Ash's eyes snapped open.
He jolted upright.
His hand reached instinctively for a weapon—but his fingers met only dirt. No blade. No steel. Nothing.
Breath held, he scanned the ground.
Memory slammed back into him like a tide.
Right. He wasn't in his own body.
This one was weak.
Slow.
Ash looked down at his chest, half-expecting to see cracked ribs, bruises, broken flesh. But there was nothing. The pain was gone. Even the wound from the Gralkin's punch had vanished. His body… healed?
No, not healed.
Reset.
His eyes narrowed.
The stench of blood hit him next.
He turned his head.
Corpses were scattered across the field like broken dolls. Piles of blackened flesh. Gralkins lay dismembered, twitching, unmoving. Ash looked further—beyond the dead—to the living.
They sat near a fire.
A dozen figures. Maybe more. Some small things like children. Others tall, broad-shouldered, strange. One had a single eye. Another sat curled with leathery wings draped around her like a cloak. One wore horns like a crown.
All of them had glowing eyes.
Every last one.
Ash's gaze landed on a figure crouched beside a corpse.
The red giant.
It tore flesh from a Gralkin's body with bare hands, steam rising off the meat. Jaw clenched, muscles bulging, the thing chewed with primal force.
Ash's head turned—toward the fire.
What he had mistaken for wood and ash was something else.
The flames were fed by Gralkin's bodies.
Ash's stomach twisted.
They were eating them.
He clenched his teeth, fingers curling into the dirt.
He wanted to look away.
He did.
But not fast enough.
The scent caught in his throat. Something rich, roasted. His gut growled.
Loud.
Ash grabbed his stomach, hunching over.
Hunger clawed at him like a parasite. Back when he had his true body—his real body, with a Tier 5 Vessel—he could go three days without food. Maybe more.
But this one?
This cursed Tier 1 husk?
It was starving.
Ash looked at the fire again.
He saw charred skin. Muscle curling black over bone. Sinew popping under flame.
He looked away. Gritted his teeth harder.
'No. No, you're not one of them.'
He pressed his palm to the ground. Breathing shallow. His Eyes closed.
'You're not.'
He tried to think of something else. Anything else. But the hunger didn't care.
It waited.
And the scent only grew stronger.
Suddenly, A thought struck Ash like a spark in dry grass.
He'd seen them—those godborns—unleashing strange powers. Blades of flame. Arrows of light. Shields that shimmered like glass under the bright sky.
'Does this body… have skills too?'
Ash closed his eyes.
The world fell away.
And he fell with it.
Darkness.
Not the void of sleep or silence. This was colder. Deeper but Familiar.
A ripple moved beneath his feet. Black water stretched across the ground like a mirror. He looked down.
And stopped breathing.
The reflection staring back wasn't him.
White hair, pure as snow. A golden eye that pulsed like a living sun. The face was young, sculpted. And it was smiling.
But Ash wasn't.
His expression stayed still.
That grin below the water didn't belong to him.
It wasn't the first time. Ash had seen strange reflections before—back when he was in his own soul space. But never like this.
This one smiled like it knew something.
He stepped back, shaking the thought loose, and looked up.
There—floating in the dark sky—was a single orb.
A Soulcore.
Bright. Crimson orb. It throbbed with light, alive and angry. Brighter than any soul Ash had ever seen.
Then the voice came.
[SOUL RECORD]
Ash didn't move.
Name: Tachyros Noxmere
Origins: Middle Realm
Race: Titan / Godborn
His breath caught. Titan? He'd never heard of such a race. Not in the archives. Not in the lectures. Not even in whispered rumors at the academy.
The voice continued.
Soul Type: [Divine]
Soul Stage: 0
Soul Pool: 90% (100/ 100)
Vessel Tier: 0
Ash's eyes widened. He clenched his fists. It's even worse than he thought. That explained the weakness—the slow movements, the shallow breath. A Tier 0 Vessel. This is what most humans in Varagos get. Only the lucky few get to tier 1.
And also, what Ash noticed was that his soul still doesn't have the stage of evolution yet. Well, it's normal. People in tier 0 don't increase in stages. They stay stuck in stage 0.
'What are groups of stage 0 doing in a dangerous place like this?'
Then more words flared into the darkness. The voice continued.
Soulroots: [3]
Soulbound: [ 2 ]
Soul Skills: [ 1 ]
Vessel Traits: [ 0 ]
His eyes narrowed.
'Two Soulbounds? That's not normal.'
Ash had heard the stories. At the academy, Soulbounds were spoken of in hushed tones. Mysterious items or weapons that are tethered to the soul itself—living extensions of a person's fate. No one knew how they formed. Most never saw one in their lifetime.
Ash had zero.
Tachyros had two.
That wasn't luck.
That was something else.
He stared again at the reflection in the water.
Still smiling and watching him.
But Ash still didn't smile back.
Ash whispered the word beneath his breath.
"Soulbound."
Two lights appeared before him—soft at first, then blooming into shape. The first shimmered like moonlight, folding itself into a dagger. Small. Elegant. Its curved edge resembled the petals of a flower.
The second floated downward like a falling leaf. A book. Its cover was stitched with flesh, seams puckered tight, and at the center pulsed a closed human eye.
Ash stared at them.
He didn't know what to do—so he did what he always did with Soul Skills. He reached out, brushing the dagger with his fingers.
Nothing.
Then he gripped the hilt.
The voice spoke.
Soulbound: Petal of the Last Bloom
Soulbound Type: Weapon
Soulbound Grade: 1
Soulbound Class: Normal
Soulbound Description: She made the dagger to end his suffering. But when she returned, he had already passed — smiling. Now the blade remembers what mercy felt like.
Soulbound Effect: Deals no pain on impact. If the target's will to live is broken, the blade ends their life instantly, no matter where it pierces.
Ash turned the dagger in his palm. Its weight was barely there. The steel held no chill, no edge of bloodlust. It was... quiet.
'A blade that kills without pain. That only strikes when hope is already gone.'
He narrowed his eyes.
'Why would Tachyros carry something like this?'
He let go. The dagger drifted back into place, floating beside him like a leaf on still water.
Now, the book.
Ash had seen it before—on Tachyros's home, again during the reversed timeflow. He reached out and took it.
His fingers sank slightly into the skinny leather. It was Warm and Soft. Too soft.
Ash's stomach turned.
Then the voice echoed again.
Soulbound: Codex of Possible Ends
Soulbound Type: Tome
Soulbound Grade: 1
Soulbound Class: Lesser
Soulbound Description: Forged from the bone of a lesser god who gave himself and his flock to understand mortal faith. He died unheard.
Soulbound Effect: Reveals three possible futures and one hidden intent of a chosen target. It cannot be used on the wielder. Once per day, per target.
Ash ran his thumb across the book's seam.
The eye on the cover remained shut.
'A god gave his bone. A cult gave their skin.'
The pages breathed quietly in his hand.
Ash didn't know if it was taken by force—or offered freely. He didn't know what was more disturbing.
He flipped the Codex over slowly. The stitched eyelid twitched beneath his touch.
'So I get to choose someone and this book just tells me the future?'
He glanced down one last time.
His reflection still smiled.
That same grin.
Unmoving and Unnatural.
Ash snapped his eyes away and stepped back.
Light surged—then vanished.
He was back.
His body sat stiff on the blood-stained field. He turned his head, scanning the camp.
The fire still burned. Gralkin's corpses roasted over the spit. Laughter. The crack of bones.
Some sat around the flames, eating. Some crouched, sharpening blades. Others argued, their voices low and sharp.
All of them had glowing eyes.
Ash looked up.
A girl stood across from him, arms folded. Her jaw clenched tightly. Their eyes met.
She looked away—fast.
But not before he saw the hatred there.
Ash narrowed his eyes.
'What's that about?'
They were watching him. All of them. Same expression. Distrust. Cold. Like something in the pit of their stomachs was crawling when they looked his way.
He lowered his gaze to the dirt in front of him, fingers curling around nothing.
'I don't care what they think. I just want to go home.'
He took a slow breath and raised his hand.
'Summon it… Do I just think it?'
Particles danced into life above his palm—soft and glowing, like flakes of ash stirred by wind. They twisted together, forming a familiar shape.
The Codex.
Ash flinched slightly.
Still not used to it. Not yet.
The book hovered in front of him, spine straight, its eye closed.
Ash reached out and opened it.
Blank pages.
Just like in the vision.
'I need to pick someone. Only one a day…'
He scanned the group.
Faces half-lit by fire. Some laughed. Some whispered. Some kept looking at him when they thought he wasn't looking. Strangers, all of them.
His gaze landed on the blonde-haired boy.
He was laughing with the others—relaxed, smiling.
Ash let the corner of his mouth pull into a faint smirk.
'He'll do.'
The Codex's eye snapped open.
Its pages turned in a blur, flipping past lines of text Ash couldn't read fast enough. They stopped. Words bloomed onto the page like blood soaking into cloth.
——
Target: Serian Vaelthorn
Possible Futures:
1. Serian notices the stare. He smiles, walks over, and punches Tachyros hard in the face. "Who are you?"
2. Serian notices the stare. He smiles, walks over, and asks, "What's my name?"
3. Serian notices the stare—then turns back to the group, laughing softly as if nothing were wrong.
Soul Intent:
"What's wrong with Tachyros lately…? He's acting too differently. And what's with those insane sword skills?"
——
Ash stared at the page.
'So his name is Serian. And he suspects something's off…'
Ash looked up.
Serian was already glancing his way—and smiling.
'That smile…'
He didn't even need to look back at the Codex to know what was next.
Ash shut the book.
Light flared around it before it broke into particles and sank into his skin.
He looked up just in time to see Serian making his way over, casual, hands in his pockets, that same smile still painted across his face.
Ash lowered his head again, eyes fixed on the dirt like it held answers.
'So what will it be… the punch or the question?'
Footsteps drew closer. Slow. Unhurried. A shadow passed over the ground. Ash's fingers curled tighter.
Then came the voice.
"What's my name?"
Ash blinked.
Serian stood over him, golden eyes sharp, lips curled into something too smooth to be friendly.
Ash let out a quiet breath.
'Guess that answers that.'
He met the stare.
"What kind of question is that? You're Serian… aren't you?"
Serian's face lit up. He dropped down beside Ash like nothing had happened, legs crossed, one arm propped on a knee.
"Man, I thought your mind got snatched or something. This place has creatures that steal souls, you know."
Ash's jaw tightened. He kept his eyes low.
'Did this bastard just call me a creature?'
Serian kept talking.
"Same thing happened to some people down on the mountain. They started screaming and acting weird. We had to put them down fast. I thought you were next. Would've sucked. No one's gonna stop once they think you're corrupted."
Ash's eyes narrowed.
'The mountain…? So more people fell into this place. More like me?'
Serian turned, tilting his head with a grin.
"But seriously—how the hell did you learn to fight like that? You've been sneaking off for secret lessons or something? We're your best friends. Come on."
Ash blinked.
'We?'
He pushed the thought down and nodded, voice calm.
"I've been studying. Started with the basics from books—body mechanics, weapon forms, breathing patterns. It made the physical training easier. Still hard… but manageable."
Serian's grin widened.
"You're doing it again. Pushing yourself for your sister."
Ash didn't know the full story, but he understood the weight behind that. Love for family. He'd dragged his own body through hell for less.
He let a soft smile slip out.
"Yeah. All of this is for her."
Serian didn't answer.
He just looked away, face still, golden eyes locked on the flickering campfire and the people around it.
Ash followed the stare. The others had gone quiet. Some glanced over at him—uneasy, guarded. A few whispered. One girl turned away the moment Ash met her eyes, jaw clenched like she'd swallowed stone.
Ash leaned closer.
"What's wrong with them?"
Serian snapped his head around.
"You're kidding, right?"
His voice dropped. Cold now.
"You really don't know what you did?"