Lidien's physical trauma hadn't yet recovered after he woke from his Dreamflow, making his legs and arms stiff from muscle cramps, while his bleeding palms were still healing from their wounds.
'Shattering the Shard with my Verve? Will it ascend me to a Greater Demon of Wrath, or remove the still lingering identity of the past Lidien?'
Unsure whether to take Aria's advice or not, Lidien wasn't certain if further fracturing the Soul Shard of the past Lidien would let him ascend or simply wipe out the past Lidien's memories... However, the thought of "What if?" another result occurring without him being prepared for it made him think twice.
'Trial and Error regarding the Soul Shard is too risky... I will need to find another way to experiment, but not with my own body...'
Lidien tried to stand up even though his knees were still weak, and when he almost stumbled just from stepping, Aria immediately went under his armpit and helped him stand steady.
Aria was much taller than him, making his arm hook around her neck as she helped him walk outside of the Training Room.
"Do you have another way to go inside the Dreamflow, without experiencing that kind of method?"
Aria giggled as she slowly removed his arm wrapped around her neck.
"Nothing... try asking your idiotic big brother Azer... Unlike his, I can say this was gentle enough."
Aria then sat in her chair, staring at Lidien's back as he struggled to walk.
"Oh, by the way, Lidien... do not attempt doing it alone. Maybe you'll never wake up again from it..."
Lidien tiredly looked at her from the corner of his eye, nodding, then left the fifth floor without having the chance to look for what was inside.
Walking down the stairs, Lidien stared out the window and looked at the torchlights illuminating the uneven stone road outside.
'If only electricity existed in this era...'
Sighing, Lidien remembered his past life, where he could read all the books he wanted in the library, learning everything he desired... unlike now, where the knowledge he needed most to survive was not available, and if it was, there was always a price to pay to gain it.
'But still, at least I'm a Prince in this life... just a Prince they hate.'
Lidien then glanced at the passing people staring at him with sharp eyes.
'I can't even remember what I did to them. Are they from the tribe this old Lidien captured?'
In the end, Lidien could only walk alone in the dark alley.
The only thing lighting his way was the moon high in the sky, breaking through the dark clouds with its penetrating rays touching Lidien's face.
As the sound of bugs and night creatures vibrated in the air,
a soft weeping of a lady harmonized with it.
The hair on Lidien's arms stood up before he sighed in frustration.
'Damn this Whisper of Soul; I need to learn how to activate it on my own, and also the Echoes of the Flesh.'
Lidien tried to walk away from where the sound came from, but no matter which path he took, the weeping of the lady still followed him, growing louder and louder.
Until he stopped and walked back, following the weeping sound.
'You think I'm afraid of ghosts?'
Lidien walked, turning left and right, until he stood in a narrow passage where even the moonlight couldn't penetrate.
As Lidien's eyes adjusted to the dark, he saw a woman lying on the cold ground with a pool of blood beneath her, and beside the dead body was another woman... weeping as she clawed at her own chest with a gaping hole.
"What now?"
Lidien said to the ghost of the woman... the innocent girl who had read him books before he proceeded to the fifth floor.
The innocent girl's eyes bled red as she stared at Lidien, her gaze complex and mixed with hatred.
"You... Killed... Me..."
Lidien scratched his head and stared mockingly at the ghost.
"An idiot who doesn't even know how she died..."
Then, suddenly... a whistling sound resounded throughout the night. Lidien stared at the soldier who was confused, seeing him crouching beside a dead body.
"You... come here..."
The soldier's body shook as he struggled to approach Lidien, glancing alternately at the dead body and Lidien.
"Do you want to be like her?"
Gulping, the soldier took a hesitant step until he stood in front of the crouching Lidien.
Lidien only smiled, so sinisterly that the soldier immediately slammed his head to the ground and begged for his life.
And when he noticed no reply after waiting for a few minutes, he slowly lifted his head only to see nothing but the dead woman's body.
The soldier rolled it over, and when he saw the woman's chest, he could only grip his hands and sigh softly.
"The Prince ate another woman's heart again..."
As tens of soldiers gathered at the scene, they couldn't help but grip their hands as their eyes turned red with powerlessness.
They removed the body, cleaned the area until no sign of blood remained, and left immediately after agreeing that the incident should be kept secret.
Until Lidien walked out of the shadows and approached the female ghost, still weeping as she watched her own body being taken away by the soldiers.
"So, what do you want? Revenge..."
Lidien laughed softly and tried to brush the ghost's hair... surprised when he could actually touch her.
'Is it because I can see her that I can touch her? Why didn't I read Paranormal or Exorcism books when I was in the library in my previous life...'
Sighing, Lidien noticed that when he touched the ghost... the Echoes of the Flesh didn't activate.
'I should've touched her body earlier; maybe I could have found a clue about who killed this woman... well, what's in it for me anyways?'
Lidien stood and left the weeping woman.
"Please... Help... Me..."