Chapter 164: Soul Guardian Seal
The obsidian sky above the Northern Lands was not a mere painting, but a living tapestry. It shimmered with a deep crimson hue—born of some unknown, ancient force—rendered in stark, minimal strokes that captured the raw essence of the Life Mandate, the fierce, boundless power that pulsed beneath the surface of existence. Within this stark, abstract artwork, one could discern the silhouette of a Soul Devourer, a jagged figure, a human form, and the radiant glow of a Soul Light—each element drawn with such precision that it felt less like art and more like a record of a true, forgotten event. This painting was the method by which The Obsidian Sky preserved its history, serving as a legacy for the Auros Vicar who would follow.
Yet, even this depiction was rooted in the original form, a faithful rendering of an actual, long-lost occurrence.
"Soul Devourer... jagged figure... Soul Light..."
"This is..."
Lord Auros Vicar remained silent, his gaze fixed upon the scene. He had seen this moment before—etched in memory, in vision, in the blood of the past. His eyes lingered on the seal before him, finally reaching the face. It was a stark, emotionless visage. No artifacts, no scattered trinkets—only a single, massive, jagged seal placed solemnly in the center.
The seal itself was forged from dark, volcanic glass—its surface rough, uneven, etched with a deep, spiraling pattern. At its core, a vast, glowing Spirit Script pulsed with an inner light, resembling the ancient script of a long-forgotten time. The ink shimmered like liquid starlight, its lines flowing with a life of their own. These weren’t mere markings—they were the essence of a Soul Fragment, a fragment of a soul so vast it had shattered into pieces across dimensions.
Seeing this seal, Lord Auros Vicar first felt a surge in his throat—his mouth opened instinctively, as if to speak. Then, he exhaled, his breath slow and controlled. The moment passed. He stood still, his face expressionless. This was no mere artifact—it was a truth, a memory etched into the fabric of reality.
"Soul Guardian Seal."
The words left his lips, soft but certain.
His own name—Auros Vicar—had once been a title reserved for the first to claim this seal. Back then, there had been no such name as “Soul Devourer.” The title had been born from the seal’s awakening, the moment it recognized its new guardian—Soul Guardian. The name was not chosen, but revealed. And that name, that title, had been etched into the soul of the first to bear it.
The Soul Devourer had not been merely a creature of hunger—it had been a being of immense power, a fragment of the original Soul Essence. The seal had absorbed its essence, its will, its very pulse. In doing so, it had severed the connection between the Soul Devourer and the world, trapping its soul within the seal itself. The seal now held the power to command the Soul Essence—the very force that shaped the world—and to draw forth the Spirit Path, guiding it toward the cold, distant north.
But in the northern reaches, where the sky burned with crimson fire, the Soul Devourer had grown. The once-hollow void had become a monstrous, living entity—the greatest Soul Devourer the world had ever known. It devoured the very essence of the sky, consuming the entire realm, and even gave birth to the abyssal rifts that split the world. Its Soul Pulse surged through the heavens, spreading across the land like a tide.
Yet, despite the seal’s power, the Soul Devourer had endured. Each time the seal was struck, the fragment within it stirred. And whenever it stirred, it called out to the original Soul Fragment—the one that had once been part of the first Soul Guardian. The seal, though powerful, could not destroy it. It could only contain it.
"This being, this crimson Lifeform... you will not let me forget it..."
"Then give me the right to consume it! I will take you all—your power, your soul, your existence!"
Lord Auros Vicar stared at the massive seal, his presence radiating a cold, unyielding authority. These Soul Devourers were not mere monsters—they were the Sub-Realm of the Soul Guardians, born from the deepest void at the edge of The Eternal Realm, the Abyss of the Soulless. They emerged in waves, each time the balance of souls faltered. Sometimes, it was decades. Sometimes, centuries. The last great eclipse—the Soul Eclipse—had occurred nearly eighty years ago. That event had shattered the Northern Lands, leaving entire cities in ruin, millions dead, and the skies themselves turned to blood. The survivors had fled, and the world had learned to fear the coming of the eclipse.
And now, Lord Auros Vicar stood as the guardian of that memory. So long as the seal remained intact, he could prevent the next eclipse—could shield the entire Northern Lands from the consuming void. But the cost was high. If the seal were broken, his Personal Soul Essence would be lost. Even now, the Auros Vicar could feel the pressure of his own soul—the faint, lingering echo of his inner essence.
He looked at his own face in the seal’s reflection. Beneath his skin, the Soul Eye still pulsed—watching, waiting. If he were to die, his soul would not be lost. It would be absorbed, consumed, and reborn. But he would not allow that. Not yet.
And now, he saw the turning point.
"Perhaps... I can use the Soul Guardian Seal to reclaim the lost lands. To preserve the sovereignty of my nation."
"I could gain even greater power, strengthen my position."
"First, bring it to face. Then we’ll speak."
He reached out, touching the seal’s surface. His fingers brushed the jagged edge, and for a moment, he felt the pulse of the Soul Devourer—its ancient, hungry heartbeat echoing through the seal. The air trembled.
"This... this power..."
"It is truly beyond comprehension."
Lord Auros Vicar opened his face, and from within, a surge of Spirit Flow erupted—a torrent of pure energy, flowing like liquid light from his fingertips. He raised his hand, and the seal trembled. A crack split the obsidian surface, and from within, a single shard of Soul Light burst forth, glowing like a dying star.
The Spirit Ink within the seal—once a quiet, dormant force—now surged into motion, swirling with the energy of the Soul Devourer’s pulse. The ink merged with the soul-force, and for a moment, the entire realm seemed to shudder. The Soul Devourer’s original power—its very will—was drawn into the Auros Vicar’s spirit form, flooding his being with boundless strength.
He felt it all—the raw, unfiltered power of the soul, the hunger, the fury, the infinite potential. The world trembled beneath him.
And yet, as he stood there, the seal’s power flowed through him—not as a curse, but as a promise. It was not merely a weapon. It was a covenant. A vow. And in that moment, he understood: this was not just about control. It was about legacy. About destiny.
"This... this is the power of the soul."
"It truly cannot be denied."
Lord Auros Vicar stepped forward. His eyes, now glowing with the light of the Soul Light, fixed on the horizon. The sky burned crimson, the wind howled with ancient voices. And from the depths of the seal, a single, trembling voice echoed—not his own, but the voice of the past.
"This... this is it."
The Auros Vicar’s face remained still. For a moment, he stood frozen—caught between worlds. Then, he exhaled.
"This... is the beginning."
The Soul Shard trembled beneath his feet. The ground split open, revealing a vast, shimmering chasm—a Glimmering Abyssal Chasm, deep and endless. The true Soul Devourer, long hidden, now emerged from the depths. Its form was immense, its eyes glowing like dying suns.
"This... this is real."
The Auros Vicar did not flinch. His eyes locked onto the creature. He knew what it was. He knew what it meant.
"These lives, their Life Mandates... to me, they feel like echoes. Like dreams."
"Change... is already happening."
The Auros Vicar raised his hand. The seal flared. The Spirit Ink surged. The world trembled.
"From now on... this land... this realm... will be my sovereign nation."
"I am not just Soul Light. I am the sky. I am the storm. I am the soul."
Below, the chasm widened. The abyss breathed. And the Auros Vicar stood at the edge—unmoved, unbroken.
(End of Chapter)
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