Trapped in Another World With No Magic

Chapter 88: The Weight of a Shortcut to the Truth

The assassin jolts awake with a violent jerk. Her face twists in confusion as she takes in the ceiling directly above her, which is a very different scenery from the outdoor location where she was first encountered.

Of the two archoneldwyn assassins that attacked Daniel and his companions in the rover during the battle against the 100,000 eastern allied troops, Daniel and the others decided to revive the woman. Hekate gave her customary demands, but the primary focus is that Vaergraes determined that she was the physically weaker of the two during the fight, as her strengths lied in agility and magical prowess. Since they’ve taken so many precautions against magic, she was voted as the ‘safer’ option.

The woman pulls at her arms, which are bound ‘behind’ her back, which is on a slightly sloped bench, and her arms are tied underneath. She tries to struggle and writhe against her bindings, finding her feet, legs, waist, torso, and neck are all bound firmly to the bench.

Daniel approaches so she can see him, and she glares at him silently.

“Afternoon. I’m sure you probably remember me. I’m the human that gave you a run for your money.”

The assassin stares at the ceiling, ignoring him. She still tries to pull her hands free, but Daniel made sure her hands aren’t coming free of the knots until he desires it. She’s wearing little more than an inexpensive flaxen tunic to ensure she had no remaining hidden weapons or tools to aid her.

He watches her hands try to feel her wrists, where she had subdermal objects hidden. She seems to be surprised, and he asks knowingly, “Oh? Looking for something?”

She sucks her teeth, but still doesn’t look at him.

“I have some questions. You can save us both some time and one of us some excruciating suffering by answering them now.”

“I am not threatened by you or the crowd of powerful fighters you had to surround yourself with in fear of me.”

Daniel simply smiles. “Are caution and fear the same thing? Maybe, I suppose, an argument can be made. Of course, just because you think fear has been removed from you doesn’t mean I can’t dig deep enough to find it again.”

She scoffs, glancing at him with her eyes and smirking as she stares up at the ceiling again. “Do your worst, human. Or perhaps the feldrok girl. Neither of you are powerful enough to accomplish anything.”

Daniel sets a pitcher of water on the small table he has next to the bench. “Did you know, dragons and feldroks can be struck down without magic? I have a reputation to uphold now. I think this pitcher of water will be enough.”

The assassin begins laughing, and Daniel asks politely, ignoring her laughing, “Who ordered you to attack us during the siege?”

The archoneldwyn woman finishes laughing, resuming watching the ceiling with a content smile. “I’ll say you’re amusing, with how pathetic you are, human. Whatever your true secret is, I’m sure it’ll be revealed soon enough.”

“Funny. I was going to say the same to you. Are you sure you don’t want to cooperate? I’d hate to crush your pride.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a being as stupid as you, human. Even goblins wouldn’t be so incredibly arrogant.”

“Very well. I tried.” Daniel carelessly tosses a towel over her face, and she chuckles again.

“So, you plan to wash my face? You’re right. I could never imagine a torture like this.”

Daniel picks up the pitcher, looking over his shoulder. Hekate has seen it once already, but Vaergraes and Illianna look unsure. They seem to think he’s as crazy as the assassin believes he is.

“Forty five seconds,” states Daniel. 

Hekate retorts, “Ten. Strong people have no idea how easy it is to fall apart.” She nods as she crosses her arms, no doubt remembering back to her days before gaining power in the Citadel. Most of her childhood was suffering, which has given her a grateful perspective on the life she leads now.

“Anyone else want to place a wager?” asks Daniel.

“What are we guessing at?” asks Vaergraes.

“How long she’ll last.”

Both she and Illianna are shocked. “You think she’ll break in seconds?” asks Illianna. The assassin begins laughing, even with the towel over her face. She seems quite comfortable with her current position.

Daniel simply smiles. He watched a video once for reference of a volunteer undergoing it. While the volunteer in the video wasn’t a hardened spy trained to withstand torture, it was almost instantaneous that he surrendered his will to resist, describing how instinctively horrifying it was.

Daniel pours the water over the towel covering the assassin’s face, and the laughing abruptly stops. She spits and puffs air, and then violently begins shaking her head, while a steady stream of water pours across her face. She begins gasping, followed immediately by coughing and wheezing. She writhes viciously against her restraints, but is unable to move more than tiny squirms while shaking her head violently. The towel clings to her face, and the wheezing becomes labored. She clenches her fists and pulls and tenses in every possible way, but can get no relief from the sensation.

Daniel keeps pouring the water, pacing himself to reach twenty seconds. At about eighteen seconds, choked and raspy cries pitifully leave the assassin’s mouth, unintelligible as mere desperate attempts to make a noise other than choking, coughing, and wheezing. It’s the only intentional noise she can make, even as she still struggles in futility to make it stop.

Vaergraes and Illianna both find it difficult to watch, and even Daniel would normally feel guilty… if this woman hadn’t hurt Geirahoel in front of him and attempted to murder his other loved ones.

The last drops drop from the pitcher at twenty two seconds, and Daniel says with disappointment in his voice. “Huh. I’m already out. Good thing I brought a second pitcher.”

“P-Pgeez!” chokes out the assassin, spitting and coughing on moisture as she gasps to catch her breath, desperate for air while still convinced she’s borderline being smothered and drowning simultaneously. “P-Preez m-maeg it s-s-sop!”

Daniel removes the towel, and the woman’s face has gone pale and her pupils are constricted in horror, staring at his face, which is now cold and unsympathetic. “You don’t look sincere enough yet.”

He starts to put the towel over her face, but she screams as loud as her weakened voice can go, “Z-Z-Zolorad! Zolorad told us to spy on you, and if the opportunity arose, t-t-to k-kill you! I swear it!”

“Zolorad sounds like a scapegoat.” Daniel moves the towel over her face again, and she screams, shaking her head as he sets it across her face. “I swear it’s the truth! I swear it!”

Daniel hands the empty pitcher to Hekate. “Sweetpea, would you refill this with the sink over there please? I’m sure it’ll last long enough for me to make use of the second-...”

“All right! All right! Zolorad is a puppet! He wanted to rule the Covenant, but he’s too weak on his own! He did give the order, b-b-but…”

“You can stall for time all you want, Miss. You hurt people I care about. If you’re going to waste my time and…”

“His name is Brosjak! A-A-An archoneldwyn! He is the spymaster for Zolorad! P-Please! Listen to me!”

Daniel looks at Vaergraes and Illianna, who shake their heads. They’ve never heard the name.

“How many archoneldwyn are there?”

“J-J-Just the three of us! Just three! Only three!” The assassin is shivering in terror, and Hekate grimaces as she approaches with the refilled pitcher. “Wh-What’s that smell?”

Daniel looks. There is a puddle under the woman’s waist, and liquid is dripping to the floor. The smell, however, is more distinctly the number two excrement.

“Seems she didn’t empty out when she died. Do you seriously expect me to believe there are only three of you? I know you think I’m stupid, but…”

“It’s the truth!” screams the assassin, her voice wavering and giving out intermittently. She sounds near to losing her voice entirely.

In truth, Daniel doesn’t want to use a second pitcher, and had hoped he wouldn’t have to use the first. He can’t be sure whether she’s telling the truth or not without the threat, though.

She adds desperately and urgently, barely able to muster above a gravelly whisper, “There were only three of us. We were found in stasis together, only three of us. Please believe me. I swear it’s the truth! H-H-He’ll kill me for telling you.”

“You didn’t seem all that afraid of death a couple minutes ago. Why should I believe you are now?”

“N-Not d-d-death…” whispers the woman, her face turned towards Daniel, even with the towel still covering her. “P-please… Please not again…”

Daniel looks to Aoloan, who is the furthest away. She is also uncomfortable, but she gives him a thumbs up. The woman is apparently telling the truth.

“Tell you what, Miss,” starts Daniel as he takes the towel off once more. She stares pleadingly into his eyes, hanging on his every word now. “How about you accept a magical contract…”

“Yes! I accept! P-P-Please don’t do that again! I’ll do anything! I’m sorry! Please!”

“You didn’t let me finish. One that gives me complete control over you and makes you completely unable to do anything that I disapprove of, including lying. You will be every bit a slave. Frankly, I’d rather kill you. Slavery is pretty scummy, and I feel icky for every time I’ve used it so far. But, you’re more useful alive. If you choose death, I’m going to refill pitchers until you die. If you accept the contract, I’m going to turn you against your alleged one remaining comrade.  You will tell me everything about him, everything about your weapons, everything about yourself.”

“I-I-I ac-ac-acept the c-contract, Master! Ha-Happily! Anything!”

Daniel strokes his chin. “Hmm… Know what? That’s not fair. You don’t really have a choice, do you? Of course you’d pick the contract between those two. I’ll show you mercy. Instead, I’ll simply put you into a void bag and destroy it. How does that sound? You won’t even know you’re gone.”

She stares at him with horrified eyes. As Daniel suspected, demon-kin are more afraid of the mysterious nothingness of that option, as opposed to the potential for an afterlife when dying normally.

“Those still sound like terrible choices,” replies Hekate. 

Daniel shrugs. “She’s lucky she’s getting a choice at all. She nearly killed Geirahoel right in front of me, not to mention you and Ryuo, as well as Vaergraes and Illianna. 

“E-E-Even if y-y-you offer a swift and honorable death, I-I-I’ll choose the contract, Master… Please… s-s-spare me… I don’t… I don’t want… I don’t want to suffer… Please have mercy… I’ll tell you everything. I’m sorry.  You were right and I was wrong…”

Daniel stares at her for a long time, and her pale eyes water. He sighs, finally looking away. “Xyreko, bring what you need for the contract. Let’s get this over with.”

“As you wish,” replies Xyreko as she enters the room. She already has everything she needs, and they perform the contract ritual as was done with the dragons. Her name is revealed to be Doephluev, and the contract mark appears on her chest. Afterwards, Daniel thinks carefully about an order to test her. He states coldly, “Doephluev, I order you to beg me to use a second pitcher on you.”

The assassin's eyes go wide in horror, and she shakes her head until she tenses. “M-M-Master, p-p-please u-u-use a s-s-second pitcher on me…” She closes her eyes as tears stream down her face, while she continues begging for what she doesn’t want.

Daniel starts to move the towel over her face, and although she shakes her head desperately and trembles like a chihuahua, she continues to plead for him to do it.

Vaergraes stops his arm, saying softly, “Daniel… please don't. It's in effect. Please release the order.”

Doephluev is still begging, and Daniel lets her do so a moment longer. He finally says, “That's enough, Doephluev. Stop begging. You pass.”

Daniel tosses the towel on the floor as he walks out, leaving everyone else to sigh relief as Doephluev cries.

Hekate is the one to approach the assassin and untie her. She then instructs, “Xyreko, please escort Doephluev to a cell and let her clean up and sleep.”

“Will do, your Greatness.” Soldier golems escort the assassin out, and she trembles as she walks slowly and wearily. Once she’s gone, Xyreko adds, “Hekate,... You should go check on Daniel.”

Hekate cocks her head, but she certainly has no objections. “Where is he?”

“The hangar. He had me transport him there immediately.”

Hekate nods, and she asks Vaergraes, Illianna, and Aoloan, “Want to come along?”

Vaergraes nods. “Yes, please.”

Hekate steps closer and begins casting the teleportation spell.

The four of them arrive in the hangar bay, where a surprising noise finds their ears. A man is yelling as flesh strikes metal. The four search, and Hekate spots him first. “D-Daniel!?” She runs to him, followed by the other three, who also call out, “Daniel!”

They slow down cautiously when they find Daniel. His face is bloody, and blood is smeared on the exterior wall of the lounge area, which is made of stone blocks.

He punched the wall, and has only now finally stopped, cupping his hand near his chest as he supports himself against the wall with his bloody left hand dripping blood down his face.

Hekate cautiously approaches him, asking “Daniel…?”

Daniel seems to lose strength, and he sinks to a kneel against the wall. His gaze is distant as he pants, his face contorted in pain.

But, not all of that pain is from what he just did.

He sniffles, palming his face to try to calm himself as he smears more blood on his face, seemingly oblivious to his hands. He doesn’t move or even flex his right hand, though.

Hekate approaches him, hugging him. “Daniel… what have you done?”

He finally responds to her, his voice alien to her. “I… feel sick… I… I was so angry… but…” He closes his eyes, and tears stream down his cheeks, evidenced by the path they make through the blood, following the blood trails to some degree. 

For the first time since they met, Daniel is crying, and Hekate has no idea what to do. All she can do is hug him. She whispers, “Daniel…” She does her best to comfort him, and Vaergraes approaches as well, kneeling close by to inspect Daniel’s right hand. The way he’s holding it, it hurts him immensely, and it’s possible he broke bones.

Hekate whispers softly, “Daniel… She’s our enemy. No one thinks less of you.”

“You should,” chokes out Daniel. “No one should do that… I… I went too far…”

“You got the information we needed… I… I think I’m glad you’re not happy, or at least that you aren’t as cruel as you appeared. But, you don’t have to hurt yourself, Daniel…”

“I should’ve stopped. I should’ve found another way…”

“Then… do that next time. You did the best you could. And, you will save lives with the information you gained.”

Daniel doesn’t agree with her, but he does rest, letting her comfort him as he finally calms down. It hurts Hekate’s heart to see him like this, and she looks at Vaergraes, nodding. Vaergraes nods in return, casting healing magic on Daniel’s hand to undo the damage.

Vaergraes adds gently, “You pressed her to make sure the contract really could overpower her. I don’t blame you, Daniel. And, I stepped in when the answer was certain. Forgive me if you thought I was undermining you.”

Daniel nods. “I know. Thank you for stopping me.” He clenches his left fist, adding quietly, “My anger… The darker part of me wanted to do it anyways… to make her suffer for the attack. For the fear I felt…” He finally relaxes, saying gently, “Thank you Vaergraes. I’m sorry you all had to see this…”

Vaergraes replies gently, “Don’t mention it. I don’t believe any method I know of would have succeeded. Her response was visceral; unavoidable. Your method is terrifying.”

Hekate replies to the Uhl’tall arch priestess, “I said that the strong don’t know what it’s like to break. She had plenty of chances to avoid it.”

“What will you do with her?” asks Aoloan gently. “Is she really still useful?”

Hekate nods, answering for Daniel, who doesn’t seem eager to answer. “Yes. She may still give us insight on the archoneldwyn. And,...” She looks at Daniel with a soft smile. “Daniel won’t exterminate a race. We can’t do much for them, but we don’t have to be the ones to destroy them.”

“Were there any repercussions on the two Stalvaltan soldiers?” asks Daniel quietly. Xyreko’s voice answers from seemingly everywhere and nowhere specific at the same time, “No, Daniel. The amnesia spell worked flawlessly. I recommend performing the spell after she has fallen asleep.”

Daniel nods, all but whispering, “Please do.”

“I know you’re reflecting and you likely already know this, Daniel,” starts Vaergraes as gently as she can. “But, this is exactly why revenge is dangerous.”

He nods. “You’re right. I did already know that. That’s what made it so much worse.”

“Would you like amnesia magic to be cast on you?” asks Illianna.

Daniel shakes his head. “No. I have to remember, so I don’t cross the line again.”

After Vaergraes expends most of her magic energy just to heal Daniel’s broken right hand, Hekate uses ice magic on his left to help soothe it. It doesn’t seem broken, thankfully, but it will definitely swell.

After a little longer, Daniel finally does his best to return to as normal as he can get, at least as far as planning. “So, does anyone know who this ‘Brosjak’ individual is? Ever seen or heard his name?”

Vaergraes, Illianna, and Aoloan shake their heads. “No. I’m quite familiar with Zolorad. He was always one of the tribal chieftains causing trouble and denouncing my actions,” replies Vaergraes. “That he has a spymaster that is stronger than he is does not surprise me. He’s cunning, but prone to overestimating his own abilities.”

“He’s a cambion,” adds Illianna. “He’s especially strong for his people, but they are not particularly well-liked by the other tribes. They strongly over-compensate for their perceived inferiority of their ancestors. Aggressive, a bit greedy, and rather insular when it comes to politics.”

Aoloan adds, “They demand aid in hard times, as well as during expansion, but generally provide very minimal aid in return when the situation is reversed. I remember my father complaining about it a lot.”

“Regrettably true,” replies the former ‘queen’ of demons. “And, Zolorad has been their representative for years. Now, apparently, he is the one running the Covenant.”

“Wrong,” counters Hekate. “He’s being puppeteered by this Brosjak guy. Right, Daniel?” She looks at Daniel, and he nods wearily. “I have to agree. If Brosjak is the spymaster and he’s truly stronger than Zolorad, then he is likely a figurehead at best. Given the events since I killed the red knight, I think it’s not too much of a stretch to assume Brosjak would use someone like Zolorad to lure me out. Or, the ‘Harbinger of Calamity’ at least.”

The others nod as Vaergraes replies, “I have to agree, Daniel. It ironically sounds like something Zolorad would do.”

Illianna chuckles. “That is ironic. And, a little surprising that he hasn’t noticed.”

“Aoloan, did you sense any deception when she claimed there are only three archoneldwyns?”

“No, Daniel. Though, under the kind of pressure she was under to answer, I wouldn’t say with absolute certainty. Only moderate assuredness.”

Daniel nods as he thinks. Hekate asks, “Daniel, why not just contract her right away and order her to truthfully answer you?”

Daniel doesn’t have an answer right away, but Vaergraes speaks up. “It can be risky. A question with a potentially subjective answer can create a mess and potentially kill the contracted person. For instance, we all know two plus two is four and three plus one is four. But, if you ask someone under contract ‘is two plus two the same as three plus one?’, the answer very much could be yes or no based on perspective. And, if that person knows that, it could lock them up and destroy their mind trying to force an answer.”

“Couldn't they just say that? That it can have both answers?”

“That was just an example, but contracts operate on absolutes, not ambiguity.”

Hekate ponders the answer, not fully understanding, but trying to figure it out.

“She's saying the contract doesn't know fact,” starts Daniel in reply. “And ‘truth’ can be whatever the person believes to be true. If they simultaneously hold two conflicting beliefs that they know conflict, then the ‘truth’ is not something they can actually answer.” Daniel shifts to sit with his back against the wall he was striking, relaxing a little more. He finally inspects his left hand, which is pale from Hekate’s ice magic, but red cuts and dark bruises are scattered around his hand.

“Truth and fact are not the same things, unfortunately,” adds Daniel as he stares vacantly at his hand. “At least not in the mind that believes it to be truth in an absence of fact.”

“What does Earth do? O-Other than… the water.”

Daniel scoffs, shaking his head quietly. “For detecting lies, there is a technology that reads a person and compares moments when they’re lying to when they’re telling the truth. The accuracy is still based on whether or not the person is delusional or mistaken, skilled at tricking the machine, or doesn’t have a biological response to lying like most people do.”

“Hmm…” hums Hekate as she thinks. Aoloan adds, “The same weaknesses even I have, it seems. If the person doesn’t know or believes something that isn’t true as being true, then they will appear as truthful.”

Vaergraes chimes in, “If it’s a matter of being absolutely certain in information gathering, only master dawnseers would be able to peer through the mana of the world and see the facts as they are. I’ve only ever heard of such dawnseers, though. Most focus on the arts of either premonition or postmonition to try to understand the future or past, respectively. Seeing facts in the present beyond the visible is a combination of both arts and even more dangerous and delicate than one or the other.”

Daniel finally stands up, and the others stand up to join him, still worried about him. He looks idly at the blood he left on the wall, saying, “Xyreko, I’m sorry about the mess. I’ll clean it up myself later.”

“Think nothing of it, Daniel,” replies the golem’s voice remotely once more. “I’ll have it cleaned up soon. I’m cataloging the information and discussing with the others our next steps.”

He nods, looking at the four that are with him. “I’m going to apologize to Doephluev. I got what I wanted out of her, and I want to say it before we erase what happened.”

“What? Why?” asks Hekate. “Won’t she just forget the apology?”

Daniel is quiet for a moment, and she droops her ears to the side. He replies softly, “I want to apologize to the person I hurt, rather than someone who won’t know what I’m talking about. Neither way will make it right, but I need to say it.”

She nods as she ponders his words. “I think I understand… But, won’t she just be a mean butt again anyways?”

“It’s the principle of the matter. Nothing more. It’s for me more than anything.”

She nods again. “Alright.”

Daniel looks at the others, saying softly, “You don’t have to come with me. I’ll do this myself.”

Vaergraes and Illianna nod gently, understanding. Aoloan says softly, “I want to come with you. To be there for you if you need help.”

“Thank you. I won’t stop you,” replies Daniel gently. She smiles and nods, and both she and Hekate accompany him back to the cell where Doephluev is being kept. The guards open the door, and the three step inside. The assassin notices them as she’s sitting on her bed, freshly cleaned and in a clean dress. She tenses and fear immediately fills her expression.

Daniel says as gently and softly as he can, “Doephluev,...” He bows, adding, “I’m sorry. I let my anger guide me, and I crossed the line beyond what I wanted to do. I know an apology alone doesn’t undo what I did, but I am genuinely sorry.”

She glances nervously between the three, and Hekate says softly, “He speaks the truth. I don’t know why he wants to, but he’s sincere. We’re going to help you, against our better judgment. Get some sleep, and tomorrow you’ll wake up as good as new. And, that, you can thank Daniel for.”

Doephluev is still very afraid, and she avoids eye contact with Daniel. Daniel straightens back up, adding gently, “That’s all I wanted to say, Doephluev. Sleep peacefully.”

He turns and leaves, followed by Hekate and Aoloan. Once outside, Aoloan asks gently, “Daniel? How are you feeling?”

“I’ll be alright. Thank you. Sorry you had to see me like that.”

She smiles gently. “It’s one more thing I know about you.” She looks at the cell they just left, saying gently, “If you’d like, I can use hypnosis so she doesn’t have trouble going to sleep.”

Daniel nods. “If you would, thank you. And, when you’re done, I’d like you to try to use it on me.”

Hekate offers, “I’ll help you go to sleep, Daniel.”

“No. That reminds me that, with magic now, I need to know if I’m vulnerable. Aoloan specializes in mind control magic. We’ll try with her and Vaergraes, just to be sure.”

Hekate blushes as she glares up at him. “Y-You…! That’s as good as just asking to be seduced! No, that is asking!”

He scoffs, and pets her head, though it’s more gentle and less playful than usual. “I’m sure they’ll behave themselves with the risk of their faces being chewed off lingering over them, right?”

She crosses her arms and looks away from him. “I’m not a performing face-chewer. Don’t think I’ll just do it whenever you want.”

Daniel is able to chuckle finally. “Fair enough, Sweetpea.”

“I'll meet up with you in a few minutes, Daniel. Hekate.”

“I'll be in my quarters. No rush.”

Aoloan casts hypnosis on Doephluev, allowing Xyreko to send in the spellmaster when he’s available. 

The succubus then makes her way to Daniel’s room, knocking and entering. There, he and Hekate are being questioned by Reignleif, Gwenesphia, and Treia, who are upset that Daniel hurt himself, but more focused on comforting him.

Daniel notices Aoloan. “Aoloan. Thanks for coming. Any trouble?”

She shakes her head. “None. She went right to sleep.”

“Good to hear. We’ll leave the rest to Hoka and Xyreko.”

Aoloan nods in agreement, briefly looking at the crowded mess of statues, flowers, and the somewhat egg-shaped giant statues -three of them- that are positioned in various areas around Daniel’s room. Daniel mentioned that the three Dragon Empresses have made themselves at home in his room, even though they have their own private quarters.

That said, he’s also not especially defensive about his space, and welcomes his companions whenever they want to speak to him.

Daniel explains, “Aoloan is going to attempt hypnosis magic on me. Ideally, I’d like to know what it feels like, and if it works on me.”

Reignleif looks at Aoloan, but doesn’t object. She also seems to understand and agree with the logic, simply nodding to approve.

Treia, however, complains a little. “Daniel… What will you do if you can’t withstand it?”

“Withstand? It won’t melt my brain, will it?”

“How should we know!? Vaergraes, the former demon tyrant, one of the most powerful demons in the world, has to expend ALL of her mana just to heal your hand!”

“It wasn’t all of it this time,” retorts Daniel, earning him an angry scowl from the gatonine woman as her ears fold back and her tail flops back and forth. Daniel adds in his own defense, “Whe-Wherever my mana is coming from, it does seem to be getting stronger.”

“That’s not an excuse…” grumbles Treia.

Gwenesphia offers gently, “Treia, Daniel’s not entirely wrong. Even if I dislike him always finding himself in danger and risking his life, it’s better that we know what he can take, and what risks face him. As with any of us.”

Treia sighs. “And you, Hekate? Will your Greatness allow this?”

Hekate nods. “Better to learn in safety than in battle. And, if Daniel feels any pain or something seems wrong, we’ll stop, right?”

Aoloan nods vigorously. “Of course!” She teases deviously, “I still haven’t had my turn with him.”

Hekate points at her, adding fiercely, “If you use it on him after this, I won’t just chew your face off, Aoloan.”

Aoloan smiles and bows. “I wouldn’t dare, your Greatness. I have had ample opportunity and have controlled myself. I want Daniel’s love, not just his body.”

Hekate crosses her arms and huffs. “I have to respect that answer. Now, go ahead with the test.”

Aoloan nods, and she crawls onto the bed to join the others, kneeling before Daniel, who is seated. She begins casting the spell, “{Hear me and grant me your blessings, oh spirits of dreams; bring me the mastery of he who stands before me, and make my whispers into thoughts. Kieraria whispers of dreams.}”

A magical energy swirls around Aoloan’s hand, and a faintly visible mist appears around Daniel, concentrated mostly at his head. He studies the mist for a moment, observing as it seems to close in on him.

Daniel twists his face a little, and Hekate asks instantly, “Daniel? Are you alright? Is it hurting you?” She stops suddenly when he holds a finger up.

“I… hear laughing… and whispers. But,...” He looks at Hekate, and then Reignleif, Gwenesphia, Treia, and Aoloan in order. Aoloan slumps, shaking her head. “I can’t do it. It’s the first time I felt it. It’s like… trying to grip water with my hand. The spell simply won’t take hold.”

“And the whispering?” asks Hekate.

Reignleif answers, “The spell calls upon spirits known as the Kieraria. They’re similar to pixies, and only answer to those with the applicable blessings.”

Daniel twitches and looks at Nemaisol.

“Something wrong?” asks Gwenesphia. 

“Hm? Oh, no. It’s nothing. Thank you, Aoloan. I’ll do the same with Vaergraes later to verify, but it’s good to know where we stand. Is there anything to be done if I hear the whispering start?”

Aoloan looks aside, uncomfortable with the answer she has to give.

Reignleif answers in her place, “To resist psychic spells, you must have a considerable amount of mana, I’m afraid. If you reach the threshold of where they can take control…”

“We’ll just have to come up with a password.” Daniel writes a note real quick, and then he hands it to Reignleif. She reads it, twitching in surprise. “This password, as long as I say it, means that I’m safe.”

Reignleif passes the note around, and everyone reads it. They are equally surprised.

After all, the note says that the opposite is true. The password will be confirmation that he’s hypnotized, and it’s not to be discussed with him, as he needs to believe it still is the ‘proof’ that he’s not hypnotized.

Of course, long before he’ll ever need to deal with hypnosis, there is a much more grave issue afoot.

***