It took Michael a while to calm down. However, once he was calmer, Michael quickly reverted back to his usual self. Meeting his mother had been frustrating and certainly not something Michael had wanted to happen, but if he had to search for something positive in all the negative things that happened, he would consider finding his brother’s Living Soul.
The reunion with his mother caused an emotional turmoil, but it also informed him about the possibility of resurrecting his brother. Michael figured that it wouldn’t be as easy as using the Orb of Resurrection to bring his brother back to life. However, it was possible. That was all that mattered.
Once he recuperated long enough to move around painlessly, Michael got up and spread his energy in the surroundings. He collected the corpses and body parts in one sweep and decided to head back to his territory.
‘But seriously…where am I?’ He wondered, closing his eyes to sense the location of his Summoning Gate and the Wooden Manor with his Lord powers. ‘I am quite far away from my territory.’ Michael realized, feeling slightly surprised. His territory was south from him, which was expected since he was still in the Untamed Jungle, but he sensed that it was much farther away from his position than he thought.
“These Cursed Seals are really dangerous,” He mumbled, afraid that he might lose control of his body once again. Michael had to find out more about the origin of the Cursed Children and Cursed Seals. However, he was not going to ask his mother about any of that. He didn’t want to talk to her again. She was dead to him. Michael knew that he was being unnecessarily stubborn, but he was not going to forget about the last decade just because his mother decided to be generous enough to return when it suited her. She didn’t even return for him, but for Danny’s Living Soul. And it was not as if she wanted to resurrect Danny. She wanted to remove the curse merged into his Living Soul to prevent a Hellbound Cataclysm. She was selfish so he couldn’t trust her.
On his way back to the territory, Michael moved smoothly through the Untamed Jungle. The terrain was somewhat familiar to him, but it was also new. The origin energy’s density was much higher in the deeper parts of the Untamed Jungle. That was reflected in the rapid growth of towering trees and the evolution of powerful monsters. Michael encountered several powerful monsters on his way back home. Some of them were even Higher Lifeforms with tremendous lifeforce and huge bodies. Their massive bodies broke the trunks of smaller trees and squashed bushes and other plants easily. Michael’s bones would break like some of the smaller trees, unable to retaliate in any way, if he found himself underneath their massive hooves.
Fortunately, none of the massive monsters attacked him. In fact, Michael felt like they were avoiding him. It was almost like they were afraid of him. 𝑖𝘦.𝑐𝘰𝘮
‘Did I encounter them before? Maybe, I clashed with them when the Cursed Seals flooded me with hatred and anger…But if they avoid me that means I was strong enough to deal with them using True Extraction…’
Michael was a bit confused, but it was a relief that no monster attacked him. He was still weak and his body was sore all over. Fighting was the last thing he wanted to do right now. He didn’t want to get beat up, after all.
The only reason he rushed back home was to start researching ways to resurrect Danny. According to his mother, Danny’s Living Soul had only one year left before it deteriorated completely. That meant he had to find a secure place to put his Living Soul, a place where the Soul couldn’t deteriorate.
Michael sincerely hoped that upgrading the Soul Grimoire was the solution he sought so desperately.
‘I might be able to bring back Danny…He might not be gone forever!’ Michael hoped sincerely, a smile blossoming on his face. The thoughts of destruction and death he’d caused in the Untamed Jungle disappeared from his mind as well as his mother’s return. The only thoughts left in his mind revolved around his brother and the possibility of bringing him back.
A large tear trickled down his cheek, onto the Miniature Coffin Keychain which hummed gently in return, the trace of lifeforce within resonating with him.
Michael chuckled lightly and accelerated. He moved faster through the Untamed Jungle, hoping to reach home as soon as possible.
But despite his attempts to rush home, Michael had to expend an entire day traversing through the Untamed Jungle before he reached his territory once again. Tiara was the first to notice his return.
“Master!!!” She exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes.
Tiara rushed to Michael and embraced him tightly, “W-where have you been?”
Michael couldn’t reply the question. He returned Tiara’s hug and patted her back gently. The Battle Maid continued to sob for quite a while, but she let go of him when she observed that more people had arrived near them while looking for Michael. The Forest Elves stared at him intently, shock and a mixture of other emotions flashing through their eyes. They didn’t approach him immediately, not until Lilica took the first step, at least.
Lilica approached Michael, her heart palpating, “I know that it’s not my business to ask this…but what did you do in the last week? You emerged from the Runic Gate, your body covered in those golden glyphs, only to disappear. But that’s not what I’m asking. You don’t have to tell me what those golden glyphs are or anything like that…” Lilica included carefully, “It’s just that I…No. We have never sensed a forest being terrified before, especially not a forest like the Untamed Jungle. What the hell did you do?”
Michael’s lips parted but he couldn’t reply her properly. He could only guess that the Untamed Jungle was terrified of his Cursed Seals, or the power they unleashed within him. Or, it was not even related to him. Maybe, the Untamed Jungle was terrified because of something else. However, Michael was pretty sure that this might have been his fault.
“I’m really not sure,” Michael answered honestly, “I lost control of my body. My emotions overwhelmed me. I met my mother again, but…it was a disaster.”
Michael forced a smile, meanwhile, Lilica studied his expressions.
“Either way, I found out that those golden glyphs, as you call them, are actually Cursed Seals. I’ve currently unsealed three Cursed Seals but I seem to have a lot more Cursed Seals than the rest of my family,” Michael said, realizing too late that he never told Lilica and the others about his family, “Ah. I forgot to mention that our family is uttered to be Cursed. Apparently, every member of our family has these Cursed Seals, which unleash power if unsealed. But they also make it harder for us to control our emotions. By the looks of it…we can also lose control of our bodies and wreak havoc.”
“So you lost control of your body because you reunited with your mother?” Mika asked, taking a few steps closer to Michael.
He was a nosy little brat, which won over the newfound fear he felt for Michael. Michael was a good guy. He was one of the nicest people Mika knew, but when Michael lost against the corruption of the Cursed Seals…he was scary. Mika and the others had been terrified for their lives even though they knew Michael better than most people. They knew he would never hurt them, yet they were afraid to die at his hands at that moment.
“It’s not only because of my mother’s return, though it plays a huge role. Meeting her was not exactly nice,” Michael responded honestly. He felt quite good talking to someone about what happened, “But I also found out that my brother’s Living Soul has been with me since he died in the Lord Rift.”
Michael retrieved the Miniature Coffin Keychain and grinned gently at it, “His Living Soul is preserved in there.” He decided to trust the Forest Elves with these new pieces of information as he needed their help. His attention traveled back to Lilica, who looked right back at him.
“Could you ask your Elders if they understand anything about Cursed Children, Cursed Seals, Living Souls, and how to resurrect a Living Soul that contains a trace of lifeforce and sentience?” Michael was going to ask Kraft Viton, the Chieftain, and the War Priestess to research Cursed Children, Cursed Seals, and Living Souls as well. If their research ended up in failure, Michael would travel to the Trilance to ask them for help. And if that was not enough…he would have to ask his mother. Even though he told himself not to ask her anything, Michael’s pride was worth nothing if he could find out more about Daniel’s condition and possible means to rescue him. He could find his own answers by strengthening his Soultraits, but Michael wanted to understand if there were any ‘normal’ ways to create a vessel for a Living Soul, or what he could do to preserve and nourish a Living Soul artificially.
“That’s a lot to digest,” Lilica mumbled, but she nodded her head, “But, of course, I will help you.” “We want to help you as well!” A somewhat familiar voice reached Michael from behind.
It was Rebecca Zauber. She stood next to her friend, the Warlock Centaurs and the Berserkers, who’d joined his territory not too long ago. .𝒎
“Please let me help you with the research! I think I can be of some help with Greater Analysis and Perfect Appraisal. No, scratch that. I will be of great help!” She declared whereas the other new subordinates stared at Michael with a mix of curiosity, respect…and a trace of fear. They had been sent into the Origin Expanse right after Michael vanished into the Runic Gate. But all they could sense upon entering the Origin Expanse were the remnants of Michael’s ancient power, and the killing intent permeating the air like dense fog.
However, that was enough to sense primal fear erupting from within them.
This content is taken from 𝘳𝑎.𝒸ℴ
