"It looks like Séraphine got herself into big trouble," said a woman standing in front of the entrance to the abandoned factory where Séraphine was supposed to investigate Howard Stone's actions further.
Francisca, who was wearing a blue sleeveless blouse and black puffed pants in the strong style of her homeland, stood next to one of her alchemical automatons, number three.
She adjusted the strands of red hair that were in her eyes and looked at the facility with apprehension. Her blue-painted lips were pressed together, revealing her concern.
The alchemist touched her forehead, causing her crimson eyes to emit a faint blue glow. This allowed her to see the dense spiritual energy permeating every inch of the place.
"Luckily, I came fully equipped, but I didn't expect to use my detector contact lenses so quickly," she muttered. She was fearful of the vision before her but proud of her preparation.
Her eyes were naturally black, but she had worn red contact lenses for so long that her mental image of the people of Blume was that of a woman with a terrifying gaze.
These lenses were a tool created by Francisca using alchemy. They were inspired by the spiritual energy detection cameras usually used by the police and the Tower. How could she not have something like that?
As someone who believed science was necessary for any alchemist, Francisca's alchemical works were quite technical and, for that reason, useful in a variety of situations.
"Don't tell me she was foolish enough to go in. I thought she would take it more calmly," the redhead thought. Séraphine's attention toward Howard Stone's affairs was probably why she made the impulsive decision to go in.
After all, her henchmen had failed to detect the witch's presence at her detective agency, so her location was obvious. However, Francisca was not very involved in this matter and was mostly neutral.
"Only the Tower can solve this," the alchemist concluded, looking down at the automaton beside her who had faithfully followed her.
Francisca knew Number 3 was special and had become even more so over time. She decided to bring it with her and began treating it as a living entity rather than an alchemical construct.
"Three, I want you to stay here and communicate with the Tower. Someone has to come and deal with this mess," she said, pointing to the factory. This prompted the automaton to use the detectors in its hardware to assess the situation.
"Isn't it risky for you to decide to go in?" Although Francisca did not reveal her intentions, Number Three sensed that its creator wanted to go in, so it asked the question.
The woman stood still, processing the fact that a machine had asked her an unprogrammed question. The question had a different tone, an emotional one, even though Number Three's voice was neutral and mechanical.
"I have to do it. A friend is probably inside, and I must help her." Francisca patted the automaton's metal head before gently caressing the ring on her right ring finger.
After this gesture, the ring expelled an object, which the alchemist caught. It was a rifle made almost entirely of alchemically treated holly wood, giving it an unusual, deep white color.
There were no carving marks or metal parts mixed in with the rest of the weapon. This made the bolt on the right side, the black telescopic sight, and the barrel at the tip appear completely integrated into the rifle.
A completely black bayonet, seemingly made of a material that absorbed all light, lay beneath the weapon. It contrasted with the whiteness of the rest of the rifle.
Though it was heavy and a meter long, Francisca carried it with relative ease, resting the weapon's body on her shoulder. When she held the rifle, her demeanor changed abruptly, becoming quite dangerous.
"You're one of my best alchemical works. I've wanted to use you for a long time, and now I have the chance," the redhead said as she caressed the weapon. It seemed to emit a soft hum in response, causing the woman to smile.
Because of the sniper rifle she had created, Francisca considered many of the commissions she had done for certain groups, both legal and illegal, to be of low quality.
The alchemical work she held in her hand was one of her best creations: a fully customized weapon similar to Séraphine's rapier. At this point, it could no longer be considered simply an enchanted object but rather a magical one, a different category altogether.
Although alchemists could not perform magic, many terms applied to each of the three professions without exclusion. Thus, she could consider the result of her hard work to be magical.
Magical items could be considered superior to enchanted items but inferior to artifacts. Even so, there were highs and lows among these categories.
Interestingly, representatives of these three categories could be manufactured by intelligent creatures or arise naturally in certain places or special environments, adding another layer of mystery to the world.
'Like the strange crystal Séraphine asked me to set. It was an artifact created by an Inferos. She wanted to crudely call it a Magic Crystal. Metamorphic Necklace sounds better!' Francisca thought as she caressed her weapon. In reality, she was checking it using alchemy because her fingers constantly glowed blue whenever she touched it.
"Go, do your duty, Number 3." After checking her rifle and making sure it was in good condition and ready for action, the alchemist gave that order to the automaton. Then, she walked toward the factory entrance, prepared to investigate or support Séraphine.
Something the witch will undoubtedly appreciate.
𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝
After destroying the ritual's protective structure, Howard Stone's body was fully exposed to the exuberant spiritual energy that had been unleashed from the sphere. This energy had previously been contained. It was the result of Stone's attempt to create something unheard of: a Spiritual Core.
He undoubtedly did not notice the oddities occurring in his body and possessions; his eyes were fixed on his work, the result of his recent achievements, his opportunity to transcend humanity.
"How can something so beautiful be just a prototype? It's perfect!" Howard murmured, his eyes bulging out of their sockets and his mind completely dissociated from reality.
Waves of red energy constantly impacted his body, modifying, twisting, and molding it at will. The sphere beat like a heart, drawing the soul of the man in front of it to perdition.
"That woman ran away without taking advantage of such an opportunity. She taught me interesting spells, but with the power I can gain, what does it matter if she is allied with those monsters? I'll be incredibly strong!" He began to shout, but his voice barely carried. The environment was so charged with spiritual energy that it completely absorbed the sound.
"Why abandon this project? Why not continue with it? It doesn't matter! I did it! Thank you for neglecting such vital information and allowing me to ascend!" As he gestured, Howard's hands twisted, but his body had entered an accelerated phase of transformation, drastically altering his physical appearance.
As if sensing that his work was taking too long to materialize, the spiritual core released a fluctuation unlike the previous ones. Instead of a wave of corrupting energy, it was more like an indication, a word expressed in a language no one could understand, yet Howard Stone could.
"Yes... You're exactly what I need. What? A suitable sacrifice? I was already planning to sacrifice three annoying women. So let me join you." The man's hands had turned into claws with red scales oozing black blood. They reached out toward the sphere of spiritual energy, trying to touch it.
This caused the spiritual core to stop emitting waves as if it wanted to be accepted by Howard. Just as his mutated hands were about to touch it, however, a strong impact pushed his body away, and an explosion engulfed him in darkness.
"This is the perfect moment to attack," Séraphine said. She and her companions took advantage of the absence of red waves to approach the enemy.
The witch took advantage of Howard holding back the spiritual core and fired one of her expensive enchanted bullets at him. It hit one of the shoulders of the now-mutated film producer, knocking him away from the energy sphere.
Although Howard Stone's previous actions had calmed this cluster of spiritual energy, Séraphine knew they had to act quickly because anything could happen. She didn't want to get involved in something of such magnitude because, apart from the fact that the corruption would be deadly, she didn't want to ruin her beautiful appearance!
After all, beauty was one of the most important things in a witch's life. Although this had become a stereotype of this class of extraordinary women, it was a truth they all recognized.
Séraphine was cautious about two things at that moment. First, she was curious about Howard Stone's identity. She had theorized this before, but seeing how skilled he was at ruining the protective ritual and how he was the only one here apart from his minions confirmed it.
After all, magic had been used to manipulate the previous undead abominations. Since no one else present had the authority to do so, the witch concluded that Howard Stone must be a magician who had kept his ability a secret.
After all, the magic circle in the city of Blume was quite small. Everyone knew each other to a certain extent and exchanged things they needed, such as notes, research, spells, ideas, and proposals.
The only plausible answer was that Howard Stone had been a secret wizard. Did he learn magic as a young man or as an adult? She didn't know, nor did she care at that moment. She just wanted to get rid of him. However, her other concern prevented her from taking drastic measures without thinking things through.
Musu's cryptic words and her current situation made Séraphine realize that she was in danger. Looking at the supposed failed spiritual core in front of her, she understood why it was called that.
It was the first time she had seen such an accumulation of spiritual energy. It was very different from the aether she could generate and manipulate. This caused the witch to experience a certain physical and mental rejection.
This red energy was cold and affected the environment, causing bursts of coldness that made people shiver and covering the floor and walls with frost. Above all, when it was out of control, it corrupted and contaminated everything in its path.
Whether organic or inorganic, the rawness of spiritual energy spread to everything in the material world as if it were the embodiment of the contradiction between the two worlds.
This is why strange situations arose when aether and spiritual energy collided. Séraphine feared this spiritual core would spiral out of control. However, she also didn't want to interact with the object.
She felt that there seemed to be a vague consciousness inhabiting the core, especially when she did. As a witch who investigated the immaterial realm, she was sensitive to such things. For further confirmation, her eyes glowed with an intense light, indicating that her special vision had been activated.
Focusing her gaze on the sphere of energy, she noticed a glow different from spiritual energy, something she had seen in other life forms: the faint light of a soul.
Because she could see it, a consciousness brushed against Séraphine's mind and transmitted a message that could be translated as a child's attempt to convince his father to do what he wanted.
"You're too young to charm me," the witch declared disdainfully. She received an angry message in return, but simply cut off the connection.
Fortunately, despite the uncontrolled nature of its energy, that consciousness was quite pure, so Séraphine was not at risk. However, it still allowed her to know what she needed. The witch deactivated her ability, having gained a much better understanding of what she was facing.
The trio had taken up position, standing between the man and the spiritual core. The witch looked at Howard Stone, who was completely deformed by spiritual energy. There was no pity in her eyes, only scrutiny.
Howard's appearance had changed so much that he no longer looked human. He was now a monstrous creature with four arms, huge legs, sharp claws, and scales covering his body. He stood two meters tall.
His mouth was full of fangs, and his eyes were not fixed in their sockets but extended from them like a snail's. He constantly wiggled his elongated eyes and gave furtive glances at the spiritual core, an ugly look of longing on his face.
"You don't know what you've done! I must join you!" the monster that was once a man shouted. He was now a shadow of his former self, yet still powerful.
"Don't you notice how ugly you become when you're like this?" asked Élodie. She crouched down, tensed her muscles, and held her hammer so that she could use it as a shield or a weapon, depending on the situation.
"Spiritual corruption to this degree distorts their minds, preventing them from realizing it. The difference between their bodies and souls puts terrible pressure on their minds, making them increasingly irrational," explained Séraphine, pointing her revolver at Howard Stone. However, she wasn't quite sure that bullets, even enchanted ones, would be useful at this point.
"I feel...that he's different from the rest," Madeleine murmured, fear evident in her voice. After all, her senses were far superior to those of humans, allowing her to perceive the power hidden within Howard Stone's body.
"Because he's a wizard, the corruption of any magic user will always be particularly special. Élodie and I faced an alpha werewolf yesterday, but it was nowhere near as monstrous as him." Séraphine's words seemed to trigger something in Howard Stone. He smiled uglily, baring his terrifying teeth at the witch.
"Oh, I remember you! Are you the one who ruined what those guys were doing with the werewolf? HAHAHAHA! Blume City sure is small," he said in a raspy, guttural voice, as if he had regained his lucidity upon being separated from the spiritual core.
"What do you know?" Séraphine asked, but the monster simply continued laughing, undoubtedly mocking her.
"I'm not like the villains in those radio shows! I don't have to explain anything to you. Now, get out of my way, you sluts!" Howard walked forward and removed the few pieces of clothing that covered his naked body. Now, he had nothing left to show, only his body covered in defensive plates.