Chapter 18 – Sealed Soul

“Seed of calamity…”

Lia used a strangely stagnant voice to speak.

For a moment her eyes were vacantly looking to the smooth stone. Her expression became increasingly terrifying and her eyes began to take a red tint.

“Lia! Lia! What happened!?”

Hearing Aiden’s call, Lia abruptly left that strange state; her eyes returned to normality and her expression became warm again.

“Uh? Young master?”

Seeing the clueless expression on Lia’s face, Aiden put a dark expression and explained to her about what happened. Surprised, Lia tried to remember only to end disappointed.

“So, you don’t know what a seed of calamity is right?”

“I’m sorry young master, I don’t remember what I said.”

With a depressed face, Lia apologized sincerely. Aiden expression darkened even more hearing her answer and thinking about the implications of her behavior.

Putting such thoughts in the back of his mind, Aiden convinced himself to concentrate on the situation they are currently facing. Looking again towards the strange scene in the forest, he tried looking for more clues about the dangers they could face.

But an instant later, his expression changed at one of excitement.

Around the strange stone, many things had been deposited.

Besides the numerous bones of beasts and withered remains of spirit herbs, two other objects around the strange stone captured Aiden’s attention.

The first was a strange amulet. It was a silver hexagon with a red sword carved in the middle. Many small lines were also carved going from the edges of the amulet till the center of the sword, forming strangely many weird symbols. The amulet seemed extraordinary a first glance, but the most you looked at it, the most ordinary it became, giving the impression that the extraordinary seen at first glance was a lie.

The second object instead, was more impressive with every look it received. It was a circular object radiating a dim light. Inside of it, the figure of a translucid tiger could be seen doing everything in his power to escape from there.

When Aiden saw the second object, his eyes revealed an unconcealed desire. Gulping loudly, Aiden closed his eyes before opening them again to confirm it was really there.

When Lia saw the expression of Aiden she followed his gaze to know the reason for his excitement. Immediately, she made an expression of surprise, followed for one of anticipation and one of happiness.

“Young master, that is…!”

“Yes! A sealed soul!”

Hearing the answer of Aiden, Lia expression brightened even more and made a radiant smile.

“That means you will be able to try forming your spirit!?”

“Yeah! With it, I only need a few minor ingredients more!”

Sealed souls were an incredibly rare item formed naturally in the corpses of beasts what died with strong attachments. When the beast died, if the demonic core is not extracted and the beast has a great desire to continue living, there is an extremely small possibility of a sealed soul appearing inside the demonic core with a bit time. This is said that sealed souls are a possibility left behind for the beast return some day to life, however, even now there isn’t any known case of a one succeeding.

Because the stringent conditions for the creation of one and its many uses in different camps like alchemy and forging; sealed souls are an object with great demand and insufficient supply, so obtaining one can be considered so difficult like ascending to the heavens for someone like Aiden. And like destiny wanted it, a sealed soul is the main ingredient for Aiden try one of his theories in creating spirits. The one with the bigger chance of success.

So, when Aiden learned of one being here, he almost forgot about the dozen giant boars and the strange stone and threw himself toward it. Fortunately, he yet had a bit of reason left.

After learning about the existence of a sealed soul here, the motivation of Aiden and Lia to assault the place strengthened considerably. The pair was even more certain that they must proceed to attack, even if it is only to get the stone.

Taking all the information in the surroundings with his eyes, Aiden began to think about the situation and how to kill the beasts quickly and get the stone. However, after a few seconds, he could not help but furrow his brows deeply.

“Lia, I cannot see the mastermind here.”

“Ah? Are you saying that he is not here?”

“Mm. Though there is a strong group of boars protecting this place and a stone responsible for the anomalies of the forest, I could not see the mastermind. Not only it, have you not noticed another strange thing?”

Pausing briefly for Lia process his words, Aiden continued.

“In this group of beasts, there are two boars with a cultivation of core-fusing!”

“!!! How is it possible!?”

Understating the implications in Aiden’s words, Lia gaped. Aiden, not minding her expression, continued in a grave tone.

“It is hard for one between ten thousand beasts to break from the bloodline shackles. Though I would have been surprised if one of the boars was at the core-fusing stage, I would have easily accepted it. However, for two of them appear here, I can only describe the situation like abnormal.

The worse is, we don’t yet know anything about the mastermind behind scenes. Doesn’t it mean that the mastermind has enough resources to forcibly break the bloodline shackles of two beasts and also get a sealed soul at the same time?

Besides, what is the purpose of that stone? Why he need so many beasts and valuable herbs? Even a sealed soul is being used.”

After hearing Aiden words, Lia spoke in a grave tone.

“Young master, perhaps you noticed, but the thing provoking the reaction in me is definitively that stone.”

Lowering his head, Aiden thought fiercely unable to come up with an answer.

.. What in the hell is a seed of calamity?

After of various minutes of thinking, Aiden could only sight and give up in finding the answer momentarily. Looking towards Lia, he spoke.

“Lia, do you think we must attack?”

“… Master, doesn’t it look like a trap?”

“I think so too. That is the reason because I am doubting about attacking or not.”

Aiden smiled bitterly. Seeing it and comprehending his dilemma, Lia smiled warmly.

“I see. Young master knows that it is a trap, but you are too attracted to the sealed soul to not make a move.”

Seeing the warm smile on Lia's face, Aiden only shook his head and spoke sincerely.

“Though I know it is a trap, I could not simply ignore it when I know that there is a sealed soul. From what I can see, that strange stone is using some method to absorb the energy in the surroundings. The reason because the boars reunited so many spiritual herbs was probably to feed it. I fear if I left the sealed soul there, in at most two days it will be completely wasted. I don’t know when I will be able of obtaining another opportunity like it.

“The thing I don’t understand is, how it knows we are going to attack even with such an obvious trap?”

Hearing Aiden words, Lia smiled softly and proceeded to speak with a loving tone.

“You know I will follow you don’t matter what you chose. At worst, I will end up dying with you. Don’t you said before that you weren’t going to let me leave?”

Aiden only smiled after hearing Lia words. Then, holding her hand softly, he nodded.

“Thank you, Lia.”

And I will not allow for something happen to you. That words were left unsaid.

Five minutes later, the pair came before the group of boars.

The boars reacted intently once they saw them. Each of them began to emit a strong bloodthirsty glow.

Feeling it, Aiden took the saber out his sheath and indicate for Lia be careful. Nodding, she stood behind him with threads falling from her hands.

The fight was about to begin.