Nova stared at the system's question for a moment, but he had no intention of trying to equip Carl's soul. He wasn't ready to experiment with souls, and especially not innocent ones.

'...No, that's fine. What… What happens to the person when a soul is consumed? Can you answer that?'

[???]

'Yeah, figures… They obviously disappear, but does it affect my soul?'

[Absorbing a soul with low purity will result in a decrease in your soul purity. Soul purity will affect your mind, possibly turning you mad.]

[Note: You are immune to madness due to the Mythic trait Void Touched Mind. It will only affect aspect efficiency.]

'Well, that's nice. I won't let it get impure either way, though. But I fear others aren't as careful when it comes to absorbing souls, lusting for power. It's incredible how twisted the power system in this world will make people like that… Almost like it's by design.'

He studied the white soul hovering around his own again, feeling helpless. It didn't react to anything, didn't even seem conscious, but he still felt something familiar there—something he didn't want to destroy.

'Damn… Well, either way, I should cultivate first. The cultivation will lose efficiency as I get more Soul Power, but that doesn't seem to be the case with absorbing souls.'

He quickly checked the other two souls as well, but he didn't find anything of note: two weaker soul traits, Soul Power below thirty, and way lower compatibility.

It surprised him that even adult souls had such low Soul Power, but if the only known method of growing it was killing, it made sense for most people to be weak.

'My essence is at 25 now. It's growing slowly since I'm not using the Crashing Waves Meridian Cleanse skill, so I need to use it constantly from now on. Then I can use the invocation to grow. Let's see what it costs me now.'

[Inner Blossoming Invocation (Expert - 84%) {Grade 2}]

[Your Soul Power has increased by 1.]

'Now it costs 11… And the next…'

[Inner Blossoming Invocation (Expert - 84%) {Grade 2}]

[Your Soul Power has increased by 1.]

'And now 12. Okay, I see how it is. Some of my aspects have already grown, which should also increase the rate at which I generate essence… I'll need to do this for a day to see how the results are. Then I might be able to use another invocation. How much do I need to use the skills I tried to use last night?'

[Soul Shatter requirements:

Mental Force: 4020

Mental Control: 6834]

…

[Magic Missile requirements:

Mental Force: 87

Mental Control: 91]

[Stealth Run requirements:

Physical Control: 425

Mental Control: 334]

Nova stared at the list, starting to understand the logic behind it. Indeed, a certain level of control and power was needed for each of the spells he had tried using, and probably a considerable amount of essence as well.

'...But my control can't be as low as 6, can it? How can I use the invocation or meridian cleanse with that little? Is it due to my own skill adding something on top of the aspects? Or are they also restricted by my total essence? Essence gathering and invocations are on the lower end when it comes to required energy to work, whether it's mana or qi, so it makes sense.'

"Nova! Ten stones!" Millie yelled as she ran down the corridor again, eagerly anticipating Nova's story. Her arms held on to the door's handle as she let herself hang in the air, staring at Nova with proud eyes. "I counted three times!"

"Very good, Millie! I'll be right there," he replied, getting up while focusing on keeping his breathing technique going.

The sound of a metal lock opening came from further down the hallway, making Millie look over in anticipation.

"Oh! Food!" she cheered, making way for the cart to roll down the middle.

The caretakers behind the cart seemed on edge, staring into the cells more intently than usual. The assassination had clearly made an impression.

'Maybe they'll think twice before taking another kid?... No, who am I kidding?'

By the end of the day, things had gone back to normal. Nova told the promised stories, this time about angels, which was met with much excitement. No more guards came by, but the caretakers went about their business as usual.

"Night night, Nova!" Millie said, lying down in her thin bedroll. Her mood somehow stayed light regardless of what happened, often cheering the other kids up with her presence. Only Nova knew how plagued she was by nightmares.

"Good night, Millie," Nova replied, opening his eyes and glancing at her from his sitting position. "Dream of something nice, okay?"

"Like angels?"

"Sure! Think about their bright white wings and their haloes. And how they love kind little kids like you."

"You're kind too, Nova!"

"Yeah… I'm not sure if they would like me. But I will try to be nice enough."

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

"...Did the angels help Carl? And Nora?"

Nova put on a smile and nodded. "They did. But even if they're in a happy home now, they probably miss us, don't you think?"

"...I'll go visit them when I'm five! Then we can meet again!"

"Of course you will," he replied, keeping his tone warm. Unlike the guard from earlier, his lies were said with kindness. It wouldn't be a bad idea to tell them the truth before they got old, but it had to stay secret as long as they were in the Garden. "Now go to sleep, Millie. A good night of rest is important."

"Aye aye, Captain," Millie replied, taking inspiration from one of his earlier stories about pirates. They always asked about that same story again when a boat showed up on the ocean, and Nova happily obliged.

'Now then… Let's see the results of the day's cultivation.'

[Nova's Soul Status]

[Core Stats] [Soul Power: 47] [Soul Purity: Bright Cloudy] [Held Souls: 3]

[Essence] [16/131]

[Aspects]

[Physical Force: 8] [Physical Control: 10] [Physical Resilience: 9] [Mental Force: 12] [Mental Control: 17] [Essence Generation: 12] [Essence Capacity: 14]

[Soul Traits]

[Legacy of Nine Lives] [UNIQUE] [Void Touched Mind] [MYTHIC]

'That's more like it! Even my Soul Purity increased. The invocation cost 30 essence by the end, while my generation only doubled, so it's getting slower. Soon, I won't even be able to use it twice an hour.

'…Is it time to absorb the souls, then? Or should I wait a bit longer? I don't think I'll get over 100 Soul Power if I use them all now, but I could probably get a stronger version of the invocation to work.'

He wanted power, and he wanted it fast. But even with the Soul Fragment of his days as an assassin, he might not be able to use it for more than a few minutes.

'I can also use the Don Casanova fragment, hoping to get one of its traits. They can both be useful, but the Presence Of The Don should help the most. I'm not inspiring much respect in this form, after all.

'Okay, let's go for it!'

Making his decision, he started focusing on the three souls and the one fragment floating near his soul. He intended to use all of them, no longer having reservations about Carl's soul. He had made tough decisions before, much more challenging than this, for the sake of his justice.

Sensing his intentions, the system started appearing in front of him.

[Would you like to attempt a mass soul absorption?]

'Yes.'

[Warning: Absorbing multiple souls simultaneously may have unexpected effects.]

[Warning: Absorbing souls of different purities may result in unstable resonance.]

[Warning: Soul fragment absorption has never been attempted.]

'Oh… Well, it's part of my own soul, so it should be fine, right? Just do it.'

The three souls and single fragment began orbiting his core faster, forming a complex pattern with their trails of light. The grey souls of the Harvesters dimmed as they spun, while Carl's pure white soul seemed to shine brighter. The fragment of Don Casanova pulsed with an odd rhythm, as if trying to synchronize with the others.

[Beginning absorption process...]

[Soul of Harvester Farkley absorbed. Soul Power +7, Soul Purity lowered.]

[Soul of Harvester Ovelia absorbed. Soul Power +9, Soul Purity lowered.]

[Soul Fragment of Don Casanova resonating… Fragment absorbed.]

[Fragment trait "Presence of The Don" obtained.]

[Soul Power +8]

[Soul of Carl...]

Nova felt the process halt. Carl's soul had stopped spinning, hovering directly in front of his. Its pure white light seemed almost... reluctant.

[Warning: High purity soul detected. Absorption may grant additional effects.]

[Warning: Soul shows signs of consciousness retention.]

'Consciousness retention? Carl... are you still…?'

Like a farewell, the white soul pulsed once before merging with his core.

[Soul of Carl willingly absorbed. Soul Power +26, Soul Purity increased.]

[Soul Trait "Blessed Physique" obtained.]

[You have gained new insights into the nature of souls.]

Nova sat in silence for a long moment, processing what had just happened. The power flowing through him felt different now—purer, yet somehow heavier with responsibility. He could almost imagine hearing Carl's voice saying, "Save them," as the soul merged with his own.

'I will. I promise.

Now then… Oh, wow, I reached 97 Soul Power! And my essence was filled, so I can probably get 100 right now!'

He didn't even hesitate, eager to reach the threshold. And three invocations later, he reached it, emptying most of his essence.

'...Huh, I thought something special would happen. But I do feel another fragment… Oh, wow!'

[Soul Traits]

[Legacy of Nine Lives] [UNIQUE] [Your past lives are still part of you, granting you access to soul fragments of your former glory. You gain access to a fragment with each new number added to your soul power.] [Current fragments available:] [2. Second Fragment of Nova Noctis]

[Void Touched Mind] [MYTHIC] [Gives complete immunity to madness and eldritch powers on the mind.] ["The man once stared into the abyss until it looked away."]

[Presence Of The Don] [RARE] [Your presence commands respect and attention of those around you. Effect increases with Physical Resilience and Physical Force.] ["The Don deserves every bit of respect we have to give. No one has done more for this city."]

[Blessed Physique] [RARE] [Your body's natural ability to utilize essence is increased substantially.] ["Blessed and cursed, the child that ignited your soul."]

'Interesting... Let's check my current—'

"Nova?" Millie's sleepy voice interrupted his examination. "Why you glowing?"

Nova's eyes snapped open. A faint white light emanated from his chest, visible even through his thin clothes.

'Well, that's not conspicuous at all… Go away, please?'

Whether that was the reason or not, the light slowly faded from his chest. "I just wanted some light to see if you were sleeping," he whispered unconvincingly.

Millie stared at him a moment longer, furrowing her brows. But then she touched her head back under her elbow. "Teach me how tomorrow, okay? I'm sleepy."

"Sure thing," Nova whispered back, relieved. Millie could be difficult when she was sleepy.

'Now, what does the fragment look like?'

In a nicely decorated office of velvet and gold not far from the Garden, a red-haired woman sat leaned over a stack of documents, busily writing away. The fact that the sun had gone down hours ago made no difference, as she was unable to sleep either way.

'I knew what I was signing up for when I took the job, but… God, seeing those children like that! Most of them only knew a couple of words… And that white-haired kid, calling me an angel. What a joke…'

The documents were part of a long line of paperwork for the two assassinated harvesters. As the captain of this branch, it was her responsibility to ensure the safety of the premises. But with the guards she was working with, it was impossible to set high expectations.

With a deep sigh, she put the quill down and reached for the upper right drawer of her desk. It hadn't managed to get cluttered just yet, only containing a few writing supplies and a letter. She picked the letter up and read the deep golden writing on the front.

"To Larena."

'Why send me here, Gynn? What can I do to change anything? The people are ignorant and happy, and those who are not… they ignore the pain and suffering in this place for their own benefit. The land is sick! I can't do anything! You're the prince, not me!'

The letter landed harshly back in the drawer, flung there with more force than she had intended.

"...What use is strength if it can't be used for what I believe in?"

"An excellent question," a whispery voice answered from behind her, sending shivers down her entire back. She was frozen in place as her instincts told her not to move a muscle. The miasma of death was thick in the air, emanating from the person behind her.

"Perhaps we can help each other?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.