The parasite was gone.
Ethan had spent several moments making absolutely certain of that fact. He had searched through every corner of his soul he could reach, probing for the slightest trace of the suffocating darkness that had nearly consumed him.
Nothing.
Whatever Aisha had planted inside him, he had managed to get rid of it together with his beasts.
That alone was a reason to celebrate.
However, as the initial relief faded, Ethan found himself paying attention to something else.
The space the parasite had occupied remained.
It wasn't a physical space, nor was it one of the domains belonging to his beasts. It was something deeper, embedded within his soul. A hollow region that felt distinctly different from the rest of his spiritual existence.
Ethan reached towards it cautiously.
'What's this?'
The parasite had been rooted there, consuming his spiritual essence and gradually attempting to replace him. Now that it was gone, the area felt strangely empty.
