The Extra's Dimensional Library

Raze looked at the queen and Lady Rose, he crossed his arms and spoke, "You are basing all this on a hunch?" Raze asked.

"You can say that's it, but you also have not denied what I said. You managed to unravel a several-year-old rune and give us a new one. I'm sure that you dug into it, and if you haven't, I want you to start," the queen said.

"Hmmm, why would you place your confidence in a kid like me? What if the rune fixing was nothing more than a fluke?" he asked, but the queen smiled.

"You know, I saw the bath that you created. The wall is also a nice touch to your town, along with the houses and roads. Everything in the town is so nice, it's like a small city.

And when you ask the people here, they all say Raze Grimhold," she said and then leaned into her hand. "I should tell you, I'm not asking you for free. Whatever information that you have will be compensated fully," she stated.

"Tsk, she is plotting something. If I agree to help them, what I'll gain is the queen on my side and more resources and benefits, but what I'll lose is an aspect of my freedom.

If she knows that I'm capable of certain things, then she'll want me within her reach to control. Is there a way for me to get the benefits and still not hand over my freedom?

Tsk, masking a leash under threats is diabolical, but I'm not that easy to catch. I'll not allow you to rope me in," Raze thought and then smiled. "I might have a theory on how to fix it, but I don't have the ability or skill to take care of it," Raze said.

"Hmmm? I see, tell us more," Lady Rose said.

Raze smiled and walked to his father's chair, sitting down there. This was the only way he saw that he could do it. Sure, if he showed them the theory, she would still want to keep him, but it wouldn't be as much as someone that could have also fixed it himself.

He also had the plan to make the queen and Lady Rose find the solution for themselves in a funny way, a little game of lead and they follow.

"Alright, what is the major thing attacked by the demonic energy when an abomination is created?" Raze asked.

"The soul, the demonic energy destroys the soul," Lady Rose said.

"But that's wrong. Think about it, some abominations seem to show some level of character. Normally, you would attribute that to muscle memory or something, but that's not it. Muscle memory is gone when they transform; everything has been reshaped.

So what could possibly be the reason that they still have some character inside them? There can only be one reason—their soul still exists, still holding a sliver of their true self under all that demonic energy," Raze stated.

His words seemed to hit home, as both women had their eyes wide open when they heard that.

"Are you trying to say that the abominations are not destroying the souls, but rather taking over?" Lady Rose asked.

"Yhup, that's what I'm saying," Raze replied.

"Hmmmmmm, your words… they remind me of a mage obsessed with demonic energy—Mage Lilith the Necromancer," Queen Marine said.

Lady Rose's face shifted when she heard that, into a more grim look. "Back then, it was King Julius that was ruling, your father, and he refused all of Lilith's claims that abominations could be fixed.

If only he were here now, he would have helped us, but the actions of the last king drove him away from the kingdom. He was basically exiled," Lady Rose said.

"So why not find him?" Raze asked.

"Because no one knows where he is," Queen Marine said. "What you are saying is that he was right, and there is still a soul behind there.

But even then, knowing that abominations might still contain a sliver of the person's former soul doesn't solve the problem. It only highlights the horror—that their souls are being tortured inside the abomination's body, trapped without permission, forced to remain in that state no matter what they do. They can't break free, becoming monsters we're forced to kill," Queen Marine said.

Raze smiled lightly when she said that.

"Exactly. They're forced. Bound. Their souls can't come out. Now… what does that remind you of? There are things in the world of magic that follow the same principle in a certain way. Two things, to be precise," he said.

Both women paused. A few seconds passed before Lady Rose finally spoke.

"Oh, you coy boy… I never would've connected the two if you hadn't pointed a light at it." She smiled.

Queen Marine turned to her. "You discovered something?"

"Oh yes," Lady Rose replied. "Something that has always been right in front of us. Soul magic… and curses."

She continued, leaning forward slightly.

"Soul magic manipulates the soul and soul energy. Demonic energy targets the soul the moment it enters the body—soul magic does too. Both affect the soul directly. And have you forgotten? Souls operate under the law of equivalent exchange."

Marine frowned thoughtfully.

"And so do curses," Lady Rose continued. "Something is given for something to be gained. A soul cannot be bound unless something is exchanged. The soul cannot be tied down if nothing is offered and nothing is taken."

Raze watched her unravel the concept, a smile on his face—like a proud teacher, even though she was his teacher.

"The soul cannot be held unless an equivalent exchange happens. So the question is: what does the demonic energy do inside the person's body that makes the soul believe there was an exchange? What convinces the soul to hand over its rights to the body without resisting?"

She tapped the table with a finger.

"On a normal day, any attempt to forcefully take over a soul would cause immediate pushback. And when a soul realizes it's losing against a stronger force, it kills itself, eliminating both the host and the intruder. The soul would rather destroy the body than break the law of exchange."

She paused, her eyes narrowing.

"So what exactly does the demonic energy do that prevents the soul from self-detonating?"

Queen Marine's eyes widened. She processed the thought carefully, then spoke.

"Magus Alice… she's a master of soul magic. I've seen her control people—force them to act through soul manipulation during her experiments."

"If you have someone like that, you should ask how they manage to convince and control a soul. It might point you in the right direction… and lead you to the key to stopping the abominations," Raze said.

Queen Marine looked at Raze carefully.

"Why do I feel like you could actually solve the issue yourself?" she asked.

Raze shrugged casually.

"Well, maybe my theory was close enough to the real thing that it made you think that. But honestly, I lack whatever skill or knowledge is needed for the actual thing. I don't know any serious soul magic, nor have I studied it deeply. All I know is… the theory I've shared."

He kept his smile up.

Lady Rose spoke. "You've given more than enough—far more than what I thought we'd get by asking you. Honestly, I expected you to say you'd 'look into it' or maybe share a tiny hint. But you basically handed us the entire solution."

"Let's not be hasty now," Raze said. "I gave you a theory, not a solution. I could be wrong. We could all be wrong. Maybe there is no soul inside abominations at all, and they're just monsters left for us to kill."

He paused, then smiled again. "But still—thank you."

Queen Marine shook her head softly. "No, Raze. What you've done is incredibly beneficial. No—that's not enough. It's extremely beneficial. You've helped Vermilion far more than you realize. I believe you deserve more than a simple reward."

She took a breath.

"But before anything else, I'd like to speak with Magus Alice and see if she can apply your concept to the abomination issue."

"That's fine by me," Raze replied.

But then he lifted a hand slightly. "But… I'd like to make a request. And it's a selfish one."

Queen Marine raised a brow. "Go on."

"I want the queen to send people to investigate the Viscount who oversees this region," he said. "I believe he's involved in some shady business. Something Your Majesty would definitely want to know about."

What he brought up was completely off-topic—but after being attacked by a shadow, he was done with the Viscount's actions. He wanted him gone. And he wanted the man to learn that Raze wasn't someone who took a slap and let it slide.

He would always retaliate ten times harder.

Queen Marine paused, then narrowed her eyes at him.

"Is he working with abominations as well?" she asked.

"I don't know about that," Raze said. "But I'm certain he's involved in things Your Majesty wouldn't approve of. Just look into him… and you'll see."

A grin slid onto his face as he spoke.