"Where are we going?" Raze asked Magus Alice as they walked through the forest, the two of them alone.

"Just be patient. We're going to get there," she said, a smile on her face as she walked, clearly excited about wherever she was leading him.

"You've said that for the last five minutes," Raze replied. "And I'm still curious why we're heading into the middle of a forest. Shouldn't I be helping you learn as much as possible about the abominations before I leave to deal with the Lizardman and Ogre issue?"

"I've already put effort into learning what needs to be learned," Alice said. "I still need your mind to a certain extent, though. That's why we're going this way."

Raze frowned. "Going to do what exactly?"

She sighed. "Fine. I asked the Queen to bring a few abominations here, not just one. A safe site was prepared, and you and I are going to spend a few days experimenting on methods I've prepared to undo an abomination."

"Wait—what?" Raze stopped. "I didn't agree to any of that."

"Why are you panicking?" she replied casually. "They're properly restrained. You just need to assist me. To a certain extent."

"I have to be at the edge of Vermilion in a few days," Raze said. "To deal with the Ogres and the Lizardmen."

"And you'll get there faster if you help me finish this quickly," Alice said. "Your theory is what sparked my interest in abominations in the first place. The kingdom is on lockdown, you can barely do anything right now. Help me, we finish this fast, and then you go."

She turned and gave him an innocent, almost childish smile.

Raze groaned. "Fine."

They walked for a few more minutes before reaching their destination.

A massive rock stood in the middle of the forest. It didn't look completely out of there, but it also clearly didn't belong there.

Alice walked up to it and placed her palm against the stone.

Runes lit up.

The rock shifted, sliding apart and revealing a hidden passage leading underground.

"Come," she said, stepping inside.

A spiral staircase descended below. Raze followed, glancing around at the perfectly crafted stonework.

"You built this without my knowledge," he said.

"You underestimate Vermilion," Alice replied. "We could build multiple castles in moments if we wanted to."

"Then why the hell don't you, there are a lot of broken towns and homeless people" Raze asked.

"Resources," she answered simply. "You may have manpower, but you lack the materials for extravagant construction. That's why people settle for cheaper solutions. It's business. You should understand, you run an entire town."

She continued, "If you had manpower you could build anything instantly. But quality, efficiency, and cost matter."

She paused, then added, "Queen Marine sent some of her people to handle this while we were busy in Oden. Since we're acting under her authority, no one stopped us. The only people who knew were your father and that maid you always work with."

"What's her name again?" Alice asked.

"Elaine," Raze replied.

At the bottom of the stairs, they entered a massive square chamber illuminated by glowing crystals embedded in the walls. Metal tables filled the room, covered in test tubes, bottles, pots, and countless experimental tools.

But those weren't what caught Raze's attention.

It was the dungeon cells attached to the chamber.

Inside them were seven abominations, chained and bound by massive restraints engraved with powerful runes.

The moment the creatures noticed them, they roared and thrashed violently, chains clanking as they slammed their bodies against the restraints, trying to reach them.

Raze stared, then looked at Alice. "You know… they were humans."

"Oh?" she asked. "Do you feel sympathy for them?"

"No," Raze said. "Not me. I just thought… you might."

She looked at him blankly, then laughed.

"I'm a Magus who has lived many years," she said. "I've done far worse things than you could imagine."

Her expression hardened.

"They were humans. They are no longer human. Now they will be used to save other humans."

She turned toward the tables.

"In my book, that's fulfillment of life."

She glanced back at him.

"Now," she said, "let's get to work."

"So what is first on the list? ," Raze asked

Alice placed both hands on the table, as if bracing herself. "As much as I hate what comes next," she said, "I'll have to invade the soul of an abomination."

Raze's brows shot up. "What?"

"If I want to be certain that an abomination isn't destroying the soul, but instead taking control of it and altering it, I need to confirm that the soul is still there, and that something remains inside it," she explained.

"I don't know everything that entails," Raze replied, "but I can already tell it's extremely dangerous."

"Indeed," Magus Alice said calmly. "If I enter recklessly, I might not be able to come back. That's why I prepared a method for it."

"What method?" Raze asked.

"I'll need your help," she replied.

Raze stiffened. "My help… how?"

"I'm going to tether myself to your soul," Magus Alice said. "I'll use your soul as an anchor while I extend into the abomination's soul. That way, once I'm done examining it, I'll have something to pull me back out."

She met his eyes. "That anchor will be you."

Raze's eyes widened. "Wait, what? You want to use my soul?"

She nodded. "You don't need to worry. Your soul will mostly be safe."

"Mostly?" Raze repeated.

"There's always risk in everything," she said. "But my soul is the one most likely to be damaged. Yours is just the anchor point. As long as it's strong enough, I can hold on and return safely."

"And if it's not strong enough?" Raze asked.

She smiled, oddly childlike. "I've observed you. Your soul is quite solid, to say the least."

She gestured to the table. "Now, sit. I need to prepare."

Raze sighed. "I seriously don't know how I feel about this… but fine."

He walked over and sat on the table.

"The procedure itself is fairly simple," Magus Alice explained. "I'll be using a soul spell I created myself. It's a four star soul spell, high-level, stable, and secure enough for this purpose."

She continued, "First, I'll enter your soul and establish the link. Once that connection is stable, I'll choose one of the abominations and invade its soul."

She paused briefly.

"The process is far more technical than that," she added lightly, "but you don't need the details."

After that, she walked close to Raze and began muttering something, then she placed her hands on his body, and immediately her eyes went white, she passed out standing right there in spot.

Raze looked at her body, "urghhh, I'm already bored, hopefully we finish quick."

Meanwhile, at the same time, his clone officially had it's break through in demonic magic.

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