Unlock the Seal

"Hold on, sweetheart." Xing Jue blurted out, putting his hands up in mock defense. "Don't get me wrong, you're stunning and all, but I have standards! You just made out with that… thing! Besides, wouldn't want to steal your first kiss."

He knew it was a useless gesture, a pathetic attempt at humor to mask the fear that clawed at his insides. But he couldn't help himself.

The Soul Devouring Seductress merely chuckled, a low, throaty sound, as she stalked towards him, her eyes glittering with predatory amusement. "Don't flatter yourself, darling. Besides… you don't have much choice in the matter."

She reached him in a heartbeat. Her touch, surprisingly gentle, sent shivers down his spine. "My, my… aren't you handsome?" She murmured, lifting his chin with a delicate finger, her eyes scanning his face, as if memorizing every detail.

Then, before Xing Jue could react, she leaned in, her lips brushing against his. The world seemed to shrink, to revolve solely around the intoxicating scent of her, the warmth of her breath on his skin. Terror, primal and overwhelming, froze him in place. This was it. This was the end.

The instant their lips touched, Xing Jue felt a strange numbness spread through his body. His vision blurred, the world fading to a dull grey as he felt his soul, his very essence, being sucked away. Yet there was no pain. No searing agony he'd expected. Instead, there was a sensation of pressure building in his chest, a burning, pulsing ache like a second heart struggling to beat its way out of his ribs.

"Ahhh, exquisite," the Soul Devouring Seductress sighed, her voice trembling with satisfaction. Then, as casually as one might discard an empty wineglass, she tossed Xing Jue aside, her attention already elsewhere.

His body hit the hard-packed earth, but there was no time to register the impact. His entire being throbbed, burned, consumed by the agony that ripped through his veins, a thousand times worse than anything he'd ever imagined.

"N-Nnnggh! It burns! Make it stop! Please!" he gasped, clutching frantically at his chest as the burning intensified, spreading outwards, incinerating everything in its path.

The Soul Devouring Seductress paused, startled by the sound of his voice, her eyes widening in disbelief as she turned back to face him. He wasn't dead? Impossible!

She watched in stunned silence as his chest began to glow, the light growing with each passing second. It pulsed with a life of its own, a blinding white fire that quickly engulfed his torso, reducing his clothes to ash. An intricate tattoo, a swirling pattern of ancient runes, previously hidden beneath his tunic, blazed on his chest, radiating raw power.

The Soul Devouring Seductress' face drained of all color, the confident smirk replaced by a look of raw, primal fear.

"The… the Soul Devouring Binding Curse!" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

The light intensified, bathing the clearing in an unearthly glow. And as it did, Xing Jue's pain amplified, becoming unbearable. It felt like his body was being torn apart, his insides twisting into impossible knots as something ancient, something powerful, stirred within him.

"It's… it's breaking free," she whispered, her gaze transfixed on the glowing rune, her entire body trembling as she backed away.

"Whooom!" The light exploded outward, engulfing Xing Jue, bathing the forest in its blinding light. For a heartbeat, everything was still. Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the light vanished. The intricate runes on Xing Jue's chest faded, replaced by smooth, unblemished skin. But something had changed. He could feel it. A surge of raw power flowed through him, a torrent of dark energy wrapping around him, seeping into his pores, surging through his veins. He gasped, his body convulsing as the energy remade him, reshaping him, pushing him to his limits and then beyond.

Xing Jue' s eyes flew open in shock. He was alive? More than alive. His body pulsed with energy, strength he'd never known he possessed. The familiar warmth of martial energy flowed freely through his meridians, but now it was different, stronger, infused with something else. Something… other. He could feel it even now, surging through him, whispering promises of power beyond his wildest dreams. He'd broken through to the Martial Ancestor realm, was even pushing towards the Intermediate level. But how? He should be dead! Swallowed whole, his soul devoured. What had just happened?

"Greetings, Master," the Soul Devouring Seductress gasped, falling to her knees. Her voice trembled, laced with a terror so raw, so visceral, it sent chills down Xing Jue's spine. She bowed low, her forehead touching the ground, as if in supplication.

Xing Jue watched, stunned. This had to be some kind of bizarre, fever dream. One minute she was about to drain him dry, and the next, she was… bowing?

"Forgive me, Master…!" she whimpered, her voice muffled. "I didn't … I had no idea! Your true identity… it was hidden from me. Please! Spare me!"

"Whoa, hold up!" Xing Jue sputtered, his mind struggling to catch up. "Who are you talking to?"

The Soul Devouring Seductress didn't respond, didn't even look up, continuing her frantic plea for mercy as if he hadn't spoken.

Xing Jue stared at her, bewildered, a knot of unease tightening in his gut. Something was definitely not right here. She was terrified of him. But why?

"I said, who are you talking to?" he repeated, his voice hardening.

As if finally registering his question, she slowly raised her head, her eyes, wide with terror, boring into his. "You... you don't know?"

"Know what?" Xing Jue snapped, instantly on edge. This was getting weirder by the second. "Why am I still alive? Why didn't I die when you … when you did that thing? And what was that light? Why am I so much stronger? Start talking. Now."

"My Lord… y-your people... the Soul Devouring Clan…," she stammered. "They are… you are… your true power… it was sealed. Hidden. And when I... when I drained you.... I unintentionally…"

"The Soul Devouring Clan? What are you talking about?" Every word she spoke only deepened the mystery. "What seal? Who are my people? Spit it out!"

The Soul Devouring Seductress flinched as if he'd struck her. "The Soul Devouring Clan," she whispered, her gaze darting nervously around the clearing as if expecting someone to jump out at them. "They were powerful, my Lord. More than you can imagine. Their souls… they burned brighter than any star, a beacon to our kind. We… we were drawn to them, consumed by their extraordinary power."

She took a deep, shuddering breath before continuing, her voice barely a whisper. "We devoured them, my Lord. Or rather, we tried. But your power, their power… it was too great for even us to fully consume. The Soul Devouring Clan... they… they cursed us, sealed away our true potential, forced us to serve them. You… you must be a descendant, your powers dormant all these years, waiting to be unleashed."

"Devoured? Cursed?" Xing Jue's mind reeled. This had to be a nightmare, some cruel, elaborate joke. "Just how powerful are we talking?"

"More powerful than you can possibly comprehend. Their souls, they craved power, and they harnessed it, bent it to their will, consumed other souls to strengthen their own."

"They... they could consume other souls? Like you?" He stared at her, his mind struggling to grasp the sheer enormity of it all.

"Yes… but we were... created … molded for this purpose." Her voice dropped to a barely audible murmur. "To serve, to obey. We… we were nothing more than tools to them. I was but a humble servant, tasked with guarding a small portion of their power. And when I.. I sensed you… such power… pure, untainted. And foolishly, arrogantly… I made the decision to claim it for my own. To consume your essence and break free of my shackles."

"You… you're telling me you're… artificial? "

"Yes, master. I am but a soul, given form. A weapon, forged by your ancestors for their own purposes. "

Xing Jue's mind was blown. A soul, given form? It sounded like something out of a children's story. But looking at the Soul Devouring Seductress now, seeing the abject terror in her eyes, he couldn't bring himself to doubt her words.

"And where can I find this… Soul Devouring Clan?" If what she was saying was true, they were his only link to his past, to the truth of his origins. Maybe… maybe they even had answers to the questions that haunted his dreams.

A flicker of sadness crossed the Soul Devouring Seductress' features. Her voice, when she spoke, was barely a whisper. "My lord…" she said, choosing her words carefully. " I believe that… the Soul Devouring Clan… no longer exists. They perished long ago, their legacy all but erased from this world."