Chapter 7 - SLY

After passing out, Jodye Trill's consciousness drifted to a strange place. He felt like he was floating in the middle of the pitch-black bottom of the ocean. He could not see anything.

"Am I...Unconscious? No that's not right...I'm clearly thinking. This is consciousness," Jodye Trill was growing sick and tired of waking up in weird scenarios.

"I would...better host...cheese wheel."

"Powerhouse...too risky...imbecile."

"It's so dull! Let's play goldfish?"

"Go away."

Jodye could hear two voices that sounded far away. They were faint but becoming more evident. After awhile Jodye was able to make out that they appeared to be speaking with each other. Even though voices were far off everything they spoke seemed to echo in his heart.

"But seriously, why couldn't I be the host of the souls, Sly? If you didn't want to do it, you should've just let me do it," said the voice that sounded childish and cute.

"Pah," the other voice made a spitting sound. He spoke in a cold and indifferent tone, but still had a boyish young voice, "Who the hell would ever be dumb enough to let you steer the ship? The situation is bad enough already."

"Now we're talking ships? I know I don't have my space license yet, but this is a petty excuse, no? Are you kidding me? I, your granddaddy, have been piloting since the womb. Plus, I would make an excellent host to those souls! Mom always says people are drawn to me," The childish voice spoke proudly.

"Who has a dumb ass ancestor like you!? Plus, its HOST. SOUL. You dummy," Shouted the cold boyish voice in exasperation. "Do you even know what a host soul is, X? No, you do not. This is the reason why you are unqualified. Honestly, why do I even bother talking to you?"

"Well, duh, who else would you talk too? Don't forget we're stuck in the abyss of boring doom until this soul's host guy gets stronger, or whatever," said the childish voice of this 'X,' matter-of-factly, before mumbling under his breath, "Besides, does the host even know what he's doing? If it were me, I would've been like boom! Zap! Pow! Oh yeah! Free slaves! Let's rock!"

"When we finally get our lives and bodies back, I'm going to kill you." Said the cold and indifferent voice of this 'Sly.' He had just returned to calm, when he noticed a familiar soul fluctuation, "Huh?"

'Sly' and 'X' suddenly went quiet. Jodye then felt a tingle from the inside and heard that cold and indifferent voice again. Merely, this time it was like it was right next to his ear.

"Holy crap kid, you made it here already? Decent talent, indeed, you have managed to barely satisfy my standards. Though you're merely a soul thought, it can be considered as an achievement. After all, with consideration for your mundane competence, I never expected you to have such a strong spirit until at least 30 years later. Impressive, impressive." 'Sly' casually said these insulting words to Jodye.

"Who in the hell are you?" Jodye Trill called out into the darkness feeling indignant.

"I am the prince Syl...well less of that. It's now irrelevant. All you need to know is that we are in the same boat. I need you, as you will need me," said 'Sly' in his cold and indifferent voice. "I see you've begun the path of body transformation. Interesting. This saves us some time. However, your current path will hinder the advancement of your spiritual powers. Luckily, your Sage body is shocking. If Luerong were like you that year, perhaps this would have never happened. From the look of his eyes, that little T'Zhane punk should know a rather powerful soul art. Perhaps he has passed it to you. If so, then I suggest you study it well. I shall also prepare a gift for you. Think of it as an investment... "

Jodye was instantly bewildered by the things this fellow had said. Especially when he referred to the fierce Jupiter Titan from his memories as a little punk. Could this fellow be an acquaintance of Jupiter? He seemed to be familiar with him.

"You will naturally come to know the answer to these questions," replied this 'Sly' dryly, once again bewildering Jodye who hadn't spoken. 'Sly' let out a long sigh, "I am surrounded by incompetence. At any rate, your soul thought is beginning to fade. Remember well, boy. The artifact you choose must be a Grimoire!

"You can recognize it as an ancient-looking tome, or anything that has a draconian ouroboros. You will understand when the day comes. Anything other than contracting a grimoire will limit us greatly, do you understand? Grimoires are one of the 5 Source Artifacts that are formed by the divine, each grimoire possesses knowledge of the Universal Dao! The best one for a hero! With your fate, I'm sure you'll be able to secure a grimoire."

More greed? Wait for what? Jodye had no idea what this voice in his heart was talking about. 'Who exactly is this guy? Furthermore, where are we? Wait, a gift? Perhaps, this guy is not so bad. Besides with the condescending way he spoke he sort of sounded like...'

"Hero? Ah! It's you! Wolf boy!" exclaimed Jodye Trill, which was accompanied by the giggling of the other voice, 'X.' Jodye Trill wondered if that voice was the dragon he saw, "Wolf boy, what's going on? What happened after the dragon ate us? I had thought that it was a dream."

"On the destiny platform you will be given a myriad of options based on your potential, merely none of them will be more compatible then a Grimoire! You are not the same as typical warriors." 'Sly' completely treated Jodye's question like a wind that blew past his ear. He didn't even stop his thought, he just kept going, "Without a Grimoire, it will be near impossible to return to your home before your realm reaches certain unspeakable heights. A Grimoire is a must if you wish for strength in a short amount of time! If you want to be a true Sage!

"Only those chosen by divine artifacts can be considered true Sages. Titanic strength will be of a critical aide, but do not underestimate the experts of this era! If you wish to conquer the stars and return to your home, being a Titan will never be enough! In the land I came from the ancient Titans were long past dead! ALL OF THEM! Not a single warrior with the name Titan remained, but do you know who there was an abundance of? Hero Sages and Saints! Saint Beasts and powerful Fey! Even the mighty Heaven Slaughter race was forced to practice Saint cultivation due to the risk of annihilation! Think about it kid, don't waste your time. Fight by my side, and we will break through the skies and soar through the heavens, conquering those who dare to challenge us!"

Suddenly in this pitch-black world, an enormous green fire with little black flames erupted and roared into existence. Jodye Trill somehow felt nostalgia and déjà vu. An intimate feeling suddenly revived inside of him, making him trust the words of the boy from before. Inside the flame, a gigantic wolf silhouette erupted into existence before Jodye's eyes, as it let out a world-shattering howl that rocked Jodye's consciousness until it scattered away.

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Jodye Trill had a slight headache as he slowly opened his eyes. After his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw the most terrifying and inappropriately beautiful sight he had ever seen in two lives. It was dazzling to the extreme and gave him a new appreciation of the female gender from the bottom of his soul. Isis Trilleck was asleep directly in front of his eyes, without a shred of clothes on, her face angelic, and her body devastating.

Jodye's mind momentarily short-circuited, and he refused to have thoughts. What kind of man was his father to land such a woman while already having three wives? Jodye's evaluation of his father instantly went up. His mother had dried tear streaks all over her face like she spent the last few hours crying. Upon noticing this, he suddenly felt sincerely warm inside.

Little Jodye closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

'This is apparently a temperament tribulation given to me by the so-called Pharaoh Gods,' he thought. Suddenly, Jodye Trill had another thought, and immediately activated his Mind's Eye to investigate the state of his body. What he saw left him shocked. There were still 12 light spheres, but they had a slight increase in size. He was currently unsure how this was significant, but he presumed it was excellent.

All the energy in his body felt brighter, which Jodye was able to interpret meant the purity was now much higher. He started to wonder whether or not that was a dream he was having before. However, he soon put that thought out of his head. Once could be a dream, for sure. However, twice was suspicious. He needed answers. With bright eyes and mind, Jodye put his warm little hand on his mother's face. A chill ran through him, as his mother's face was very cool to the touch.

Just as Jodye begin to grow worried, Lady Isis' body shook slightly, before she slowly opened her sparkling sapphire eyes, and looked down into an identical pair of eyes looking back at her. Her honey-toned face flushed red with excitement as she let out a small scream and started squeezing Jodye in her chest as she wept. Jodye Trill felt a bit sour in his nose involuntarily. It seemed that he had worried her. His eyes begin to tear in spite of himself, he couldn't fight it.

He felt utterly baffled.

"Oh baby, don't cry. My little man will be a powerful warrior one day. My bad little heartbeat, are you sad seeing mama cry? You scared your mother half to death!" Scolded lady Isis in her bell-like voice, wiping away her own as well as her son's tears. She smiled brilliantly as she placed her hand on Jodye's wrist and probed his body with her spiritual sense. Her brows furrowed in surprise. Jodye's constitution was currently incredible, it was like he grew a couple of years older over one night, "How are you baby? Do you feel...strange? Or anything different?"

Jodye Trill's heart skipped a beat. Could he tell her that he ran into an unexpected circumstance while practicing an Immortal Law Compendium that was never designed for humans like himself to use? Of course, he couldn't. No way would that end in his favor. Fortunately for him, he had already decided how to explain. He would merely feign ignorance.

"Mother, I feel ravenous," whined little Joseph to his mother with puppy-dog eyes. Lady Isis wanted to slap her own forehead. This brat would suddenly behave so properly like this every time he wanted food. At least she knew he was acting normally.

"Mother will take you to get some food in a few minutes, babe. First, we must go to see your father."

While Lady Isis hurriedly got herself and Jodye dressed, Jodye Trill learned from his mother's servants about what happened after he lost consciousness. After Jodye finished refining his first astral point, he officially entered the first stage of the Titanic Rage Law, the Wimpy Man Realm! At the time, the strength increase temporarily over-drafted his little body's endurance, which resulted in him passing out.

In reality, he had exhausted his body's potential. He should have died.

It was at this moment that his mother walked in to check on him, and saw him unconscious on the twin bed within black stinky filth. She immediately raised the alarm, and several wolf armor guards came swarming over, looking menacing and vigilant. However, they were unable to find any signs of intrusion.

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Two days earlier after Jodye passed out...

"How could this be? Did someone poison the young lord?"

"It must be nefarious in design! We must investigate this thoroughly! We will murder the culprits next five generations."

"Shut up, Phil. The honored House Lord is approaching."

"It does not seem like he was attacked at all, my lord. If anything, it looks as if this was an accident during cultivation," said a blonde-haired middle-aged scholar wearing wold armor who walked next to the approaching Osiris Trilleck, "It's similar to the case of a Voodoo practitioner from the Southern Ward who tried to cultivate a devil path method. We went looking for him after he was reported missing. His appearance at the moment we found him was almost precisely like the young lord. He had broken through in realm and power, but his body's potential was exhausted."

"Do you want to tell me what happened to the Voodoo practitioner, uncle Fontaine?" asked the Lord.

"Not really," replied Fontaine Trilleck simply. "I truly hope this is not the case."

Once the House Lord Osiris Trilleck came and assessed the situation, he deducted that some kind of power had likely awakened in his son prematurely, wrecking his body and sending him into a coma. There were records of such things have happened before, albeit rarely. Lady Isis was still feeling unconvinced when suddenly Jodye Trill's body spontaneously combusted into a vast mass of green and black flames that took the silhouette of a winged wolf. Several of the mortals on the house staff were burned to cinders in the blast and seemed to become one with the flames.

"What is that?!"

"Jessica!!"

"Mosi is on fire, child, help me!"

"My eyes!"

"Enemy attack! Take defensive action move now!"

"Mercer, secure the Lord's family!"

"Everyone, get back!" shouted the Lord as a wind qi barrier erupted from his outstretched arms, preventing the extreme heat form slaughtering the mortals of the house. The five warriors by his side quickly responded in kind, significantly reducing the pressure on the Lord. The Lord disengaged and moved like the wind as he helped his subjects.

"What the hell...is this the effects of the Seamless Aether Physique? What is happening?" said a young man in gray robes who had just arrived on the scene with another elder.

The wolf released a howl that shook the entire estate, and the surrounding areas before the wolf silhouette faded as the fire raged on.

Two hours after that Lord Osiris Trilleck, clad in jewels and gold robes below his exposed upper body, was standing 30 feet away from the fire. As he slowly inched his left foot forward, his clothes were instantly flooded with flames. Lord Osiris dropped back half a step, and the obsidian wolf pendant on his neck covered his body in a grayish-black glow that removed the fire. Lord Osiris then looked to the five warriors in white robes and wolf armor standing behind him.

"It is no use, Sage nephew," the elder who spoke had flaming red eyes and hair. He stood tall at close to seven feet tall, and his voice was loud and aggressive. This was none other than the dynasty's legendary fire mage, Fire First Mercer, an Honored Elder of House Trilleck and a member of the Five Element Wolf pack. His official title was Fire First, while Mercer Trilleck was his true name. "This is a fire that should not exist in our world. I've never felt such a terrifying fire force. It is simply comparable to high-level dragon force."

"Second Brother Mercer is correct. Even my water force is utterly ineffective in the face of these flames." Spoke another elder who looked identical to Elder Mercer, except with blonde hair and blue eyes. This was the House's Disciplinary elder, Frenzied Rain Fontaine, an Honored Elder of House Trilleck and a member of the Five Element Wolf pack.

Lord Osiris Trilleck was silent as he stared at the mass of green and black flames. His face looked indifferent, and no one could tell what he was thinking. However, if one to were to look at the obsidian wolf pendant on his neck they would see the eyes had an eerie pale red glow.

"My lord, if I may hazard a guess," suddenly Ke Si appeared, and was holding his cane artifact while standing at Lord Osiris' front, "the young lord doesn't seem to be in any peril. His life force is far stronger now than it was when we first arrived. We all sensed that howl that shook our souls. That was surely the howl of a Sky..."

"That's enough, Ke Si." Lord Osiris Trilleck's voice was icy as he cut across before the other could finish, making Ke Si feel as if he'd sunken deep down into the abyss. This was the first time his lord had ever displayed a sliver of killing intent towards him. It was at this moment, he realized he had said too much.

However, it was already too late.

Ke Si noticed that after the lord stopped him, there was a strange glint in the eyes of two gray-robed elders who stood not far from their group. It seemed as if they had not come with the same motive as the lord. Ke Si inwardly cursed his own carelessness.

The previous young man of the two gray-robed dignitaries stepped forward at this time, bowing toward the five elders in white, "Monte greets the esteemed Five Elements Wolf Pack and the House Lord. I wonder, House Lord. If you will allow this one to speak freely?"

This man appeared to be around 30 years old and stood a bit above six feet. He had a lean athletic build and looked about 40% similar to the two twin elders Mercer and Fontaine. Though his words were polite, his tone displayed absolutely no respect. Lord Osiris glanced at this Monte Trilleck, who he knew was the son of the House's Grand Patriarch. This status made this man extremely arrogant and complacent.

Of course, Osiris Trilleck also possessed this exact status.

"You are already doing so, no?" Responded Osiris Trilleck indifferently.

"My lord, this child is a threat to the safety of the entire estate! This threat must be eliminated before it completes its transformation!" Monte Trilleck spoke with heroic fervor as if he was a martyr for the clan. "As the Lord of the House, it is your duty to protect us from all threats internal or external. I beg the lord to see the bigger picture."

"Monte, if you wish to approach and rid us of this 'threat,' you may be my guest," Osiris Trilleck couldn't be bothered to take this clown serious today. He was currently only worried about his son. Osiris simply didn't fear Monte Trilleck taking action. Not even he could approach that fire, much less the weaker Monte Trilleck. Having already arrived here in secret before the Lord had returned, Monte Trilleck was most aware that such an action was suicide.

"Sage brother Osiris, if this child of yours burns down the city then this calamity is on your hands," said Monte Trilleck grimacing heavily. He then turns and departed with his companion. How could he go out of his way to embarrass himself? Since the lord couldn't be bothered or coerced into action, he may as well let it be. Maybe the child we murder even more innocents, that would make it a little easier for Monte.

At that time, Jodye Trill was no longer visible in the fire as it continued to burn. Two days later, Lady Isis had passed out from grief a total of three times as the fire raged on, too hot for anyone to approach. Though a powerful aura was bursting from the flame, the fire didn't spread any further, as if it disdained to move even an inch farther.

An hour later, the fire suddenly vanished, quicker than it came. Little Jodye Trill was laying in the exact same spot as before as if he never heard of a flame before. The sticky black impurities that we're on his skin previously had all been burned away, and his skin was smooth and lustrous like copal. Not only that but he had grown a quite bit taller, his small frame also looked a bit more toned and strong. Jodye Trill could now easily pass as a strong little four to five years old martial artist, and he was less than two years old. However, Jodye remained unconscious.

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After obtaining this backstory, Jodye was flabbergasted. To think he had caused such an uproar just by practicing the Titanic Rage Law. What would happen once he reached the later levels? Would the heaven's themselves be alerted?

Jodye Trill and his mother soon left their spacious courtyard. Lady Isis made a whistle so sharp that it made Jodye Trill's headache a little, as he rushed to cover his ears. When lady Isis Trilleck saw the little boy cover his ears reflexively, she started. That whistle was at a frequency that regular listeners shouldn't be able to pick up at all. Only cultivators and animals would have such impeccable hearing. She suddenly thought back to the wolf in the flames.

In the next moment, there was a loud howl, and Lady Isis' thoughts were interrupted. She turned in the direction of the howl. A seven-foot-tall gray spirit wolf dashed over at breakneck speed, before slowing down as it nuzzled its big face against Lady Isis. The wolf paused and sniffed gently when it noticed the small boy in her embrace.

Lady Isis noticed the total lack of fear on her son's face as he observed the spirit wolf with calm eyes. There was none of the apprehension she had expected to see on her child, which was why she was carrying him in the first place. After all, this boy hated being carried. Her son seemed more manly than some of her past suitors, and he was only a little baby. Less than apprehension, Jodye seemed mildly cautious, at best. He wasn't even amazed!

While the gray spirit wolf was staring back at Jodye Trill with its ears lowered. To the first lady's shock, the beast was humble in its posture, as if it was facing an intimidating presence. In Lady Isis' mind, this was truly the polar opposite of her daughter's experience. That year Iara Shu had nearly messed her pants in fear of First Lady Isis' spirit wolf. It's aura alone was enough to intimidate even a Junior Spirit rank Sage. The wolf also seemed to disdain Iara.

Shocking still, little Jodye Trill even moved forward to put his hand out. What was even more electric, is that the spirit wolf then let the child pet itself meekly! It rubbed its head against Jodye's cheek, light sparkling in its eyes as if it was honored to be pet by the child. This was a Wind Spirit Wolf, and a level nine vicious beast! One of the most muscular monsters currently in the city! Though it had been domesticated, it was still a highly dangerous vicious beast.

Yet, Lady Isis could detect a slight sense of trepidation in the gaze of the Wind Spirit Wolf when it looked at her son. She was having trouble wrapping her head around the mysterious events surrounding this child of hers. Could it be because of her own bloodline and physique? The boy did have her eyes, there was no doubting that. Not even her daughter had her eyes. Jodye would probably possess her bloodline limit in the future. However, Lady Isis didn't dare to think further as her and little Jodye Trilleck mounted the Wind Spirit Wolf. The Wind Spirit Wolf howled to the sky, then took off and vanished like the wind.