"I control the time, I create the life, yet a single second of his suffering dissolves my duty as a mother."
It happened ten years ago, when Yunia first learned a truth that tore through her heart as a mother.
"The black shadow that resides within Enatur's Spiritual Realm… it was the one who raised me from infancy, who trained and taught me everything I know."
God Marrec Van Dammon. The Emperor of the Gods of Darkness. The ruler of the Heaven of Darkness.
At this time, his form existed as a Dark Spirit.
"Soul Core... you said, Master?" Yunia's eyes widened. It felt as if lightning had struck her chest. Her breath caught; her throat ran dry.
Her hands clenched so tightly that blood trickled between her fingers.
"The Soul Core is a reincarnation regulation ritual used by the faction known as the Gods of Darkness. When a person is dying, their soul is extracted, along with their memories and power, then, it is sealed inside a special crystal sphere." The dark spirit explained calmly.
"That's impossible!" Yunia's voice trembled; her complexion turned pale.
"The Soul Core is placed inside the body of a newborn child, it attaches to the body's spiritual nucleus, becoming its host. When your son turns seventeen, his soul will vanish, replaced by the soul sealed within the core." The dark spirit continued.
Tears streamed down her face. Her heart clenched in agony.
"I understand your pain and tears. I once trained you to be strong, not fragile. Yet I understand—no mother could bear to see her child bound by such a fate."
Yunia said nothing. She could only listen, frozen in despair.
"And you must also know... my consciousness is linked with his. What I see, he sees. I am part of him," said the dark spirit, his tone heavy and bitter.
"I have heard of the Soul Core before, but never of its darker counterpart," Yunia muttered softly.
"When my soul was extracted, an error occurred during the ritual," the spirit continued.
"That mistake created me—this separated, darker half of my being. And because of that error, there may be a chance to free your son from the curse of the Soul Core."
Hope flared in Yunia's eyes. "Tell me how!" she shouted, her voice trembling.
"Follow me. I will show you my true soul."
The dark spirit flew ahead. Yunia followed close behind.
The sight that unfolded before her made her tremble.
A galaxy of crimson auras spun before her, vast and radiant like countless stars. Yet among them, black stains shrouded several points in shadow.
"This massive wave of spiritual energy... it belongs to your son. It is his spiritual vortex."
Yunia saw a large, muscular man with long white hair and a thick beard. His eyes were closed, his arms spread wide, his body wrapped in a black mist.
"Because I was once your master, I swore to suppress the growth of his Soul Core. That is why his original soul has not yet fully merged with the core," said the dark spirit.
"Thank you, Master, for your effort." Yunia exhaled softly, relief flickering in her heart.
"But my time is limited. If my strength weakens, I will become a malignant force that will suppress your son's spiritual energy instead."
---
After that, the Dark Spirit gave Yunia a formula—ingredients to create a Spiritual Soul Recovery Elixir, meant to awaken a dormant spirit within a soul.
A few days later, Yunia successfully gathered all the materials and brought them to dark spirit. Once the potion was purified, the dark spirit infused it into his spiritual essence. But... there was a heavy price to pay.
"I can sense a Soul-Binding Technique within your son's body, linked directly to my soul," the master said, gazing deeply into her eyes.
"My Soul Core currently functions as a substitute soul, filling the void within your son's spirit. When you gave birth to him, your son was actually dying," he spoke softly.
Yunia's body trembled violently. The spiritual realm around them froze.
The Dark Spirit took a deep breath, as if his next words were a curse upon himself.
"Without my Soul Core, your son would not have survived."
His words struck Yunia like a bolt of thunder. Her breath grew heavy, almost suffocating. The truth was too painful to bear.
"For now, I have planted a fragment of my soul within him, preventing the Soul Core from fully merging with his body's nucleus."
"If that happens... your path to save him will become far more difficult."
"Thank you, Master." Yunia bowed deeply, her voice trembling.
"The next stage requires me to focus on restoring and awakening my true self," the spirit said.
"Find an alchemist skilled enough to purify a medicine for your son."
"Yes, Master. I will find one," Yunia replied firmly.
"One more thing. During my restoration, my true soul will absorb ninety-five percent of your son's spiritual energy as nourishment. The side effect is severe—he will be unable to use his spiritual energy for cultivation."
Yunia's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? Then my son... he won't be able to cultivate?!"
Her voice broke with shock.
The Dark Spirit turned away, unable to meet her gaze.
"There is no other choice. To save your son, something must be sacrificed."
"Understood, Master," Yunia replied, her tone heavy, her heart breaking apart.
"I must focus now. Forgive me, Yunia," the Dark Spirit said, his tone solemn. He dared not look at her face.
Yunia forced a faint smile through her tears. "It's... it's alright, Master. As long as I can see him grow up, I'll do whatever it takes. I'll find an alchemist as soon as possible."
The upper half of her face fell into shadow. Tears streamed endlessly down her cheeks.
Yunia exited the Spiritual Realm. As her eyes opened, her body felt unbearably heavy.
Little Enatur was already asleep—his breathing soft, his innocent face unaware of the immense burden upon his soul.
She took a deep breath, trying to suppress her rage and fear.
Yunia made her choice with a trembling heart—a painful decision no mother should ever have to make.
The burden her son would one day bear... would be far heavier than anyone could imagine.
She closed the door to his room quietly and rested her forehead against it. Her fists tightened. The emotions inside her chest threatened to explode.
"I must find another way... I cannot break. Not now."
The door to her home opened, revealing a blinding white light.
She stood there, consumed by grief. The echoes of the Dark Spirit's words still thundered in her mind.
Her eyes turned to the sky. Time seemed to move faster than ever.
---
Ten years passed, yet every time she looked at Enatur's face, she could still see the shadow of the curse.
And now, time continued to march toward his seventeenth year.
Enatur stood in the mansion's backyard, surrounded by soft grass and countless blooming flowers. The midday sun warmed his skin.
Under the gentle light, he meditated. It had been a long time since he last tried. Now, he focused deeply.
A faint red aura glowed around his body—his spiritual energy, thin and fragile. Inside him, his meridian pathways pulsed weakly, struggling to circulate the energy.
But the flow refused to spread through his body. The curse still held him tightly.
Inside his body, spiritual energy were supposed to carry that energy through meridian path.
But in truth, the energy cannot flow throughout the entire body.
A white-haired dog with a thick mane lay nearby. His name was Shadow—the pup he found ten years ago, now grown as large as a horse.
"Oh, so you're the AI Enatur mentioned?" Shadow asked.
"Correct. My name is Rein. Master gave me that name. It's a pleasure to work with you," replied the AI, floating ball robot with a polite tone.
"Ah, I'm Shadow, Enatur's partner. Nice to meet you too, Rein."
"Then, why is the Soul Core inside Master body?" Rein asked curiously.
Shadow looked at Enatur for a long while. "I'm not entirely sure what happened," he admitted.
"But if it hadn't, we might never have met Enatur we know today."
A small mechanical hand tugged at Shadow's fur. It was Po-chan, the tiny robot who had greeted Enatur long ago. Words appeared across its chest display.
"Is. There. Any. Technology. That. Can. Save. Master?"
Rein chuckled softly. "Haha... Po-chan, this is beyond the reach of technology."
Po-chan lowered its head, saddened.
Enatur's spiritual energy thinned, fading rapidly.
"Gah!" he gasped, startling everyone around him.
"Master, what's wrong?" Rein asked.
"It's still no use." His tone was heavy with frustration.
Shadow sighed. "Still the same, huh..."
He curled up beside Enatur, unable to hide his sorrow.
"Maybe I should stop... and just live a normal life," Enatur muttered weakly.
Despair crept into his voice.
"Deep down... I still want to cultivate, to strengthen my spiritual power. No matter how hard I try, I always fail."
Shadow placed a paw on his shoulder. "Don't give up. There has to be something we can do."
Rein floated closer. "Shadow's right. There's still less than two years before your body is taken over."
Her voice sharpened slightly. "If I can regain my physical form soon, I might still have time to research an artificial body."
"With the right combination of technology and spiritual energy... there has to be a way!"
Shadow's eyes lit up. "Enatur, maybe Reina can help. She's brilliant—she'll find a solution."
Beep... beep...
A holographic screen appeared on Enatur's wristband. An incoming call.
He tapped the green phone icon.
"Hello, Sis Reina. How are you? Everything alright there?"
"Yes, everything's fine. I'll arrive in Anfield City two days later."
"We can resume our research once I get there."
"Hm, I also have something I need to tell you."
"What is it?... Ah, never mind. Let's talk about it tonight over a video call. I have to go!"
Reina ended the call.