Free Web NovelIn one of his Mirror Mansion rooms, Jack sat on the bed. The [Mystic Voodoo Doll] was in his hand. He looked at the straw doll. Stitched together with what appeared to be dried, silver-threaded vine.
He used his [Mysterious Anomaly] power and pricked his thumb with its telekinesis power. Not exactly and easy thing to do. The toughness of his skin and flesh were incredibly high.
But by focusing his mental power, which was also equally high in this human form, on a single point, he managed to do it. A crimson droplet welled up. He pressed it firmly into the straw doll's chest.
The straw fibers immediately pulsed with a faint white light.
'Experimentation phase begins.' He thought.
He focused his intent. Visualizing his own auditory nerves. He pushed a mental command into the doll to amplify it gradually.
Slowly, the silence of the room changed. Within a few seconds, he could hear the sound of an insect skittering on the Mansion Orchard outside that room. In the next few moments, the distant conversation between Reina and Aella very clear in his ear.
He nodded as the amplification reached its maximum points. Seven times more sensitive. He took notes. In silent place like this, the rate wasn't that great. But, if a target's sense of hearing was enhanced to the max and and a loud explosion happened next to him... he could imagine how devastating it would be. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Jack reversed the process now. Decreasing his sensitivity. The world went dull and muffled. As if he were submerged in deep, silt-heavy water.
He didn't stop at that. He tested it on his sight. He could sharpen his vision to see the tiny details in the wood grain of the desk. Or dampen it until the world was nothing more than soft, shifting blurry hues of grey.
He tested all five senses. And they could all be amplified or dampened. Up to seven-fold, Jack noted mentally.
He could push any target's perception beyond the limits of their normal capability. Or, he could dull their senses to endure torture or sensory overload.
This voodoo doll... If this was what it could actually always do, its usage in his past life's stories would be too inefficient. All he could remember about voodoo dolls were that they were used as cursed, torture tools. For magnifying pain. The sense of touch.
That was underutilizing this artifact. It was more than a weapon. It was a sensory regulator. But, perhaps the voodoo dolls in his past life and this personal artifact was not exactly the same. Supernatural power in his previous world was... questionable after all.
He tucked the doll away back into his system inventory. His mind was already racing with tactical applications.
If he needed to face a situation where loud sound was used for attack or distraction, he could turn his hearing down to be less affected. If someone was heavily injured and needed surgery, he could dampen their sense of touch to replace anesthetic medicine.
There were many situations where this could be useful. The artifact was a masterpiece of occult engineering.
...
Days later...
The invisible Silent Mermaid cut through the sea without making much sound. Aella, the rescued girl, stood on the deck. She had shed her ragged slave clothes.
She now wore a sturdy, tomboyish outfit of leather and dark linen. Her hair was cut short and dyed black. It framed a face that looked noticeably more at peace than it had in Shipmount Island.
The round-framed, non-corrective glasses she wore gave her a scholastic, almost innocent appearance. One that made her look completely different from what she used to look like. A necessary disguise to avoid potential troubles.
Jack came out to the deck and approached her. Holding a device that looked like a long-barreled revolver. It wasn't a regular gun though. Its internal chambers were etched with glowing blue runes. A specially crafted [Void Flame Gun].
"Here, Kid! For you." Jack said in a steady voice.
She took the firearm. Feeling the weight. "It feels... warm."
"It's a specially crafted tool." Jack explained. "The runes channel your void flames. Direct your intent. Infuse your void fire energy. Think of it as an extension of your own hand. An object that help you compress the power and launch it faster and stronger."
Aella nodded. Her eyes tracked the complex engravings. She was a quick study. Between Reina's fluid guidance in the mystic arts and Chloe Chase’s scholarly tutelage, the girl was transforming very quickly. From a traumatized survivor into a formidable member of the crew.
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She spent hours in the library. Reading and learning. Often she was together with Sparkle, the lightning kirin cub. Both were taught and educated by Reina, Chloe, and Baroness Artheim.
She grew closer to the crew members very quickly. Don Donson, the cook, often left extra pastries for her. And, the healer sisters, Serene and Autumn, checked her physical and mental health regularly. Treating her like a very precious little sister.
Leon entertained her with many strange adventure stories. Barnaby and Mirella taught her about music and visual arts. For Aella, the crew was a strangely found family. One that treated for her as a human child, rather than a powerful weapon.
..
The following afternoon, Jack retreated to his private workshop. Bolting the heavy wooden doors. It was the time for another Fateless Gathering. He couldn't stay in his human form for this.
He activated his [Incarnation Shift] and transformed. In less than a second, his flesh and bone had rippled and faded. Morphing into the translucent stage magician wearing mask, top head, and billowing cape. Turning into the mysterious specter, Jack Mystery.
The Fateless Coin appeared from his system inventory. As the number on it turned to zero, the space around him folded like paper. The smell of the sea vanished. Replaced by the scent of citrus and tea.
Jack appeared into the sanctuary of Rainsister's living room. A cozy place that stayed exactly as he remembered it. Soft lamplight bathed the space. One whose shelves were packed with thick leather-bound books.
The beautiful deity, Rainsister, was there as usual. Sitting gracefully on a plush, comfortable couch. A steaming mug of tea was cradled between her delicate hands. Her long, dark hair cascaded over her shoulders. Catching the light from a nearby ornate lamp.
There was no other people here. He was once again the first to come to the Gathering.
"Spirit of Conviction..." Rainsister delivered her usual greeting. Nodding her head to the appearing specter with a calm smile on her face.
"Rainsister." Jack acknowledged her with a polite nod.
A few seconds later, the other members of the gathering flickered into existence. Baroness Sapphire Artheim materialized. This time not in her usual regal attire. But in her practical, seafaring outfit.
She was immediately followed by the strange twin children, Alice and Adam Lingreen. A flat expression was in their face. Just like usual.
Almost at the same time, Amaranth White also appeared. The primal sorceress herbalist looked fresher and more spirited. Not as tired as she was in the previous meeting.
Once the circle was completed, they started to greet each other and shared their news. Jack waited for the small talk to dissipate before moving to the topic he wanted to discuss.
"I have a question, Rainsister. And it concerns a rather nasty trend I've been noticing." Jack stated.
The others turned to listen. Rainsister closed her book. Setting it aside.
"I've encountered a member of the Order of Glory once." Jack started to talk. "Upon his death, his body didn't decay. It exploded and turned into a demon. My companion in our circle tells me the same is occurring within the ranks of the Glorious Pirates."
The room went silent. Baroness Artheim's expression tightened. She could easily guess that the companion he mentioned was Jack Night, the captain in the ghost ship she was in. She recalled that they belonged to a group called the Circle of Jacks.
Rainsister sighed. "The 'Glory' factions, huh?"
"They should be remnants, branches of an ancient organization." She began to explain. Her voice was smooth and melodic. "A group that had long disappeared from common history... the School of Glory."
"School?" Adam asked.
"Yes." Rainsister replied. "They started not as nobles, soldiers, or pirates. They were researchers. People who banded together to seek what they called the 'Eternal Edge'."
"Eternal Edge?" This time, it was Alice who asked.
"Power, wealth, and immortality." Rainsister answered calmly. "And they found them. At least, their version of that eternal edge... a gateway to the Outer Demon Realm."
"Let me tell you a legend spread by the School of Glory." She continued. "It was said that Faustelle, the founding headmistress of the school, incidentally encountered Mavesthor, the Demon King of that realm."
She paused for a while before continuing. "The story goes that they shared a tragic, forbidden love. Ending in a misunderstanding that led to Faustelle slaying Mavesthor. The story claims that upon realizing her mistake, she performed a ritual to keep a part of him alive within her. When she eventually passed, the ritual let the demon king be resurrected through her death."
"A tragic romance?" Amaranth scoffed. "It sounds like a tale meant to justify their obsession."
"Precisely." Rainsister agreed. "It is a fabricated myth. The truth is much colder. The School of Glory did not fall in love with demons. They fell in love with power. They discovered that infusing their own body with 'demon seeds' found in the Outer Realm, granted them unnatural strength, heightened reflexes, and very long lifespans."
Jack leaned forward. His mysterious specter form flickered with purple glow. "The transforming into the demon is the price, I suppose?"
"Indeed." Rainsister said. "The demon seed is a parasite. It sleeps while the host lives, drawing strength from the host's vitality. But the moment the host's heart stops, the seed awakens. Consuming the remaining life force to manifest physically."
She looked at Jack and said. "That is why they turn into demons upon death. They are practically walking incubators for demons."
Jack felt a chill that transcended his ghostly nature. He thought of the battles he had fought. "So, the different types of demons... Are they because the hosts use different types of demon seeds?"
"Not exactly." Rainsister replied. "The demon seed is pretty much the same. It was the experience, obsession, and personalities of the host that will affect its form and power."
"Is there a way to stop them from becoming a demon upon death?" Jack asked. "Those outer demons were not easy to be handled."
Rainsister seemed to think for a few seconds. "Well, they are a small problem for me so I've never really considered that. But I suppose you can try to incapacitate the host and do a surgery to extract the demon seed when the host is still alive. The seed's location is in the heart by the way."
Jack processed this information. The gears of his mind turning. That idea seemed to be quite reliable. He just needed to defeat the person but not kill him, extract the seed and destroy it before it turned into a demon. It should be easier than handling the transformed demon.
"Thank you, Rainsister. I'll try that when I encounter another one of these Glory dumbasses." Jack said. Bowing slightly to the goddess.
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