Amana casually slid her sword back into its sheath.
That alone pissed him off.
But there were bigger things on his mind—two, to be exact.
First: Why the hell did she need him to be bait?
If she could kill a monster like that, she clearly didn't need help.
And second…
Why the hell was she smiling?
" I got a soul shard" she said in a giddy tone
"I got a Soul Shard," she said, voice giddy—like a kid showing off a new toy.
A Soul Shard? No way.
Don't tell me she actually pulled a weapon from that thing.
I mean, yeah, I wanted one too—but not like this.
…Wait.
Does she expect me to do the same?
"Oh, that's so nice! I really hope it's a weapon," he said, smiling through gritted teeth.
Please don't be a weapon.
I swear I'll never skip another prayer again.
He sent a desperate plea skyward.
Would the merciful gods grant a young boy's humble wish—
"Yes!" Amana beamed.
Solen died a little inside.
"It's a longsword!" she said, practically glowing.
Curse it. Curse it all. Curse my grandma and my entire bloodline.
"Alright, next fight, you're not just sitting there like a sad little puppy."
No, I'm fine watching. Really. I don't want to fight—I don't even want to be here. Also… did she just call me a puppy?!
Solen grit his teeth and scrambled for a distraction—something to make her forget all about that damn sword.
"Uh, that's very cool. You know, the meat of this beast should be edible, and the hide… we could make armor or something for the cold. Should I, uh, start cutting it up?"
"Don't be silly. I know you're trying to be selfless," she said, smiling. "But you can train with the longsword first."
Damn it. I'm not being selfless—I'm being selfish.
Why does this woman always get in my way?!
"Oh? Or did you lose motivation after watching me fight?" she teased, tilting her head. "What a shame. If that's the case, our little alliance might be over."
Damn that devil. She knows exactly what she's doing.
"Of course not. I just wanted to be helpful, Enslav— I mean, Amana."
"The fuck did you just call me? Enslaver?"
"Ah—of course not, you—"
His pitiful attempt at recovery was cut off by a booming laugh.
She was laughing.
At him.
Solen hated that sound. Loud. Carefree. And somehow… it made her even prettier.
What the hell am I thinking? That's the damn devil.
"Here. Give me your hand so I can pass the Soul Shard."
He already knew how it worked—only the killer got the shard, but it could be transferred through touch.
Still… did it have to involve touching her?
The thought alone made his skin crawl. Not from fear. Not from her power.
Just… because it was her.
But he didn't have a choice.
With a scowl like it was the worst decision of his life, he held out his hand.
A cold pulse slipped into him—not on the surface, but deeper, curling along the edges of his soul.
It was like eating a grape. Then another. Then another.
Sweet. Sharp. Addictive.
This cold didn't freeze.
It called.
Then, a voice resounded.
[Soul Fragment received → Soul Shard available]
[To claim your Soul Shard, please enter your Soul Sea]
Solen was already halfway through the motion to dive in—
Then he remembered.
Oh. Right.
The squatter.
The thing that lived in his soul.
Yeah… so much for the longsword.
"Uh, so, Amana—funny story." He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes everywhere but her face. "I… can't get the longsword."
She gave him that look.
That unreadable stare.
The kind that made you feel like she was deciding whether to laugh or stab you.
Or both.
"Why is that?" she asked.
"Ah, well, you see… there's this voice." Solen gestured vaguely above his head. "It shows up every time I go into my Soul Sea. And it, uh… laughs at me."
He wanted to disappear.
Right then and there.
Curse it all.
Curse the sky.
Curse the dirt.
Curse his life.
Curse that smug, echoing voice squatting in his soul like it paid rent.
Amana was looking at him with no emotions nothing which made solen more weirded out by her then that creepy voice
"...Does it know the way to more monsters?"
Solen blinked. Once. Twice.
The world went quiet. Just for a moment.
Then that fragile peace was shattered by a very pretty, very tired boy letting out the biggest, most soul-crushed "Huh?!" in existence.
Two questions slammed into Solen's mind at once.
First: had the world gone completely fucking insane?
Second: was he dreaming?
No—scratch that.
Was this a nightmare?
"I–I h–a—"
Solen's mouth kept moving, but no real words came out.
Even Amana looked vaguely disturbed.
And that was saying something.
"Tarnation—fuck this. I'm getting that longsword."
Solen gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.
Fine. He'd confront that damn voice head-on.
This was it. His redemption arc.
Time to stop being the deadweight.o
The still water was as calm as ever.
The same ruins. The same silence.
But something felt… different.
[ABILITIES]
• Lover of the Sea
Grants increased strength and speed underwater. Doubles breath capacity.
• Water Magician
Allows the user to generate and manipulate water.
Can imbue up to three objects with enhanced strength or durability (x2).
Imbuement type determines additional effects. Upgradeable.
• Ancient and Dead Fate
Grants access to a fragment of the user's past soul power.
Currently limited. Upgradeable.
Soul Walker Abilities: Locked.
[SOUL SHARDS]
• Blade of the Shadows
Type: Weapon
Tier: III
Description:
Once a blade brimming with life and vitality—
Now, it radiates only death and ruin.
A shadow of its former self… just like its user. it's brimming with death and ruin it's the shadow of it's user
Huh. Does it imply that I'm dead?
Solen narrowed his eyes at the text.
The fuck is my soul's problem with death? Ancient and Dead, and now this? Well, fuck me.
"Oh, you're back? I'd thought you'd gone off to live in a pound."
The voice was mocking as ever—smooth, smug, and echoing faintly in the stillness.
Solen took an instinctive step back.
"Well I'm not letting you live rent-free in my soul while I'm getting wrecked out there."
"My powers could help you," the voice purred. "But you didn't use them, did you?"
"How the hell was I supposed to?" Solen snapped.
"It's not like the others. The others feel natural. Yours just sits there like a cursed button labeled Press To Die. I don't even know where to begin."
He threw his arms up.
"And what if it kills me? You expect me to mess around with something literally called Ancient and Dead?"
"What do you think about being inferior to that woman over there?"
The question slid into his mind like a blade under the ribs—quiet, cruel, deliberate.
Huh? I'm not inferior.
What the hell was this voice talking about?
I'm better than her. I am. What does he even know?
But it did annoy him. More than it should.
The thought of her smirking, always one step ahead, always in control—
Tch. Fuck it.
He clenched his fists, breathing uneven.
I'll kill her first. Then I'll deal with this smug bastard. One after the other.
"I'm worse now. But I'll get better," Solen growled. "I'll show you."
A chuckle echoed through his Soul Sea. Cold. Cutting.
"Oh? Enlighten me, Solen. How exactly?"
"Going to 'get better' like your grandma did?"
The words hit harder than any blade.
"Didn't she die because she took on too much? Because she reached for a level that wasn't hers?"
"She died and left you alone."
"Are you planning to do the same, Solen?"
"I—I…"
The words fumbled, stuck in his throat.
"You can't even finish a sentence," the voice sneered.
"And you expect to convince me?"
"When your voice trembles like that?"
The silence that followed wasn't empty. It was suffocating.
"I can help you, Solen. Just use it."
The voice sounded almost gentle. Almost.
"What would you lose?"
A pause. Then—
"What's the difference between death and the life you're living now?"
It laughed. Cold.
"Honestly? I'd prefer death."
Solen had always lived in a way that made it easy not to care.
After all—how could you lose something you never had?
That's what let him stay numb.
To not care about himself.
Or anyone else.
But...
Is that really how I want to live?
Do I—
Do I, Solen—
want to keep going like this?
I don't know.
I've never understood when people talk about things like "resolve" or "conviction."
How do you put your heart into something when your heart's always been... cold?
How does someone set it on fire?
And yet—
Maybe.
Just maybe...
I'm starting to understand.