Noah was now alone. No, Maryam was still with him, for the Prince had failed to make her leave with the rest of his wives.

It was not because he was feeling sulky, nor because he needed time to grieve and mourn the death of his sister and his friends — he needed it, but he knew that luxury was now lost to him — but because he needed to think of his next action.

Added to that, Red had wept until she fell asleep. It was a situation Noah had never thought possible. For at their level of power and the uniqueness of their new bloodline…such an event meant a wound deeper than anything.

So he sent her away with his other wives, gently asking them to take care of her.

The Prince could understand her pain. He was a father himself. And that realization sent his thoughts mercilessly toward his children.

All of them. But mainly, Premier and Foxy.

Are they okay? he thought to himself, leaning back on a reclining chair, his mismatched crimson and golden eyes staring at the swirling fog above him.

He was back in the Hall of Fog.

'Premier…' he mused, letting a misted sigh escape his mouth, 'I sent him to the Celestial Faction. All I wished was for him to better know the universe and have the opportunity to build himself in his own way.'

But now, he wondered…

Did he make the right choice?

Doubt began to flicker inside him, threatening to wash over him like fire through a forest.

There was also Foxy, who was in Laeh, alongside Fated, Caus, and Destiny.

Noah had made sure Laeh was positioned at the same place Earth once occupied. A zone where no mana circulated, making it a natural protector.

At least, that was what he had believed before.

But was there any safe place in the universe anymore?

He had no idea. And that lack of knowledge, of understanding, irritated him beyond bounds.

'Everything shifted,' he thought, eyes narrowing. 'Each of them had a destiny waiting for them. A destiny I chose myself, and yet now everything seems lost in a river of entangled threads.'

That was what made him unable to predict the scale of the consequences of his actions.

Including the death of Aurelia.

He instantly shook his head at the thought.

Noah refused to think about it. Every time the information of her death tried to surface inside his mind, he pushed it back into oblivion.

He couldn't.

He simply couldn't think of it right now.

It was time to act, not to mourn. He couldn't mourn while his family and faction were being hunted like goddamn rats.

Noah's jaws clenched tighter, the sound of steel creaking and cracking the air around him.

"I have a question," he said, almost like a growl, still looking at the ceiling.

Yet Maryam, standing before him, answered at once.

"Tell me, my baby."

Her words were soft and gentle, as if she were speaking to a child, afraid he might break at the wrong tone.

That was exactly how Maryam felt.

She was dying to help her son, yet everything about Noah radiated a single message:

Not now.

She was frozen, unable to do anything but stare at him with pained eyes.

"I need to find something," he said, prompting a lift of his mother's eyebrows. "A place called the Lake of Milk-White Soul. Do you know where it is?"

"Of course I do," Maryam replied with a sigh. "That Lake is under the control of Solstice, situated not only within his domain, but at its very core."

She paused, gesturing around the Hall of Fog.

"Just like this Hall, every ruler possesses a place like this, a core of their dominion. It does not have to resemble mine, but the purpose is similar."

"And what is the use of that Lake?" he asked again, this time lowering his head to look at her.

The First Soul answered with silence.

She pushed her feet from the ground and walked toward her seated son with slow, steady steps.

The distance between them bothered her greatly.

"It is the Lake that purifies the souls of the dead when they enter the Spirit World," she finally said. "It is primordial for mortal souls, for they arrive burdened with a cornucopia of impurities. And as the ruler of those souls, Solstice holds dominion over it."

Noah tilted his head in intrigue.

"But that is not its only use."

Tak—!

Maryam halted just an inch from him. Standing there, she was looming down on him with her white eyes fixed on his face.

She stretched her right hand, grasped Noah's hand hanging limply at his side, then pulled.

Noah groaned, wishing to just sit, yet still complied. He stood and found himself hugging his mother. At the same time, Maryam continued her words.

Her tone was now lighter.

"My baby," she whispered, hugging Noah despite him being slightly taller, "the Lake is always a means to transform souls into soul liquid, and then create from it soul coins or even enhance other souls."

"How," Noah frowned lightly, "can you allow a ruler to hold such a treasure by himself? And how was he not able to overpower all of you?"

"There is always a balance, Brandon." Maryam's voice was soft and instructive. "Remember that the only thing he obtains is mortal souls. And for mortal souls to match the level of an immortal soul, one needs not only an obscene amount of mortal souls but also additional materials."

She shook her head lightly. "And there is scarcity in those materials."

"He can match us in power, with enough diligence, but he can hardly surpass us. Still, yes, the Lake helps him hold a huge amount of wealth and advantage."

"And besides, don't forget the other soul rulers."

She laughed lightly. "No matter how much they hate me — though I can't say the same for the fourth Ruler, she seems to quite like me — they will never allow one among them to overpower the rest."

"They would kill him," Noah deduced. "Added to that, his control over the Lake is like a ticking time bomb. Any of you could wake up, rally the others, and attack him to take it from him. The only thing one needs is a good enough lie."

"Indeed." Maryam nodded with a smile.

"But is that all?" Noah's voice was harrowingly disappointed. "Is there no other function of the Lake? Something like—!"

"Reviving dead souls?" Maryam finished his sentence.

She stifled a sigh, gently pushing herself away from Noah, facing him directly.

At that instant, Noah no longer needed an answer. It was obvious from how his mother's face twisted sorrowfully…

"Impossible." The First Soul shook her head. "Once a soul is destroyed, Brandon, my baby…"

She paused, her heart clenching fiercely as she saw the pain her son was trying to hide. Yet she opened her mouth again, for she needed to say it.

"There is no turning back. There is no second chance," Maryam said. "The Spirit World is the last wall before oblivion."

"And if you were not granted that mercy…that mercy of living another life…"

Noah closed his eyes.

"You need to make peace with the dead, my son."

—End of Chapter 465—

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.