Chapter 73
Melgil continued to affectionately hug Dane. Suddenly, the serpent, owl, and fox came out and pushed the human form of Melgil away from Dane Netherborn to the ground. The ogres that saw this happen thought the demon spider queen would retaliate, but Melgil, while sitting on the dirt ground, began to cry. The three separated from its main formless armor and surrounded her. The three were mad and were emitting their anger toward Melgil, but Dane walked toward her and covered her naked body with a blanket that he took out from his dimensional storage. He wrapped it around Melgil and helped her stand up.
The serpent, owl, and fox became docile and watched as Dane comforted Melgil, their anger dissipating as they saw the kindness in his actions. Melgil looked up at Dane with gratitude, knowing that he had saved her from the wrath of the demon spider queen's minions.
Dane was confused at first, but something happened that he had never expected before. What came to his mind was a memory of his mother, Miyako Azai, falling backward when she was helping his husband harvest crops. His father removed his jacket and placed it around his wife to comfort her as he helped her to stand up.
Dane asked Melgil why she changed her form, because based on her scenario, she lost nearly half of her mana energy and needed time to replenish it to gain her human form. Melgil stared at Dane and smiled as she explained that the concentrated chaos energy orb that flew toward her domain made her like this.
Her naive admiration for the strong was her personality, and she was certain that he delivered the mana energy as a gift. Since spiders do not mate by linking these organs, it is an offer to be her mate. Rather, the male uses the end of his pedipalps to pick up the sperm that has been deposited into a little web.
Her hunger had dissipated, and her personality suddenly changed, but her power was now at its peak. Her mana capacity has returned to 40 thousand points. The leaping dragon that she wounded felt her return and feared for its life. Even Aspidochelone felt it and gave out a laugh as the Velvet Knight continued their task.
Dane asked Nukra to provide suitable clothing for Melgil. As he escorted Melgil inside the tent, the ogre that saw everything could only give out a deep sigh as they were relieved that the demon spider queen didn't come to wipe their clan out. Bralthor the Grey Ogre orders them to continue their packing as they will leave this area soon.
As Dane helps Melgil to sit down, she grabs his arm and forces him to sit beside her. Dane didn't mind, as he thought she was just cold because she was naked under the blanket. Dane has no social interaction with females besides his mother and female cousin, so he could only respond based on what he experienced with his own mother. As she was very sweet towards him when he was still young, Miyako would kiss his cheeks when he got hurt after their sword training, and she would hug him when he was sad and feeling lonely. Miyako will kiss his forehead and brush his head as she hugs him and whispers words of comfort in his ear. This nurturing behavior from Miyako led Dane to associate physical affection with care and love, shaping his response to women in a positive way.
Melgil was surprised to be experiencing this for the first time as Dane responded like what her mother did in the past—the white-haired, red-eyed female demon that killed thousands and made her name known as a fearsome entity. Despite her reputation, Melgil was taken aback by Dane's unexpected response, which stirred unfamiliar emotions within her dark heart. This encounter sparked a curiosity in Melgil to understand the power of love and compassion that she had never known before.
As she fell asleep , Nukra came in and inform him that they are ready to leave the camp site, Dane aske the elder to command. His grand son to gather a few dead rock lizard remains and place them in their camp site . As he wish to create a situation that will mislead who ever that will investigate the place.
Nukra was surprised by Dane's request but followed his instructions without question. The plan was set in motion, leaving Melgil feeling a sense of satisfaction at the clever deception they had orchestrated.
Dane scanned the area again and dispatched Kitsune and the Owl to double-check, as he was sure a gatekeeper would be the one that the tower administrator would send, and because the Grey Ogres hadn't been outside the gorge, their knowledge about the upper ground was limited. So he just assumed everything was as it is until proven otherwise.
Chances are that there are more new races that the main system will surely create, as he was sure he would continue to disrupt the scenario, just to show what it actually means to gain absolute freedom.
The wagons were ready as Melgil had changed into more suitable clothing and told her to remain with the Grey Orger clan until he returned or sent a message, as he had many questions to ask her. She smiled and just nodded as she sat behind the wagon. The ogres placed the last dead rock lizard, and after a few minutes, they pushed their wagon and moved outbound toward the hidden main village. Milgil was obedient to Dane; this scared the rest of the orges, thinking what manner of being the Netherborn was to subdue a great calamity like that.
As they pulled their wagon, the codex book that Nukra was holding while riding the wagon that Melgil was also seated in, the codex sealed book opened again, and new written words appeared on its pages.
"The chaos bringer has stepped into the tower's affair."
"The nameless god, slightly gaining awareness, the herald has started to make his own move."
"A new land to call home, a new family will dominate the west,"
As Dane waited at the campsite, he took out the skull necklace and used his branch assessment skill to gain information on the skull. He was able to determine that it belonged to young humans that were killed and died in the hands of the rock lizard, but one skull died due to starvation as it was left trapped inside a cave.
The young boy suffered a lot; the days of waiting slowly dying from hunger and thirst were a tragic end to a life that never had the chance to truly begin. Dane felt a pang of sorrow as he realized the harsh realities of survival, showing Duches Elleena Rothcheste's son's sole dead remain might create a negative scenario, as no mother could ever bear the thought of losing a child in such a cruel manner. It was a heartbreaking reminder of the dangers lurking in the wilderness, and Dane knew he had to handle the situation with sensitivity and care. Once again, he turned toward his parents' teachings and personal memories to find the reasonable and logical answer.
Miko and Ward address this matter with Dane as they confirm the soul of the young child has entered his body and is currently waiting in the library lobby. Then they wish to report to him the information they were able to gather while they were active..
Dane agreed to scan a suitable place to meditate. He decided to use the formless armor just in case his body was buried underground and he meditated there. Dane knew that in order to connect with the soul of the child, he needed to be in a peaceful and grounded state. By burying himself underground, he could block out any distractions and focus solely on his meditation. This was a technique he had learned from his parents, who had always emphasized the importance of finding inner peace in times of need.
The formless armor expanded and burrowed into the soil with ease and made sure to drill underground that was deep enough to provide complete isolation from the outside. He was sure the gatekeeper would somewhat come to the place. Dane closed his eyes, closed his mana flow, and felt a sense of calm wash over him as he delved deeper into his meditation, ready to connect with the child's soul in a way that only he knew how.
Ward and Miko saw Dane again as they showed him the child spirit. And including the thousand who were waiting in the lobby. These souls accepted their fate and awaited their prayers to be answered. As Ward and Miko found a way to solve this matter, but it depends on how Dane would respond to it..
The two explain that these souls have two options: they can be converted into pure spirit cores and finally move on into the void and be finally free from those painful memories, as souls still recall that suffering and pain before dying. Creating a host body is something that will instantly alert the seraph as necromancy. It is considered a curse that was only allowed to be used as punishment based on the severity of the crime committed.
Inserting a soul into a nonliving host is considered a curse. Obtaining a suitable body that can sustain the soul will be hard but not impossible, Ward told Dane. If the core energy frequency is similar to the soul's energy, it may be possible to successfully insert the soul into an already extracted energy core. But doing this was extremely risky and could result in severe consequences if not done correctly. The inhuman action of inserting a human soul in a creature was considered an abomination by many, as it went against the natural order of life and death. However, some believed that the power gained from such a fusion could be worth the risk, leading to a dangerous divide in opinions among those who sought to push the boundaries of magic and science.
After a long meeting with thousands of souls, they all agree to move on and just be free; the pain they keep remembering was too much for them to bear. Dane heard all their responses, including the young son of Duchess Elleena Rothchester. Their only request was to remember them, and they were told Dane could catalog their life story and turn it into a book inside the library. They wanted to have a chance to leave their story for others to read and learn from. The only problem is all of their residual memories will enter Dame's mind; he will temporarily feel what they felt and absorb all their knowledge before it manifests into a memory book.
Covering all this information in the physical world is much easier, as Dane agreed to all their requests. He wanted to talk to the young son of the Duchess. He pointed out the pain he felt imprisoned inside the cave was unbearable, and he hoped that by sharing his experiences, others could learn from his mistakes and find a way to break free from their own emotional prisons.
Dane felt his mind was already broken, or was it the programed , the fact is he wasn't supposed to have any other relative backstory. Dane realized the boys' memories were only just five years old. The only thing he could learn from all of them was their knowledge and even their mannerisms when they were alive. It could be useful somehow. Ward and Miko prepared the assimilation and conversion of all these souls to finally gain eternal peace.
Dane had a very strong and organized mind. But still worries that his mind could collapse from so many memories entering his mind all at once. As Dane began to absorb the soul's energy and slowly create another core, the mana engine also changed in its visual representation; it merged with a seedling and became one. The seedling grew bigger, and the roots thickened. The formless armor also changes the serpent, owl, and fox. The sentient residue from the armor vanished., the formless armor became Amorphous Metallic Armor by name, but now it is called chaos armor.
Dane core was no longer there; it is now replaced by the Skill Sprout. The memories fast-tracked into his mind, and his only response was the tears that flowed down his cheeks. The skill seed Dane had developed was not like what the strongest beings accumulated in this realm.
As each seed has its own name, like having a seed of a flame lily will grant the host power over fire, in this realm a few seeds manifested in many host with different plant names representing their power. While Dane seed was the Mímameiðr.