NOVEL WEB 21 Sarabi's Chief
[The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.] — Edmund Burke
At twenty-eight years of age, Zahabis was a tall, imposing figure with piercing eyes that seemed to see through any deception. His scorpion tattoo was larger and more detailed than those of his warriors, created not by the tribe but by an organization from the Khasmi Kingdom. He moved with a grace and authority that commanded respect, his presence a constant reminder of the tribe's current strength.
Now, sitting cross-legged in deep meditation inside his training chamber, Zahabis gathered the flux currents from the surroundings, guiding them like thin strings of energy into his body. As in the previous experience with Surumadur and Yusuf, Zahabis felt nothing until he was already inside Araumir's stomach dimension.
Opening his eyes in the black world where he couldn't even see his hands, Zahabis jumped to his feet. At first, he thought he had entered an inner realm with his consciousness and was quite excited about the discovery, trying to feel the world around him. However, his excitement turned to alertness when he realized he couldn't interact with the world and something immobilized him from behind.
"What is this? Let go of me!" Zahabis stimulated his flux, but no matter how much power he unleashed, all of it was absorbed. It was then he realized this wasn't a new state of consciousness or an inner world; he was physically present inside this place with his actual body.
"You've just realized it, haven't you?" Araumir snapped his fingers, and the giant centipede's body began to glow with a white light, revealing what had trapped Zahabis.
Lifting his gaze, Zahabis met the terrifying head of the centipede staring back at him. Not daring to stimulate his flux any longer and risk infuriating the creature, Zahabis turned his attention to the direction of the voice.
"You're from the Scorpion's Order, right?" Zahabis asked, relaxing a little. "Don't do this again, please. This thing is scary as hell."
'Play with him. Send him a telepathic message saying that this is a test. And don't show yourself,' Azar sent a message to Araumir.
'Listen to my voice carefully, this is a test. If you pass, you'll receive the beast as a pet. If you fail, you will suffer the punishment,' Araumir transmitted telepathically.
The beast, are you really giving me this? Zahabis thought, trying to communicate with the voice in his head. Unfortunately, he lacked the training and knowledge to use telepathy.
Covered with a keffiyeh that revealed only his cold, oceanic blue eyes, and making no sound, Azar approached Zahabis, who now looked forward in anticipation for the test to begin.
You're such a fool, Azar thought. What else could he think about a man that judged his enemies as friends?
"You stink," Azar remarked before gazing into Zahabis' black pupils from up close, initiating his mind-reading technique.
The process took only a few seconds, after which Azar retracted his awareness, the knowledge gathered from Zahabis' memories giving him a sharp headache. Without giving himself time to subdue the pain, Azar acted emotionally and grabbed Zahabis' forehead.
"You have no idea what you've done, boy."
Connect to the Void Archive! In my name, Azar Tora Daremon, here and now, I call for the initiation of the soul enslavement ritual for this man before me. I am fully aware of the consequences and accept the punishment for any wrongdoings this man will commit on my orders. I also make the oath not to tamper with his sanity or manipulate his free will for purposes unrelated to me. Begin! Azar said in his mind, activating the Soul Enslavement Ritual.
[ Connecting to the Void Archives ]
Identifying ritual...
Ritual identified: Soul Enslavement
Caster: Azar Tora Daremon
Target: Zahabis Harun Jidolvo
Requirements: A drop of blood, Incantation, Runic symbols
Azar removed his hand from Zahabis, poking his finger with the same needle he used before and applying the required drop of blood on the man's forehead. Then, he began drawing the runic symbols in the air with his finger, reciting the incantation.
By the shadows of the forgotten,
By the power of the bound souls,
I bind thee, [Zahabis Harun Jidolvo],
To serve, to obey, to yield.
Bound by blood, sealed by will,
[Zahabis Harun Jidolvo], you are mine to command.
[Error: Impossible to bind]
Cause: Weak Soul Power
The individual's Zahabis Harun Jidolvo Soul Power is superior to yours. The Soul Enslavement Ritual can't be successfully completed when the Soul Power of the caster is weaker than the target's.
Soul Power is measured by quantity, quality, and potency. You can try to train your will, improve your cultivation and control over the flux, and expand your understanding for your Soul Power to become stronger.
"Mmm? Interesting," Azar said before diving once more into Zahabis' mind. This time, he searched for what kind of drugs were used on him.
Panting heavily and hugging his head with both hands, Azar staggered back after the fragment of his awareness returned. A shadow folk appeared at his back to support him as Araumir was still following the order to remain unseen.
"Thank you," Azar showed gratitude to the shadow folk who aided him. "You have been through a lot," he said to Zahabis.
"Is the test over? Have I passed?" Zahabis asked uncertainly. He had no idea what had happened as most events took place inside Azar's mind.
'Tell him he has to remain here for a few days. If he keeps his sanity, he will earn the right to play with the centipede as his toy. Khuruvan's orders,' Azar transmitted to Araumir.
'Not yet. You'll be held here for a few days. If you manage to keep your sanity in this darkness, you will earn the right to play with the centipede as your exclusive toy. Khuruvan's orders,' Araumir conveyed.
"Piece of cake," Zahabis replied, looking up at the centipede's head. Now it didn't seem so scary. "But don't forget me here, alright?" he asked, but nobody answered.
'Seal him here for the future, and let's go out to his room,' Azar transmitted, leaving the illuminated area and heading through the darkness to Araumir's location.
The centipede released Zahabis, extinguished its eerie white light, and crawled away in silence. Behind it, Araumir trapped Zahabis in a cube made of illusive, rippling barriers that isolated the man from the rest of the world.
Emerging from the shadow of a vial in the room where they had extracted Zahabis from, Azar took deep breaths to refresh the air in his lungs and clear the lingering smell from his nostrils.
"Was he smelling that bad?" Araumir asked. He found it strange, as he hadn't noticed anything. Could his sense of smell have deteriorated over time?
"Yes, but it wasn't perspiration. His body reeked of drugs. The poor bastard was regularly given some type of potion that forced him to the peak of the Bellator Class," Azar explained. "He might be the incarnation of one of your kin."
"What is master trying to say with this?" Araumir asked, thinking Azar had made a rude remark about him being a smelly demon.
"He would sell both his mother and daughter to achieve his goals," Azar replied. "Better add his wife to that list too. The guy has an empty void of frustration that he fights to fill with power, pain, and recognition. He willingly became the henchman of that Scorpion's Order, consumed their drugs to forcibly raise his cultivation, and survived the excruciating pain they caused—all to become the leader of his tribe and show everyone he could do better. Emotional management zero, full score in killing men and raping women to feel better."
"Oh." Araumir nodded, understanding his master's analogy. "He has fallen on the dark path."
"Deep. And of course, his void didn't fill when he achieved his dream and made himself chief. So he set another goal and now wants to betray the organization that gave him strength and take control of both the Khasmi Kingdom and the tribes. But he's dumb as hell. His vision lacks preparation and intermediary stages. No, the man has absolutely no plan or idea, but he dreams of being almighty. If the system didn't care for him, he would have tripped on a rock and crushed his head on another."
"Alright, so we're holding him for...?" Araumir asked.
"Until we find a use for him. You know I am unable to gather all the information we need from someone with my pitiful cultivation. Hell, my head feels like it's going to explode even when I'm learning a few memory fragments from them. Not to mention the strain I have when I swim through the ocean of memories looking for what I want," Azar complained.
"Anyway, I was unable to successfully enslave him. So, better than killing him, I think we can use him as an information source or even better, as a witness if the situation requires it in the future," he said.
"Why couldn't you enslave him?" Araumir asked.
"His Soul Power is stronger than mine," Azar replied. "I believe the pain he endured forged his will, and adding to that the fact that he is at the peak of the Bellator Class, my failure is understandable."
"Great, so I can't use the ritual because I'm banned by the system, and now you can't use it either because you're weak," Araumir said. "This limits our possibilities."
"You pay for your past. The system doesn't play with punishments, you know that," Azar said. "I, for one, am happy because I returned to this world with the knowledge of the ritual. Even with my cultivation, it has helped us more than I expected since coming."
"The system just gave you the techniques you used the most; it didn't do you any favors," Araumir voiced his dissatisfaction.
"I know, but it allowed you to come with me." Azar tried to bring another perspective to his friend. "And if you weren't with me, I don't know if I could have exited my cave."
Araumir remained silent. "What do we do now?" he changed the subject.
"While learning about Zahabis, I also took a look at how much wealth he had built," Azar said. "Now, my friend, as my mind is too tired for reading people's minds, we will store everyone with a scorpion tattoo on their necks inside your stomach for the shadow folks to keep them company until we have the time and resources to extract the information they have to offer. This implies the people being alive, so please inform your shadow folks that the goods can be played with but not harmed too much."
"What about the rest of the Sarabians?" Araumir asked.
"We will speak with one of their elders and offer them the option to join the Calabi and relocate if they wish to survive. I would like to have them move next to the Mirha tribe directly, but we'll have to clear their ranks a little, not to mention the unwanted attention the Mirha will get. These are things we have to avoid for the time being. So, first things first. Let us go inside Zahabis' house and ensure the safety of our new resources before we do anything," Azar said, prepared to enter the shadow world.
"As you wish," Araumir said.
With that, both submerged into the extended shadow of the small vial on the floor and traveled through the shadow world, arriving inside Zahabis' tent where the treasure was hidden. Lifting the movable part of the wooden floor right after emerging back into the real world, Azar and Araumir needed no one's consent to store the gold coins and valuable items away for safekeeping inside the ring.