novelraw Chapter 255: Silence Cries the Loudest
Chapter 255: Silence Cries the Loudest
Chapter 255: Silence Cries the Loudest Soren observed the ripples for a while longer, trying his best to deduce a pattern. Aside from a few that seemed distinct, the rest were simply too chaotic to understand.
As someone who had already gone through a Soul Search in the past, Soren knew that while the Shades of Self might hide from his presence, they were still prone to leaving behind clues. The ripples were one such example, but whatever they could mean was still up to interpretation.
Perhaps I need to follow their source instead, he decided to change his thinking completely. Since they’re coming from under the ocean, that can only imply one thing…
Taking a deep breath, he commanded himself to sink beneath the waves slowly. As his vision dimmed, he was met with a rather familiar scene. An endless fog that stretched on for eternity in all directions.
The Heart’s Shroud…
Frowning, Soren began paying close attention to his emotions, making sure nothing emerged that could weigh him down. Although there was a lot on his heart, he knew better than to jeopardize his own chances at success.
While glancing around in the misty void, he instantly noticed strange golden and violet flames rising slowly to the surface. There were completely foreign to his Heart’s Shroud—he had never seen anything like them before.
Curiously, there was an ominous silence to them that made him feel hollow the more he observed—as if the surrounding shroud of emotions acted as fuel for their insatiable fire.
How strange… Not knowing what else to do, Soren decided to approach them.
Just as he had initially assumed, the flame didn’t actually burn him. However, it felt as if the weight of the surrounding fog became heavier the moment he touched it. Moreover, a string of memories seemed to float toward his mind, replaying countless scenes from the past.
Are these flames a collection of memories?
It would make sense for them to bubble to the surface. After all, the Heart’s Shroud and the Echo of Mind are deeply connected. Although he wasn’t a psychologist, he had read somewhere that each layer might act separately, but all three ultimately serve a single purpose: to provide the living being its consciousness.
Moreover, the Three Layers are also connected to the metaphysical fourth layer—the physical body itself. If one accrues brain injuries in the real world, those wounds will naturally reflect back onto the Three Layers.
Since these flames were rising higher and higher, Soren immediately thought of a theory. The memories they hold were likely influencing his thoughts slightly, causing the ripples to form across the ocean’s surface.
Wait… His eyes widened. Influencing my thoughts?..
He was suddenly reminded of something. Could it be that those strange instincts are… Are they being caused by whatever this is?...
At the time, he naturally assumed it might be related to the hidden entity within [The Faerie Court]. But now, a different answer was emerging…
This new shade of self… It's influencing my thoughts subtly even before I discovered its existence…
Is it… Beckoning me?..
Soren’s gaze slowly lowered. All around him, more and more sphere-shaped flames were floating toward the surface. All of them originating from the same source…
At the bottom of this infinite chasm, a spark of light was shining through mist and darkness. Like a beacon guiding the lost…
Soren took a deep breath and closed his eyes. I’ll just have to find out on my own…
Letting go of everything, his body slowly began to sink deeper and deeper. The fog was becoming heavier by the second, but it was never as bad as his previous attempts. His heart remained as steady as a boulder, unmoved by most emotions. Though, there was still a tinge of fear lingering from before…
Nevertheless, it didn’t take him long to make it to the bottom.
What reflected in his eyes was a luminous book, floating in the misty void. Its radiant pages ruffled loudly, blowing away the silence. As it mechanically continued its pre-arranged motions, Soren couldn’t help but smile slightly.
“My True Self…” His voice was fainter than a whisper. “The one thing about me that I’ve yet to even understand…”
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Suddenly, he noticed a brilliantly glowing page rip away from his Grimoire, rising through the mist rapidly. Then, before Soren could even react, the page crumbled on its own before finally igniting into a golden blaze. The vibrant flame erupted, floating higher and higher toward the surface.
Soren watched in awe as more and more pages from his Soul Weapon did the same. Above him, he could see a dazzling array of ‘stars’ blanketing the foggy skies, all twinkling with the same exciting fervor.
Except… No matter how beautiful they were, the feeling of hollowness growing within his heart did not cease at all. Simply observing them elicited both emptiness and fear.
“Is this my new Shade of Self?..”
Gulping down his hesitation, he took a step forward and reached for the old worn out book. The pages suddenly ceased their activity, shifting toward another entry all on their own:
The Second Shade
From the shallowest parts to the deepest parts, the mind shouts loudly, even when there isn’t anyone left to hear. Even when it can’t hear itself…
Silence tends to cry the loudest. And that silence has now birthed a new shade. A shade meant for remembrance, forgetfulness, and the binding of what was into a single, fragile page…
The Ephemera Affinity.
Soren squinted his eyes slightly, “Ephemera…” Just as he had assumed, he had indeed found his second shade. No, it might be more accurate to say that his Shade of Self found him instead…
“To think my theory really was correct…” He shook his head in disbelief. “Every new Abstract Rune I obtain really does grant me a new affinity…
“Doesn’t that mean that if I upgrade my Soul Weapon to Tier 9, I will also have 9 affinities in total? What the hell will I even do with all of them…”
Although his magecraft will become more diverse, he will also be required to divide his research time between them. It was already hard enough for most magi to even master a single affinity… Does this even count as an advantage?
Not to mention, his current insanity was growing due to his anima poisoning itself from these outside influences… His mental problems will likely become harder to deal with.
Soren couldn’t help but chuckle. “Is this what suffering from success feels like?” He didn’t know whether to feel pleased or nervous.
However, this still introduced another question.
“Why did this Shade of Self not hide itself?”
It was as if it wanted to be found from the very beginning. Something that should never occur.
Maybe it changed due to my current dilemma? Figment’s message reminded me to do a Soul Search, knowing that whatever I gain here will aid me in some way…
But although Shades of Self are nothing more than reflections of one’s True Self, their instincts to hide are born from my subconscious. Would it truly change on its own in such a strange way?..
Soren couldn’t understand it. It was just too illogical. There had to be something else influencing its behavior.
An outside force… Wait. He blinked twice, as if to reaffirm his own thoughts.
Could it be Figment?...
As he stared silently at the luminous book shining in the dark, a slight smile slowly took over his face. One that quickly transformed into boisterous laughter.
“That bastard! How many contingency plans did he have?! I can’t believe it…” He covered his eyes—disbelief and amusement masking his expression.
“I get it now.” He shook his head slightly, “So it was all to your benefit, huh?”
As he grasped tightly to The Records, Soren issued the mental command to exit the Three Layers.
His form slowly began to turn transparent, as if being erased from the world.
Soren awoke from his slumber—limbs numb to the bone. Facing away from the vibrant marble canopy, he clumsily stood up, dusted his clothes, and expanded his Soul Realm.
Because [The Faerie Court] was under his control, needing to use a Soul Realm was mostly unnecessary. Magecraft could easily be simulated through [Fictionalization] without wasting much of his willpower.
But this time, Soren was limiting himself on purpose. Because the spell he was going to cast was one he had never heard of until today.
A spell foreign to even his own memory.
“Paper Fold Resurrection.”
As the Scripted Runic words left his tongue, the axioms and arcane geometries began to manifest on their own. The spellform was fully constructed in less than three seconds.
Swiftly, the colossal books floating beneath the crayon-painted skies began to shake. Then, all at once, their pages rustled out of their leather covers, ripping the documents apart.
The thousands of parchment paper all flew toward him, forming a miniature hurricane of ruined documents. As he covered his eyes, Soren noticed a strange chill in the air—completely different from the usual coldness of the Faerie Court.
After a while, the pages suddenly began to merge together, folding neatly in a strange pattern. From the feet, to the legs, torso, arms, hands, and head—a mysterious figure was beginning to take shape through the power of the spell.
Soren stood there in silence, watching it all unfold. A slight smile creeped across his face.
As the final pieces of parchment folded into place, [Fictionalization] instantly came into effect, transforming the paper human into something more real.
What reflected in Soren’s eyes was a younger version of him. A child no older than six or seven years old with long chestnut hair that spread everywhere across the grassy field and amber eyes that glowed with curiosity and yearning. He wore a white linen shirt that seemed too big for his size and a pair of shorts of the same color.
As the two Soren’s stared at each other for a while longer, the younger him suddenly reached out its hand and spoke solemnly:
“I propose a new contract.”