"Mr. Leon... you have helped us in such dire conditions. Please, accept this as your reward."
dina’s voice carried a solemn weight as she lifted both hands into the air. Between her palms, a brilliant golden glow blood, expanding like a miniature sun, radiating waves of divine warmth.
Leon squinted at the light, his brows furrowing. "What... is that?" His voice was edged with confusion, his instincts already screaming that this was no ordinary magic.
"Mother... you can’t be serious." Kiren’s tone was grave as she stepped forward, her wings trembling slightly.
"I already promised it to him, Kiren. I cannot go back on my word." dina’s gaze remained steady, her expression unreadable, yet resolute.
Kiren’s lips pressed into a thin line. "But mother... this isn’t sothing a mortal like him can handle."
Leon looked at it with a confused expression but then he imdiately used his skill.
[Error: Skill can’t be used on the Object]
Leon’s eyes widened in shock as soon as he readed the notification.
"What the hell is this thing ?" Leon asked in a low voice as he looked at dina.
dina looked at him for a mont, but before she could speak, Rees stepped forward, his red eyes gleaming faintly beneath his skull.
"Mr. Leon... it’s called a Nexus Star. It holds imnse power—power that only descends into this world once every thousand years." His voice was calm, but there was reverence in his tone as he stared at the golden glow. "When the Nexus Star passes through the sky, fragnts of its essence scatter. But to capture one, you must stand on the Lake of Matilda, at the edge of the world, and grasp its reflection from the water’s surface. That fragnt then crystallizes... into this.
These fragnts are so rare that I have only seen two of them in my whole life including this one."
"Wow, you really know so much, Mr. Rees." dina said warmly, smiling at Rees.
Rees shifted, rubbing his skeletal head shyly. "Well... you told about it once. I just rembered."
"Please accept it, Mr. Leon," dina urged, her gaze locking onto his.
Leon raised a hand uncertainly. "So... do I take it from your hands, or—?"
"Oh, no, no." dina shook her head gently. "It must be transferred directly... to your soul."
Before Leon could react, she pressed the glowing fragnt against his chest.
The mont it touched him—
Boom.
A rush of searing heat exploded in his body, flooding through his veins like liquid fire. His breath hitched, his knees buckling as sweat drenched his brow.
"W-What... what is happening to my body?! I-I don’t... feel good—!" His voice cracked as he collapsed, slamming onto his knees.
Thud.
"See... I told you. He won’t be able to take the power of a nexus star... No matter how powerful and smart he is.
We have to help him in this." Kiren spoke as she pointed towards Leon.
"If we helped him... He won’t be able to achieve the full potential of the Nexus star’s power. Do you want that Mr. Leon ?" dina asked with a neutral expression as she looked at Leon
"N-No..." Leon replied as his handclawed at his chest, the warmth escalating into unbearable agony, as though his very essence was being rewritten.
"Huff... huff... Adaptive Body!" Leon gasped desperately, activating his skill.
But then—
[System is being updated... Skills will be disabled temporarily.]
As soon as he readed the ssage his eyes widened in shock once again.
"What in the fucking—" Leon’s words broke as his consciousness slipped away, darkness consuming him. His body went limp.
Before he could hit the ground, Dusk silently moved beneath him, allowing Leon’s weight to rest against his large fra.
"Master will need rest after this," Dusk murmured, his deep voice calm, almost protective, as he settled down with Leon cradled like a fallen warrior.
dina’s eyes softened. She turned to Kiren. "Co. Let’s go find your sisters. We must prepare for your ceremony."
Kiren hesitated, her gaze lingering on Leon’s unconscious form. At last, she nodded. "Yes." She followed her mother, her steps heavy but determined as she continued to stare at Leon.
"Mr. Rees? Aren’t you coming with us?" dina asked, pausing at the doorway.
Rees shook his head firmly, his skeletal hand clenched at his side. "I can’t. This man has done too much for . I won’t abandon him in such a vulnerable state. Forgive ."
dina’s expression softened further, a rare smile crossing her lips. "I understand. You are a very good friend, Mr. Rees. I admire that greatly."
With those words, dina and Kiren left, their figures fading into the distance, while Rees sat down on the bed.
"She... smiled at , didn’t she? When she left... right, Dusk?" Rees whispered, his hollow voice soft, almost uncertain.
"Hm...? What ?," Dusk rumbled, his eyes fixed on Leon’s unmoving body. "I was too focused on Master. I am also very tried from using my skills back to back tonight... I will just take a nap as well."
Dusk lowered his massive head onto the ground. A faint smile lingered on his face before he drifted into sleep.
"I-I see..." Rees murmured, his skeletal fingers curling slightly. His gaze returned to Leon. The man’s skin flickered with faint golden light, pulsing like a heartbeat. Every so often his body convulsed, muscles twitching violently, as though sothing far greater than flesh was rewriting him from the inside.
---
Leon opened his eyes.
Darkness. Endless, suffocating darkness.
His lips curled in irritation. "I fucking hate this place," he muttered, his voice echoing unnaturally in the void. He was back in his soul realm again—the abyss of his own existence, where nothing but silence and darkness reigned.
*Swish*
A faint spark appeared in the distance, flickering like a candle fla struggling to survive in the void.
Leon froze. His eyes narrowed. "...What?"
The spark pulsed once, and then—
"Hello, Leon."
The voice was neither loud nor quiet. It simply was, carrying across the darkness like a whisper in his very bones.
Leon’s shoulders stiffened. "...Who the fuck are you ?"
The spark shimred, its glow shifting like rippling water. "Who I am... would take far too long to explain. But for now, you may call ... Nexus."
Leon’s eyes widened slightly. "...Nexus. You’re that star, aren’t you?"
A gentle hum reverberated through the void. "Indeed. And now that I am here, I see sothing troubling." The spark seed to peer into him, its presence weighing heavily on the air. "Your soul realm... is weak, fragile, and vulnerable. If left unchecked, it will collapse. You must strengthen it."
Leon frowned. "And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"
"I will help you," Nexus said calmly. "But first, we must drive away this darkness that clings to you. I will just add a little light to it."
Before Leon could respond, a sudden glow burst above his head. One by one, white specks appeared in the black sky—tiny lights, faint at first, then growing brighter, scattering across the void like stars awakening from a long slumber.
Leon tilted his head back, his lips parting. "What in the... fucking hell...?"
The darkness began to thin, and then—
Fwoom.
From the left, an overwhelming radiance flared. Leon flinched, raising his hand to shield his eyes. The light was blinding, pure and untad, forcing his vision shut.
When he cautiously lowered his arm and opened his eyes again, his breath caught.
In the distance, hanging in the void like a divine sentinel, was a colossal silver moon. Its glow poured across the soul realm in rivers of serene light, drowning the shadows in its brilliance.
"Beautiful..." Leon spoke with a shocked expression as he continued to stare at the moon.
It was as if he was standing in a lake that was directly in front of the mood. The view was too srizing.
"It’s one of the best soul domain.... Full Moon’s glaire. Although it’s not the best at stopping your enemies from entering your soul realm forcefully but once they get inside... They will regret it very much.
Because they can co inside without your permission but can’t leave unless you allow it.
You can strengthen this domain by collecting soul fragnts from monsters that you kill." Nexus spoke.
"What ?" Leon asked with a confused expression.
"Yes... Whenever you kill a monster their soul essence tries to leave their body, if you capture that and send it here, I can make that very monster in here and it will guard your soul realm from outsiders.
Or, you can even fight them to strengthen your own soul." Nexus explained.
"You can really do that ?" Leon asked with a shocked expression.
"I can but rember... Soul essence only stays on a monster for a few seconds after it’s death. If you didn’t catch it on ti... It will escape." Nexus explained.
"I see..." Leon replied as he disappeared imdiately.
...
*Blink-Blink*
Leon returned back to his body and as soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a notification hovering in front of his face.
[CONGRATULATIONS !! ALL YOUR SKILLS HAVE BEEN UPGRADE BY 2 RANKS.]
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