With an alibi of playing outside, Aldeice exits out of his home after his parent's permission.

Since he'll be exploring a bit far from the village he brought two things, lighting that looks like a small wooden square lamp with branches towards the middle to hold a white crystal gem, and a dagger in his back, he's hoping to have an enlightenment of his Foundation.

Climbing down from his home, following a soil pavement, he runs across glowing mushrooms, and fungi infested dead trees, stopping on an uphill for a view, he can see where the Verlassene lays thanks to its lighting, erected on an uneven land with outlines of pointy houses being embraced by large scorched black intertwining trees, its misty atmosphere brings a strange gloomy beauty.

Finding a serene environment, he placed down his source of light on a rock nearby, with a gentle wave of the hand, he circulates his mana towards the white gem on the lamp, its brightness gradually increases to cover a bigger portion of where he stands, the cost of mana is not even close to one in numerical value.

Checking for any peculiarities, the moist land excretes mist, the dark trees were clouded with smoke, there is none but gloom, seeing nothing odd, Aldeice proceeds in closing his eyes to enter in tranquility, recalling what Asteri has told him.

Similar to mana.

A part of who you are.

While keeping these in mind he relaxed his breathing and calms his heart.

There is something.

A subtle unexplainable sensation, to get a better feel, he slowly crouches to track down the bizarre thing which seems to be calling him.

Softly, opening his eyes he can see a single small red fungus flower, this is where it's coming from, waving his hands to chase away the mists, he takes a closer look, purely colored in red and covered with little thorns, it resembles a star-shaped structure with each arm akin to slimy tentacles.

A spawn of horror in this murky place indeed.

Ignoring its appearance, he gently reaches out his hands in a grabbing motion, besides the fungus flower, there is an enigmatic thing he can connect with, comparable to a thin string he can hold to, he clenches his fist tightly to clasp the string.

His brows furrowed in concentration as he gently pulls the line until...

SNAP

Like a flower that caught fire, it disintegrated at a slow pace till no trace was left behind.

'Blanche did you see that?' with an amazed face, he asked.

Shutting his eyes again, he draws a breath as he tries to recall what he had experienced.

'Uh-huh, I also slightly got the feeling. There is a strong resemblance between that—'

'—And the soul,' Aldeice completed her statement and nodded in agreement, ever since they reincarnated, there is a new unfamiliar sensation whenever they converse akin to the same feeling they just encounter now, with their experimentations in the past, it leads them to soul exposure every day, it has built their deep insight and extensive familiarity with this immaterial object.

'Could it be because we have retained our memories and experiences in this reincarnation? Not to mention our experiments, these might have strengthened our souls or our sensitivity to it, ' she postulates.

To confirm their conclusion, he searched out for more fungus flowers and repeated the process, sadly, there are only mushrooms and fungi he could try on in this area, he should test on villagers as well when he got back home, what will happen after my complete comprehension? This thought makes him excited.

Full of positivism, Aldeice is confident that it will be used to assist Blanche on her transfer, if that's the case, then their age gap won't be largely apart, for they thought that it will take ages for an appearance of a feasible transfer method without this ability.

Informing Blanche about his idea, he can feel her response filled with exultation, they can't wait to finally be able to physically help each other like the old times.

Picking up the lamp, he looks at the surroundings, thinking there's nothing more to do here, he happily skips on his way to the village, not straying away from the safe areas, he got back home without trouble.

The next step would be the mastery of the Foundation, as his steps got closer to their house, he was suddenly struck by a silly idea.

He accessed his status using the Eye of Lotus pendant while smiling mischievously. Few seconds later.

Name: Enni Ashtanar [Forsadon (Substratum Stage)]

Brisk - 7

Mana Insight - 4

Force - 2

Mana - 18/20

Foundation: Soul Annihilator

Gift: none

Spell: none

Besides Foundation a Soul Annihilator can now be seen, he also added a short description, witnessing his masterpiece, he snickers in satisfaction, even praising himself for being a scientist with an astounding naming sense.

Gotta contribute to the Elvenkind.

When Blanche saw what he has done, she couldn't help but teasingly shout revering words in reference to the description.

'Oh great Soul Annihilator, this world shall tremble upon your power and all beings should prostate upon your greatness'

If she can manifest, she will be a lady fanatically kowtowing in front of Aldeice with eyes of admiration and gratefulness for being graced by a supreme entity, how come? Aren't scientists supposed to not have a sense of humor? Or are these two enjoys roleplaying for varieties of experience at every night?

In the future, if another Forsadon learned or inherit such a Foundation with a domineering name, the person might erupt from happiness only to be disappointed later from discovering it can only destroy a helpless fungus flower at best.

---

A month later.

In the hill where Aldeice's unknown Foundation has been discerned, where he continues to skillfully train his Soul Annihilator afterward.

A lantern sits on a rock as its light fights the piercing darkness trying to devour its illumination, nearby, a little boy with his eyes shut basking in the said luminescence was diligently practicing his Foundation.

Suddenly, his pores suck each and every mana in the surroundings akin to a sponge, his strength gradually rose as his body absorbs the torrents of mana, few seconds have gone by, Aldeice awakens with amusement at his newfound power.

'Congratulations dear' a sincere happy voice echo within his consciousness

Smiling joyfully, he inhales the air of this fantastic day, truly a delightful event, after a month of effort in attempting to master his Foundation, the day of harvest has finally come, using Eye of Lotus to check his new status with excitement, a couple of changes appeared.

Name: Enni Ashtanar [Forsadon (Substratum Stage)]

Brisk - 11

Mana Insight - 7

Force - 4

Mana - 33/35

Foundation: Soul Annihilator

Gift: unknown

Spell: none

Curious about his development, he picks up the lantern and sprints full speed around the hill, some vegetation sways as he runs over the soil leaving traces of footsteps behind, he's fast as a fully conditioned athlete who has won numerous races, after a nonstop running, he stopped and gasps for breath while one hand pressed on his knees, satisfied with his performance, he sits on the ground as he rests to recovers stamina for distinguishing the other prize.

'Another unknown, I'm unsurprised, considering proficiency of Foundation invokes Gift'

Aldeice sighs in frustration, uncovering of truth surely is exciting, however, he just can't be unenvious of those who were guided by the previous discoveries, it seems that every advancement of his will be shrouded with mystery.

'Don't be so dishearted dear, my intuition tells me that the return will be unprecedented' sensing his mood, a consoling voice of Blanche surged in.

Being unique in this world might be rewarding, during this month they attempt to gather information of the soul without avail, similar to Earth, this concept is unheard-of.

They also examine books about Foundation and its correlation to the Gift it produces, signifying that the latter mostly intensifies the former, for instance, practicing the soothing and calming properties of Azure Heart Foundation will produce a water healing Gift.

Thinking of this, Aldeice's furrowed his brows in contemplation, his Soul Annihilator was finalized with repeated destructions of fungi and his harmony with Blanche, he hasn't tried it yet with the villagers, afraid that they might also disintegrate, making Verlassene fall into chaos while he will be burned at stake, If such scene can be achieved, will that mean he can destroy anything except the soulless by a mere activation of his Gift? He shakes his head on this impossibility, wouldn't that make him a death god?

Too good to be true. Any chance turns out that way? Of course, he will take it full of smiles and celebratory dances.

Hmm. Then the second, maybe he will be able to speak harmoniously with any souled beings comparable to how he interacts with Blanche?

Eh? That's it? Aldiece was covered in a cold sweat from the possibility of possessing such a useless Gift. A month of tediousness for that? Even in his past life communication via the brain is common with the invention of chip attachment, casting away the negativity to think rationally, he may need to be exposed in the battle to make a trial, it's too early for dejection, we go with the proof, not with speculation.

This reminds him, now that he hit the speed equivalent to a numerical value of ten in Brisk stat, he is now qualified to learn speed-focused spells. Experiencing the other purpose of the Eye of Lotus, from the information given by it, he will be aware of his latest capabilities.

Wait, Didn't Asteri mention that someone can invent their unique Spells from Foundation? Since he has a low amount of Force making him unsuitable for direct confrontation, it has to be a product of his high speed coming from Brisk and his control from Soul Annihilator.

Being reminded of this, Aldeice and Blanche engage in a deep thought conversation, they brainstorm for any possible creation they can make out of the two, comparable to scientists proposing their hypothesis, exchanging their ideas, then testing each of them afterward.

Trying a couple of trials and errors, imagining any attainable outcome here and there, they head back home and calling it a day.

Many days have gone by in an instant, like innovators armed with continuous self-reflection and unyielding mental resilience, skimming through dozens of books, arduously studying all the materials he can access, the birth of a never-before-seen Spell suitable for Aldeice and Blanche has ultimately been realized.

The god of knowledge must be exulting, for this fine addition to its collection.

During these days that have passed, eventually, all of the children in the Verlassene have reach completion of their Foundations unlocking their Gifts.

---

In a land swallowed by blackness, far east of Verlassene, where withering trees were filled with molds, dead marshes were infested by swamp fungi, the dullness has been disturbed by a sudden ray of glow, dispersing the fog of this unforgiving place, a face of a gorgeous woman comes to light followed by the sounds of multiple footsteps, there are six children behind her, equipped with different weapons and lanterns at one hand, they are draped in thick cloaks to fight off the coldness as they stride in these muddy soils.

The woman at the front abruptly stopped the children in their toes and faced them, with an elven bow at her back, she took off her hood for better vision, an ash grey wavy hair falls down till her chest, she then attentively double-checks the number of kids to be sure none of them were missing.

"Be formed by two pairs, prepare for your first hunt," she coldly declared.

In acknowledgment, the kids eyed each other to look for a partner, Aldeice quietly stands in the middle of this scene, nobody tries to approach him, being the smartest but smallest due to age, it gives off an impression of being weakest in the batch, they can't be blamed, for he hasn't shown exemplary skills in battle, he might have spent all his time studying, they thought.

"Hey, Enni! Let this big brother Thenaros of yours take care of you alright?" an energetic boy draws near in front of Aldeice.

His thumb points at himself, his smirk contains overwhelming confidence screaming of don't be afraid your big bro is here.

'Hahaha! Would you look at that, Dear? A hero has arrived' a cheerful voice sounded within.

It was followed by Blanche merry laughter, she even tried to impersonate a deep-voiced narrator saying "a hero has arrived", while all of this happening on his mind, Aldeice didn't know whether to laugh or cry, based on his tone, did Thenaros just take him as a fragile heroine who needs protection?

Well, having a companion ain't bad, so he readily accepts.

"I'm in your care then"

Seeing everyone has their own partners, Asteri nodded in approval and slightly raise her right hand to gather all youth's attention, there, she holds a handheld silver bell with protruding black marble as a clapper, its body was engraved in violet letters in elven language saying "Glowing Trace", it creates an impression of intricacy and ancientness.