Kai, together with Scry and the girls, stepped into the study, a vast chamber lined with towering shelves crammed with ancient tomes and glowing scrolls. The air shimmered faintly with residual mana, as if the books themselves whispered secrets of forgotten ages.

  “Alright, everyone,” Kai said, his voice echoing softly against the crystal walls. “This is what Scry’s old master left behind. Scry, didn’t you say he had a book on soul magic?”

  “Yes,” Scry replied, his crimson wings twitching as he hovered near a shelf. “He kept a volume on the forbidden magics of Sacra. He was obsessed with finding a way to ascend to Archon.” The spirit sighed, his tone heavy with memory. “Let me see if I can find it.”

  He darted toward a pile of dusty tomes, rummaging through them with frantic energy.

  Kai turned to the others. “Eira, please sit here. Miss Liliya, can you examine her soul?”

  Liliya nodded, her expression calm but cautious. “Yes. Miss Eira, lower your defenses.”

  Eira sat down slowly, her hands trembling despite her calm expression. The room was quiet, the air thick with anticipation. She closed her eyes, bracing herself.

  Liliya extended her hands, weaving threads of pale mana that shimmered like moonlight. Her senses pierced the veil of flesh and bone, revealing the truth beneath.

  What she saw made her breath falter.

  Eira’s soul was a fusion, two entities forced into one. A small white viper’s essence had been stitched into a human soul, its coils entwined so deeply that the serpent’s spirit had been absorbed entirely, creating a hybrid of man and beast.

  Around this soul hybrid, ethereal chains circled like constricting serpents, pulsing with oppressive force. Each link radiated foreign energy, alien, cruel, and ancient.

  They weren’t just bindings. They were commands, etched into her very being.

  Liliya’s voice was hushed, tinged with awe. “Incredible… I’ve never seen anything like this. Your soul didn’t just merge; it devoured the viper’s essence completely.

  That’s why you retain control over your mind and body. Only a soul of immense strength could assimilate a Divine Beast without shattering.”

  Her tone darkened as her gaze traced the chains. “But these bindings… they’re the real danger. They’re forged from another soul’s energy, likely your master’s, and they’re crushing your essence in rhythmic pulses. If we attempt to break them recklessly, they’ll tear your soul apart.”

  She exhaled slowly, her eyes narrowing. “Whoever cast this binding was no ordinary mage. This is the work of a true master of soulcraft.”

  ***

  “Oho, I found it. Here it is,” Scry coughed, blowing away a thick layer of dust.

  In his paws lay a thick black book, its cover bare of any title.

  Harrietta snatched it and began flipping through the pages.

  “Here! Soul magic of the First Age,” she exclaimed, scanning the text and gasping as she read.

  ? “It says that soul-binding magic, where the caster uses fragments of their own soul, is the hardest to unbind. The easiest method is to kill the caster, or to find a way to destroy the spell in one move.” Her expression darkened.

  “That’s what I suspected, too,” Liliya said. “Unless we had soul magic capable of destroying soul energy itself… but even then, we’d need to be incredibly precise.”

  “What if I told you we have something like that?” Scry grinned.

  “What!?” Harrietta and Liliya exclaimed in unison, while Eira turned sharply toward Scry.

  “Kai, what do you think? Can you control it?” Scry asked.

  “You can wield soul magic?” Liliya’s voice trembled.

  “I have a skill that allows me to destroy souls and devour them, if I choose to. But I’ve only used it once, in self-defense. I don’t know how to control it precisely,” Kai admitted.

  “What can’t you do, you monster?” Harrietta laughed, slapping him on the back.

  “Hmm… I have an idea. We could try doing it together,” Liliya suggested with a smile.

  “Together? How?” Kai asked, a faint blush rising to his cheeks.

  “You use your skill, and I’ll cast a time-slowing spell on you. That way, you can focus solely on the chains. I’ll also enhance your senses to help you see and control energy more precisely. With time slowed and your precision boosted, you should be able to target the chains carefully. But you’ll need to trust me and let me stay close.” She blushed slightly.

  “Hmm… okay. Eira, what do you think? This could be dangerous,” Kai said.

  “Let’s do it. It sounds like a solid plan. Living with this inside me has been a nightmare. Either we remove it, or I die. At least I’ll be free,” Eira sighed.

  Kai’s face fell, then his mana flared around him at the thought of what Florian had done.

  “If we’re doing this together, you need to stop making that scary face and control your mana properly. If you lose control, I will shoot you with a spell,” Liliya warned.

  “I’ll control it. Don’t worry,” Kai said, locking eyes with Eira.

  “Okay. Activate your skill, and I’ll cast my spells once you’re ready,” Liliya instructed.

  “Soul Slaughter,” Kai whispered.

  A winged serpent manifested behind him, exuding royal draconic mana. Above her floated a shining ethereal page, pulsing with condensed soul energy and feeding her power.

  Liliya and Harrietta gasped, breathless at the sight.

  That’s his soul? It’s nothing like a human soul, even for a draconic human, it's beyond normal. And that page… It’s made of such dense soul energy. It can’t be from the human realm. Liliya was stunned, her curiosity ignited.

  Harrietta, meanwhile, was speechless in the presence of the draconic soul.

  He looks like a god right now. How is this possible? she thought.

  Eira felt tiny before the winged serpent. Her soul screamed at her to bow before the ruler of all serpents. She wanted nothing more than to obey him.

  What am I thinking? Is this my Viper soul reacting to Kai? Just what is that winged serpent? Eira was lost in thought.

  “Liliya, I’m ready,” Kai said, breaking the silence.

  “Okay, let me come closer. You’ll need to work fast; this spell is difficult for me. I can hold it for five minutes at most. For you, it’ll feel like half an hour,” Liliya said, stepping close enough that Kai could feel her breath on his face.

  “Archer’s Eye, Eagle’s Sight, bless his vision. Precision!”

  Green mana settled around Kai’s eyes, sharpening his vision beyond even his Knight’s senses. Everything looked magnified, detailed, like he was seeing the soul itself under a microscope.

  “Time stops for none but the god of time. Temporal Chains.”

  Liliya cast her spell, and the world around Kai slowed to a crawl. It felt as if time had frozen.

  Okay, time to do this. Serpent, our goal is to destroy the chains binding this poor girl. Protect the viper within.

  Kai sent his thoughts to his soul spirit.

  The winged serpent shifted, shrinking to a microscopic form as Kai guided her into Eira’s soul space.

  Inside, ethereal chains twitched like snakes, binding the hybrid soul of the viper.

  The serpent hissed, sensing the pain radiating from Eira’s soul. Something ancient and draconic stirred within her; the ruler of reptilians would not let its kin suffer.

  Kai watched, confused. I don’t understand… is that serpent me? Or is it the soul of the Lake Serpent?

  It’s mine now, part of me, but it still feels like a separate identity. If that’s true… where is my soul?

  He pushed the thoughts aside. Eira needed him now.

  Serpent, attack the chains. There are four. Start with the middle one.

  The serpent obeyed. A glowing page appeared above her head as she streaked toward the chain. Her jaws opened and bit into it.

  The chain resisted, but the page pulsed with power, empowering the attack.

  Soul Slaughter corrupted the chain’s soul energy, and it began to dissolve.

  The serpent devoured the remnants and moved to the next chain. One by one, she dissolved three of them.

  But the fourth, darkest and most sinister, lashed out.

  A dark grey arrow congealed and shot from Eira’s soul, slamming into the serpent’s silver scales. The arrow shattered, but Kai screamed in pain, a tear sliding down his cheek.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Holy shit… it feels like I’m being torn apart from the inside.

  Kai gritted his teeth and urged the serpent forward. As she lunged, the chain writhed and wrapped around her, trying to crush her.

  Kai dropped to his knees, focusing his mind on the page and the serpent. The pressure was unbearable.

  The serpent hissed in agony, convulsing. Then, instinctively, her fiery central eye opened.

  Searing soul energy poured out, enveloping the chain. It glowed red-hot under the heat.

  With a final push, the serpent coiled tighter, pressing her spectral body against the chain.

  The pressure built, her form shimmering with ancient energy as she wrestled the binding with primal fury. Then, crack. The chain splintered, fracturing into a thousand glowing fragments that dissolved into the void.

  As the last chain broke, Eira’s soul screamed.

  She wasn’t just watching, she was feeling. Memories surged through her like a flood, not hers alone, but the Vipers too.

  A cold room. A needle piercing her chest. A voice, soft and cruel, whispering, “You are mine now.” Pain. Isolation. The Vipers' agony. Her own. Merged. Indistinguishable.

  The soul serpent shimmered, her body pulsing with the energy of the broken chain. The first page glowed faintly, merging back into her being.

  Exhausted, the serpent drifted back toward Kai’s soul space, coiling gently around the Thunder Tree. Her eyes closed, and a dark grey mist seeped from her body, curling like smoke through the branches.

  Kai opened his eyes. The pain had stopped. Relief washed over him.

  He knew the serpent had absorbed fragments of Florian’s soul used in the spell. He was eager and afraid to see what would come of it.

  Outside, Liliya saw the chains around Eira’s soul vanish, so she released the time spell.

  Kai looked drained but smiled gently at Liliya. “Thank you for your help. I misjudged you earlier.”

  Scry and Harrietta chuckled.

  Liliya frowned. “Took you long enough to realize I’m not as bad as you think. Hmph.”

  “Oh? So, you want him to think you’re great?” Harrietta teased.

  “She wants Kai to think she’s lovely, amazing, and pretty,” Scry laughed.

  “What are you two saying? Such nonsense,” Liliya sighed, flustered.

  Then she turned to Eira. “How are you feeling, Miss Eira?”

  “I feel the same… but there’s a sense of freedom deep inside me now. Something that wasn’t there before,” Eira said, smiling.

  For the first time in centuries, the chains were gone.

  “It wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped, but you’re free now, Eira,” Kai said, helping her to her feet.

  “I’m so glad! Kai, can you tell me what you experienced inside?” Liliya asked.

  Scry chuckled. He noticed she called him Kai for the first time.

  Kai didn’t notice as he explained everything that happened.

  “Oho… that’s strange. Her master must’ve sensed someone tampering with the spell and triggered the chains to attack. Since part of his soul was embedded, he could command it remotely,” Liliya said, troubled.

  “The more I learn about that man, the more I fear our upcoming fight won’t be easy.”

  “Who knows what he’s planning.” Kai agreed.

  “Now, now. What’s the point in worrying?” Scry said cheerfully. “We’ll defeat him one way or another.”

  “Yes. We must,” Eira nodded.

  Everyone felt the weight of her resolve. It had to be done.

  ***

  Meanwhile, outside the Arcanum, anticipation filled the air as everyone gathered to witness the clash between Zara and Umbra.

  The two stood at opposite ends of the clearing in front of the facility.

  “Are you ready?” Zara chuckled.

  “Born ready. Let’s go,” Umbra smirked, her body shimmering as shadow armor enveloped her, glistening ominously under the morning sun.

  “Fancy armor you’ve got there. Let’s see if I can crack it,” Zara smiled.

  A shadow wriggled beneath her feet, and in an instant, she vanished.

  She reappeared behind Umbra, daggers slashing toward her back.

  Shadow Step, huh? Not bad, Umbra thought, releasing a burst of darkfire mana from her back.

  The explosion pushed Zara away as Umbra slipped into the shadows.

  Zara chuckled. “Interesting.”

  Umbra summoned five shadow clones, each leaping from nearby shadows with darkfire-coated claws aimed at Zara.

  “Don’t think these cheap tricks will work,” Zara said, shadow-stepping again. She danced through the clones’ attacks, her daggers slicing with surgical precision. She vanished and reappeared across the battlefield, dismantling the clones one by one.

  While Zara dealt with the clones, Umbra prepared her aura and lunged from the nearest shadow.

  Zara sensed the shift in the shadows and turned just in time to see Umbra charging with her aura-coated armor.

  I’ve seen this before… but watching a beast wield aura is something else, truly. Fine, two can play that game.

  Zara activated her deep green aura, which flowed like ominous liquid around her daggers.

  She parried Umbra’s claw strike and countered with a low kick, sending Umbra flying several meters back.

  Umbra coughed and spat. “Master-rank strength is no joke. Nice kick.”

  “Your aura’s sharp. Not bad for a Spirit Beast,” Zara replied, dipping into the shadows once more.

  “Let’s finish this. You’re holding back anyway,” Umbra teased. “Maybe I’ll force you to use your full power.”

  A pair of massive, shadowy wings sprouted from Umbra’s back, instantly covered in dark armor. She soared into the sky and unleashed her Thunderhead Dance.

  Dark clouds gathered, blotting out the sun. Moments later, bolts of dark lightning rained down, scorching the earth.

  Zara danced through the shadows, dodging the strikes.

  Oho, this is interesting.

  She weaved through the chaos, searching for an opening, but Umbra gave her none.

  “Darkfire Nova!” Umbra roared.

  A massive orb of darkfire descended, absorbing life mana from the surroundings.

  Zara narrowed her eyes. Okay, you want my full power, huh?

  Shadow mana merged with her deep green aura, enveloping her body. She sheathed her daggers and drew her short sword.

  “Wasp, let’s dance.”

  The sword glowed with a dark golden light as Zara shot upward with a sonic boom. A colossal queen wasp spirit materialized behind her as she stabbed into Umbra’s attack.

  The orb didn’t explode; instead, the sword absorbed its mana, fueling Zara’s next move.

  She split into ten shadow clones, each bearing a pair of wasp wings, more real than Umbra’s illusions. It was impossible to tell the real Zara from the rest.

  All ten slashed with their swords, stinger-like strikes slicing through the air toward Umbra.

  “Hmph. I’m not giving up yet,” Umbra growled.

  She wrapped herself in her armored wings, shielding her body. The stinger strikes clashed against her armor. Though her darkfire and aura weakened them, they still pierced through, yet caused no real harm.

  Inside her cocoon, Umbra condensed her mana into a thick beam of pure darkness, darkfire, lightning, and flame fused into one.

  Zara’s clones attacked from all sides as she shadow-stepped behind Umbra.

  Sensing the ambush, Umbra unfurled her wings and unleashed her beam, spinning as she fired. The blast mowed through the clones, slicing them in half.

  Zara absorbed part of the beam with her sword, but was still thrown back, crashing into the ground.

  Before Umbra could stabilize, Zara got up and dashed forward at full speed, appearing behind her and sliding her sword under Umbra’s throat.

  “Not bad. Once you reach Divine level, you’ll be something else,” Zara praised.

  “Good one, human. I have to admit, this was fun,” Umbra smiled.

  They returned to the group, who stood in awe of the spectacle.

  Lisa was the first to greet them. “Sisters, you were amazing! Big sister Umbra, don’t be sad, you’ll win next time!” She hugged Umbra and hung around her neck.

  Umbra smiled, her tail swaying side to side.

  Zara smiled too.

  “Nice moves, Zara. I didn’t know you’d acquired a Legendary-level sword. It has a Golden Queen Wasp spirit inside?” Nerva asked, impressed.

  “Yeah, Xarion and I found it in some ruins up north. It fits me well, and boosts my speed,” she bragged, clearly proud of her new weapon.

  Xarion stepped forward and hugged her. “You did great, and you managed to control your strength like we trained. Good job,” he said warmly.

  Zara blushed.

  Nerva was speechless.

  “You two really fit,” Lucius admired.

  “Thank you, boy,” Xarion smiled.

  Nerva slapped him on the head.

  “You’ve got your own worries. Hmph.” It was still hard for him to see his little girl, his best student, with someone.

  “Ouch! I didn’t say anything wrong, Master!” Lucius protested.

  The others laughed.

  Bjorn came up and slapped Lucius on the back. “Let’s go train. You know we’re on the same level now.”

  Lucius’s eye twitched as he followed. Everyone’s catching up. No time to idle. Might as well use these peasants.

  And so, the group grew closer, resolving lingering tensions. Soon, they would head northeast to Hansen’s village, and then, after Florian.?

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