Lewd King's Bucket List

'Hmm…'

Ixion, hovering on the chandelier, watched Marlowe walk down the hall and mutter to himself:

"Fallen no more, king of despots…"

Ixion nearly laughed, but sadly, he could not do so in his soul form.

'Hey, hey! That wasn't nice!'

Floating down from the chandelier, Ixion watched as Illium was returned his spear, and the two veteran knights began leading the new recruits toward the armory.

'They're headed south, huh…'

'How sly!'

Not only would Reina, who was thought to be the target of the king, be sent away, but she'd be able to grow stronger while earning merit and accolades.

'Not even I knew that was the true reason it had been brought up at the council!'

Was it time for Veritas to flee the nest? To follow her south?

All Ixion had to do was dress him up as a soldier, then send him on his way. He could hide himself away whenever he needed to be Ixion.

He did need to finish saturating his core anyway. Though he was doubtful too many Bloomed beasts would be around.

'Ah, sounds fun!'

With his detour accomplished, it was time to enter a thrall — rem his soul deep in their body. Ixion had a particular one in mind. He was a feminine, frail man with silky brown hair.

'Now, now. Where is he?'

Ixion exited into the shopping district, then shot through the streets and beyond, eventually coming to a stop around the man's usual patrol area.

Sadly, Ixion's soul sense was thrown off by his hollow soul, but by searching for what wasn't there, he eventually found his target.

'Time to enter him! Wait… that sounds wrong!'

As Ixion's soul raced toward his target, he wondered what it would be like to share the body of a thrall.

When Ixion inhabited a person while in [Astral Projection], he could talk in their mind, but he wasn't necessarily within it…

He did share some of the feelings and thoughts of the target; not that the feelings took form in words, but in raw impressions.

'Here goes nothing.'

Ixion's soul slammed into the small man, settling beside the hollow void within.

Instantly, Ixion felt a wave of cold wash over him, as though someone with glacial hands was caressing his body, slowly squeezing.

'How unpleasant…'

Ixion shook, causing the vessel to nearly trip as he walked along his designated path.

'Oh, oops.'

He was not supposed to think consciously! While he was unable to perceive the man's inner thoughts, his own thoughts were audible to them.

'Damn! Did it again!'

Ixion rattled, causing the poor patrolman to trip and fall.

'Drats! I did it again again!'

The man paid it no heed, pushing himself off the ground and standing up.

'Hey, fucker. Since I already talked, are you going to acknowledge me?'

The patrolman continued on his path.

'Whatever, be shy. It's not like I care or anything...'

Taking only right turns, the man was making his rounds circling the house of horrors.

'Hmph!'

While Ixion knew the enthralled were broken and shattered, hollow without will, he hadn't expected a complete void of response.

'...'

More so, he'd expected a reaction to a random voice spawning in one's head — at least a flicker of confusion.

Ixion rattled his soul, causing the man to fall again.

'Seriously, no reaction?'

Ixion wasn't even worth an 'ow.'

'...'

'You know, it's kind of hurtful to be ignored!'

'Actually, nevermind! I don't care! I truly don't! Keep ignoring me!'

A couple of hours passed in monotony, during which Ixion kept pestering the man to amuse himself — or rather, to see if he could provoke any kind of response. Well, more so to gauge if returning autonomy was possible and to see if Despair caught on.

After his failed tests, Ixion began attuning his senses to the man's.

Trying to share senses with such an unusual being was quite hard. But having studied this man for so long, he felt he had it down.

'Just so you know, I'm still not bothered by you ignoring me!'

Carefully, Ixion made his move.

He didn't force the man's weak soul out and away — no; he superimposed his own soul upon the man.

The man shuddered, then stood still…

Then, after a few seconds, he started carrying on as normal.

'Success!'

The moment Ixion left this body, the soul would be damaged irreparably and die, but while in the body, he could now sense more than what the five senses relayed.

Mainly, he could sense the man's Aether as if it were his own.

While that seemed like something he should already be able to do, he actually couldn't.

When inhabiting an alive body, he could only control them at the most basic level, not including their Aether. If he wanted to use a Trait in their body, he'd have to draw Aether all the way from his main body. When he entered a dead body, that was also how he used Aether, but he could at least store his Aether within the empty meridians of the body.

It wasn't too important to note, but this was the phenomenon that caused Soul Sickness.

As Ixion began feeling the man's Aether, he noticed something odd.

The man's Aether did not flow — it hung. Suspended. Static. Like a stagnant well that had long since forgotten what it meant to ripple.

'…That's new.'

Ixion leaned into it, studying the strange stillness.

And then he felt it.

A pull. It was subtle at first. So faint it might have been mistaken for imagination. A slight tug, deep within the man's frame — not physical, not entirely Aetheric, but something else.

Yet nothing had changed. The man turned right, and right again. But with each step, the pull grew a fraction stronger.

'Oh?'

Ixion sharpened his focus, tracing the sensation. It wasn't coming from within the man.

It was external.

Ixion wished he could smile.

'So… it was possible.'

If the feeling Ixion was gathering from this calling were correct…

'The thralls could enter on their own.'

Looks like he didn't have to wait around for Despair to call in a thrall after all!

'Lucky me!'

As they passed the front door of the house, the itching feeling grew.

He felt the call of Despair's home.

With their soul's infused, Ixion could slightly influence the man he inhabited. Something especially easy to do since he lacked will.

Ixion instilled a subtle desire in him, a feeling.

'Return home to Despair's world.'

Sadly, he couldn't use Aether, or Despair would sense him. That was how Despair had known it was him the first time, since he'd used [Noble]. Multiple times at that.

While Despair was aware of his own soul, it didn't seem possible for Despair to be aware of others'.

All of a sudden, the guard stopped and turned to face the house.

In the next moment, the man took a step toward the door.