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Chapter 5 - Nova Noctis
🕑 Added 2025-01-16 03:55:37 +0000 UTCNova sat in wonder, looking at his new soul fragment. It was overwhelmingly strong, more than he expected.
‘Hah! A Soul Power of twelve thousand! This should give me some options, for sure! Bright soul purity, that sounds good. A time limit of five minutes… Well, I should probably be happy it’s that much.
These numbers are incredible… I didn’t think any aspect could be higher than the Soul Power, but it seems I was wrong.’
He read through the traits, recognizing himself in the descriptions. Over the course of his second life, he had killed so many corrupt and outright evil people that he eventually developed a paralyzing killing intent.
His heart had calmed down since then, but the past still remained hidden in the depths somewhere. Something that couldn’t be explained through magic or science, at least with his knowledge.
‘Was it related to the soul from the very start? I never considered it particularly significant, but now that I know more… I regret not researching it further.
And Perfect Control, that sounds about right. The revered Noctis family called me a prodigy from the start. They just didn’t know that prodigy would become their downfall…’
A cold gust of wind carried through the barred window, pulling him back from the past. He stood, looking out at the ocean reflecting the moonlight.
‘I guess it’s time to have a proper look around.’
He willed his essence into action, creating another invocation in his right hand. Detailed small symbols whirred around his palm before stopping in place, creating a thin layer that spread all around his body.
[You have learned the skill: Dampen (Expert - 17%) {Grade 2}]
[You create a thin layer of air around you, absorbing most of the sound you make. It lasts for 10 minutes under normal use.]
‘Only expert… I thought I had mastered this one. Did I make an error with one of the runes? Well, whatever. Let’s get out of here.’
He moved across the chamber in complete silence, retrieved the keys from under the loose rock, and stepped through the door. He hadn’t listened for any guards that night, but he had a different solution.
With the last bit of essence remaining, he created another invocation, this time in his eyes.
[You have learned the skill: Lesser Life Detect (Master - 75%) {Grade 2}]
[Your eyes can see vague silhouettes of anyone in a 20-meter radius as long as they’re at comparable strength to your own.]
The view that met him was horrible, just as he expected. Looking through the garden walls, he saw chambers of children in all directions. Their garden was the outermost one, closest to the sea, but he could see at least three others.
‘... No guards, at least. So I can leave here safely. I don’t want to use the fragment before I have to.’
He moved to the iron door, ensuring the lock was within his Dampen invocation before twisting the key. Then he was out, back in the outer hallway, ready to search.
‘My main goal tonight should be to find the captain and to learn the layout of this place better. I can escape at any time, of course, but I’m not alone here. I should probably avoid killing anyone if I want her cooperation… But if any harvesters are planning anything tonight, I can’t make any promises.’
He started walking down the hallway, feeling the improved aspects carrying him much faster than the previous night. He kept his eyes and ears open for any signs of life, but besides the Life Detect showing him more children and gardens, no one seemed to be around.
‘Are they still on high alert? Or just scared? It suits me fine either way, as long as it’s not an ambush…’
He could eventually see the end of the hallway and figured it was time to go through the door the guards had arrived from the night before. It was locked, but he quickly found the right key and entered another hallway.
The next hallway was just as long and filled with doors of all kinds, but one stood out. It was a double door decorated in gold and velvet, practically screaming ‘important.’
‘... I suppose it’s time. I can’t detect anyone, so it’s either empty, or there’s someone stronger than me in there.
Equip Fragment of Nova Noctis.’
[Fragment of Nova Noctis equipped.]
The change was instant and overwhelming. Where before his essence had moved like a gentle stream through his body, now it roared like a waterfall, threatening to tear him apart. His tiny frame struggled to contain power meant for a master assassin at the height of his abilities.
The world around him sharpened, every shadow gaining new depth, every sound carrying new meaning. The Life Detect skill's vague silhouettes suddenly blazed with detail - he could see the captain's aura clearly now, a conflicted swirl of gold and crimson.
Nova took a silent breath, letting twelve thousand points of Soul Power settle into his four-year-old body. The dissonance was jarring—like trying to pour an ocean into a teacup. But his Perfect Control trait kicked in, and the power bent to his will, compressed and refined until it felt natural.
'Five minutes,' he reminded himself, reaching for the ornate door handle. 'More than enough time to make an impression.'
“Perhaps we can help each other?”
Nova saw her body inhale sharply at his words, filtered by his lengthened vocal cords that deepened his voice. It wasn’t a skill or spell, just raw control over his body.
The captain was frozen, which hadn’t been his intention. He had checked her power with Assess, and her Soul Power was over two thousand. Quite respectable, depending on how she got that far.
‘But there shouldn’t be a reason for her to freeze up like this. I hid my killing intent perfectly.’
“... You’re the one who killed the harvesters?” she asked in a whisper, as if she was afraid to make loud noises. Her shoulders tensed visibly under her crisp uniform.
“Yes, that was me. I dislike the slaughter of children very much. And so do you, by the looks of it.”
He looked around the room, studying the style of decorations and carvings in this world. His gaze traced the intricate patterns that wound their way up the wooden pillars and across the ceiling beams. It was very detailed craftsmanship, but the style wasn't to his taste. It was like a mix of art nouveau and chaos, intricacy for intricacy's sake.
The captain’s fingers drummed nervously against the wooden surface of her desk. “... Are you serious about helping each other?”
“That is why I’m here, and also why you’re still alive. You understand that you’re not allowed to turn around, right?”
Her head nodded rapidly, showing her nervousness. She was under no impression that she could beat him, meaning she had good instincts. “How can I help?” she asked, sounding a bit more comfortable all of a sudden.
“You can consider me completely new to this place, so first, I would like to ask you some questions. Can you tell me about the structure of this land and who’s in charge?”
“... We are in the city of Collport, controlled by Governor Newark. The duchy is ruled by King Galled, along with the rest of the kingdom of Taurel. We live in relative peace compared to other kingdoms, largely due to our strong military forces."
Nova listened intently, gaining some insight from her simple explanation. "The relative peace is due to places like this, then? I imagine the souls harvested here are used to strengthen those forces."
"Some of it," she replied, lowering her voice. "But most goes to line the pockets of nobles and merchants who profit from the trade. Soul power is the most valuable commodity in the world."
“Of course,” Nova replied heavily. He was used to those in power using underhanded means to stay there, but never like this. Though it didn’t surprise him. “And the people of the kingdom, do they know what's happening here?"
“Oh, no. If they did, I think they would protest. Although…” Her head leaned forward like she was searching her memories. “They are all very happy with the peace King Galled has created, thinking it’s due to his wise leadership. They might turn a blind eye.”
‘Yes, much like I suspected,’ Nova thought, furrowing his brows.
“Is Soul Power the only thing those in power care about?”
"The nobles are obsessed with it - they say it's for defense, but really they just want more power. And child souls... they're particularly valuable. More pure, they say."
“... And how many places like this exist in the kingdom?”
“Too many. At least a dozen, near the same size.”
Nova went silent. He knew there would be more places like this, and considering the scope seemed lower than he expected, only used in a single kingdom, he should be glad.
But he couldn’t help it. The systematic slaughter of children for the sake of keeping the peace, it was beyond inhuman. ‘What kind of king… would do such a thing?’
“I– I’m sor–I’m sorry!” the captain stuttered, struggling to speak.
Nova realized he had lost control of his emotions and quickly reined them in. She immediately started panting, released from the pressure on her soul.
“No, that was my fault. I apologize… You have nothing to fear from me. But someone does.”
She held a shaking hand to her throat while sweat ran down her temples, clearly terrified. But her breathing slowly calmed. “... I don’t know how we can solve this, sir. Even if you are strong, could you ever defeat someone gaining hundreds of thousands of Soul Power each year?”
‘... So that’s the power of a king here. When you can tax power, it makes sense. But perhaps we don’t need to beat him.’
“... What if there was a way… to create Soul Power?”
Despite the situation, the Captain chuckled at his words. “I’m sorry, sir. If such a thing existed, the world would be very different. And even if you had one, I doubt it would change anything. They would simply start asking for more souls once they learn of it.”
‘It truly is such an alien concept to them… Well, it’s not easy to do, exactly. But since Dampen and other invocations exist here, they have the tools to discover it. It’s just a matter of understanding the theory. I’ll have to keep it perfectly secret if I want to use it.’
“... Will you enter a contract with me?” he asked, expecting the answer to be outright refusal.
But the captain remained silent, biting her lips. “What kind of contract? How does it work?”
“A simple spell, but nearly unbreakable once it’s agreed upon. You would have to keep everything about me and my skills completely secret, and I would promise to let you live and fight to save the children.”
“... That sounds more than reasonable. I would even thank you for such a contract.”
Nova was starting to feel the urgency of his time limit, having spent over three minutes already. He would have to return the next day, or whenever the time limit was restored.
“Once a person breaks their part of the agreement, the other can kill them immediately. It’s not something easily broken, you understand?”
“I still agree. Having an ally such as yourself would be… immensely helpful.”
“Alright, sit still while I initiate it,” he replied, starting another new incantation. This one would require more skill and essence than he could usually exert, but it was no problem while using the soul fragment.
On the floor surrounding the two of them, a large circle of blue light appeared, rapidly filling with runes of all sorts. Circles upon circles, and runes upon more runes, some rotating to the left while others to the right.
The captain gasped audibly at the display, still not daring to look too far behind herself. Then she seemed to feel a pull in her mind, sitting up straight.
“The contract will try to match our ideas of each promise, ensuring we have the same expectations… You’re being a bit too agreeable here.”
“After seeing this magical spell, I believe everything you’ve said, sir. How can I not be accommodating?”
Sensing the contract she wanted, Nova couldn’t help but smile. “... Fine, then. I can sacrifice and use you as I please as long as I try to keep the children safe… You really are a good person.”
“We are on the same side, sir. And if you have the skills you say you have, I can only wish you use them to make the world a better place.”
The incantation locked in place and burst into motes of light, finalizing the contract between them.
“In that case, I won’t mind if you turn around. I no longer have anything to hide from you.”
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Johnathan Charcoal
Angel FR now
