章 70: Book 3: Chapter 10 – The Truth About Pure Souls
It wasn't only Amira, Fatty also seemed to have been affected by whatever the illusory old man had done, but unlike Amira, Julius had directly lost consciousness.
Ace was moments away from victory, but he wouldn't allow his need for revenge to put those he cared about in harm's way… 'Not again!'
He wanted to grab Amira and Julius so he could at least try and protect them, but he didn't dare to move. He guessed the old man had used some type of spiritual technique to attack their souls.
Whilst he knew it would have no effect on him due to the barrier his master had told him was protecting his soul, he also knew he wasn't fast enough to get to Amira and Julius before the ghost-like figure could attack again. As much as it pained him to admit it, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
But if anything happened to either of them, he'd slaughter everyone here in the most brutal way imaginable.
It might seem arrogant, considering the old man was able to do so much damage with such ease, but Ace was confident that the old man was some sort of spirit.
Of course, he had no idea what level he was at exactly, but as long as he wasn't a deity, he wouldn't be able to harm Ace's soul, which meant all Ace had to do was take on Linley and his beast partner and, in their current conditions, neither would be a match for him.
"Don't worry; I have no intention of harming you or your little friends any more than I already have," Cowart explained when he felt Ace's steadily rising killing intent whilst hiding the shock he felt in his heart. "I just needed to get your attention before you killed my disciple's beast companion."
Ace was right, he was nothing but a spirit at this point, but he was still a former saint-level mage. Even if he didn't have a corporeal body, his soul was still at the saint level. So even though he couldn't use spiritual attacks much without it weakening him, any casual attack should be more than enough to deal with a child.
How could he be anything but shocked when the boy in front of him didn't seem to even feel it?
"Well, you have it," Ace stated coldly.
Doehring Cowart could only sigh helplessly. He was telling the truth when he said he didn't want to hurt Ace or his friends. He felt the boy and his family had gone through enough already; he didn't want to add to it.
"Both of your little friends will be okay after a little rest," Cowart explained softly. "To prove that I mean you no harm, I'll even let you bring both of your friends over to your side. I just want you to listen to everything I have to say, and then what happens next is up to you.
I'm sure I don't have to tell you, but you're the one in the driving seat here."
Ace understood that that was the spirit's way of telling him he couldn't harm him and that he would do whatever he could to protect Linley and his mouse.
Ace moved like a flash as he appeared behind Amira, lifting her carefully into his arms. "Are you okay?"
Hearing Ace's caring voice, a gentle smile appeared on the little amazon's face. "I'm okay."
Ace didn't even spare a glance at the old ghost or Linley, who was glaring daggers at him. Amira's well-being was the only thing on his mind. "I'm sorry. If it wasn't for me, none of th-"
"It's fine, I'm fine," Amira said reassuringly, not seeming to mind the fact that she was being carried like a princess by Ace. "What about fatty?"
Making sure to hold her tight in his arms, Ace swiftly made his way to where Julius was lying unconscious.
"I can't tell for certain," Ace said as he lifted Julius over his shoulder and carried Amira in his other arm. "But I think he's just unconscious."
As he returned, Ace stopped 10 meters away from Linley and his master. He gently lay Julius behind him and went to put Amira behind him, only for her to stop him.
"We handle whatever comes next together."
Ace wanted to argue, but when he saw the look in her eyes, he could only smile helplessly. But his heart felt a warmth he wasn't used to.
Whether it was this life or his previous one, he had many people he cared about, many of whom were more than willing to give their lives for him, but none made him feel like Amira did.
It was only when the sound of Doehring clearing his throat rang in his ears did Ace remember they weren't alone.
Amira was shocked as Doehring allowed himself to become visible even to her. Though she quickly regained her composure as she frostily glared at him understanding he was the one responsible for the sudden spiritual attack she received.
The warmth in Ace's heart was instantly replaced by a frigid killing intent as he locked eyes with the illusory old man who dared put his friends in harm's way.
"You have two minutes," Ace stated directly. "Speak!"
"First, my name's Doehring Cowart. I'd like to extend my sincerest apologies on behalf of my disciple and his family," Cowart said, not minding Ace's rudeness.
"Grandpa Doehring…" Linley said unwillingly. "Why are you apologising? He tried to kill us after I already tried to apologise. He almost killed Bebe."
Though his injuries were far from fatal, Bebe's jet-black fur was stained red with his blood. He glared at Ace from Linley's shoulder as if he would attack the second Linley gave the order. Still, Ace remained completely unphased as he silently waited to hear what the ghost had to say.
"That's probably because you were apologising for the wrong thing," Cowart said softly, bringing no small amount of confusion to Linley. "You were apologising for the way your family treated Ace and his family after they rejected your offer, but Ace is angry – and understandably so – because your mother tried to have his family killed."
"What? My mother would never do something like that!" Linley adamantly declared.
Doehring could only sigh when he heard that. He knew that Linley deeply loved his parents, but he also understood what his mother was capable of. "Linley, your mother's not the angel you believe her to be. At least not anymore."
"What are you talking about?" Linley asked, his tone sombre.
"You remember when you were younger, and you overheard your father talking to that Hillman fellow about your mother's attempted kidnapping but never finding out who did it or why?
At first, I didn't think much of it, but when I overheard people referring to your mother as a gentle and caring person, I found it weird as that's not the woman she was today.
I know you love her, but I know you noticed the changes your mother's been experiencing over the years." Cowart explained slowly.
Linley didn't say anything, but the former saint knew that all things considered, that was his disciple's way of silently acknowledging his point.
"Well, if I'm right, it was likely done by the Radiant Church, or at least by someone hoping to gain their favour," Doehring explained, shocking both Ace and Linley.
The only person who didn't seem too surprised by this sudden revelation was Amira, who seemed to figure something out from the old man's words.
"First, you need to understand, although it's a secret to the masses, for as long as I can remember, both the radiant church and the cult of shadows like to collect those born with pure souls and offer them up to their respective sovereigns.
I don't know what those sovereigns want with them, but I know that both forces will do almost anything for more pure souls." He explained.
"What are pure souls?" Ace asked when he remembered that his master had said his mother also had one.
"Those with pure souls are considered to be blessed by the heavens. They have incredibly high affinities to either the laws of life or light, allowing them to comprehend those laws with unparalleled ease. Their souls also grow stronger at an almost ridiculous speed, ensuring they won't meet a bottleneck till they become rank-nine mages.
The other common factor those with pure souls share is their extremely kind natures. Unfortunately, that comes at a potential cost. If those with a pure soul come to suffer any kind of evil deed, their souls tend to become tainted with darkness.
Over time, that person will become darker and darker in nature. Unless they can somehow find a way to overcome the darkness in their heart, they will eventually lose themselves in it completely."
As his master said that, Linley felt a deep worry take over his heart. Like his grandpa Doehring said, he noticed his mother's dark changes over time. Though she showed him and Wharton nothing but love, she had become arrogant and overbearing to everyone else, including his father – Hogg.
"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Linley shouted at his master.
As much as he loved his master, he wouldn't be able to forgive him if something happened to his mother because he refused to tell him about the problem sooner.
"Because whilst I do know a way to save her, it requires a certain potion, and several of the ingredients needed can only be found in the depths of the wild. Places where rank-eight and nine beasts run amok. There's a good chance you'll also have to go up against saint-level beasts." Cowart sighed. "Unless your strength reaches at least the eighth rank, you should forget about attempting to hunt the ingredients down."
Linley couldn't say anything in response to that. If this trip had taught him anything, it was that as talented as he was, he was far from invincible.
"You don't have to worry too much," Cowart said when he saw the sombre expression on his disciple's face. "By my estimations, your mother should have another ten years before all hope's lost. As long as you can reach the eighth or even ninth rank by then, you should be able to venture into the wilderness and collect the ingredients."
Hearing that, hope blossomed in his heart.
'Five years! In five years, I'll reach the eighth rank, and then I'll venture into the wild.' Linley vowed internally. 'And after that, I'll destroy the radiant church for ever daring to harm my mother!'
Cowart could guess what his disciple was thinking, but he didn't say anything to dissuade him. He knew better than anyone how talented Linley was; he was also very hard-working. Still, he had always been missing that ambition that was needed from true experts that aspired to reach the peak.
This was precisely what Linley needed to really make the most of his untapped potential. In the space of one battle, he had found himself a bitter enemy and arguably most importantly, he'd found himself a rival, but for Ace and Linley to truly become rivals, Ace would have to let go of his desire for vengeance. At least until Linley was able to mature.
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