บท 12: Soul
*Drip.*
*Drip.*
*Drip.*
Inside a dimly lit room, water leaked from the ceiling and fell on the face of a young man. He was incredibly pale and thin, his body seemingly drained of everything.
But even in that state, the droplets quickly stirred him awake, his golden pupils flickering open as he scanned his surroundings.
He tried to sit up, struggling immensely as his body held no power. In the end, his strength gave out, and he flopped back down, closing his eyes.
<Pathetic.>
A voice mocked, dripping with disdain.
With his eyes closed, he saw a man sitting on a throne, looking down at him. The aura around the figure screamed danger, yet the man felt no fear—he knew exactly what it was.
It was the embodiment of everything he used to be.
The true side of him.
<Look at what you've become. Groveling, weak, dying. All because our soul didn't completely fuse, allowing the weakest piece to take the lead.>
Eden had no reaction, but his chest tightened—not just from physical pain, but from the conflict within. That piece of him, the part that repressed everything—desires, emotions—was crumbling.
Another voice joined in, quieter but present.
{Merge with us. You know what we are, what we could be again. You're dying because you've forgotten who you are. Who we are. We are one.}
It sounded like a multitude of voices overlapping each other.
<We ruled everything. We took what we wanted, felt what we wanted. And now? Now we're letting that fragile part of us...win.> The voice from the throne broke through again.
Eden tried to shut the voices out, but the fragment continued, relentless.
<You could have it all again and more. Power beyond reason, pleasures of every kind. The cosmos would bow, and your enemies would crawl at your feet, begging for mercy you wouldn't give.>*
His breath was ragged as his condition worsened. His fractured soul spun around him, the pieces arguing, shouting—and yet...tempting him.
{It's who you are. We are who you are.}
Eden trembled, feeling the familiar pull, the intoxicating rush causing his heart to race as his body tensed, teetering on the edge of either destruction or rebirth.
<We don't know how many decades have passed since we left. What if our kingdom has fallen? What about our wives? Do you think those other Supreme Gods wouldn't take this chance to strike?> The arrogance in the voice softened for a brief moment.
At these words, Eden's eyes fluttered open, his vision clearing as a familiar feeling of rage coursed through him.
Silence followed. The voices stopped. His shattered soul waited, watching him, anticipating his decision.
"Stop talking...and merge with me!"
Ever since he appeared in this world all those years ago, there were many things he wanted to do, but it felt like he was bound by some unknown rules.
But now that he knew it was the weakness of his own minor soul? The only choice was to merge.
He opened his eyes, the golden color shining brighter than before, burning the contacts away. A small smile forming on his face as he fully embraced the feeling.
Colors flashed, transforming the dark room into a beacon of light.
Eden's body began to feel the breath of life return, restoring his lost vitality. His muscles grew more defined, his hair returned to its original silver hue and grew slightly longer from the overflowing energy.
The space around him distorted, destroying all the monsters two floors above from the sheer power.
Inside his mind, ecstasy filled him as memories and emotions flooded back. They were still spotty, but he could see the figures of multiple women in various scenes. One he immediately recognized as the Goddess Celestia.
Though still a little confused, the memories began to explain. His soul had been fractured and split apart. The main piece and five others had stayed together when they entered the mortal realm.
Unfortunately, they didn't merge, and only one piece took the lead, leaving him the way he was—his emotions dampened, his desires denied.
Only a few pieces of his soul remained before the entire picture would be complete, and his power would be fully restored.
Now that the main pieces had fused, his memories assimilated, no part of his soul overtaking the other. They had perfectly combined into one.
'My soul shouldn't have merged this quickly. Is this what Celestia was talking about?'
Reaching into the air next to him, Eden pulled out a box and watched as it disintegrated.
'Ah, I see. She's advanced far along her path of Life Divinity. This box held a piece of the Essence of Life. How did she get her hands on this?'
He was touched as he thought of the significance such an item has. It was a crucial piece for Celestia's ascension from Nature Goddess to Life Goddess.
Fortunately Life was ever renewing so another piece could be found, but there was no telling how long or how dangerous it would be to gather it.
Shaking his head, he decided to leave that problem for the future. Once his power returns to its peak, getting another piece wouldn't be perilous.
Eden frowned, remembering his time spent in the dungeon and his previous behavior before recalling what had happened to him.
They had been fighting a monster when Eli used a spell called Drain on him. It had sapped him of all his strength, leaving him no time to fight back.
Eden smiled at the memory of their smug faces as they left.
'What a wonderful place I've ended up. What are the odds this was the little project of those two silly girls?'
'Well, I can't leave for the time being. Now that Celestia knows I'm here, the others will bring pieces of me together so I can ascend.'
'I guess that leaves me with free time… hmm… a great opportunity to do whatever I want.'
A grin spread across his face. He wanted to have fun, to make up for all the time he had restrained himself.
"I wonder how those two are doing now?" Eden thought of Alycia and Sylvia, curious about what they'd been up to.
*Clack, clack, clack.*
Footsteps echoed in the distance, instantly catching his attention.
"Guards, huh?"
He focused on the sensation and his sight changed. Now, he had a view of the guards approaching, though it wasn't entirely clear. Like watching a TV with a shoddy connection, he couldn't make out many details.
It was a start, though. His divine sense couldn't reach far in its current state.
Minutes passed, and eventually, the guards sprinted into the room, standing before him.
"Who are you?!"
Eden didn't respond. He glanced over his shoulder, gauging their strength.
"Peak Mortal? Weak."
The guards felt their legs grow limp as his bright golden pupils scanned them.
*Plop.*
One of them collapsed to his knees in prostration, unable to lift his head.
"What are you—?! Get up!" The other shouted, but there was no reply. The man on the ground simply prostrated, shaking in fear.
Seeing this, the standing guard could only shake his head and refocus on the sole threat in the room—a rather tall man with long silver hair. His torn clothes and bare feet indicated he had been here for some time, yet there was something majestic about the way he stood. His golden eyes exuded both dread and awe.
"You can leave." It spoke.
Yes, *it*—the guard could only rationalize him as a monster now. There were no humans in the dungeon, so what else could he be?
Determined to fulfill his duty, the guard drew his sword and shifted into a combat stance.
"Eldoria Battle Style: God's Wrath!"
The sword burned with a bright light, whirring as the guard shot towards Eden in the blink of an eye.
"Die!"
It seemed to be working—he didn't react to the speed. But as the sword made contact with his body—
*Psh.*
Nothing happened. The guard felt as though his sword had struck nothing.
"Interesting." Eden mused.
The guard stared at the man's torso, where the blade had collided, and saw a film surrounding him. It was deep dark purple and fluctuated with a swirling effect.
Eden smiled before raising a single finger. Silver streaks shot off and dissipated.
The guard was confused, but then, suddenly, it felt like thousands of tons of pressure dropped on him.
He barely had a moment to understand what was happening before he became a permanent stain on the dungeon floor.
"Ah… that was more than I intended."
Eden hadn't meant to kill them—he needed them alive to lie for him, as credible witnesses.
His gaze shifted to the remaining guard, still kneeling, and his smile returned. Walking towards the man, Eden thought about his next steps.
All the powers he used were weakened versions—tied directly to his soul, which would grow stronger as he completed the fusion.
"Raise your head." he commanded.
The guard nervously obeyed but avoided eye contact.
"What's your name?" Eden asked.
"G-Gard, sir."
Eden nodded. "Gard, why did you enter the dungeon?"
"An alarm sounded, and a bright light emerged from here. We were the first to arrive." Gard explained.
"Interesting. This works out well. Gard, I need you to do something for me." Eden smiled, giving off the impression of a harmless young man.
...
Outside the dungeon, dozens of armed guards waited, led by King Wyster and Languid.
"The two stationed at the front must've gone inside already. I suggest we wait for their return a little longer, Your Majesty." Languid advised.
King Wyster agreed, and they remained alert.
About half an hour later, the doors slowly opened as two figures emerged from the dungeon.
One was a guard, visibly shaken, while the other was a handsome man who strolled out casually.
"Identify yourselves!" Languid barked, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the armor on one of the men.
"Gard the Guard, sir!" the shorter man yelled, still trembling.
Languid nodded, then turned to the next man.
"Eden the Student." was all the figure said, his voice calm.
At first, no one reacted, but after a few seconds, recognition dawned.
"Eden?!" Languid was the most shocked, his eyes wide. He had personally verified the boy's death.
King Wyster raised an eyebrow, confused. He barely remembered any of the students who weren't critically important. It wasn't until he overheard the whispers of the other guards that he recalled who the boy was.
"By the gods! How are you alive? What was that light? Where's the other guard who was stationed here?"
The crowd bombarded him with questions, their faces a mix of disbelief and confusion.
"Goddess Celestia herself granted me another chance at life." Eden replied, stunning the crowd into silence before a wave of outrage erupted.
"Blasphemy!" someone shouted. "How dare you invoke her name in such a ridiculous lie!"
Throughout history, no one had ever been brought back to life by a god, so their skepticism was only natural.
But Languid didn't join the chorus of doubt. Instead, he remained calm, proposing a solution. "You're aware of oaths, correct? And of the penalty for lying under one?"
Eden nodded briefly before speaking again.
"I, Eden, swear that I was brought back to life by Goddess Celestia herself. If I lie, may she send my soul to the Everdark, to be in the loving embrace of Lumaria."
Though his words were strange and different from the norm, the crowd held their breath. Oaths weren't just words; they held real power. If someone lied under a divine vow, the gods themselves would intervene.
As they watched, the clouds overhead turned bright white, splitting apart and swirling. A faint rumbling echoed across the sky.
Everyone looked up, expecting divine wrath to strike Eden down at any moment.
Eden simply stood there and looked up, smiling lightly.
And as he did that, the clouds calmed and dissipated.
Cheers broke out across the crowd. To them, this was a miracle—a chosen hero, brought back by the gods to fight for them once more.
Even King Wyster smiled. He remembered how useful Eden had been as a tool, and his soon-to-be son-in-law would need strong allies.
But Languid felt uneasy. He knew the truth. 'How much does he remember?' he wondered.
"Nice to have you back, my son!" King Wyster said warmly. "Let's get you some clean clothes and a proper meal."
"Yes... home. I'm sure your friends have missed you." Languid added, though his tone was guarded.
"Oh, by the way, what happened to the other guard? He must have been down there too, right?" a random voice from the crowd piped up.
"Never saw him." Eden replied with a casual shrug.
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