Merlin and Co could not understand what they were looking at, but they trusted Will; after all, he had gotten them this far. Woodsy took a few moments to think carefully as she looked at the matrix below.
'Something about this reminds me of Soul Chain Share…'
Woodsy was not sure why, but the matrix before her reminded her of Soul Chain Share in some way. But it was far more complex than any spell she understood. Nevertheless, she could not shrug off the feeling that she had seen this somewhere before.
Duke, Letty and Alice stood at their respective positions just above the triangle. Will took a position at the centre of the circle and released a wave of yuan, melding it into the matrix. The matrix glowed brightly, its structure changing slightly. At each point where the trio stood, a small circle with runes embedded within appeared directly underneath. The moment these circles appeared, an odd circumstance appeared.
The circles transformed into a matrix everyone there was familiar with.
"Soul Chain Share activated by itself?" Woodsy blurted out. Merlin and the others were stunned by this revelation. Only those within the contract could initiate the spell, but somehow Will, through his matrix, had triggered something within Duke, Letty and Alice.
The moment Soul Chain Share forcefully activated, the auras of everyone there spiked heavily. A flood of information entered their minds, allowing them to understand what was happening.
"Centralized Tripartite Soul Brethren Contract?" Alice muttered under her breath. As the one with the greatest mind, she processed knowledge faster than anyone else had quickly gotten the essence of what this was. Alice's words caused Woodsy to nearly suffer from a heart attack.
"What? How is this possible?" Woodsy was thunderstruck and had a stupefied expression on her freckled face. Merlin was a tad slower to react because she was not familiar with the phrase, but she was aware of the importance of the word 'contract'. Contractual spells linked the vessels of those involved in some way, a good example of this was Soul Chain Share.
Such spells were not to be cast lightly because the effects were not reversible and resulted in permanent changes that could be detrimental.
Woodsy took a moment to explain what a Centralized Tripartite Soul Brethren Contract was to the others, causing their expressions to turn grim. As far as the listeners were concerned, Will did not gain much from this.
"The person acting as the Hub is essentially a power source for the other participants, supplying energy, attributes, bloodlines, memories, physical traits, talent, lifespan, and more.
While the Hub derives no direct benefits from this arrangement, it can utilize the elemental attributes and bloodline traits of the other participants to a limited extent. Additionally, the Hub possesses unique abilities, such as the power to summon others regardless of distance, provided sufficient energy is available. The Hub also has the authority to determine the distribution of benefits among the participants.
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Within this contract, the Hub is the spiritual centre that others can access. It functions as a network, facilitating effective communication among the participants. However, a significant drawback of being the Hub is that the cultivation of the Hub's abilities is stunted. The Hub can only progress to the minimum level reached by the lowest-level person in the group, limiting their individual growth."
After Woodsy finished recapping everything, the others could not help but look at Will with renowned respect. He was, without a doubt, not gaining much, losing the ability to contract descent Soul Sworn for the rest of the foreseeable future. Not only that, but he was destined to be the lowest level individual in the group; in other words, to get stronger, Will had to make the others of a higher level than him.
"I see; Soul Chain Share is also a Tripartite Contract. A resonance occurred between the two contracts. Lord Solitary intends to fuse the already present Soul Chain Share with the new contract and facilitate the completion of the spell." Analysed the sharp Tobias.
Woodsy could not help but raise a brow at Tobias' words because he had been spot on.
'This guy is a natural egghead. I need to spend more time teaching him. He is definitely the most important local as far as I'm concerned.'
Tobias, like Alice, had a Scholar-type class as well and a frighteningly high IQ. He had a low EQ, however, and was poor at communicating with others. Nevertheless, his powerful mind was an asset in Woodsy's eyes. Woodsy already saw herself as the guide of the group. As far as she was concerned, it was her role to make sure everyone knew what they needed to know. Achilles, Merlin and Lyra were far from stupid and quickly grasped what was happening, flashing Tobias a look of gratitude for explaining the situation.
'Why are they not thanking me for explaining the entire thing?' Woodsy frowned as she felt unappreciated. She pouted and shifted her attention to the happening ahead of her.
Will's countenance became uncharacteristically serious as he gazed at the three and said, "You should have a rough idea of what this signifies. I will only go through with this if you guys agree. This is an irreversible decision for everyone involved, so think carefully. Due to my absence, the three of you were already forced to make a contract that shackles you for life. For that, I'm truly sorry. I can't reverse what happened, but I can at least improve your situation and share my strength with you."
Will's apology and words warmed the hearts of the listeners. They knew Will cared for them, but they didn't know that it was to the extent of weakening himself.
"I won't force you to make a decision, but I will be honest with you. I'm not doing this because I'm a saint. There is a limit to what I can do by myself. I also need you guys to keep up with me. Because we are a team. We are facing a threat that needs us to be united and grow as a group.
I would be lying if I said I do not benefit in some way from this because I do. You will also benefit greatly as well. Nevertheless, this is a lifetime commitment. So make your choices carefully. If you agree to this, you are receiving strength from me, but you are also tied to my ship, and you will share the same fate I share. But if you do decide to go through with this, I promise I will use my greatest effort to meet your resolve, and I will help you reach your peaks. So go ahead and think."
Will planned to give them time to think, but Letty had no interest in waiting, "I am already tied to Master by destiny. There is no need to think. You offered me a helping hand when you didn't have to. Despite your position, you still chose me. So I won't leave your side."
Will was not one to cry easily, but he would be lying if he didn't admit the fact that her words had touched him. He had approached her with airs and didn't think much of their future relationship, but he was now happy regarding his decision.
"If it wasn't for you, I would just be another nameless archer. So my answer is clear. The Duke is on your team."
Duke raised a thumb and smiled like an innocent child. There wasn't any posturing, just pure reassurance of his stance. Will smiled and nodded in thanks. Duke was the closest Will had to an equal he could be himself with. And Will appreciated that.
"Well, I want to make a difference."
Alice balled her tiny hands into a fist as she looked down in reminiscence, "In class, we kept hearing about Kings, Emperors Sovereigns and all these famous people. I never thought I could be involved in a world like this. But now I can make a difference. I can become something other people can look up to. You gave me that chance. So I don't want to walk away. I don't just want to help. I'm tired of being rescued!"
Alice breathed in and faced Will with an expression of resolve, "I also want to beat Hanzo with my own power. I want to be strong!"