“System? What are you talking about? This is real life, not fantasy. Don’t get your hopes up. Although that thing is also real, I’m not one of them,” the voice replied.
“Then who the hell are you? Stop wasting my time. I’m already mentally exhausted by this entire chain of events. And get out of my body,” Alex said, sitting back on the bed.
“That I cannot do. My existence is linked with yours. As for who I am, even I don’t know. All I know is that my name is Kairos,” the voice responded as a metal orb emerged from Alex’s body. From the orb materialized a semi-transparent human hologram.
“Holy shit! It’s that orb. You’re the one who killed me on Earth. Everything that’s happened is because of you!” Alex shouted angrily, glaring at the hologram.
“Calm down, Alex! When did I kill you? Aren’t you here, in flesh and blood? You should be grateful I brought you here. Otherwise, you would have wasted your boring life in an office,” the holographic figure replied calmly, seemingly indifferent to Alex’s anger. The hologram appeared to be a young man in his early twenties with black hair. His clothes were similar to Alex’s but more elaborate.
“Hey, this is not my body. I’ve read all those novels. You must have killed the original soul of this body and replaced him with mine. What’s your purpose behind all this?” Alex complained.
“Alright, I’ll explain everything and answer all your questions. But first, you need to understand that you are no longer on Earth, and the identity of this body is now yours. I didn’t kill the original soul of this body; you are the original soul. I will infuse the memories of this body into your mind. It will be painful, so bear with it. Also, from now on, call me Kairos,” said Kairos.
After that, the metal orb re-entered Alex’s body, and he began to absorb the memories of Alex Lionheart. He experienced the memories of 18 years in a flash. There wasn’t much headache, as these memories were of his own life. He felt every moment and emotion from those 18 years. After about an hour, he had assimilated all the memories.
Finally, Alex opened his eyes and sat in silence, unsure of how to process the life he had lived so far.
“Ah, now that you know who you are, it will be much easier for me to explain things,” Kairos’s voice echoed inside Alex’s mind, breaking the silence. “Alex from Earth and Alex Lionheart are the same person, and that person is you.”
“So, you’re saying that my soul didn’t replace Alex Lionheart’s soul. I was reborn here as Alex Lionheart. But why didn’t I remember anything until now? And why am I only seeing you now? And who are you really?” Alex asked Kairos.
“Yes, you are both Alex and Alex Lionheart. Think of it as a rebirth without actually dying. You would have been dead if you hadn’t been born here. One of the reasons I blocked your memories of Earth was to protect you,” Kairos explained.
“Wait, what do you mean I would have been dead? Don’t tell me you have some powerful enemies coming to find you,” Alex asked in confusion.
“Relax, I have no enemies. You would have been dead because you don’t belong in this world. You are an alien here, and the Heavenly Dao of this world would have done everything to eliminate you. You don’t know this, but before your birth, as I carried your soul with me, the Heavenly Dao detected it. If I had been even a little slower, both you and I would have been destroyed. That’s why I integrated your soul with the origin in Judy’s womb. That’s how you were born,” Kairos explained.
“Every soul in this world originates from the Heavenly Dao. The soul carries the essence of the Heavenly Dao, much like a birth certificate. That’s why assimilation was crucial. It allowed you to avoid death and the punishment of the heavens. Think of it as your body fighting off foreign bacteria and viruses. You could consider yourself as a cancer cell that avoids detection by the body’s immune system,” Kairos explained further.
“Alright, I understand that much, but how do you know all these earthly things? Are there cultivators on Earth?” Alex asked eagerly.
“What are you talking about? Did you lose your intelligence after coming here? I have access to your soul and memories, so I know everything you know. The soul is the true essence of any living being in every world, and it stores all the memories of your life,” Kairos replied.
“Now, as for why I suddenly appeared now and not earlier, the answer is quite simple. After traveling between two worlds and bringing your soul here, I exhausted all of my soul energy. I went into a deep sleep to recover. Only now have I gathered enough energy to awaken. The trigger for my return was your awakening ceremony. It was only then that I began to absorb soul energy. The growth of your body also helped shorten this period,” Kairos explained.
“Hey, since you mention my awakening ceremony, the fact that I don’t have a soul seed must be related to you, right? Did something go wrong with my soul assimilation, or did you make a mistake?” Alex asked.
“While it is related to me, it is neither of those cases. The first reason you don’t have a soul seed is that your soul is not part of the Heavenly Dao. All souls born in this world originate from the Heavenly Dao, which is why they all possess a soul seed. Remember, you are an outsider here, and if the Heavenly Dao finds you, it will eliminate you immediately. The second reason is that I was instructed not to allow you to develop a soul seed during your assimilation,” Kairos clarified.
“But why would you do that? How am I supposed to cultivate without a soul seed? I’ve been suffering for the past three years,” Alex asked, his voice filled with anger and despair.
“There are two main reasons for this. First, if the Heavenly Dao had detected your foreign origin during the awakening ceremony, it would have killed you on the spot. The second reason is even more critical, and to understand it, you need to know what a soul seed actually is,” Kairos explained.
“As you are aware, humans typically awaken their soul seeds at the age of fifteen. This awakened soul seed grants access to soul energy and the ability to manipulate it. It establishes a connection with the Heavenly Dao and acts as a gateway to the heavens. However, this connection is a two-way street.”
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“Through the soul seed, the Heavenly Dao gains access to your soul and can exert control over you. Even if you achieve great heights as a cultivator, or even attain immortality, you will still remain a servant of the heavens. The entire cultivation system is built around the soul seed. Imagine the devastation if an entity could control all soul seeds—it could destroy the entire cultivation world. And that entity is the Heavenly Dao.”
“Imagine the Heavenly Dao as a vast ocean. Scattered around this ocean are numerous small ponds, each representing an individual. All these ponds are connected to the ocean through pipelines, and these pipelines are the soul seeds. Through these pipelines, the ponds draw water from the ocean to fill themselves. The quality of the pipeline determines the amount of water drawn, much like how different soul seeds have different grades,” Kairos explained.
“Remember, the ponds can only use these pipelines. They can improve or upgrade them, but they can never remove them. The control over these pipelines will always remain with the ocean, or the heavens. Different ponds use various types of pumps to extract the water; these pumps symbolize different cultivation techniques, each with its own grade.”
Alex was stunned. He had never viewed the cultivation system in this light before. Those who were giving their all to reach new heights in cultivation were, in essence, just being fattened for sacrifice. The entire system of cultivation seemed like a cruel joke. ‘People sacrifice their happiness throughout their journey, only to discover that there was never a place of eternal happiness,’ Alex thought to himself.
“Is that the reason you brought me to this world? And why specifically me? Who exactly are you? And if you’re aware of all this, why don’t you take action yourself?” Alex inquired once again.
Kairos responded, “Yes, that is precisely why you were brought here—to remain outside the reach of the heavens’ influence. As for why you were chosen, I am unsure; my memories related to this are sealed. Regarding my identity, you might consider me the soul spirit of the artifact you call the orb. I was created by the master to assist you in reaching the pinnacle of cultivation. I am merely a spirit of a soul artifact, tasked with safeguarding your soul.”
“Are you just a voice in my head, or do you have any other abilities?” Alex asked.
“Well, my master was a cultivator of space and time. I was instructed to assist you in understanding the laws of time. As for the laws of space, my master expected you to comprehend them on your own. My powers are linked to your level of cultivation. As your cultivation progresses, so will my abilities. Currently, with no cultivation of your own, I can manipulate the timeline of any inanimate object up to 50 years. This limit will increase as your cultivation improves.”
“However, there is a restriction on how many times I can perform this manipulation in a day. It depends on your soul energy. As your soul energy increases, so will my capabilities. Additionally, my time manipulation cannot be applied to the same object more than once in the same cultivation stage,” Kairos added.
“I understand now. You are similar to those sentient weapon souls found in novels. But what about your master? Do you know anything about him?” Alex inquired.
“Yes, in a sense, you are correct about me being a weapon soul. I do not know much about my master, but he has shared his memories with me, which will be unlocked as we advance in cultivation. He hasn’t provided many details about his goals, but he has instructed you to achieve an immortal level of existence as soon as possible. He also left you with one final message,” Kairos explained.
“Heavenly Dao is a parasite. Never place your trust in it.”
*****
As Alex and Kairos engaged in their intense discussion, a sinister plot was unfolding in the capital city of Smith Kingdom. Today, the City Lord of Cyro and the Second Young Master of the Housten family were scheduled to meet with the High Priest of the Heavenly Dao Temple.
Cyro City, located adjacent to Balden City, maintained a relationship characterized by transactional interactions rather than genuine camaraderie. Despite the absence of overt hostility, there was no notable friendship between the two cities, both of which were integral parts of the Smith Kingdom.
The Housten family, prominent traders based in Balden City, harbored longstanding resentment towards the ruling Lionheart family. Their dissatisfaction with the Lionhearts' dominance had simmered for years, and although they had yet to find a suitable moment to act on their envy, today presented a potentially ideal opportunity for them.
“City Lord Rafael, are you certain that the honorable High Priest will grant us an audience?” Paul Housten inquired; his tone tinged with skepticism.
“Absolutely. My position as City Lord affords me the privilege to request an appointment with the High Priest. However, I must ask—are you confident in your ability to persuade him?” Rafael replied, his gaze steady.
Following this exchange, both Rafael and Paul made their way to the temple. They announced their arrival to the temple monks and articulated their purpose in seeking an audience with the High Priest. The monks regarded them with a mixture of curiosity and interest before one of them carried their request to the High Priest for consideration.
The Heavenly Dao Temple stood as the supreme authority in the Falling Heaven World, embodying the will of the Heavenly Dao and dispensing justice on its behalf. With branches established across all the kingdoms and empires of the realm, the temple had no direct interest in the affairs of the cultivation world; its sole purpose was to serve the heavens. This unwavering dedication meant that no one could challenge its authority. The temple located in the Smith Kingdom was one such branch of the main temple.
After a period of waiting, the monk returned and guided both City Lord Rafael and Young Master Paul towards the High Priest’s chamber. Upon reaching the entrance, the monk announced their arrival with reverence. Rafael and Paul then proceeded to enter the chamber.
“Greetings, High Priest! Hallowed be Thy Name,” both City Lord Rafael and Young Master Paul said as they bowed deeply before the High Priest, who sat in his chair with a calm and serene expression.
The High Priest gestured for them to take a seat and inquired, “What brings you to the temple today?”
City Lord Rafael took the lead in responding. “High Priest, I am the Lord of Cyro City, and this is the Second Young Master Paul of the Housten family from Balden City. He comes with troubling news suggesting that the Lionheart family may have committed an act of blasphemy.”
“Yes, High Priest,” Paul added, “This concerns Alex Lionheart, the Third Young Master of the ruling Lionheart family in Balden City. We suspect he may be either a demon or a demon born. When he was born, there was an unusual weather phenomenon as if the heavens were displeased. Initially, we thought it was simply a tribulation, but no one was found. Three years ago, he failed his awakening ceremony, and it was determined that he possesses no soul seed.”
“Hm, interesting,” the High Priest mused with a faint smile. “Can you provide evidence to support these claims? Is there no personal motivation behind this accusation?”
“How could we ever deceive your excellency?” Rafael replied earnestly. “Everything we have stated is the truth. Numerous city lords and noble families witnessed the awakening ceremony.”
“Very well. There is no need for further concern on your part. I will dispatch a priest and several monks to verify this matter. Should it be discovered that you have falsified any information, you will permanently lose the temple’s favor. You may leave now,” the High Priest instructed.
With that, Rafael and Paul exited the temple, smiles on their faces as they anticipated the dramatic events that were likely to unfold in Balden City in the coming days.