Abdin's soul was jet black. The color didn't bother Silver Mask as he calmly grabbed the soul despite its silent struggles to escape. But, unlike Silver Mask, everyone present was in open-mouthed wonder. Some were pointing at the soul and shivering, while others wanted to speak but everyone was afraid to say a word before Silver. They were forced to watch on in silence.

Abdin wasn't fazed. All he knew was that no one could keep him from dying if he wanted. He tried to chant some incantations but the lack of a tongue prevented him.

"I shall ask you for the second time," Silver said. "What is your name?"

His tone suggested he didn't believe what Abdin had told him. Abdin was worried at first, but then he remembered his lack of tongue and that calmed him.

"My name is Abdin son of Samu son of Yunusu son of Nuhu."

Abdin's voice arose from his core without moving his mouth. Was a mouthless soul also not immune from obeying this man?

And why would he even think Abdin could lie to him? He knew perfectly well that men never outmaneuver his interrogations.

And, so, why would he think Abdin would be any different?

But Abdin suddenly remembered an important reason. Abdin son of Samu the son of Yunusu son of Nuhu had always been referred to as The Calamity to the East.

He was someone who was wanted around the world but had long evaded capture. It was someone who the Easterners viewed as a person with supreme pol above the Deva.

He was someone whose legend had overshadowed the rest of creation and other cultivators.

Silver Mask would find it difficult to believe that Abdin had told him his true identity.

But Abdin wasn't lying. He was The Calamity, the one who was wanted by the Easterners and who had notoriously disturbed empires in the last era.

His pol was just not up to where they ought to be. His Pol was at a level so low that men like Silver couldn't even notice him. But because of the nature of his skill, people tend to think he was far above that.

Abdin shook his head or tried to, as he presently lacked a head.

Silver Mask was quiet for a while before tilting his head. He had probably discovered that Abdin was telling the truth. But he couldn't fathom how this man who was mere inches above ki condensation stage could be that great cultivator spoken of by the Easterners.

Silver Mask brought Abdin higher and closer to his face and looked intently at him.

The young man gritted his teeth. He would like to rip off the mask and see what the man's face looked like. But he lacked the hands to do so.

Most importantly, he wouldn't let the man interrogate him any further. There were things Abdin couldn't reveal, despite the loop. His time manipulation abilities, for instance. What would happen if men like Silver became aware that they were trapped in a loop? Especially if they knew that Abdin had a way of initiating them in?

"Superiors had confirmed your death in the East," Silver said. "Why are you here?"

The voice, so cold like an ancient cemetery, slithered through his ears.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

It was only Abdin who could hear him this time. Perhaps, Silver didn't want those around to know of what had happened in the East. Abdin heard it became so humiliating to the level 6 empire after he'd escaped. So they must have decided to frame his death.

"Because..." Abdin tried to resist with all his remaining strength. But even with a heart strong enough to do so, his pol was too low to resist Silver.

"Because..."

But it was as Abdin had said, if he wanted, he would die. And no one could stop him. And without any effort from him, his soul began to disintegrate.

Silver held him with both hands and tried to pump him with Pol. Abdin merely grinned. Silver couldn't stop him from dying even if he was stronger than that.

In all his years of adventure, death was what he knew how to do best. There was no one currently in the world, who had died as many times as Abdin had.

No one even came close. That was how he knew every nook and cranny of where death may lurk.

If he wished to die, he would. And no one could prevent that.

Silver, who realized that he was late, released the soul and stopped pumping it with pol. He watched as Abdin's soul disintegrated. His face and thoughts were unreadable beneath the mask.

One thing became clear for Abdin though, that Nànata and Silver had recognized his scent. He had to watch out for them in the next loop.

***

[You died by the hands of a Mighty. You lost twenty-one years of pol. Your cultivation has come down to 166 years.]

When he awoke, Abdin found himself standing in a forest, gazing at the trees.

Unlike previous times when he would go directly to summon the castle, now, Abdin removed a green ayrid from his bag of holding.

He stared at the seed for a long time before throwing it upwards with a bitter smile.

[You have created a save point.]

He had only a few green ayrids left, and he would have no way of resetting the loop if he ran out.

He waited for some minutes before moving forward to the heart of the forest and drawing a seal. There was an almost imperceptible change in the seal that could go unnoticed by most.

He summoned the mist and covered the castle with it before retiring and locking the gate behind him.

He moved on to his room and also locked the door. He didn't meditate this time but lay back with his face up and began to think.

Many things had happened in the previous loop, and he had even fallen into Silver's hands.

This forced him to end the loop by activating his soul points at the base.

So he had to use another green ayrid to create another save point, so he would return exactly to the forest the next time he died.

Despite how unsavory his end had been, and the manner of his death, plus the loss of pol he suffered, Abdin had still discovered many things. Things that would force him to change his plans.

His first calculation had been to befriend Juwaira and her team, and then lure Tairen and Will of San to his side.

With these two parties, he had planned to evacuate the towns and villages directly on the castle's path of expansion before it expanded.

Then he would face Biyakis after that.

Either the empire returned under him, or they relocated to another place. The castle must expand, and it would certainly bury the old empire under it.

This had been the plan.

But he had never expected to see a big army hidden at Biyakis and other parts of the continent.

He didn't know what the said army wanted to gain by coming here, but it was clear that whatever it was, they needed to bring down all the empires in the continent to get it.

They had kidnapped all the Royal children of the continent and had instigated a war between Ura and Shurein. And then subsequently Dikan, Biyakis, and Dadiyan were also at war with each other through an elaborate plot by them

Whatever the reason, Abdin wasn't going to war with Biyakis and inadvertently helping Silver and his cohorts in the process.

What he needed to do was to entice Biyakis to his side, or even under him. This way, he could use them to destroy Silver's party and the Nànata.

He still needed Juwaira - she would be the first setback in Silver's plot - and he needed Tairen - who would help during the castle's expansion.

But he needed a new tactic before he faced Biyakis. It shouldn't be a war that would take him there this time but hope for mutual assistance. It had become clear in the previous loop that Biyakis couldn't cope with Silver's conspiracy, just as Abdin couldn't face them alone now. But the outcome would change if they allied.