Operation "home away from the haunted ruins" took several months to complete. First Marcus spent two weeks to find a nice place several kilometer away. Afterwards he realized that it made nearly no difference, the ruins were basically still his neighbors. He still decided to move to the new place because it had a great view away from the ruins. While he was moving house he also decided to greatly increase the size of his shelter. This was totally unnecessary, but it kept Marcus busy. The new house had two levels, rooms for dining, sleeping, storage (general), storage (tools), workshop and outhouse (very important). He built it between two very large trees and used mainly wood and plant fibers. As he worked he passed the two year mark and had reached level 59, because the new area still had lots of monsters.

As his new home came along he eventually started sleeping in the half finished building. With his cooking station in a different room the ambiance was actually far better and he had a small balcony that looked at the setting sun. After a hard days work he would often lie down on a bed, made out of soft leaves and a type of fluffy cotton he had found at the hillside nearby. A belly full of yellow mash and monster meat, and a fruit juice in hand was all a man needed to relax and doze off to the sounds of the jungle. Hello.

Marcus instantly stood straight in his bed, his heart was racing. He slowly looked around his house, searching for the source of the voice. Ohh no, I'm going insane. Marcus thought.

You are perfectly sane, I promise you.

Marcus screamed and jumped around, the voice was right next to him!

To be more precise, inside your head. Relatively speaking of course.

Marcus pressed his hands against his ears and tried to calm down. After a minute without any more voices Marcus calmed down enough to put his hands down.

Better now? The voice said in his head.

NO! Marcus thought. He tried to rationalize the situation but nothing short of "some loose screws" came up. The voice… it was a strange voice, now that he thought about it. He could not tell if it was high or low. Marcus concentrated for the moment the voice would talk again.

Marcus, I'm not a figment of your imagination. Even so, I have to admit you have a rather impressive imagination. Your mind is very active, even under these circumstances. The voice said and Marcus slowly sat down trying not to scream. You can read my thoughts?

To a degree, only what bubbles up to your consciousness, I would say. I can't be sure. This is new to me, too.

Marcus took his fruit juice in hand and sniffed at it. It smelled like it always did. Okay, let's say you are real and not something I made up to cope with the loneliness. Who and what are you? How are you in my head, reading my thoughts? How...

Wait, one thing at the time young man. Who I am is easy to answer but it might not really help you. I'm D'dera Tresmaga Grand Sorcerer of Cyras. The what, I'm not sure yet. Marcus listened and took slow, deep breaths. The name sounded alien but genuine.

How did you get into my head?

That is simple. When you touched my remains I latched on to you. It was more of an instinctual reflex than a conscious decision. When I touched your...remains...the ruins...the throne with the...corpse.

That was you? WAIT you are inside of me since then? It had been months! Marcus felt violated. LEAVE NOW!

I can not leave, I'm sorry Marcus. I was stuck in that place for so long I do not even remember how long. At first I did not understand what happened and it took me some time to understand your language. You thinking in two languages did not make it easier.

But what are you? A person, a humanoid?

I was indeed. A humanoid male like you, but then I lost everything and was imprisoned to waste away for an eternity. But I did not go silently. Oh no. I used the time to transfer my consciousness into the Astral Plane. I'm confident, that I'm the first person who ever succeeded in doing so. Even I would not have dared to try it, if I had any other choice and not millennia to work on the problem.

Marcus tried to keep up with the new information. One at the time. Is Grand Sorcerer an important title?

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

HA! There is only one Grand Sorcerer and that is I.

Were you, or better are you a class holder?

I'm not familiar with that term.

Did you get powers from the float-

Yes, I was bound to the work of the Ancients. Like you are now.

Marcus took a few deep breaths. More new words, meanings, information. What is the Astral Plane. Marcus asked and for some time no answer came.

Tsk. You do not even know about the Astral Plane. How primitive are you humans? How exactly do you think your powers work and the monsters are created?

Marcus quickly thought about the recent history of humanity involving the monoliths and general theories they held about them.

What a delightfully naive species. And how young! Not even a century since the Arbiters came to you and you have not encountered the Destroyers yet.

Marcus listened, Arbiters = monoliths, Astral Plane = source of power?, Destroyer = dragons?

Source of power is a too generic term. The Astral Plane is the true construct the Ancients made. It is a superior artificial dimension with great power over our plane of existence. Little is known about it and less is understood.

Marcus stretched his tense muscles and a question came to him. How do I call you?

In your tongue, you can call me Xeen.

That is not at all like the name you told me before?

There are official names and personal names, no? I allow you to call me Xeen. Feel honored.

Marcus listened and thought that Xeen must have been important.

Very.

How old are you, or were you before you...are you dead?

Now we are coming back to the original question, what am I? There might not be an equivalent to my current existence. I'm only a consciousness inside the Astral Plane, bound to your physical existence and Astral Body.

So a spirit? You are a mind without a body that can interact to a limited fashion with the mortal world? Also, you skipped the age question.

OLD.

Are you avoiding the topic?

Marcus. You might not be able to understand this now, because you are so young that I can not even remember when I talked to a youth like you before. But,... eventually you stop counting.

Marcus understood, OLD. And most likely very powerful. No response.

Okay, how long are you going to stay with me Xeen? Marcus really wanted to know.

I'm stuck with you and you with me. It was an accident that this connection came to be but...

Ohh please no. For LIFE?!

For now it seems that way. I might find a way to move on to another body but that might take decades of experimentation.

DECADES. Marcus tried to keep calm but...hmmm Xeen what exactly do you… sense, or experience.

I can read your thoughts and nothing beyond it, currently. Although I have some ideas to improve this situation somewhat.

It would be nice to have some privacy.

Worry not Marcus. You are a young healthy male who is very lonely. I fully understand. It is normal, that you are yearning for the company of a woman.

Marcus wanted to run away and bury himself but it would not help to get away, because Xeen was in his head.

If it helps, I do not have to read your thoughts. I can ignore you.

It would be nice if you would do that at certain times, Marcus thought.

Marcus still tried to come to terms with the sudden change. The irony of the situation... Your situation has not improved this much, Xeen. Instead of that throne you are now stuck with me on this planet, Marcus thought. Something weird happened in Marcus head, a sound, like white noise but extremely loud.

HAHAHAHAHAaaahaaa, Marcus you have clearly no idea how impossibly happy I am to have met you. Not only have you freed me, I have now contact with a living person again. I have spent an eternity alone, trapped in that place. After watching you for several months, I can say for certain I will enjoy our time together.

I'm sorry I do not feel the same way right now, Marcus thought. This situation is not really an improvement of my current situation.

We will do great things together.

Marcus blinked. Great things…?

Of course, I might no longer have a body or any of my powers, but I hold a vast amount of knowledge and once we have escaped this planet and returned to your Earth, I will help you on your path to greatness. This is the least I can do. Ahhh, I'm looking forward to see you grow.

Suddenly Marcus was wide awake. Escape, how?

Per portal of course. There are currently dozens of portals on this world. The closest is barely 100 kilometer away.

Marcus screamed for excitement. How do you know that, Xeen?

Portals are powerful existences in the Astral Plane, I can clearly see them.

If Xeen could find portals than there was a chance he could go home!

But of course. It is only a matter of time before you will meet that demon person again. And Azaa, too.

Her name is Janette and she is also a human and a female by the way. Azaa is… A lot of thoughts rushed through Marcus' head. Important.

Very well said. They are both very important to you. And your many other friends too. For now, you should sleep. You lack any improvements to your mind, so you are very feeble. Rest, I will work on other things in the meantime.

Marcus felt a bit hurt but he truly was exhausted. He lay down and closed his eyes. Before he drifted off, one last thing bothered him. Xeen, are you secretly evil? For some time no answer came and he wondered if Xeen had not looked at the thought.

No. But life does not always offer you good choices. If you live long enough you will come to regret some of those choices, even if you tried to always do the right thing. Maybe you will do better than me, we will see.

But Marcus did not hear these words, he was already asleep.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.