"is there a way to end the cycle of the sorcerer?" Roshan asked.
"Of course there is"
"What is it?"
"Killing the host and their life source, permanently. To prevent the reincarnation"
"Oh-"
...
"Our attacks were futile. It seems the sorcerer was able to kill and dispose of him, we couldn't find his body"
The King of Geomi frowned before speaking.
"Send the mages. Perform the ritual"
"Yes my Lord"
The ritual of extraction. They planned to draw out the half-developed sorcerer permanently. The sorcerer hadn't fully awakened and could be killed relatively easily compared to the possibility of his death after fully awakening.
The sages gathered by a lake and slaughtered twenty pigs, smearing their blood on their faces and chanting.
"Oh sorcerer! Be free. Wreck havoc. Destroy it all" they chanted repeatedly.
They screamed hysterically causing a commotion such that the aquatic animals fled from that part of the lake.
The sages danced and pulled out their hairs, screaming until the sacrifice had become engulfed in flames.
They all stopped dancing and laughed at the same time.
....
Zane held Roshan's hand as he covered his face.
Roshan suddenly felt a sharp piercing pain in his head and fell to the ground.
"What is happening?"
"He's free"
"What does that mean?"
"It means the sorcerer isn't bound any longer. He can appear whenever he chooses to and not only when his life is in danger"
"How is that possible?"
"The ritual is complete"
"What ritual"
"The one to release the sorcerer. Some magicians were trying to free him"
"And it...worked? Can you do anything about this?"
"I cannot. It can't be undone. He won't harm anyone for a few days but you really should protect the young man. I see death and despair in his future"
Zane was beyond confused.
Suddenly, they weren't in the garden anymore.
The young boy spoke "follow that light and it'll lead you home. You can return when you have more answerable questions"
Zane, carrying Roshan, walked towards the light and ended up in their bedroom in the palace.
He was both shocked and relieved as he didn't want to have to explain anything that anyone.
Placing Roshan down, he brought straps to tie down Roshan's hands.
"I'm sorry baby" Zane said as he tied him and kissed his forehead.
Roshan was knocked out for thirty seven hours before he finally awakened.
Roshan's eyes opened slowly. They flickered between being blue and being grey.
He felt his hands being bound by something.
"What is going on? Zane? Zane? Are you there?"
"Yes, baby. Right here " Zane untied Roshan's hands and hugged him tightly.
They just held each other and didn't say anything.
.....
Roshan sat up in the middle of the night with a smile on his face. He climbed off his bed and left his room.
He looked at the palace in admiration and headed downstairs.
He decided to go outside and enjoy the cool breeze until he heard the slithering of a snake.
"How dare you interrupt my relaxation time" the snake was cut up into a million pieces in an instant.
The blood splattered everywhere and Roshan wiped his face and spat.
"Ugh"
He stood up and walked around more. He became irritated by the presence of small animals so he decided to kill them all and retire for the night.
The next morning, the maids screamed when they went outside.
The yard was littered with dead animals.
Most people brushed it off but Kim had a very bad feeling about it.
The news reached Zane's ears and his first thought was 'roshan'
"You left the bed last night. Where did you go?"
"I left? I don't remember leaving the bed"
Zane frowned. He definitely felt Roshan leave, but decided to put it aside.
That evening, Zane asked Roshan to get him a ring from his jewelry box.
Roshan handed him the ring with a smile and walked away.
"Thank you"
"For what?"
"The ring"
"What ring?"
Zane frowned, "the ring you just gave me?"
"I didn't give you a ring"
"Yes, you did"
"But I don't remember"
"Something's wrong"
"I believe so too"
"Maybe you didn't give me the ring and someone else did"
"Someone else?"
"The other person inside you"
"Oh no"
"Makes sense if we think about you leaving the bed last night and returning hours later and you not remembering anything"
"You think he's coming out and doing what he likes"
"I don't think, I know"
"What's going to happen now?"
"We can try to schedule Times if he agreed to it"
"Schedule times?"
"Yes, schedule when he comes out and when you take over"
"Try asking him"
Roshan nodded and looked into the mirror.
The expression on his reflection's face carefully changed into something else.
"What do you want?"
"Stop using my body whenever you like"
"No"
"Let's schedule times instead "
"Schedule times?"
"Yes, we'll have different times we use"
For now, until I find a way to suppress you forever, he thought.
"Not a bad idea but no"
Roshan had no intention of begging the killer spirit inside him to 'allow' him use his own body.
And in a blink of an eye, Roshan's reflection became his again.
What will I do now, he asked himself.
.....
A cabbage seller pulled his wagon as he called out to potential customers, advertising his cabbages.
A lady stopped and analyzed the cabbages, impressed by the size and quality.
"I would like to buy one" she gave him a bronze coin
"Oh wonderful! Iet me pack that up for you"
As he handed the cabbage to her, she held his wrist and said.
"I'm new in town and I'm not sure how safe it is here, you know. Since the king's husband.." her voice trailed.
"The king's husband? What happened to him?"
"Oh you didn't hear? He's the sorcerer"