Steel and Mana

Chapter 137 – Whole Again

I was genuinely surprised at how well Mikan's body healed. By the next day, her back had fully recovered, and when I touched it, she said it was neither sensitive nor irritated. Was it because of her magic? I couldn't think of anything else. It could have been the monster's blood, but... that was highly unlikely. Still, it made our progress faster, and after a few more days, the tattoo was completed, shining on her back, sometimes literally.

"Daaaamn... that looks great! Hey, what do you think? Can you draw on me too?" Yuri asked after Mikan finally showed them when her pestering became too much.

"Eh, I wouldn't want to get any; I like myself clean." Luna chimed in, yet the way she was biting her thumb, I knew she was still thinking about it.

"I can do it," I answered, nodding, "But it depends on what we are talking about. And where."

"You could write 'The Sovereign's Property' above my butt!" Yuri answered with a wide grin, making Luna turn around, and her eyes began to shine in a weird, perverted light. "At the front, you could add, 'Private Use Only!' Or something~!"

"Okay, enough!" Sasha interrupted us as we were gathering in our room. "Nobody is getting silly tattoos because of sudden ideas! It will never come off, so if you want one, think it out beforehand! Plus, if either Arthur or Leyla's first word is something strange because of you gals, I will be angry! Haah..."

"The mother of a budding empire..." Mikan whispered, smiling, pulling back on her dress and making Sasha blush when hearing her comment.

"Well, everything seems to be ready. Mikan, for now, rest and prepare mentally for the ritual. Same for you, Sasha." I explained as seriously as possible, "I am going to talk with Merlin, go over everything, and when we are ready, we will do it. There can be no hesitation!"

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When the day arrived, every one of us was a bit nervous and out of jokes, while Mikan, the one whose life was on the line, turned out to be the most serene among all of us. She calmly stripped, wearing just enough to cover her privates while letting me restrain her.

"Yuri would be making some interesting remarks if she were here." She said to me as I was crouching, tying down her ankles to an X-shaped contraption.

"You can be sure of that!" I chuckled, looking up, faced with her bottom and tattooed back. True enough, it was like a scene from a fetish movie where I was going to whip her from behind... but right now, I was too anxious about it working than feeling horny.

All four of us were in the closed-off guest wing of the palace. It had been emptied out completely; no objects remained that could be lifted with magic or people who could be influenced in any way, not within a 30-meter radius. That did not mean we were not surrounded. I had to prepare for a worst-case scenario, so Oleg and Yuri encircled the palace and our room with our best soldiers. They would rush in and finish Mikan off if they received our signal from within the building. There would be no questions, no hesitation... But I trusted Merlin, who constantly told us it would be alright.

While Sasha and Merlin would use the spell, I was here to observe and be the first responder if something went awry. My best option would be to bonk Mikan on the head, making her fall unconscious before calling for Yuri. If she is not awake, Elyzien has no chance to cast spells—that was my simple idea.

"We are ready, let's do it!" Clapped Merlin, rearing to go. Exchanging a glance with Sasha, seeing her nod, I walked over to the other side of Mikan, facing her.

"I'm prepared. Don't worry~!" She smiled, at peace with herself and everything that was about to happen. "I trust you all."

"Now or never..." I exhaled, giving the signal, hearing Merlin already chanting, activating the first ring, while I took off Mikan's bracelets.

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At first, there was silence, interrupted by a low, droning noise that got stronger by the second. The moment the bracelets were off, Mikan felt as if something enveloped her consciousness immediately, pouncing on the opportunity like a cat hunting its prey.

"Hah, someone got sloppy!"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Mikan answered the reverberating voice of her ancestor. "I do have a question for you, though."

"No need; I am going to swallow your consciousness first!"

"Why didn't you do it earlier?"

Elyzien didn't answer as the darkness continued encroaching on her, surrounding her from every angle, but before Mikan felt like being drowned in the abyss, a bright light burst out of her, pushing it away.

"What is this?!" Elyzien shrieked as the light illuminated the black mist, turning night into day. Although it was blinding to look at, it didn't affect Mikan, who could finally see clearly as she faced Elyzien, who appeared not as a young girl now but as an old, decrepit woman. Her skin was wrinkled, sagging on her bony figure like a drape thrown over some bones as she floated there, a mix between a naked granny and a rotting mummy with dead, glazed-over silver eyes.

"You look horrible." Mikan murmured as every thought of her was given a voice inside her head, nothing to be hidden away before Elyzien.

"That old bastard tried to consume me! He ruined me... He crippled me!" Elyzien's answer didn't come naturally nor willingly, and her surprise was visible on her face. It was not her intention to share her thoughts, yet the moment they surfaced, Mikan could hear them.

"You are weak, aren't you..." Mikan continued, looking at her with a pitying gaze.

"Weak?! Me?! I am Elyzien Morningstar! I could raise hundreds of our soldiers from death! I made our armies undefeatable and unkillable! I was destined to live forever and take over the Empire... It was my destiny!"

"It is always about power... Then tell me, Elyzien Morningstar, how did you end up in me? How is it that you remained silent for so long? You can't lie to me now!" This time, Mikan's voice was commanding and strict, something that nobody heard before ever coming out of her mouth.

"...!" Elyzien tried resisting the bubbling up thoughts, but Mikan's body became even more resplendent, forcing her to answer honestly without holding back anything. "Accident. In the last moment when I was being consumed, I used my full power and my understanding of what a soul is to rip the last part of my essence out and blow up the rest, along with that bastard's spirit! But... it was still not enough." She grunted, her voice filled with the real frustration she had been feeling since awakening in the future. "There is only one person who ever comprehended reincarnation, and it was the Emperor of Magic. Yet his notes are incomplete and obfuscated, so all others after him managed to create mere imitations. I was so close to completing it, though..."

"So... you reincarnated into me?"

"Not by choice." She replied not by preference but by an inner, strangely compelling drive. By now, she was looking up at Mikan as her glowing, angel-like figure had grown considerably, while Elyzien was constantly getting smaller and smaller without her realizing the frightening reality. "I was thrown into a semi-conscious state for way too long. By the time I woke up, I was within you... and it was you who were in control. I should have been conscious the moment you were conceived! I could have reformed my original body! Yet... it was already too late, you being four years old. Blast it all! I missed the time to hone and create my mana, and I had to spend a decade of my life just to control yours!"

"So I was a witch... I was always a witch! You stole it from me!" Mikan yelled, breathing heavily, feeling truly angry for the first time in her life.

"Duh, idiot. Mana is inherent to every witch or wizard. You can't send that into reincarnation; only the soul travels through the sea until it is cleaned and recycled. Yours were probably the most compatible, so mine attached itself to yours. But because I did it in a hurry, unprepared, this bullshit happened! You should have never been born! I was supposed to be you so that mana is not yours; it is mine! Mine! Mine! I had to merge my spirit with it to stop you from accessing it! You would have ruined everything I worked for! You exist because only me; it is my RIGHT to own you!"

"Shut up. Shut up forever!" Mikan shouted, her golden eyes exploding with light, spreading everywhere in her consciousness, making the air stir, and all that was dark before turned into a shining, golden mist. When she took a second look at Elyzien, her ancestor stood there, trying to say something, but no voice or thought came out from her flickering existence. "You evil... evil woman! I am ashamed to be related to you! You had all that power to do good, to help people who are in need of it! You had MY power and a second chance, yet you didn't do anything with it! That makes me even more furious... There are people who would have deserved another go at life, yet it was you who got it... Unfair! I will no longer feel bad about what I am going to do with you..."

By then, Mikan could feel something she always had a vague sense of. Before, it was like a faraway thought, a dream she forgot after waking up, but now? It was real. Tangible... It was finally hers. It was as if, for so long, her nose and ears were plugged in, sick, but then, in a snap, they all cleared out. Then, with a long, deep breath, everything became healthy again, and she could feel it clearly for the first time in her life. She was in control. She was whole again.

"Elyzien Morningstar. You are no longer permitted to speak, think, or interact with me in any way! You will rot and decay in your own darkness and bitter pool of feelings, all alone. I am taking back what was mine! You created your own hell, Mikki-2. You should have moved on instead of becoming my mana because I am in control from now on. You won't be remembered, so... Goodbye... forever."

No matter what Elyzien was thinking or wanting to say, she could no longer form her thoughts in a way that would be heard by anyone. She became a ghost within Mikan's consciousness, an invisible specter that could not interact with anything anymore. She could only exist in limbo, observing the world around her without ever having a chance to be discovered. She was gone, and as Mikan ordered, she would be forgotten forever.

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"Did... it work?" I asked, a bit worried, stepping closer and gently slapping Mikan's face because she went unconscious the moment we started. I saw her eyes roll up, only showing their whites, like in an exorcist movie or something. Brrr. It creeped me out a bit.

"It... should have. The formation stopped glowing..." Merlin mumbled, looking at Sasha, who was just as worried, approaching us, watching Mikan's limp body.

The room was filled with the strong scent of vanilla, and a golden mist rolled off and around her body just as we first met. Sasha was about to untie her, but I stopped her with one hand, shaking my head. We still needed to find out if we had succeeded, so it would not be a clever idea to set her free before confirming our success.

"Mhm..." With a soft moan, she finally moved, and when her eyes eventually returned to normal, I breathed a sigh of relief, seeing their golden color instead of Elyzien's silvery ones. "Who am I?" I asked, making her chuckle, answering tiredly.

"My Sovereign."

"Oh..." I exclaimed because I didn't expect that answer, making Sasha exhale, finally untying her and hugging her powerless body.

"How are you feeling? All good?" She asked hurriedly, helping her stand, dressing her in a robe, covering her curves.

"I have a headache, but it will pass... otherwise, I feel great." She giggled, looking at us, then noticed the cloud of magic, raising her slightly shaking hand.

We watched as a golden, simple formation appeared around her wrist where the bracelets had previously been, and the sweet-smelling mana raced back into her body, making her shiver as tears rolled down her face. "I am finally complete... I am... I am not useless anymore!"

"Woah!" I yelled as she almost collapsed, making us hold her as she began wailing in our arms, holding both of us firmly while Merlin looked on with a proud grin.

"I told you it would work! I just knew it!"