Saturdayted

If you couldn't tell before, "-" in between paragraphs symbolize major changes in perspective.

Treading through the undergrowth of the beautiful but dangerous forest, Ash made sure to kill anything she saw and take their blood for later use. First it was goblins and kobolds, then forest boas, wolves, and a slime. Along the way she even shot a large ice crystal that pierced into the brain of a small drake, killing it instantly.  

After another 10 or 20 minutes of walking at a brisk pace while discreetly massacring the local wildlife within her sharp dark elf's sight, Ash made it to the caravan that was to transport her to her supposed destination. It was a deep crimson red lined with dark platinum. In front of it were 4 very well groomed armored black horses and surrounding it were guards equipped with gear bearing the insignia of the Abetus kingdom.

As soon as she walked from the growth and into the clearing of which the road that the caravan was using was paved, Ash noticed the guards hidden in the trees as the ones on the ground noticed her, but she decided to ignore them for now.

A woman clad in armor similar to that of the other guards but of better quality although more revealing came forward to meet the Blood Mage with the other guards staring at her intently from her beauty. "Ah, good to see you, your brilliance." She, a woman who Ash recognized as Cecelia Streit, head of the kingdom's knights, continued. "When we had been told you had actually accepted a position of the Grant Court Magician for the kingdom, we thought it was a joke at first, yet here you are. Do not worry, Lady Vesdeth, the kingdom treats all of its subjects exceedingly well and you would be no exception."

Getting tired of Cecelia's monologue, Ash pretended to look impatient and said sarcastically, "Yes, I have no doubt about that, but is this carriage for transport or is it a conversation starter?" 

Cecilia had known about Eterashula's, the [Mistress of Crimson Rain]'s haughty attitude but didn't think it would be to this point. Although internally furious, she knew that even if she fought with her guards backing her up, they would suffer massive casualties for no real reason if they were to instigate a fight with a mage as powerful as Eterashula, that the kingdom would go to her asking to be their court mage instead of the usual other way around.

"Sorry, for my rambling your brilliance, please enter this vehicle we have prepared for you according to your taste."

Ash knew what Eterashula's tastes were, and these certainly did suit them, although that didn't matter very much now. Since in her current state, none of the guards would be a match for her, even including the ones her prospective employers had attempted to hide from her. Though, she still wanted the artifacts they had supposedly convinced her with, and so she gracefully stepped onto the carriage as if she had done so many times. 

Inside the carriage, the seats were smooth, made of high quality leather. The frame of the carriage was lined with gold dyed dark, and there was a blood red chandelier illuminating it all. 

Sitting on one side was what seemed to be a mage and a priest that looked like twins, along with a knight and a rogue. The former two being female and the latter being male. They were blonde and all well equipped, though the women were sleeping.

Ash sat on the other side, and greeted the knight and the rogue characteristically. The knight spoke up.

"Good day your brilliance, I am Rowhard", pointing to the quiet rogue, "this is Zeta, and those two", then pointing at the twins, Rowhard said "the mage is Siges and the priest Malin. We will be escorting you today, for your convenience of course, Miss. Not that you would need to defend yourself."

Rowhard took very much care in not making Ash feel disrespected at all. Ash found this amusing, and just nodded with a smug face towards the knight. After that, she then pretended to go to sleep, sitting down and facing the floor, closing her eyes.

-

Due to her mana concentration, she could stay awake for days at a time without sleep, and her [True Sense] skill allowed her to see without her eyes, although she could even see through her eyelids if need be. She then used her [Soul Dominion] to start sending her mental power towards the two women sleeping, choosing Siges, the one who seemed to have a larger soul presence than her twin as the first victim. 

This mage was much less powerful than the original Eterashula and just as her body was unconscious, so was her soul. Making sure not to alert the others, Ash used her skill to bind Siges' soul with chains. She also pierced her soul with a needle and siphoned off its insides, replacing them with a modified version after absorbing "her". Siges would no longer have free will of her own, and unless Ash removed the chains, could not think for herself, although she would act "normal". Siges' physical body had stayed perfectly still the entire time.
 
-

[New Soul Skills]
Phoenix Fire (Lv. 3), Blessing of Rhae (Lv. 1), Accelerate (Lv. 1)

[Improved Soul Skills]
Spell Mastery (Lv. 3) - > (Lv. 4)
Elemental Magic (Lv. 6) -> (Lv. 7)

This was a very good haul, gaining the knowledge of another mage, and stealing the blessings of both a mythical beast and a goddess, along with what seemed to be a skill the original user had taken much time to create.

Deciding she would check over her new skills later, Ash proceeded to the other twin. This one would be a bit more interesting.

-

Malin had dreamt of impressing her parents with the new well-paying church position she was promised after a job escorting an extremely important VIP when the dream started seeming much more vivid. 

She could not tell whether it was a dream or reality anymore, and hurting herself by pinching her skin did nothing. After finishing talking with her parents, she went up to her room and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Oh, I really hope this is reality and not a dream" she said to her reflection in the mirror with a worried tone.

The reflection replied, "Do you not believe in your own capabilities? What would Siges say if she was here?"

"That's right, she'd say that we have to take all our opportunities we can!" Malin was reassured but took a moment to think. 

Why had her reflection spoken to her? What does it mean if Siges was here? Is she not? Before she could come up with a conclusion though, the mirror suddenly fell on her.

Waking up, she noticed she was once again standing up but could not move forwards. She was behind a glass wall and could see herself standing looking at her with a devilish grin. "My parents love me more than you! I am their perfect daughter, they created me to replace you!"

Malin started crying, one tear turned to two, and two to six. She could not believe what her "reflection" had said. She treated her parents the best she could, she worked hard for their sake, and yet they planned to replace her anyways. Her resolve shattered, she attempted to slam the glass wall that blocked her, but to no avail. She could not even scratch it. 

The reflection walked out of her room, and she disappeared with it.

-

Malin woke up a few hours later, it was growing dark and Siges was already awake, looking out the window of the carriage they were on. It seemed they were on the move again, and with their VIP inside, the well known and feared Blood Mage Eterashula Vesdeth that was to be their kingdom's court magician. What was odd though, was that her body wasn't doing exactly what she wanted.

She reached out for her sister's shoulder, but then her hand put itself down slowly. She tried to speak but closed her mouth and took a shallow breath instead. The feeling got worse as her body followed less and less of her thoughts while performing basic actions like blinking and swallowing her saliva, even moving her hands. After another minute, her body did nothing she told it to. She was in the backseat of her own skin and it was her parent's fault.