The First Blood's smile faded slightly.
"You see..."
He slowly looked around the endless darkness surrounding them.
"This body..."
His gaze returned to Draven.
"...was supposed to be mine."
Draven's eyes narrowed.
The First Blood continued.
"To be more precise..."
"...It was supposed to be the vessel for my reincarnation."
Draven remained silent.
"You already know that dying is impossible for me."
"So eventually..."
"I decided to reincarnate myself."
"As for why..."
He shrugged.
"I don't see any reason to tell you."
"It took a very long time."
"Millions of years passed..."
"Before someone was finally born carrying my blood."
"My Royal Blood."
He paused.
"And when that finally happened..."
"...my soul found a vessel."
Draven listened without interrupting.
"Normally, the vessel chosen for my reincarnation would have its own soul."
"Just like any other living being."
"But because it was a newly born soul..."
"...it was completely blank."
"Empty."
"It had no identity of its own."
"The reincarnation process was designed to merge my soul with that blank soul."
"The two would become one."
He looked directly at Draven.
"Since the other soul had no identity of its own..."
"...I would still be me."
"The same consciousness."
"The same memories."
"The same existence."
"But then..."
His expression changed.
"...you appeared."
Draven's eyes narrowed.
"During the reincarnation process..."
"...your soul suddenly entered the vessel."
"All three souls were on the verge of merging."
He slowly shook his head.
"If that had happened..."
"...I wouldn't have remained myself."
"We would have become something entirely different."
"A completely new existence."
"And I had no intention of allowing that."
"So..."
The First Blood raised his hand.
"I tore myself away."
"I separated my soul from the other two."
"But..."
His expression became slightly bitter.
"...There was a price."
"Part of my soul had already fused with the vessel."
"It had already been assimilated into the reincarnation process."
"And because my consciousness was the strongest..."
"...I remained the dominant consciousness."
"But you..."
He pointed toward Draven.
"...became the one controlling the vessel."
Draven stared at him.
The First Blood slowly lowered his hand.
"And now..."
"I'm trapped here."
"Without a body of my own."
Silence filled the darkness.
Draven remained expressionless.
The First Blood studied him for a moment.
"...It seems you don't fully understand what that means."
Draven said nothing.
"Right now..."
"...you aren't the same person you used to be."
"From the moment you were reborn..."
"...your actions have been influenced."
"Your mindset."
"Your emotions."
"Your instincts."
"Everything."
Draven's eyes narrowed slightly.
The First Blood continued.
"You've probably noticed it yourself."
"Those moments when you reacted differently from how you normally would."
"Things you did without understanding why."
"Emotions that felt completely natural..."
"...even though they shouldn't have been."
He paused.
"Even the love and affection you showed toward your family."
"Your parents."
"Your siblings."
"And especially..."
His voice lowered.
"...what you felt when your mother died."
Draven's expression remained unchanged.
The First Blood's voice became quieter.
"Those emotions weren't entirely yours."
"They belonged to the blank soul."
"The soul that was originally meant to become part of my reincarnation."
"That soul was empty."
"It had no identity."
"No memories."
"But as it lived..."
"...it began to develop."
"Feelings."
"Connections."
"Attachment."
"Love."
"Fear."
"Pain."
"All of those things became part of it."
He looked directly into Draven's eyes.
"And because your soul became the dominant consciousness..."
"...those things became part of you."
Draven remained silent.
The First Blood continued.
"That's what it means to become a new existence."
"You may possess all of your past memories."
"You may remember everything about who you were."
"But memories don't determine everything that you are."
"Your soul changed."
"Your emotions changed."
"Your personality changed."
"Your way of thinking changed."
He paused.
"So even though you remember being that person..."
"...you're no longer the same person."
The endless darkness became completely silent.
The First Blood stared at Draven.
"...You're something else entirely."
Draven stared back at him for several moments.
Then—
"So..."
"You're trapped in here."
"Unable to do shit."
"Am I right?"
The First Blood remained silent.
For a moment—
he simply stared at Draven.
Then he chuckled.
"To think you don't even feel anything after hearing all of that."
Draven's expression didn't change.
"Yeah."
"You just clarified what I already thought."
The First Blood's smile faded slightly.
"Is that so?"
"Huh."
"I suppose that's one way of putting it."
He shrugged.
"And yes."
"I'm trapped here."
"But that won't last forever."
"Once I find a suitable vessel..."
"...I'll leave."
He paused.
"Or..."
"I could simply take what was originally mine."
His gaze became sharper.
"That might be rather inconvenient for you."
"So why don't you find me a vessel instead?"
"That way..."
"...we can both get rid of each other."
"I know that's what you want."
Draven stared at him.
"You're still talking because I don't know how to kill you yet."
The First Blood blinked.
Draven's eyes narrowed.
"Once I figure it out..."
"...you're dead."
The First Blood suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
Draven continued speaking without the slightest reaction.
"And don't try manipulating me."
"If you're really capable of taking over my body..."
"...then go ahead."
"Who's stopping you?"
His voice became colder.
"The truth is..."
"...you can't do shit."
"You're as useless as they come."
The First Blood's laughter only grew louder.
"Hahaha..."
"What an analysis."
He wiped the corner of his eye.
"I can't even deny it."
"Right now..."
"...you're absolutely correct."
He looked toward Draven.
"But soon..."
His smile returned.
"That won't be the case anymore."
"Soon..."
"...you won't be the one in control."
Draven remained silent.
The First Blood's eyes narrowed.
"The process has already begun."
"From the very first memory..."
He paused.
"...the moment you absorbed Saintess Elira Syphra's."
Draven's expression finally changed slightly.
The First Blood immediately noticed.
"That's where everything began."