Chapter 5- Soul Essence Serum 

Hearing that, Malice raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Are you going to train me?" He asked.

As far as combat went, Malice was a complete and utter newbie. He had no actual experience fighting and even if he did, his wretchedly weak body cannot exert any force. The only thing he knew how to do was to run and run fast.

That was the only skill required for his survival. If there is danger, he runs, and if said threat is fast, then he can lose it in the maze of streets of the massive city. That was how he lived this long without losing his life or a limb from his body.

[Unfortunately, training isn't a part of my expertise. But, I can give you the means to start training and also gain your Marked powers.] Avatar explained with a patient tone.

"Oh, and how do you do that?"

As far as Malice knew, the Marked ones simply gain their power when the World Beyond calls for them. He didn't know the specific way to actually gain said power. He thought it came naturally with the selection process.

Avatar seemed to have read his mind somehow since she answered that exact question the next second.

[Unfortunately, that isn't the case. Humans aren't born with the aptitude to form, absorb, or use Soul Essence, or Soul Cores for that matter. Unlike some other races, they have to reform their bodies so that they can become vessels for the Soul Essence.] She explained.

Malice blinked in silence as he listened to the explanation carefully. "So, in other words, we aren't supposed to be able to have these supernatural powers and yet we found a way to make it happen?" He asked.

'The human race is too curious for its own good sometimes… But, it can be beneficial in rare cases.' He thought to himself with a small scoff.

If the World Beyond itself didn't allow for it, then how did the humans actually achieve this? It was a funny albeit impressive idea.

[Precisely. It is a rather complicated concept to wrap your head around. But, the good thing is that you can safely and efficiently gain a Soul Core and Soul Essence in a quick manner.]

"And how do I do that exactly?"

[The Shard Of Hatred had prepared this thing specifically for you. The best way to gain those powers.]

Saying that, suddenly, Malice noticed a shiny object appear floating in the room. Turning around, Malice's eyes were assaulted with a bright golden color that made him squint.

"What is that?" He asked as he jumped off the bed and approached the source of light. The thing was so bright that it was almost blinding to stare at.

[Mythical-Grade Soul Essence Serum.] Avatar replied. [The only way a human being can use Soul Essence is if they inject themselves with Soul Essence Serum. Most common Serums of this type are temporary which opts the user to keep injecting themselves with it. But, the higher ones, from the Rare-Grade to the Unique-Grade and higher are all permanent Serums.]

As Avatar explained Malice slowly grabbed the shiny object which finally made it subside its bright light so he could take a look at it. The thing turned out to be a cylindrical tube, closed from both sides. Inside this tube was a golden, shiny liquid.

Its color was similar to gold, if not even more beautiful. Even without knowing anything about it, Malice felt something different when he touched it. The liquid was oozing with aura, an aura that made it look and feel even more ethereal than it already was.

"I see. But, is this better than the ones you mentioned?" He asked.

[It is the best there is. Only a handful of people can get their hands on this serum.]

"... What makes it so different from the other permanent ones though?" 

Malice can understand why the rarer serums are better than the common ones considering the fact that those are permanent while the latter are temporary. But, he can't understand the difference between the permanent Serums alone.

[The difference lies in the nature of the Soul Essence your body will form. Naturally, the higher the grade, the better the quality of the Essence. That affects many things such as your potential, talent, power, and even simpler things like Soul Essence regeneration, consumption rate, effect, and many other things.]

Shaking the small tube slightly, Malice tried to take all of that information in. It was certainly very complicated, but he was able to understand most of the things Avatar was saying. He was also able to link some terms she was using to the bits and pieces of information he heard throughout his entire life.

If there was one good thing about Malice, it was his memory. He could remember instances of his life that many other people would forget rather quickly.

[A Mythical-Grade Serum will give you the best of all the other Serums without any downsides. It is the perfect start for a Marked one.] Avatar said.

'Why does she sound like those advertisement panels I see all the time in the streets?' Laughing to himself, he turned around and asked. "So, how do I use it then?"

Although usually, Malice would be wary not to do anything he doesn't trust. At this point, he already believed the robotic voice. After all, what reason would it have to harm him or go this far just to mess with him? Does it have that much free time? Of course not. Which leaves a single conclusion, it was all very much real.

[Please, put the left tip of the tube on your chest, precisely where your heart is.] She explained.

"Ok…" Doing what she instructed, he looked up to wait for the next step.

[Now, please lay down on the bed. The next step might be uncomfortable so you need to remain motionless. Do not do anything reckless, please.] 

For some reason, in the end, Avatar's voice turned a little more serious than usual which made Malice even more anxious. But, he still did what she asked.

'How uncomfortable could it be? I probably felt worse before.' He thought to himself to ease his worry.

Pain was like a close friend to Malice, since he was running that small scheme of stealing from Marked Nobles and then getting arrested, he naturally gets beaten more often than many would expect. So, his pain tolerance was quite high.

[Are you comfortable enough?] She asked.

"Yes. What's next?"

[Now, you can see a small blue button on the left side of the tube. When you are ready, press it and don't pull the tube away till all the liquid is injected.] She instructed.

Staring down, Malice saw the button she was talking about. Gulping a mouthful of saliva, he finally rested his head on the pillow, adjusted the position of the serum injector, and then closed his eyes.

"Here goes nothing…" Murmuring those words, he pressed the button.

Instantly, he felt a small sting in his chest as foreign liquid started entering his body. The first few seconds weren't too bad except for the subtle discomfort of the needle. 

'Oh, this isn't too ba-' But, when Malice came to think that he might've been overestimating the serum, his eyes suddenly parted open instantly.

"AAAAAAGHHH!!!" An intense pain, unlike anything he had ever felt before in his life, assaulted his chest. The pain was sudden, and extremely intense, like a giant wave that crashed into his body when he least expected it.

No words can describe how he felt at that moment as he screamed at the top of his lungs. Even his brain instantly shut off. But, it didn't stop there, the pain started spreading across his entire body as it grew more and more intense. It was as if someone took a drill and started carving Malice's body inside out as slowly and as painfully as possible.

Each fiber of his being shuddered as if they were also suffering from all the pain. Unbeknownst to Malice, golden lines started appearing across his entire body, forming like complicated branches, or veins.

His calm, red eyes turned a shade of gold as they pulsated with a faint light. The pain continued for a good minute, which felt like an eternity for the boy. 

'It hurts… It hurts so much… I can't feel anything…' He thought to himself as he clenched his teeth. Even though he wanted to simply toss and turn as he screamed his lungs out, for some reason, something in him told him to stop.

He didn't know where that kind of conviction came from, but it helped him seal his lips tight. Instead, he clenched his teeth and fists as hard as he could take the pain in. Giant beads of sweat formed on his forehead and all over his body. A horrifying amount of sweat came out from his body and fell to the bed, getting completely absorbed.

[The process is almost done, Marked Malice. Bear with it.] Avatar said.

"S-So… AGH! Easy… For you… To say that…" He murmured through his gritted teeth as he struggled to hold the scream in.

After an unknown amount of time, the pain started slowly subsiding. Eventually, it vanished completely and Malice could finally take a long breath.

"Hah! Hah! Hah!!" Heaving up and down, he stared at the white ceiling in a daze. That was the worst experience of his entire life, by far. He had never expected to feel such an overwhelming pain in his life. It was so bad that at some point, he started wishing for the sweet release of death rather than this torture.

[Congratulations, Marked Malice. Your Soul Core has been formed successfully.]

"Hah… Fuuh, I'm glad that is over with. Please tell me I won't need to go through anything like this ever again." He asked in an almost begging tone. If she told him that it would happen more times in the future, he really didn't know how he could take that information in.

[Worry not, Marked Malice. The painful part is over.] Avatar said.

That made the boy exhale a long breath as he looked around him. He had just sweated half his weight off in the last two minutes and the bed was soaked wet now. Then, he noticed something else, far more prominent.

'Now that I look at it… My body feels a lot… Better? Almost like I'm rejuvenated.' He thought to himself.

It was as if Malice's body was burdened with invisible weights. But, now, those weights were gone. Even his senses like vision, hearing, and smelling felt a lot better and far clearer.

"Wow, this is… Amazing…"

[It is. Your body has gotten rid of all the impurities that accumulate within it. Naturally, that improves your physical and cognitive abilities.]

'She's right, I can think a lot better now. It is really weird.' Rubbing the back of his head, Malice could only be impressed at the effect the serum had on him.

[But, that isn't the only thing that changed. Please, look at the back of your hand again.]

Raising an eyebrow, Malice did what she asked without knowing what to expect. Looking at the terrifying skull, something popped up in front of him.

{Name: Malice

Mark: Unranked (0/100)

Trait: Elemental Arcane.} 

{Legacy: 

Body: None

Aura: None

Weapon: None.}