The soul with bitterness

/This chapter is a little different... but it contains hints of what is to come beyond a certain event./

*Trembling

Ethan trembled like a small animal in front of the mysterious horned woman, who watched him intently.

Her eyes seemed to penetrate beyond the visible.

"There's nothing unusual at first glance, if we ignore her appearance..." thought the woman, preparing to see beyond the mortal realm.

"Divine Eyes," she murmured softly, and her eyes began to glow with an intense light.

"What?"

Ethan didn't understand her words before he became completely still, his body no longer trembling or moving.

It was as if time had completely frozen.

*Step, step

She calmly approached to examine him more closely, discovering a surprising detail.

"Incredible... how can you be so perfect?" she murmured, amazed as she observed his body. She could see his skin, organs, and bones with impressive precision.

"A perfect human... I don't think that's possible," she said, circling him, searching for any imperfection, no matter how small.

(Nature is wise and precise, but not perfect... maybe something more spiritual?) she thought, focusing more on the spiritual than the physical.

"Perfection doesn't exist, only miserable attempts. If his flesh is perfect, then his spirit must have something."

*Fzzz

She increased her ability a bit more, careful not to use too much of her soul's energy.

"Hmmm..."

What she saw this time wasn't a body, organs, or bones. She saw his soul.

A soul of an opaque white, with a curious pink ribbon tied to his right arm.

"Dull white... not a blissful life, but not a miserable one either... and that ribbon... divine nature?" she analyzed carefully.

The color of a soul reflects experiences and emotions. Pure white indicates a full life or few negative emotions. Opaque white indicates a balanced life, without significant misfortunes. Red, from the lightest to the darkest, denotes resentment and hatred. Black indicates despair and self-denial, a soul that could disappear.

The pink ribbon, however, intrigued her.

"A higher being set their sights on him? I can't see much, but it's not far from my original power..." the woman examined the pink ribbon in detail.

Higher beings mark mortals who catch their attention. These ribbons are identifiers that make it easier to locate or protect them across worlds.

(Has someone of my caliber taken an interest in this human? Certainly, his physique is perfect and his soul has no evident flaws, but... isn't he too normal?)

A perfect physique is impressive, but usually accompanied by some sort of energy, like mana.

(There are no mana veins, no organ harboring extraordinary energy... nothing.)

Higher beings typically take interest in heroes, extraordinary warriors created to face great adversities. These heroes receive blessings to increase their chances of success.

It's not uncommon for them to become fond of some, going so far as to mark them to know their approximate location or to deter other higher beings.

But Ethan didn't seem like a hero. So...

"A previous incarnation..."

The woman fell silent, contemplating this possibility.

(Maybe a bit more...), curiosity overwhelmed her, so she decided to look beyond the soul, and what she saw was...

*Fzzz

The same opaque-colored soul, but with a dark stain on its edge.

(Erosion... maybe his life isn't that good...)

It was then she fixed her gaze behind Ethan...

(This...!), her astonishment was evident because what she saw wasn't something that should happen, not with her vast accumulated knowledge.

She saw others, small remnants of what were his past lives, something normal, but the problem was there were too many.

"Why?"

A soul passing through the river of reincarnation is cleansed of its memories and experiences, though some fragments of the previous life may remain, these fade over time.

In some cases, these souls can retain some things from two previous incarnations.

But what she saw in Ethan...

More than ten remnants behind him, most maintaining a blood-red color, and a few others black.

Only one was white, and this was precisely his previous incarnation.

"How much resentment can you carry, that even the great river couldn't erase?" she wondered.

And then a silhouette among the remnants caught her attention.

*Step, step

She approached, but each step was slower than the last.

This was because she recognized it.

"#####..." she said his name slowly, standing before a crimson red soul.

Even though most of his figure was gone, she could identify his eyes, his face, and his dragon horns...

*Smile

The remnant, as if hearing his name, smiled... a smile filled with hatred, resentment, anger, and disappointment...

All while caressing the lower part, where his stomach should be, and where a red dot was visible.

"Fate was indeed cruel to you... even after death, you encounter me once more," after saying that, the woman closed her eyes, not wanting to see him smile that way.

"But in the end, time proved you right. My pride, my sin, it all condemned our world," she continued, recalling her past.

--

Memories of the Past

-Humans are ambitious, after they're done with the demons, they'll come for us, for our children... we must do something.

-I think you're exaggerating, after they deal with those vermin, they'll be satisfied and calm down...

-... do you trust them that much? Their 'hero'?

-...no.

After the humans finished with them, you wanted to do something, but I...

-Do you really intend to do that?

-The humans are already looking at us with suspicion, they're moving. Why don't you see it?

-They're just scared, you frighten them, the hero...

-No, no more trusting him. If you don't want to do anything, don't get in my way, I'll go out myself.

-No...

*Shhhhhhrrrrr!!!! (Sword piercing)

-Why?.... WHY!!!

-I'm sorry...

I couldn't look you in the eyes, even while holding a sword designed to kill us, to kill our children...

-Great mother... princess heir Belecia has rebelled, she accuses you of treason and killing the great father.

-... Is she alone?

-No, the ancient dragon faction supports her, also the remnants of the divine beasts the human hero didn't eliminate.

-Haa... tell her I'm willing to talk, I don't want to kill my children. Tell her if we talk she'll understand...

-...Mother... did you really do it? Belecia loved our father the most, I don't think she'll forgive you... do I really have to kill my sister? All for a mere human?

--...

Thanks to my stupidity, a war broke out between our children and I was forced to....

-I CURSE YOU!!! I CURSE YOU!!! I SWEAR, I'LL KILL YOU, IF NOT IN THIS LIFE, IN ANOTHER!!!

-Belecia, daughter... I didn't want...

-YOU'VE DESTROYED EVERYTHING!!, TIAMAT THE MOTHER GODDESS? LOOK AROUND, YOU BROUGHT US MISERY, BROUGHT THESE... THINGS.

-You had allies, I had mine.

*Shhhhhhrrrrr!!!!

-YOU'LL REGRET IT!!... You... you... you'll regret it, and the blood of my brothers you shed, will drown you....

-Belecia...

You were right, everyone was, and in the end...

-WHY DID YOU DO IT?!!! WE HAD A DEAL!!!, YOU SWORE!!!, WHY DO YOU KEEP KILLING MY CHILDREN?!!!

-I'm sorry Tiamat, but... I couldn't stop them, they've discovered it.

*Shhhhhhrrrrr!!!!

-!!!

-Dragon's blood gives us power, gives us life.

*Shhhhhhrrrrr!!!!

-No, don't do it, I...

-And what will the blood of a divine dragon give us?

*Shhhhhhrrrrr!!!!

-Eternal life.