Bloody Odyssey

Chapter 58: Wraith.

"I have many questions," Zain said as he stepped out of Dax's lab, his voice quiet but firm, "so I will keep this for the future?"

It will be foolish to use an opportunity like this, Zain thought to himself. One question had already revealed something profound. Burning the second now would be reckless—he still had one left, and he intended to save it for when the answer truly mattered.

"Wise decision," Dax answered calmly from inside the room.

The swirling black gate closed behind Zain with a soft, final whisper, cutting off the view of the luxurious space and sealing Dax back into solitude.

Dax turned away from the vanished portal without another word. His attention shifted immediately to the two new specimens waiting patiently in the center of the room. A gleam of genuine excitement lit his eyes as he observed them.

"Contain these two," he ordered.

The tiny orb-shaped aid bot floated forward at once, humming softly.

It approached the ghoul first.

The moment the bot drew near, the ghoul snapped into a frenzy—claws slashing wildly, body jerking against its invisible restraints, trying desperately to tear into the small floating device.

In an instant, the aid bot hovered directly above the creature's head.

A tiny, perfectly round bubble dropped from its underside.

The bubble made contact and expanded in a flash, freezing the ghoul completely in place—like a grotesque statue frozen mid-attack, every muscle locked in rigid stillness.

Satisfied, the bot turned smoothly and floated toward the wraith.

But it could not make contact.

The wraith's translucent, ethereal form simply refused interaction. The bot circled, adjusted angles, tried again—nothing. Its containment systems found no surface to latch onto.

Dax watched with a small, knowing smile.

"This is exactly why I wanted a wraith."

He stepped forward and began walking slowly around the floating specter, studying it from every angle.

As the wraith released its usual mournful wail, Dax reached out and attempted to touch it normally.

His hand passed straight through the body.

Yet the instant it did, a faint, bone-deep cold prickled up his arm—like frost sinking into marrow.

"Amazing," he murmured, eyes narrowing in fascination.

"Do you understand me?" Dax asked directly.

The wraith offered no response—only another long, hollow wail that echoed faintly through the room.

"So be it," he said softly.

He continued speaking, almost to himself.

"What will happen… if I activate touch directly inside its body?"

A spark of curiosity flared brighter in his gaze.

"I just wonder," he whispered. "Why not give it a try?"

In the very next instant, the wraith's wail exploded into full, agonizing screams—high-pitched, raw, and filled with torment.

Under Dax's steady eyes, the creature's entire form transformed. It became a huge, roiling nether flame—black flames licking at violet-white cores, writhing and twisting like living agony made visible.

Dax kept his hand buried deep inside the flame, completely undisturbed by the heatless inferno.

"I've been curious about this flame for a long time," he spoke aloud, voice calm and reflective. "Everything I've encountered—including myself—possesses this flame in some form, although mine is vastly different. After observing it across so many subjects, I came to a conclusion."

He tilted his head slightly, as though weighing the thought one final time.

"This flame… is the soul."

His hand remained firmly placed inside the screaming wraith. At the same time, Dax recalled every detail of Anastas's earlier performance—every thin string of control the necromancer had extended toward his undead minions, every subtle thread of connection.

"I see why the ghoul was so erratic," he muttered. "Anastas's connection was severed the moment they exited my space."

Dax closed his eyes.

He focused inward, feeling the wraith's essence directly—cold, intangible, weightless yet impossibly dense.

"It's similar to my Killing Demon in the intangible aspect," he said quietly, "but my Killing Demon has no soul."

A soft, feminine voice spoke inside his mind—curious and precise.

"Then why don't you try controlling it, Master?"

Dax's lips curved into a faint, intrigued smile.

"Ohh? Tell me, Inerous… what is your philosophy behind that statement?"

"Not many can touch the soul," Inerous answered immediately. "And you are one of the few who can. There should be some benefits—even without relying on mana."

Dax opened his eyes again.

"I understand."

Suddenly, a commanding force erupted outward from Dax's body—like an invisible wave of absolute authority that bent the air itself.

"Possess the ghoul," he ordered.

His tone was pure command—unquestionable, final.

In an instant, the nether flame that had been the wraith collapsed inward, condensed into a tight, dark stream, and shot forward like a comet—slamming calmly and precisely into the frozen ghoul's body.

The ghoul's eyes—still trapped in suspension—trembled violently for a single heartbeat.

Then… perfect stillness.

Dax studied it for a long moment, then gave a single nod.

"Contain them."

He turned and exited the isolation chamber without looking back.

"Master, that was impressive," Inerous said, her voice filled with honest admiration. "I never expected that to work—and certainly not so instantly."

Dax didn't respond immediately. He simply walked with long, confident strides toward the genetic chamber, the soft lighting of the corridor reflecting off his dark attire.

"I believe you put my goblins in the healing pods?" he asked.

"Yes, Master. Five pods were allocated to them."

Inerous appeared beside him—ethereal and graceful, her carefully designed human form glowing with a faint, silvery light as she moved.

She led the way without hesitation.

"They are here."

She stopped in front of a row of sleek, upright capsules. They stood not far from the one containing Mimi.

Dax's gaze moved slowly from pod to pod.

"Good girl," he said softly.

He stopped in front of the first one—labeled 01—and smiled.

"You did well."

He spoke the words directly to the non-responsive goblins suspended inside the healing fluid, their bodies floating peacefully in pale green liquid.

His eyes lingered on each of them in turn, studying every detail—muscle definition, scar patterns, the faint glow of accelerated regeneration.

Then his gaze finally settled on the two that had fought Mimi.

A slow, pleased expression spread across his face.

"Impressive flow."

Dax reached out and touched the smooth surface of the pod.

A green holographic panel immediately bloomed to life under his fingertips, crisp and detailed.

"Display genetic code," he commanded.

Instantly the full genetic sequence unrolled in front of him—lines of data glowing in shifting patterns of green and white.

He moved to the second pod and repeated the command.

The second sequence appeared beside the first, aligning perfectly for comparison.

Dax stared at both readouts for several long seconds, eyes scanning rapidly.

Then he laughed—low, dark, and genuinely delighted.

"Hahaha. A coincidence indeed."

He turned to Inerous, eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

"I'm happy, Inerous."

A wide, dangerous smile crept across his face.

"Let's check Kakarai's progress."