Reborn as the Last van Ambrose
Chapter 210: You’re Just Like Me

Chapter 210: You’re Just Like Me

The surge of energy that flowed from Grim was substantial, enough to incapacitate any normal person within seconds. He watched for signs of the technique taking effect—the numbness, the discoloration, the disruption of magical equilibrium.

Instead, Malaxis chuckled.

"Oh my," the entity said with apparent delight, "thank you for the snack. I was quite hungry."

Grim felt his mana being not just absorbed but consumed, drawn into Malaxis like water disappearing into a bottomless well. The technique that had disabled Terras completely was having no effect whatsoever.

"You are nowhere near Caius’s strength," Malaxis continued conversationally, grabbing Grim’s his wrist aggressively. His grip on Grim’s wrist tightened to prevent withdrawal. "You might have great tutelage and impressive potential, but you don’t have enough raw power to compete with me. Not yet."

Before Grim could respond, he felt the flow of energy reverse. His own mana came rushing back into his system with violent force, followed immediately by something else—dark mana.

"No—" Grim began, trying to pull away, but Malaxis’s grip was like iron.

The dark mana flowed into Grim’s body with shocking ease, as if his body was designed to accept it.

He felt it mixing with his existing mana, not fighting them but complementing them in ways that felt both natural and terrifying.

Pain flared along the scar on his face as it began to glow with a dark purple light. His vision shifted, colors becoming more vivid while shadows seemed to deepen and writhe with their own life.

Most disturbing of all, he could feel his eyes changing, the familiar sensation of his normal vision being replaced by something that allowed him to perceive mana directly.

"Fascinating," Malaxis said, finally releasing Grim’s wrist and leaning back to observe the transformation. "Your body accepts dark mana as readily as it accepts any other type. Most humans would be torn apart by such an infusion."

Grim staggered backward, one hand instinctively moving to cover his scar while the other pressed against the wall for support. He could feel the dark mana settling into his body.

"What did you do to me?" he demanded, though his voice sounded different. It has a slight echo to it.

"It’s simple. If you can accept light mana you can accept dark mana. Light and dark mana are two sides of the same coin. It takes time for the body to accept it."

Malaxis continued. "I never intended for you to absorb the dark mana, but you did. So this will be interesting. Will you give in to the dark mana? Will you be able to fight it off? Watching your growth is entertainment enough."

"I was betrayed by the people I led. The kingdom I made was strong. I made sure it had everything and that no one could challenge me. But everything changed when my brother betrayed me. I was left for dead and imprisoned."

"That’s when I found dark mana. I gave in to the feeling, I bathed in it. It became a part of me."

"You’re more like me than you want to admit. Your own people betrayed you. Left you for dead, cursed your family, and then hunted them like dogs. They were killed one after another. And I never even had a hand in it."

Malaxis continued, rising from his chair and approaching the mirror mounted on the chamber’s far wall. He gestured for Grim to join him. "Take a look."

Reluctantly, Grim moved to stand beside Malaxis. The reflection that stared back at him was recognizable but changed—his eyes had shifted from their normal color to something darker, almost black, while the scar on his face pulsed with purple energy that seemed to move beneath his skin.

"Beautiful, isn’t it?" Malaxis said with genuine appreciation. "The mark I gave you twelve years ago wasn’t just a wound—it was a seed, waiting for the right moment to bloom. Tonight seemed like the perfect time for germination."

"Change me back," Grim said, though even as the words left his mouth, he could feel how natural the dark energy felt within his body.

"Change you back to what?" Malaxis asked with mock innocence. "This is what you’ve always been, what you were always meant to become. I simply helped you accept your true nature."

The dark mana continued to circulate through his system, and Grim realized with growing horror that it felt good—like a missing piece of himself had finally been restored. The sensation was intoxicating, offering power and clarity that his normal magical abilities had never provided.

"The dragon contracts, the imperial favor, the growing reputation—all stepping stones leading to this moment," Malaxis continued. "You’ve been building power, gathering allies, and establishing yourself as a force in the realm. But you’ve been doing it with only part of your true potential."

"This isn’t who I am," Grim said, though his conviction was wavering as the dark energy integrated more completely with his existing magical framework.

"Isn’t it?" Malaxis asked with a smile that was all teeth. "Tell me, how does it feel? The power, the clarity, the sense of... completion?"

Grim wanted to deny it, to reject whatever corruption was spreading through his system. But the honest answer was that it felt incredible—like he’d been operating with artificial limitations that had suddenly been removed.

"You feel it, don’t you?" Malaxis pressed. "The potential that’s always been locked away, the strength that your noble ideals have kept you from accessing. This is just the beginning of what you could become."

The chamber fell silent except for the distant sounds of the celebration continuing in the main hall. Grim stared at his transformed reflection, struggling to reconcile the image with his sense of self while feeling the intoxicating rush of this new expanded power.

"Why?" he finally asked. "Why reveal this now?"

"Because the time for subtlety is ending," Malaxis replied, his expression becoming more serious. "Greater conflicts are coming, threats that will require you to use every tool at your disposal. Consider this a... graduation gift."

"When you want the truth about this Empire, come to the Demon Realm. I will give you all the answers to your questions. This Empire is unforgiving. The people here are stains on reality. I will fix my mistakes so this tragedy can end."

Malaxis moved toward the door, pausing with his hand on the handle. "Enjoy the rest of your celebration, my son. We’ll speak again soon, when you’ve had time to fully appreciate what you’ve become."

As Malaxis left the chamber, Grim remained standing before the mirror, staring at the stranger wearing his face—someone with dark eyes and a pulsing purple scar that seemed to mark him as something other than purely human.

The celebration continued beyond the door, filled with guests who had no idea that everything had just changed in ways they couldn’t comprehend.

As servants discreetly cleaned the blood from the floor and the celebration resumed its festive atmosphere, Grim couldn’t shake the feeling that he had just played directly into whatever game Malaxis was orchestrating.

"I need to get back to the celebration. But, this change needs to go away. This is not me, no matter how good it feels." Grim thought to himself.