Chapter 158: To Write Fate
The moment the amulet touched my skin, a withering gust of mana blasted into my soul, overwhelming my senses and leaving me blind to everything but the excruciating pain. Even Grand Inquisitor Korvin’s hand on my shoulder, dangerously close to the Sunpurge, faded from my mind.
The mana circled the countless fragments of my soul, tearing them apart before reassembling them, as a doctor set a broken bone. But unlike a mortal healer, the amulet spared little effort in preserving my comfort, completing the task in a ruthlessly efficient manner.
As the process was completed, more mana coiled into compressed cords, spinning tightly around my soul. More and more strands tightened into place until my entire soul was bound in a layer of mana. More cords arose, bearing tapered tips, that then dove through the membrane, piercing my soul through entirely. The threads wove a complex tapestry of supportive mana, suturing the damaged fragments together.
As they drew taught, the pain of thousands of punctures grew, nearly transcending the original agony of the sea of mana as it broke my soul. Vaguely, in some corner of my mind, I could feel myself thrashing and screaming, but the physical sensations were so far detached I couldn’t linger on them.
An eternity later, the mana stilled, and the pain began to subside. Gradually, my senses returned, and I was able to feel my soul once more. A violent shudder coursed through me as I embraced my mana, tears streaming from my eyes as the familiar sensation filled me. I couldn’t tell where the amulet’s threads ended, and my soul began, but it was enough. My magic had returned.
Breathing deeply, I called upon my mana, saturating every fiber of my being. The air pulsed as Adaptive Resistance answered my call, sheathing me in its invisible protection. More mana flowed into me until my soul trembled, and the sutures of the amulet began to strain. But even as a thrill of pain shot through me, I persisted. The slave crest shook, its shroud beginning to disintegrate, exposing me to the clean, undefiled freedom that had always been beyond reach.
"That’s quite enough of that."
A cold voice cut through my premature ecstasy and the amulet’s bindings tightened, compressing my soul. Immediately, another wave of agony roared through me as my gathered mana surpassed my soul’s new, reduced size. Reluctantly, I could only watch as the tides of mana slipped away, draining out until I held scarcely enough for a fifth-circle spell. The slave crest immediately began renewing its grip, clamping down on my soul until the thick layers of oily darkness seemed to coat everything once more.
"Why...?" I whispered as the final taste of freedom disappeared.