Chapter 3: Soul Eater
Shreya awakened to darkness once again. However, something was different now. He couldn't feel anything, but he somehow remained aware.
"Is this...death?" was the man's first thought.
Shreya enhanced his awareness through outstanding willpower and managed to open his eyes. Even though he perceived himself as opening his eyes, he knew he no longer possessed a physical body.
Shreya was a mere soul form, with nothing left tying him down to the physical world. However, his soul seemed to be growing in strength and also getting gently but constantly pulled in a particular direction. It was like a rope was tied around his waist, and he could be dragged to the other end of it as long as he allowed himself.
'My spell worked?' was the man's second thought.
In front of Shreya was an endless expanse of darkness. There was nothing as far as the eyes could see. The void had swallowed the whole world, but he felt some kind of holy and indomitable aura coming from…behind? He turned around only to see an enormous scale camouflaged into the white haze behind him. The Apostle Scale of Duality was a spiritual tool revered for many generations. This wasn't like the rhomboid scales that hid within his body. No, this was an actual scale used to compare the weight of things.
"The Apostle Scale of Duality," Shreya marveled at the holy aura that filled the area the moment he laid eyes on that scale, which was inlaid with countless gems and jewels engraved into its sides and weighing disks. What was once a world of darkness became a world of blinding white light in a flash. In addition to that brightness came fear and dread—the feelings swirling through his heart were too powerful to distinguish one from another.
"Forgive us for ending your life so prematurely, young divinity." An all-encompassing voice filled the area and shook the scenery, yet it seemed to pierce straight into Shreya's heart. "Young divinity, your time has come. Our world might yet see your return one day. Why do you fight death? It is time to weigh your sins and move on."
This force distorted his resolve and frayed every nerve in his body. Shreya grits his teeth and stubbornly resolves his heart.
"Weigh my sins... Mwahaha, against what, pray tell? My heart? My heart has already died long ago! My sin is my eternal weapon of war and redemption. The world I knew was foul. The life we live is for the benefit of another. I will change this! No one can stop me!" as Shreya yelled, a glowing formation circle came to life under his translucent feet.
Shreya howled with rage as the glowing formation circle pulsed beneath his feet, shimmering with power. He felt like a titan, capable of destroying an entire universe, and nothing would stand in his way. In defiance, he spoke the forbidden spell, not caring for the consequences that could follow. The world shivered in response to his dark words as terror spread.
His soul form seemed to become almost physical in its appearance as power flooded his heart. The golden aura of the formation caused the entire world to quake!
"YOU DARE!?" the voice bellowed in fury. "Stand down, NOW! The forbidden spell you are using could cause this entire soul plane to crumble into pieces! Are you mad? Are you daft?"
Shreya didn't respond with words. The magic circle under his feet simply started transforming and expanding.
"SOUL EATER!" The voice screamed in fury. "AWAKEN FROM THE DARK DEPTHS AND DEVOUR THIS FOUL SOUL INTO THE CHEST OF DEATH!"
Shreya didn't waver in his stance and cast one last defiant look at his enemy before speaking the final words of the incantation. Suddenly, from deep within the darkness, a monstrous form began to take shape - a giant arm of endless darkness wielding a mighty silver-golden dragon bone trident manifested itself.
Simultaneously, a monstrous serpent emerged from the depths of darkness. Its colossal body, formed entirely of swirling shadows, coiled and snaked for what seemed like endless kilometers. The creature's piercing golden eyes glinted with an otherworldly intensity, drawing in the surrounding light and casting it back out in a deadly vortex. The very air seemed to tremble in its presence as if bowing down to the power of this fearsome being.
This was the fabled bringer of death and infinite punishment. To be swallowed by this serpent of death was to be banished from reincarnation and condemned to an eternity of purgatory within the Twilight Boundary. It was the bane of the wicked souls whose belly was the entrance to purgatory.
The Soul Eater.
The Soul Eater was Shreya's only key to success.
Through the purest destruction, he would force creation.
To return.
To renew.
To undo that tragedy.
He had to face this soul eater in single combat in this land of souls, and he had to win...Shreya stood his ground as the soul eater loomed over him, its massive jaws gaping wide. The serpent's eyes glimmered with malice and hunger as its tongue flicked out, tasting the air around Shreya's soul form.
Shreya didn't flinch. He knew what was at stake. He had to defeat the Soul Eater if he was to have any chance of returning to the physical world and enacting his revenge.
With a roar, the Soul Eater lunged at Shreya, its jaws closing in. But Shreya was ready. He sidestepped the attack and lashed out with a burst of dark energy. The Soul Eater recoiled, its massive body writhing in pain.
Shreya continued his assault, his attacks fueled by his rage and determination. He dodged the serpent's strikes and countered with his own spells, each one more powerful than the last.
Shreya's eyes glinted with determination as he faced the monstrous form of the Soul Eater. It towered above him, its shadowy form blotting out the light of the surrounding area. But Shreya was not afraid. He had come too far, faced too much, to be undone by a mere creature of the soul plane.
With a fierce cry of challenge, Shreya leaped forward and attacked the Soul Eater with all the power at his command. His fists struck out with lightning speed, his feet danced around the creature, and his spells exploded fiercely. But the Soul Eater was no easy foe, and it fought back with equal ferocity. Its trident sliced through the air like a razor, its serpent body coiled around Shreya like a python, and its eyes blazed with the fury of a thousand suns.
The battle raged on for what seemed like an eternity. The Soul Eater fought with a deadly mystic light and adeptly wielded a trident. Shreya's attacks grew more wild and less calculative. Shreya took a deep breath and summoned his soul armament.
The Infinity Sword.
He knew that this battle would determine his destiny. If he failed, he would be consumed by the Soul Eater and doomed to an eternity of suffering. If he won, he might just have a chance to return to the physical world and undo what had been done.
With a burst of energy, Shreya shot toward the Soul Eater, his sword drawn and ready to strike. As he closed in on the shadowy serpent, it lashed out with its massive tail, sending him spiraling backward.
Shreya gritted his teeth and charged towards the Soul Eater again, his sword glowing with an otherworldly power. The serpent hissed and lunged towards him, but Shreya evaded its attack with a graceful spin.
The two titans clashed, the deafening sound reverberating through the infinite void. Shreya's sword sliced through the air with ferocity as the Soul Eater thrust its trident forward maliciously. When blades collided, a blinding light erupted that sucked away all matter and left only darkness in its wake. The sheer force of the battle shook the very foundations of creation itself.
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AN: HELLO again, everyone. Welcome to the new series Eternal Luck. The first ten chapters are a mass release for my dear readers. A bit of a prologue of sorts. If you're impatient to meet our MC, be at ease! In a way, you already have. This first volume is called Eternal Luck and the Pharaoh's Child. Be sure to support the series with Powerstones if you want a happy author!
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