The two shades, who were likely unique from most any other shade in the world's history, looked on at the swirling spirits with a mix of awe and dread. Deep in their soul, they could feel their own spirits, or the stirring of their own spirits, reacting strongly to the spirits floating around. Along with this stirring feeling was a feeling of great irritation. Atlas subconsciously scratched his arm, suddenly feeling itchy. Marigold felt an equivalent irrational ire, and their eyes began to glow a deep red as they turned to Faris, a new malevolent edge taking hold. Before they could utter anything a spirit touched Atlas, as it did, it began perusing through Atlas's memories in reverse order, from this moment, to back when he first regained consciousness and was saved by Tartarus-Faris, as it perused his mind and experience it grew more and more volatile as Atlas, reminded of his memories, became calmer and calmer, though now with a fearful edge. Marigold went through the same experience, though her face seemed bleached with terror. The shades took on a malevolent light as they swarmed towards Faris's sleeping form. Atlas leapt in front of them, putting up wards to stop them, they bypassed his wards and he felt shock as his energy sapped unlike ever before, just before they reached Faris they were stopped by Marigold's wards.
The two shades felt waves of frustration and terror and sadness, threatening to cripple them. Marigold grit her teeth, even as tears streamed down her face. "I won't let you near him, not with what you feel…" She faced down the spirits, who erratically swirled around her, buzzing like hornets.
"Marigold, they simply want to kill us to free our spirits." Atlas said, almost listless.
"You'll die!"
"I don't know anything from when I was human, and no matter how... benign my spirits may be, we aren't really happy, you know that." He closed his eyes, "You felt it, their freedom… taken... it's unfair."
Marigold slapped him, "Yeah, I felt the freedom, I… I hate the confines of my body now thanks to that feeling of freedom." She turns to the spirits, "But they don't understand! I didn't want this, the old Marigold, the spirits, neither of us wanted this! We were both captured and forced into this position, by the same people who made you, and who stripped you of your memories. The same ones who took Faris and turned him into a shade, and who stripped him of his magic for that painful year. They don't understand that, we don't understand it fully ourselves, but we know that they won't fight them." Marigold frowned, "They'll run, and defend themselves when capture is attempted, but they can't beat them, they don't realize, they… they can't realize." She says in shock.
"What?" Atlas says, his attention finally being grabbed by Marigold.
"They do not have the ability to internally recognize a threat to their freedom… that's why they hate being bound to flesh so much, this freedom and liberation is euphoric. Things that a being of flesh might internally understand, like a sense of hopelessness, unfairness, and the concept of being actively suppressed, they don't understand that." Marigold frowns, "We… we aren't completely right if we allow the spirits within us to remain, but they..." She points to the spirits swirling around them angrily, slowly breaking her wards, "...won't stop the enhanced children, they can't stop the experimentation from continuing, and eventually our spirits, and theirs would be captured." She turned to the spirits, and began to speak to them with the ancient language as best she could, removing her wards and allowing them to enter her mind. Atlas looked on with trepidation, wringing his hands due to his own lack of ability to do anything at the moment. The spirits swarmed around Marigold, the smell of ozone strong in the air, tiny sparks flew out as some of the hairs on her head burned. Eventually, the spirits stopped circling her, and she collapsed. They seemed to shrink slightly within themselves, then expanded and rushed towards Faris. Atlas leapt forward to block them but they slipped past him, and into Faris.
…
Tartarus was exhausted. Mentally? Physically? In this mind scape both ailments were the same thing. In his corner of the mind, what used to already be a modest, small thing was now smaller still, tiny even. "You… you're all assholes." He shook his head. A figure made of what could only be called living darkness looked down at him with glowing sickly green eyes. The thing wielded a sword in one hand, a gun in another, and sported what could only be described as a cross between a cape and a pair of leathery wings. The thing moved closer, as it did, he could spy a body that was an amalgam of exposed bones and sinewy muscle hidden within the darkness which draped over and through it. "Can you stop being so annoying?!" He muttered angrily.
Make me… This dark beast's mocking voice reverberated throughout the scape, a combined chorus of all of the men and women to fall by spell or blade. Tartarus gulped, but stood up.
"Oh, now you inherited the snark." He looked at his form, reflected off the darkness's large green eyes, a young man, skin darker than Faris's but not as dark as Damien's, dark brown hair in loose curls that barely reached past his ears, eyes that gleamed a malevolent red, and pronounced canines. He smiled sardonically at his reflection. "You know, I never imagined something like this would happen." He smirks, closing his eyes, "I basked in the light of magic with my brethren, and we danced and sang songs mortals cannot even comprehend, then… we were dancing in Draumr Seas, then we were captured, and fated to become a shade to be consumed, or one of those white haired children." He swung his spear at the darkness, blasting out with red energy, even as his section of the world in the mind broke apart. "Faris is interesting, he's much too kind of a child, he made that deal with me, to save my life because of Anya's plan, but I wasn't the only one he saved." Nine different lights swirl within Tartarus. "Well, we aren't we anymore, even after living, a human body is hell, and we would have escaped if we could, but after expending all our magic power, dying that time would have killed us, so… we became I, and I was one. And I'm telling you to wake up, you aren't real anymore, you all lost, you're all gone, leave this child alone, or the stake you have in our reality will be extinguished, and I'll relish that moment!" Tartarus charged forward with renewed vigor.
Golden beams of light blasted through the gloom of his darkness, attacking the entity of darkness and Tartarus indiscriminately. He looked up at the swirling aurora, that came towards him and the darkness. The darkness screamed and attempted to strike the golden light down, but it was unable to, it's tendrils melting on contact. Instead of being burned by the light, Tartarus felt invigorated, he looked up in confusion.
"Spirits?!"
The spirits had recoiled in confusion when they first encountered Atlas and Marigold, a few of them had existed as Shades before, and had thus understood the agony of being confined to flesh and bone, such that they sought to liberate all souls from this confine, albeit in as painful a way as possible. Entering the minds of those two, they discovered what had happened to them, and while they felt hatred and fear towards the ones who experimented on them, their greatest ire was directed towards Faris. He, they surmised, had exerted will and dominance over their brethren, and held captive within his own psyche, they were unable to exert their will or freedom any longer, and needed to be liberated. The female had proven more able to stop their attempts to destroy the child, and her pleading surprised them, they didn't fully understand her communications, but they realized a great danger threatened all spirits, and that they would be part of this great danger if they killed the child, but. Even speaking the words of truth wouldn't convince all of them, especially the ones who had been shades once before, humans were treacherous, and while you can't lie when speaking the language, you can omit parts of the truth, they forced their will on the girl, forcing her unconcious, and went to explore the boy's mind themselves, to make a judgement as to whether to kill him or not.
Perhaps that was why they were confused with the boy, Faris's mind, fragmented and crushed as it was, they viewed the memories of heathonous destruction with distaste, then, revulsion and confusion when they realized that they were not originally the boy's own memories.
Tartarus smiled wryly, "Can't wrap your head around someone subjecting themselves to pain on purpose? That someone hates themselves enough to do that?" He smirks, "He's stupidly compassionate, which is why… even I would have a bad taste in my mouth destroying him." He watched as the lights from the spirits approached him, and he lowered the walls of his mind, gasping as the darkness rushed towards him, but sighing as the light filled it out, and allowed his consciousness to take over every part, the spirits questioned him and his existence. And were surprised by his findings. "I don't need or want to leave at the moment." Tartarus smirked, "Don't tell the boy, but his mind is interesting, and his memories are far from dull, the ones that he enjoys at least." He looks around, and willfully pulls back his consciousness, enough so that not one, but 4 spheres of consciousness fill the mind. He smirks at the spirit's confused and excited chattering with each other and with him. "If you'll excuse me."
Boy was in chains, hanging from the wall he looked around listlessly. He couldn't tell up from down, left from right, or forward and backwards, all he knew was that he was in bad shape, and that everything hurt. He didn't know whether he was awaiting torture from Rembrant's guards, or the next part of Dr. Mandel's experiments, whether it was both or neither, he didn't know whether he was a bandit, a vagabond, a mage, a thief, a shade, an assassin, or a student he was all that, none of that, and each and every single one to its entirety, he felt guilt and righteous rage for every crime he committed, and pride as well as scornful judgement of every virtue he lived up to. He could not exactly determine what happened for him to be in these chains, but that he was much too old for his size, or was he too young for his mind? These questions hurt, so he became quiet again. Footsteps echoed towards him, and he saw a flame, red and hot, it was comprised of 9 smaller flames,and a large blaze at it's head, instead of burning him it warmed him, but his chains rattled, and swung attacking the fire, he struggled to pull back the chains, but nothing he did worked. The chains seemed to swell and strengthen as his heart beat, and the flame began to die out, in terror the boy willed for his heart to stop, and the chains stopped for a beat, the flames flickering back to some strength, but even as it did, the chains fought against the boy, and he fought against the chains. Light began to pour into the room, as the light poured in, the flames grew larger, overtaking and engulfing the entire room. At that point, the boy felt the fire burn him, he felt his chains melt off, and was happy. As the flames died away, he felt heavy in the chest, and two burdens solidified outside, he ripped the burdens off, one became the chains, which wrapped themselves into the shape of a human, another boy, though older than him. The other, it became darkness again, and took the form of an adult woman he knew, but didn't remember. The flames took a corner of the room, the chained boy took another corner, and the darkness took the last corner, as the light flooded into the room, Faris felt something peruse through his mind, and his memory came flooding back in.
The chains unwravelled and formed around Faris. "I was born Damien Wilson to Tyrese Wilson, an author and and best selling lyricist, and Monica Wilson, a Senator of the United States. I went to a private academy all my life and never wanted for anything monetarily. I couldn't fully live up to their expectations, even if I had wanted to, and I ran to books on fantasy to hide and not face my own reality. My best friend was lost through a mix of my own naivety, and circumstances he and I could never control, he has responsibility in his actions, and I must understand and realize that at the end of the day, there was nothing that could have been done about it. One day, I came across a book series about a 16 year old boy who lived in a simple farm with his Uncle and Cousin… and it led to an adventure I never regret being able to witness. And… after reading it for countless times, I rushed home, ready to face whatever discipline awaited me. On my way home, I tried to step in and save someone, but I died, because she was likely just as bad as the one I saved her from. Then, I was reborn, I loved the love and attention I received, but… I wanted more, I wanted that adventure that could be given to me. I was devastated, learning that I likely couldn't use great levels of magic, but I was alright with that, because I'd make myself stronger my own way."
The darkness began to slowly seep into him. "I thought I'd be happy, then, Venka, her power dwarfed mine by such a margin that at times I felt hopeless, but I persevered regardless. And my efforts paid fruit, she was more powerful, but I had skill, skills she lacked. But… I went too far one day, and it cost her her parents. It wasn't fully my fault, but I still had a responsibility, Anya wouldn't have made her move in that way if I hadn't acted. That was the first time I felt true guilt, and, to mask it, I took Anya's memories, to have something to remind me of my sin, and to blame someone else." He smiled. "Then, the men sent to take Venka, I didn't care whether I was killing them or not, they were stealing my friend, and I ruined her life, so I'd kill them. 'But,' I thought to myself, 'I can't just kill them, it'd be too cruel.' So I took their memories, surmising that I was immortalizing them, and for a time, I found something else to blame for our plight. Then, I started to realize I couldn't ignore my guilt, and I allowed myself to blame who I was, to blame Damien, for Venka's pain, for my pain, for my guilt."
The chains were completely absorbed, and the darkness halfway through being absorbed into him. "School and friends, and a budding of feelings began to distract me, and again, I was happy, I explored the town, and enjoyed myself. But I couldn't ignore the plight of others, if my action could lead to harm, but my inaction could lead to harm, then at the least, I'd have to try. The sick woman was the first thing I'd done that I was truly proud of, healing her was a genuine act of virtue, and I believed defending her and her child from the smugglers was the correct choice. When I learned of more, of the horrible crimes they committed, I grew enraged, but I needed to be normal, to keep up appearances. So I didn't act. When Yacob challenged my weakened friends, weakened by our own immaturity, I used that as an excuse, and had at first meant to capture the smugglers, but my rage took hold, and I killed them. But I killed them, so I had to take in their memories, and that nearly destroyed me. I supplied to much to keep their memories intact, yet separate from me, they overtook me, and followed my consciousness's desire to be whole again. Damien saved me, even after I had attempted to lock him away before. And Anya, the chosen name of this amalgamated manifestation, was quieted.
The Darkness was a fourth of the way absorbed, and the flames began to creep up, warming him. "Rembrant capturing me, then Dr. Mandel's experiments, were probably the worst moments of my life physically, and I sought vengeance on everything that allowed this to happen. Then, the spirits, a plan 'Anya' came up with, and a plan that failed and succeeded, Tartarus was an experience, a true rush of power and confidence, and a hatred for the living that at the moment I wanted nothing more but to dwell. But, thankfully so, parts of me rejected this symbiosis and fought for my dominance, yet I still wouldn't kill without keeping part of it alive, and they gave into great vengeance, and I lost my magic, and my mind was quiet, what was once two, then countless, was one, and was alone."
The flames were completely absorbed, as was the darkness, in its place, Faris stood, pale, sickly, and covered with bruises and scars reminiscent of being struck and burned by lightning. "My life was over, so I thought, I lied to everyone, resented everything, and my growth was consumed by a vengeance, yet I still trained my mind, whatever I could train of it, all to get my magic back, all to… not be alone." He looked around the empty cell, then up at the golden light, red flames began to flicker around him. "Tartarus is trapped in me, and if you all see fit to kill me because of it, do so, I don't care. I could say I don't regret a single choice and experience that made me who I am, but that's a lie." He chuckled, "I could say I hated everyone and everything, and I regret ever being born in this godforsaken hell hole, but that's a lie too. I'm a person, I'm complicated, weird, and contradictory at the best of times, I can't be a paragon of good, or an arbiter of evil, I'm simply a human and doing the best with what I have and what I know, I have people I hate, even people I'd want to kill, as well as people I love, and people I want to protect, I hopefully assume that the people I love and want to protect are more than the people who I hate, and I hope that the people I hate aren't in charge of protecting a large amount of people, but even then, humans are fickle, and I probably have a lot of enemies now." He looks up, "We didn't introduce ourselves, I am." He spoke his true name, it was long, much longer than it had any right to be, and full of vile and horrid things that none would ever be proud to bear. Yet at the same time the vile and horrid things were called false, yet true, and with it, a mention of acceptance and forgetfulness, the last phrases of his name were what caused the light to flicker, it spoke of a stranger to his own home, an outsider who better yet still belonged, and of a child fighting as an adult. He looks up at the light, "So, are we going to fight too?"
...
Faris opened his eyes, a clear, crystal blue, he got up and looked around, and felt around. The world was glowing brightly with life, but he didn't feel the light from himself. He saw Atlas and Marigold, sleeping on the floor, the spirits were nowhere to be seen. "Hello?" He echoed within his own mind. With bated breath he waited for what felt like an eternity, then sighed in disappointment.
"Pft, you're really impatient." Damien muttered in his head.
"Fuck you!" Faris exclaimed out loud, smiling and sniffling. Fat tears fell down his face. He blubbered towards the figure of the older boy, pounding his hands against the older one's chest.
"Haha, I'm sorry, I would have spoken to you, but… you-"
"I know, I was reckless and stupid, and you had to hold back my mistakes…"
"Well, I was also a little scared…" Damien admitted.
"Well, isn't this touching." Darkness swirled around them, and Anya's face, appearing almost like a mask, looked down at them from her smoky body. "You've left me too much work this time you know."
"Yeah yeah, at least you have something to do." Tartarus smirked, he was wreathed in red flame, and as he spoke, sparkes of red shined out from the darkness of the mind, like the flicker of lightning through a storm cloud. "It looks like they let you live, but took most of your magic.
Faris frowned, "This… this feels familiar, but…" He smiled, "I can work with this, they took my magic again? Who cares, you guys are back, and I don't have to fight alone." He flinched as Damien flicked him on the forehead. "OW!" he gripped his forehead. "Why?!"
"That's for lying to literally everyone you dumbass, also, Jesus Christ, you let yourself be dictated my memories that weren't even your own, we learn from mistakes, but don't let them overtake you."
"It's not a total loss though." Tartarus said, "The crystal you use to hold magic energy contains all the magic power you had gathered, you're still functionally powerful, you just lack the ability to expend all that power every day." Faris smiled, which caused Tartarus to turn, flustered, "Why are you acting like this?"
"I'm twelve, remember?" Faris smiled, "I'm allowed to be a kid."
"I can't believe I was killed by this." Anya muttered…
"There was a dwarven sword master who tripped and was killed by a novice." Damien began, "So it's not super unlikely t-"
"Shut up!" Tartarus and Anya stated in quick succession…
Faris opened his eyes, he noticed things now that he did not notice in his tentative awakening. He felt good, strong, and alert, and his mind felt clear, clear enough that he couldn't help but cover his face from his previous actions. Eventually, he calmed himself and looked at Atlas and Marigold, the rhythmic rising and falling let him realize that they were alive, and presumably well, his vision, smell, and hearing had improved, more so than his first improvement under Tartarus's deal. He moved his hands to his ears, then sighed, relieved they were still round. Closing his eyes, he attempted to reach out with his mind, and felt even more relief, the world was still open to him, perhaps at a greater level than before. He felt presences outside, and from their energy and thoughts, he determined they were rebels who had their magic forcibly awakened. He counted 15 of them, and moved his mind out to determine their plans and devise a strategy against them, almost not flinching as he felt a light tearing sensation and his body.
Flinching, probably wouldn't be the correct statement to make, perhaps holding back feelings of pure terror as he gripped at the empty air, he "saw" his body, it was grey and inert, its light faintly glowing, Atlas's and Marigold's were like blazing stars, the 15 rebels outside were duller than the two shades, but all were still brighter, if only barely so, than Faris.
"Psychedelic…" Damien commented, amazed. "Oh… I can move." He was represented as himself, clothed in the clothes he died in, and wrapped in chains that trailed him like tentacles, each wrapped around a part of his body and loosely flying about at the ends. He "looked" at himself, and Faris stared at him, dumbfounded, Faris then felt a tugging pain in his chest and instinctively rushed back towards his inert form. He awoke with a gasp, the noise causing Marigold and Atlas to stir, Atlas rushed up quickly.
"Hello, how are you?" Faris said with a slight smile. Atlas regarded him for a few seconds, then at the gem at his feet.
"I wasn't able to protect you from the spirits…"
"No, you and Marigold did more than enough, I'm honestly alright with this…" Faris chuckled, "Well, half alright, I hate being weak, but, I'm still strong, and I've learned a few things now." He turned towards the wall.
"Enemies? I'll dispatch of them for you ri-"
"That won't be necessary." Faris said, taking in a deep breath, "Just make sure a rock doesn't fall on me or something." He slumped forward, Atlas catching him before he fell, as he did, Atlas felt something, slip out of Faris, and an orb of light pop out of the boy's chest. The orb disappeared, and with it, just the faintest of prescences. Atlas looked towards Faris, the boy wasn't breathing. Faris floated forward, touching then passing through the stones, as he did, he looked out and listened in on the men in front of him, who were busy inspecting the stone and dirt.
"This… looks different don't it." One of them, a bearded man with a pipe in his mouth muttered, he leaned on a rock as the other men slowly began digging.
"Yup, real suspicious, wasn't like this yesterday, d'ya think it might'n be a spy?" Another one said, a younger fellow with yellowed teeth and a scraggly mustache.
"I wouldn't say that." A third spoke up, a man taller than the rest of them, he was decently built, and handsome, wavy brown hair and deep eyes. He smirked. "I must say though, whatever it is, it did a good job trying to hide itself."
"What if it's an elf?" The company froze.
"Then…" The tall man began, "It wouldn't bother us, this is a civil war within this fiefdom, they're obligated to stay out of our business until someone attacks their forest, and they'd destroy the attacker."
Faris concentrated on the man's mind. "Heehee, that Surdan is full of crafty tricks, he found some spies, and stripped them of their memory, rewriting it to make them think they received orders to wear rebel colors and burn down that sacred forest of theirs, but they'll be wearing the insignia of the kingdom. Those elves sacked our city, it's fucking freaky, but Boss Thane'll defeat him and those witches he came along with when the time comes. And I won't have to deal with these smelly farmers any longer."
Faris shook his head. "You humans are gross…" Tartarus muttered.
"Yeah yeah…" Anya retorted, "Says the attempted cannibal."
"Wait, you tried to eat people?!" Damien exclaimes.
"Shush all of you, I need to concentrate." Faris muttered, none of their voices were heard by the men, he observed the minds of the other soldiers as long as he could, and flew back into his body before the dull ache in his chest grew to great pain.
"You were able to last 5 minutes this time, perhaps…" Damien began.
"It's tied to his bodily needs? And he didn't suffer brain damage yet." Anya continued.
"We could heal it if it ever got that bad." Tartarus continued, "Still… is i-"
"No more talking." Faris said, gasping finally ceasing.
"I didn't say anything Master Tartarus?" Atlas began.
"...I know." Faris's face darkened.
"Are you certain you are alright?" Atlas began, "You collapsed just then."
"It's… an ability the spirits gifted me, I think." Faris began, "I guess, astral projection…"
"Astral what?"
"Silly pseudo science, but it's the closest thing to what I'm experiencing I guess." Faris got up, and stretched. "Hmm, I'm about as flexible as before, a little stiff, but that can be attributed to what the spirits did, I still have all my organs in place." He looked down at himself. "Eka Eddyr Hvat" (What am I, literally, "I am what?") After a few seconds he smiled to himself. "Mejoraron lo que ya era bueno." He chuckled, "Ay Ay Ay!" Atlas looked at him odd, and he snorted, "I thought they took away my magic as a punishment, or tradeoff, they did make a tradeoff, but with something else it seems." He sticks out his hand, and claws jut out over his nails, black and metallic, but shiny even in the dark room. "To gild a lily is right. This would have been painful if not for what they've done to my body." He turned to the rubble. "Clear it away, I need to get to my friends and stop these idiots from causing a massive war between humans and elves, I don't need Alanna and Dusan losing more than they had already, and such a war would cripple humans to the point this 'Golden Horde' would overtake them."
"You think humans could win between elves and humans in an all out war? What about the Riders?"
Faris sighed, "All it takes is one human learning the secret of self sacrifice and allowing it to spread." Atlas said no more, simply willing the stones apart. The men outside screamed in terror as the stones broke apart, and Faris leapt out, taking advantage of the terror to kick a man in the groin, as he fell, groaning, Faris turned to the rest of them, drawing the man's sword. "Alright ye bastards, might as well surrender now, some pissed off elves will probably love to question you if you take too long."
The men looked at each other and laughed, they brandished their weapons and charged forward, Faris rolled his eyes. "Every time you've given them opportunity to surrender, geez, it's like you want them to die." Anya muttered.
"Not this time." Faris whispered, "They aren't worth my sanity." He charged forward...
Afterword:
Heyo,
I didn't post an afterword last time lol. I wanted to be dramatic. Also, this is a big shift. Now, let me explain some things. The reason Faris was able to use magic again, was because of that Shade inserting a bit of it's essence into him before it was killed and freed. He then, with this magic, awakened the consciousnesses of the memories of the people he killed. (imagine it like AI based on their life experiences, which, in this case are for all intent and purpose themselves. Damien, seeing no other choice, had to hold off these malovent minds, as skilled as Faris is, he's still a kid, and it wouldn't be like before where he slowly takes on more and more, slowly increasing the burden, it had been something more like them all crashing down on his conscious at the same time, so their negative thoughts began to bleed into him, and he, already angry over everything that had happened to him, grew angrier and angrier, unable to cope with this mix of negative emotions and taking it out on his enemies, friends, and himself. This came to a head when he killed and absorbed the memories of those rebels, who had just been through five days of demeaning, grueling training at the hands of a psychopathic S-rank manipulator. This didn't do any favors for his already damaged mind and the strain proved to great for Damien to hold it in. Tartarus sunk into his conciousness to save him, and facing against a now possessed Damien, paralleling what Damien did for Faris in facing Anya then later Tartarus. The spirits were in the area, as a great amount of magic was being practiced in the area, and entities like Faris, Marigold, and Atlas were likely interesting enough to peak their attention. They reacted with rage at finding Shades not yet "liberated" and sook vengeance on Faris, but Marigold's pleads and defense convinced them to take a look into Faris's mind. As for Faris's state now? He's... pretty done with the twists and turns of his psyche, but also knows to change that is to change him, but he's also not so naïve as to say he doesn't regret everything about himself, or the opposite, in that he regrets nothing. He's happy to muddle through a middle ground while striving to improve himself, and I think that's an appropriate level for him. I was wondering whether to keep him in this negative spell up until he met the elves, but I thought it'd be interesting to have the spirits intervene, as while he is legitimately not their friend, he is also their best bet (that they know of) in stopping Dr. Mandel, and after observing his memories find him interesting enough to continue observing in someway. As for his astral projection, I felt it would be fair to give him some things in exchange for a lack of magic akin to what he had before. He's a little stronger in magic than he used to be before being captured by Rembrant and turned into a Shade, but only enough to really be called a third rate mage in terms of capacity, maybe silver ranked student at best. This still very dangerous, and very versatile, the crystal holds the rest of that vast magical power, and while he can't exercise that great power repeatedly, he's not comepletly useless otherwise. I hope this compromise isn't too painful for either side of the "Faris's proper powerlevel" debate, I don't know what camp I'm on at the moment.
Also, Idhun's Durmgrist Feldunost :
Thanks for your review in chapter 69. There are a few inconcistencies in the powerlevel between the people, though I didn't intend for Faris to seem much stronger or much weaker than his friends in total. Though perhaps the biggest issue may be in seeing Venka's overall "competency" with her magic. To that, I'd say, the students, unlike Faris, are still held under an oath that limits their available magic uses unless their lives are in great danger. The fight they had were with real shades, and they were doing better than Faris had been doing against the false shades, who would be about only twice as strong as a normal man, and a little stronger than Faris's boost at that time. Next chapter we'll see Faris's overall strength, and we'll see how his friends fair as their fights against the enhanced children continue.