The Duke's soul hovered in the air, pale and distorted, bound by invisible runes that rotated slowly around it. It struggled without sound, like something drowning in clear water. Edward had already stripped away most of its resistance during the extraction. What remained was raw soul power, vast and unstable.
Edward stood a short distance away, his expression calm. The battle was over, but the work was not. Killing the Duke had been simple compared to what came next. Turning a soul into a usable summon required the creation of a soul flag.
Unlike his elemental spirit summons, whose essence was safely stored within his sea of consciousness, the same could not be done with the Duke's soul.
