Chapter 53: Soulscape |
“There is no more dangerous Voidling than a Cursed Juggernaut in the very beginning stages of an Outbreak. Those massive beasts are almost unstoppable, trouncing their way through any obstacle they come upon. Only the pioneers can stand a chance against them, and even then, those encounters usually end up in the survivor’s death.
It is highly advised to stay out of their way and only approach after amassing enough power and support. As for the Apex variant? Run, those things aren’t worth the trouble to kill them.”
~Creatures of the Void, 42nd Edition
The truest part of your soul…
Those words rang loud inside his head as Leo watched the shadows beneath follow the motions of his unnatural limb. He was like a conductor directing the most beautiful symphony.
No matter what command he gave the Essence below, no matter what motion his hand performed, the entire pond of shadows always obeyed. There was no delay, no fighting for control, just pure partnership between a person and the energy deep inside their soul.
How? Leo asked himself as he released his grasp over the shadows. At once, they jumpstarted their dance, swaying to music only they could hear. Now without his input.
He looked back at Nikra, who was watching him with a soft smile.
“Why is it obeying me so easily? I mean, my control isn’t too bad, but this? This is far beyond anything I’m capable of.”
I have been humoring her for this long. Why stop now?
Leo shrugged and plopped down a fair distance away from the Old One.
“As much as I applaud your caution, Leo, I don’t bite. You can sit closer.” Nikra raised an eyebrow at him. But he didn’t budge. And so, with a sigh, the ancient woman continued. “Very well… Let’s begin.”
Nikra extended her arm toward the pit, and slowly, a single tendril of shadow rose to meet her hand. He watched warily—then gasped as the shadow made contact.
He felt that.
“As I said earlier, and now you’ve seen for yourself,” she began once more. “This is the truest part of your soul. The place where Essence is produced and stored. When you are in the real world, you must reinforce your mind to control and bring it outside your body. But here? The process is far simpler.”
Leo frowned. “How so? Sure, I might not have a physical body in here, but I’m still using my mind to control my Essence. Shouldn’t there be some resistance?”
Nikra shook her head.
“Not quite. You see, a Soulscape is a remarkable thing. Here, the barriers between the three pillars—soul, mind, and body—fade. They become one existence. That’s why your Essence won’t fight you. There’s no delay, no buffer. Your command is immediate, absolute.”
Leo hummed. “Soul, mind, and body. Three pillars. Nice concept.” He nodded to himself. “I can definitely see the value in a place where I have total control. Would make training a hell of a lot easier.”
Nikra smiled. “To some extent, yes. That was one of the Soulscape’s original purposes: to help everyone refine their abilities so they can slowly recreate them in the outside world with experience they didn’t possess before.”
Useful. Very useful.
A place to practice without worries was something Leo would need sooner or later. Besides, he could bet that wasting Essence here wasn’t as bad as in the outside world. And even if it wasn’t true, Soulscapes apparently had more uses.
“One of the purposes?” he promoted.
“There are two others,” Nikra said. “Do you remember the Traveler’s advice?”
Leo nodded, watching her closely. Her expression tightened slightly at the mention of the man’s title. He filed that away for later.
“He was right. You can store things here,” she continued. “There are very few limits on what can be brought into your Soulscape. And one day you may learn how to even push past those boundaries.”
Huh.
So the Traveler hadn’t been talking nonsense.
Getting rid of my backpack would be godsent. Though I doubt that anything inside it is usable after my fall.
“And the last one?” he asked, setting aside his worries about his destroyed belongings.
Nikra’s smile returned. “It connects to what you asked me right after we met.” She gestured toward the pit of shadows. “Tell me, Leo, do you now understand why you appear as you do?”
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Glancing at the core of his soul and then back at his shadow body, Leo furrowed his brow, or at least he tried.
After taking everything Nikra had said into account, he had a decent theory. It made sense but also raised more questions. Also, the System had never mentioned anything aboutchanging his soul at its core.
Which isn’t something I really should be surprised about, all things considered.
He sighed and gave his answer. “My affinity, or rather its true property.”
Nikra beamed, her crimson eyes glinting. “Exactly! A true affinity alters the soul at its purest level. Once you gained Shadows as your aspect, your Essence adapted accordingly. That’s why your current form looks the way it does.”
Leo frowned. “So… my Essence is always shadow-afflicted now? That doesn’t sound right. I’m pretty sure I would have noticed if my normal skills suddenly started using shadows. And I’m definitely not doing anything to filter it to be pure again.”
Nikra shook her head lightly. “You misunderstand. Yes, shadows are the dominant theme in your Soulscape, but only because your soul and Essence want to reflect their connection to your true affinity. Look beyond the surface, and you will find that they remain untainted and utterly pure.”
Do they?
Leo closed his eyes into the connection to his Essence.
At first glance, the shadow affinity was overwhelming, but as he pushed deeper, peeling back the layers, he saw the truth of Nikra’s words. His Essence remained unchanged and untouched at its core, waiting for his command.
And if that was true, then the same had to apply to his soul.
“You are right,” he muttered, opening his eyes. “But that doesn’t really explain the last use of Soulscapes.”
Nikra nodded, brow furrowing ever so slightly. “Yes, forgive me. It’s been a long time since I had to explain the soul’s inner workings. I may drift off-topic without realizing it.”
“Wasn’t your fault. I was the one who misunderstood,” Leo said quickly.
Even now, he still wasn’t sure why he was being so accommodating to someone tied to the collapse of the Multiverse. It just… it just was so hard to associate the woman sitting next to him with the monster from his dreams.
Shit…
Leo shook his head just as Nikra began to speak again.
“Your confusion came only from my own incompetence, young one,” the Old One said with a soft smile. “But let’s set that aside. You asked for an explanation, and I shall provide it.”
“The last major purpose of a Soulscape is also the hardest one to utilize,” Nikra continued without a pause. “Affinities—or aspects, as I prefer to call them—are almost as important as the Essence that runs through us. They allow us to wield the concepts of the entire Multiverse. And so, people had to find a way to develop and train them.”
“And that’s where the Soulscape comes in,” Leo muttered more to himself than to her.
Nikra beamed. “Training an aspect without any initial connection is almost impossible from within a Soulscape. You need some external source to establish the first link. But once the sky shifts to reflect even a hint of potential, the Soulscape becomes the most reliable path to deepen and refine that connection.”
“How?”
Nikra nodded toward the core below. “You must dive into the truest part of your soul and fully embrace it. From there, you can either nurture your true affinity or attempt to reach out to the potential aspects scattered across the sky. It is a very advanced and time-consuming process, but once mastered, the rewards speak for themselves.”
Leo turned away, his gaze wandering toward the violet and red specks in the sky. This was the aspect of the Void, the same aspect that plunged the entire Multiverse into an endless cycle of death. And if Geron’s thoughts he had gleaned from his dreams were any indication, it was a power so immense that it consumed the entity seated beside him.
Powerful and even more dangerous… Or rather terrifying would be a better word.
When he first received Minor Takeover, he hadn’t cared that it came from the Void. After all, other Voidlings could control some of their kin too. But now he knew better. This wasn’t just another ability—it was a path leading straight toward disaster.
His Soulscape and Nikra’s explanation made it perfectly clear that he could develop some kind of an affinity toward the Void. Hell, with the Old One’s shard inside him, it might not be some aspect but the aspect of the Void.
And wasn’t that a terrifying thought?
Is this why she didn’t answer me in the beginning? I need more information… But first.
He turned to Nikra again. “Did you ever master it?”
Nikra’s face fell, her eyes losing their brightness.
“No,” she whispered. “I didn’t want to. My control over darkness was always absolute, only getting stronger as time passed. And Void…”
Her voice faded, and the hollow look in her eyes sent a shiver down his shadow-formed spine. Not even a glimmer of warmth remained within those eyes.
I really need the whole story.
Leo looked away, jaw clenched. A small part of him—bitter and vengeful—took grim satisfaction in seeing the woman responsible for so much suffering in pain. But the larger part just couldn’t quite bring itself to care. Not yet.
Nikra was a shadow of who she once had been. Hell, even in his dreams, she seemed broken. As such, no matter how much he wanted to have someone to blame for all the deaths, someone he could take revenge on, the full, true story had to come first.
But not yet. She knows too much. I can’t waste this chance.
“Right…” Leo muttered under his breath, and the word seemed to snap Nikra from her trance. “I’ve been meaning to ask. Is it normal for everyone to enter their Soulscape during evolution?”
Some light returned to Nikra’s eyes, her smile faint but grateful.
“No. Unless you’ve already mastered how to access your Soulscape, you would be left in the infinite darkness, experiencing some of the pain that comes with every evolution.”
Leo nodded. That much made sense.
“So it was you who brought me here,” he stated more than asked.
“It was the obvious choice,” Nikra replied. “Even with the weak time dilation in here, we still won’t have enough time to cover everything. And speaking with you while you’re awake is quite taxing.”
Leo arched an eyebrow. “Time dilation?” Now that was interesting and definitely pulled them away from the elephant in the room.
Nikra chuckled softly. “Don’t get too excited, young one. Most souls can’t even stretch one second outside into two here. I think only one of my brothers ever managed that. But that was just his aspect at work.”
“Brother?” he echoed. Definitely not Geron.
Nikra flinched. “A tale for another time—when time isn’t chasing us.”
All right then, but you just gave me the perfect opening to ask about something I have to know.
Keeping his tone as casual as he could manage, Leo said, “Speaking of tales for another time… I think I’ll take that explanation about Voidlings and Void aspects now.”
Nikra’s eyes widened.
He grimaced. He should definitely work on his subtlety in the future.
Oh, well. My people skills are a little rusty after the week I just had. At least I didn’t ask about the first Outbreak yet. Bet that conversation is gonna be real fun…