Soul: Book 1 (DISCONTINUED)

Transmogrification

(A/N: Picture drawn by YellowCrimson on deviantart.)

Deadlox slowly unwrapped the bloodstained sling and gasped. Sky's wound was swollen red and yellow pus was slowly leaking out of it. He could see the bone sticking out of the injury. "It's infected, right?" Sky asked quietly.

Deadlox didn't reply as he acknowledged the fact that without proper treatment, Sky would die. He soaked Sky's jacket with water. Sky hissed in pain as Deadlox cleaned the pus from the wound as best as he could. "Sorry Sky, but we can't let it get even more infected."

"I'm gonna be fine, Ty." Sky said, although it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.

Deadlox put a hand to Sky's sweaty forehead. "You're also running a fever."

Sky shook his head. "I'll be fine." he repeated. Suddenly, the cage was lowered to the surface of the water. Sky tried not to throw up; he couldn't afford to lose any nutrients. All of the squids gathered in the pool, chattering excitedly.

"And how are my prisoners doing?" the voice asked. Deadlox and Sky glared at him. "Well, it's been five days since I've kidnapped you, so I have made a decision. I'm letting you go."

There was a moment of shocked silence. "R-Really?" Sky asked.

If the voice had had a face, he would have been smirking. "Not you. Deadlox is free to go."

"Alright, what's the catch?" Deadlox asked with contempt.

The voice laughed. "You'll find out soon enough." Several squids swam up to the cage and opened it. Deadlox screamed as tentacles grabbed him and pulled him out. Sky yelled at the squids and grabbed his best friend's hand tightly, but with only one usable arm, Sky quickly felt Deadlox's fingers slip from his grasp. Sky let out a choked sob and reached his hand out towards Deadlox, who was being dragged to the mound of sand in the center of the room. He coughed as he sat up. Squids surrounded him with glass so he couldn't escape.

"Sky, have you ever seen a soul transfer?"

"N-No." Sky said hoarsely. "Never."

"Well today is your lucky day, butter god." the voice said mockingly. "Today you get to see one personally! Do you know what a soul transfer is?"

Sky vaguely recalled Seto talking about it. He blinked away tears as he wondered what he would give to see his friends again. "It requires very powerful magic. A soul inhabits another's body as if it were its own."

"Bravo." the voice sneered. "Do you know what happens to the original soul?"

Sky swallowed nervously. "The original soul? It dies." His eyes widened. "Oh my Notch..." He looked at the purple particles in horror. Deadlox realized his fate and buried his face in his hands. He wouldn't give the cruel soul the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

"Deadlox is free to go!" the voice repeated, his words having an ironic echo.

"You, you monster!" Sky screamed. "Why would you do this to us?"

"Why? Have the mortals truly forgotten my tale? No matter. So Deadlox, have you finally accepted that resistance gets you nowhere in the end?"

Deadlox looked up at the soul, his amber eyes hardened with pure hatred. "I'll accept that when the Nether freezes over, bastard." And he spat on the sand for extra measure.

"It's all over for you."

"Let me take his place!" Sky begged. "Please!!!"

"No. Deadlox has necromancer blood in him. We have an increased compatibility, which you would understand more clearly if you actually knew who I was. But I'll leave you in the dark for a little bit longer."

"My ancestors were... necromancers?" Deadlox asked, surprised at the revelation.

"Indeed they were."

"Sometimes I thought that the monsters I fought were trying to talk to me, but I always thought I was just hearing things..." Deadlox said. "Now it makes sense..."

"With your body, I will finally be able to harness my true power and take over Minecraftia! So Deadlox, do you have any final words?"

"Go burn in the Nether."

"Been there, done that. Really, you don't know who you're up against. But goodbye, Deadlox. It hasn't been a pleasure."

The purple particles glowed brighter as the voice chanted in an ancient language. Swirls of magic surrounded Deadlox and lifted him up in the air. He vaguely heard Sky screaming desperately, so he looked at his friend. Sky met his gaze, tears running down his face. Deadlox smiled slightly. I'm going to be fine. You were the best friend anyone could have had. I wish my life didn't have to be so short, but it was worth it. I'm glad I met you and the rest of the gang. Goodbye...

Sky's hands reached out to his friend. "STOP IT!!!" he screamed futilely. He watched as an aura of purple formed around Deadlox. The flash of light momentarily blinded Sky and the onlooking squids. When his vision cleared, he saw Deadlox still in the air, his eyes closed tightly. None of the watchers knew of the ongoing battle inside Deadlox's head.

Deadlox felt himself start floating away. He began to panic as he realized that he was going to die. No! I can't let my soul leave! He could feel his body straining with the tension of containing two souls. Deadlox sensed the other soul from the power emanating from it, so he latched on to it. He felt the other soul trying to release his grip, but he refused to let go. That's when everything went wrong. Deadlox's soul became entangled with the other.

Deadlox screamed in pain as he fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. "TY!!! TY NO!!!" Sky yelled. Deadlox's chest heaved as he coughed and hacked. "Ty?"

"AH!!!" Deadlox cried out as giant black wings erupted from his back, shattering his glass prison. The squids screamed in horror and backed up. Razor-sharp claws grew from Deadlox's fingers and toes. His long spiny tail swung around as Deadlox convulsed on the floor. Finally he stopped moving, taking several shuddering breaths. Slowly, he stood up and opened his eyes to reveal black slits. The crowd was completely silent as the creature examined his new wings. He looked at his clawed fingers and smiled maliciously.

"I... I did it." he said with slight surprise. Sky felt chills run down his back; it was Deadlox's voice, but at the same time it wasn't. His friend had never sounded so cruel or menacing. "Ha! I did it!" he cackled maniacally. "I'm finally free! HA HA HA HA!!!" He sniffed the air and licked his lips to show sharp fangs. He grabbed an unlucky squid and bit into it. The poor squid screamed in agony as it was devoured alive.

"What's wrong with you?" Sky asked, terrified.

"Oh Sky..." he said with sadistic glee. "I was hungry. I thought you hated squids."

"I do, but that's just inhumane!" Sky said. "Who are you, anyway?"

The creature laughed some more. "You can call me Enderlox. Lord Enderlox."

King Derpollous the Second's voice quavered as he said, "All hail Lord Enderlox, leader of the squids!" The squids bowed to Lord Enderlox fearfully, not willing to meet the same fate as their lost comrade. Lord Enderlox flew in the air, his shadow casted over the entire room. Sky looked at the winged creature in pure horror. His best friend had been replaced with a monster.