Chapter 173: Soul

Chapter 173: Soul

Hall sat desolately until dawn, looking more and more wretched. Lifting the veil of self-deception, everything seemed too ironic. He got an answer from Bran that was unexpected, yet also expected.

In the morning light, he stood up, bowed to Bran, and then turned to walk towards the direction of Northland City. He missed his daughter. The longing in his heart slowly turned into a kind of yearning, a hard-to-suppress impulse.

Hall began to understand why Bran did not care about the influence of the environment. Direction! Bran always grasped the direction.

Facing shameless sophistry, Bran only showed a hint of impatience. And he, Hall, had once wanted to kill Bran, to snatch everything Bran had. So, Bran must also have had the thought of killing him.

Here, Bran only needed to raise his hand, and he would die silently. No one would ever know what had happened. But, Bran let him go again.

I’m old! I can’t keep up with the steps of the young anymore. It’s time to go home! After visiting my daughter, I’ll go back quietly.

As the sun rose, the dead in Sandstone City appeared once more. A new day began.

…

Eileen and Zoya, covered in bumps, appeared shivering before the Ancient Tree.

Thinking back on that embarrassing experience, the two felt somewhat ashamed. Facing the buzzing hornets that suddenly attacked, they started screaming, running, and hiding. They completely forgot they were Warriors, leaving only panic. They instinctively sought shelter and ran towards the Training Ground because Danny was there, with her people.

Accompanied by the friendly hornets and sharp cries for help, they rushed to the Training Ground. Then Danny gave them a vivid lesson. Her blade stirred up a gust of wind that wrapped around the hornets. After the two escaped, the Single Blade was swung, cutting down the hornets one by one.

While helping the two treat their wounds, Danny explained, “Bran also went through this, but he poked a bigger hornet’s nest and had to protect himself while running. You know? If he couldn’t protect himself then, there would only be one outcome.

Running away is not shameful, but you shouldn’t forget to protect yourselves just to run away.”

The two girls nodded miserably. Thinking they had escaped the ordeal, they then heard, “Go back. Don’t keep the Ancient Tree waiting.”

Eileen and Zoya looked at each other, unwilling to move for a long time.

Seeing their timid appearance, Danny sighed, seeming somewhat disappointed. “If you’re scared, stay then.”

“We’re not scared…”

Yes, they were not scared. Because something even more frightening was letting the person they liked down…

…

Time passed quickly. In the afterglow of the sunset, Bran finally stopped moving. The curiosity in his eyes faded with the setting sun.

He looked at the even more tattered Jonah at his feet. “Two choices—live or die.”

Jonah curled up. “Is there a difference?”

“In my eyes, there is no difference. But it is different for you.”

“Why is there no difference in your eyes?” Hearing that Bran decided to let him go, Jonah did not hurry to leave. Instead, he showed some traits of a Scholar again—inquiry and curiosity.

“Your current consciousness won’t last long. What are you after consciousness disappears? I’m not sure either. In my eyes, there’s no difference from a walking corpse. Then, maybe you’ll be captured by your former companions. Those methods you once used will be replayed on your family.”

A struggle showed on Jonah’s face. “Death! But I want to die with understanding. Can you tell me, what did you discover?”

“Soul! It truly exists. The body is a container, holding and protecting it.”

Jonah pleaded, “That’s all? Please don’t deceive a dying man.”

Bran sighed. “The Soul is actually also a container. Your Soul was infused with a certain kind of Mana, and then it became what it is now.

Interesting, right? But what’s more interesting is that the Soul is not just a container. Otherwise, you wouldn’t gradually lose consciousness. The Mana is eroding, changing, until it completely transforms you into—a true container.”

Bran couldn’t help but laugh. “This might really be Immortality, retaining many memories from life, only missing the self-awareness that should be preserved the most.”

“Why is it like this?”

“Who knows? I’m also seeking the answer.” With these words, Mana madly rushed into Bran’s body. A huge vortex gradually formed, as if there was an unfillable abyss.

As Night fell, the Mana became thicker and more raw, but the suction from Bran’s body did not stop at all.

Jonah stared dumbly at Bran, only now realizing—he had been facing a madman. He suddenly felt no more resentment. What was there to hate about such a person?

Bran’s body slowly changed. The dazzling cluster of Starlight inside him was gradually filled with black Mana. Real Darkness began to appear within the Starlight cluster. Starlight struggled to move forward within it, then gradually disappeared.

Light and Darkness!

Bran originally thought that because there was Light, there was Darkness. Now he finally understood that Darkness had always existed. Mana was the same, only in most cases they were intertwined and mixed together.

Such a singular Mana environment was very rare, but it reminded Bran. The raw, thick, all-devouring black felt familiar to him. This state was not unfamiliar to Bran. He had entered this state many times before, when he devoured the abilities of other Wizards.

So, he wanted to try…

The absorption continued, but Bran’s voice sounded again. “Let’s stop here. Seeking the answer will be a long process.”

Jonah nodded, then let out a long sigh. “Let’s stop here…”

…

Lily sat by the campfire, watching the dancing flames.

She quietly recalled, recalled that great fire. In the fire, she saw many things. Points of light detached from the bodies of the dead and merged into the flames. As more and more merged, the flames seemed to gain life, starting to chase the footsteps of the living.

When she moved closer to observe, a phantom flame shadow rushed towards her and became part of her Mana.

What was that? Maybe Bran would tell her.

No! I should find the answer myself.

She reached her hand into the campfire. Under her will, the flames formed a pair of wings, gradually spreading open…