บท 76: 36. Paradise City.
Damon walked into the next chamber, his heart pounding with anticipation. The room was dimly lit, casting eerie shadows on the stone walls. The air was thick with an otherworldly scent, a mix of ancient books and burning incense. As he stepped forward, the sound of his footsteps echoed throughout the chamber, creating an unsettling atmosphere. Air was charged with magic, so old that it made him feel like a young, inexperienced fool and that was quite a feat to get a vampire like him, older than millennia, to feel that way.
Before him stood a group of wizards, their dark robes, woven by magic and mystery, flowing in the ethereal light. Their eyes glowed with a mysterious intensity. Their faces were ancient, their age probably several millennia and more. Damon did not even think how old these guys were.
One of them spoke, their voice deep and resonant, "It is time to test your darkness, your magic. Your parents were black witches and wizards, and though you possess good magic, the allure of darkness remains. How pure is your magic? How much darkness resides within your magical essence?" His words echoed in the vast space.
Damon's mind raced with uncertainty, unsure of what they sought from him. This would not be simple or easy and it would require a lot out of him, who had thought himself as a creature of darkness for so long. As he had been a vampire, killing innocent to live, how much goodness was in him? His soul felt sometimes blacker than midnight, tainted by death and destruction.
The eldest wizard continued, "We won't tell you what we are looking for. It is up to you to decide the outcome. This is a test of darkness. Darkness allures us wizards, always and forever. It is difficult to resist and then should one even resist darkness always. But first, do you wish to spend an hour with your companion?"
Damon shook his head, determination etched on his face. "No need. I am ready to proceed with the test of darkness in my magic. I am a dark creature, been my whole life, a vampire who seeks the life force of others to sustain myself, the creature who had left only devastation in its wake for so long."
The eldest wizard nodded, acknowledging his resolve. "Very well. You will face us one at a time. We will start easy and increase the difficulty with each spell. You must defend yourself and attack simultaneously, using only your magic. You will be under a spell that keeps you immobile, but remember, we are energy creatures, too. Loading us up with power may not be wise."
Damon took a deep breath, steeling himself for the challenge ahead. This was uncharted territory for him. He had used his magic sparingly, mostly for healing and other benign purposes. But now, he had to remain as good as possible, resisting the temptation to tap into the darkness that beckoned.
He could feel its power, a seductive force, coursing through him since he first gained his abilities. He knew the power of darkness, in a way, Damien had been darkness inside him and he had felt his feelings of his power for so long and it had been a huge power, with that kind of power, he could do anything but then he would be as corrupt as Damien was.
With a nod, Damon silently accepted the task. It wouldn't be easy, but he was determined to prove himself. He knew that after this test, he might need to seek solace in the company of Mimi. Mimi was here as a mere tool for him to use, nothing more and nothing less.
This was not the time to be husband, lover, or even pack leader, but just a wizard, ready to show his abilities and get these tests done. However, for now, he pushed all thoughts of her struggles from his mind. He focused solely on the challenge that lay ahead.
The two rings on the stone floor glowed brightly in the dimly lit chamber, emanating a golden hue that cast ethereal shadows on the ancient stone walls. The flickering torches added an eerie ambiance to the scene. The smell of this place was something that damon could not name at all, but he knew he would remember this smell rest of his immortal existence. There was no audience, only him and the three wizards that stood there, their expression unreadable.
One of the wizards stepped into one ring while gesturing for Damon to enter the other. As Damon entered, he felt a spell freezing him in place. He could not take a step, but he could move his body, so he could dodge if needed. He readied his magic, anticipating the wizard's attack.
Suddenly, a green ball of magic was hurled toward him, but he quickly defended himself by conjuring a pure ball of his own lustful magic and retaliating. The wizard blocked his attack, and the fight continued. Wizard was fast, ball after ball was hurled at Damon and he had to use his vampire reflexes to dodge and try to throw one ball of his own from time to time.
Damon skillfully dodged most of the wizard's strikes but struggled to land his own hits. Darkness allured him, almost being a creature beside him luring him to use and telling him how fast it would be to win them all using darkness. He resisted. However, a few blows connected, causing the wizard to flinch and grunt softly.
Damon could feel Mimi's presence. She was sending her trust, her love, and her powers to him. So he took them all and tapped into her powers, drawing upon her rage to amplify his own spells. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, reminding him of how Mimi fought in the fight club–unpredictability was the key. Damon tapped into Mimi's experiences, channeling her unpredictable nature. She was chaos. He fought dirty, aiming for the wizard's crotch, knowing it would be a painful strike that the wizard wouldn't expect in a magical duel.
He got some damage done, and the wizard was really surprised. Damon did not spare his power in his spells and a few good hits. Gong was sounded, meaning it was time for pause, meaning his opponent would be changed. The oldest wizard looked at him with a surprised but faint smile on his thin lips. The second wizard took his heavy robe off, revealing some sort of battle armor made of spelled leather and Damon could see ruins carved in leather, so this was not so easy. The wizard touched his crotch, making sure that there was a shield in place, too.
A brief pause ensued, and Damon remained in his place as the first wizard limped away, making way for a stronger opponent. This wizard had seen Damon's tactics and protected his vulnerable areas. However, Damon had also delved into Mimi's fight memories, discovering other targets to exploit. Mimi had opened her mind to him fully, and he used that to his advantage.
He used his telepathy in her mind with full force, disregarding any potential harm it could cause Mimi. This was not the time for softness or caring. Taking a page from Mimi's playbook, Damon employed misdirection, throwing with his left hand while using his right hand to distract the wizard. He had used his right hand as he was right-handed, more during the first part of the battle. The wizard expected an attack from the right, but the true assault came from Damon's left hand, launching a powerful fireball of lustful violet magic that struck the wizard's chest. It was his purest form of magic. He was a true lust wizard, and this was a powerful hit. It absorbed into the wizard, igniting his feelings for physical intimacy.
The sensation of lust was foreign to the wizards, who hadn't experienced it in millennia. Or much longer. Surprised, he became uneasy and lost his balance, thrown off by the unexpected attack. Damon seized his opportunity and unleashed his full attack on him, hitting crackling balls of lust one after another for the wizard.
The second Wizard felt a swirling confusion wash over him, his mind becoming a tangled mess as a powerful need consumed him. It took time and a barrage of well-aimed hits from Damon to snap him out of it and ignite his will to fight back and defend himself against this overwhelming lust. This was not bloodlust, not lust for revenge, but pure lust for sex, the need to fuck, and in its carnality it was disturbing and same time exciting.
But this experience was unlike anything he had ever encountered before, shaking the very core of his being. No longer a purely asexual being, he remembered his humanity, his life as a man, as a father, and as a husband. It made him feel alive in a way he had long forgotten. It had been so many millennia ago. How could he have forgotten it?
Gong was sounded again. Damon felt his powers surging in his veins, his magic, ready to face the last of the wizards. There was nothing else than this battle ahead. The last wizard.
As the last of the wizards stepped forward, Damon sensed the intensity of the impending battle deep within his bones. Determined not to succumb to temptation, he felt dark magic beside him, almost like a living creature whispering ideas of how swiftly he could eliminate these three opponents and bring an end to this charade, allowing him to return to Mariella.
He steeled himself, sensing his body slowly healing from the powerful magic unleashed by the previous wizards. Bloodlust surged within him, his vampire side fully awakened, and he couldn't help but dream of how delectable these wizards would taste. How powerful their blood would be.
His heart warmed once again, feeling the love and trust radiating from Mimi as she sent her support to him. Their connection grew stronger as he held the pendant in his hand, allowing him free access to her energy and anything else he might need. He drew upon her rage, and her emotions, and channeled them into one of his reserves, harnessing her alpha power and vampire abilities.
Her chaos was used by him as well, even though it was quite unfamiliar to him, but he could feel in her mind how she showed him how to use that chaos, to boost other powers so he tested it, before the next wizard was ready. He took as much as he could, knowing that after this test, he may require her blood, her powers, and anything else she could provide.
However, he had no desire to engage in sex with her, as she was not an energy creature. It would take more effort to ignite her lust, and time was short. If Mariella had been by his side, it would have been easier, but not now. He was prepared when the next wizard stepped forward, unleashing pure darkness toward him. Damon harnessed his strength, deflecting the attack back at the wizard and retaliating with a massive ball of undiluted lust, causing the wizard to stagger momentarily.
This was one damn strong wizard, and Damon had his work cut out for him. The air crackled with dark magic, its suffocating presence making it damn hard for him to keep his own magic pure and resist the temptation to use darkness. He could feel the raw power of the wizard bearing down on him, each attack causing searing pain to course through his body. But he dug deep, summoning every ounce of strength and determination from his previous memories to fuel his resolve to win this battle once and for all.
Facing off against the allure of the wizard's darkness, he used the one power that was said to be the strongest force in the universe. Damon fought back with love. He conjured a small ball of pure, unadulterated love and hurled it at the wizard, causing the darkness to recede and the wizard to stagger. Drawing upon all the love he had, Damon tapped into the love he felt for Mimi, his cubs, Mariella, the wolves, and all those he cared for. He let that love flow into a shield that surrounded him, its dark red glow radiating with the power of his affection. Mimi gave him her unconditional love to be used as well, and it was damn strong. He needed every ounce of that.
The battle seemed to stretch on for an eternity, but Damon held on. His shield held strong, fueled by his unwavering love. Yet, amidst the chaos, a thought nagged at him. His love for Mimi seemed to be the most potent, the most powerful, while his love for Mariella paled in comparison. Mariella was his everything, and this discrepancy unsettled him. Deep in his mind, he knew that one day he would have to reflect on this and uncover the reasons behind this imbalance.
Then it was over, finally, and Damon could feel his legs trembling from exhaustion and exertion that this almost epic battle had drained from him. The pain he felt was secondary, his wounds and injuries also mere afterthoughts. Over the years, centuries even, he had learned to dismiss his pain and the stress that his body might endure. His resolution remained unwavering.
The oldest wizard, with a visible limp and a weary expression, smiled at him. The ancient faces of the other wizards were crimped with genuine smiles as well.
The oldest one spoke. "That was one extraordinary fight. I haven't had so much fun in ages. You are my boy, a true wizard, the real deal. You stood unwavering, fueled by love, a testament to your power. It is a testament that even when faced with pure darkness, you choose love. So, young wizard, we all have darkness within us. Never doubt that, but it is always our choice to use it or to succumb to it. You made the right choice, and you are powerful. I, the oldest of the Merlin class, have been defeated by you. That is a pure testament to your might. Now, do you wish to spend an hour with your companion before proceeding?"
Damon replied, "Yes, I wish to spend an hour with her. She has been most helpful to me."
A small door opened, and Damon realized he could walk again. He walked through the door and entered a dimly lit hallway, filled with a sense of foreboding. At the end of the hallway, there was a single door. Damon approached it, pulled it open, and stepped into a spacious, well-lit chamber.
The room boasted a luxurious divan, a table, a rug, and a bed. Mimi was sitting on the divan.
Damon spoke to her, "I need blood and power, so I only have an hour to replenish myself. No questions, baby."
Mimi simply nodded. Damon approached her, feeling his fangs emerge, and he sank them into her neck, greedily drinking from her. He didn't care about any pain it caused. He drank her dry three times, and as she recovered, he drew energy from her, taking everything she had and even delving into her well of rage. He devoured it, feeling it surge through him, empowering him as he tapped into her raw, uncontrollable, and brutally strong rage.
He could feel her supernatural white-hot rage coursing through him, igniting a surge of power that aided in his healing. Mimi's potent blood, a crucial factor, contributed to this as well. The intensity of his rage now pulsed within his veins, emanating a visible aura of brilliant radiance and imminent danger. His bloodlust satiated, and he swiftly prepared himself for the next challenge.
As the hour drew to a close and Mimi's blood replenished, Damon drained her dry once again. The resonating sound of the gong signaled the end of the hour, leaving her collapsed on the floor, pallid and motionless. With unwavering focus, Damon pressed on, aware that the remaining three tests only grew more demanding.
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง