Chapter 62: Reincarnator
Jovie's breathing steadied, but her body remained limp in Raven's arms. He studied her pale face, the faint tremor in her fingers, the half-faded glow in her silver eyes.
"You mean she's the same as me?" Raven asked quietly.
[You? Reincarnated? Don't flatter yourself.]
Zera snorted in his mind. [You haven't absorbed even one percent of Runeth's memories. A true reincarnator awakens with all past-life memories—skills, instincts, affinities, everything.]
'Then why is she like this?'
[Because she awakened just now. Didn't you see the change right after the spirit orb exploded? That must've been the trigger. Her soul snapped awake… inside a broken body.]
Zera paused before adding, [What I don't understand is why the original Jovie came to an enemy nation in the first place.]
'Is reincarnation common?'
[For mortals? Impossible. For beings like Judith or Gavin? Extremely rare.
But for Gods, Demon Lords, Devil Kings, Liches, or ancient Wizards? Reincarnation is as normal as breathing.]
Raven froze.
'God? Lich? Ancient Wizard? I picked up a walking calamity…'
[Most likely. If their soul was damaged before death, the reincarnation might be incomplete. This girl's body is weak—her vessel can't hold all of what she used to be.]
Raven swallowed.
'What am I supposed to do?'
[Nothing grand. You can't take someone like her as a subordinate. You'll only offend a being whose past self could squash you by accident. Just… give her money. She'll survive.]
Raven nodded slowly.
'Help her a bit. Nothing more.'
The carriage stopped in front of a run-down two-story inn. Snow drifted around them like slow-falling ash.
Jovie didn't stir when Raven tried waking her.
With the driver's help, he carried her inside, booked a room, and laid her gently on the creaking wooden bed.
"I hope she doesn't turn out to be a lunatic," Raven muttered, locking the door.
He took a seat, tapping his gloved fingers on the desk.
'Should I invite her to the Golden Wheel?'
[Haa… Are you stupid? She fooled the Eternal River of Life itself. And you think she'll sign your little contract?]
CLICK.
A silvery voice drifted from the bed.
"What is Golden Wheel?"
Raven's breath caught.
She was sitting upright—awake—and staring straight at him.
No… through him.
'She can hear my thoughts?!'
"I can," she said calmly. "But who were you talking to?"
Zera's voice hissed sharply.
[She can't hear me. Good.]
Raven steadied himself.
"It's an organization I created," he said carefully, "to support my rise to the imperial throne."
"Oh?" Her silver eyes gleamed. "So that explains the disguise. Your soul appearance is different from your face."
She examined her hands with detached curiosity.
"If I step outside like this, they'll catch me again. And torture me."
Her tone dropped several degrees, filling the room with a cold that pricked Raven's skin.
"Help me once, kid. I'll repay it eventually."
'Kid?'
Raven raised an eyebrow.
"You're a reincarnator?"
A faint smirk curved her lips.
"I regained my memories moments ago and you already saw through me? Must be your monocle."
Zera clicked her tongue.
[Eye of Wisdom… even the highest seals won't hide anything from her.]
Jovie didn't wait for his reply.
"This body belongs to a princess of the Viser Kingdom. The soul… doesn't."
Her voice turned sharp, ancient.
"The original owner was chased by a high-rank Necromancer. Something about a chaos seed in her heart. Convenient for me."
Raven stiffened.
'Chaos seed?!'
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Money," she said without a hint of shame. "Information in exchange for information. Help me occasionally."
Her silver eyes narrowed. "But I won't sign any magical contract."
'I didn't even say anything about the Golden Wheel…'
"And," she added lightly, "my code name will be Evil. It fits."
Zera's panic spiked.
[Leave. Leave now.]
Raven placed a pouch on the table.
"One hundred gold coins—"
"Only that?" Jovie sighed. "You have thirteen million."
Raven blinked.
She laughed softly.
"In return, I'll give you a gift."
Raven stared at her for a moment and then added a pouch full of platinum coins.
"There are fifty platinum coins inside." He added.
"That's what I talk about." A smile appeared on her face.
She raised her hand and recited words that rippled with power. The temperature dropped. Shadows coiled.
Zera whispered in a strange tongue.
[Nether speech… she's from the Underworld. I wonder if Titus is still—]
'Titus?' Raven asked. Only the name was familiar.
"Jessie's younger brother?"
Jovie's eyes snapped open.
"Oh? Interesting."
She pointed at the inventory.
"Take out the compass."
Raven obeyed.
The moment she held the black compass, her pupils dilated.
"A Paragon's legacy. Don't store this in that strange space again—it isolates it from the world. If you want to find the intellectual fragments, keep it out."
She returned it with a thoughtful expression.
"How do I contact you?" Raven asked.
"The compass will tell you."
Zera urged him harder.
[Go. NOW.]
Raven bowed slightly, turned, and left the room.
When the door shut, Jovie finally let out a breath.
"The guide knows… him? That shouldn't be possible…"
She frowned.
"But why did that child pronounce Titus's name in Nether Tongue?"
She pushed the confusion away.
"Chaos seed, huh? At least this vessel offers interesting problems to solve."
She lay back, closing her glowing eyes.
"And thanks to Raven, my first steps will be easy."
…
Outside the inn, Raven spotted a black-painted carriage waiting nearby. The blond coachman tipped his hat.
"Destination, sir?"
"…Baker Street."
"Two silvers."
Raven paid and stepped in, mind still spiraling around Jovie's words.
'She read everything… every thought. I was naked before her.'
[That is the difference between mortals and beings who've crossed the veil.]
Zera's voice was grim.
[Compared to them, our world's wizards are children playing with candles.]
Raven pulled out the compass.
The needle had shifted.
West.
Directly opposite Thornevale.
He snapped open the hatch.
"Go west. Don't stop unless I say so."
The coachman blinked. "West Borough, sir?"
"Just go."
Minutes later, the carriage reached the city's edge. Beyond was the tall stone wall, looming against the night sky.
"We can take the west gate, sir. But… I'm expected home before nine."
Raven lifted two gold coins.
The coachman straightened instantly.
"I'll tell her I slept in the stable."
The carriage sped toward the gate. Guards halted them briefly, lanterns swaying.
"State your purpose."
"Visiting my uncle in Shepherd's Ville."
A nod came after a brief inspection.
They passed through into the darkness.
The Aether Lamp Raven handed to the driver illuminated the road like pale daylight, its blue glow cutting through the shadows.
For hours, the carriage traveled through wilderness—snow-dusted grasslands, sparse woods, and long stretches of empty night.
The compass needle slowly tilted.
Southwest.
At a fork in the road, the coachman called out, "Shepherd's Ville route, or Vine Forest trail?"
Raven checked the needle.
"Vine Forest."
The coachman swallowed. "Sir… monsters roam there."
Raven placed two more gold coins into his trembling hand.
"And I'm a Wizard."
That settled it.
The deeper they went, the darker the woods became. Tree branches twisted overhead like skeletal fingers. Animal cries echoed from far within the forest.
Two hours in, Raven opened the hatch.
"Stop."
The coachman paled. "H-Here?"
Raven stepped out into the cold.
"Return to the fork and wait. If I'm not back by dawn… leave."
"What about you?"
"I'm heading in."
He turned toward the southern depths of the forest. Vines coiled over thick trunks like living serpents, swallowing the moonlight.
The coachman hesitated… then nodded and turned the carriage around.
Raven stepped into the darkness alone.
The forest greeted Raven with teeth.
A cold wind hissed between the trees, carrying the scent of damp moss and rotting bark. Shadows stretched unnaturally long under the moonlight, and every branch seemed to claw at the night sky.
Raven lit another Aether lamp, its pale-blue glow pushing the darkness only a few feet back. He pulled out the Frozen Ender spear, its silver blade catching the faint light, and stepped into the undergrowth.
The first stretch was manageable—wide trunks, sparse shrubs, soft snow.
But the deeper he went, the more the forest began to twist.
Thorned vines coiled over the soil like living ropes. Roots jutted out like jagged traps. The trees thickened into a wall of crooked silhouettes, their branches weaving a ceiling overhead.
Owls watched him from above—silent, unblinking.
Too many of them.
Their hoots echoed through the trees like disembodied warnings.
'Why… do they look angry?' Raven picked up his pace.
[You should've waited until morning.] Zera murmured.
'No. The sooner I get this fragment, the sooner I leave this cursed city—and avoid meeting Jovie again.'
Zera scoffed. [Afraid she'll read more of your memories? Or steal me out of your soul?]
'…Both.'
[Relax. A soul is a domain—your personal world. And I am the one guarding it.]
Her voice sharpened.
[Not even an Ancient Wizard can slip in without my permission.]
A small breath escaped Raven's lips.
Then he continued.
The ground shifted beneath his boots—sloping uneven terrain, half-buried stones, and creeping roots threatening to trip him with every step.
It didn't take long for the forest to reveal something stranger.
Cracked stone pillars, half-swallowed by moss and time, lined a faint path. Each was etched with ancient runes that pulsed faintly when illuminated.
Raven's monocle flickered as he brushed a finger against it.
Ruins of Agith
His eyes narrowed.
Agith… The compass was found in the Agith Ruins on Thornevale's land. Was Agith a country? An era? A civilization?
More unanswered questions for later.
The compass needle trembled in his palm—almost eager.
Ahead, moonlight spilled into a circular clearing. In the center stood a massive stone monolith, towering like a silent sentinel. Six runed pillars surrounded it in a perfect hexagon, each glowing faintly as if waiting.
And the compass needle pointed straight at the monolith.
Vibrating.
Raven stayed where he was.
"There's no way I'm walking right up to that."
[No gain without risk.] Zera chided.
[But don't be stupid either. Altars like this summon things.]
'And I don't feel like dying tonight,' Raven muttered.
Still… the compass wouldn't lie.
He swapped his boots for artifact ones, tightened his gloves, and exhaled.
"Here goes nothing."
He stepped toward the altar.
The world reacted instantly.
A blinding white beam shot from the compass, striking the monolith.
Runes burst to life like veins of fire.
All six surrounding pillars answered with vertical columns of light, joining overhead to form a dome-shaped forcefield that snapped shut behind him.
Raven cursed and sprinted toward the nearest pillar—
THUD.
He slammed into an invisible barrier.
[MOVE! RIGHT! NOW!]
Raven spun sideways instinctively.
A bone arrow hissed past him, grazing his coat before slamming against the barrier with enough force to vibrate the air.
He turned—eyes narrowing.
Three figures stood in the clearing like corpses rising from forgotten graves.
Skeletons.
One with a rusted sword and shield.
One with a cracked spear.
One with a bow—string already drawn again.
Old, ragged clothes clung to their brittle frames. Their empty sockets burned with pale-blue soul fire.
Raven set the lamp down and pocketed the compass.
Thoughts sharpened—accelerated.
Archer reloads in two seconds. Swordsman will guard it. Spearman is charging first.
In a flash, Raven dashed.
The spearman lunged to intercept.
Raven swung.
CRACK.
Frozen Ender sliced the enemy's iron spear in half—and the skeleton's spine right after.
It shattered into a burst of light.
Not bone. Not flesh.
Soul constructs.
[Bodies created by laws. Their flesh isn't real. Kill the vessel and they disperse.] Zera explained.
The archer released another bone arrow.
Raven leaned just enough for it to miss, then lunged.
The swordsman intercepted, shield raised.
Raven's spear met the shield—shattering it and the skeleton's arm in one strike.
A twist, followed by a thrust.
Light particles scattered.
Only the archer remained, notching a final arrow—aimed at his legs this time.
Too slow.
Raven hurled his spear.
It cut through the skull and pinned the skeleton to a pillar before dissolving it into motes of light.
Silence.
"That was a good fight."
A voice drifted from above—soft and crystalline.