Then I realized what power I now wielded. Ralph was totally drenched in essence, blackened veins almost popping from beneath his skin. Could that be the reason why I could manipulate his memories at will?
I stared into his eyes as my mind grappled with the possibilities. An idea came to me, and I smiled.
“Kneel,” I commanded.
Ralph collapsed to his knees and stared up at me, shocked into stillness. He couldn’t so much as move a muscle without my permission. My mind flashed back to Lilith, when I’d tried the same on her. I had his will frozen, completely under my power. Unwittingly, he’d led the Sand Pirates back to me. He’d fed me the Scalpers, his mentor, everything. His rage was justified, in a way, and for a second, I almost felt sorry for him. But here in the Sinarius Realms, it was survival of the fittest. I’d beaten him. He was at my utter mercy.
Bertha’s lifeblood was in danger of flooding through her fingers with every passing second. I needed to fucking think. Then the idea blasted into my mind, like one of Abby’s lightning bolts. So simple. So fucking simple, but perfect.
Ralph would conquer Zagorath.
At least, he’d remember that as the case. He’d remember it as a tough fight, but one wherein he’d ultimately prevailed. The stablehand at my feet had gotten this far on a lie, with an old relic and a man who’d gifted him with an existence far beyond anything he could’ve had before. The Chosen One. Perhaps, perhaps not. But look at what he could do with only the power of belief in himself, even if the power was an illusion. I couldn’t make couldn’t turn him to my side and make him a champion.
Not yet.
But when I grew stronger, I would have another slot, and I wanted to test my abilities on a human. A champion who looked human would certainly serve me well. A champion who bore the tattoos of an adventurer would be even better. While Bertha sported brandings, they were distinct from those of an adventurer. Ralph’s, however, were the real deal.
So I changed his memories.
He saw himself tearing Puck apart and ripping through Bertha, but I removed any trace of Abby from his mind. I wanted no one to know that other essences existed in my dungeon, and with the ability now to manipulate memories, I could ensure no one who left here alive would speak of anything without my permission.
Then I reached into a far more complex aspect of his mind, and went to work manipulating his memories. The process was almost like consuming Physical Essence and reworking it into a decorated dungeon, and it took a while until I perfected the sequence. Finally, I inserted a mantra that would repeat subsciously whenever he went to sleep.
My name is Ralph Kraus. I will forget Alaxon. I do not even know the name. I will forever be in the dungeon’s debt. Never will I act against the interests of Zagorath. The dungeon gave me life, and I will protect it until my dying breath.
“Get up,” I told him. “Strip off your armor. Leave your rings and your equipment on the floor. Take up the sword to your left and leave my dungeon.”
The replica of the Dark Reaper lay on the ground beside a pirate’s corpse. Ralph’s eyes seemed to brighten upon looking at the sword, and I wondered whether I’d changed his memories enough. Even if he somehow broke free of them and returned to my dungeon, he would pose no threat. I had touched his mind once before, and I could do it again with ease.
“Walk, until you’ve reached the edge of Shadow Crag,” I continued. “You will remember nothing of this except what I have placed in your mind.”
Ralph nodded and took the Dark Reaper.
“There is one more thing before you leave,” I said. “You have something of mine. Give me your essence.”
“All of it?” Ralph asked, but it wasn’t in protest—he genuinely wanted to know how much I desired.
“You may keep a little. Only enough Soul Essence to power your tattoos.”
“And what of the Infernal Essence?”
“I want it all. You must be more prudent in the future. Take only as much as you can handle. I can’t have my spy turning rabid.”
“Yes, Master,” Ralph said, and my grin deepened at hearing how subservient he’d become.
He closed his eyes in concentration, and then a flood of essence poured from his tattoo and floated beneath my ceiling. “It is done,” he said in resignation.
“Leave, now,” I said.
Ralph exited through the corridor with memories of the traps, so he didn’t unwittingly trigger them on his way out. I watched him vanish into the hallways of the Pretzels before I returned Von Dominius and my consciousness to my core.
Inside my jewel, I could now siphon Bertha into my fractal surfaces. She entered my core and I immediately went to work healing her. Puck’s consciousness thrummed for release, and Abby touched me with hers but remained silent.
“You make me proud, champions,” I said.
“You’d best have one hell of a reward for me, Master,” Bertha said.
“I’d like what she’s having,” Abby added.
I chuckled. “Oh, you’ll have your rewards, never fear.”
“Any chance I could get me one of those, too?” Puck piped up.
“No, Puck,” we all replied at once.
“Is there a reason you spared Ralph?” Bertha asked.
“He’ll be useful in the future. I know it might seem stupid leaving an ambitious enemy alive, but I see something in him.”
“What do you see?” Abby asked.
“Myself. Ralph’s a mirror of me. If I’d been born in this world as a humble stableboy and gifted with an enchanted sword, I would
