The Birth of Anos
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Soulspire World
By the still water's edge of a lake glowing in the pale moonlight, a white-clad woman stood tall, her eyes locked upon the man standing before her.
"Max." It was a soft sound, shaking with the burden of years.
He moved uncomfortably, scratching the base of his neck, not able to look at her.
"Isabella Ruth… I—"
Tears filled her eyes as she approached him, holding out her arms to hug him, but Max reacted by jerking away.
"Why, Max?" Isabella's voice broke. "Is it because I was… defiled by that man?" Her voice was laced with bitterness, her shoulders shuddering as though the words themselves chilled her blood.
Max covered his face, unable to endure the anguish in her eyes. "We… we can't be together."
She caught her breath, a knife inside her chest. There was a silence between them for a moment, heavy as a stone.
But Isabella Ruth smiled through her tears, her voice shaking with despair and with defiance. "Do not worry, Max. That man is already dead. I murdered him with my own hands. Now there is nothing between us."
She rushed at him a second time, pleading for warmth, for acceptance—but he stumbled backward, rejecting her once again.
"No!" Max's voice broke. "I… I can't!"
She shivered all over. Tears flowed down her colorless cheeks as her trembling hands shook convulsively. The last glimmer of hope she possessed was extinguished in a moment.
Her lips twisted into a sour smile. "We can't be together… hah… how stupid." She dried her tears, her tone brittle with an unnatural resolve.
"Max, may I hug you one last time?"
The petition cut into him, and after a frozen moment, he nodded unwillingly.
"Thank you…"
Her arms clutched him—warm, tight, desperate. He did not push her away this time. For him, it was a goodbye. For her, it was a start.
Pa!
Her palm whacked the back of his neck with accuracy. Max fell slack into her arms.
"I'm sorry, Max…" she whispered as she laid him on the bed. From her spatial ring, she pulled out a crystal vial—an ancient essence tool. The glow of its runes lit the room as she extracted what she needed. Her fingers trembled, but her face remained cold.
When it was done, Isabella Ruth lingered a moment, brushing stray strands of hair from Max's face.
"Goodbye… my love."
She pivoted and departed into the night, her white robe billowing behind her, leaving behind naught but silence in the humble cottage.
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Soul Haven – The Palace of the High Priests
On her throne, Isabella Ruth sat quietly, eyes shut, fingers gripping tighter on the vial she had brought back.
"I must make use of this opportunity wisely…" she whispered.
She rose, commanding, "Declare that I go into seclusion to penetrate to the next plane."
The word went around like fire. The newly elevated High Priestess had gone into seclusion—it was the hottest gossip in Soul Haven, even astonishing the elders. Only the higher council was privy to the facts: Isabella Ruth wasn't just cultivating.
She was expecting.
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Nine Months Later
In a small wooden room secluded behind the palace, Isabella was pale and frail on the bed. But there was relief and joy in her eyes as she held the newborn in her arms.
"Finally…" she whispered, her lips curving into a soft smile. "Nine months…"
The baby shifted, tiny breaths strong against her chest.
"Your name will be Anos," Isabella Ruth said, pecking a gentle kiss onto the baby's forehead.
The child blinked, his eyes wide and eerily perceptive.
'Once more? Did I. get reborn again?' Orion wondered inside, taken aback as awareness awoke within the infant's body. He looked up at the white but lovely woman cradling him, her lips curved in a warm smile, her scent eerily familiar.
Isabella Ruth smiled softly. "Did I rouse you, little one? I am your mother, Anos."
'Wait… I've been reincarnated as a baby?!' Orion's mental voice shrieked, though in reality, his little head craned in naively puzzled fashion.
The action caused Isabella to laugh, her heart melting. "So precious…"
But deep inside, her mind whirled. I need to get Anos away from this location. My standing in Soul Haven remains unstable. Even using the guise of isolation as an excuse was already a risk.
She breathed silently. "I've attained rank ninety-two as a Soulmaster. My second martial spirit still doesn't have its sixth soul band…"
Her gaze became cold. Strategies were made. She had months before anyone would be suspicious. Months to operate.
She touched her son's cheek. "Though you look like me… your face reminds me of him too." Her voice became softer, hurt.
"Three months, at least, we are together." She clamped him close, breathing softly, "Three months to just be mother and child."
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Three Months Later – The Throne of the High Priestess
Soul Haven elders packed the hall, bowing to Isabella Ruth.
"I broke through," she announced with serene authority.
The elders burst into congratulations, their words heavy with pride, envy, and ambition.
"Hail to Your Majesty!"
"Let Soul Haven stand ever more powerful!"
Isabella observed them through narrowed eyes, her face impassive. Hypocrites, all of them. Useful, though, for the time being.
"You can leave. Shadow, Cody—stay."
The others left behind two Soulmasters.
"What do you want from us, Your Majesty?" they asked together.
"Follow me," Isabella said. "I require a soul band for my twin martial spirit."
"As you will." Both bowed low.
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Starshade Forest
The three pushed deep into the wild until finally, Isabella stopped, her eyes piercing.
"There," she announced.
The creature twisted before them—a hellish blood-shade shadow worm, a good ten meters long, its black hide splashed with red.
Shadow and Cody looked at each other with shocked expressions. To track such a mythical creature was sheerly suicidal.
"Clear the area," Isabella commanded, already calling forth her strength.
"As you desire." They disappeared into the woods.
Alone, Isabella pulled out a shiny dagger, spirit energy coursing through her. "Fate smiles on me tonight."
Her sword struck deep.
Puchi!
The worm shrieked as its body writhed. Seconds later, a black soul band burst forth from its corpse, glowing with power.
She sat cross-legged, channeling the band into her martial spirit. One after one, black soul bands blazed to life behind her—until the sixth finally took hold.
"Success…" she panted.
Her eyes shone. Physical Blood Clone.
Blood accumulated in front of her, molding itself into a shape—her shape. The clone took form, less luminous but remarkably like.
"You understand what needs to be done," Isabella informed it.
The clone nodded.
Isabella pulled out the sleeping child—Anos—from her essence device.
The clone's eyes gentled as it held him. "Six years…" it breathed.
'At last, she set me free!' Orion considered, feeling the warmth of liberty. So… she is actually my mother.
"Six years," Isabella said resolutely. "And then I will come back for him. By then, my foundation will be solid."
The two women—clone and original—exchanged a glance, bearing the burden of the decision.
Then, without another word, they turned and began to go in opposite directions under the forest canopy.
"Six years," Isabella breathed, her eyes on the stars. "Six years, my Anos… and then I will have you."
From the clone's arms, Orion's thoughts lingered weakly: Goodbye, Mother… until we meet again.