The morning broke gently through the slatted windows, casting slender rays of light that slowly stretched across the wooden floor. The room was quiet, warm, and familiar. Jade Basin. The scent of herbal incense lingered faintly in the air, mixed with fresh morning mist that crept through the small cracks in the wall.
Kazel stirred beneath the light covers, eyes blinking open with a slow groan. His muscles ached—deep, satisfying aches from a body that had been pushed past its limit. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, blank-eyed, letting the quiet surround him. No shouting. No claws. No blades. Just silence.
( Still here... )
He sat up, the blanket sliding from his shoulders. The air kissed his skin with a chill. Rising, he walked barefoot across the floor, every step heavy with wear, toward the small alcove where steam faintly drifted from behind a screen. The water was warm—already prepared.
He stepped under it, letting the stream wash over his head, down his neck and back, rinsing away the dried blood and dust of battle. His hand ran through his hair, pushing it back as the water traced down his face. No thoughts. No words. Just the simple act of breathing and washing.
When he emerged, a fresh robe waited for him. He wrapped himself with practiced ease, tying the sash around his waist before stepping outside, feet padding softly against the worn wood of the walkway.
And there it was.
That familiar bundle.
But this time, the cloth wasn't the usual pale red—it was blue. Neatly tied, still steaming faintly. A small folded parchment sat tucked beneath the knot.
Kazel blinked, then chuckled under his breath. He picked up the bundle in one hand, plucked the parchment with the other, and unfolded it.
If you do that again, you won't have a tongue to taste food anymore. —O.
His smirk widened into a grin as he stared at the note, the heat of the meal bleeding through the cloth into his palm.
"I guess that's a yes."
Kazel's fingers curled around the parchment again as he noticed something else beneath it—a small, sharp object glinting faintly in the morning light. He lifted it slowly, recognizing it immediately. A claw. Jagged. Blackened at the tip. Still humming faintly with residual energy.
From that beast.
Kazel's expression shifted. He sat down on the edge of the bed, the claw resting in his palm. The room was quiet, except for the distant stirrings of the Jade Basin waking up. He stared at it for a while, turning it slightly in his hand before speaking.
"Shishi."
"Yes?" Both voices answered in harmony within his soul space.
"We have no idea what humans call it," they said evenly.
Kazel hummed in thought, brushing his thumb along the claw's edge. "Hmmm… but is it truly an Epic-grade Spirit Beast?"
"By the power and strength alone, yes," answered Shishi. "We were very lucky. It had already exhausted itself battling the Hydra… without that, we would have had to flee."
"True that," Kazel muttered, reclining a little on his arms. His gaze drifted upward, toward the beams of the ceiling. "But… what about conquering it?"
There was a pause before Shishi responded. "The chances are low. Not impossible. But low. Especially given your current soul space's stability. It's not ideal."
Kazel's brows furrowed. He leaned forward slightly, clasping the claw tighter. "If I sacrifice the Rabbit and the Boar?"
Silence again. Then:
"…Then it might suffice," Shishi admitted. "You would have the necessary space and fortitude. Barely."
Kazel didn't react immediately. His gaze was fixed, thoughtful. "Is it a well-off trade?"
"It is a very good deal," said Shishi. "The Rabbit and the Boar served you well, but their growth ceiling is far more limited. This beast—whatever it was—its potential surpasses them both. And you've seen it. That armor of its… it took your halberd, full force."
Kazel gave a sharp exhale through his nose, a grin tugging at his lips. "Just what I need… something with tough skin."
"Correct," said Shishi. "Its natural defenses are among the best in its class. Not the very best, but enough to block most mortal-grade weapons and blunt some spiritual attacks."
Kazel stood, walking back to the table, placing the claw gently atop the cloth-wrapped meal. His blue eyes glinted with interest, a trace of fire flickering within them.
"Then let's see if I can take it."
Kazel stood at the center of his soul space—a vast, starlit void veined with glowing lines of energy that pulsed like a heartbeat. Before him floated the Mustang Black Rabbit and the Two-Tusk Boar, their forms flickering faintly with the essence of life. They stared at him, not with fear or sorrow, but with quiet understanding.
"You have served me well," Kazel said, voice low but steady. He knelt slightly, touching the space between them. "Thank you."
Both beasts responded with a silent nod.
"Release," he commanded.
The moment the word left his mouth, their forms began to shimmer and unravel. It wasn't violent—it was serene, like steam rising off water. Wisps of their essence curled into the soul space around him before fading entirely. Kazel inhaled deeply. He felt it instantly—a dull emptiness in his soul. Not a wound… but a gap. Like two thrones now sat vacant inside him.
He clenched his fists and straightened. "Now then… let's welcome our new guest."
The lights in his soul space dimmed. Darkness gathered above and spiraled downward, a whirlpool of obsidian mist swallowing the void whole. The silence grew oppressive. Then a tremor shook the space—deep, slow, foreboding.
From the heart of the storm, a form emerged.
Towering. Muscled. Covered in chitinous armor so black it drank in the light. Its eyes glowed with a predatory gleam, and its maw—lined with jagged, bone-like fangs—opened in a silent roar. Four powerful limbs touched down, talons scraping against the soul-space floor.
The five lines running from the base of its neck to the base of its tail. They shimmered with a faint white hue, a fusion of soul energy and beast vitality.
Kazel tilted his head.
"The five veins," he murmured.
The same beast.
The one Kazel had bled for.
It stood before him once more.
Kazel exhaled and rolled his shoulders back. "You're not dead yet," he muttered, stepping forward. "Not until you're mine."
"Are you ready?" Kazel raised his chin slightly, a playful smirk dancing on his lips. Behind him, the twin Shishi and the Frostfang Alpha shifted into formation, their presence surging with intent.
But the spirit beast did not respond in kind.
It raised a clawed palm, firm and calm — a gesture to halt.
Kazel narrowed his eyes. "Hmm?"
"There is no need to fight again," the beast rumbled, its voice low, resonating like a drum across the soul space. "I remember you… human."
The smirk faded from Kazel's lips, replaced by a quiet curiosity. His shoulders eased as he stood upright.
The beast stepped forward, then, without warning, dropped to one knee.
"A warrior to warrior," it said, bowing its armored head. Then, from its brow, the familiar brand of submission — the Mark of the Conquered — ignited in a brilliant blaze. A flicker of flame.
A pulse rippled through Kazel's soul. His heart thumped once, twice—then slowed, steady and grounded.
He could feel it.
The vacant throne in his soul space had been claimed.
And it bowed only to him.
---
Kazel returned to the real world with a steady breath, his senses sharpening as his soul settled from the conquest. But the calm was short-lived—three sharp knocks echoed from the door.
He rose and opened it.
A hooded man stood at the threshold, middle-aged, with a half-shadowed grin. "Special delivery for Kazel of the Immortal Sect?" he asked, tone light, almost cheerful.
"That's me," Kazel replied.
Without another word, the man lunged forward.
"The Second Moon sends their regards!" he hissed, driving a dagger straight toward Kazel's chest.
"Hehehe, easy mo— Huh?!"
The dagger halted midway, its tip barely scratching Kazel's skin, as though it had struck a slab of steel wrapped in flesh.
"Never thought I'd be using it so soon," Kazel murmured, eyes lowering to the blade. The spirit beast's defensive blessing was already doing its work. His hand snapped forward, catching the assassin's wrist in a vice grip.
( I-I can't move! What is this strength?! ) the man's thoughts screamed in silence as panic bloomed across his face.
"If assassins are measured by how many people they've killed," Kazel said, voice cold, "then I would've been your god."
Before the man could react, Kazel's fist slammed into his chest—twice in quick succession—each hit thunderous. The force drove the air from his lungs. In a blink, Kazel dragged him inside, slammed him against the wall, and launched a flurry of fists, targeting his liver with brutal precision.
The man crumpled, wheezing and broken, collapsing like a rag doll.
Kazel stepped over him and picked up his halberd with a spin, its edge catching the faint morning light.
The noise had already stirred the Jade Basin.
"K-Kazel?" Mei Rong's voice cut through the tension, her figure stepping forward from the murmuring crowd. Jin Shui appeared next to her, eyes wide and lips parted in disbelief. Xie Lian followed shortly after, his brow furrowed, hand hovering near the hilt of his weapon.
"P-Please help me! He's trying to kill me!" the middle-aged man whimpered, his bloodied body trembling on all fours. "Please!"
"Killing on Jade Basin grounds is forbidden," Mei Rong said, her tone strict but conflicted, eyes darting between Kazel and the pitiful figure on the floor.
"Help me!!" the man begged again, his voice cracking with desperation.
Kazel glanced at Mei Rong, calm and deliberate. "What are the consequences of such?"
"You'll be the enemy of many," she said with a sigh, a hint of warning in her voice.
( Hehehe… idiot, ) the assassin thought, a glimmer of victory flashing in his eyes.
But Kazel simply smiled.
"Heh, I can afford that."
"Huh?!" The assassin had his blood shooting up to his brain.
Before anyone could react, Kazel raised his halberd high and brought it down with terrifying ease. The blade carved through the assassin's neck like butter, severing the head in a clean, brutal stroke. The sound of steel on bone echoed down the corridor. Gasps burst from the spectators.
The head rolled forward with wide, unblinking eyes—still frozen in disbelief.
Blood pooled around the lifeless body.
Silence fell.
No one stepped forward.
No one dared to speak.
Kazel stood there, calm as ever, wiping the edge of his halberd with the assassin's cloak. His gaze swept across the crowd, blue eyes gleaming like sharpened ice.