Chapter 39: Versus The Devil
The first vision Maximus experienced was Sybil's origins — How she became a siren and a servant of Cain.
He saw how, when the villagers she grew up with turned on her the moment they found out she was psychic, which was a crime in the village.
Banished to an isolated and barren island, she soon met Selene, who tricked her into consuming human flesh.
He saw how they attracted the attention of the literal devil that is Cade — He saw them do lives bidding, tempting sin into action and devouring the bodies of those who sinned, delivering their souls to Cade (The Devil) through the centuries.
He saw the Witch Holocaust they were responsible for — And how they obliterated the Bennett Coven until it was only the Bennett line that survived through Max's own ancestress, Beatrice Bennett.
He watched on as it was Beatrice Bennett herself who had first sealed the sirens in the Armory's Vault.
Max then saw a bunch of other stuff — feelings, sensations, memories — But they were all irrelevant, so he tuned them out.
Eventually, Max's mind returned to the present, and he was himself once more — Only, different. His mind was stronger, more rooted and firm. His psychic foundations, which were already impressive before, were even more dense and compact than they were previously.
Clenching a fist, he felt it.
His psychic capabilities before had allowed him the capabilities of manipulating entire towns at once, move things with his mind at a near-unmatched level — Now, though, those capabilities were enhanced greatly.
It was as before he was seeing the world through 1080p (Full HD) resolution. And now, he was watching it through 4K (Ultra HD) resolution. While both allowed him pretty good view of the world, only one was above average.
Max soon left the Armory, his next target was the location of the second siren — Which happened to be near Mystic Falls, ironically. He had felt its presence near the city with his own psychic powers.
It only took an hour to get to the apartment where Selene was — And less than 3 minutes to actually subdue her, binding her with magic and forcing her to her knees.
"If you kill me, I'll just come right back," Selene glared up at an approaching Maximus. "My Master will—"
"I'm well aware of the capabilities of the Devil, Miss Selene," Max rested his palm on Selene's head. "I wouldn't count on being brought back from this, though — For that is outside of even the capabilities of Arcadius...
"And, as for your Master, I wouldn't worry about him too much — For he is next, after all...
"Assimilate."
After this series of visions, Maximus returned to himself, feeling the increase in his telepathic capabilities. It wasn't much, but it was noticeable.
'The Rune of Assimilation doesn't just let me take all a person… For sure, it takes the wisdom, the knowledge and the experiences of those I target, but the physical traits, powers and abilities I take are subconsciously all the ones I would desire — With none of the strings attached,' Maximus grinned.
Mason and the two warlocks who had helped Max subdue the siren noticed the diabolical grin and, instead of feeling fear or dread like Max's enemies would, they felt their breath catch and a hard-on catch beneath their underwear.
Max, who was glad of his reapings, noted that he was basically immortal — When he dies, his soul would return to his psychic dimension and he could leave it and return it to his body at will — Bringing himself back without even activating his phoenix's flames of resurrection.
On top of that, his physical strength and durability was now greater than most 300 to 400 year old vampires.
Furthermore, Max possessed even greater speed while un-shifted — Not as much as he would shifted, but he was, at base, definitely faster than a newborn vampire, that's for sure.
There weren't any other traits that peaked Max's fancy. The voice manipulation, memory manipulation, psychic pain infliction, psychic illusions and mind control + possession were all abilities that Max already possessed, so he didn't decide to take them from either sirens — He just used them and the souls they belonged to to enhance his own psychic capabilities.
"Did you get all you were looking for?" Mason asked Max, curiously, as Max walked over the dried, soulless husk that was the remains of Selene. Neither men gave the corpse much more than a glance. "Let's get out of here. This place raises my hackles."
"Well, you're quite literally a werewolf, Mason, so…" Kaleb shrugged casually, as they led the way.
Max was about to follow when he felt it — The arrival of Him.
Instantly, Max sent the three men into his psychic world — He didn't need them acting out of sorts or fall under his control — Something that is most definitely possible considering how strong a psychic he is.
The room seemed to only momentarily darken at his arrival. Yet, just as Max predicted, dressed in a red/black expensive suit, his bald head gleaming like Lex Luthor himself, was Arcadius — Aka, Cade. Aka, the Devil of this world, in all his handsome glory.
When he appeared, neither man said a word, merely stared at one another. But it was Max who broke it.
"Damn, you are indeed handsome," Max quipped, much to Cade's amusement. "It's a shame one of us isn't making it out of this room alive. But then again, who would've guessed the Devil himself would investigate the deaths of his precious servants?"
Arcadius smirked.
"So you've heard of me… And yet… you still seek to challenge me?" Cade asked, clearly amused by Max's audacity. "I don't know if you're mad or if you're just bold."
"I'm special," Max beamed, a special glint in his overly enthusiastic eyes — A mask to his true feelings.
"Clearly," Arcadius chuckled, circling Max slowly a few times. "You know, you're an interesting soul. Your psychic abilities far exceed the sirens. Even I cannot peer into your mind with or without extreme effort. You're quite the gifted psychic."
"Why thank you," Max smiled, hand over his heart. "You're not half bad yourself, Mista J… or Mista Cade… Yeah, that one works. I'm gonna call you Mista Cade."
"Hmm…" Cade paused his stride before Maximus, eyes squinting. "How did you manage to destroy my acolytes? I can no longer feel them. They severed from me. How did you accomplish this?"
"Hehehe…" Max giggled, high on amusement. Then, placing a finger to his lips,he said, "Shhh. Secrets."
Cade narrowed his eyes, clearly unamused. Then, gathering himself, he just shook his head before facing Max with a smile — one with much more effort in it this time. "I'm in need of a new acolyte for my—" he began.
"Pass. I don't work for no one," laughed Max, jovially. "Soul/Mind Magic: Psychic Soul Binding."
Wispy chains wrapped around a very much shocked Arcadius, binding him completely in magic that even the most powerful of souls wouldn't be able to escape. It sealed his mental powers, his ability to speak and move, and any tricks he may have had up his sleeves — An absolute spell for powerful minds and powerful souls alike.
Wasting no time, Maximus used the Rune of Assimilation on a wide-eyed Arcadius, and pain was unlike anything he's felt in this new life of his…