Alex hesitated, then lowered the barrier that separated their consciousnesses. The air shifted, and a familiar, sardonic presence unfurled within him.
"Well, well," Arthur's voice purred, echoing like a shadow across the room. "After all these days, you finally call for me. What's wrong, Alex? Couldn't handle being a 'big boy' on your own after absorbing a little of my energy?" His tone dripped with mockery.
Alex closed his eyes, jaw tight.
Arthur chuckled darkly. "What's the matter? No retort? You were arrogant enough when you fought those monsters the other day. Now you're silent like a whipped dog?"
"Can you stop?" Alex muttered, voice raw. "Stop teasing me. Just… help me."
"Oh? Help you?" Arthur's laugh was sharp and cruel. "Why should I? Don't forget—I am the reason you're alive. Your life belongs to me. Don't ever forget that, vessel."
Alex's head snapped up. For a long moment, silence fell—thick and tense. Then, quietly but firmly, he said, "No one owns my life. Not you. Not Damon. Not anyone. My life is mine and mine alone." His crimson gaze burned faintly, fierce despite his exhaustion. "If anything… it's your life that belongs to me. Without me, you'd be nothing but dust. Dead and forgotten."
Arthur went quiet. For once, the demon had no immediate retort.
Alex stood, his breathing steady but heavy. "If you won't help me, fine. I'll manage on my own." He reached to reestablish the barrier.
"Wait." Arthur's tone was sharp, almost irritated. "I'll help you."
Alex paused. Arthur sighed, almost as though admitting defeat. "It's not like I have a choice. I made my decision when I merged with you. I'll see it through."
A faint smirk tugged at Alex's lips. "Now you're making sense."
Arthur ignored him. "What exactly do you want this time?"
"I want to improve my demon abilities. However you can help—just do it."
"Very well," Arthur replied. His voice shifted into something more serious. "Then I'll guide you to absorb the energy of stronger monsters. You don't need to kill them—I'll handle that part. All you must do is take their power and make it your own."
Alex's eyes lit up with determination. "Good enough."
The world blurred. In the next instant, the walls of his room vanished, and Alex stood in a desolate landscape—dark, barren, and heavy with malice.
"I'll take over your body for a few moments to draw them out," Arthur said, seeping through Alex's veins. Alex felt his limbs move, not entirely by his own will. His muscles tightened, his senses sharpened. Arthur inhaled deeply through his lungs and smirked. "Stronger than when we first met. Not bad."
Then Arthur closed his eyes. Power thrummed outward, heavy and commanding. The air thickened, and soon the guttural cries of monsters echoed from the distance. The earth trembled with the pounding of their approach.
Alex's eyes widened when he opened them again. Towering beasts—hulking, twisted, dripping with raw power—emerged, their monstrous eyes glowing with hunger. Their auras pressed down like a storm.
"Perfect," Arthur whispered. He lifted a hand, snapping his fingers. The monsters froze mid-step, their snarls silenced as though their will had been stolen.
"They're under my spell. Don't worry," Arthur said lazily. "Now—absorb them."
Alex swallowed, then stepped toward the first creature. He placed a trembling hand against its hardened hide and closed his eyes.
At once, light flowed—dim, blue, and alive. The monster's energy surged through his arm like liquid fire, coursing into his veins. It was intoxicating, terrifying, exhilarating. His chest tightened, but his body thrummed with new vitality.
He gasped, then laughed quietly under his breath. "This… feels incredible."
"Don't waste time," Arthur chided.
One after another, Alex moved. With each monster, more energy flowed into him. Ten beasts in total—ten towering abominations reduced to husks as their power became his. Each time, the corpse collapsed lifelessly, their monstrous eyes dimming forever.
By the end, Alex stood panting, sweat clinging to his forehead—but his eyes blazed crimson. His whole body pulsed with power. He clenched his fists, and the air around him quivered faintly.
"I… I feel stronger." His lips curled into a genuine smile.
Arthur chuckled in his head. "Stronger, yes. But strength unused is wasted. Before we return, why don't you… test it?"
Alex raised a brow. "Test it? On what?"
Arthur spread his presence outward. The air rippled, and a cluster of lesser monsters—thin, malformed things with jagged claws—slunk from the shadows of the desolate landscape. Their auras were weaker than the hulking beasts Alex had just drained, but their snarls promised blood all the same.
Alex exhaled and flexed his hands. "Fine. Let's see what I can do."
The first monster lunged, claws raised high. Instinctively, Alex sidestepped and thrust out his palm. A surge of crimson energy burst forth, uncoiling like smoke laced with fire. The monster screeched as its skin blackened where the energy touched, the corruption spreading until its body withered to ash.
Alex's eyes widened. "…That was—"
"Decay," Arthur finished smoothly. "Your touch is no longer limited to flesh alone. Now it answers to your will."
Another beast leapt from the side. Alex turned, this time swinging his fist. His knuckles glowed dark red as they connected, and the monster's body cracked apart with the impact, dissolving into fragments before it even hit the ground.
Alex staggered back, staring at his own trembling hand. The power was wild—hungry. It felt like the energy wanted to pour out of him uncontrollably. His heartbeat thundered, his veins hot.
"Careful, vessel," Arthur warned, though amusement laced his tone. "The more power you absorb, the more it demands release. You must control it, or it will consume you."
"I can control it," Alex muttered through gritted teeth.
"Prove it, then."
The last three monsters circled him warily. Alex inhaled, steadying himself. He closed his eyes briefly, recalling the countless times he had felt powerless—his parents' death, Damon's mocking grin, his own failures. He refused to stay weak.
When he opened his eyes again, they glowed like molten coals.
He dashed forward, faster than before—his body a blur. His hand skimmed one monster's side, whispering Decay. The creature shrieked as black veins crawled across its skin, dropping lifeless in seconds.
The second pounced, but Alex pivoted low, sweeping its legs and driving his crimson-charged fist into its chest. Bone crunched, flesh caved, and it burst apart in a cloud of ash.
The last monster hesitated, then fled into the shadows. Alex raised his hand, crimson energy gathering into a spear-like shape. With a sharp motion, he hurled it. The glowing spear streaked through the air and impaled the beast mid-stride, pinning it to the barren ground before its body dissolved.
Silence.
Alex stood in the middle of the carnage, chest heaving, his crimson eyes burning bright in the dark.
"…I did it." His voice was half disbelief, half exhilaration. He looked down at his hands—still trembling, still stained faintly with dark markings. A smile crept across his lips. "I'm stronger now. Really stronger."
Arthur's laugh echoed deep within him. "Stronger, yes… but not enough. Never enough. Remember, Alex: every drop of power you gain comes at a price. And when the time comes, you'll see just how costly strength can be."
Alex ignored the warning, still reveling in the thrill of his victory. "Let's go back," he said.
"As you wish," Arthur purred.
The desolate landscape dissolved, fading back into the quiet of his dorm room. But even in that silence, Alex's pulse still raced—and the faint whisper of crimson energy lingered in the air, as if the world itself was beginning to recognize what he was becoming.