63 The Truth 10

After Maria told Lia of Min's plan, Xavi asked her a simple question, "Will you help us stop the Ghost King and become the Immortal King?"

"I will," with these two words, Lia's life would change drastically. She slowly unravelled herself from the binds of revenge and soared towards greater heights.

But greater heights also meant greater pain.

"You've to be quicker!" Lily shouted as she made Lia run 20 laps in the front area of their house.

In order for Lia to become the Immortal King, she not only had to train her powers but also become physically stronger.

Therefore, Lily harshly drilled various exercises into Lia. Lia also knew they were helpful, especially after her previous discovery that physical ups also meant her corpses getting stronger.

She was finally released when Xavi came back with two of his men carrying corpses.

Ten corpses laid on the ground in front of Lia.

"Let's see how your power works. Can you move all ten at the same time? How many corpses can you control in total at the same time?"

Lika shook her head and explained, "I can only revive the corpses one after another one."

Lia put her hand on the corpse and inserted her soul," Like this."

The corpse stood up.

"Shake his hand," Lia pointed to Xavi who was shocked.

"No, no, no! Don't shake my-" the corpse rushed to Xavi and pried his hand open with an immense force. Tears formed in Xavi's eyes.

"Young master!" Lily ran to Xavi's side and glared at Lia.

"I'm sorry, come back. I can't control them very well and they can only understand simple commands."

"This is bad. This is maybe only 1/50th of the Immortal King's strength," Xavi rubbed his sore hand before Lily blew on it.

"You used to be an exorcist. Isn't your life force control exceptional?" Xavi found it strange. Even if her power was different, the catalyst was the same.

"I'm not using my life force. I'm using my soul."

"What?" both Xavi and Lily whipped around to stare in disbelief at Lia. Their eyes were wide enough to pop out.

"How in the world? Using your soul? Are you insane?" hearing this from a little boy made Lia feel funny again.

"There's no other way. I tried to use my life force but it didn't work."

"That's strange," Xavi debated, "The Ghost King is part of the Immortal King and the Immortal King used his life force, so it shouldn't be a problem to you but… you aren't pure."

"Is that why?" Xavi paced up and down.

"How does it work with the soul?"

"I rip a piece off my soul and transfer it to the corpse," Lia revived another corpse, "Then I can control them. But I can also take the soul piece back."

Lia extracted her soul and the corpse fell on the ground, "I won't lose my soul pieces if I can get them back. I make them small enough to accommodate many corpses, but the smaller the pieces the less strength and control I have over them. Also, once I rip a piece of my soul off and it re-enters my body, It won't reattach to my soul anymore. I can feel them vibrantly floating around."

Xavi and Lily had no idea what to say. The more they heard, the more their heart ached for Lia. She was betrayed and tortured and finally found a glimmer of hope only for it to turn out to be another viciousness that slowly forced her to destroy herself.

No matter what, there was no way for her to win in this situation. She could take her revenge by using this power but it held a destructive force which held the worst ending for an immortal. No soul. Their existence completely erased.

"I got used to it now. It's a bit uncomfortable to feel them but this is fine," Lia didn't notice their sad stares pitying her nor did she know what went through their heads.

Xavi sighed and pulled out a lollipop to give it to Lia. Surprised Lia accepted it, "From now on you have us, ok?"

Lia's eyes widened.

"I don't allow you to revive more than ten corpses until we find the answer why you can't use your life force. Until then you're not allowed to excessively use this damn vicious power."

Lia was stunned before she smiled, "There was no need to find an answer. I know it, it's because Min's powers are constantly purging my life force. It's contaminated which is why I can't use it."

"The Ghost King is at fault. We need to find someone who can urge his powers or-"

Xavi took Lia's hand, "You can do it yourself once you have the Immortal King's powers."

"Now! Train! These ten corpses, train until they can understand any kind of order," overbearing Xavi was very endearing in Lia's eyes.

"How?" Lia blurted out.

This was something she wanted to figure out herself. The Immortal King could give the corpses life again, Lia also wanted to be able to do that. Have her own army of true undead, no one would dare to stand in her way.

"Hmm," Xavi thought, "I think because your fundamentals are still of an exorcist. While exorcists are part of the Immortal King's power, it's only a small part. Your body is still used to being an exorcist and subconsciously uses it. But the Immortal King's power is… how to say… larger? Way bigger?"

"This doesn't make sense," even if Lia wanted to understand she couldn't.

"Well, it's your thinking and what your body used to be? How did you use your exorcist's power?"

"I would draw out my life force to form a weapon. The life force is the catalyst for the power," Lia opened the palm of her hand.

"Frankly, I don't really know how the Immortal King used his power but instead of thinking it's your soul inside of them, how about focusing on making your soul momentarily the corpse's soul? It's the corpse's power and you're only controlling it. I know it's different from exorcist power because we're told it's a part of us and we need to use it as an extension of our body."

Lia closed her hand again and thought, "Why should I regard it as a separate entity?"

"Because the Immortal King is the being that decides over life and death. He gives others life. He's not giving them his life but their own back. If you want the corpses to think and act on their own with a simple command, then they should be their own person."

"I see," Lia turned to the corpse with her soul inside.

Regarding her soul as part of the corpse's. It was easier said than done. How was she supposed to do it?

Try to infuse her soul with the corpse momentarily? Let the corpse absorb her soul? She had no idea.

"How do I-"

"You've to figure it out yourself. I don't really know, sorry. This is as much as I can help you," Xavi shrugged his shoulders apologetically.

Lia gave the copse her attention again.

"By the way, we only leave here when you learn how to use ten corpses the most effective way."

"Where do we go?"

"I'll tell you later," Xavi left Lia and Lily alone.

Lily tried to help Lia. She still didn't get accustomed to the idea Lia had to use her own soul, "Maybe think about a puppet? You control it by the string but its own being, no, wait, doesn't make sense. Then like a ghost? The Ghost King can control ghosts but they think on their own? No, not right either… I… I-"

"It's ok," what Lily said wasn't entirely nonsense either. The thought of controlling alive being was absurd because either they would think on their own if there really was a power to control them or they could escape the control and act on their own.

Lia had to think of her corpses as beings that weren't alive but still were to an extent. All of this was so confusing, she got a headache.

For the rest of the day, she changed between physical exercises and training her power. Was there really no way for her to control her powers easily?

During the evening Lia was released and they ate dinner in Xavi's room.

"So, what was it you wanted to tell me about leaving here?" since Xavi said this, it didn't leave Lia's mind.

"Of course, we can't take on the Ghost King and his private army ourselves much less stop him. Guess what we need?"

"More power?'' The food was very delicious. Lia silently approved of it.

"Kinda. You need more allies."

Allies. Indeed, the more allies she had, the more powers they had. A single power couldn't take on a might that defied both worlds.

"How? Who?" but Lia couldn't easily trust anyone. She believed the A family but didn't completely trust them.

"The other hidden families."

"Oh, then you're going to contact them?"

"It's not that easy. Not all of us keep in touch because, A to not arouse suspicions and B because even amongst the hidden families, we've split."

"Like pro and natural faction?"

"Yep, there are three families who keep themselves out, so we're not asking them for help. The other four, you have to convince them."

Xavi ate his food and said with a full mouth," That's the bigger problem. The four are completely spread across the immortal world. I'm the only one in the core."

"Young master, please don't talk with your mouth full."

Xavi gulped his food down and proceeded, "Three are in the Veil which is still manageable, but the other is in Mistand."

"It'll be hard for us to get there."

"Yep, yep, that's why get stronger!"

Lia's face blanked, so everything was resting on her?

"Do you know why most people don't leave the core? It's because even the veil, the third layer is dangerous nowadays, especially after the power shift."

"Will you take your men with you?"

"No, only us three."

"Then-"

"Yea, Lily and I need to get stronger too."

Lia thought before saying, "Lily is ok but you, is it possible?"

"That's another point I wanted to address. The Immortal King was able to share his powers. Who else gave birth to the Ghost King and gave others powers?"

"You mean…"

"You'll give us powers too. It's different from exorcist powers, our power will be most probably similar to yours."