-Afternoon. Ragefire's estate.

Nefiru's POV-

The conversation extended into the afternoon as the wind and lightning strikes have decreased, but everything is still dark gray while the downpour continues to accumulate on the ground thoroughly soaked by hours of precipitation.

"According to Goldias, the Affinity Marking symbolize the connection to the Elementals based on the natural talent, and while talents may change during a lifetime, Affinities can only change at Divine Rank if you gain recognition, but almost all beings favor one element. He also mentioned about the Deity stage beyond Demigod which you probably already know, but that's considered legends. Well, a possible ascension into the higher realm would be one occupying the ancient forest to the southeast who disappeared thousands of years ago since there was no mana wave to indicate his death." Faust reveals knowledge received from the Divine behind this kingdom.

Hmm... So, if some people slow down their progress for a long time at different stages despite Spirit refinement strengthening the connection to the vessel which in turn makes the Soul grow, then it's the growth that's simply insufficient, but what determines it? The things that could influence Soul growth are its age, self-awareness, the vessel, and if they have Soul insurance like me, but I'm willing to bet the decisive factor is age, though what does age do for the Soul? I think back to when my memories were copied.

Guardian compared the Soul to a book with some pages written, and that indicates a capacity to store information, then my original memories would be like hand-written experiences while my current memories would be machine-printed in the previously blank pages. Still, the capacity wouldn't grow without the need for storage since the longer one lives, the more information acquired, but all that happens on the portion of the Soul rooted in the dimension and only emerging entirely or death when it's unplucked would store any memory permanently. I analyze the Soul properties according to the physical laws that govern this universe.

So the manifestation in the dimension is a temporary storage unit until the connection is strong enough to transfer memories along with the storage capacity, but that wouldn't be so easy because the rooted Soul has different properties than the rest of it. I recall Guardian saying Souls can exist outside of time until they manifest in a dimension following its natural laws. The Souls grow differently because of the vessel, self-awareness, experiences, and apparently Magic, but the body can only write the portion of the Soul manifested while information from that would depend on the connection it can make which in turn depend on capacity. It would take a long time for a firm link to happen naturally, then transferring memories without an interface would be difficult unless the Soul is uprooted from the dimension pulling whatever memories can survive, and the unneeded capacity is lost to preserve energy. I realize the Soul defragmentation process after acquiring new data as a logical result.

In conclusion, an older Soul shouldn't have any trouble with growth since they could regain their former capacity faster with a stronger connection that would be like the stream of a river while a young soul will be a faucet. In any case, rebirths progress Soul evolution faster than aging normally just like progressing in a new game with save points contrary to do it without any save points which take longer to achieve. Still, it seems unfortunate that beings have to go through rebirths to strengthen their soul or have a long lifespan, and by the looks of it, quite many times when people get stuck at many different stages. I realize there are other factors that could influence the maturity of a Soul like intelligence, vessel or precious memories.

Ah! This is what Guardian meant when he said that if I had a Soul with hundreds of lives then I wouldn't be on the lower plane! Auu... but I only have six previous lives to cheat... Wait a minute! The rest of my Soul is inside my fragment and not outside this plane like everyone else. I affirm the possibility of being able to cheat the next soul stage.

However, is this really my seventh life? Even if the Fragment system is very efficient at saving the capacity entirely, Shaila is older than me, yet she only has one High Talented affinity while I have two high and one low... No way... could it be I achieved an even higher soul stage before, and that's the current capacity that allowed me to obtain three affinities? I think the probability of dying before is greater than not dying since it's possible it even happened a couple of times during birth, then fights between siblings, hunting, learning magic and fighting higher Ranks with my luck, but I have no way to confirm it for now. I concluded accessing the Fragment network will fill the gap that is becoming more apparent with time.

"Thanks, that clarified some things while giving rise to more questions, but it's good knowing. Now about that tutorial for Rank 7..." I inquired after affirming his explanation.

"Mm-hmm, but that's life, isn't it? There will always be more questions than answers." Faust acknowledged. "Anyway, not many people bother to practice this method because the downside is that you won't know if it's working until it does and that... can take you a day or a hundred years. That's why people struggle to reach ten times density at Rank 6 which is a serious hurdle for people who aren't cheating dragons with knowledge and concepts for easy understanding the nature of things. Most people don't know a baller is made of smaller things you know? I bet most divines don't even know how deep down things go until they can discover it themselves." He compared reaffirming the value of knowledge.

"Well, it's the fault of people in this world hoarding knowledge for their advantage and even Noble families pass it on to their descendants, but what happens when the individual knowing these things die? Yeah, information is lost until someone discovers it again.... I guess nobody is interested in advancing society here but improving individually to ascend to the next realm." I blame the lack of desire to better society.

"It's is as you say. Even I thought what legacy to leave my children, but they didn't even get my affinity!! Starting a noble family looked easy back then, but maintaining it or expanding requires a lot of luck it seems. Nevertheless, it is my wish for my descendants to ascend, and I think you both can get to Rank 7, but Divine Rank is another matter since most people who cross are disciples of Divines." He explains insinuating we should find a master.

"Uh-huh... I'll worry about taking over a Mana vein when the time comes. What's the method?" I urge him to continue.

"Right. So, to test if it's possible to reach the next Soul stage, concentrate all magic where you think it resides which is usually the head, and keep it there for the longest possible until you feel the Magic drain before the Spirit expands. It's very uncomfortable to keep magic concentrated without using any Magic Arts, but you must not interrupt the process once it starts, and be sure to have sufficient Magic reserves, or the adverse effects won't be pleasant since you could even lose all Ranks." He reveals the terrible downside of the high-risk method.

"Are you fucking serious!? The soul feeds on Magic to manifest and has different energy needs depending on the individual?" I inquired for confirmation.

Moreover, it requires a certain density to come forth safely while failing with this method could make the Soul retreat and ruin all progress or maybe even future development... harsh. So, powering the manifestation requires different Mana densities to each Soul like increasing voltage to make a light bulb shinier or perhaps energy requirements depend on the restriction from this plane for various Soul capacity... I analyze the workings of our essence.

"Uhh... Maybe? All I know is that the Soul starts to manifest after Magic begins to decrease, and eventually, you can sense it appearing, and comparing to your current Soul which is invisible like Air after Rank 7 would be like clear water." He describes his perception with a comparison. "Well, I should go... to make it to the capital before nightfall." He informs the end of the conversation "But before I go... the reason you don't get along with Liana--" He's about to inquire when I finished for him.

"Is because she's a reincarnated person I know? I think so. However, I didn't get the same resonance as with Shaila because we are not compatible in any way even after being a couple, and she's a bitch in this life too." I grumbled badmouthing the blond girl.

"Hmm... I can't refute that since my daughter herself likes to be that way. Still, I already thought it was strange the relationship between you and Shaila, but another girl from your past was in my family too. ...Did you do this?" He demanded accusingly.

"Not that I remember, no, but it seems it's all connected to Shaila's ancestors, and there is a possibility either Shaila's mother, grandmothers or even this Rigel you mentioned are also from my past lives. Maybe people who rebirth re-encounter each other somehow, and just have no way to tell since neither would remember, but knowing changes things even unlikely since according to Occam's razor when facing a choice, the hypothesis with fewer assumptions is most likely correct." I denied my intervention while revealing my desire to confirm my hypothesis.

"That's rather disturbing... And you want to confirm it by going to the Bidlakes huh? Too bad they won't remember you, and probably won't help us if they haven't already." Faust asserted. "Anyway, I hope you won't need the collar to communicate the next time we meet. Also, give this back to Alphonse." He threw the bracelet inside the courtyard and dashed away towards the East with a whoosh sound.

And he's gone... I stare at the cylindrical bracelet submerged in the accumulated precipitation down below as the rain continues to fall but with less wind now.

After a moment passed watching the downpour, I looked up to the glass window on the third floor without any curtains covering it.

She's probably waiting for my signal... I used light magic to shine intermittently on her window until she appeared. Speaking of the white devil... Shaila shines intermittent light from her window in reply.

"--Are you done talking with father--" Shaila inquired in Morse code.

What better for long-distance communication than Morse code? Though that's the most important use that my Light magic has at the moment... suddenly I feel the pain of those Light magicians who get called useless. Well, there are other means of transmission in this world, but this one is unique, and not many will peek on our conversation until we can learn radio waves. I recall our difficulty to make higher wavelengths with our Light Affinity.

"--Done--" I replied. "--What are you wearing--" I ask in Morse code teasing.

"--Normal clothes why--" She replies.

So dull... it's getting harder to get her embarrassed... Still, this is the perfect time to have a secret conversation since nobody will hear or see us in the storm. I affirm realizing she probably made Lester tell her who was talking to me.

"--Come take a bath with me--" I invited her into the rain.

"--But its very cold--" She complained touching the glass.

"--Im going to confess all my secrets to you--" I declared.

"--Coming--" She said and disappeared from the window.

...This girl... As I thought, she was waiting for me. I recall the confession I received in my previous life. At least I didn't let her wait too long, though I'm not confessing love haha... I make a wry smile then looked around the desolate backyard and spotted the dagger Alphonse gave me by a tree log.

She comes out the kitchen door with the hair gathered into a pony tail and the usual riding clothes including brown leather shoes, then walked in the mud until the rain started to fall on her body while I walk down the pile.

"COLD!" Shaila yelled before running under my body. "T-this better be good. It's too cold." She protested hugging her body and shaking under my chest. "Can't we do this near the kitchen?" She asks for a better location avoiding the rain.

"Not even a greeting or a hug..." I complained turning my head down to look at the drenched girl.

"Your body is colder... I'll hug you lots tomorrow, so start confessing!" She ordered placing her left hand on the big scales.

"So bossy, but not here. Let's go a little deep into the forest." I instructed lowering my belly to the ground.

She struggled to climb over the slippery scales on my right side, and I pushed her bottom with my left paw to help her get on, then turned my neck watching the girl accommodate herself on my back.

"Uh-huh... Says the water dragon enjoying this weather. I saw that smirk!" She complained gripping the hairs on my neck.

"Endure it like a beast! Also, hold very tight since I'm going to start climbing the wall now." I order and inform her before climbing the firewood pile.

"A beast he says... what part of me is one...? First time ... walk in the forest and it's like this... brother is going to get so mad..." Shaila grumbles latching onto my neck with her arms and feet.

I reach the corner of the walls then lift the front body to place my paws on the north wall and contracted my hind legs before shooting upwards until I grip the top.

"High!" Shaila commented looking down before I finish balancing my body.

Of course, this wall is 7 meters tall and can stack four adult humans on top of each other, but now on my back is added another two meters. I admire the needlessly tall barrier.

"Like the view princess? Hold on; I'm gliding down." I informed unfolding my wings while being careful not to get knocked off by the wind and pushed the wall.

"As if! The water is making my vision blurry." She informed. "And if we are going to start defying brother, I want more rides outside when the gate is finished." The little girl demanded more comfortable rides.

"Yeah, we need to finish the Gate since the woodpile is getting quite small to jump out, and I blame Hilda for that," I announced as my short glide ended and landed in the soaked grass below before speeding up towards the forest around a mile away.

We have to jump out since the gate is not completed yet. The Earth magicians did a good job shoving the stone wall without making the hole go all the way and leaving a thin layer for me to break later after I set up the doors while it serves as a cover for now. Well, at least I don't need help moving the steel beams, or welding them together and Shaila can cut them with lasers. I recall the construction project that decreases my hunting time.

After reaching the forest, I headed for the biggest tree that is closer to us and once there, lowered my body for Shaila to get down then leaned on the trunk to sit down while twisting my tail to the left as rainwater accumulated on the leaves falls on us.

"Umm, what now?" Shaila asked puzzled.

I spread my legs and semi-open the wings on each side of the tree trunk then lowered my head.

"I'm getting bigger Shaila. My scales are becoming tougher as time passes making me unable to perceive smaller things, and I can't even hug you." I remind her the effect of my growth. "Come to my chest." I beckon her with my paws. "Wait, wait! On second thought, climb from the side." I stopped the girl heading for my belly and extended the right forearm on the side.

"Hmm? ...Ashamed? It's always visible though." The white devil teased in revenge while smirking.

"Your feet are covered in mud..." I said pointing to her black shoes with the middle claw on the right forearm.

"Oh..." She uttered dejected that her tease failed.

"It's all covered in scales but let's not treat those parts like a carpet." I lectured as she sat on my paw before washing her.

I lift her to my chest and cross my forearms making a spot for her to sit while leaning on her back then covered us with both of my wings making a dark tent-like place hearing the wind whistles the trees outside. I drain all the water in her body and my chest using magic while letting my body sway slightly with the tree behind.

"Nefi turned into a house!" She exclaimed creating balls of light around us and under her clothes to warm herself.

"I'm glad my body doesn't bore you since it's not exactly something a little girl would like," I announced watching her move the long hair to the front.

"Yes, you are not a fluffy doll or a wealthy prince hehe..." She giggled looking up to meet my eyes.

Haha indeed... I recall her saying girls at the school were jealous of the attention she was getting from Noble boys.

"You know, I dreamed of being in your position ever since I was a human kid... to have a fire-breathing dragon pet that could fly, then as an adult, I liked experiencing new things and left childish dreams behind, but it's ironic that I turned into the monster instead. Well, I enjoy what I have become and it's fantastic to see the world from a new perspective." I revealed staring into her silver pupils.

"Mm-Hmm, I didn't think my pet would be a human from another world reincarnated into a dragon either. I wondered the reason you stopped being a person, but how did you end up as a beast in another world?" She inquires the reason.

"I liked adventure, but my human body failed me before I was even thirty, then a choice was presented to me by a powerful being, and I took it. I said goodbye to my family which might have been a little scared after my sudden death, but they'll be fine... if they are still alive since it's possible a long time passed in that world already." I narrated while recalling the other world.

If I did die after arriving here, then everyone I knew could have long passed away in the other world... It would make sense finding that bitch Liana here because she was alive when I died there as James, and Shaila is also older than me, though now that I think about it, she should be almost ten years old going by Earth's calendar... I really have died before, haven't I? But I'll save the tears after I confirm things since I have an important talk with the little girl now. I ponder after realizing the incongruities points to my premature demise.

"I see... your human family... Well, 'old man,' you have a new family now~" Shaila emphasized with mockery dangling her feet over my arms while humming.

"Argh! I'm just an old baby!..." I complained admitting her victory. "Hmph! You old beast! You are probably much older than me anyway." I call her out in retaliation.

"Huh...!?" Shaila uttered confused and stops her feet without looking up.