It took Rafael three and a half years to walk and speak again. Three and a half years since he entered Stygai and was seriously injured… But even though he could now walk and speak again, Rafael still faced the same problem… The Impure status remained…
The negative statuses he had gained from consuming soul stones in the past few months were things like Haunted, Possession, Bad Luck, Insomnia, and so on… These statuses were related to the consumption of innocent souls and his revenge…
But all of these statuses were mitigated by the power of his new race, more precisely, Resistance (Average) to Curses and Resistance (Average) to Abnormal Statuses. After going through all the bad parts, all that was left was the beneficial effect of consuming the soul stones.
His Severe Damage status was finally mitigated, and now his soul was healthy again. Except for the effect of having lost the last 10-20* years of meditation and probably all of his normal spells… But there was still a solution to recover his innate spells…
When he regained his movement and voice, Rafael finally asked the name of this Demon, who, despite the crazy methods, had healed him…
Despite his initial fear and madness, Rafael could easily see through the entire process through the system and its many hidden meanings. Josiah, as he said he was called, always used the right amount of everything… Therefore, Rafael had asked several questions that made him curious during the last three and a half years…
His blood was used enough to feed him until he became only a Half-Demon, and not a full Demon, he did this so that Rafael would gain the two Resistances he needed to repair his damaged soul, and have the rare ability to devour soul stones, since meditation could not be used until the "Damage" status on the soul disappeared or decreased to a lower level.
"So… Where do Corrupt and Impure fit into the healing process?" Rafael asked, looking seriously at the Demon…
"Impure is something you only gain when you become a complete Demon… For example, I am completely rejected by the world. Half-Demons don't gain this status because they are only partially rejected. That's why I used the Ghost Grass. If you hadn't gained Impure, the world would have used the connection you have with your affinities and would have pulled your soul to the afterlife since the damage you suffered was enough to kill you…"
"Not giving you time to transform me and heal me… I see."
'This effect of the Ghost Grass of cutting off the world's connections was something fascinating… This common herb would become my focus of research if I could ever use magic again.' Rafael thought.
"And Corruption?" Rafael asked again after rambling on about the possible uses of the Ghost Grass.
"You've gained many things, and you've escaped death, there's no such thing as a free meal in this world…"
"So I have to live with this forever?"
"There's still a chance to remove it when you change race again…"
"Damn it, I was a Human, our people were then changed to be Valyrians, and now you're adding Half-Demon to the mix. I'll be lucky not to become a mutant if I try again…"
"So you weren't Human? How lucky that everything worked out… What's a Valyrian?"
Rafael then told about the Valyrians and their origins, and took the opportunity to tell more about himself, and where he found the Chief Exorcist's Necklace...
"Humans have evolved a lot... There are so many mages and races now... I had given this necklace to my student thousands of years ago, maybe the person you found was no longer him…"
"I thank you for saving me, Lord Josiah, but I need to go back now... My people must be worried about me, just tell me what you want as compensation, and tell me a way to recover my innate spells by freeing myself from the Impure Status…"
"Unfortunately, you will only be free of Impure in about 25-30 years… To leave where we are, it would take 1 year and a half to get to the Shadowlands…"
"WHAT?"
"We are deep in the Shadowlands, a place filled with true Demons and other dangerous monsters, with the body attribute locked, no artifacts, relics, and spells. You will die in the tunnels before reaching the surface…
"You brought me here in about 3 months, how could it take me 1 year and a half to get back?"
"Oh, you managed to perceive the passage of time even when you were unconscious, fascinating…
…But remember, it's always easier to go down than to go up… Even with the body attribute, climbing the places I jumped would take months, and some monster could always knock you back and make you lose even more time… Following safe routes between the caves takes more time, there are many more monsters, but there's no danger of being forced to go back…"
"Couldn't you help me go back?" After asking, Rafael finally realized how much he was demanding from his benefactor. Escorting him through dangerous places for a year and a half was asking too much, especially from someone who didn't owe him anything...
"And after I escort you out of the tunnels? Should I escort you to Asshai again? And from there? Who will protect you? You're safe here... You can stay as long as you want, recover your power, and then protect yourself as you leave this place…"
It was true, spending the next 25-30 years in such a weak state, right after making so many enemies, and suffering an assassination attempt… Rafael didn't want to be a burden to his friends and subordinates, nor an easy target for his enemies to take advantage of…
"Alright, if I'm going to stay here for so long, I need to send at least one message to my friends…"
"Yes, I can help you with a message. Besides, have you ever heard of fortune after misfortune?" Josiah asked in a mysterious tone.
"Yes, what does that have to do with my situation?"
"After suffering extreme damage to your soul, and almost having it destroyed, it was practically reforged, and is much stronger… You can meditate much more efficiently now, in addition to having some benefits that others would have to spend a lifetime to acquire… And now that you have lost your connection with the world, you can practice and learn Primordial Magic… I have some books here at my house on this subject, feel free…"
Rafael's eyes shone, and he immediately asked…
"What is this Primordial Magic? Tell me more about it… Besides, you are a conscious Demon… This shouldn't exist. Are you part of the first Calamity of Asshai? Are you one of the Demon Leaders? Is it true that you devoured humans? I want to know more details about the origin of Asshai, Stygai, and other places around the world with these Black Towers…"
Josiah was paralyzed by the number of questions, which made him remember a little of his old student, who lost parts of his common sense when he wanted to learn something…
"I don't remember much from the time before I became a Demon, but I will tell you what I do remember…"
And so, almost 30 years passed when Rafael finally returned to Asshai…
****
Special thanks to the Patreons:
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