CHAPTER 29 : SOUL SPACE
[ A/N: Yo, the author here. I just wanted to give you a heads-up and suggest taking a quick peek at chapter 8 before diving into this one. I went back and did some editing, fixing up grammar, spelling, and style for half the chapters, and the other half are working in progress. But I also made a small change to a detail in chapter 8, so it wouldn't hurt to refresh your memory before moving on. Happy reading! ]
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Since my unexpected visit to Alcrya five months ago, I have been fully immersed in studying the mysterious solution, dedicating day and night to understanding its properties and working.
And oh boy, I must say, the results have exceeded my expectations in every way imaginable. It's safe to say that I am beyond thrilled with the outcome.
And based on that, I've given an ideal name to it, soul solution.
Soul Solution unfolded a whole new world to me..... as its name suggests.
The world of souls.
Soul; the immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life. No one, even on earth, had ever been able to prove its existence and It was a concept that only existed in religious books and fairy tales, however many people, I'd say the majority of the people believed that the soul truly existed. Well...they were right.
As I concentrated, a vibrant orb of mental energy materialized before me, imperceptible to the naked eye. However, since it was a product of my own volition, it felt like an extension of my body, making it effortless to perceive.
A gorgeous pinkish mana burst forth from within my core and wrapped itself around the orb, completely concealing it within its vibrant embrace.
What was left in front of my eyes was a tiny, yet captivating, bead with a hue of soft pink resembling a droplet of water.
Following my will, it disappeared inside the chest of the mana beast... inside the core within it to be precise.
I must admit, I haven't yet gotten a chance to study the soul of a humanoid organism. However, through my recent experimentation with mana beasts over the past two months, I've gained at least a basic understanding of the soul.
As I attempted to sense the inner workings of the core through my connection to the bead, a flood of pristine white mana particles washed over my senses, immersing me in a wondrous gigantic ocean of pure mana.
In the past, I wouldn't have been able to detect anything beyond this point, but now, with the rosy soul mana in my arsenal, whose affinity I had gotten after thoroughly analysing and assimilating the properties of the soul solution into my mental energy, things are vastly different
After being aware of what it could do,
I was convinced of one thing: only a sovereign or an asura could develop the enigmatic solution. Although It might even be some mana art of the basilic race, who knows? But there is also this other thought that keeps nagging me - what if...it's the...mental energy of a sovereign? I mean the probability doesn't seem low, especially considering the outcome of my extensive research over several months.
I stumbled upon a fascinating revelation regarding mental energy. It not only has the ability to hold but transport information as well.
Yeah, information.
It may seem like a straightforward idea, but the reality is much more complex. If mental energy holds information, wouldn't that imply that I could uncover all the knowledge about the workings of the mana core and brain by analyzing the mental energy they emit? Delving further into the soul connection would be necessary, but if I were able to achieve this, the potential for my growth would be limitless.
Previously, Although not the one in the brain, I had attempted to find the connection between my soul and the core repeatedly but the results were always disappointing. And I had no idea how could I establish another without an authentic reference.
And that's when Soul Solutions came into play! It's a powerful tool with a multitude of functions.
First off, it can corrupt the mind connection even through the core connection.
Secondly, it has the ability to erase or replace the information that comes out of the respective soul connections, giving alcryans complete control over the will of mana beasts. It's truly a game-changer!
However, for me, the most crucial function it possesses is...the ability to detect soul connection.
Feeling a slight tug from my link to the bead, I immediately moved it in the direction I felt it from.
A little amount of soul mana detached from the sphere, gathering around a particular position in the core, forming an oval-shaped...tunnel? Well, If we overlook the fact that it was smaller than an ant in size.
Without further ado, I immediately willed the sphere to move forward.
*Whoom*
The sensation was all too familiar as if my entire being was being squeezed like a tube of toothpaste. It reminded me of the first time I tried teleportation, although this time it wasn't my physical body that was affected, but rather my mind as if it was being pressed from all directions. It was quite a unique feeling, to say the least!
"F*ck," A drop of blood trickled down my lower lip, as I bit it, embracing the nostalgic uncomfortable feeling like a claw has clutched to my soul.
Just like the body, the soul also has security measures however being the most sacred and important part of one's being, these measures are on another level than the body. And if the mana beast's mental energy was more powerful than mine, I probably wouldn't even have been able to do what I'm doing right now.
As I watched the pinkish bead glide through the mysterious passageway, a surge of mental energy burst forth from the front, so intense that even my protective soul mana layer couldn't shield the energy orb. My connection to the mental energy became unclear and unstable, leaving me in a state of confusion. The overwhelming force had such a potent effect on my mind that I had to give it my all to regain stability.
I clenched my fist as my nails dug into my palms, and streams of blood gushed out.
Although everything happened in an instant, I felt like I had been travelling through the passageway for hours.
Then the sigh changed.
Saying the vast space around me was mesmerizing would be an understatement as I couldn't even disconcert its real nature. At one moment it appeared to be real only to realize the next moment that it was ethereal. It was something...in between the imagination and the reality...right on the borderline.
This...is the soul space, the space which houses the soul, well...it is at least the case for mana beasts.
The outlines of the vast expanse seemed to form the figure of the monkey-type mana beast, lying on my experimental table.
In the centre, three large spheres emanating a white glow floated, like planets hovering in the endless void.
Although some dissimilarities such as the middle one was far brighter than the other two and the complex network of ethereal spider-like webs which were dispersed around the whole space, even connecting the three spheres to each other were compacted a lot around it, implying their difference in function which I also confirmed through my experiments, Each sphere was of the same size and appeared as engrossing as the other.
Despite my constant failure of detecting it before, although very little in diameter compared to the two major soul connections, the spider-like webs were indeed soul connections, and they appeared to be countless in this space.
They were a lot similar to mana vessels in structure and patterns, however, unlike them, instead of mana, these branches of soul connection transmitted mental energy throughout the soul space.
As for who generated this mental energy? Well, It actually comes from the sphere located on the right side, which I prefer to call the energy core.
That core is quite literally the source of mental energy. When I stumbled upon this fact, it piqued my curiosity like nothing else before. I couldn't wait to delve into the inner workings of this fascinating mechanism and uncover its secrets.
And after thoroughly studying it, I found out that it was indeed the generator of mental energy. however...the main component is provided by the sphere located in the middle.
Which I referred to as...Life core.
But what frustrated me the most was that, despite my persistent attempts, I couldn't find out what was inside this core. But...I guessed that it contained consciousness as judging by several factors it seemed to be the most important part of the soul space.
I attempted to transmit the soul mana and even mental energy only inside the mysterious core, but alas, every attempt resulted in a severed connection and the untimely demise of the experimental beast. As a result, I decided to postpone the examination of the life core until I am truly capable of exploring its wonders.
As I directed, the rosy bead glided towards the sphere situated at the far left which I referred to as memory core.
Even when the bead hovered only a hair's breadth away from it, the bead moved forward.
My field of vision changed, as it passed through the sphere.
Immediately, a jumble of images assailed my mind.
The beast's life stormed by before my eyes. His birth, growing up inside the dungeon, becoming a powerful AA class mana beast, gaining reign over hundreds of lower-tier beasts. however, the good days ended with me capturing the poor mana beast and making him my experimental subject.
World spun around me as my stomach churned. Experiencing a whole lifetime in two dozen seconds shocked and overloaded even my powerful mind.
Clenching my bloody fist and gritting my teeth, I steeled myself to carry out the objective of today's experiment.
Following my will, a rush of soul mana burst out from the bead, swirling around me and causing all the images in my sight to freeze. Suddenly, the world was bathed in a vibrant shade of pink, as if painted by an artist's brush.
The orb of mental energy, which had been dormant inside the bead till now, With my command, sprang to life and rushed towards the memories amassed, devouring them with the ferocity of a starved lion. It consumed every image that came in contact with it, leaving nothing behind.
In just under a minute, the memories dissipated into nothingness, leaving a void that appeared blank and fresh, like a canvas eagerly waiting for a new story to be etched upon it.
Although I still had a slight thread of mental energy left from the orb, I decided against the constant idea coming to my mind, despite the possibility of creating new memories for the mana beast. Because Even if I succeeded, I wouldn't have any concrete proof to support its authenticity due to the beast's low intelligence.
My surroundings shifted as I severed my connection to the bead, and the comforting familiar lab entered my sigh.
"Huh" Gasping for breath like a panting dog, I yanked out a chair from beneath the table and collapsed into it.
As I settled in, I realized my clothes were drenched in sweat and the mental energy of my brain was almost drained, leaving me with the intellect of a 12-year-old.
However, I knew exactly what needed to be done.
As I rested my head on the table, my eyes closed instinctively and my mental energy began to replenish at a comfortable pace.
I observed the phenomenon for nearly a minute then...I dozed off, entering the world of dreams.
[ A/N : whoever is getting confused by the chapter, don't be because at this point even mc is slightly confused as this is the territory of the soul and even asuras don't possess much knowledge about it.
As for the memory core, Im just laying foundation for mind magic, same one that Agrona possesses.]