The Revenant

Dyne absorbed the thick dark energy in the place. The thick death energy vanished, and not a bit remained. Dyne and Jedo had already absorbed thick energy in the previous missions, and now, he was able to gather more.

Dyne wasn't exaggerating his claims. The amount of energy in this room was surprisingly potent.

"There's something sinister in this darkness…" Jedo could sense it.

"This darkness is unlike anything I've ever felt. Even Rogue's Mist is weaker in terms of the pain and anguish in the Dark energy around here."

While Dyne was constantly gathering the energy, he could feel great anger near him.

"Strafe?" Dyne managed to locate the source of the anger.

"This is Soul Torture! They are doing it to mortals?! How dare they?!" Strafe couldn't contain it and shouted.

"Dyne, the people who were in here weren't just killed. They were continuously tortured and must have been punished to an extreme degree. This is Soul Torture. It is a way of creating Wraiths, Vengeful Spirits, and other Soul beings."

"Torture, huh? How bad?"

"Very bad. It makes the torture you do to those terrorists in your past life look cute. The aim of this torture is to create such hatred that would give birth to Soul Cultivators! Ghosts, wraiths, revenants, and other creatures are beings who became soul cultivators through the great hatred in their hearts!"

"That bad, huh? But why are they doing this?"

"They are vampires. They are not only creatures that feed on blood. They can devour a Soul. Almost all creatures of the darkness have this. This is how those of the Dark Alignment cultivate the soul and why it is faster for them to grow strong. While Light Cultivators improve the strength and power of their soul by endlessly growing it, the Dark Cultivators devour their way to the top. This is why there are few powerhouses among cultivators, but a single powerhouse could be stronger! These vampires were using that ability to give them a form of power similar to Legaia's Spirit art! But instead of mastery of the soul, they thicken it!"

"So the souls have already been devoured? That's strange. Those vampires didn't feel like they have absorbed that many souls yet."

"It's inside that altar. I can feel it. The souls are placed inside that altar!" Jedo alerted.

Dyne closed his eyes to sense it clearly. It was then that he could feel the raging power at the top of the altar.

"There it is! Thank you, Jedo! You're more useful now!" Dyne laughed as he jumped up to attack the altar.

Grim sliced through the altar and wrecked it. Powerful dark energy erupted out of it.

"Jedo! Absorb as many as you can!" Dyne shouted as several black creatures began to move out.

"Wraiths!" Ussylys and Arya recognized the creatures.

Dyne began to chant the strange chant he memorized from the mages, and the darkness began to quiver. The wraiths didn't escape but were suddenly drawn in by Dyne's chant, and they circled Dyne.

Jedo immediately acted and began to harness the energy and absorb the darkness.

"Master Dyne! It's too much! The Wraiths will soon escape!"

"I know. But I'm focusing on something else. There is something stronger than these wraiths. You can let some of those wraiths go. But this one… this is ours." Dyne kept looking at the broken-down altar where many souls were escaping. Dyne could sense one particular soul that was stronger than the rest.

"That's a Revenant. It is a powerful ghost. Wraiths are common results of these tortures. Wraiths are wild and confused souls that are driven mad by their pain and horror. But a Revenant is different. They are Vengeful Spirits that have a goal in mind. More dangerous wraiths are the Revenant! Revenants have maintained their sentience and consciousness, but their souls are turned dark because of the cruel pain." Strafe explained.

"This ghost is strong! How powerful is this being when compared to Cultivators?"

"Wraiths are already an abomination. The wrath and hatred that drove their sanity out turned them into souls that have reached Soul Wielding stage. It would be similar to a Martial Novice in strength. But Revenants… They are placed in the mid-levels of Martial Formation experts!"

"So this creature should be as strong as Ussylys the Guardian? Interesting…" Dyne didn't show any fear but had great anticipation for the being that will appear.

"Why… is Master Dyne… so excited?" Jedo couldn't understand.

"It has to be… THAT game." Strafe shook his head.

Soon, a small white arm emerged from the pillar.

The Wraiths suddenly flew towards it and began to pull it up, and the figure of a white, beautiful woman wearing a rather pretty dress emerged.

"You killed the vampires? Thank you for unsealing me. Bu I am quite… hungry..." The Revenant spoke softly as she gave a dangerous smirk.

Ussylys and Arya couldn't see the creature, and only Dyne could. The wraiths began to gather around her as if they were her slaves.

"Wait… Emera?" Dyne recognized the girl. This was the girl that Ussylys had in his painting!

"Emera…? You know me?" The girl frowned.

"She lost her memory?"

"The torture does things to the soul. She has become powerful and become a dark soul that wants to kill and devour. So her memories would sometimes disappear.

"Emera? Master Dyne?! Is… is she here?!" Ussylys asked.

The moment Ussylys spoke, Emera trembled.

"That… voice!" Emera felt great joy and sorrow when she heard it though she did not understand why.

Dyne smiled.

"Perfect!" Dyne raised his arm and activated the Imaginarium Bond.

Memories of Emera, Ussylys, their mother, and father appeared in their surrounding.

Emera was so startled. Her body slowly became more and more visible.

"Amazing. Such power. She's almost like a Seru!"

"That is a Revenant. But now, instead of the darkness of hate, light has been bred and allowed them to have love. This created the phenomenon of being a ghost with physical form." Strafe explained.

"I can't believe Gala was right. Love is the strongest power in cultivation!" Dyne was amazed.

"Emera?!" Ussylys broke down in tears and ran to embrace his sister,

"Bro-Brother!" The memories of Emera surfaced and allowed her to remember her brother.

"I thought you were dead! I thought you were all killed!" Ussylys wept.

Emera was startled at Ussylys's words. She continued embracing her brother as a great smile bloomed on her face. At that moment, the hatred and anger she carried were being drained as she held her brother in her arms.

She could not feel the embrace, but there was this warmth as Ussylys tightly held on to her and wept.

"You're alive! You're alive! We're together!" Ussylys kept crying.

"What a coincidence." Jedo marveled.

"Not really. Those souls that they killed would make more use in making them this. It's only natural that they would bring the souls of the fallen here to turn them into a food source for the vampires. And Ussylys has already shown potential as a Soul Cultivator. So it's natural that his sister would also have such skill. The altar seemed to be a seal that controlled the souls. But Emera managed to tame all the wraiths there. She's that powerful!" Dyne smiled.

"What do we do then?"

"She's like a Seru. What do you think I will do?"

"Will she accept?"

"Of course. Watch." Dyne laughed.

"Ussylys… She is dead. She's a Revenant now." Dyne finally spoke.

"Wha-what?!" Ussylys was shocked.

"Think. She appeared out of nowhere! This room has thick death energy! You should have already guessed what happened."

"No! It can't be!"

"Brother. I am a ghost." Emera simply smiled.

"No! No! She's here! Emera, you are here! I just hugged you! You can't be dead!"

"As I said. She's a Revenant. Through deep hatred and anger, they are powerful ghosts who became far stronger than those wraiths. Look around you! Those wraiths aren't rampaging as they should! Those wraiths even appear to be serving her. She is their master."

Emera silently nodded as she looked fondly at her brother.

"What did they do to my sister?!" Ussylys roared. The power of Trance surfaced, and Ussylys's might appeared.

Emera glanced at her brother and smiled. No tears could fall, but she wanted to cry.

"Master Dyne! Please! Whatever it takes! Save her!" Ussylys pleaded.

"Brother. It's alright. Seeing you alive is enough. I didn't understand until now. But I had great hatred and wanted to gather the power to kill those who harmed me. But it seems that you are fine! I am so happy! Please. Let me go. I want to rest. If I continue to live, I will devour and eat humans. So let me die. Master Dyne. Please. With that scythe, kill me."

"Um. No." Dyne interrupted.

"Listen, little girl. Those who killed you nearly turned your brother into a monster like you. The evil group, the Serpentari, has been killing people and turning them into powerful monsters to conquer Martsirt. You, and all those wraiths, were supposed to be tools for the Vampires. They were slowly feeding on your souls, right? Are you going to let that anger and directed hatred disappear? Were you happy to see how strong your brother is now? With the way he is, he could still die. That's how strong the enemy is. Are you just going to depart and leave him like that? He will suffer even more." Dyne challenged.

"Wha-What?!"

"It's true. I am Arya Blaze. I am in the same situation as you and you're brother. My family has been killed, and I am powerless to fight them. Join us."

"I am a Revenant! I hunger and yearn for blood and flesh!"

"Oh, I have tons of those!" Then, suddenly, dead bodies appeared out of nowhere.

"I have some stronger bodies which you can't bite. But these small fries should satiate your hunger once in a while." Dyne smiled.

"Who… are you?" Emera asked.

"I am… a Valkyrion. An emissary of the light. And I am here to call you to be my Einherjar!" Dyne smiled.

"I knew it. It was that game! Valkyrie Profile." Strafe laughed.