Zeal of the Mind and Flesh

by Marvin Whiteknight

  This must have been what all that life zeal was for. To ensure that she’d be able to survive self-evisceration.

  I didn’t dare to say anything. This moment was too precarious. Illiel’s life and death hung in the balance. With my mage sight, I could see a war waging within her.

  The spellheart was there, and yet at the same time it was not there. The native zeal of the spellheart was frantically pulsing through her body, at war with the natural zeal of Illiel’s body.

  Though the clashing zeal wasn’t entirely compatible, they were both subject to Illiel’s will. She was bound to the mind spellheart and was the sole ruler of her body. With each passing moment, she was trying to force the two competing zeals to get along. More than that, she wanted to force them to merge together.

  Minutes passed, and my worry grew, but slowly, bit by bit, the wound began to close.

  I bowed my head. Illiel’s eyes were scrunched in concentration. It seemed the worst was over, and all she needed was somewhere quiet to concentrate. I lifted her onto the only cot in the room. She was sweating heavily, and her skin was hot to the touch.

  At some point, one of the Songstone clan members had entered the chamber. She cleaned up the spilled blood and brought food for the both of us, though she didn’t dare disturb Illiel on the cot. She came with a bag full of bandages and other medical supplies. A healer then.

  “How long will it be until we know for certain if she succeeded or failed?” I asked the healer.

  “Usually it is apparent within the first day, but sometimes those trying to fuse particularly large spellhearts will take several days. Just try to occupy yourself for a little while. Go, I will tend to her and deal with anything that might come up.”

  I nodded and gathered up some of the vials and beakers I’d used earlier before leaving the room.

  ***

  Fortunately, Yulli relocated me to another room, which was thoughtful of her. She knew that Illiel would need her space, and I wouldn’t be able to work effectively if she was fighting for her life just a few paces from me.

  I’d gathered up the glass containers I’d snatched earlier and brought them with me to my new room, fully intending to enhance my earth spellheart in the same way that I’d enhanced my mind spellheart.

  Luckily, earth aspect mystic beasts were far easier to find than their mind aspect counter parts, and soon just by asking around I was able to obtain a few tiny fragments from the clan’s supply cashes.

  And then I repeated my procedure. Lye didn’t seem to work as well on earth spellhearts as it did on my mind spellheart. The gem I was holding was harder and more angular. It didn’t have the same plasticity that the mind spellheart seemed to have.

  But despite that the process was working. I might have had higher losses, but I managed to dissolve all the little scraps of earth spellheart and created an elixir of reddish-brown liquid.

  Just before the zeal particles were about to precipitate and crystallize on their own I introduced my own earth-aspect spellheart. It plopped in, almost splashing some liquid elixir out of the beaker. I’d need to get some forceps to stop the splashing. Or maybe just some sticks would do. Although the nature zeal from the sticks might contaminate my elixir, since wood contained a combination of zeals, mainly life and earth but many others as well.

  Wait a moment... dirt contained earth zeal. Not in as high a concentration as a spellheart but it was there. Maybe it would be possible to simply start digging and turn shovelfuls of dirt into earth-aspect elixir to add to my spellheart? That was an experiment I’d have to try.

  After my elixir was made, I concentrated on my spellheart. This went in much the same way as the procedure for condensing my mind spellheart. I simply impressed my will on that tiny vial of elixir and called it all towards my spellheart, where it slowly collected and added to my power.

  This vial had enough concentrated zeal for me to cast spells for days on end. It was more than sufficient to reshape my previously small earth spellheart into something much bigger.

  I also sensed a different change in the spellheart as more earth zeal crystallized around it. Before the zeal of my spellheart had felt like mud. It had been small and grainy but not entirely solid, not just in physical texture but in terms of the magical sensation it gave me when I used it. It had taken work to get something that was reasonably hard and strong.

  But now the earth spellheart was different. It felt as though while before I had a spellheart that was primarily made of the aspect of dirt, now I had a range of aspects across the spectrum. They all fell under the broad category of ‘earth’ and were reasonably compatible of each other, but each aspect was distinct in its own right.

  Some of it would be easier to use to make a wall. Another region of the spellheart was slow to move and hard to work with, but if I used it properly, the result would be as hard as a rock. Another seemed like it was brittle, almost like glass or obsidian.

  I opted to keep this medley of different aspects separate, so I could draw on each one at need. Sure, I could mix them all together and get a final product that was better than anything, but I sensed I might lose some of the uniqueness of each individual type of aspect. I had the choice between keeping a general jack-of-all-trades zeal aspect, or dozens of lesser aspects that would be a bit better at their specific tasks. Somehow, I got the distinct impression that this was the harder path to tread.

  I briefly wondered if this same thing had been present with my mind spellheart. Maybe it wasn’t, or maybe it was, and I simply wasn’t able to spot the differences.

  Just as I was finishing up refining my earth spellheart, the healer who had assisted with Illiel’s advancement came to fetch me.

  “She’s awake now, if you want to see her.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  When I made my way to Illiel she was sitting up. She still wasn’t wearing a shirt, which I think she realized when I walked into the room. The moment we locked eyes her hands pulled the blanket all the way up to her neck.

  “Are You alright?”

  Illiel smiled. “Better than ever, actually. You’re in the presence of a mage acolyte now! Maybe if I’m in a good mood, I’ll give you some pointers, junior brother!”

  I laughed. It was good to see she was doing well. “Say, what is all this I’m always hearing. The ‘junior sister this’ or ‘elder sister that’?”

  “It’s a popular custom within clans and sects. Everyone is supposed to be part of one big family. In the cultivation world, cultivation rank usually goes hand in hand with age. Even when it doesn’t, someone at a higher cultivation rank than you is your elder brother or sister. Anyone lower than you is your younger brother or sister.”

  “Ah, makes sense. They’re honorifics meant to breed familiarity.” I sat down at the foot of the bed. “So, what does it feel like to break into the mage acolyte ranks?”

  Illiel shrugged. “Honestly? Not that different. The main thing is that my spellheart is actually part of my body now. It’s like I’m always using it, as opposed to only getting that feeling when I’m actively casting a spell with it, I get it all the time.”

  “So, do you have mage sight now?”

  “The healer told me not to try anything for a few days. Not until my body has stabilized a little. Too much mind zeal running through my body could cause another bad reaction between it and my body’s native zeal, putting me back into the state I was in earlier.”

  “Got it, so no heavy lifting for you for a while.”

  “That’s right. Rest and relaxation for me. Or rather, constantly pretending to be doing alchemy so your clan matriarch doesn’t execute me. Speaking of, why didn’t you tell her you were the alchemist rather than me?”

  “Yulli is a little quick to call on her fire zeal. Making her think you were a valuable alchemist will stay her hand for a while.”

  “You know she’ll find out eventually, right?”

  “Probably, but not for a while. Sure, she’ll eventually figure out that I’
m the one who does the alchemy, but she hasn’t made a habit of talking to the servants thus far, besides giving them orders. And most of them seem to be too afraid to talk in her presence without her permission. I imagine it will be at least a week before she figures it out. By then, I hope you’ll be a familiar enough face that she won’t react rashly. And besides, you know a little alchemy, so it wasn’t like I was lying.”

  “Yes, but I’m not a very good one, despite my mother’s expensive tutoring. My talent pales before yours.” Illiel said sadly.

  “You can get good at anything if you practice it enough. But besides that, you know a lot of techniques relevant to working with zeal that I haven’t even heard about. I’ll still need your mentor ship for a while yet.”

  “Well, you‘ll have it. I guess I’m stuck here for a while after all.” Illiel laughed. “But at least I have you.” She leaned closer to me, letting the blanket drop, revealing her perky exposed breasts once again.

  I examined her again. She was beautiful by earthly standards. She had the thin elvish build and an angular face framed by long brownish-blond hair. Her skin was fair, and like all elves, it was smooth and completely flawless. My own body had improved significantly just from exposure to the zeal in this world, but it still didn’t feel like it was on the same level as hers.

  Peeking up from under the corner of the blankets was a long and thin scar. That was exactly where the bronze knife had sliced into Illiel’s flesh. The healer Yulli provide proved her worth as a mage acolyte, because if I hadn’t seen the wound earlier that day I would have thought it was six months old.

  “May I?” I asked as my fingers grasped the edge of the blanket.

  Illiel nodded, leaning back on her arms to give me easy access to her abdomen.

  I pulled the blanket back slowly, revealing her full stomach. The scar extended about the width of my hand, just to the right of her belly button. Why did elves have belly buttons? They weren’t born like humans.

  I traced my hand along her smooth flat stomach, enjoying the feel of her skin. Apparently, Illiel was enjoying the feeling as well, since she didn’t do anything to stop me. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying my attention.

  “Why don’t you kiss it and make it better for me?” Illiel asked shyly.

  Encouraged to continue, I leaned forward and gave the wound a big, sloppy kiss. Illiel’s skin was soft and smooth, and it was pleasant to press my lips against them. I’d experienced the same sensation with Sava. It seemed that all elves had skin that simply felt good to lick.

  I trailed my kisses up and down the scar and glanced up to see Illiel enjoying herself.

  Illiel shifted her legs, pushing the blanket further back with her feet. The process served to reveal a little pair of pussy lips and the gap between Illiel’s legs. The mind cultivator blushed, but the message was clear.

  And so, I moved my attention to her upper thighs, flicking at them with my tongue. Illiel through back her head and leaned backwards. I continued to tease her. Soon, I saw a few drops of wet lubricant accumulating along the opening to her maidenhood. Illiel opened her legs wider, giving me free access to her nether regions, but I continued to ignore them. Her dripping pussy was begging for my attention, but it would have to wait a little longer.

  Eventually, Illiel just couldn’t take the teasing any more. She reached up with one of my hands and grabbed the back of my head, pushing it towards her crotch. Except she pushed way too hard, and I ended up doing full face plant into her pussy.

  She pulled with surprising strength and speed. There was power in her that far exceeded her size and physique.

  “Sorry!” She yelped. “I seem my advancement made me more than a bit stronger. I haven’t learned to gauge it yet.”

  “Mmmfh!” I said as my mouth was covered by her lower lips.

  I planted a series of small kisses around her slit before diving in tongue first. I mouthed the sounds of the alphabet as I nipped at her maidenhood. She seemed to particularly love the way my lips moved when I made a ‘buh’ sound. Something about the vibrations I think.

  She moaned and gasped.

  “Ooh! Yes, more Theo!” she squealed as I licked her slit. Her whole body shuddered, and I felt her powerful thighs go tight as she orgasmed.

  I considered that her warm up. By now, I was sporting a rock-hard erection. I wasn’t certain, but a suspected the zeal of this world had bolstered my size down below by a finger length or two. In any case, my performance was certainly enhanced.

  My cock parted her sensitive flesh and I grabbed onto her breasts and leaned in real close so I could kiss her on the lips.

  Illiel pulled me in even closer and our tongues waged war inside our mouths while my cock penetrated deep inside her body.

  I thrusted in and out over and over again. I didn’t stop at just once either. The moment we finished one round, we cultivated for a few minutes before going at it again. Illiel claimed the additional vitality would do wonders at stabilizing her new position as a mage acolyte in the world of magic.

  For me, it was mostly a whole lot of fun.

  ***

  By the time we were finished we were both exhausted. Even with her new reserves of strength, Illiel was laying still with a dumb smile in her face, basking in the afterglow with me. I might have nodded off for a little while. Can’t really be sure. At any rate, it was a while before either of us spoke.

  “So, you know how I invaded Melise’s dream?” I asked Illiel, who was in the middle of a yawn.

  “I remember. And you still haven’t told me how you managed to do that. I should only just now be able to do that now that I’ve broken through to the mage acolyte ranks.”

  “Yes, well, I found that I was able to see inside her dreams and talk to her. I haven’t been able to confirm the information I got from her yet, but I’ve got a strong feeling it’s accurate.”

  “Dealing with what?” Illiel asked curiously.

  “Yulli.”

  Illiel gave me a troubled look.

  “Don’t look at me like that. You know she needs to be dealt with as well as I do. If we don’t remove her somehow, she’s going to keep restricting both of our freedoms. You’re a prisoner here and I’m one in all but name! I was practically running this place before she showed up.”

  Illiel let out a slow sigh. “Alright, I’ll admit she needs to be dealt with. The usual way you deal with someone two stages of advancement above you is by feverishly cultivating for years in quiet meditation until you eventually reach their level or surpass them. At that point you can fight them, or simply have them at your mercy if you’re at a higher cultivation rank than they are.”

  “Yeah, we’re not going to do that.” I said with a shake of my head. “Instead, we’re going to control her mind.”

  Illiel’s gaze froze for a moment. “You know, Theo, someday the Cult of the Unblinking Eye is going to be real upset they missed out on a gem like you.”

  “So, will you teach me?” My whole plan rested on the idea that Illiel would have a mind-control technique in her possession that would work for our intended purpose, and that she would be willing to teach it to me and if need be, use it with me.

  “There are techniques for what you might call mind control. Though the complete, thorough domination of another’s mind is something that takes years to do properly. Hollowing out the mind so the body becomes an empty shell is easier, but then you have to create an entirely new personality. Both options are unavailable to us, however. Yulli is a true mage and as such she’ll be extraordinarily difficult to effect with my techniques.”

  “But it can be done?” I asked hopefully.

  “I know a hidden suggestion technique that might work. It isn’t really full control, but it makes whoever is affected by much more susceptible to whatever you say after you use a specific trigger word. It won’t make her obey your every command, but it will be enough to convince her to give you a bit more freedom if you phrase it right.”

  “But it w
ill work on Yulli? A true mage?”

  “If the conditions are perfect, and I mean perfect, then the two of us working in harmony should be able to implant the spell on Yulli’s mind. Whether it sticks or not and for how long is a matter of luck.”

  I nodded slowly. “Alright, so we need the perfect set-up. I’ll see what I can do.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  The next several days were spent alternating between sleeping with Illiel, practicing cultivation, and making preparations. The gathering Sava told me about was coming closer, and soon all the tribes would be gathering at Queenshold, where everyone would make their offerings to the queen to stay in her good graces. As a new power in the area, our Songstone clan would be making an appearance as well.

  I’d since seen to the absorption of any remaining Riverweed tribe elves into the greater Songstone clan. Sava was seeing to their needs, with me offering a word of advice here and there. It also served as an excuse to elevate Sava to a higher position. The former Riverweed tribe members would want one of their own to look up to.

  “How is Katiana taking it?” I asked Sava over a plate of food Illiel had prepared for us.

  “Better with each day. She’s still shaken up about how so many of our kin were killed or captured. By the underworld, I’m still shaken up by it, and I wasn’t even there.”

  I told Sava about my new technique that allowed me to enhance a spellheart, and she immediately demanded I perform the procedure on her. That occupied most of the rest of the day. The recrystallization didn’t actually take that long, but Sava insisted on having some alone time with me. We had sex.

  Sava was very pleased with the additional power granted to her by the recrystallization and said that she would be attempting to make her breakthrough to the mage acolyte levels soon. She’d been flying through the zeal accumulation ranks ever since meeting me, reaching the tenth layer in less than a year, much to Katiana’s chagrin.