Silence permeated the morgue only broken by a small amount of snoring that resonated at the back of the room. Dr. White had draped himself across a bed. The rhythmic sound of his breathing brought his wife right to his side.
Gently she brushed her hand across his head. A soft glow in her eyes hungered to banish the problems from his life. Living life as a Necromancer was never easy. If you were too weak then you might be killed for your magic. A number of creatures had attempted to do that very same thing to her.
A strong hand came out and grabbed her other arm. Smiling, he let his eyes open ever so slightly. Electricity flowed between them as she leaned down into a soft kiss. Only after a long moment did they part.
"The young Baker is going to die." Dr.Mei said.
"We all die at one point or another."
"Should I take your slacking bed away?" She chided.
"I thought you said it was good for me to get bed rest? Or maybe you just meant when you were involved." His hand tightened pulling her down to his chest. No resistance was to be had as she pressed herself into him tracing over where the gunshot had penetrated.
"Seems your treatment lately has been too good. Might I need to put you in your place?"
"Knowing my place is subjective. Look at those poor kids. None of them have a real home. Cut the string holding all of them aloft and …"
"I know dear, that boy isn't just holding those hooligans together. Mr.Sauvage is also being affected."
"Could be his corruption ability. From what my family taught me it can have various outcomes and uses." He mused.
"This is why you should have been sent to the academy. His is soul based. Meaning that he will warp the structure of souls and bring them to his side. So of course it could have something to do with that."
"So she's going to go up in smoke?"
The question brought a grimace to his wife's face. She hadn't been part of the war but that didn't mean she hadn't been a doctor for a long time. Burns were bad even with modern technology. Worse still would be the flames of magic burning at her very existence.
Feeling her discomfort he tightened his hug. The recent attack had him rethinking how they were going about their business. What would it take to protect his wife?
"They are preparing now. In the morning that cursed girl will get set free. All that will remain is to fight that man."
"I could still help more. Even a Psedo-Mancer can cast regular spells outside of their residence." His words only served to make the woman fume. She pushed up off him taking a seat.
"You can't."
"I could."
"No, and that's final. I can't bear to lose someone else."
"She's not dead, we can still..."
"Still what? Still lie to her? Still leave her laying around to pass her days till she dies? Still use her as a corpse storage? No, if, once she's free, it would be better she never saw us again. We caused her so much pain, we don't deserve to see her."
"Naomi please, don't do this to yourself. We both knew what making Pseudo-human meant." He reached toward her but she pulled away.
"We could have done it humanly. Isn't that what being a Mancer is all about? Who were we kidding? We're all the same."
"She would have died without us. Abandoned by her family. Would it have been better for her to be dead?" He shouted.
"Could be." The words lingered heavily within the air. Dr.White slumping down into the bed.
"Then all the more reason that I should help, to atone."
"I said NO! Listen here you can't do shit during the coming battle. Your spirits can't leave these halls, a single high-class necromancer can level a town. There are two here and an ultra-class as well. Not to mention that monster being harbored. Hell, even that boy is going to be more helpful then us. Just… Just stop."
He pushed off the bed to come to her side. This time she let him as he embraced her softly.
"We can't change what we did but we can apologize when she returns. Helping keep that string from being cut will mean it can take our weight in the long run. Once she leaves we'll still have to move forward."
"I know my love. I know."
***
The makeshift gymnasium was the best place for their ritual to take place. A wide magic circle covered the ground. A layer of runes marked out to be the contract spell layered right alongside a flame magic circle and another for smoke. The diagram was practically one to one from the book with the exception of the added demarcations for Nate's own signature.
The ritual itself had been focused on creating the spirit with only a minor application of binding it to the creator. Given the brutal fashion one would have to complete the final steps with, it was not going to be one opted by willing participants. Other then in this case where someone was so beyond the crazy to try.
He had considered changing it to the doppelganger circle. If not to spare her the pain but Karah of all people stopped him. She'd awoken to their hair brained idea and immediately set about checking on Mandy.
Since the time she'd pulled her aside after the attack they'd grown oddly close. At least that's what Nate believed he could have been wrong. Karah had been the first one she'd called when they were in trouble. It was unknown if their earlier days of hate were real or just something he thought was happening.
Mandy prepared herself in the corner of the room. Light white robes were sourced from god knows where by Dr.Mei. A cleansing process was being used to temper her resolve but the book had said it was not that effective. Karah stopped in front of him with a squint in her eye.
"So you're dropping all pretext at this point?"
"Depends, I'm keeping all of the pretext straight in regards to this magic circle. Teddy made sure to double check it before leaving." She glared back at him.
"You know good and well what I mean. Telling her that she would be yours forever, that you love her most of all, and that she could have your first child! You know I called dibs." Nate looked at her deadpanned.
"Spirits can have children?" He asked.
"What an idiot. Why do you think she checked it over? I swear if we weren't around you would go about wreaking havoc everywhere. Just imagine what we'll have to fucking do once this is all over. How many people are you going to put your grubby albeit sexy hands on?" Theodora appeared during the refutation placing a hand on Nate's back.
"What, you don't want him to conquer the universe anymore? I think you were mumbling about it just before waking up. How did that go? Oh, my dreamy stud, everything is for you?" Theodora smiled wickedly as the other flushed red.
"Listen here granny just cause your power is strong don't mean I won't kick your ass. You need to help reign that stallion in or else who knows what he'll do."
"From what you said it sounds like he'll be giving it to some mares, I'll let you know if I see any."
Seeing things take a poor turn Nate determined now was best to cut in, not that he wanted to engage in their banter. He wasn't some gigolo, if anything it was their fault. He already went down the dating each one of them separately route, and they both had exploded over it. His hand shot out to stop their bickering.
"Stop. We'll discuss the less relevant stuff when it matters. Right now it is about Mandy and making sure this goes well. Theodora can you assist in blocking the pain from her mind? I don't think I can directly touch her soul while the flames burn and Boudica won't be able to do anything about her body."
"Both are going to be reduced to ash?" Karah asked.
Nate nodded solemnly. Theodora pressed a finger to her bottom lip in thought. He could practically see the gears running and winding within her mind. After a long agonizing moment her eyes snapped up to him.
"I can do it. Not actively but I can put in safety blocks. From the reading we did the flame fuses body and soul into one existence. Which is why she's not a spirit but a monster. A semi-physical being? Her mind will be the most important part of this."
"What will she look like?" Karah questioned.
"Like herself, probably." Nate replied.
"A smoke monster will have its base form that will come from her mind. I can adjust it for her before she goes in so that her regular form is to her liking. As for what she transforms into using smoke the sky's probably the limit. Probably something even more stunning then you could ever compete with." Karah bared her teeth at Theodora, Nate could feel her truly consider attacking her.
"Get it done, and quickly. The military's early arrival and the destruction of those buildings will have affected the time table. Tomorrow or the next day will decide this."
"My oh my so serious. I bet you could relieve some of his tension little girl."
The queen whisked away toward Mandy while Karah slammed into the ground where she had been standing. Before she could give pursuit Nate grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. Naturally she could get away, with ease at that, but she let him pull her into his arms.
"What did you girls talk about that got her to go this far? We both know she could have lived a normal life after we won."
"Ha! You think about the future so much but forget the past. She was never going to let you leave and just be some normal girl. Idiot."
"I might deserve that one. The Grandmaster told me." He hesitated a moment letting the words linger.
"Told you what?" Karah asked, turning to place a hand on his arm.
"She said that my fate got messed up. Apparently you're right I was going to run away with her but all this changed it all." He gestured to all the weird writing on the ground and the gathering of magical beings.
"You've got to be shitting me. I lost in the end to her? No way. Guess fate ain't shit after all. She spout off anymore bullshit?" Nate fought to keep his emotions in check. Karah definitely couldn't know what the woman had been implying. It only worked partially.
"You're hiding something. She did say something else. Was it more about what should have happened or what will happen now?" She was unusually sharp today.
"Kind of, I destroyed everyone's futures. As for what's happening now she just knows that Zeus loses. So we just need to keep the course." Nate was relieved when she dropped the topic.
"I'm sorry that she did that to you. You didn't ruin anything. I promise. After all, you're making my life better already." Nate smiled wanly at her hoping she was correct.
Mandy stepped out to the middle of the magic circle bewitched. A look passed between Nate and Theodora as he took his place. Both doctors had arrived and checked all the preparations alongside Teddy. Nothing was out of place and the collective knowledge was enough to assure victory. Once they started there was no going back.
Propellants weren't needed for the ritual as the flame magic spell would conjure up the magic fire to burn away her human existence and breathe her out into the unknown. Nate's stomach twisted into knots, doubt and fear warred within over if he could watch this happen to her. Mandy turned to stare into his eyes once she was in place.
A final human smile played across her lips. It spoke of no fear, only radiating the deepest of love. Just that smile would have been enough for him to stop but she gave the slightest of nods at him. That one motion meant he couldn't. No matter how he felt he would have to do his best so that her resolve and love wouldn't be wasted.
He closed his eyes taking a long deep inhale of air. Hand came together as he took his position on a triangle shaped marking. Spirit energy gathered within his House before cascading down into the lines at his feet. Energy rushed out like flood over every line.
He felt it fill completely. Senses pulled out across the diagram as he connected to it and an empty space within the air. Once she burned her new being would fill that space. Binding her to him forever and he to her.
Slowly he kneeled down placing his hand on a rune that headed the flame magic circle. He exhaled his saved breath and activated the magic. Unlike the slow rush of spirit energy before it, this was an instant. Crackling heat blazed to life thick and coiling around its target.
Through his closed eyelids he could still see the white hot flame burning. Soundless was the room which was more terrifying to him then not looking. He would have to open his eyes now, stare into the flames of her body. Blackened cracks that would fill with smoke, a body laid out upon a slab. An ending that she would never return from, bile pushed at his throat but he suppressed it.
Eyes snapping wide open she came into view. Tears sizzled into the air off of Nate's face. Mandy stood ramrod still, body wreathed in flame. That same smile burned away as it stared at him. He could feel the space filling. Fire licked at her body, charring it crisp and black. His mouth became dry.
"From flesh to ash, and once more to smoke. You who crave the fresh light of the sun shall be its child. Follow its will into the great wind that governs the harvest. Once more you shall be made whole and breathe deep of the world essence. I offer my blood for your binding." Nate spoke automatically as if he had done the ritual a thousand times.
A knife slipped from his hip and slashed open his arm. His left arm pulsed with an odd energy that filled the blood as it touched the magic circle. He could feel the sensation of it from where his spirit mingled with the magic circle. It wasn't supposed to happen but it was fine. He could tell that something within the blood was reacting but it wouldn't harm her. On the contrary.
The fire blazed harder, faster. The blood turned to steam mixing with the corpse before within the blink of an eye even that crumbled. Not even ash was left on the ground as threads of power snapped into order between the two. That space that once was empty bursting at the seams. Threatening to scatter away with the wind with its unquestionable power.
Nate coursed more and more of his spirit energy into the magic circle doubling and then tripling his hold upon the smoke spell. It might have been ten hours or three seconds since the start of the ritual. He couldn't tell every fiber of his being was wrapped up in holding her together supporting her. Loving her.
Until at long last a shape formed. Slowly at first drifting like cigarette smoke. Then slowly coalescing into one solid form. A smiling grin, purple flaming hair that cast shadows upon the walls, and the unmistakable form of Mandy. Blazing within her purple flames were smoky cat-like ears. Her body floated down to him and then they embraced.
Feeling her full weight within his arms, relief flooded his body. He knew that the odd energy in his blood had made her stronger then she should be but it had also almost ruined the ritual. Only now did the panic and relief mix.
"Are you ok?" He choked out.
"Theodora did wonders, just felt like a bad sun burn."
"Truly?"
"I wouldn't lie to you. Everything is fine I promise. We did it."
Nate's body faltered as blood was still running out of his arm and the tension left him. Mandy took to supporting him, which she often had found difficult with her strength before. Now she did so easily. No longer would she be the silent woman only able to comfort and support him from the side. She would be there for him in all ways.
The Doctors moved to take care of Nate as he took a seat. Their pact had already been formed during the ritual and his blood seemed to have tied her even close to him. A similar feeling to how emotions would run between him and Karah had formed with Mandy.
Floating over she stopped by Karah's side and took a swipe at the top of her head. The short girl was caught off guard from the sudden motion as it smacked her directly. Eyes filling with wonderment she looked at Mandy who simply flipped her off.
"What you get a little power and think you can take me on girly?"
"Well, we've got to determine who's first amongst us girls at some point and I need to know what I can do don't I?" A determined look overcame her face.
Karah looked at her appraisingly. This had been how she was, all too eager and demanding. Their conversation about who owns what and when seemed to be backfiring on Karah at the moment. Still she cracked her neck and stretched lightly.
"Nate my love am I allowed to break in our newest family member?" Karah shouted.
He might have stopped them, which he could do with only an order. That wouldn't be for the best. Time ran thin on when the battle would happen and Mandy would have to know what she could do quickly. He always seemed to learn best in a fight and Mandy wasn't necessarily a slouch when it came to regular people.
Mandy of old would have been curb stomped by Karah if she limited herself to a single pinky finger. With a heavy heart Nate nodded at the two of them before stopping to add a few rules.
"No serious injuries. Neither of you are spirits so recovery will take longer then we'll have. If at any time I say to stop then you must stop. Don't make me command you." Nate warned.
"Yes, Dear." Karah said.
"Yes, Daddy." Mandy spoke just after. Karah, hearing this, grimaced at the woman.
"You get just a little power and think you can say shit in front of me? Let's see how you feel after a thrashing."