The Dust
She did not begin as a spirit.
Once, she was only a tiny dragonfly searching the forest for breakfast. Dawn light glimmered across her wings as she wandered above leaves and dew, hungry and carefree.
That morning, she saw someone holding a banana, bright yellow, tasty smelling, perfect. She fluttered toward it immediately and perched on it, ready to nibble.
But the person holding the banana was the Sage.
He was making his morning offering to the divine waterfall, preparing to give the fruit as prayer. He did not notice the dragonfly. He stepped into the waterfall, and the sacred waters cascaded over him.
The water struck the dragonfly. Her physical body dissolved, and her spirit shattered into shimmering dust like a spirit particle.
She forgot her name, her body, her wings. She forgot that she had ever lived as anything else. She drifted in the air, weightless, soulless, meaningless.
Around the waterfall, she saw dust motes merging with each other, combining into larger clumps of spirit matter. Something about it felt dangerous, instinctively horrifying, yet most particles willingly fused into lower spirits.
However, a few resisted merging. She is also one of them, a wandering, frightened speck of blue dust. And she isn't self-aware, but unknowingly, as a spirit dust, she can make a decision notto merge with others.
These individual particles survived by finding weaker motes and devouring their spirit power. In this world, everything possessed spirit power, even fruits from mortal trees, though theirs was weaker than dust.
Day after day, without knowing why, she hovered near the waterfall where the Sage made his offerings.
Every morning and evening, he gifted fruits, bananas, apples, and guavas. When the divine water washed over them, she quietly absorbed the released spirit power.
She did not understand it then, but from the moment she was born in the waterfall's mist, she had formed a bond with the Sage, one woven by accident and guided by fate.
__________
The Upgrade
After a few years, one day she saw something she had never seen before.
The Sage was flying.
She trembled, awed. Spirits could fly once they became strong, but she was barely a mote that moved with the wind. She tried to follow him anyway, using her spirit power, helplessly in the waterfall's breeze.
Something fell from the Sage. She believed it was a fruit. She rushed toward it.
It was not a fruit.
It was, a tear of the Sage.
The instant it touched her, power erupted within her. Memories returned, her dragonfly life, the banana, the waterfall, her rebirth as dust. Her spirit grew rapidly, expanding into a faint, light-blue aurora. She felt energy coursing through her, wild and overwhelming.
She tried to fly after the Sage again, but something pulled her back.
The moment she crossed the waterfall's boundary, an invisible force dragged her inward.
Other spirits appeared, whispering:
"We are born from the waterfall. We are bound to it."
She cried out,
"I want to go with the Sage!"
A spirit answered,
"You must become a great spirit to leave the waterfall. Such strength takes half a century to achieve."
She did not know what else to do. So she watched the Sage whenever he came near. She meditated beside him, prayed when he prayed. Her form grew from dust to mist, from mist to faint aurora.
One day, the Sage looked directly at her.
It was the greatest moment of her existence. To be seen was to be real.
Months later, he spoke to her for the first time and helped her ascend to an Epic Outer Level Spirit in a single day.
She received a task from him.
And she silently vowed that as long as she existed, she would serve the Sage.
__________
The Betrayal
Now she trembled.
"I am failing the task Lord Sage entrusted to me, to protect the boy," Testa whispered as guilt filled her spirit core.
"And here I am, using the powers given by the Sage, to kill an unknown entity trying to save the boy."
Her descent into tragedy began with something simple.
The boy, Lord Rav, wanted to play outside the village. He chased a cluster of butterflies deeper into the forest. Testa and the other spirits followed, anxious as the boy walked farther and farther, more than five miles.
Testa ordered,
"You go inform the Sage. And you tell the princess only if she begins to worry."
Two spirits nodded and flew away. Testa and the other two stayed with the boy.
After two hours, Testa felt a terrifying presence approaching, a power so overwhelming that every spirit instinctively froze.
Even Testa could barely move.
The killing Intent in the air grew so intense that two spirits lost self-awareness entirely, becoming nothing but trembling waves.
Testa forced himself forward using spirit burst, grabbed the boy, and transformed into a large dragonfly form. He pulled the child into his protective spirit belly and tried to lift him away.
The other two spirit strings caught him mid-air.
It was San and Si, his fellow spirits.
"Let me go!" Testa shouted.
"We must escape! The boy must be saved, our lives are meaningless otherwise!"
They did not answer.
Something flew toward him, slicing through his spirit wings.
Testa plummeted.
Terror shattered through him.
An enemy who could cut spirit wings could kill spirit and body alike.
"If they wanted the boy dead, he would already be gone.
So why…?
Why this cruelty?
Why this overwhelming malice?"
Testa trembled, desperately searching for any path left to save the boy.
An imposing figure approached. San and Si followed like puppets.
"You resisted my spirit control," the figure said calmly.
"How can a mere Epic Spirit do that? And how do you take such a beautiful form?"
Testa remained silent, struggling.
The Demon Petal stepped closer.
His aura was crushing. His muscular frame carried two massive, curved swords, each holding more spirit power than Testa's entire being.
Testa realised there was no escape.
"My lord",Testa whispered, trembling,
"If we angered you, forgive us, just do not hurt the boy."
He tilted his head.
"How are you still talking? How can an Epic Spirit resist me? The great leader of the Demon Petals, Avesh An Ishi"
He touched Testa and flooded him with controlling spirit power.
At last, Testa broke. He fell under Avesh's control completely.
"You made me work too hard," Avesh muttered and kicked the head of the Testa dragonfly. That kick destroyed the head and also cracked the dragonfly form.
"A troublesome little Epic Spirit."
Testa changed back to his original aurora form.
__________
Testa vs. Saul
Under Avesh's command, Testa unleashed:
"Dragonborn: Replica Fire!"
Flames engulfed the cave entrance.
Avesh smiled, certain of victory, until he saw that the fire had burned only cloth.
The dark figure stood unharmed.
The flames cleared, revealing the man fully.
A massive scar ran from Saul's right cheek, cutting across both lips, reaching his left chin. Few survived wounds like that. On his right wrist was a tattoo: a horned triangular skull with two large horns, marking him as a loyal subject of the Emperor.
On his left wrist, a broken skull with broken horns, branding him a traitor.
Avesh's eyes widened.
There was only one demon alive with both tattoos and the scar.
Saul.
Rumoured dead.
Rumoured exiled.
Rumoured to be locked away somewhere in the demon world to rot.
"What is he doing here?"Avesh whispered.
Saul lifted his hand.
"Demon Art: Spirit Blast."
The burst extinguished the fire instantly.
Testa shook, terrified.
Saul moved like ancient thunder. He leapt forward and kicked Testa in the belly, injecting spirit power through his foot.
Testa's form scattered into shimmering fragments.
Saul fired another burst, sending Testa reeling, bleeding spirit power.
Avesh seized full control over Testa again, manifesting a humanoid form through him by cloning himself in Testa.
Now, Avesh is talking & fighting using Testa spirit in a summoned, physical clone of himself, using Mortal Import.
"What are you doing here, old man?"Avesh spat.
Saul's voice was calm, ancient, like a storm that had seen centuries.
"Why do you hide behind a spirit's shell, demon?
Come in your true flesh and face me, if courage still dwells in you." Avesh laughed.
"You think you can fight me? You're an old fool at death's gate. This spirit is more than enough to finish you."
Saul replied,
"You wield a divine born spirit, and cannot bind it for long. And when the Sage wakes from meditation, he will know his spirits are gone. You have only two hours of arrogance left."
Avesh clicked his tongue.
"I'll be far away by then. I have waited three months for this chance. I won't let it go to waste due to an old fool like you."
Saul pulled a small kanzashi from his robe, a token gifted by an angel in ancient times.
He flicked it.
Another Spirit Blast erupted.
Avesh deflected with his right arm, but half of the arm exploded.
Saul smiled.
"Even an old fool may leave a mark."
Avesh hissed as pain seared his real body through the spiritual link.
"How are you focusing divine spirit with such precision & concentration?!"
Saul's eyes glimmered.
"Old age brings many secrets."
Avesh roared and forced Testa into dragonborn form again.
"Dragonborn: Endless Fire!"
A continuous torrent of flame blasted forward. Saul blocked with his forearms, unshaken. This strain drained Testa. His spirit power collapsed.
Avesh could no longer maintain Mortal Import.
He snarled.
"Fine. You win here, old man. Come find me after you kill this worthless spirit."
For a moment, Avesh lost control.
Testa reverted to a small dragonfly form. A tear fell from it.
Avesh regained control and forced Testa to use the same form, increasing her spirit form by injecting more spirit power and used an attack,
"Original Form: Wind Knives!"
Saul deflected the blades effortlessly. Using the kanzashi again, he shattered Testa's wings.
Testa cried.
Still Avesh forced him again, to take Praying Mantis shape and used,
"Praying Mantis: Wind Slashes!"
Saul leapt forward.
Mid-air, Testa unleashed,
"Praying Mantis: Wind Cutter!"
More powerful than before.
Saul did not dodge.
He took the attack directly, fell upon Testa, and used,
"Spirit Release."
Bindings formed around Testa's form.
Then Saul used,
"Spirit Control."
In an instant, Saul held Testa's consciousness.
He felt everything.
The regret.
The fear.
The guilt of failing the boy.
The pain of being forced to help the demon.
The desperate desire to redeem even a meaningless life.
Saul activated:
"Partial Spirit Guard."
Testa was freed.
She reverted to a medium-sized dragonfly spirit and collapsed at Saul's feet.
"Please…"" she cried,
"Save the boy, if Lord Rav dies here, everything I endured, my whole life, becomes meaningless."
She sobbed.
"Please, take my power, kill the demon, save the boy."
Saul knelt.
His voice was old, mythic, gentle,
"Rise, little one. Your loyalty has carved its own legend."
He stood.
"Come. Let's go and save the boy."
"Let's add some meaning to our meaningless lives"