[There is no way back!

You are the one who managed to kill the Queen of the Forest and her son, and then merged their souls with yours, using them as threads of the souls of hundreds of cursed children. Now you can no longer consider yourself human or dragon. The soul has become whole again, but it is very fragile. You need to enlighten your soul using a technique that will not harm either the human or dragon soul. And don't forget about the souls of the cursed children.

Objective: To study the technique of soul and mind that will be connected with humans, dragons, and darkness, reaching the first level.

Reward: Vias Deus will be replaced by ????????????? (Error).]

After reading the third quest, Vallynor was surprised. Vias Deus will be replaced. Why and for what? More questions arose in his mind.

Why are they helping him? Who is giving him all this knowledge? He understood well that there is no such thing as a free lunch and that memories, like that stupid bitch, invited him and were kind to him only to use him later. He managed to decipher their plan and even harm them. But even so, they were able to kill him.

Alexander, who was cleaning his swords, silently watched Vallynor, feeling the mana flowing into his eyes. At first, he couldn't understand why Vallynor was moving his finger in front of him in the air, but he quickly remembered Caesar's and Gabriel's lessons on eye-related magic and made a few assumptions. However, he didn't ask to confirm or refute them. If necessary, Vallynor would tell everything himself.

Doubts and reluctance to follow the indicated path grew with each passing second. Who knows if this path will lead to his demise? He had already suffered enough and lost several people dear to him, both in his world and in this one. His unwillingness to submit to anyone and become their slave only intensified.

Everything disappeared in an instant, and he was enveloped in cold darkness. Vallynor tried to turn his head but realized he couldn't move. Not his body, not his head, not even his eyes.

Before him, a purple fire appeared, followed by blue and green. The lights were initially weak, illuminating only a few centimeters around.

Then they grew stronger, and a round silver table manifested from the darkness. The table had an engraving of a symbol in the form of a triangle with rounded corners inside. Each fire was located in one of the semicircles.

However, what interested Vallynor the most was the fact that in front of the purple fire sat the handsome guy he jokingly called a hunk. But now he knew that the God of Death stood before him, and behind him sat Death herself, staring at him with her cold empty eyes.

The God of Death looked at him, smiled, and said:

"You must be scattered and worried. Why am I helping you? Very simple."

All three fires merged and showed Vallynor a scene where the Gray man... the God Soul shatters into pieces. Even now, looking at it, he couldn't understand much. It was like a task from the first grade that an idiot is trying to solve.

"I cannot make this moment clearer for you. Mortal, like you, cannot remember and understand much... That's why I'm helping you. You should already know about the contract that holds me and everyone else like chains... I need someone who can understand the truth, even the bitter truth. I will help as much as I can... But when you reach the required level, help me discover the truth. Until that moment, you can do whatever you want. Become a hero or a villain, it's all the same to me... I'm done."

***

Alexander suddenly stopped and looked at Vallynor, who sat with empty eyes. He had just felt something rip Vallynor's soul apart and take it away from this world. But how could that have happened?

This world was isolated, yet someone managed to extract Vallynor's soul using that cold and liquid force. It reminded Alexander of the God of Death, one of the few gods with whom his master maintained a friendly relationship and the only one he called a brother.

***

Vallynor woke up in his body and looked around, noticing Alexander who was staring at him. Then he lowered his head and started cleaning the other side of his sword.

"Noticed?" Vallynor asked, realizing he couldn't hide.

"Hard not to," Alexander replied.

"Then why don't you ask?" Vallynor asked puzzled. From the Queen's memories, he had been able to form the first image of this powerful warrior. And he knew that this warrior always spoke his mind.

"I came for the child. Not to run around and gain another enemy. If it's something important, you'll tell me yourself," Alexander spoke. Then he added, "Hmm... Him? Ah, I just barely made it."

Taking the swords in his hands, Alexander stood up and, looking into the distance, said:

"Today really isn't my day. Stay here. I'll drive away this scum," finishing his words, Alexander disappeared, raising a huge cloud of sand.

After a few seconds, Vallynor regained his composure and began to contemplate Alexander's words. He weakly smiled and started to consider whether he should tell or not. Meanwhile, he heard a cry:

"I... CHOSEN... CHOSEN!"

Hearing that cry, Vallynor remembered the creature that resembled a dragon and attacked him and Annino when they were in the Temple of Gara.

Black threads in Vallynor's soul tightened, causing pain. And his mind filled with anger and fury. Different images appeared in his mind, depicting something killing him repeatedly and each time in a different way.

The little eye that had been observing the source of the cries turned to Annino, returning from the hunt. In its mouth, there was a caught cat. Cheerfully approaching Vallynor and leaving a barely alive cat at his feet, Annino brought out a few more caught carcasses from the shadows.

Annino joyfully approached, expecting praise and gratitude from his owner. But time passed slowly, and nothing happened. The little eye, observing from the side, noticed something unusual. Vallynor was trembling almost imperceptibly.

The creature in the form of a cat slowly tried to rise, and its movements indicated that it was about to pounce on Vallynor. Annino, waiting for his master's hand, didn't notice how the captured prey, nearly dead, managed to rise and prepared to attack instead of escaping.

A beam pierced the cat, creating a hole in its body. Annino, coming to his senses, looked at the source of the attack and saw the little eye that had attacked the cat. At first, he was angry at her and her actions, but then, looking at his owner and waiting for his reaction, he noticed that Vallynor was trembling as if experiencing unbearable pain.

While Annino and the little eye surrounded Vallynor, contemplating how to help him, the creature in the form of a cat finally died, and a white mist emerged from its body, entering Vallynor. After a few minutes, Vallynor stopped trembling and, falling onto the sand, began to calm down.

Annino, watching how this white mist somehow helped his owner, quickly ran off into the woods for another cat. The little eye, on the other hand, first surprised but then seemingly understanding something, began to nod subtly.

Vallynor, coming to his senses, started to remember how something entered him, penetrated his soul, and pierced his energy, calming his madness. The little eye, looking at him, spoke for the first time since he returned:

"Your soul... was tainted with demonic energy and changed imperceptibly, becoming partially demonic. But these changes are so insignificant that I can't even call you a demon."

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"What?!" Vallynor was astonished by what he heard. How much more could there be?

"Only demons have that talent - to passively drain the souls of others. But they enter through their mouths, purifying and suffering in the fires of hell before becoming nourishment. This ability arises when a person begins to transform into a demon."

"Is it dangerous?" Vallynor asked worriedly.

"If it had happened before you came to this world and injured your soul, then yes, you would slowly transform into a weak and foolish demon. But now it's just a small bonus. The dragon's soul won't allow you to become a demon."

"Where do you know about demons?" he asked Glazik, sitting by the tree.

"Are you senile? Who do you think I belonged to? To Baba Yaga herself, the witch who commanded and made deals with hundreds of demons. How can I not understand what I saw? It's not the first time I've seen it. The process of demonization began a long time ago, but due to the very small amount of demonic energy, it's progressing very slowly. There haven't been any significant changes in a hundred years."

"Yes, I haven't forgotten that you're a grimoire. Can I somehow cure myself?"

"Hmm... no. It has already absorbed into your soul. So consider yourself a small bug in the world of demons. And as for me being the mistress's grimoire, it's better to keep quiet. Everyone thinks I was her familiar."

"Is it dangerous to leave my soul as it is?"

"I... CHOSEN..." - A distant, very distant crash and screams could be heard, but Vallynor and Glazik ignored them.

"No and yes. No, because when you start your path, you will strengthen your soul, and the demonic corruption will become so negligible that nothing will happen. Yes, if more corruption enters you before you start your path. But in this world, it can't exist. So no, it's harmless, so don't worry. Consider it like a sixth finger on your hand. Extra, but doesn't create problems. But it's better not to show it to others... Now I understand why the mistress fed you and helped you," Glazik said, having said everything she wanted, and she rose into the sky, attentively watching the dragon and Alexander.

"Even now, the past haunts me. Maybe it's my punishment for what I shouldn't have done," Vallynor said to himself, looking at the perpetually gray sky filled with clouds.

"I'm in a pile of shit, and many are in cahoots with me. But of course, not just for nothing, but to use me. And I don't even know what they want from me. Why did Death make me his apostle? Why did Baba Yaga help me? Why did the old woman want to give her soul? Even this Necronomicon, I don't know what to expect from it.

Of course, with many of them, I already know why. And I've already promised to fulfill their requests. Maybe I shouldn't worry so much about it. After all, I'm weak right now. And if they offered steroids, hmm... the olive branch to help me become stronger, why not take advantage of mutual benefit? Everything has its price.

A distant crash, very far away. Vallynor noticed a white spot flying away. Watching it, he understood that it was that dragon who loved to scream like a madman, claiming to be "the chosen one." At the same time, anger and rage started to fill his soul towards the dragon, but quickly faded as a tired and wounded Alexander appeared before him.

"Strong as ever," he said, sitting down and taking a small vial from his ring, tossing it into his mouth. While chewing it like gum, he took a red bracelet from the ring and put it on his wrist. The pendant, glowing red, quickly lost its color. At the same time, as the bracelet began to wear out, Alexander's wounds healed rapidly and completely disappeared. And the recently acquired bracelet turned to ashes.

"Mmm, did you just eat glass?" Vallynor, seeing Alexander recover while sitting, was surprised not so much by how quickly he healed but by the fact that he consumed bubbles. A question arose in his mind: does he eat glass?

"Are you talking about these vials?" Showing another bubble filled with red liquid, he said, "This is not glass. It retains that form until it comes into contact with warm saliva, becoming as elastic as gum. This product was created by alchemists so that warriors like me can heal wounds quickly and effectively. You can't just swallow it, you have to chew it. And it works perfectly."

Taking his swords and rags, Alexander began to clean his blades. He glanced at Vallynor and the corpses lying nearby for a moment.

Vallynor pondered, sighed, and said, "I have personally encountered the God of Death." He decided it was time to seek the opinions of others. Why should he dwell on everything and suffer alone? It was certainly dangerous, but at first glance, Alexander didn't seem like a bad guy.

Alexander, still focused on his sword, replied without looking away, "I know."

This surprised Vallynor. But remembering how Alexander reacted when they first met, he understood that he had already guessed.

"He said he would help me become stronger and uncover the secret of the God of Souls' murder," Alexander continued, pausing and giving Vallynor a piercing gaze. With a heavy sigh, he added, "This situation is very dangerous and full of pitfalls. If those who shouldn't know find out that you are helping the God of Death discover the truth, you'll face serious problems. It's good that you told me about it, but next time you may not be so lucky... I know why you told me this. It's my personal opinion, but you must trust this God because the God of Souls is his younger brother. Accept this gift and assist him. There is always a price for the blessings received."

Finishing his monologue, Alexander continued to clean his swords, removing every speck and making them as pristine as new.

Vallynor, hearing all this, began to contemplate. He compared what was happening with what he had read in books and realized that he had no choice anyway. He recalled his first assignment and asked, "How long will it take us to reach the city?"

"Approximately 2-3 months. We could do it faster if we used teleportation magic. But I don't have a good relationship with the guys from the tower," Alexander replied without hesitation.

"Why do you have a bad relationship with those responsible for teleportation?" Vallynor initially intended to remain silent and contemplate his first assignment, but curiosity got the better of him, and he asked about Alexander's past.

"You probably think it's an incredible story, but the truth is that when I teleport, I feel sick. I use teleportation magic when I need to escape from an enemy or bring something important to the city. Due to the discomfort I experience after teleportation and because I have fought various enemies up until this point, I end up destroying everything around me each time."

"And that's it?" Vallynor couldn't believe that such a trivial matter caused problems.

"Of course, that... no. That's just one of them. The other one is that I often accidentally bring the enemy with me, and sometimes I do it intentionally. Here's an example: once I needed to bring a gem of fiery flower from a volcano, and there were enemies guarding it, made of lava. I took the gem, but due to the enemy's persistence, I had to use a teleportation scroll. However, I made a mistake and teleported myself, bringing the enemy and all the lava that comprised its body along with me. As a result, half of the tower was destroyed. And that's just one example."

"So, every time you cause trouble for those in charge of teleportation?"

"Not only for them, but for other mages as well. Ha-ha-ha," Alexander, finally done cleaning his swords, stood up and asked, "How long will it take to reach the city?"

"About 25 days," Valynor lied to Alexander, concealing the fact that he had more than 29 days. Just in case. But how did he know the need to reach the city quickly? Maybe he deduced it from my previous question. After all, he has his mental abilities.

Valynor stood up and began gathering the corpses in a circle, not in a pendant. Wait, where's the pendant? Valynor only now realized that the pendant he wore around his neck was missing. It was very strange. Even without the pendant, he still felt a connection to the dead souls within him. Let's leave that for later when there's time.

Regaining his composure, he arranged all the corpses in a circle and noticed Anino cheerfully preparing for a new hunt. Then he turned to Alexander.

"25 days. It's not much time. But if we try hard and avoid encountering unpleasant types like that one, we might make it in 18 days. So, let's go."

Valynor was about to start a conversation about how they would reach their destination when Alexander suddenly grabbed his hand. Anino's eye was already moving away from the group, along with Valynor.

And... he made such a leap that Valynor would never forget. Anino and Alexander were scared to death. Alexander ran so fast that everything around became blurry. Trees appeared as blurry shapes, and Valynor even noticed the phantom silhouettes of some creatures and half-humans. They tried to attack them but quickly backed off.

Fortunately, Valynor was glad he didn't feel pain. Well, not much. It's still unclear whether he was dead or alive. But it didn't matter. He felt discomfort, but his stomach wasn't in excruciating pain. It's good that his stomach was empty. That's even better.

But with Anino, it's unclear. He seemed to have no mouth. But now he started turning red and pulsating. And Anino began to vomit, even managing to soil Alexander and Valynor.

Alexander clearly noticed that he was soiled but didn't flinch, continuing to run.

Not far from where Alexander and Valynor stopped to catch their breath, a small bird sat on a branch, closely observing the spot where Valynor had been a moment ago. The bird fell, and its soul shattered into pieces.

Far from here, a man in golden glasses smiled and said with a hint of surprise, "You noticed?"

***

The old monk sent his agents, birds, to keep an eye on the boy and gather information. He even tried to find out what happened to the Queen of the Forest.

But suddenly he lost contact with his agents and the contracts he had. It seemed they had disappeared, and it greatly shook and frightened him. Looking around, he took out a small butterfly from his ring and released it into the air.

The butterfly began to flutter its wings, emitting a faint light, and vanished.

***

In the dark cave, where deep darkness reigned, a butterfly appeared, fluttering and emitting a faint light. Two feminine hands gently caught the butterfly, and its owner smiled softly before they both disappeared.

She reappeared in a stone chamber with only one door. The girl with the butterfly in her hand opened the door and walked down the corridor towards a handleless door. Placing her palms on the door, she vanished, revealing a room with a chair, a bed, and numerous objects. A man sat on the floor with closed eyes.

"Chapter Kasiel, the monk has sent us a message," she said.

Kasiel, the man, without opening his eyes, replied, "Place it on the table. I am occupied at the moment. Queen of Nightmares, Lia, is sending her troops against us. I was too naive, and she noticed something while we were monitoring the boy and the dragon... Go to Forkas, he is preparing. Help him."

"Hahaha, that lazy fool. He only thinks about how to use this body. I'd better deal with him..."