"Unparalleled tragedy"

The life force was not only a representation of an individual's energy signature. it dictated the appearance and body composition of its owner. logic dictated the Damian should have looked like an aberration made out of various magical creatures, humanoid species and a swirling mass of dark energies.

Yet, he looked like a human who was just old enough to go to preschool. he was also lying flat on the ground. the terror of Karathya shouting and the energy INT radiated had made him faint.

"So, what are we going to do now." Karathya had lost her edge. no matter what had happened, there was no fixing it for them

"What do you mean? We? We my white ass. This is none of your business. I agree with you that this is bizarre, but he seems to suffer no negative side effects. except the malnutrition and exhaustion but that's a given.

"I know that the old fart did some crazy things, but he always had a reason and his methods rarely had unfavorable results. If I would have to take a guess, I would say that he wanted to flip off the natural principles one last time before leaving for good."

"That sounds like him. kind of. spite is a damn good motivator. " Karathya noted. "But don't we know someone else who is mad enough to attempt something like that. someone who is an expert on life forces and who should be back here any minute now. maybe we should ask him about this."

As if on cue there was a knock on the door, and someone opened it without waiting for permission to come in.

"Hey guys. what did I mi…" the man that was trying to enter the house was cut short when a big hand grabbed his face, proceeded to drag him outside and smashed him into the ground. he was about 1.72 meters high, had a delicate face and his blonde hair was a stark contrast to his eyes which were shining with a Crimson red light.

The impact on the ground mate the earth shake but there was no visible damage inflicted. INT had to put in some effort to stop Karathya from ruining his lawn but since it was pointless to stop her from doing what she wanted he opted to reinforce the ground the ground to make it sturdy enough to withstand her below.

The newcomer seemed similarly unaffected by the action. before he could ask what was going on, Karathya's voice rose with the intensity of a volcano about to explode.

"Are you responsible for that. did you have any part in what happened to him." she took her hand off his face and pointed at Damien.

The man just looked in his direction and shrugged: "I didn't have any part in knocking him out. the last time I saw him he wasn't in the best of conditions, but he was still standing. Somehow."

"Very funny Mr. Smartass. I meant his life force. did you give the sage the idea for this mishmash or did you even help him develop it." in the moment that Karathya set those words the light in the man's eyes began to burn with a much higher intensity.

"Don't tell me he actually pulled it off. I knew that he wouldn't disappoint me. Quick, quick. let me see." Even though Karathya was still pinning him to the ground, the man somehow disappeared from under her into thin air and Reappeared at the entrance to the house where he bumped into a translucent white barrier.

"As if I'd just let you." INT was standing in front of him with his arms crossed. "First you are going to give us a damn good explanation of what is going on and then you are going to get the fuck out of here."

"We don't have any time for that. I'm trying to prevent an unparalleled tragedy here so let me examine him." INT had never heard the man with such a grave tone of voice. it creeped him out to no end and forced him to make way.

"Any funny business and you can kiss that body goodbye Xasar." the feeling of impending doom didn't prevent INT from issuing a verbal warning and creating a orb made out of energy form on top of his palm that held enough explosive power to level a mountain.

Xasar ignored him and instead placed a palm on Damien's forehead. The intensity of the red lights in his eyes went up another notch and he started screaming: "Unbelievable, ingenious, marvelous. I never thought this would be possible, but he actually pulled it off. But how exactly did he … of course. it's so obvious I could slap myself for not thinking of it sooner."

INT nervousness rose every second until he wasn't willing to hold it in anymore: "Enough with that. what exactly is wrong with him. what's the tragedy you were talking about?" if he had had an actual body INT would have been seconds from popping a vein.

"What do you mean? There's nothing wrong with him. the sage doesn't work sloppily enough to leave a loose end on such a complicated procedure. I meant it would be a tragedy if I wouldn't be able to study such a unique life force. you see, it's actually quite simple if you th…" the rest of his sentence was swallowed by the same phenomenon that blasted his head off his shoulders.

INT had unleashed the energy beam he had generated with enough force to vaporize Xasars head and create a hole in every wall that stood in its way until it struck the barrier and stopped.

The body remained in the same lecturing position he had assumed while trying to explain his reasoning. nothing happened for almost half a second until the head started to regrow. first the bones of his spine, then the skull, the muscles and the skin. the last part were the eyes that flickered in silent annoyance.

People always said that he was annoying when Xasar interrupted them while they were speaking so he found it very rude if someone who was accusing him still interrupted him without any remorse. To add insult to injury, INT had even removed his mouth to make a point.

They stared at each other for a few seconds until the former skeleton sighed and gave up: "Fine. I can wait a little longer before examining him. Consider this a token of apology." He took out a flask with a rainbow-colored liquid which he poured onto Damien. with a wave of his hand the liquid was absorbed by his skin and was directly inject into the blood circulation system.

"My special nutrient potion never failed to get someone back on their feet. I have to go now. there are many experiments that don't finish themselves." he gave INT a bow and snapped with both his hands before making a finger gun in Karathya's direction." Call me."

He proceeded to walk in the direction of the barrier. Or better in the direction of the single pieces of his skeleton that were still lying around. he waved his hand which made the bones disappear and exited through a hole that opened up in the white energy dome.

Both, INT and Karathya staird dumbly in the direction he had left. "Every time I think Liches can't be more ridiculous, they surprise me. how did he open the barrier by himself? I let him in, but I restricted his exit the moment he stepped through." In contrast to INT, who was just perplexed, Karathya was pissed off beyond reason.