22.4
Bubble…bubble…bubble…
“Log 156: subject shows no sign of restoration. Body condition remains the same as one year ago. Under Aron Olbaz’s instruction, the subject is infused with magic infused sustenance for body construction.”
Barsen Flunder, Araon Olbaz’s assistant spoke to the voice recording tool as he often would whenever he attended Aron’s most prized project.
The project to revive Aron Olbaz’s genius apprentice.
Miril Harvest.
Barsen proceeded to grab a mana core, one harvested directly by Aron Olbaz from the Dark Beasts that lurked Reperane Woods as he brought the mana crystal above the coffin sized tank that hosted Miril’s body in pale yellow fluid.
“Under the Immortal Emperor’s approval, Project: Eternal Soul has been permitted. For the first time in our experiments, a single mana core is introduced into the subject to induce artificial soul into the subject.”
Splash…
Barsen dropped the mana crystal into Miril’s tank, watched the white mana core sink to the very bottom of the tank without reaction with the body construction fluid.
The man slouched as he shook his head, turning to cross out a few notes that he left on the table as he continued to speak.
“Mana core, the source of energy for Dezarinthian inventions have no effect to stimulate the formulation of an artificial soul. Aron Olbaz’s theory of imbuing the supposed ‘soul’ from mindless creatures like Dark Beasts requires further refinement to—”
Bzzrt!!!
The lights to Barsen’s lab dimmed into complete darkness as loud crackling of energy surged throughout Miril’s tank.
Twitch…
Barsen’s eyes widened.
Twitch, twitch, twitch…
“The subject’s body is reacting to the mana core. Muscle movements are confirmed—”
Grggglee…
“!!!”
From what were a few finger movements, Miril’s corpse was invigorated with movements, causing the boy’s body to violently shudder as though it was possessed by an evil spirit, splashing the sustenance liquid all over the ground.
“Subject is exhibiting signs of retaining full body motor skills, the mana core has been completely absorbed by the subject—”
“Raaaahhhhh!!!”
Miril Harvest’s body burst into life with a primal roar, his eyes coated in yellow as his red pupils burned with rage.
Barsen made not a sound as Miril started to sniff his environment, his eyes scanning his surroundings akin to a wild beast’s. Only for Miril to lock eyes with Barsen.
Then he pounced the man.
“[Spectral Bind].”
The familiar voice of Aron Olbaz appeared as a vines made of mana appeared around Miril’s frenzied body, latched onto the boy mid-air, stopping his assault on Barsen.
“Grkkk!!! Raaarrrr!!!”
“It seems, this mana core was the answer all along…” Aron lowered himself as he faced Miril who was lashed out in feral frenzy at him. “How are you Miril? Do you still recognize me?”
“A-Arr…on…” The boy’s expression changed for a moment before reverting to his beastial instincts, “Harrrrr!!! Gaaaarrrrrrrr!!!”
“!!!”
“Good, good. It seems like my apprentice still recognize me after such a long time,” the old man nodded favorably before standing up straight. “Barsen, prepare for phase 2.”
“Phase 2, what phase 2, we’ve never discussed about it!”
“We don’t have much time before the beast’s soul consumes Miril—”
“Krrk!!!!” Miril’s barked at Aron before he let out a small whimper “K-kr…kill…me… Arrgggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!” the boy screamed as his body contorted and bent in impossible ways, his body seizing as a bloody tears seeped from his eyes.
Punch!!!
“…”
Aron watched with a blank expression his apprentice’s body writhed and contorted itself. Barsen shielded his eyes as the creature that was once known as Miril Harvest proceeded to brutalize itself.
Punch, punch punch!!!
With all of its primal strength, the creature crushed his own body, with the goal end its own life.
Spurt!!!
Unable to take both the mana core’s power and its existence, Miril Harvest’s body exploded. The experiment is far too much and overloaded his physical body.
“Aron! H-he just exploded!!! W-what are we going to do now!?”
“Tsk…yet another failure… Where it go wrong this time…” the old man uttered to himself.
“A-another failure? What do you mean…? Your apprentice’s corpse just exploded in front of us!!!”
Aron turned to Barsen with emotionless eyes.
“Sheila, if you would…”
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“Of course.”
A woman appeared from the shadows, moved before Barsen as she planted her lips on the man, draining him of the memories of the failed experiment, leaving an empty expression on Barsen as the man stood idyllic at the center of the lab.
“Thanks for the meal again, Olbaz.” Sheila said to the old man as she melted into the shadows. “Call me when you are ready for your next failure.”
Aron shook his head as he placed his hand by his ears, contacting someone with [Message].
“Yes, it’s me again… When is the next batch ready… Uh huh… 1 week from today? Yes, the mana core is still too much for him…. What? No, no... That is not necessary, we are trying to create souls for humans, not use them up… Yes, I understand…”
With his piece said, Aron left Barsen’s lab, leaving his assistant as he always did after a failed alchemy experiment on Miril Harvest’s body. He gestured to the cleanup crew who had been stationed outside, to enter, allowing them to take care of Barsen Flunder and the mess that was created.
He headed towards the opposite end of his mansion, passed by a hallway where similar looking tanks containing body sustenance fluid was decorated.
And in them, contained the same body that was used for Project: Eternal Soul.
Clones of Miril Harvest’s body.
The very same that he retrieved from Parac Village from a year ago.
He had undergone the effort of reviving his apprentice many, many times, numerating to a hundred and fifty-six times.
Yet, in each iteration, the revived Miril Harvest would either be taken by the beastial nature that came from the mana core itself, or succumb to the forces of nature by committing suicide.
With each failure, Aron further refined his techniques and approach, he had already experimented with necromancy magic with no conclusive results.
His goal, was to artificially create souls for the Immortal Emperor, it was why he was summoned back to Registoria to begin with. Once the artificial soul was completed, he would continue his experiment with soul transfer from body to body.
But the laws of nature stood in his way of doing the impossible.
After all, when a person dies, their souls perish from the mortal realm.
Aron Olbaz however, was an alchemist. For him, the rules of the world were meant to be broken by him. He who was the inventor of many magic tools and inspired even more, he who had a hand in building the Dezarith Empire from many centuries ago knew that creating artificial souls were a hard task.
Despite the Demon Lord of Ruin’s powers to sustain his body long beyond his lifespan, Aron started to feel the toll of time upon his shoulders gradually.
If he were not doing this for the sake of the Emperor, he was giving it all for himself.
Afterall, the both of them are dying.
Meanwhile, in a foreign land far from Dezarith Empire, a place that laid beyond the endless Demon Desert. Somewhere...within the vast Eastern Continent.
Flap, flap, flap…
The rapid fluttering of wings echoed as the silhouette of a humanoid figure with bat-like wings entered a hidden palace amongst the complex township.
“I was not expecting you to be here this early…”
A voice appeared from beyond the viewing window, shrouded by the pitch-black shadows cast from a lone candle upon the elaborate folding screen of eastern origins.
“No… That is not it…” the humanoid folded his wings as he stood where he was, neck craning from left to right as he tried to get a glimpse of the owner whose palace he entered.
“Don’t tell me you’ve been found and decided to defect here?”
“Heehee…”
“Pfft…”
“Haahaa…”
Giggles followed after the voice’s comments, the flock of female voices was then accompanied by a thick, pungent scent of flora that immediately surrounded the intruder.
“N-no. I would not dare bring d-danger to you, dear patron,” the figure got to the ground before prostrating. “T-the summit ended q-quicker than what we expected to. T-the new ruler has an unhealthy habit of deferring his responsibilities.”
Shhckk…
The sound of fabric rustled and shifted at the intruder’s words.
“A-and…”
“And? What is it? Spill it out!!!”
“H-he reinstated the previous one. The one that constantly thwarted your plans, s-sir.”
“VELERION!?”
The man’s voice shot through the room like roaring thunder, causing the walls around them to vibrate.
“Eeek!”
“H-he is angry…”
“P-p-p-puh…”
“YOU THREE, LEAVE!!!”
The owner, who was still his undergarnments, had jumped to the edge of the bed. No longer behind the folding screens, he walked towards the intruder with the rage of a furious tengu.
Skittle-skattle.
The three women that was on his bed could be heard scampering away from the dark room leaving the man they were servicing moments ago, alone with the intruder.
“You promised me!” the owner spat as his feet stomped, his hand raised in the air as the atmosphere around them thickened. “You said you planted the idea in everyone else’s mind! YOU SAID THEY WOULD APPOINT A USELESS LEADER!!!”
The man grew in size, his skin turned into a shade of red that intensified with his growing rage.
“I-It’s not my f-fault… T-the…the… I-I…never e-expected him t-to… He had made n-no moves ever since he defeated V-Velerion. S-so I thought, h-he—”
Pang!
The intruder was flung across the room at the owner’s strike, breaking the few furniture he collided with before the owner put on the shirt that he left by the bed, preparing to leave as soon as he could to rectify the pressing issue that was the weakening of the dragons’ power.
For decades, he had been accumulating forces through the act cunning, accumulating generational influence through his meticulous strategies....
Back when the Elder Dragon, Kharston was alive, he could hardly amass any forces that could rival the Western Empire of Dezarith.
Elder Dragon Kharston was a fearsome foe.
Though the Elder Dragon learned of his existence, instead of interfering with him, Kharston had placed many Dragons and close eye on the man, often stifling his rise to power.
It was only until Elder Dragon Kharston had ceased to be that he the Eastern Federation began to fall into his grasp. It was only then was he able to enact his schemes that he hatched long ago.
When word of Velerion, son of Elder Dragon Kharston’s defeat by a mere mortal reached his ears, he brought things into acceleration.
Taking into account a simple mortal’s achievements in the dragon world, he intended to dismantle the legacy Elder Dragon Kharston left behind.
Through whispers of distrust and suggestions of change among the 8 Ancient Dragons, the dragons had unknowingly fallen took his bait of crippling dragon society.
All without them ever made aware of his existence.
But now, these plans were thwarted.
He did not understand it.
He was a master strategist, a monster with an intelligence to be reckoned with, whatever he could think of, he could execute it perfectly using his unparalleled charisma that charmed just everyone he met.
A charm that came from taboo origins.
Even the Ancient Dragon that he just struck across the room. Ancient Dragon of South-East had succumb to his power without much effort. He truly was one of the smartest and strongest in this world. Though his body was not as durable as an Elder Dragon’s everything else he had, he had the entire Eastern Continent’s forces wrapped around his finger
Be it enemies, rebels, defectors, oppositions, so long he used his all-powerful magic, he would undoubtedly garner the servitude of his targets no matter how stubborn they are.
Almost everyone.
There had been a few extreme exceptions of beings that he could never use his brilliant charisma on. Like Kharston, all Elder Dragons were completely immune to his charismatic magic. That was why he hardly made a move when Elder Dragon Kharston or Synthia was still alive, when it came to beings whose powers surpassed and outclassed him, he avoided conflict at all costs.
And then, there was the rare exception of—
“D-demon…” the spy croaked as he fumbled through the broken furniture.
“Hmph!” the man turned his head away in disinterest. “Leave, until I call for you again. I have no need to be reminded of who I am.”
The spy continued to crawl towards the man, his glassy eyes pleading him to stay. “No… Wait…” croaking as his bloodied arm grasp the owner’s ankle.
“You failed me! There is nothing else to discuss!!!”
“Him…demon. The boy…”
“!!!”
“T-the boy… The n-new ruler… H-he…is…j-just…l-like…you…”
Thud.
The spy slumped to the ground, leaving the owner to freeze where he stood.
“What?”
“I saw him in t-the… flesh. T-there is something… similar…”
His lips broke into a crooked crescent, the pupils in his dilated as the words echoed in his mind, playing over and over like a sweet melody.
Haah…haah…
His breath became heavy, he could feel the blood rushing in the crevices of his brain, every single neutron in his mind has become lit with a new sense of elation, one that surpassed when he ravished the three women that he dismissed moments ago.
“C-could it be?”
Power surged throughout his body, his infatuated eyes had become completely black as the demonic magic of his blood emerged with his excitement.
His cheeks reddened, the thoughts in his mind swirled and coalesced into a flurry of joy.
Haah…haah…hah!
By the time his hand touched his cheeks, the temperature on his skin has risen so high that it scaled him upon contact.
But it did not matter, this discovery was worth far more than the exhilaration he got when he bathed himself combat with the blood of enemies.
The man’s face wrapped into sickening display of a primal beast ruled over by his insanity at the thread of possibility for that someone who was his true equal.
“So that’s where you hid all these years… John.”