Suddenly, the space around them twisted back to The Divine treading across a premature Angrea.
“The Soul Predators tell that instead of a healthy benevolence, The Divine were much like the creatures they eventually created. Particularly, wars of cosmic proportions were fought over every piece of Angrea. As a result, countless species were created, only to go extinct with a single swipe of The Divine’s cruel hands.”
Novus watched as swathes of undead were killed by a beam of light unleashed by a light-related god. Or the ocean creatures that dried up and were sapped of life while fighting a death-related god. Many more examples occurred concurrently across Angrea’s rapidly shifting crust.
“However, such history is sparse, if at all, recorded by the ancestral warring species. Likely, only the First Soul Predator would have seen such battles.”
At the mention of the First Soul Predator, Edna’s tone lightened with intrigue.
“Though I’ve relentlessly researched the First Soul Predator, I’ve only managed to find out what every Soul Predator learns.”
Edna’s eager eyes suddenly shifted to Novus. But, before she could speak, Novus blurted out his answer.
“I don’t know anything about them!”
Garbal snickered, and Edna clicked her tongue. Then, regretfully, Edna continued her recollection.
“This warring period ended with the settlement of The Divine Kingdoms, though it's never specified by how or why it ended. But, the fragments of knowledge passed down by the First Soul Predator hint that The Divine never concluded their war. Therefore, I hypothesize that a ceasefire that lasts an unknown amount of time was reached between The Divine.”
Edna paused like she was reeling from her own thoughts. It wasn’t until Garbal snapped his fingers that Edna woke up from her daze.
“Ah, right. Anyway, The First Soul Predator, being one of the creations of the Origin Six, was barely powerful enough to survive the ancient warring period. But then, left with the sudden disappearance of war, they were free to roam the newly transformed Angrea. Somewhere along the line, that resulted in the passing of the Soul Predator Arts that were hand-crafted in battle by the First Soul Predator.”
Edna’s face turned a little malevolent as she warned Novus.
“The arts I will bestow today are not what they originally were. The Soul Predator Arts have been fragmented or corrupted over the generations.
Many variations adapted their body, mind, and soul for their selfish pursuits of power. Some searched for a technique capable of rivalling The Divine they fought for, and some fought for more personal reasons. However, they all had something in common. The early Soul Predators grew so fascinated by their pursuit for power that the legacy we have today is tainted with it.”
Edna uncomfortably paused as she spoke the next word.
“Whitening.”
Edna continued slowly but spoke with lingering fear and anger in her voice.
“Should you fall into this state, I will kill you. Every Soul Predator will.”
Edna’s unconcealed killing intent flooded the galaxy as Novus’ eyes slightly squinted. He wasn’t given a chance to speak out as Edna continued like she hadn’t made the stark threat. Her hands whirled, and the cosmos at her fingertips receded into the inscribed room.
“By nature, the ancestral Soul Predators were solitary figures, most at the height of powerhouses of their times. However, as the technique degraded and corrupted, various measures had to be taken to regain their original crown of power. Finally, they came up with rejecting isolation and seeking cooperation in the form of a Soul Partner.
A Soul Partner is connected to your soul to ensure that your power doesn’t take hold of you like our ancestors. They will grow and fall with you in every endeavour you encounter from now until the end of your intertwined lives."
Edna cast a glance at Mino and continued with an emotion-filled gaze.
"Mino will be your Prime Soul Partner and link you to the Soul Predator heritage through this ritual. For you, Mino will be your first, and potentially your only, Soul Partner.”
Edna briefly looked towards Garbal, who had a refreshing smile plastered on his face.
Meanwhile, Novus was processing things while looking at the relaxing Mino. As if sensing his gaze, the antennae braced toward Novus like they were staring at him.
Whew.
Edna let loose a breath and thought back to her original awakening ritual and Gaius’ speech. Of course, she made a few modifications of her own to the speech she had been given.
“By some rotten, ungrateful amount of terrible luck, you’ve been selected to inherit the ancient heritage of the Soul Predators.”
The room’s etchings began to let loose a faint glow of activation at Edna's words.
“These arts will bind you to your Soul Partner and twist your fate alongside theirs. Let their questions bind your soul and untwist the nature of this sacred art.”
Edna’s eyes blinked, and when they reopened, a white hue replaced the previous blue eyes hidden underneath. Lights danced alongside her body, and the soul of Edna’s Prism Beetle, her Soul Partner, roared.
Pew!
White Victorian Armour appeared on Edna’s body as the clothing appeared in moments. On the other side, Garbal’s eyes changed too.
Smack!
Garbal’s palm hit the inside of his open space, and a hood of dark shadows pulled over the top of his head and body. The dark shadows twisted as two eyes rapidly travelled along and covered Garbal’s face. Finally, the two eyes reopened to reveal the same set of eyes as Garbal’s, but in slits.
Smack!
The end of Edna’s palm then smacked her open space, and it felt like Novus’ body turned sluggish. His senses began to disconnect from what he was sensing, and the unintelligible chanting of Edna and Garbal’s voices provoked his flustered response. However, even that dulled into something else entirely as Novus’ eyelids battled against his consciousness.
Pew!
As Novus and Mino slowly lost consciousness, the formations of activated etchings trailed into the air around them. The etchings rose from the ground and encircled the duo into separate magical globes. After a short while of chanting and formations shifting around, Novus and Mino finally slumped into an unconscious daze. The only thing Novus could make out was Edna’s last intelligible sentence.
Slowly, an azure blue colour flooded into Novus’ eyes. But then, just as mysteriously, it vanished, and Novus’ golden eyes reappeared without anyone in the room noticing.
“Let it take you to the trial.”
The voice was feminine, so Novus could only assume it was Edna’s, and he let it ring true as he loosened his grip on his consciousness and drifted far away.
Outside Novus and Mino’s etching spheres, Edna continued her chant uninterrupted until her previously closed eyes opened suddenly.
Plop!
Sucked out by the ritual’s strange powers, two soul wisps, one from Novus and the other from Mino, floated into the air of the formation spheres.
Fully exposed, Novus’ soul released a formidable heat that threatened to burn away the carefully crafted ink etchings of the spherical formation. Mino had it no better as a vacuuming force was released that threatened to pop the etching sphere from the inside out.
Edna and Garbal’s chanting speed rose as their control over the formation attempted to slip away. Edna’s hands revealed white fog that wrapped around the bursting heat that tried to pierce through Novus’ sphere. Meanwhile, Garbal’s shadows stretched into two claws that extended to wrap around Mino’s vacuuming sphere, forcefully uncompressing its contents.
Edna and Garbal’s chanting slowly ended as the spherical formations connected at the center of the room. Upon contact, the spheres didn’t immediately pop or merge. Instead, the bubbles seemed incompatible as they rubbed against each other.
Vast.
That’s the only way to describe it.
This is what I imagine a real galaxy would feel like.
The space is bright from the shining lights but not enough to squint my eyes. And it feels like I’m drifting through weightless water.
Pew!
Hmmm?
A voice? It sounds familiar…
I saw a black light drift from the sky—a black dot on an otherwise bright background.
It was beautiful.
It outsparkled even the brightest of lights in this place.
My hand floated up without any thought behind it.
The dark light’s trajectory spun, and it twirled around my finger like a young child wanting to show me something. The feeling grew as it pulled at my outstretched hand, but oddly enough, the light never physically touched me.
Instead, I heard a small boy’s voice.
“Will you never abandon me?”
My reply came instantly; I didn’t even need to think.
I will never abandon you.
“Will you take care of us forever as one?”
Again, more instinct than thought.
I will take care of us forever as one.
“Will you stay true to your promises?”
I will stay true to my promises... to you.
Pew!
The familiar cheer rang out again as the black light spun along my arm towards the crown of my head.
An empowering feeling like volcanoes bursting from inside me made the bright lights glitter even fiercer. However, the feeling didn’t last long before rapid exhaustion began to dwindle the bright lights around me.
I wanted to speak, but no sounds came.
Only my consciousness withered, and slowly, I slipped away from the strange space around me.
******
Post Author Note:
Sorry for the delay! This weekend was super busy, and it slipped my mind!
