Aleth08

Hey guys, here's the next ch. A case of head hopping in the initial version of this ch. I ended up explaining what Drai and Seth were feeling and thinking. I fixed it now but the ch became shorter. Please bear with it. Enjoy and tell me if you find any mistakes or inconsistencies. Next ch will be on 17th Oct.?

“Drai” A simple name. Yet it gave Soren the confirmation he needed. He laughed, he laughed at his ill-informed past self.

With all the facts, he’d already conjectured about this situation. But it was only a conjecture. He didn’t act on it and waited till today to confirm it. And now, he received his confirmation. The last piece of the puzzle needed to form the picture.

Why did Smiley and Tera know about that vestige back in Eastwood before its news spread to others? Why were they the only ones who knew about the real entrance? Why did he get the Memory Sphere with Vornea even though he wasn’t qualified for the inheritance? Why was there no clash between the members for the inheritance afterward? Why did the two Rank 1 Initiators let that girl—a Rank 0 Initiator—take the actual inheritance? Why did Smiley apologize to him back when he was in Bellfalls? Everything, every part, fell into its place like pieces of a puzzle. And the fog cleared up.

Back in Eastwood. Soren was clueless and naïve about things related to the Initiators. Especially the high-ranking ones. It was only after he came out of that town. He experienced different things on his journey to this war camp. And grasped the basic and common knowledge. Through meeting the other high-ranking Initiators, especially Princess Azure, he was able to gather some of the uncommon information that was generally not available to the Rank 0 Initiators.

Some of these included the truth about the vestiges Initiators left after their death. Especially the inheritance vestiges. Although they seemed like the safest of the kind, it was only so on the surface. In truth, many Initiators used the inheritance as a cover-up to try and get a suitable body for possession.

The soul and the body of an Initiator were two separate entities, yet they were one. If the body of an Initiator died, his soul would die too. And vice versa. The same was the case with their lifespans. Time up, their bodies and souls both would die. Without any chance of revival. Unlike how many mortals liked to believe, resurrection and reincarnation were not possible. The soul was born with the body and died with it. Both had a start and an end.

Yet, there were certain exceptions to this. As there were with many facts. These exceptions occurred when an Initiator separated his soul from his body on his own. By choice or forced by circumstances. Most of it was because of severe injuries. These Initiators had to abandon their bodies and look for another one. Though, it was easier said than done.

The first thing to consider when choosing a body was compatibility. If the new body was incompatible with the soul, a phenomenon called ‘rejection’ would occur. It would kill both the soul and the new body. The next thing to consider was the strength of the target. Mortals and Rank 0 Initiators were out of this list. They did not have a constitution strong enough to go through the possession process. Their bodies were not strong enough to survive through the fight that occurred in this process. Stronger targets were also off the list. The process would fail in their case too. The most popular choice of targets for possession were the Initiators who had recently broken through to a major rank. Especially the Rank 0 Initiators who had broken through to Rank 1.

Setting up an inheritance vestige was the best way for those Initiators to scan and choose a compatible body. Though it had its risks, the process was simple. And something that most of the high-ranking Initiators already knew.

Memory Sphere—an item that was generally used to contain information as well as souls. They used this. Among other things, the inheritance of an Initiator always included a Memory Sphere. It contained the cultivation technique. Some also recorded their experiences to help their successors in a better way. Many Initiators who wanted to get a suitable body left their souls in the main Memory Spheres. They passed it on to their chosen successors. And once the chosen successor broke through to Rank 1 or his respective next major rank, the soul hiding inside the memory sphere would destroy the original soul of the body and possess it. This would complete the process.

…….

Because of his circumstances and the fact that he knew nothing about these topics at the time, Soren never once doubted the authenticity of that vestige in Eastwood. Only after he contacted the high-ranking Initiators like Princess Azure and Livan did he figure out the actual situation. And formed his conjecture.

“What was his name? The soul in the memory sphere you gave me.”

He didn’t give Drai and Smiley any chance to explain. He instead asked them the question he was curious about. He destroyed that person’s soul without knowing after all. He’d thrown the Memory Sphere against the wall of a bathroom. Though he survived because of that, it still made him curious.

Both Drai and Smiley smiled. Their shoulders loosened and they shifted back in their chairs. The tensed air around them also vanished. Almost as if he resolved their worries with that question.

“Uri. Her, not his. She developed that cultivation technique.” Drai said. ‘His’ voice hoarse.

Soren nodded and sipped his ale. Without another word. His action spoke louder than anything. He wanted the other two to continue.

“She was a Rank 2 Initiator of our group. There was one other Rank 2 Initiator but we haven’t heard from him yet.” Drai continued while also taking sips from his ale. The drink softened his gruff voice.

Another Rank 2 Initiator…. target was that guy ‘Hound’ guy?

“What about the girl? Wood was it? Did you deal with her soul?”

Drai smiled. Sad and miserable, a self-mocking smile. ‘He’ replied, “I estimated her wrong. Never expected she would possess that kind of soul recovery item. It finally caused some complications during the process. She’s still alive for now and comes out at times.”

Soren frowned. Even though he didn’t have the in-depth knowledge about possessing a body, he was proficient about souls and spirits. About Drai’s situation, it was easy to tell what the outcome would be. If he didn’t do anything about it soon, their souls would merge. It would create a new personality. It would neither be Drai nor Wood.

“This is also one of the reasons why we contacted you back then. Uri was also good with souls, and you too have proven your ability as a Necromancer. So, regardless of the outcome with her body possession, I was going to contact you. Or her if she succeeded. Help me or not, that depends on you now.” He drank the fruit ale between sentences. 

“Of course, he’ll pay you for your help and will also compensate you for the body possession part,” Smiley said.

With his fingers crossed on the table, he had a smile on his face that seemed to imply his neutrality in this case.

Soren put down his mug and rapped his right index finger on the table. In a rhythm. “Let’s talk compensation first. I’ll decide if I want to help you or not then.”

Drai retrieved a Memory Sphere from his Storage Pearl and slid it across the table. Towards him.

“It contains information about the vestige of a Draco. He was one of the rare ones who broke through his constraints and became a Rank 3 Initiator.”

Soren laughed at the Memory Sphere. He held it and told Isaac to scan it. Other than that, he also used his <Soul Search> spell on it to confirm whether there was any soul in it or not. He developed this simple method of confirmation after finding out that Memory Spheres could also hold souls.

While he was checking the sphere, Drai said, “I’ll tell you this beforehand though. He’s the same as us. His inheritance is also a trap. Beyond that, I’ll leave it up to your judgment.”

“Hmm, that’s fine. I’ll take it.”

He finished checking the memory sphere. Both the scan results from Isaac and his <Soul Search> turned out negative.

“Now, what can I do to help?” He kept the sphere in his Storage Pearl.

Aleth08

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