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I fought to break free from the soul, but it strangled my mind and kept my body frozen on the crystal ball. Its pressure was tyrannical, and its grip on my mind was absolute.

"What do you want?"

You’re the one who summoned me.

"No… I mean. I’m here to…" I paused and realized that giving it a body might be the thing that it wanted. If I told it that I was there to give it a body, it would ask for more. I also didn’t know what I needed from the soul. It was unknown.

You’re here to what?

"I’m here with an opportunity. I have the ability to give you a new body and will give it to you if you give me this crypt’s rewards."

Rewards? What rewards?

I bit my lip. "Resources. Magic. Knowledge. I want the things that are valuable here."

You’re a greedy one, aren’t you?

"I’m offering you a new body. I hardly think the crypt rewards are too much to bear."

Hmmm. While I appreciate your enthusiasm, I think you’ve failed to understand the nature of your situation. Have you searched the soul pathways in this chamber?

I smiled wryly.

You haven’t? Really? Well, take a look, and we’ll talk.

The abyss suddenly gave way to the light of the room, and my hand separated from the ball. I shivered and activated Wood Wide Web and found another chamber on the side of a stone wall. It had a door and was filled with more aura and neara than I could imagine. If there was a cure for Kyro’s damaged callasp, it would be there.

But.

The rooms were connected by a complex network of soul roots that glowed white and purple as they webbed around the room like bomb wires. My organs folded like slow-poured pancake batter just looking at it.

I activated the crystal ball again, and the room turned black, and the eyes appeared in the darkness, opening right above me.

"I can see it."

And what did you see?

"A room. It’s surrounded by… roots. I think they’ll collapse the room if I try to break in there. I believe that you can help me."

You’re surprisingly astute.

"Thank you… Now then… I need to get into that room and escape. I’d like you to help me with those things without attacking and to talk down the Omoxilain if needed. In exchange, I will give you a body."

Suddenly, a massive row of jagged teeth appeared in the darkness, a wide grin, so wide that it would take a Chelsea grin of ripped lips to get it so wide, and it said, It’s rather bold for you to assume I want a body.

I frowned.

And it’s brazen to ask so much of me when you’re the one in danger. Look up. The Omoxilain isn’t your friend—it’s your jailer. And your only exit is in a room that will collapse if you enter it. My aid is the only thing standing between you and certain death.

I felt icy chills crawl down my limbs, threatening to condense to water and drip from my fingertips. I wanted to fold my arms, but my hand was glued to the ball, and it wouldn’t let go.

Thankfully for you, I also want to be freed of this place, and if you give me what I need to do that, I will bring you to the room and then take you to the surface.

"And what do you need?"

Power. You may be able to give me a body, but not the power necessary for me to escape and live. So I propose to you this: give me half your soul force, and I will aid you in the way I’ve explained. Do that, and you will survive. Deny me—and you will die here.

I felt lightheaded and gripped my forehead with my free hand.

Answer me. Give me your consent and it will be done.

I tried to think but I found it difficult under the soul’s increasing pressure.

"Aura or neara?" I asked weakly.

What?

"Aura or neara? Do you want half of my aura or neara?"

Both.

I raised my eyes and then laughed sharply, almost a hiccup, and then said, "Then go fuck yourself. I’m not going to turn myself into a mindless vegetable for you to survive. I’ll take my chances with the Omoxiliain and hope these plants’ll save my friend. Enjoy your next hundred thousand years of solitude."

Its grin disappeared as I tried to pry my hand from the ball, but it wouldn’t break loose. "Let go of me."

How interesting. You would really rather die?

"Then trust a creature whose idea of keeping their word is dragging my brain dead body out of this place and throwing me to the wolves? Yeah. I won’t even do alchemy for you, you freak. I already got what I needed from this place."

I wasn’t bluffing. I had learned soulmancy and got a lot of rare plants I could potentially use to save Kyro. The true reward was surviving Thorvel.

Interesting indeed. Well, I will release you now. Come back when you’re ready to negotiate.

"That’s not happening."

We’ll see. You’ll starve a millennia before the next time I wake up.

The eyes disappeared, and the world materialized around me. I released my hand and sat down and brooded, accepting Kline on my lap and petting him like a villain until he scurried off.

I need to get to the surface, I thought. Still, I didn’t know if I could. The Omoxilian was a creature made of wild souls. If I went up there, it would likely eat me.

Wait… I suddenly had an epiphany. I got a skill for soul pacts… with plants. I can’t use it, but…

It did exist. I wondered if I could use the soul pact skill I just learned on plants.

I turned to a flower that looked like a ghostly white dahlia in the garden, spreading its petals in all directions like a delicate pinecone that tried to make a perfect sphere but couldn’t quite make it. It was white on the outside, but it was vibrant purple with neara channels under my channel visualization technique. If I could "speak" to a plant, it would be this one.

"Let’s start there."

I sat in front of it and visualized the soul runes on the placard. It immediately worked, sucking my body out of the world and into an alternate space that had form but was formless in a way that only dreams could emulate. I was on a grassy hilltop with a field of flowers spreading out for miles below me. The flowers were ghostly, releasing wisps of mana and dissipating and creating illusions in the sky. It was beautiful.

Suddenly, I felt sleepy, and a tree grew from behind me, blocking the sun from my eyes as a light breeze soothed my skin.

It felt perfect.

Kyro would be fine, I thought. He would finally be released from his millennia of torment and suffering if I just let him go here. There were plants that would facilitate the Great Assimilation, and within days, all his regrets and attachments would drift away.

Just like… what was happening to me.

Do you like this place? a voice suddenly called out in my head.

Yes…

Then, you can stay here if you like.

"I would love that…" I said. "But…"

I paused and smiled and then giggled and turned to my side and said:

"It’s funny. Life sucks. It’s hard and violent and rough, and you’re filled… with so much pain and doubt. And compared to that… God, this feels nice. I could just… stay here forever. But… Life’s also kinda cool."

I sat up and looked over a vast meadow that led to mountains with tall peaks wreathed by clouds.

"And that’s what you’re offering, right?" I said with a mellow smile. "To strip my soul from its lingering memories and emotions… I’m not sure what you’re called, but you’re in the next stage, right? After cleansing?"

Yes.

"Figured. I love that and see why creatures want it, but… I can’t. Not now. I just… needed your help. But I think I figured it out… Thank you."

I groaned and closed my eyes, and complained as if I were warm in my bed, but I needed to get up. But like all days that I needed to wake up for something important, I forced myself out of the trance, breaking free from my dreams, and entered the room. Despite the annoyance, I still felt pure and relaxed and ready to face life and save my friend.

I returned to the trial’s ball under Kline’s watchful gaze and put my hand on it.

Within seconds I was back in the darkness with two eyes glowing in the distance.

So soon? it laughed.

"Yes and no… I’m not giving you my soul, but… I think I can help release you… into the Great Assimilation.

You want to kill me? Its eyes widened, and it stood, eyes raising as it walked toward me. That’s your solution. If I help you, you’ll kill me?

"No… I’ll see you free. I could be wrong, but… beings end here when they’re too angry or remorseful to drift away. And after a hundred thousand years… aren’t you tired?"

The anger in the being’s eyes lowered, but I kept silent instead of pushing it. I already said what I needed to say. Instead, it spoke first.

What do you know?

"I just experienced it. One of these plants took away my negative emotions and… it was really nice. I wanted to stay forever but… I’m not ready to die. But… I’m 23. I’m… young. I still want to suffer a bit, but… do you?"

I paused and then laughed and said, It’s strange… Challengers have stressed my soul or threatened to crack this ball or tried to force it, but there’s only been one other who has offered to kill me—and they didn’t have emotions. How strange…

"So? Are you ready?"

It developed rows of large razor teeth and said:

No. I’m here out of duty—not debt. I sleep peacefully when challengers aren’t here.

"Oh…"

But I will pass you. Give me a body and return me, and I will aid you in getting to the next room. I will bring neither you nor your companions harm.

"Is that a worthy trade? I can make you elixirs or… something."

No… All I want now is to complete my mission and sleep.

"Oh… Well, thank you. I agree to your pact."

In the darkness, a thread of gold and purple aura reached out to me, and my core created one of its own. They intertwined, wrapping and knotting before mine returned to my chest.

Now enchant my body. Just know that if you can’t fulfill your promise—you will die.

"And you didn’t think to tell me this?"

Would it have mattered?

"No…" The spell dissolved, and I returned to the room and stared at the small Omoxilian for about four minutes before sitting and studying the runes again. Once I felt confident in the enchantment, I stood and put my hands on the creature and chanted for about fifteen minutes until I finished. The creature moved, but it went ballistic, shooting out tendrils everywhere. I thought I was dead, but the arrays on the podium lit up, and it stopped moving.

It’s reset…

I swallowed and sat and studied the runes and tried again—and again. And again. I tried for hours and then probably a full day, using Mental Shielding training in place of sleep, hungry from running out of rations. I didn’t know how much time had passed or whether the harvest had started, but I pressed on. After the twentieth attempt, I finally managed to activate the Omoxilian.

The tendrils twisted toward me but stopped on the ball.

No arrays lit up.

"Okay…" I put my hand on the ball and saw the beast in the darkness. "It’s ready."

Well enough.

"Wait."

It turned its eyes to me. What?

"What’s your name?"

It smiled. "Khor."

The darkness disappeared, and the magic ball lit up, and the Omoxilian shimmered with golden light. Then I started to move, slithering off the podium and forcing Kline to his feet, hissing at it.

"It’s okay…" I said.

I walked over to Kyro and picked him up, thankful he was alive.

"Just hold in there…"

He wheezed in response. It was good enough.

I looked up, expecting Khor to be doing something strange to the wall, but he didn’t. He first went around the room, picking flowers and herbs and loading them up before moving to a peculiar wall and penetrating it with one of his roots.

I activated my channel visualization spell and saw that the network of soul roots around the room dried up, and a hole developed in the room on a side wall.

Khor slithered inside, and I followed him. It led to a dark, dank passage that was surprisingly long, but after about two minutes of weaving, I found myself in the most beautiful room I had ever seen.

It was like Serenflora if it was fused with the garden that Brindle led me to. It had a pond the size of a hot spring with glassy blue water with blue glow stones on the ceiling that twinkled like stars. All around it were plants and herbs, and at the end, there was a final podium.

Khor led me to it.

I sat down in front of it with Kyro on my lap, studying the runes. It transported me back to the endless void, but this time, information stabbed me from all angles. It was a mixture of everything I had done: establishing my core, cleansing the river, and separating aura and neara. Most importantly, it was the exact opposite of the mana core evolution spell. Instead of expanding my soul core—it tightened it again, refining it, making it stronger.

It’s an evolution spell… I thought. I wanted to study it for hours, but time was running short.

I opened my eyes. "Okay, let’s figure out how to heal…" I looked down for Kyro and found him missing. "Kyro!"

I whirled around, searching for him—and found him instantly. Khor had wrapped his tendrils around the tiny fairy and was dipping him into the water like a tea bag. It was a messy scene with the clear blue water that had a layer of plants that Khor had picked in the last room, all floating on the surface like lily pads and algae.

Kline was watching the scene with the most nervous expression I had ever seen. He was terrified.

"Kyro…" Without thinking, I jumped into the water, hoping to hold him and find him okay.