He gestured at the obsidian wasteland surrounding them. "In this realm, a Soul Warden can only use what is truly theirs. Your borrowed elements don’t exist here because they’re not part of your soul. They’re external additions, powerful but fundamentally separate from your core existence."

The silver-haired woman added her own commentary, her earlier contempt replaced by pity. "Being Blank isn’t uncommon. Perhaps two in every hundred humans are born without a natural affinity for any element. Most never realize it because they never attempt magic seriously enough to discover the limitation."

"But for a Soul Warden," another spirit continued, "being Blank is crippling. Malakai commanded seven elements. Even the weakest Wardens in history could manipulate at least two. You can’t access any without external assistance."

Jack’s transformed jaw clenched as the implications settled. His demon form was powerful, granted. But if he couldn’t use elemental magic without borrowed power, entire categories of combat and utility were locked away.

"Is there a solution?" Jack asked, his voice carrying across the stillness. "Or am I permanently limited to demon transformation and whatever physical techniques I can master?"

Kael’s expression shifted, becoming thoughtful. "There is a method. Difficult and resource-intensive, but possible. Malakai developed it specifically for cases like yours, though whether he was Blank himself or anticipated future Wardens who would be is unclear from the records he left."

The former Soul Warden began walking again, gesturing for Jack to follow.

The other spirits parted before them, their earlier hostility replaced by curious observation.

"You’ll need to infuse an element into your body directly," Kael explained as they walked. "Not through contracts or blessings, but by integrating elemental essence at a fundamental level. Making it part of your soul rather than something you borrow from external sources."

"How?" Jack demanded, his demon form’s natural impatience bleeding through.

"Start with dark element, since that is easier for me to tell, since that is where my knowledge is," Kael replied. "You’ll need one hundred Nightglass Cores. The seed pods from Malakai’s Garden, cultivated and harvested properly."

Jack’s mind immediately recalled the garden’s seeds.

The math worked, but the timeline would be extensive. One year growth cycle per generation. Multiple generations are needed to accumulate one hundred cores.

"Once you have the cores," Kael continued, "you’ll melt them down along with the Dark Prism Crystal. The mixture creates an ink that can be used to inscribe magic circles directly onto your body. The circles act as conduits, allowing elemental power to flow through you and settle into your soul permanently."

"Where do I find the circle designs?" Jack asked.

"They’re hidden in the castle," Kael replied. "Malakai scattered them throughout the structure, each one concealed in different locations. You’ll have to search for them yourself. The dark element circle is somewhere in the library’s restricted section, if I remember correctly from my own tenure, but the exact location shifts. The castle rearranges itself periodically."

Jack’s slitted eyes tracked across the obsidian landscape as he processed the information.

Grow the seeds. Harvest one hundred cores. Find the magic circle diagram. Inscribe the pattern on his body using elemental ink.

Complicated, but achievable. The timeline would be measured in years, given the required growth cycles, but he had time. More importantly, he had a path forward.

"Each element requires its own unique circle," Kael added, anticipating Jack’s next question. "Seven elements mean seven different patterns to discover and inscribe. Fire has different requirements than water. Lightning differs from earth. You’ll need to repeat the entire process for each one if you want to replicate what Malakai achieved."

"Seven hundred cores total," Jack calculated aloud. "One hundred for each element. Months of cultivation, even with the time differential between the tower and Erbeon."

"Exactly," Kael confirmed. "Which is why most Soul Wardens throughout history specialized in one or two elements at most. The resource investment for more becomes impractical unless you’re planning to hold the position for centuries."

He paused, his glowing eyes tracking across Jack’s demon form with renewed assessment.

"Though there is an alternative method. Inscribing the circles on your bound servants instead of yourself."

Jack’s slitted pupils narrowed with interest. "Explain."

"You control their souls completely," Kael replied, his tone shifting to instructional. "The binding process gives you absolute authority over their spiritual essence. Which means you can inscribe elemental circles directly onto their forms without requiring consent or cooperation."

"And if the process kills them?" Jack asked. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"They resurrect," Kael stated flatly. "Your bound servants are immortal so long as you survive. Fatal damage triggers automatic restoration. So if inscribing an elemental circle tears their soul apart during the process, they reform, and you can attempt again with a refined technique."

The silver-haired woman who’d mocked Jack earlier spoke up, her expression thoughtful rather than contemptuous.

"Malakai used this method extensively. His bound army wasn’t just numerous, it was specialized. Fire-aligned demons for assault operations. Water-aligned spirits for naval engagements. Each servant was inscribed with circles that matched their tactical purpose."

Another spirit added his perspective, a man with scarred magic circles embedded into his hands. "The advantage is resource efficiency. Instead of requiring seven hundred cores for yourself, you could distribute elements across your army. Ten servants with fire circles. Ten with lightning. Each one becomes a specialist without requiring you to master everything."

"But there are limitations," Kael continued, his tone carrying warning. "Servants can only channel elements through the circles you inscribe. They don’t develop natural affinity or independent mastery. They’re tools executing your will, not independent mages making tactical decisions."

Jack’s demon form shifted slightly, his mind already calculating possibilities. "How many circles can a single servant support before their soul destabilizes?"

"That depends on the servant’s base strength," Kael replied. "Weak souls collapse after one inscription. Strong souls might handle two or three before degradation becomes irreversible. Malakai’s most powerful bound entities carried four or five circles simultaneously, but they were exceptional specimens. Infernal Nobles and ancient dragons with spiritual foundations that could bear the strain."

He gestured vaguely at the obsidian wasteland. "The process isn’t gentle. Each inscription burns patterns into their soul that can’t be removed or altered without destroying the binding entirely. You’re essentially branding them with elemental authority, permanently modifying what they are at fundamental levels."

"Do they retain consciousness during inscription?" Jack asked, his transformed voice carrying clinical interest rather than concern.

"Fully aware," the scarred spirit confirmed, his expression suggesting personal experience with the process. "The pain is catastrophic. Imagine your soul being rewritten while you remain conscious enough to feel every alteration. Most servants scream until their vocal cords shred. Some go catatonic from the trauma even though the binding prevents actual madness."

Kael’s glowing eyes met Jack’s slitted gaze. "But it works. And for a Soul Warden building long-term power, having an army of elementally-specialized servants provides tactical flexibility that personal mastery alone can’t match. You become a commander directing specialized forces rather than a lone warrior trying to master everything yourself."

Jack processed this information with the cold efficiency of someone evaluating strategic options, free of emotional interference. Inscribing his bound servants enabled him to create specialized units without spending decades cultivating cores for personal use.

The cruelty of the process.

The pain, the permanent modification, the repeated deaths if initial attempts failed. Registered as tactically relevant rather than morally concerning.

These were souls he’d already bound to his service. Tools to be utilized for maximum efficiency.

"How many cores per servant?" Jack questioned.

"Twenty for the first circle," Kael replied. "Ten for subsequent circles if their soul proves strong enough to handle multiple inscriptions. The reduced cost for additional circles reflects the foundational work already completed during the first inscription."

Jack’s mind calculated rapidly. Twenty cores per servant for initial inscription. If he focused on creating specialists rather than personal mastery, he could field an elementally diverse force much faster than the months required to inscribe himself with all seven elements.

"And the circles?" Jack pressed. "Are the diagrams the same regardless of whether I’m inscribing myself or a servant?"

"Identical patterns," Kael confirmed. "The circles don’t distinguish between Soul Warden and bound entity. The inscription process is the same. Only the target’s spiritual resilience determines success or failure."