I will return

67

I could feel every inch of strength fading away. It was painful, almost unbearable, to watch my body return to that small, weak form. In this form, the one I came to love so much, I could feel the power coursing through my veins, but I knew I had to let it go. There were other, bigger things to achieve... and in the end, when he captured Wilma, Shaggy, and especially Scooby, he could have a transformation that would surpass any limit he had ever imagined.

My henchmen brought a small plastic pool and carefully placed it in the center of the room. Around me, I closed the windows and made sure the runes were in place, drawn exactly where they needed to be to stem the flow of souls. Everything was ready.

I touched the tip of the Daemon Ritus in the center of the pyramid, and as I snapped my fingers, the souls began to come out, little by little. I saw them float like flashes of light, leaving my body in a gentle flow, like a river returning to its source. At first, I lost my muscles; The size and strength disappeared, then my back began to shrink and my arms became tiny again. It was as if every part of that greatness dissolved until I was left weak, almost fragile, on the ground.

Finally, only my head and tail remained, which shrank back to their original size. It was me, a puppy again. With effort, I twisted the Daemon Ritus, removing it from my chest with the same care and precision I had learned. I held it for a moment, watching it as its golden glow hypnotized my gaze, each flash reminding me of what it could become.

I looked at the well prepared in the small pool and smiled with satisfaction.

—It's time to take those souls I collected home.