4 I Sold My... Soul?

I drew two red lines under my eyes with my blood-soaked fingers. Then, I drew a line of blood on each of my wrists and visualized the system window to draw the runes given in the quest correctly.

A rune for blood to represent the bridge along my collarbone. Life on one end of the bridge, death on the other. I filled my right arm with life runes and my left arm with death runes. As the blood on my hands ran out, I had to scratch my victim using his sword.

My stomach was queasy and the hot, sticky liquid on my skin was one of the most disgusting things I ever felt. However, I knew that if I stopped now, I wouldn't be able to start again.

For my ritual to work, I had to finish drawing the runes before the victim's blood cooled. I swallowed back the acid that reached my mouth and focused on what I had to do.

After I finished the life, death, and blood runes, I took off my nightgown to draw the soul rune. I drew the soul rune on my lower belly where there was the warmth that made my heart beat again.

The next part of the ritual varied according to the person, as explained in the quest. I needed an element to help me. Water, earth, air... I thought of the element I was most familiar with, it was light.

I looked around for a suitable place to start meditating. The corpses on the ground did not exactly make here peaceful, but I didn't want to waste time getting away from here. I sat somewhere between the stream and the bandits' campfire.

I could feel the wind on my skin and the earth beneath me. Drops from the stream were touching my skin as the campfire warmed me. I tried to reach my most beloved element, the light. I've heard that some people imagine the sun trying to reach the light.

Some would think of the moon, the stars to reach the light. The bright summer sky was the way to the light for some people. I was not used to the sun or the moon to touch the light element. I started by imagining that I was in a dark room as I always do. In front of me was a white candle, a flickering candlelight.

I asked the candle to give me its light to light my way in the dark room. The candle fire trembled when a strong wind blew, I was afraid it would burn out, but it didn't. I asked it to lend me its light again, the light flickered again. The candle seemed unsure, it was strange.

Suddenly an unpleasant thought appeared in my mind. Was the light be staying away from me because my breed was turning into demonic? I wished it wasn't like that. The light was the element I got along best so far and I was not willing to lose it.

I asked it to help me one more time. Thinking my time was running out was preventing me from meditating deeply and thinking the light had left me made me even more worried. I was feeling the blood on my skin getting colder. If I couldn't complete the ritual before the blood cools completely or my time is up, I would be 'faded'.

I take a deep breath and focus on the candlelight to ask for help again. The light had never rejected me before, maybe all I needed was to calm my mind. The light stopped flickering and accepted me. It filled my mind and erased my worries from my thoughts.

I sighed with relief, now all I have to do is seal the ritual with the energy of the element. Soft curtains made of light filled my mind and gave me the energy I needed. It wasn't a bright light that hurts my eyes like sunlight, or glamorous enough to write poems for its shining like the moon.

It was soft... made me feel safe every time I needed it. I used the light element to seal the ritual and waited for the message from the system. A notification appeared without having to wait too long.

{CONGRATULATIONS!

The requirements of your changing process from

[Neutral], Angelic, Demonic, into

Neutral, Angelic, [Demonic] literally met.}

{To complete level 0, activate the spirit seal and evolve into level 1.}

Feeling as if a huge burden had been lifted from my shoulders, I collapsed where I was. When my world crashed, when my father was gone, I did not allow myself to cry. When I find out that I had presented my heart on a gold platter to the person who destroyed my all world, I did not let my tears go.

When I find myself bleeding in the middle of the forest, I clenched my teeth and kept my tears back as I pleaded with all the gods of light. Yes, I had begged all the gods and goddesses of light. The only one who answered my calls was a lust demon.

I knew this was not the right moment to succumb to my feelings. I should have left before a demonic creature has attracted the smell of blood. I had to find a suitable place to activate the soul seal or whatever the shit. I should have gathered myself and keep moving.

I couldn't. I didn't know how to stop them once my tears started to flow. My throat was hurting. I wanted to get out of this damned forest and run away from the corpses, but I had nowhere to go.

I sobbed and screamed until the light element calmed my heart. After exhaling a trembling breath I wiped off my tears and my running nose with my hands. ''Thanks, light,'' I said. ''Thanks for your help. You can go now.'' The light drew a halo around me to say goodbye, leaving me alone.

Since there was no time limit anymore, I could take things slow, but for both practical and emotional reasons, I wanted to leave as soon as possible. First of all, the smell of blood could attract many unwanted things. Second, the corpses were bothering me.

It wasn't my fault that they were disgusting people, but I took away their chances of being a good person in the future. What bothered me the most was knowing that I wouldn't hesitate if the person I found was the best person in the world when I needed a victim.

I was feeling guilty, but that didn't stop me from pillaging their camp before I left. Unfortunately, the men had no clothes other than the ones they wore and stripping corpses to get their clothes was more than I could handle.

I went into the stream to wipe the runes off my skin and linger for a minute, then searched the camp while waiting to dry to put on my already dried nightgown. I stuffed all the money I could find in a leather shoulder bag and I emptied the beer in the flask to fill it with water from the stream.

Of all I found, it was a map that made me the happiest girl on the earth. Only a small area was depicted, but there was a settlement next to the stream at a point, which meant that as long as I followed the stream, I would reach civilization.

I was happy with the idea of meeting other people until I thought I was no longer human. However... I didn't feel or seem any different from before. Maybe I could pretend to be a human for a while longer.

I put on my nightgown and glanced at the camp for the last time. I now had a map but still had nowhere to go. I looked at the sky, the sun would soon rise, but the stars were still not gone.

I knew from the position of the stars that I was in the northern hemisphere, at somewhere quite north in the continent. The thorn-leaved evergreen pines also strengthened my guess. I was in a low-level forest that was probably bordering on ice demons further north.

The question was, would I go north and join the demons, or would I go south and find a human village? I thought a little and decided to activate the soul seal first. If I evolved into something like the nine-tailed female demon and tails and ears came out, the option of acting like a human would automatically be eliminated.

If I were to continue to look like a human, I would prefer to live among humans. So I first started looking for a safe place where I could evolve. But I soon realized that this effort was in vain, everywhere was the same. Trees, trees, trees.

I stopped moving because I didn't want to go into the forest where more dangerous creatures live. Using my new skill, I chose a place away from killing intentions.

I sat near a tree and focused on the lower part of my belly, where I drew the soul seal. I focused the qi energy circulating through my body on my belly and activated the soul seal. A notification appeared in less than a second.

{Congratulations! You sold your soul for a succubus core successfully. The legacy of the legendary nine-tailed fox will be activated. Now you can choose a new name for yourself.}

Huh? Huuuuh? My soul... what?