NOVPUB
Chapter 161: A Human’s Soul
Zayn stood over the dead cult member, his breath rising slowly into the cold air, a thin mist in the still of night.
His sword was already tucked back in its sheath, resting silently against his back. The world around him felt unnervingly quiet.
The sky had only grown darker since he’d jumped out the window.
Dark clouds now rolled across the heavens, obscuring the stars that had once offered faint light.
Not even a crescent moon peeked through. It was as if the world had turned away from this moment, as if it didn’t want to witness what was about to happen.
Zayn took a deep breath and extended a hand forward.
This was something he hadn’t done in front of the others.
Not even Seren, who often clung to him like a second shadow, had seen this part of him.
He’d always been curious, always wondered what it would feel like. Absorbing a human soul into the soul forge.
But these things — they weren’t human anymore.
Not truly.
Their bodies had twisted. Their eyes had lost all trace of light.
Their minds were fanatical wreckage wrapped in cloaks and blood. So, no. He felt no guilt. Not this time.
His palm hovered over the cultist’s corpse.
The air rippled. Reality seemed to stretch thin, and then —
A low hum.
A pulse.
Then, like drawing breath from a dying candle, something dark and glowing began to rise from the body. I
t was a black orb, barely the size of a heart, but it pulsed with power — faint flickers of purple and blue writhing within it.
Zayn’s eyes narrowed as it floated into his hand, and the moment it made contact —
A wave passed through him.
Not pain.
No, not like the time he’d absorbed the soul within the beast core or the remnants of a powerful boss soul.
This was... smoother. Slippery, even.
It was like being drenched in cold water, only the water was made of shadow and secrets
Then came the screen.
[You have gained the ability to use Magic]
[Unique Spells Acquired: Shadow Tendrils, Shadow Jump]
Zayn’s heart skipped.
Magic?
He quickly opened the detailed breakdown in his interface. The blue text hovered in front of his eyes.
[Shadow Tendrils – Focus your mana into tendrils of darkness. Can be used for offensive and binding purposes. Strength scales with Soul and Magic stats.]
[Shadow Jump – Allows user to teleport within a five-meter radius to any location with castable shadows. Requires a cooldown of 10 seconds between uses.]
Zayn blinked.
Teleportation?
Tendrils that could bind and attack?
He flexed his hand, and immediately, the air shimmered.
One long, thin strand of black shadow hissed out from his palm, coiling in the air like a living snake before evaporating in a smoky wisp.
"...Damn," he muttered, impressed.
This was more than he’d expected.
His eyes scanned the corpse again, and he couldn’t help but murmur, "Guess you were more useful in death."
He looked up.
The clouds had fully swallowed the sky now. No stars. No moon. Just an oppressive ceiling of black.
Zayn turned and began walking slowly down the narrow dirt path behind the inn, keeping to the shadows.
His body moved naturally now — it was lighter and far more quieter.
There was always a change each time he absorbed a soul, but this one was different, not like he cared that much though.
As he rounded the corner, he heard a door creak.
Someone had come outside. His body tensed, fingers already twitching to summon a tendril, but then he saw the familiar ponytail swinging behind a tall figure in a cloak.
It was Kara.
She looked around warily before her eyes landed on him.
"There you are," she said, walking briskly toward him. "We were wondering where you ran off to."
Zayn nodded. "Just clearing up some... leftovers."
Kara eyed the dirt clinging to his boots, then the faint trail of ichor that still dripped down from his sleeve. She didn’t ask questions.
"You okay?" she asked instead.
"I’m good," Zayn replied. "Better now."
She gave him a look. The kind that lingered too long to be casual, then turned her head away.
"Alright then. Everyone’s asleep. Come back before Elisse wakes up and starts nagging."
He smirked faintly. "I’ll be in soon."
She nodded and disappeared back into the inn, he looked back at the corpse as it turned to ash before going inside with a yawn.
...
Zayn woke up to the warmth of sunlight streaming through the window and directly onto his face like a spotlight of nature’s judgment.
He was on the couch in the living room, sprawled out like a man who’d been through hell — which, considering last night’s cultist assassination attempt, wasn’t far off.
He groaned, stretched lazily, and sat up with a yawn that made his jaw pop.
Slap.
A quick smack to his cheeks. "Alright, let’s get it together," he muttered. "Today’s the day."
He blinked a few more times, the light beaming into his retinas finally registering something crucial. "Tobias is coming."
Right.
The prodigal nerd was finally going to grace Timberstead with his big brain presence again.
Zayn rubbed his chin, suddenly sniffing himself and grimacing.
"Let me get a bath real quick," he muttered. "No way I’m meeting the hero while smelling like burnt shadow and soul juice. Especially if he brings a hot chick."
He quickly made his way to the bathroom, stripping off his shirt and tossing it over his shoulder with a flick of indifference that would’ve made Elisse sigh in disapproval.
The water was cold at first, but he didn’t flinch — there were too many things that could happen but at least they were finally going to make some headway into the second arc.
"Finally," he muttered, scrubbing faster.
...
Tobias sighed. Loudly.
It was probably his fifth sigh that hour, and the seventh since waking up, but who was counting?
Celeste, the princess herself, was currently in the carriage, adjusting her blouse and smoothing down her skirt with all the grace expected of royalty... until she sneezed, snorted slightly, then yawned like a bear.
Tobias watched her from the corner of his eye, smirking. "For a princess, you sure do snore like a man."
