Abel awakens in darkness.
Not the darkness of a room. Not the darkness of night. This is nothingness. No floor, no walls, no sky—just emptiness pressing from all sides. There is no sound, no echo of his breathing, no sense of time. He is… simply here.
He moves.
His feet press against nothing, yet he walks. Slowly, deliberately. Every step feels like falling into an endless void.
Then, a figure appears.
It wears a white cloak that seems to devour the surrounding darkness. Its face remains hidden, but two golden eyes shine like distant suns. Its white boots, pants, and shirt glimmer, radiating a calm, almost divine light that warps the space around it.
Abel's hand goes to his chest. "Who… are you?" he asks, his voice swallowed by the void.
The being doesn't answer. It simply raises a finger and presses it lightly to Abel's forehead. A gentle push sends him tumbling backward.
He falls.
And falls.
The void stretches endlessly beneath him, deeper than any sky he has ever known. The figure's radiant aura fades, growing dimmer with every second until it vanishes completely.
Abel's descent continues, faster and faster, until he lands abruptly.
His eyes snap open. He is on Astra's lap.
"How long was I out?" he asks.
"Twenty minutes," she responds.
"I see."
'Who was that?' Abel ponders.
[ Notice ]
He hears a loud chime echo through his head.
[ Class: Divine Arbiter ]
[ Description: Master of souls and anti-divine power. Control bound souls to fight at your will. ]
[ Skill known as Soul Transfiguration has evolved ]
[ Soul Transfiguration → Soul Dominion ]
[ Description: You have gained the ability to:
Forcefully control a soul to become your soldier
Merge multiple souls to become one entity ]
"That's... useful," he says.
Abel lifts his head from Astra's lap and sits himself straight.
"Excuse me Sir Abel."
He looks back at her.
"Your ears, they seem to have become elf-like."
"Elf like?"
He touches the side of his head. Sure enough the tips of his ears have become pointed but they haven't become as long as an elf's.
'This must be a side effect of override.'
"Open skill: Override."
[ Skill: Override Mode- lv. 1 ]
[ Description: A forbidden state that bypasses all limiters. This state provides a 300% boost to all physical and magical attributes, allowing the user to dictate the flow of combat through sheer destructive force. While in this state the user will experience a change in personality, becoming more ruthless and prioritizingnthe enemy destruction.]
[ Penalty: Rapid, continuous MP drain. After first use, the user may experience some temporary changes to their body. ]
Abel stares at the blue screen.
He scratches his head.
"Well it says it temporary," he sighs.
He looks around the room.
The once beautiful chamber has been reduced to a pile of rubble.
Right in the center of the room lies the dragon's corpse. Its scales have been cracked, its teeth were broken, and its wings have been cut off. Slash marks can be found all over its body.
Abel and Astra did not show any mercy to the poor beast.
Using his knee as support, Abel stands up. Astra gets up as well.
"Astra," Abel says, "gather up as much material from the previous monsters."
She bows before quickly vanishing out of sight.
Abel walks towards the corpse of the dragon.
[ Soul Dominion Activated ]
For a brief moment—
Nothing happens.
Then—
A faint glow flickers beneath the creature's cracked scales.
Once.
Twice.
Then it spreads.
Light seeps through every fracture in its body, leaking out like something trapped beneath the surface. The corpse trembles, dust sliding from its massive frame as the glow intensifies.
A low hum fills the chamber.
Mana.
Pure, unrefined mana begins to gather—thin strands at first, rising from the corpse like smoke.
Then more.
And more.
Then, they converge.
Right above the dragon's chest, the strands twist together, condensing into a single point.
A sphere forms.
Small at first.
Then it swells—growing rapidly into a massive orb of light, beating like a living heart.
The orb suddenly jerks.
Then—
It shoots backward.
Trying to escape.
The air distorts as it accelerates, tearing through the ruined chamber in a desperate attempt to flee.
Abel's eyes narrow.
His hand rises.
Then—
He clenches it.
The space around the orb collapses.
A violent pressure crushes inward from all sides, halting its movement instantly. The orb trembles wildly, its light flickering in panic.
A deep violet aura ignites around Abel.
Threads of purple mana surge outward from him, coiling through the air like living chains. They wrap around the orb, dragging it closer to Abel.
The light struggles.
Violently.
But it cannot move.
"I wasn't asking."
His voice is cold.
Final.
His golden eyes ignite.
The dragon senses Abel's authority.
It thrashes harder to escape, but the more it struggles—
The tighter the binds get.
[ Notice ]
A chime echoes through Abel's head.
[ You may bestow a name: _____ ]
Even bound.
Even overpowered.
It still bares its fangs towards Abel.
A faint smirk touches his lips.
"I'll call you—"
[ You may bestow a name: Fang ]
The orb stops.
Then—
It implodes.
The light collapses inward, folding into itself as if space itself is being crushed. The purple mana surrounding it surges violently, pouring into the core like fuel feeding a fire.
The chamber trembles.
The orb begins to expand again.
But this time—
With form.
Limbs take shape first—massive, clawed, yet not truly solid. They are composed of dense, flowing mana, constantly shifting like liquid held together by will alone.
A body follows.
Then wings.
Then a head.
Finally, a tail.
Each part forms from pure energy, layered and compressed until it resembles something.
The light dims—
Darkens—
Turning into a deep violet glow.
Its massive form bows before Abel without hesitation.
Abel stares at it for a moment.
Then nods once.
"Good."
He turns, walking away without another glance.
'That's new,' he ponders in his head.
As swift as the wind, Astra appears before Abel holding the corpse of the crimson wolves.
Their heads had been cut, their skin was infested with slash marks, courtesy of Astra.
She throws them towards Abel.
"These were the only things I could salvage."
Abel twists his head in confusion.
"What happened to the orcs?"
She lowers her head.
"I'm sorry, but when I got there, the corpses had vanished. There was no blood, no bodies, almost like they were never there."
"Really," he responds. "Oh well, nothing we can do about it now."
He walks towards the wolf corpses, then stops abruptly.
He turns around and stares at Astra.
He signals her to bend down, and she does so without hesitation.
He puts his hand on her head and starts patting her.
He stops.
"You did great, there wasn't an ounce of hesitation in your movements. As a reward, I'll get you a new pair of daggers. I'll have them custom-made by me."
"...Understood," she says quietly.
He takes his hand off her head and stares at the wolf corpses once more.
He crouches down and touches one of them.
"...You'll do," he says quietly.
A faint glow started to rise from their bodies, forming a small, shaky orb above each of the 10 wolves.
He sends a bit of his own mana into it to stabilize it.
The orbs start to glow with a brilliant purple hue before expanding. It forms limbs, tails and a head. Fur begins to grow from the bodies of mana.
The ten wolves fully form, their bodies now stable as the mana settles.
[ Notice ]
[ You have obtained the Sovereign key ]
[Description: Opens a key to a dungeon filled with SS-rank monsters. Can be used on any door. ]
An obsidian-black key with glowing purple veins running through its jagged, crown-shaped bow appears in Abels hand.
He stares at it before putting it into his inventory.
He turns around towards fang who had been sitting there just watching him.
"Hey fang."
The dragon raises his head.
"How long would it take you to fly me back home."