Zephyr occupied a small part of the giant bed in Sherine’s room. The cold but pleasant air tickled his surprisingly thin chest. He swore to eat like no tomorrow in the world and do exercises and shit. He had no more excuses to be lazy.

“It will feel a little cold.” Riven took off his white gloves and touched Zephyr’s chest. A faint white glow enveloped Riven’s hand, transmitting a coldness. “A small spark of my divinity will let you access the status panel of my realm anywhere.”

“I see…”

“My divinity should give you a unique skill,” Riven kept the conversation going to distract Zephyr. “Like those RPGs you played, you’ll level up, gain skills, and become stronger. The only difference is your soul will also get stronger and absorb my divinity every time you evolve your soul.”

“S-Seriously?” Zephyr’s voice cracked a little as his black eyes glazed over. Having a system to record his growth was great for starting his new adventure. “It’s cold…”

The cold rampantly increased. Heat rapidly left his body as his skin turned rosy. Zephyr trembled as if he was sitting but-naked under snowfall.

‘This is a little cold?’ Zephyr wanted to curse the trap god but lacked the energy to even speak.

“I’m the God of Afterlife and this is the divinity of soul,” Riven explained patiently. “You didn’t think taking on a god’s divinity would be easy, did you?”

“Father, stop! Your authority will overwrite his soul!”

Zephyr heard a soft, feminine voice. Shaking, he turned to Sherine who showed concern for him.

“You heard me?” Sherine’s eyes widened, and she asked another question without moving her lips.

Telepathically may be the right word for this conversation.

Zephyr mechanically nodded his head. The divinity froze him down to his core, limiting his movement as a whole. His whole body turned numb and senses dull as if his consciousness was fading.

He bit his tongue and glared at Riven. “Don’t… stop.”

If he couldn’t take this much, how else was he going to survive when the world itself wanted him dead? He endured the biting cold and let Riven finish the process.

He had no idea how long the process lasted; it may have been hours or even days… he was out of time loop. The moment he opened his eyes, more game-like notifications crammed every corner of his vision.

Zephyr raised an eyebrow. He was too weak to activate the Lesser Authority, so he got a weaker version of it in exchange.

Riven pulled back his hand and smiled at Sherine. “He succeeded. He resonated with a soul emblem!”

Zephyr’s compatibility with soul authority turned out to be much better than his initial expectations. He could hear Sherine’s thoughts. The gods who could replicate Zephyr’s feat could be counted on other hand.

The unbridled joy in Sherine’s eyes melted Riven.

‘I did my part.’

He found her a champion. A companion. A friend. Possibly her life partner. Even though he hated to do this, it was the right thing for her.

Sherine now had a goal to chase, which was helping Zephyr reach his maximum potential. The stronger he becomes, the better chances she will have of regaining her voice.

Sherine smiled as she grabbed Zephyr’s shirt and covered his shivering figure.

“Father went overboard…” Sherine snapped her finger, and a ball of fire as big as a tennis ball materialized. The flames of a half dragon had an immediate effect.

“I feel alive,” Zephyr said with a long sigh. “You saved me.”

He might have succumbed to the cold without her help.

Sherine shook her head. “I should be thanking you. I have one more person to talk to… one more person to share my feelings with.”

The heavy words of gratitude were followed with a captivating smile. Zephyr couldn’t fathom Sherine’s emotions when she discovered the reason for her silence. While Zephyr’s parents would go to any length to ensure his safety, Sherine’s mother was quite the opposite of that. Zephyr felt like his painful life was not-so-painful when compared to Sherine’s isolated life with Riven.

Riven patted Zephyr’s shoulder. “You should check your status. Just think about it and it will pop up.”

“Okay.”

“That’s a lot to take in…”

Between his weak attributes or the tad complicated skills of the Soulmancy—Zephyr didn’t know where to start.

“Don’t be overwhelmed, Zephyr,” Riven said in a stern voice. “The system is connected to the Void Archives. It will give you a concise answer as long as you are specific.”

Zephyr turned to Riven and frowned. Riven’s original golden bangs had streaks of white hair mixed in. His face had lost the feminine glow that made him a trap in the first place. Riven came off as a teenage boy overstressed from studying and life itself.

“What happened to you? Is that the side effect of sharing your divinity?”

Riven waved his hand as if he seemed uninterested in talking about his physical changes. Zephyr didn’t push the matter and focused on getting some good answers.

“What is Void Archives?”

Riven scratched his chin, toying with an imaginary goatee since he never grew an actual one. “It’s a relic the old gods created to simplify the concept of evolution in high-tier worlds. Earth, your original world, was excluded from the Void Archives for being… too weak.”

“...Okay. Why does it use levels and skills though?”

Riven shot him an annoyed glare. “Don’t nitpick. I didn’t create the relic. In fact, none of its original creators are alive today.”

“Foreshadowing?” Zephyr asked, tilting his head. “Anyways, Sherine can teach me the rest. Am I going to that world with the Brood Queen?”

Riven fell back. Just when Zephyr thought the trap’s little butt would smash the floor, a surge of fog supported him before the said fog transformed into a throne to support Riven. He leaned his face into his knuckles and grinned.

“Yes. The world limits all souls to Lord Rank. It’s the perfect training ground for you and Sherine. Your main goal is killing monsters and getting their Soul Essence. The conflicts of mankind's survival, playing hero to a damsel, or living and breathing for one more day—you decide your own destiny. I’ll not guide you.”

“I’ll support my champion in every decision,” Sherine said with a soft smile. “As long as you don’t become pure evil…”

“No, I won’t become evil,” Zephyr said with a sigh. “To be honest, I don’t know what I’ll do…”

Going under the knife might be the only life changing choice he made in his entire life. He couldn’t hypothesize about the scenarios and the decisions he will make under the pressure.

He was sure about one thing. He’d do anything to keep his second life from extinguishing.

LordHeaven

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