The ocean around Skull Island boiled.
Pirate King Drakon floated down from his throne. He didn't look like a dying old man anymore. His skin was withered, yes, but his eyes burned with a chaotic, green ghost-fire.
He landed on the beach. The sand turned to glass beneath his boots due to the sheer heat of his aura.
Spirit Ocean Level 9. The peak of the mortal realm in this region.
"Father!" Seraphina stepped forward, drawing her rapier. "The tournament is over! Asura won! Honor the deal!"
Drakon looked at his daughter. He didn't see a child; he saw an obstacle.
"Honor?" Drakon's voice sounded like two gravel stones rubbing together. "I built this kingdom on blood, not honor. Move aside, girl. Or I will consume you too."
He waved his hand.
BOOM!
An invisible force hit Seraphina. She was launched backward, crashing into the jungle trees, coughing blood.
"Mistress!" her guards screamed.
"Magnus!" Kaelen shouted. "Formation!"
Magnus roared and charged. He was the Titan. He had blocked acid, wolves, and swords.
He punched Drakon with all his might.
Drakon didn't dodge. He caught Magnus's massive fist with one withered hand.
"Strong body," Drakon sneered. "But no soul."
CRACK.
Drakon squeezed. Magnus screamed as the bones in his hand were pulverized. Drakon kicked Magnus in the chest, sending the giant flying into the ocean like a skipped stone.
"Bo!" Kaelen ordered.
"On it!" Bo threw every explosive he had. Thunder Balls, Poison Vials, Flash Bangs.
BANG! BOOM! HISS!
Smoke covered Drakon.
When the smoke cleared, Drakon was standing there, untouched. A green energy barrier protected him.
"Toys," Drakon spat.
He looked at Kaelen.
"You..." Drakon licked his lips. "Your body... it is magnificent. Dragon blood. Solar constitution. And you are young. You will last me another hundred years."
Drakon vanished.
He reappeared instantly in front of Kaelen.
Kaelen tried to swing Nightfall, but he was frozen. Drakon's Soul Pressure locked Kaelen's muscles in place.
"Don't struggle," Drakon whispered, placing his rotten hand on Kaelen's forehead. "It will be over in a second. I will erase your memories, keep your skills, and live in your flesh."
Forbidden Art: Soul Migration.
WHOOSH.
A ghostly green figure—Drakon's true soul—ripped itself out of the old body and dove into Kaelen's forehead.
Drakon's physical body collapsed on the sand, an empty husk.
Kaelen's eyes rolled back. He stood frozen, the battle for his body moving from the physical world to the mental world.
"Boss!" Bo screamed, shaking Kaelen's body. "Wake up! Don't let him in!"
...
Inside Kaelen's Mind: The Sea of Consciousness.
Drakon's soul materialized in a dark, watery void.
He laughed. "I am in! This brat's mind is vast. Good. Plenty of room for my genius."
Drakon looked around. He expected to see a small, frightened soul of a teenager that he could easily eat.
"Come out, boy!" Drakon shouted. "Bow to your new King, and I will make your death painless!"
Suddenly, the dark void shifted.
Clouds made of golden light gathered. A massive sun appeared in the mental sky, illuminating the darkness.
Drakon squinted. "What... what is this mental imagery? He has a strong imagination."
Then, the ground beneath him formed into a staircase. A golden staircase that went up, up, up into the clouds.
And at the top of the stairs, sitting on a Throne of Stars, was not a boy.
It was a giant. A figure radiating so much divine power that Drakon felt his soul burning just by looking at it.
The figure opened its eyes. They were vertical dragon pupils, spinning with the wisdom of a thousand lifetimes.
"You want my body?" The figure's voice echoed like the judgment of heaven.
Drakon trembled. He was a Level 9 cultivator, a Pirate King. But facing this presence, he felt like an ant facing a supernova.
"Who... who are you?" Drakon stammered, floating backward. "You are not Asura! You are not a human!"
The figure leaned forward on the throne.
"I am Valerius," the Emperor said. "Former Ruler of the Nine Heavens. Slayer of Gods. And currently... the landlord of this body."
Kaelen (Valerius) smiled. It was terrifying.
"And you, little ghost... are late with the rent."
"NO! IMPOSSIBLE!" Drakon shrieked. "I must leave! I made a mistake!"
Drakon tried to fly back out. He tried to disconnect the link.
But the Void Cauldron appeared in the mental world. It wasn't a small pot. It was a black hole the size of a planet, hovering behind the throne.
"You entered uninvited," Kaelen said coldly. "But you will not leave."
Kaelen pointed a finger.
"Devour."
The Void Cauldron roared. Its gravity locked onto Drakon's soul.
"AHHHHHH!" Drakon was pulled in. He clawed at the mental floor, screaming. "Mercy! I will serve you! I have gold! I have secrets!"
"I don't need your service," Kaelen said, watching the Pirate King being sucked into the abyss. "I need your Soul Energy to fix my mother's seal."
CRUNCH.
The Void Cauldron swallowed Drakon whole.
The screaming stopped.
The mental world returned to peace.
The Void Cauldron began to refine the powerful Level 9 soul. Pure, distilled spiritual energy flooded Kaelen's system.
Mental Strength: Upgraded.
Soul Perception: Expanded.
Kaelen closed his eyes on the throne. "Good meal."
...
The Beach.
Kaelen gasped, snapping his eyes open.
Air rushed into his lungs.
"Boss!" Bo was crying, slapping Kaelen's face. "Don't die! You owe me 500 stones!"
Kaelen grabbed Bo's wrist.
"Stop hitting me, Bo."
Bo froze. "Boss? Is that you? Or is it the old zombie?"
Kaelen stood up. He looked at the empty husk of Drakon's body lying on the sand.
"The King is dead," Kaelen said. "Long live the... Asura."
He bent down and looted the body. He found a golden key. The Treasury Key.
Seraphina limped out of the jungle, supported by her guards. She looked at her father's corpse, then at Kaelen.
"You..." she whispered, fear and awe in her eyes. "You killed him? Inside?"
"He got lost," Kaelen said cryptically. "And he won't be coming back."
Kaelen tossed the golden key to Seraphina.
She caught it, stunned. "You... you're giving me the Treasury?"
"I only want one thing," Kaelen said. "Open it. Give me the Sun-Moon Pearl. The rest is yours."
Seraphina looked at the key. She looked at the army of pirates watching them.
She realized what Kaelen had done. By giving her the key, he had made her the Queen. He didn't want the throne. He was passing the burden to her.
"Deal," Seraphina said, a newfound respect in her voice.
...
One Hour Later. The Treasury.
The massive vault doors opened. Mountains of gold, jewels, and weapons lay inside.
But Kaelen walked past it all.
In the center, on a pedestal, sat a pearl. One half was glowing white (Sun), the other half pitch black (Moon). It pulsed with balanced energy.
The Sun-Moon Pearl.
Kaelen took it. He could feel its warmth. This was the catalyst.
"Bo, Magnus," Kaelen turned to his team. "We are leaving."
"Leaving?" Seraphina asked, standing at the door. "You could rule the Shattered Isles with me. We could be... unstoppable."
It was an offer of power. And perhaps, something more intimate.
Kaelen looked at her.
"I have a patient waiting," Kaelen said. "And the ocean is calling."
He walked out.
...
The Dead Man's Rest Inn.
Lyra was fading. The grey color was returning.
Kaelen burst into the room. He didn't waste time.
He crushed the Sun-Moon Pearl in his hand. He mixed the powder with water and the Resurrection Flower extract.
"Drink, Mom."
He poured the glowing liquid into her mouth.
Flash.
A blinding light filled the room.
The Blood-Lock Seal in Lyra's heart screamed as the Sun energy burned it. The Moon energy soothed the damage.
The mechanical parasite dissolved.
Lyra gasped. Her eyes opened—clear, bright, and full of life. The grey skin vanished, replaced by a healthy flush.
She sat up. She looked at Kaelen.
"Kaelen?" she whispered. Her voice was strong. "The pain... it's gone."
Kaelen fell to his knees. The exhaustion of the battle, the soul fight, and the worry finally hit him.
He rested his head on her lap.
"I told you," Kaelen mumbled, closing his eyes. "I got you."
Lyra stroked his white hair, tears falling silently. She didn't know what he had done, but she knew he had fought hell to bring her back.
Outside, the sun rose over the Shattered Isles. The smog cleared for the first time in years.
Author Note: "If you like the story, please vote with Power Stones! It helps me write faster."