Free Web NovelChapter 32: Playing with Fire
Rios had never trusted those hollow beliefs held by the Elf race about worshipping the Nine Immortal Trees.
Sentient beings were the most fickle creatures when it came to emotions and loyalty. One generation worshipped, then a new generation was born and their faith began to waver. Not to mention that the Nine Immortal Trees were living beings themselves, no different from Elves, humans, or any other plants and creatures. Even if the one true Creator of the universe—the God who brought everything into existence from nothingness—were to send messengers commanding people to worship Him, there would still be those who rejected both Him and His messengers.
Some would deny the message from the very beginning. Others would believe at first, only for that faith to weaken with each passing generation until some abandoned it entirely, while others became believers in name alone. Only a tiny fraction would remain steadfast.
Naturally, demi-humans were no exception to that rule.
Rios had seen it all too clearly.
The Tree of Life, which they had worshipped for a hundred years—and before it, countless other sacred trees over thousands of years—had been abandoned the moment a stronger sacred tree appeared, one whose ambitions aligned with theirs.
Only a fool would place blind trust in a race like that without guarantees.
So Rios seized this opportunity to sink his roots deeply into the Elf race.
No... this still isn’t enough! If I want complete control over them, then a single little queen won’t suffice. Every important figure must submit, willingly or by force!
Those thoughts raced through his mind as Elena repeated the oath after him, the two of them already reaching its conclusion.
"And should I violate any of the conditions above... I deserve immediate death."
"And should I violate any of the conditions above... I deserve immediate death."
As Elena finished speaking the final sentence, countless ribbons woven from ghostly energy and engraved with crimson and violet symbols emerged from the black-and-crimson mist beneath them.
The spectral bindings slowly rose and wrapped themselves around the joined hands of Rios and Elena.
As they touched their skin, the strange symbols imprinted themselves into their flesh before gradually fading away.
Once the markings disappeared, a tombstone materialized beside them.
Soul Oath Grave — Rios & Elena
The gravestone soon vanished, and the mysterious symbols resurfaced inside their minds. This time, however, they transformed into the very words of the oath Rios had recited.
The experience was surreal and bizarre, yet completely painless.
When the symbols finally disappeared, the pair recovered from their astonishment.
At that moment, a black-and-purple sphere emerged from Elena’s head, drifted slowly toward Rios, and entered his own.
Rios offered no resistance and allowed it inside.
In an instant, his consciousness faded from reality altogether as he was pulled into an entirely different world.
Within a realm of pure white, Rios appeared as a giant sphere roughly two meters tall.
The space itself stretched only a few hundred meters, and at its center stood a ten-meter-tall white tree identical to Rios’s true form.
This was his primordial soul—his genuine existence.
Beside the white tree appeared the figure of a woman entirely made of white light, bearing Elena’s exact appearance.
She curled into herself like a ball and fell into a deep slumber as countless black thorn-covered chains burst from the white ground, binding her tightly.
This figure represented a fragment of Elena’s soul.
It now served as the link between Rios and Elena.
Should she violate even a single condition of the Soul Oath, those black chains would drag that fragment into the Abyss Tomb, causing her immediate death.
The Immortal-rank skill Abyss Tomb was no ordinary ability.
Its creator had been the Abyss itself, forged through the Primordial Law of Souls.
Its uses extended far beyond killing enemies or sealing them away. It possessed countless applications—some Rios already understood, and many he had yet to discover.
The Soul Oath and the creation of contracts were merely one of those many functions.
The skill was almost like an independent subsidiary law in its own right.
Gradually regaining consciousness, Rios looked at Elena with genuine appreciation.
Very few people would dare place such trust in another while staking their own lives upon it.
Perhaps Elena was foolish.
Perhaps she was courageous.
Or perhaps she had simply found hope in him. freeweɓnøvel.com
In truth, Rios cared little about the reason.
What mattered was the relief of finally being able to share his burden with someone else.
"To begin with... I wasn’t born into this world until about two weeks ago."
Rios began telling his story from the very beginning while Elena listened quietly.
"Shortly after awakening, I was chosen by a mysterious existence and obtained an ethereal treasure that helps me grow stronger."
"After obtaining that treasure, countless memories flowed into my mind. They belonged to another person from another world—a world with no magic, no elemental powers, and no multiple races. Humans were the dominant species there. Just ordinary humans, without training or even a trace of mana."
"And in that world, there was a lonely and miserable young man around twenty years old who died of blood poisoning caused by spoiled food."
Rios let out a mocking laugh before continuing.
"That young man’s name was... Rios Astar."
"My awakening as the Tree of Abyss happened to coincide with his death. When I gained consciousness, his memories awakened with me. Perhaps I merely inherited them... or perhaps his soul was transferred into my body. Honestly, I have no idea how to explain it."
Rios laughed at his own ignorance while Elena remained silent, patiently waiting for him to continue.
"Once I fully awakened with Rios’s memories, the sys—nnngh!"
The instant he tried to utter the word system, an overwhelming suppression swept through both his body and soul.
He could not finish speaking.
It felt as though someone were striking his very spirit with a colossal hammer.
[The host should be careful before playing with fire.]
The system’s metallic, emotionless voice echoed through his mind, carrying the faintest trace of ridicule.
"I knew you’d pull something like this, you damned bastard!"
Despite the unbearable suppression and the agony crushing his soul, Rios smiled defiantly.
A hint of madness flashed across his eyes.
"My heavens! Are you alright?!"
Elena panicked and rushed forward, grabbing Rios by the shoulder before he could collapse onto the bed, her face filled with fear and concern.
Seeing her reaction, Rios smiled gently and softly ruffled her hair.
"Don’t worry. It’s just a minor backlash. That bastard simply doesn’t want me revealing its existence."
