A New World, an immersive game experience

Chapter 400: A wandering soul

Eldrian stared at the pit that was burning with black flames and all those heavily wounded. Naturally, he felt like shit knowing that the target was him. That if not for him none of this would happen.

After a moment of shock and cursing himself, he rushed forward to try and help. Yet, what could he do?

The flames ate at those it had touched. It sank into their skin and played with their emotions. Few managed to keep their minds intact.

'What is this stuff?' Eldrian asked and tried to use mana sense. Yet, it failed him. The flames simply appeared like a mass of absolute darkness. In his curiosity, he almost went to touch it. He just barely managed to stay sane and not due so thanks to seeing the conditions of all those that it had touched.

It was at this moment that Eldrian suddenly saw something unbelievable. A piece of black smoke, invisible to all but his mana sense, moved upwards and then targetted one of the people covered in the most flames. Talastos, the old king.

Eldrian had no idea what it was, but he was sure it was not anything good. Jumping forward, not knowing what else to do, Eldrian blocked it before it could touch the centaur.

His jump brought him into the pit as his mind was suddenly filled with rage.

'How dare you!' A voice shouted as it tried to hastily kill its new host. However, Eldrian was one of the most experienced people here. At least when considering souls.

Without delay, he entered the Mageia Avyssos and appeared at his heart soul. A devil was striking at the heart, when suddenly the ice aurora sprang to life and blocked the attack while the fire threw the devil back.

Stopping in disbelief, the devil started at Eldrian's silhouette in the abyss.

"That's impossible!" The devil shouted and Eldrian ignored him. Instead, he moved close to his heart soul and spread the fire into the surroundings.

"Who and what are you?" Eldrian asked while threatening with the fire. At first, the devil did not care. Why would it, the abyss was endless and it could easily escape from Eldrian. However, suddenly it found itself just a meter from the heart as the fire slapped it to the ground.

Naturally, there was no ground. Yet, somehow the devil rebounded on it. While laying on the ground it looked at Eldrian in utter disbelief.

"That's impossible. How did you-"

Another slap caused the devil to nearly lose consciousness. Something it new would mean its true death.

"Stop! Stop! I will tell you everything."

"Then start!" Eldrian shouted, the fire threatening while the ice fully encapsulated his heart soul. Leaving no method for the devil to try and sneak attack him. The days of fighting against an endless mass of darkness had made Eldrian the ruler of this area in the Mageia Avyssos.

"I'm Milgoroth, a devil prince. I was sent to kill you."

"By who?"

"My father."

'His father?' Eldrian questioned and asked who that was.

"My father is a devil king, Azamud." The devil spat out the name with hatred. Hoping that his giving this information would lead to his father's death if he could not escape from here.

"How are you still alive?" Eldrian asked next and Milgoroth paused, receiving another slap that force him to talk.

"Souls don't die immediately when the body does. I just so happen to be really good at controlling mine so I-"

Eldrian shut him up by giving him another slap. "I asked how you are still alive, not for you to stroke your ego."

"Fine! It is because I exploded my body to kill the mage."

'What now?' Eldrian wondered, when suddenly the devil charged at his silhouette with a smirk. However, just as his attack was about to land Eldrian suddenly appeared on the other side of the heart.

"Did you really think that will work?" Eldrian asked, the act shocking the devil again.

"How did you- How is this possible!?"

"How is what possible?" Eldrian asked, humoring the devil in hopes of learning something. He felt fully confident in protecting himself and was curious if the system would come or not.

"How can you teleport? How can you control where even I am?"

"That's it? That's basic..." Eldrian sighed. Naturally, he could appear anywhere here, this space was all his 'soul'. At least within a certain range of the heart he was the master of this space.

He could also naturally manipulate the area itself as it was basically what he did when he moved. However, it was trickier and he couldn't do it as fast. Hence why he had moved himself when Milgoroth tried to attack him and not the other way around.

"Basic?" Disbelief filled the devil as he wondered what kind of joke was being played on him. It had taken him years and years of feeding on other's souls to get to the point where he could control his own.

Yet this elf had better control than him and called it basic. The most shocking thing however was how lacking the elf's soul was. Yet, it seemed to be stronger than any of those that had appeared endless.

"Eldrian, what is going on?" A female voice asked and shocked the devil even more. He even nearly fainted as he could feel that just a word from this voice could kill him.

"This guy tried to take over someone else's body. I stopped him. I didn't know that something like that is possible." Eldrian asked, now fully relaxed as he knew nothing Milgoroth tried would work if Ziraili was also here.

"It isn't possible." The voice disappeared for a second before returning, "Correction, it wasn't possible."

"What?"

"This is the first time something like this has happened. Either we have never managed to see it before, or this devil is the first to ever manage something such as this."

Nodding Eldrian looked at him and asked, "Can you kill him. I don't know if the fire will do the job."

"Of course, however, it would be better if you did it."

"Hey! What are-" Feeling an immense pressure wash over him, Milgoroth immediately shut up.

"Why?" Eldrian asked.

"Devils grow stronger by feeding on emotions or souls, however, it is not unique to their race. All races have the ability, it is just that it is deemed a taboo and forbidden. Recall how I mentioned how the races had split due to cultural events or rumors."

Eldrian nodded, recalling that she had mentioned that those who fully accepted their nature had changed in appearance to better reflect it. They had not been made, they had evolved.

"Is it safe?"

"Hey! I am not goi-" Again he shut up as the pressure nearly crushed his soul.

"Yes, however, it might be difficult. He is far stronger than the revenant curse you fought last time. While killing him will be easy, absorbing him will not be."

Eldrian paused hearing this. He did not want another life and death struggle that lasted days. Once was enough. He also didn't want more memories that weren't his.

Bringing this up to Ziraili, she honestly replied that she did not know if that would happen or not. While hearing it sent even more shock through Milgoroth's soul.

'He absorbed a living soul?!' Was the single thought that filled his mind and made everything make sense and also make even less sense at the same time.

'No wonder he is a candidate...' Thinking of how he had always been inadequate to his father, Milgoroth understood why. This, this was what a genius looked like.

The two were naturally unaware of the devil's thoughts, though Ziraili could feel that he was undergoing an internal struggle.