," Mortis added.