Olian had always been obsessed with his work. Too obsessed. Despite this, he found time to fall in love, to date, to marry, to have children. For the first time in his life, he had found something worth more than his work, worth more than manipulating souls and bending flesh.
He had met Elise during one of his travels for work. She worked as a knight guarding him and his colleagues as they ventured from city to city to meet with other researchers.
He’d talk with soul manipulators, with soul bearers, with people who wanted to unlock the secrets behind the latent power in souls. They had different ideas to his own, but the way they saw the world was too similar to his own. He’d grown tired of it, and realizing that no one seemed to hold the key for a breakthrough, Olian found himself conversing with Elise on their travels.
Elise saw the world in a different manner than Olian. While he paid attention to the small pieces, the individual parts such as the soul and body, she saw the person. While he saw the leaves, she saw the tree. While he saw the stars, she saw the sky. He could never see things in that manner; seeing the entirety of something rather than its details first.
He could never understand “the whole” by itself, only the pieces, the tiny, intricate details which it was made of. Olian knew Elise by the strange way her lips curled when she was happy. The way she played with her hair when she was bored. The way her cheeks flushed just a little red when she was embarrassed. And he loved every bit of her.
Maybe it was because they saw the world so differently, understood it at such different levels that they had fallen for each other.
One thing had led to another, and soon, they married, living out a blissful life together. It wouldn’t be long before it’d be more than just the two of them, for they were expecting children not long after the ceremony.
It was a start to a happy family, something rare in a world like this. However, they were not part of the exception. Despite possessing this new happiness, Olian still held pride in his work, afterall, it was his job, it was his life before Elise.
Maybe the world was just against them, maybe the stars had just aligned all wrongly, but Olian could remember that day clearly. It was winter, and he had set off for work, a laboratory to experiment with flesh and soul.
They were close to a breakthrough, close to unlocking a new way to attach a soul back to a body. It wasn’t like necromancy where one would be brought back as an undead, but as if they had been brought back to life.
He'd stayed back late to progress their research, but despite being so close to a breakthrough, they couldn’t push past a certain wall. When he returned home, he was greeted with a horrendous sight. The image had been burned into his mind, a reminder to his failure.
He had called out to Elise, but she didn’t respond. Walking up to their room, he opened the door only to see Elise lying on sheets soaked in blood. It was a premature delivery, and it had killed her. For a minute, Olian stood there frozen in horror. It must have been a nightmare, but as the scene burned itself into his mind, the reality had dawned on him.
How come no one came to help her? Why was it a premature delivery? Why did she have to die? Why did the babies have to die as well?
No, the babies hadn’t died yet. Somehow, he heard their heartbeats. He could sense the little light of their souls still burning. There was still a chance, at the very least, he could try and save his children, but there was only one way that he could do it. He had to take them out by himself.
His hands trembled. It seemed like the world was spinning around him, twisting and turning into a torrent trying to break him down, but he steeled himself and cut open Elise’s abdomen. He had gone beyond the point of not return.
But, he was able to save his children. They were out of her belly, but they were dying. Olian had to save them, no, he would definitely save them, and he could do it the only way he knew how. He manipulated their souls, he remade their flesh, and he brought life back into them.
He emptied his stomach until he could throw up no more, continuing to work through his teary eyes. But when all was said and done, he had done it. Olian had given life what should have been dead. His hands were bloodied, his mind scarred beyond belief, but he had salvaged what was left of his family.
In a way, breathing life to them, saving them was a way for Olian to repent. If only he had been there for Elise. If only he had come home earlier. The world had not acted in their favor, but Olian felt, no, he knew that this was all his fault.
He worked to give his children a safe haven in a world that would never accept them. He worked to keep them alive, continuing to guide their growth of their fragmented bodies and crumbling souls. He worked to try and give his children a mother, to bring back his wife. But most importantly, he worked for redemption.
But redemption did not come, and here Olian stood, face to face with his failures, watching as his “wife” began to wreak havoc in the city that they once called home. What was there left for him now?
“We need to burn that thing!” Ega turned back toward Hela and a few of the knights who had come up from the basement in response to the commotion.
“Wait! No please—”
“Are you kidding me!” Ega grabbed him by the collar. “Look at your wife! Look at her! Move on! Just say your goodbyes and let her go already. You think you're the only one who…”
Ega stopped himself, realizing that he was letting his emotions get the better of him. Throwing Olian back onto the ground and leaving him to break down by himself, he told the knights his plan.
“I have nova burst petals on me, but it’s not going to be enough. I need something more, something like oil or… Alcohol! Alcohol will work!” The plan was beginning to formulate in his head. “Drown that thing in a shit ton of alcohol, and with my petals, we can kill it.”
It sounded like a great plan, however…
“Where are we going to get the alcohol?” One of the knights spoke up.
“I don’t know! Just break into a tavern or bar! Ransack it for barrels and kegs!”
All the knights looked at each other, baffled that Ega had suggested that they commit a crime.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“You figure that out.” Hela suddenly spoke. “I’ll hold that monster down until you get everything prepared.”
Ega noticed the feathers growing out her body as she charged toward the monster, a sign of a deep mixing of souls. Feathers rained down on the monster, pinning it in place.
“Shit! Just do as I say! I’ll pay for all the damages myself if I have to, understand?” Ega’s voice had shaken the knights to their core.
“Yes sir!” They shouted in unison before scattering off to find some poor bar or inn to break into.
With enough people going out to gather alcohol, Ega ran toward the giant mass of flesh, hoping to stop it from causing any more destruction. Though Hela was doing a good job holding it down with her feathers, it was still progressing across the city bit by bit.
Having lost his sword in the rubble, all he had left were a pair of daggers to try and distract the monster. He cut into its flesh, running it across a great distance to draw its attention. His plan had been successful, as it swung back at him.
Ducking under its swing, he began to run around even more, distracting it like a mosquito as he drew more of its blood. Feathers continued to rain down, stopping the monster for a few seconds before it tore itself out of the restraints.
With their combined efforts, they were keeping the monster in place, letting whoever was getting caught in the chaos escape. But their stamina would eventually run out. Ega was already near his limit after fighting off Lily and Lliam, and Hela was pushing the limits of her steel swan soul.
‘Where are those damned knights?’ Ega wondered. They had been keeping the monster in place for quite a while now, and still, not a single knight had returned with alcohol.
Suddenly, Ega felt something lightly tap his arm. It wasn’t blood nor was it any debris, no, it was something much more normal, something much more natural. Rain.
He could feel another drop hit his head, and as he turned his gaze upward, he saw it. Through the pitch black of night, dark clouds were beginning to roll in. This moment of distraction had left him open and unprepared for the monster’s sudden swing toward him
A feather shot down at the hand, stopping it before it splattered Ega against the floor or walls.
“Keep your eyes on the monster!” Hela was scolding him, even in this desperate situation.
“We have to burn it quickly!” Ega could barely spit out the words in the middle of his ragged breaths. “Rain! It’s coming!”
Hela’s face twisted into worry, but she trusted in her knights. As the two of them were reaching their last drops of energy, the knights had finally returned, carrying a total of seven kegs and even some bottles tucked under their arms.
“Finally!” Escaping from the giant monster, he ran over to the knights to give them more orders.
“Who’s the strongest out of all of you?”
Helm’s hand suddenly shot up, but seeing Ega’s gaze suddenly fall on him, he shuddered.
“Okay, you stay with me. The rest of you, spill three of those kegs at the base of the monster, and watch out for its attacks!”
The knights kicked into action, leaving only Helm behind. “You! I forget your name, but can you throw these kegs above the monster?” Ega would have done it himself, but he had run out of strength.
“Y-yes sir!”
“Then throw it! Right above its head!”
Following his command, Helm picked up a barrel, his arms growing as he mixed a soul and threw it right above the monster.
“Hela!” Ega yelled out, but it seemed like those words weren’t needed.
Understanding what he was trying to do, she shattered the barrel with one of her steel feathers. This wasn’t enough, they needed to cover that entire thing with alcohol, and they needed to do it fast before the rain came in.
“To the right of it! To the left now!” Ega began to bark out orders like a hound. “Now toss the bottles directly at it!”
Helm was good at keeping up with his orders, and soon, they had used up all the alcohol that they had. With that done, they had to throw in one final ingredient before they could burn the monster. Reaching into his bag, he threw a pouch above the monster’s head.
“Nova petals!” With those words, Ega had finished his job.
Without any more directions, Hela shot at the pouch, only ripping it to let all of the petals fall down. But they were falling too slowly, and with the last bit of her strength, she summoned hundreds of tiny feathers, pinning the petals down onto the giant beast.
“Light it up!” Ega yelled out with the last bit of his strength.
And not a second later was the first lantern thrown, shattering against the monster and enveloping it in fire. It wailed out in pain, shaking the entire city to its core as it trashed around to try and extinguish the flames. The rain had not yet settled itself in their region. Only bits of it began to drop, but that was not enough to put out the raging fire they had created.
The monster would not regenerate, not to a fire that strong. Regeneration only worked because of the soul instructing the body to do so, however, the communication between soul and body wasn’t instant. It takes time.
That time may be a second, maybe even less than a second, but if the body is continuously taking damage, the soul will never be able to give instructions fast enough to regenerate. One second, it’s “regenerate the hand.” If the entire arm is suddenly chopped off, now it's “regenerate the arm.” Repeat the process until there’s something that can’t be regenerated.
With their victory finally achieved, Ega dropped down onto his knees, his legs unable to support him any further.
Despite the horrendous screaming, Ega kept his eyes off the burning monster. As its flesh burned away, the strange, almost pleasant smell began to fill the air. The nova burst petals were working well, and as that familiar scent pervaded his nose, he couldn’t help but think of this as a soul ceremony.
This was a strange one, the circumstances made it so, but it was still a soul ceremony. Turning his gaze over to Olian, he noticed that man breaking down, probably saying whatever final words he needed to say.
‘I’ll give him a second.’ Ega thought, watching as the entire body turned to ashes, as the remnants of Elise’s soul finally left this world, never to return again.
The rain began to pour in once all that was left was ashes. It washed it away and quickly drowned out the scent of nova bursts. After a final goodbye, there would be nothing left but memories.
Picking himself up from the ground, Ega walked over to Olian. His eyes were blurry, as if he was in some other place and time. Grabbing his hand, Ega sliced into Olian’s palm before grabbing it.
The Mithril Blood began to flow out of his hand and into Ega’s. “I hope you said what you needed to say.”
Olian winced as the blood was extracted from his body. His eyes were still unfocused, but nonetheless, he uttered a few words.
“Lliam… Lily… I—”
Once all the blood had been extracted, Ega pulled his hand away. He took deep breaths, trying to readjust with the new rush of blood in his body.
“Are you doing alright?” Hela had gone over to check on him.
“Shit… as if.” He stumbled forward, falling into her arms.
He struggled to stand upright, but Hela’s words stopped him. “Just rest, we’ll take care of the rest.”
And so, Ega closed his eyes, slowly drifting off into another realm. Despite the rain, the sun began to peek its head over the horizon, marking the end of this night and the start to another day.
