Conqueror Of The Dark Soul

Chapter 12 - Mind

Alphonse seemed to ignore Alden; the next moment, he stamped the ground with all his might and propelled himself forward. His fist swung rapidly and powerfully, giving Alden barely enough time to react.

Alden slightly ducked, pushing his body away. "Hey, hey. Listen, I just want to talk," Alden said, trying to calm Alphonse.

"A Dark Soul speaks the human language..." Alphonse mumbled.

Despite Alden's attempt to communicate, Alphonse's sharp and hostile gaze remained unchanged, as if facing a sworn enemy. He clenched his fists again, and this time, a red aura circulated around them.

"Okay... that might be a bit dangerous," Alden commented quietly.

Alphonse pulled his fist back and thrust it forward with all his might. There was a sound of friction in the air as his aura, like flames, intensified around his fist.

Alden raised his palm and pressed it against the wall. "Ice Field."

Frost began to spread, forming just in front of Alden. Alphonse's fist was stopped by the Ice Field at that moment.

Alphonse looked at Alden in surprise. "When did you perform the incantation!?"

Alden used the same spell, Ice Field, to halt Alphonse's movements. Ice started to lock Alphonse's movements, and his legs were trapped in the frozen mud.

"It seems you can't convince this guy," Black Orb remarked.

"His gaze, it's a gaze of hatred," he continued.

Alden began to understand his situation. Alphonse's hatred was not directly directed at him, but rather at the fact that Alden had a Dark Soul aura. Because fundamentally, he was the son of an Emperor.

"Look at the ring on his left hand."

"It seems to be an item that can detect Dark Soul auras," Black Orb revealed its suspicion.

It made sense. Humans didn't inherently possess the ability to see Dark Soul auras. Alphonse's gaze clearly indicated that he knew Alden had a Dark Soul aura.

At this moment, Alphonse withdrew his hand from the ice that had previously held him. Steam emitted as his aura intensified. It was a fire-type.

"Listen, whatever you see from me, you shouldn't worry about it," Alden tried to reassure Alphonse.

"Hah?" With a face full of hatred, Alphonse seemed to be pushing his limits to break free from the frozen mud that restrained him.

As steam began to rise from his legs, indicating that the ice would soon melt, Alden took a long breath before touching the wall again. "Ice Field."

"Vires Magicae." He added the Dark Dimension spell that enhanced magic.

The next moment, Alphonse fell silent, unable to do anything. Almost his entire body was now trapped in the ice. Only his head remained, looking at Alden.

The ice had almost filled the empty space behind him.

However, Alphonse's gaze became even worse when he heard Alden utter words he didn't understand.

At that moment, Alden stepped towards Alphonse. "First, I apologize for doing this... but you seem unwilling to listen unless I do." Alden smiled awkwardly.

"Kill me." Alphonse openly showed his hatred towards Alden.

"As I suspected, his hatred runs deep. It's directed towards Dark Soul... maybe he experienced some trauma because of Dark Soul," Black Orb seemed to nod, though it was just a black ball with evil energy.

Alden sighed, now doubting his decision. "Look closer, are you sure I'm a Dark Soul?" Alden asked, extending his hand to show himself more clearly.

At this moment, in Alphonse's eyes, Alden's outstretched hand was shrouded in a thin black aura. "..." He didn't answer; what he saw was enough evidence.

"Okay, maybe I do look like a Dark Soul... No, I mean, my aura looks like a Dark Soul."

"But I am not your enemy, you know."

Now, Black Orb chuckled softly, commenting, "If you were in his shoes, abducted and brought to a place like this, trapped in ice, and most importantly, having an aura of what you hate the most, do you think you'd believe what you just said?"

"..." Alden looked puzzled.

He then withdrew his hand and coughed intentionally. "Okay, let's assume I'm your enemy. In that case, in our current position, you're the hostage, and I'm the villain."

"Like a typical villain, I will ask you three questions that I hope you can answer honestly." Alden said, as a thick liquid flew towards him, sticking to his short cloak.

"..." Alphonse spat at him and clicked his tongue afterward.

"Ugh... Water Ball."

The water ball spell cleaned his cloak immediately.

"Okay, straight to the first question. Do you know someone holding the key to the first floor of the Dark Dimension?"

Alphonse remained silent. After asking the same thing three times and spending almost ten minutes, Alden sighed deeply, having received no answer. At some points, Alphonse boldly spat in his direction.

"Hey, is there a spell I can use right now? For example, a spell to read memories or a spell that forces the target to speak the truth?" Alden was on the verge of giving up on the unfruitful interrogation.

"Or should I ask Alioth for help? He can enter this guy's dreams and get what we want, right?" Alden held his chin.

At that moment, Black Orb interjected firmly, "No. Don't rely on him too much. There's something strange about his goal to overthrow the Dark Lord. Before we know his true intentions, don't depend on him too much."

"I know some spells that can do that... but you're not yet capable of using them." Black Orb replied.

"Huh?"

"But I can teach you a spell that can disturb the target's mind; perhaps that will be useful." Black Orb continued.

"Okay, whatever it is."

After that conversation, Alden tried to understand the spell first. Learning one spell was not an easy task; at least, the user had to understand the theory behind realizing a spell. That's what made Mages not so abundant in this world.

But Alden seemed to be an exception. He already had the genes of an Emperor of the Dark Dimension, who was the best Spell Caster.

He needed almost two hours just to learn that spell.

In that time, Alphonse was still trying to break free from the ice that held him. But there was no result; his fire aura couldn't melt the ice.

Feeling confident, Alden approached Alphonse. "Can I borrow your head for a moment, okay?" Alden said, reaching for Alphonse's head with his hand.

"Disturba Mentia." As the words were uttered, Alden felt a new sensation as Dark Dimension energy flowed around him.

It happened when he used a Dark Dimension spell for the first time.

There weren't many changes. Just that Alphonse now showed a ridiculous smile on his face.

"Hey! Hug me!" Alphonse suddenly shouted.

"..." Alden shuddered as his hair stood on end.

"It seems to have worked." Black Orb said.

"Birdie." Alphonse struggled to see his own nose, repeatedly blowing on it.

"Isn't that too random?" Alden frowned, feeling disgusted with the sight.

"It's better than before. Try asking something; it can only last up to thirty minutes," Black Orb suggested.

Alden took a deep breath and looked at Alphonse, who was now acting absurdly. "Hey, Guardian. I have a question."

"A question? What is it? Food?" Alphonse responded with his bizarre antics.

"Uh-huh, uh-huh. Where can I find the holder of the key to the first floor of the Dark Dimension?"

Alphonse fell silent, tilting his head a few degrees. "Key? My mother has something like that! She opens the door of the house with it!"

Alden's expression initially brightened when the first sentence was spoken, but it quickly turned sour as the last sentence entered his ears.

"I mean, the key to the first floor of the Dark Dimension!" Alden emphasized each word, hoping Alphonse would understand.

"Oh, Dwarves!" Alphonse laughed absurdly afterward.

Meanwhile, Alden smiled slightly. "Yes, correct, Dwarves. Where can I find them?"

...