Zeal of the Mind and Flesh

by Marvin Whiteknight

  “Well, Melise. I don’t know if I am the kind of man you’re looking for, but I can certainly use all the help I can get. If you want to serve me then I welcome your service.” I pulled my arm from her thigh and placed it on her waist, pushing her back slightly so I was looming over her. I was bigger than her already, but now our relative sizes were obvious. I ran my free hand up her body, tracing a line up her side and letting it rest against the side of her face, with my thumb wrapped around the front of her throat.

  “There will be punishments if you fail me...” I used a bit of force here to make myself a bit more intimidating. As a mage acolyte, Melise could easily overpower me in real life. Probably in this dream as well. And yet she didn’t. She sat there obediently, meeting my gaze as I pushed her backwards, closer and closer to the floor.

  “But there will also be rewards,” I continued as I pushed her further towards the ground. My knee slipped between her legs, pushing them apart “when you serve me well.”

  “Y-yes.” Melise stuttered, her face fully flushed red by this point.

  “Yes what?” I asked.

  “Yes... master?”

  I started nodding, but then changed my mind. “That’s a title I’d like to hold eventually, but for the time being I don’t think people will really understand our relationship.”

  “Yes, Theo?”

  I gave her a kiss on her plump, red lips. “That works, my little Melise. From now on you’re mine.”

  “Y-yes Theo. I’m yours.”

  “Then you swear yourself to my service? To work to my benefit above all others?”

  “I… I so swear.”

  I nodded. “Good. Now you said Yulli shares this fantasy of yours?”

  “She does, though not in the same way as I have it. We’ve talked about it at length deep into the night. We’ve been friends since our youth, Yulli and I. We’re half-sisters in fact. One of the males of the Sakaku clan visited with his entourage and sired us. Though Yulli was born to the clan’s matriarch, and I was born to one of her mother’s warriors. As such, she’s always been bound for greater heights than me. We stayed up late many nights, talking about swords and training and tutors that we had in common, but sometimes we’d talk about boys.”

  “Not that we had many to talk about. There were only three male elves of our generation, and one of them was our half-brother. One died before he came of age, and the remaining one was assassinated by the clan’s rivals. Our half brother is the only one who lived until now. He’s here with us, though he’s quite bitter about you stealing his limelight. Still, we’d read stories about the great heroes of the land. Our favorite was Sam’uel Letkins.”

  “Wait. Sam Letkins? Are you sure that was the name?”

  Melise blinked. “Yes, I must have memorized the story by heart. Sam’uel Letkins is the name of a famous man who dominated the world in his time, crushing his opponents and spreading his seed to the far corners of the land. In fact, several neighboring kingdoms can trace their royal lineages back to him. Not ours, but many others.”

  I processed this information. Melise couldn’t have been talking about my Sam Letkins. The one who was getting dragged around by a purple haired elf last I saw him.

  “This, Sam’uel Letkins. Did he have a friend named Dean?”

  Melise blinked. “Well, some stories say he was friends with Dean the Destroyer, but most histories seem to indicate that the origin of that particular legend ascended to the higher realms long before Sam’uel came along. As far as I know Sam’uel has retired to the western continent.”

  “Wait, retired? But it’s been hundreds of years?”

  Melise shook her head. “Once you bind a spellheart to yourself your lifespan is extended. Anyone who can reach the true mage realms like Yulli has at least three hundred years of longevity. Cultivators who reach higher ranks and live even longer.”

  “I see.” I filed that information away in my head. It might be possible to see my friends again after all. It seemed almost too good to be true. “But back to Yulli. She wants a strong man, you said.”

  “More than that though, she’s got a fantasy of being controlled. Mind magic sometimes comes up. She has this strange fetish where a powerful man uses mind magic to control her.”

  I couldn’t help myself. I burst out laughing.

  “Theo?” Melise asked cautiously.

  “Could it really be that easy? This whole time I was looking for a way to control her, and it turns out she wants to be controlled? How funny is that?” I shook my head.

  Melise looked nervous. “You... you’re not going to hurt the captain, are you?”

  “No, my dear. I won’t hurt her. At least not in any way she doesn’t want.” I gave the elf a wink. The hardest part would be convincing the mage acolyte that I really had her under my power. After all, from Yorik’s lessons I’d learned that true mind control wasn’t possible at the early ranks. Only deep suggestions. A heartwielder wouldn’t be able to make anyone go directly against their wishes. Only fool the senses and cause confusion. No overwriting of memories and no changing personalities. Luckily, Yulli’s desires were on my side already.

  Suddenly the fabric of the world around me started shaking. A nervous feeling instinctual rose up within me, telling me I should pull out of this dreamscape before it collapsed.

  “Melise! Melise! Shouldn’t you be cultivating?” A voice seeming to emanate from nowhere echoed through the room.

  “That’s Yulli’s voice.” Melise said. “I guess I’m in trouble.”

  “Remember, Melise! You’re mine!” I said in parting before heading for the door that led outside the room.

  I was just following my instincts now, but they didn’t often steer me wrong these days. When the door opened all, I saw was a yawning void before me. There was simply miles and miles of nothing in the air ahead. Normally I would feel existential dread at stepping into a field of nothing, but not this time. The instinctual fear of needing to escape the dreamscape gave me the bravery I needed to take threat step into the void.

  I stepped forward, fully expecting to plunge downwards at terminal velocity. And that’s what happened.

  As soon as I stepped over the ledge I was sent tumbling downwards, hurtling towards the bottomless nothing. Until suddenly I passed through a membrane, and suddenly I was back in the real world.

  I was meditating in my room. Illiel was awake and standing over me. I still had my mind zeal tendrils extended out of the room towards Melise, who was stretching as Yulli loomed over her, berating her for sleeping on the job and telling her that she needed to be more motivated and work harder, especially now that they’d lost the support of the rest of the clan.

  I blinked my eyes back into focus.

  “Are you with me here, Theo?” Illiel asked slowly, inspecting my eyes and expression with clinical meticulousness.

  “I’m here. Don’t worry. Illiel, is it possible to look into someone’s dreams using mind magic?”

  “So, it’s as I thought then.” Illiel said with a sigh. “Barely a mind heartwielder for an hour and you manage to weave your way into somebody’s dream. I shudder to think of what you’ll be capable of after a few years of practice.”

  “So that really was a dream?”

  “Probably. Some mind cultivators project false dreams around themselves while they’re sleeping so they can catch anyone who tries to use mind magic against them. Those at higher cultivation levels have other ways of protecting their sleeping minds. You’re lucky you only dived into the minds of one of the zeal accumulation servants around here, and not one of the mage acolytes — “

  “It was one of the mage acolytes. The one sitting outside. She just woke up.”

  Illiel hissed. “You have no idea how dangerous that was, Theo. You’re lucky your mind wasn’t cleaved in two. But that leaves the question, how were you able to do that in the first place? It should be impossible for a zeal accumulation cultivator to invade the dreams of a mage.”

  I
shrugged. “Maybe I was wanted. At any rate, I’m thinking I’m going to need the next step.”

  I held up my mind spellheart. It was much bigger than it had been before, and many times more powerful.

  Illiel examined my spellheart, and held up her own, which was even bigger. “I agree. You’re very close. I say you should keep cultivating for a little while longer though. As for me, my spellheart is as good as it’s going to get. I’m going to attempt to fuse it to my body as soon as I’m somewhere safe and try to make it to the mage acolyte ranks with mind magic.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  It wasn’t long before I heard the sound of the big iron bar over my door being lifted. It was Yulli coming inside, presumably to check in on my progress after about a week of secluded meditation.

  Illiel glanced at me. There weren’t any places for her to really hide. Especially not against a true mage. I shook my head, silently telling her not to bother even attempting.

  Yulli’s footsteps were loud and rhythmic, more marching than walking. It resonated with the whole militant soldier theme she had going.

  She stopped and glanced around the room, her eyes coming to rest on Illiel, who was trying desperately not to meet her gaze.

  “You were supposed to be in secluded meditation. That means practicing as much as possible on your own.” Yulli said sternly.

  “With respect, true mage Yulli.” I said, using her formal title. “What is holding me back isn’t time spent practicing. It’s raw knowledge. I grew up without learning the basics of cultivation, as I’m sure you’ve now been told.”

  “Yes, I’ve heard that... rather fantastic story you’ve told that herbalist. What was her name again? Sasha?”

  “Sava.” I provided. “Yes, what she told you is true. And because of the unique circumstances of my arrival here I know nothing of the art of cultivation. As such, having a tutor is the fastest way for me to improve.”

  Yulli looked at the both of us in silence for a long moment. “I sensed fluctuations in the ambient zeal focused around this room. I knew instantly that a spellheart had reached its maximum size and that someone was on the verge of advancing. I’m assuming it was the prisoner?”

  Illiel yelped. “I-I’m just a friend of —.”

  “Save it.” Yulli snapped. “I’ve only been recently informed of your identity, and I’m still quite upset that you tried to keep such a secret from me, Theo.”

  I bowed my head slightly but maintained eye contact. “Apologies, matriarch. I was afraid you would simply dispose of her had you known her identity.”

  “I very well might have, but now I know better.” Yulli strode across the room, where my pile of glass containers and vials were set up on a low table as part of my makeshift laboratory. “An alchemist will be useful to us in rebuilding this clan, so I will permit her to stay.”

  I almost corrected her right there but decided not to. Appearing more useful in Yulli’s eyes might have been one of the few things keeping Illiel alive, or at least not in chains.

  Instead, I decided to further tout her value. “She’s been teaching me zeal accumulation techniques.”

  Yulli cocked an eyebrow. “Is she now? She can hardly have access to anything too powerful.”

  “Her mother is a countess.” I provided. “She inherited some of her techniques.”

  The true mage tapped her chin in thought. “Then she is a potential bargaining chip as well. Very well. Because she is a useful piece I will permit her to stay, and at least allow her to keep the pretense of freedom. Make your advancement tonight. I will make provisions to ensure you are not disturbed.”

  Illiel bowed. “You have my thanks, matriarch.”

  Yulli flinched at the honorific. “You’re not a member of my clan.”

  Illiel bowed again. “Apologies, true mage Yulli. I misspoke.”

  Yulli waved her hand, dismissing the topic. “After you make your advancement and become a mage acolyte, you will begin using your alchemical skills to the benefit of my clan.”

  After that, the young matriarch decided that there was nothing left to discuss, leaving Illiel and I alone again.

  ***

  “Well?” I asked after we heard the heavy iron crossbar fall again. This time Yulli lingered at the exit, probably arranging for additional guards.

  “I guess I make my advancement now.” Illiel said with a shrug.

  “Okay. How can I help?” I was eager to see an advancement in person. I’d be attempting my own soon. My recent meditations had proved fruitful, taking me through one breakthrough after another. I was now at Sava’s old level, at the sixth layer of zeal accumulation, and 1000 points richer for the journey. I held off on spending them though, soon I would be able to sneak off and see Mac in person.

  “By sitting across the room and remaining quiet. An advancement like this isn’t something you can help with. Success or failure is entirely dependent on the cultivator’s own talent and determination.”

  “Okay.” I’d kind of expected that answer. I scooted myself off towards the opposite corner of the room and got out some paper and a stick of charcoal for taking notes.

  Meanwhile, Illiel made her preparations.

  The first thing she did was fetch another of those extremely low tables. The kind that I originally thought were benches. They were Eastern-themed, the kind you’d see in a movie about feudal Japan. Illiel knelt on a pillow before it.

  On the table in front of her she placed a large strip of cloth, a bowl of water, and what appeared to be a ceremonial knife. Without warning, she stripped her shirt off, exposing her small but perky breasts.

  I blinked in surprise, but Illiel didn’t react at all. The solemnity of the moment was upon her.

  She dipped the cloth into the bowl of water, wetting it, and began rubbing it all over her stomach. It was then that I realized the bowl wasn’t filled with water at all. It was filled with blood.

  “This is the blood of a mystic beast.” Illiel said, having sensed my question. “A flame eagle, distantly related to the phoenix, whose blood is widely regarded to be the best for this purpose. It is innately high in life zeal, which is important at minimizing the damage to the body during the merging process.”

  I added that to my notes. Blood of a mystic beast high in life zeal.

  After Illiel’s stomach was painted red, she picked up the bowl by its two arms and slowly brought it to her lips. She drank deeply from the bowl, and I could hear her gulping from across the room. She didn’t stop to breathe or wipe off the animal blood that was dripping off her face.

  Apply blood to the stomach and drink the remaining blood. Two to three liters total.

  “It is important to saturate the entire abdomen with life zeal. That will make the process of merging with your spellheart most likely to succeed. Or at least less likely to kill you.”

  I nodded, even though I didn’t really understand what was going on. “Now what?”

  “Now I meditate and attempt to direct the flood of life zeal that has been introduced to my body. Be quiet for now. I must concentrate. Many an elf has died from taking too much life zeal into them.”

  I shut my mouth and simply watched. Nothing appeared to be happening on the physical level. I called upon that same power I’d recently discovered and tried to wield mage sight, hoping that with it I’d be able to see what was going on.

  Streams of glowing life energy pumped through Illiel’s body. It was inside of her, like a river, pulsing with her blood. Most of it was focused in her stomach and abdomen, and it appeared that was where she was trying to keep it. The blood itself wanted to spread out, to fuse with every part of her, but Illiel’s efforts held it in place.

  I saw several regions where the life zeal was getting away from her. In those places, tiny little growths were forming, like little tumor. As Illiel turned her attention towards them they began to shrivel up and die, but she was only barely keeping pace with them.

  The whole time I remained silent, but dili
gently took notes. Illiel was keeping control over the life zeal spreading throughout her body, but bit by bit more of it was slipping through her fingers. If this continued for too long, she might risk losing control entirely. But at the same time, under Illiel’s direction, the life zeal was reinforcing selective points in her body. I didn’t work with life zeal, so I couldn’t be certain, but it seemed as though she was preparing her cells to heal from a large amount of damage.

  After what must have been around half an hour, Illiel opened her eyes and picked up the ceremonial bronze knife. I’d been wondering when that thing was going to come into play.

  She held the knife in front of her pointed directly up in the air as she took several deep breaths. Her stomach was tight and fit, and I could see her trying to relax the muscles in that area. After the fifth breath, she suddenly reversed the blade of the knife, so the blade was facing downward.

  Before I could even shout, she plunged the knife into her own stomach, and dragged downward with a vicious cutting motion.

  Blood poured out like it a fountain. I wasn’t sure how much of it was her own and how much of it was the blood she drank. With shaking hands, Illiel picked up the mind spellheart and pushed it against the gaping wound. The incision was only just big enough.

  Illiel pushed the spellheart inside the hole. Once the last of it vanished into her abdomen, she picked up the eagle blood soaked cloth from earlier and held it over the wound, concentrating. Life zeal poured from what was abundant in the cloth to her stomach, where the spellheart had been inserted. Illiel’s flesh pulsed and writhed as her body rebelled against the foreign material. The spellheart itself also rebelled, releasing waves of zeal as it dissolved that were almost visible to the naked eye. Only the abundant life zeal she’d just consumed allowed her body to heal itself from the damage the spellheart was doing as it ravaged her insides.