Chapter 203 - Soul

"Alright, that makes the fortieth tile."

Calron muttered while stacking the last piece of G.o.d Tile on the floor.

The sunlight shone on his tanned skin, illuminating his hard and well-chiseled muscles. It was early in the morning and both Rebran and Ellie were currently sleeping inside his hut. Calron slept briefly, but had to wake up early in order to finish creating the G.o.d Tiles for the Azure Pavilion today.

Standing up from the ground, Calron walked into the hut and placed the stacks of tiles on top of the table for Roran to find later.

"Contrary to what he says, he sure does get along well with little kids."

Calron smiled, gazing down at the scene where the mini-Rebran was sleeping while Ellie cuddled him on the bed.

Ellie's arm was curled around the tiny white cat as she hugged him close to her chest. Rebran continued to snore softly, unaware of what was going on.

"He'll throw a fit when he wakes up."

While chuckling, Calron left the hut and made his way to the usual spot where he cultivated every morning.

Activating the Divine Perception, Calron walked towards the statue of the bird where the golden dragon's soul had previously resided. None of the clan members ever approached that area as it was a restricted zone by the Patriarch, but Calron still used the Divine Perception ability to make sure he didn't b.u.mp into any of his friends on the way.

He still had to remain hidden for another day.

You're up and early.

A voice sounded out from the crystal in Calron's possession. It was the voice of the Patriarch.

Good morning, grandpa.

Calron yawned, still sleepy from the lack of sleep last night.

Your friends from the mission came by yesterday evening to ask the Elders if they had heard back from you. They seemed really worried about you, brat.

The Patriarch informed.

Although the four of them were only together for a short while, Calron felt a strange connection to them, and it warmed him that they felt the same way as well. However, even they could not know that he had returned if their plan for the speech tomorrow was to succeed.

We only have a day left. I'll explain everything to them after this ordeal is dealt with.

 Anyways, that's not why I contacted you. I need you to come to my room tonight, I have something important to show you. I'll send a guard over to pick you up at midnight since you've never been to my place before.

The old man stated and abruptly ended the message, not allowing Calron to reject his invitation.

"That was weird."

Calron shrugged his shoulders and continued to walk towards the statue. The Patriarch was probably up to something, but Calron knew he would never be able to figure it out, so he pushed those thoughts aside.

After a few minutes, he arrived before the statue of the bird.

Taking a deep breath, Calron proceeded to sit down in front of the statue in a meditative pose. The main reason why Calron always chose to cultivate near the statue was because the lightning essence here was much denser than anywhere else within the mansion.

"Pheww…"

Controlling the rhythm of his breathing, Calron began to circulate the essence surrounding him. Waves of golden essence surged around his body, entering his skin, blood, muscles, bones and his elemental core.

He tried to expand his core by forcing the essence to stretch the boundaries, however, it was only met with resistance. For months, Calron had been trying to breakthrough into the Saint stage but failed every time.

The Patriarch's answer was to pick the correct path of lightning for him, but Calron instinctively knew that wasn't the case with him. If it was true, then Asra would have already entered the Saint stage long ago due to his mastery of one of the lightning's path.

What am I doing wrong?

Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, his mental energy was previously drained after creating the G.o.d Tiles and now it was taking its toll as Calron tried to control the essence inside of him.

"Ugh!"

All of a sudden, he groaned when he felt sharp stings of pain inside his head. It was akin to the pain he experienced when the Divine Perception went out of control.

s.h.i.+t! I forgot to deactivate it!

Having completely forgotten about the ability he had initially triggered, Calron's mental energy was being consumed and flashes of pain struck at his soul.

However, just as Calron was about to shut off the ability, he noticed something strange.

He sensed the presence of someone else.

It was the first time that Calron had used the Divine Perception while cultivating his essence, so he had never detected this phenomenon until now.

Deep inside his consciousness, an area which he had never noticed before, there was the presence of someone familiar. He had known this person since he was born in the world, and the one who had always been a part of him.

Inside that black abyss, there was a small child crying while cowered up on the dark floor. A bird-shaped pendant hung from his neck, now coated with his tears as they cascaded down his cheeks and to the metal. The boy's body glowed with faint white light, almost like he was not made of flesh.

Calron sensed a thick aura of violence, sadness, and hatred coming from the boy. Hatred towards everyone and everything in this world. But, the most striking feeling that Calron got from the boy was a single emotion.

Loneliness.

That boy was none other than Calron himself. It was his past self on the day his mother and baby sister died.

Is that my soul?

Calron stared at the glowing image of the boy. He could not explain it, but he instinctually knew that it was a part of his soul. It was where his darkest insecurities and feelings were kept hidden.

"Hey!"

He tried to call out to the boy, but the child never turned and continued to cry his grief.

I hated the world back then, hated them for taking away my family and for leaving me alone.

Calron began walking towards the boy. Old memories of his parents, the life they had before his father's death all surfaced before him.

"Hey!"

Calron shouted again, his walk now turned into a full-on sprint as he tried to reach the boy. However, he never got close to the boy who was shrouded in darkness.

I hated everyone, the town's people who never helped my mother when my father died, and when they ignored me so they wouldn't get into trouble with the Lord. I hated their selfishness, their greed, their cruelty… their humanity.

Calron remembered his sorrowful past. He wanted to hold that boy and convey his feelings to him.

But then I met Elias.

A smile appeared on Calron's face as he recalled the blind old man who saved him from drowning in darkness.

The boy stopped crying and tilted his head upwards. There was another glowing form next to him, it was an old man with a cane. Slowly, the grey-eyed old man placed his hand on top of the boy's head while letting out a hearty laugh.

Elias wasn't the only one. I soon met Roran, my closest friend and my brother.

Soon, a glowing chubby curly-haired kid appeared next to the boy, his face in a fixed grin as he swung his arm around the boy's neck and embraced him.

Calron smiled with tears in his eyes as he saw the scene unfold before him. The soul was something which defined his very being, and he would be nothing without his friends and the family.

The white glow from the figures spread, pus.h.i.+ng out the darkness around the boy.

Avi, Tarnilla, Ellie, Rebran, Linda, Asra, Rain, Harol, Patriarch, Kail…

Calron remembered all the people he had met throughout his journey, and the ones who cherished him.

The ones who made him feel like he was not alone anymore in this world.

The glowing figures all surrounded the boy and embraced him with their warmth. Gradually, their forms began to meld into one another.

At this moment, the boy turned to face Calron. Two pairs of azure eyes stared at each other, one a memory of the past and the other, both the present and the future. The boy then closed his eyes and smiled at Calron as the glowing figures surrounded him.

The s.h.i.+ne around their bodies intensified and grew brighter until it exploded into a flash of light, expelling the darkness in lieu of a pure white light. Standing there in front of Calron, was a brightly glowing image of his current self. It was his true soul without the darkness of his past chaining him.

The glowing figure raised his hand for the other to grasp. Calron's hand slowly stretched towards his clone's own, and when they touched, a wave of tsunami hit Calron inside his chest. More accurately, inside his elemental core.

He was finally breaking into the Saint stage.