Soul Token.

Comfortably sitting in the bathtub was Liam, his body language relaxed and fatigued.

The water inside the bathtub was completely dark in color; creating a nasty scene.

"Fuck!" Liam whispered, as he pulled the drain, letting all the contaminated water drain out; after which he opened the tap, letting good water flow in.

'What the hell was that for?' he thought, remembering the agonizing pain that sent chills down his spine.

'I hope it's all done,' he thought as sweat dripped off his forehead. Though he was soaked in water, the sweat still found a way to conquer the water, glittering as it rolled down his forehead.

"I know you're stressed out and in need of rest!" Yelled the frail voice. "Time won't wait for us, remember that!"

'Ha! I have no choice then… let's get over with this,' Liam thought, getting out of the bathtub.

Tidying up the bathroom, he walked out taking in deep breaths of air as he thought of the near future.

"Finally ready?" Said the old man, aiming a scrutinizing gaze at Liam. 

'Weren't you the one that called me out?' Liam thought as veins popped on his forehead.

"How is your body?"

'Ohh! I never thought of checking,' he shrugged, deciding to confirm.

Punching forward. He landed on the floor in full force. "Fuck!"

"Wow!!! Seems you lack control of your newfound strength!" Said the old man, his eyes gleaming in joy.

"..."

"Did it hurt?" He inquired, observing Liam as he stood up from the floor.

"Mmmh? Surprisingly, no!" Liam said, checking his body for any issues.

"That's nice to hear… now let's start the second cultivation method," the old man said excitedly, rushing to a shelf.

"Wait! Wait!" Liam exclaimed with a horrific expression. "Am I not supposed to master this cultivation method first?"

Stopping at Liam's behest, he scanned him from head to toe. "We don't have time for that… you can do it, whenever you want," he said in a carefree tone.

'That's not the point, I just need rest!' Liam cried internally.

"Let's go!!!" He exclaimed, not minding Liam's disgruntled expression.

Walking to a shelf, he tapped some part of it, causing the shelf to shift revealing a cupboard.

Liam's mouth was agape in surprise at what he saw. The cupboard seemed to have been built way back, its exterior defining how ancient it was.

Opening the cupboard, he took out what seemed to be a Chinese token that released dreadful pressure in the room.

Moving back slowly until he reached the other end of the room, Liam dug his fingers into the walls, causing cracks and a crunching sound.

"What's that?" Inquired the old man, jerking his head in Liam's direction.

Standing up, he moved in Liam's direction with an aghast expression. "Calm down."

"What's that?!" Liam inquired with a horrific expression.

"It's nothing harmful, so calm down."

It took a while, but the old man was able to calm Liam down; it was a difficult task that he didn't expect.

'Ha! Never thought I'll suffer this much,' he thought, eyeing the distressed boy.

'He still has a long way to go, which would surely be filled with pain… but that's his purpose and he needs to fulfill ours,' he thought, resolving himself.

"Are you ready?" He inquired, moving toward Liam.

Looking at the old man, Liam could only nod his head in acceptance. He knew better than to try to postpone things.

"That's nice," said the old man, taking out the token. "This is called a 'soul token'."

Moving toward Liam gently, he dropped the token in front of Liam. "It functions in tempering souls, to make it suitable for cultivation," he said solemnly, eyeing Liam's every reaction. "Every living creature has their Constitution, their race being one of the most influential factors to that Constitution.

In a sense, every living being has a particular method of cultivation that suits them, if they try to break that natural rule… death is their only calling," he said solemnly, giving Liam a sorry look.

"You didn't plan on telling me, right?" Liam asked, eyeing the 'soul token'.

"Yes," replied the old man, sighing.

"Why tell me now?"

"Though greedy… I'm not completely heartless. So I'll give you a chance to choose," he said solemnly.

"What's going on outside?" Liam asked, ignoring the old man's words.

"..."

"Don't bother, I…"

"War," he said, cutting Liam's sentence short. "A huge one at that, which is just starting. One that I feared… no! We all feared, would come."

"What…!"

"Don't bother asking, I can't tell you," observing Liam's dejected expression. "Though I can help you get to Big Mom, she would surely have an idea."

"No need, I'll get done with these… then I can see her, right?" Liam asked.

"Yes, you can, but…"

"No need for side talks, I'll start now."

Picking up the 'soul tablet' he looked to the old man for instructions.

"I like your courage. Due to that, I'm going to tell you my name," he said pridefully.

*Twitch*

'Did I ask for your name,' Liam thought, as his muscles twitched in frustration.

"I'm 'Merlin'," he said, that smile of his resurfacing with a higher ferocity.

"..."

"Now, the method of using this token is quite simple. You just have to concentrate on the drawings, and you are done," he said, not giving Liam the chance to comment on his name.

"I'm not good at concentrating," Liam said, as he eyed the token.

"You don't need to trouble yourself, just look at the drawings," he said, comforting Liam.

"Okay," Liam replied, looking at the drawings. 

The token had a drawing of an ethereal life form. Though old, still shone with a brilliance that marveled Liam.

As if drawing in Liam's soul, his eyes became darker and darker the more he stared at the token. 

"I hope you succeed," said the old man, watching as Liam's eyes went dark.

____________

Liam POV

Yup! I got myself into another weird place. Do I always have to get into trouble? That old man AKA Merlin, saying stuff about how they planned this and that; I was pretty surprised when I didn't get angry, rather I felt bad that I wasn't involved in this so-called plan from the beginning.

Mmmh? I should rather leave this thought for now and maybe go through it later.

Surveying my surrounding, which was like a night with no stars. It was pretty spooky. 

After surveying for some seconds, I moved toward a direction, not minding where it leads me; always moving forward, staying in one place scared of what the future holds won't help.

Or… I was wrong. About a KM from me was what seemed to be a grinding engine, turning with such a force that I couldn't comprehend.

I'll check the other side… but we all know how it proceeds; I'm going to be drawn into the spinning tornado with a lot of dangerous components, and get my soul grind and reformed until it becomes stronger.

"Ahhh!" I yelled out, as I experienced the aforementioned process, but… something strange happened, one that I never imagined.

https://discord.gg/5jRzj65WbV

Just opened a discord group, though still young and growing. so like a young and growing community, it's disorganized.

If you don't mind any of the above and you're also interested in meeting me behind the scenes, then I welcome you with open arms.

For those who don't consider it worthwhile, I'll work hard to prove you wrong in the future.

Thanks 🙏🏿

50 PS= 1 extra chap.

100 PS= 2 extra chap.

150 PS= 3 extra chap.

200 PS= 4 extra chap.

5 GT= 1 extra chap.

10 GT= 2 extra chap.

For gifts, I will release chapters at the end of the week, depending on the situation.