The Game of a Blood Mage

Chapter 95: Astral Plane




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'It is so ironic.' - thought Julie.


In her goblin form, she was weak. The situation had grown opposite of when Alex was in the Magic Academy. Now he was the strong one and she was weak and in his mercy. Julie didn’t have any dreams that their new relationship will be a fair one. Just like she wasn’t fair to him back then, he won’t be fair to her now.


The strong would always decide what the weak should do. Not like the weak had a real choice on the matter. 


“Are you ready?” asked Alex, putting a hand on her shoulder. She nodded.


In an instant, their surroundings twisted and Julie felt like she was falling into a dark abyss. But that was when she saw light again and noticed that they were in a normal-looking office. One that would belong to a manager or someone of high standing in an organization.


Julie, having managed her Magic School, knew what this was. “Did you just bring me into your fake office?”


Fake offices were places where magicians held meetings with their subordinates and kept mostly useless stuff. It was one he had prepared for occasions like this. The room looked like a normal office for someone of his status. Bookshelves were all around the room that made it seem like a small library. 


Julie looked around suspiciously but didn't notice anything strange.



"I can transfer your soul into a homunculus if you want to?" Alex offered her. "That goblin body doesn't have the magical core or physical ability to go past Rank 2. You were unlucky to be reborn as a female goblin."



"Tch, tell me about it. I even had to stop some goblins from having their way with me." Julie was annoyed, goblins were known for their high fertility and if she had gotten pregnant then it would be like a shackle as she wouldn't be able to move for weeks. 


Even though she was in a goblin’s body, she knew that entering into one of Alex’s homunculus would be even worse. Because while homunculi bodies were very adept with mana, they would always be under the control of the creator. No matter what, a homunculus can never really pose a threat to its maker. 



Just imagining how many traps Alex might have put on the thing made Julie shudder.



He seemed to guess what she was thinking and chuckled. "That must have been scary. Especially since your memories aren't fully recovered."



Julie smiled back, glad that he hadn’t tried to probe more into her suspicions. "It was a little troubling at first. But in the end, those goblins served as good sacrificial pawns for me to forcefully activate a Teleportation Spell."



"Hmmm…" Alex hummed, he didn't mind hearing her story. But Julie knew there was more to this than met the eye.

‘What does he plan to do with me?’ - she wondered but didn’t have an answer to her questions. Alex had always been a little unpredictable, she regretted it quite a bit how she had helped him grow. 



If she had known what would happen back then, Julie would undoubtedly have killed him and even given it her all to dissipate his soul. But sadly, it was too late now and there was no use crying over spilled milk.





**
Alex didn’t know what Julie was thinking exactly, but he knew he had an advantage against her. He had a Mindscape now where time passed slower, something that she didn’t have. This was normally used for his Legendary Spell Creation, but it can also be used to give him more time to think about things.


While on the outside it seemed like he was listening to her story, in his Mindscape he had been concocting a plan for a couple of hours now.



Since he had a mindscape in which time moved differently, Alex would spend most of his sleeping time doing research there. His eight hours of sleep could be turned into months of his vigorously studying like his life depended on it… because it did.


Unless someone had either an unbreakable will or a monstrous personality, they wouldn't be able to withstand such mental strain. Even Alex didn't know which category he belonged to with 100% certainty. Sometimes madness, strong will, and genius were like triplets stuck in the same womb. 



Julie continued explaining her story and Alex listened. Recently he had dipped his fingers in some Divination Magic. The future had long since changed, so he needed some new hints. That was how he had found Julie in her goblin form.



Divination Magic had its dangers as well since the thing would force one to contact alternate versions of himself. Now some people would be okay interacting with some of their alternate selves. Alex wasn't any different, he could cooperate with some of his alternate selves. 


But… What if there was an alternate version who was quite malicious? 


Most Deviation Mages died due to an alternate version of themselves leading them into a trap. Now unlike other people, other versions of Alex knew of his weakness and what he was. They even knew the best way to kill themselves.


Alex didn't plan to interact with them too much. Because, if he got the chance, he would kill a version of himself too. Because their realities would overlap and the other's skills, Mana and soul would be devoured by him. That was why alternate versions would kill the other most of the time.



Alex shook his head, dismissing such thoughts. No matter how strong he became he knew that some other versions of himself would always be able to match him. 



The Multiverse in the Game had been just flavor text to increase immersion. But now… he had to be careful to not piss off beings like the Overgod. Such things that had been there just to increase immersion, things that would break the game if they existed, were now a real thing.


Julie glanced at Alex and saw his emotionless face. This would terrify anyone as his eyes were empty, like a vessel without a soul. But she wasn’t bothered by it. "Anyway, can you make me a body that has a high Mana Absorption and-"



"Mana Absorption isn't a good trait to have, because it will increase your Mana Regeneration. What if the Mana is poisonous or has strange and corruptive properties? That will kill you in an instant." Alex explained and didn't comment that this was something basic that Julie should have known.


'Was she faking her lack of knowledge?' 


Those thoughts went through Alex's mind many times, but he didn't ask Julie anything. Even if she was faking it or not, her answer would be the same. No one would spill their secrets if it could endanger their lives. 


Alex had a drop of blood land on the ground from his finger and a red circle appeared on the ground, space seemed to be cut open and a child-sized chamber filled with green liquid came out.




"What's that?" She asked, once again her suspicion increased even higher. As Alex wasn't explaining anything to her. 



"Yeah, I had this prepared beforehand," Alex confessed. "Also stop spacing out, it's unbecoming of a magician."



The more he observed her, the more he saw through some things that Julie tried to keep hidden. What he was looking at right now wasn't just someone who had lost memories. 



No, she had completely regressed into an earlier state of mind. Like a part of the soul that was cut off was a useless one that the original Julie could afford to cut off. 



With a disappointed sigh, Alex waved his hand and the small goblin body was transported in the capsule chamber that looked like a futuristic machine. She fell unconscious and slowly a dark cocoon trapped her body. 


Green light pulsed from within like a heartbeat as Julie's body slowly changed.




"If you don't want me to give you a new body, then we will have to evolve this one. A goblin is just too weak." Alex said, knowing that Julie could still hear him.


After that, he waited a couple of minutes until Julie fully lost consciousness and teleported her away. 


Then Alex made a small cut on his finger and drew a strange runic circle on the ground with himself in the middle.

He then drew runes on both of his hands as the blood on the ground started rising like worms.


*Clap!*

He clasped his hands loudly and a dark abyss-like light came out of his eyes. 


*
Instantly his consciousness was transported in front of a giant planet shaped like a mouth. Everything around was like he was in space as distant stars shimmered in and out. 


Alex knew that this wasn't space. No, it was something much scarier.


[You have entered the Astral Plane]

[Your mind is experiencing Corruption]


Even without the Gamer Interface's notifications. He knew that the Astral Plane would turn people crazy eventually the more they stared at it. No living being was meant to experience this place, as past, present, and future collided.


Normally entering this place was an impossible feat for a human and they would have to be at the peak of Legendary Rank to even catch a glimpse of it.


But due to the corruption in the mortal world, the gateway had opened. The Astral Plane wasn't something physical and it didn't have a place of existence. This place was something that some very dangerous beings used to travel large distances. 


Essentially it was like a highway, and the mortal world Alex resided in was like a lost kitten who was put on the highway due to its owners (Gods).


But unlike many others, Alex knew what he was looking for in a place like this. 



'I need to find it soon, or else I will have to leave the Human Continent.' Alex had no intention of sinking with the ship. 


And if the Human Continent became something that he would be unable to save, then he would abandon the human race without a second thought. 



Someone like him didn't have shackles. Also, he was no longer human physically. 


*hissss*



Suddenly a snake's hiss sounded behind him, and the world seemed to shake. 


Turning around Alex saw nothing, but looking up he saw a giant white snake looking down at him. Its body seemed to extend infinitely and instead of scales, it had other snakeheads imbued in its body. 



Each of the heads opened its eyes and looked at Alex.






****
A/N: Alex now will get on the darker mysteries of the world. Things like only were as flavor text in the game. Think of creatures that are super OP in D&D and the player never meets them, but they are still there for the story.


Yeah… Alex's world is real, so those beings exist. They are no longer just backstories.