The memory of his magical affinity test surfaced in his mind again. The start of it all.
It was supposed to be a straightforward test, one without any bells and whistles. His family line — The Slade Family — had produced various Arcanists in the past.
His father was one. An Arcanist who showed talent for Body Enhancement Magic — The most common of all, but formidable so long as the magical resources to supplement progression were plentiful, something that never proved a problem for his rich family.
His mother was also an Arcanist. But unlike her husband, she was an Elemental Mage, though she had never been one to chase after power.
Besides them, were the extended family. Uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews and nieces who mostly showed talent for any of the Arcanist paths.
So the affinity test had looked promising for Finn. He had displayed supreme intellect since his birth, smarter than his peers by years. His family took it as a sign that he was destined for greatness in the Arcane…
He displayed no affinity whatsoever.
Nil. Zero.
If Finn said he wasn't affected by it, he'd have been lying right through his teeth.
He put up a strong front, as though unfazed, and credit where due, his family was still very supportive of him. So what if he was bound to live a normal life?
He'd get to live the most flamboyant normal life there was!
But Finn was not satisfied with just this.
So imagine his joy when, a few years after his affinity test, he witnessed how the general populace — normal people who weren't born with the same silver spoon he had, were tested for magical affinity.
There was also a Soul mage present in their tests!
There hadn't been one in the test held by his family. No Soul Mage was allowed into the Slade Estate to test Finn for affinity.
I could still be a Soul Mage! Finn had thought. And knowing of his family's natural bias towards Soul Mages, he found a way to get tested without their knowledge.
It turned out… he indeed had the talent for soul magic.
Imagine Finn's joy.
The next year was spent learning as much as he could in secret. Money was no issue, so knowing he could not align with the Ossuary — the publicly recognized, official organization of Soul Mages — he went about it himself.
Every of his actions following that led to the current situation. One where he was on the brink of collapse, dancing on the edge of corrosion.
Rick's suspicion about Finn was right. He had assimilated a chaotic soul mass… and not just one. In fact, not two, three, four, or even five…
Finn had gone and assimilated twenty-one chaotic soul masses!
And right now, they were already beginning to act up. Rick's incessant shaking of his collar was doing nothing to help.
Finn's eyes snapped open, the light inside them fully taken up a chilling, alien look.
"I dare you to yank me one more time, man…" Finn licked his lips with a devilish grin on his face. "I will literally touch you!" he burst into a menacing cackle.
Rick recoiled, dropping his hands immediately and stumbling a few steps back in shock.
That was not Finn's voice… That was not his friend's voice at all!
How far gone was Finn already?!
Finn garbled a few unintelligible words, straining and clenching his jaws till veins popped visibly on his head, just to try gaining any semblance of control again.
"It's nOt mE—! Stay! I never asked you to speeakk…!" his voice took on a chorus-like tone. Like the cacophony of many voices speaking. Fighting to talk over each other.
Rick breathed out shakily, watching his friend acting mad from a few steps away. Panic filled his eyes, but he gritted his teeth and charged right into the building, rushing to get the guy they came to see.
At least he should know what to do…
He had barely run into the building for a few steps when a lanky, pale-skinned figure cloaked in black appeared just at the corner of the stairwell he was about to charge upward to.
Rick skid to a stop abruptly in exclamation, but the figure simply gave him a passing glance, turning his gaze outside at Finn, who had dropped to the ground, panting heavily.
"Ho… Impressive… You can still maintain control after that?" He walked past Rick like the young man didn't exist, stepping outside into the open, but careful to stay within the shade of the building.
He squatted by Finn's trembling figure, placing a hand on the his back.
"Keke… You fool. Your body is wracked with Soul Debts going rampant," he cackled in amusement, like he was seeing something novel, "how many soul masses did you assimilate?" he directed his question, not at Finn, but into the air, as if there was a third person other than Rick who was watching from a safe distance behind.
He tilted his ear slightly, as though listening to a whisper.
"Impossible!" He suddenly jerked back like Finn's body was scalding hot. "You lie! You lie! You lie!" he scampered back into the building, pacing back and forth, to and from Finn's trembling figure on the ground just outside, like he was debating what to do.
"Wha—What's wrong, Mister Lionel?" Rick asked hesitantly, "C—Can you help him?"
The man suddenly stopped, turning to Rick behind, "When Jaden said he referred some young masters to me I never expected this…" he swallowed with obvious greed and ambition gleaming in his eyes. "I can help your friend. He just has to follow me somewhere."
Rick gulped, but decisively stepped forward, "Really…? We'll think about it and get back to you," he made to step past the revenant… but the man was not having any of it.
"Hold it." He stretched out a hand, blocking Rick's way, turning his head mechanically to meet Rick's shaky gaze.
"What makes you think I'm asking?"
Immediately, the surroundings suddenly began to dim and chill rapidly, sending a shiver down Rick's spine that made his sphincter clench violently like a chrysanthemum.
It was the primal reaction of the average person exposed to a chaotic soul mass.
A blurry, shapeless, wraith-like black mass suddenly clawed its way out of the revenant's shadow, rising to its full seven feet height. It twisted and shifted erratically, but through the chaos, two deep black dots that shifted on its form locked onto Rick, freezing him in place in utter fear.
The revenant sneered, "Plebeians like you should know your place. When a superior speaks, a lesser—"
"Oi—" A chorus-like voice jarringly spoke right next to the revenant, sending his hair standing upright.
How did he get so close?!!
"Your yapping is hurting my ears!" Finn, with eyes fully black like the darkness of an abyss, and his lips curled in a condescending, manic sneer, spoke.