CHAPTER 59: SERA

The world was dark and silent. There was no sand, no sky, and no sound. This was the first feeling of the new life.

It felt a deep connection to something warm and powerful nearby. It was a feeling of safety. It was a feeling of home.

A small child stared down at the young man, her pitch-black eyes resembling the starless night sky. She looked at her own hands.

They were small and pale. Her long, silver-white hair was spread out on the cold, hard floor. Then she returned to look at the young man.

He was unconscious.

His face was calm, and his breathing was slow and steady. She felt a powerful pull towards him. It was a feeling of love and belonging.

She knew, with absolute certainty, that this person was the most important thing in her new world.

She reached out with her small hand and gently patted his cheek. His skin was warm. She wanted him to wake up. She wanted to see his eyes.

She leaned closer to his face. She opened her mouth, and a single, clear word came out. It was her first word.

"Papa?"

The sound was soft in the silent, dark space.

Rhys’s consciousness was floating in a warm, comfortable darkness. He felt a deep sense of peace. The terrible battle in the desert felt like a distant dream.

He felt a gentle touch on his face. Then he heard a soft voice. It was a voice he had never heard before, but it felt very close to his heart.

He slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was the face of a small child. She had pale white skin, long silver hair, and big, pitch-black eyes that were looking right at him.

She was beautiful, like a small doll made of moonlight. He felt a strange and powerful connection to her.

He did not feel scared or surprised; rather, he felt like he had known her forever.

"Eggy?"

Rhys sat up quickly, dumbfounded by the little girl hanging on his shoulder and looking straight at him with those puppy-dog eyes.

He saw his own reflection in her eyes; the rest of her features were eerily similar to Yuki. If he didn’t sense the soul bond with her, he would have doubted that Yuki had somehow turned into a child.

’Why does she look like a child of me and Yuki?’ Rhys was flabbergasted.

Thinking about Yuki, his heart clenched. He had seen her body turning into the same shattered fragments as those of the desert wanderers.

’Did she also...?’ Rhys shook his head. That was impossible. There was no way for Yuki’s salvation to be merely killing a tyrant.

The child patted his face, vying for his attention.

’System, what kind of monster is Eggy? A Divine?’

He couldn’t sense any aura fluctuations from her. She was almost like an ordinary person. But how could a child of a tyrant be an ordinary person?

’Maybe it’s because my strength isn’t great enough to read her own strength.’

[...]

Name:Unknown

Race: Shapeshifting Slime

Bloodline: Ordinary (+)

Cultivation: Stage 1

1st Evolution: Biomass Collector

About:

She can collect the biomass of slain enemies and convert it to allow her to shapeshift, gaining the dead creature’s trait. Once the biomass is converted into a shapeshifting form, it can’t be reversed. The shapeshifting form can be assumed at any time.

Looking at the (+) sign in her bloodline, Rhys was awestruck.

’She can change the grade of her bloodline?"

That was unheard of. The bloodline of a monster was fixed; unless they underwent ascension, they couldn’t evolve at all.

But with Eggy, that didn’t seem to be the case. He stared at her first evolution. That’s almost overpowered!

The ability to shapeshift into slain enemies and gain their traits...

’Fantastic!’

And it seems she could shapeshift into as many forms as she could get biomass for!

Eggy had truly become his greatest weapon. Noticing the grin on his face, a happy smile appeared on Eggy’s little face.

She giggled as Rhys picked her up and spun her around.

’But...’

"You should call me master, or, never mind... just call me brother?"

"Yes. Papa."

"B-r-o-t-h-e-r..." He sighed, stopping at each letter.

"P-a-p-a..."

"What the hell..."

"What the hell..."

"So you can repeat what I say, but can’t call me brother?" Rhys was dumbfounded.

"Yes, papa..."

Gosh. Rhys rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t stop the smile from appearing on his face. Looking around, they were in a dark space.

There was nothing here, but he could see clearly in the dark.

Then, he felt the change inside him. It was a deep and powerful change. It was not just in his body or his energy.

It was in his very soul. He felt stronger. He felt... more complete.

A familiar blue screen appeared in his mind.

[Host has awakened from deep slumber. The integration of the new bloodline is complete.]

’Bloodline?’ Rhys thought. He felt a surge of excitement.

[New Bloodline Acquired: Ashen Sovereign.]

[Bloodline Ability 1: Ashen Marionettes. By burning your lifespan, you can resurrect the echoes of slain creatures from their remains (ash, bone, dust, etc.). They will serve you as loyal puppets. Once summoned, they can be revived again and again, as long as you have the lifespan to burn.]

[Bloodline Ability 2: Voidheart Flame. You have acquired Eggy’s innate talent. It is a black and silver flame that burns both physical and spiritual matter. It is fuelled by your lifespan.]

Rhys read the descriptions carefully. He felt a deep sense of awe. These abilities were incredibly powerful. He could create his own army from the ashes of his enemies.

He had a flame that could burn anything, even a person’s soul. This was a power far beyond anything he had ever imagined.

He looked at the small child sitting in front of him. She was the source of this new power. She was Eggy.

He felt a wave of affection for her. He reached out and gently patted her head. Her silver hair was very soft.

"What should I call you?" he asked, his voice soft. The child just blinked at him. She did not seem to understand. Rhys thought for a moment.

He looked at her beautiful, celestial appearance.

"I will call you Sera," he said. A smile appeared on his face.

As he said her new name, the dark space around them began to change. Light appeared in the distance.

The hard, cold floor beneath them dissolved into soft, white clouds. The darkness was replaced by a beautiful, starlit void.

They were no longer in an empty space. They were standing on a floating island made of white stone.

All around them were other floating islands. Some were small, with a single, broken tower. Others were large, with the ruins of an entire city.

The ruins were beautiful. They were made of a white crystal that glowed with a soft, internal light. Rhys breathed the air. It was so pure that he could feel his body absorbing it with every breath.

It was so comfortable.

"This must be the final area," he said to himself. He looked at Sera. She was looking around at the new world with wide, curious eyes.

He lifted her onto his shoulders, her feet dangling down. They began to leisurely walk across the floating island.

The ruins were beautiful, but they were empty.

As they reached the edge of the island, Rhys saw something in the distance. It was another group of people.

They were on a nearby island, and they seemed to be in trouble. A group of about ten disciples was fighting against strange creatures.

The creatures were made of a clear, blue crystal. They looked like tall, thin soldiers with long, sharp swords made of pure light.