Chapter 408 - Soul Duel

Extra long chapter today! Happy New Years everyone. All the best for 2025! I had a very productive outlining weekend and I'm feeling extremely confident with the next books of the series now, which is very nice. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

As Hump made his way back to the Rike Estate with Bud, he couldn’t escape the nagging feeling in his mind that he was being watched. Likely, he was simply being paranoid. The odds of somebody else finding him now were slim—it wasn’t like there were many Rank 6 wizards out there with knowledge of the Book of Infinite Pages. But Wizard Torvik had left him on edge.

It wasn’t until he was back at the estate that Hump felt some reprieve. Celaine and Dylan were on the lawn before the guest house. Celaine had a focused intensity to her as she sat on the ground, her brow furrowed as shadowy essence smoked in the air around her. Dylan stood nearby, his gaze sharp and analytical as he offered the occasional word of advice. Sweat plastered Celaine’s hair to her scalp, her breath came in heavy bursts. She looked exhausted, but whatever she was doing, Hump felt it in the air. A chill ran down his spine just from the sight of her, like he’d stumbled upon the den of a murderous beast.

He and Bud stood on the side, careful not to distract the two. Studying the strange shadow around her, it took Hump a few seconds to realise what it was. She wasn’t using her blessings right now. There was no divinity to the air—no touch of Owalyn.

This was just Celaine, and what she’d achieved in Karlac’s domain—Soul Manifestation.

How it was possible for a Chosen to use a technique like this while possessing their second major blessing, Hump didn’t know. Soul Manifestation was taught to be a method wizards used to replicate the second major blessing of a Chosen, but knowing what Hump did now, he suspected the major blessing was simply a way for the gods to restrict what their Chosen could do. Yet here Celaine was bringing forth the power of her soul just like Hump could.

Celaine had been training in some of Emilia’s techniques, but she lacked many of the principles. Rather than focusing her soul into her body or weapon like a martial would, hers took control of the essence around her, imparting her will upon the world just as a wizard would. It was possible that her natural disposition inclined her that way—she was, at her core, a magical shadow archer, after all. Figuring that out would take some work. It was possible that she could combine her blessings with her Soul Manifestation to strengthen it or have some other sort of effect, but she wasn’t at that level of control yet.

It wasn’t long before Celaine’s soul receded. She breathed deeply, the shadow siphoned back into her body, faintly shimmering beneath her skin like smoke racing through her veins. Only after she relaxed did Hump speak.

“You’re already so good at that, Celaine!” Hump said enthusiastically.

She smiled at him then turned to Dylan. “How was it?”

“Good… I think,” Dylan said. “That’s really more for you to say than for me. Did you feel better this time?”

Celaine scrunched up her face and gave a nod. “I think so. It felt less forced and holding it didn’t tire me out as quickly.”

“Excellent.” Dylan turned to Hump. “You should stick around a while. It’s truly fascinating to see her growth. I’ve never quite seen anything like it.”

“Oh yeah?”

Dylan nodded. “Her soul is taking a form very similar to the shadow power granted by her Embrace of the Dark blessing. Do you mind showing me the entry again?”

Hump took out his spellbook, opening it. Ink swirled on the page, taking the form of Celaine’s second major blessing—Owalyn’s God Glyphs written inside a ring that represented her fourth circle.

Beneath it, the description appeared.

BLESSINGS
Embrace of the Dark

Description

Draw upon the essence of the dark for power, infusing the user’s body and attacks with its energy. Dark essence drains the essence and stamina of those it marks, makes wounds more difficult to heal. When wielding this blessing, the user is shrouded in an almost tangible darkness, enhancing physical capabilities and augmenting minor blessings with the shadow affinity at the cost of essence.

Eclipse Arrow – Darkness eclipses the silver light of Power Shot, enhancing the increase in power and imbuing the arrow with dark essence.

Shadow Leap – Propel into the air in a mist of darkness, leaving a temporary shadow trap on the ground that can be activated on command, temporarily blinding any within.

Gaze of the Night Hunter – You are the eyes that lurk in the shadow, and your gaze pierces all but the bravest of souls, terrifying or even paralysing those too weak to resist.

Master of Shadows – Transform the shadows with your will, manifesting intricate and durable objects.

Nightstalker’s Vow – Mark a target so that they leave a trail of dark essence wherever they go. The mark enhances the effect of dark essence and causes additional attacks against the target to deal bonus dark damage.

Dylan pointed at the text. “It possesses the same essence and stamina draining affect, actively drawing away my own essence when I attempted to use my aura to suppress her. It’s strange how similar it is to her major blessing. I wouldn’t be surprised if, with training, it becomes more and more similar. Owalyn’s Chosen are truly unique, and it has made me consider what the purpose of major blessings might be.”

“What do you mean?” Bud asked.

“If Celaine’s soul possesses this strength without Owalyn’s help, then what is the purpose of her blessings?”

“It’s simple,” Celaine said. “They exist to guide us, to teach us. We’re different to you. We already possess all our blessings in here.” She tapped her chest with a finger. “We only need to discover them ourselves, through training, and hunting. But possessing those blessings doesn’t mean that I can’t pursue other techniques, or even similar techniques.”

“Is it similar?” Hump asked.

“Very,” Celaine said. “In many ways, it is Embrace of the Dark if I didn’t borrow Owalyn’s divinity.”

“Then what’s the point?” Bud asked.

“Embrace of the Dark didn’t keep me from that demon,” Celaine said. “This did. I don’t know why, but it worked.”

“We’ll figure out why,” Dylan said. “It’s a shame that the rest of us can’t replicate it. I’d love to hear what my master thinks.”

“Have you heard from Vivienne yet?” Hump asked.

“Not yet. The Chosen of Vesta are all unavailable, so I’ve had to write to her the old-fashioned way. It might not be until after the Remnant Realm that we hear from her.”

Hump sighed. There weren’t many Chosen of Vesta left after the attack, and the chaos was taking up their time already. Once, Hump would never have even considered utilising their services for a simple message, but they had money now. Idly, he wondered if he should find a spell that could communicate over long distances, or perhaps as he trained his soul, his wolf dragon telepathy might one day function similarly.

Hump turned his attention back to Celaine. “And how are you finding it?”

“Hard,” she admitted, her voice steady despite the strain in her limbs. “But I’ll figure it out.” Celaine straightened, brushing her damp hair back with a tired but satisfied sigh. “I also want to try that thing from the fight under the city,” she said. “The warlocks were trying to use their souls to take control of the essence in the hall, and you were fighting back.”

Hump raised an eyebrow. “You sure you’re ready for that? It’s very similar to the soul duels we’ve practiced before.”

She scoffed. “Against you? Absolutely.”

Emilia gave a low whistle, appearing on the deck behind them. “This I’ve got to see. What did I miss for you two to be picking a fight?”

Hump couldn’t help but smile at Celaine’s eagerness. He turned back to Emilia. “I think Celaine may have let her newfound talent go to her head.” Hump rolled his shoulders. “Alright. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

“Ah, hold on a second,” Bud said. “Hump has something to report.”

“I do?” Hump asked. Then the day came back to him and his body sagged, his tone becoming serious. “I do.”

He gave them an account of his time at Elenvine Academy and his encounter with Wizard Torvik, the failure of the Eclipse Brooch, and the fact that the Book of Infinite Pages had already been discovered by at least one powerful wizard. Though fortunately, this one might at least be an ally.

“I could take him out,” Celaine offered, a murderous look in her eyes.

“As in kill him?” Bud asked incredulously.

Celaine met Bud’s eyes with a hard look.

“Let’s slow down a second there,” Hump said. “Firstly, he’s a powerful wizard.”

Celaine shrugged. “You always say that an unsuspecting arrow does the job with wizards. You’re all so delicate.”

Hump sighed. “He also seemed like a kindly old man. Yes, it makes me nervous that I was discovered, but he was forthright with me.”

“And we’re not killing an innocent man,” Bud said quickly. “We’re not even discussing it.”

Celaine rolled her eyes. “It was a joke you two, relax.”

They all looked at her suspiciously.

“What?” Celaine said.

“Celaine… you can be quite scary,” Emilia said.

The rest of them nodded.

“It was a joke!” Celaine insisted.

“You looked ready to kill,” Dylan said.

“Are you serious?!” she snapped. “Of course I wouldn’t really do it. This is your fault anyway, Hump. We can’t take out some innocent wizard because of you.”

“My fault?” Hump asked.

She nodded. “You get careless.”

Hump met Celaine’s gaze, her words lingering in the air between them. She had a point—he’d gotten too comfortable, too reliant on his tools and assumptions. Still, there was no chance he’d acknowledge that aloud with Celaine looking at him like she’d won some unspoken debate.

“Maybe,” Hump said slowly, a hint of a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I’m suddenly feeling very motivated for this soul duel.”

Celaine snorted and shook her head. “Is that your way of not admitting you were wrong?”

“I won’t go easy on you,” Hump said, ignoring her.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Celaine said, rolling her shoulders as the faint shimmer of essence danced around her. “I wouldn’t want you to.”

“And you sure you don’t need a break first?” Hump asked. “You look pretty tired.”

“Nope. As ready as ever. Why, are your feet sore after walking around for a couple of hours?”

Emilia’s voice cut in, light and teasing. “Honestly, the two of you are insufferable. All this bickering… are you sure this isn’t just unresolved tension?”

Celaine turned sharply, her cheeks flushing slightly. “What? No! You’re ridiculous.”

Emilia smirked, raising her hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. Carry on. Just remember to keep it civil—or at least entertaining.”

Celaine sighed. “You’ve got a very inappropriate mind, Emilia.”

“And you’re stalling,” Hump said with a grin, releasing a little of his essence. The air rippled faintly around him. “Come on, Celaine. Let’s see how effective your training was.”

Celaine narrowed her eyes. “You’re going to be so upset if you lose.”

“‘If’,” Hump said laconically.

Hump went and stood with Celaine on the lawn. He couldn’t deny his curiosity about how Celaine would perform. They had practiced similarly in the past with Vivienne, but they’d been neglecting their soul projection training since parting with her. And now, Celaine had a Soul Manifestation to match his own—a clash of raw power and control. He wondered if she would wield Owalyn’s blessings in tandem. She’d managed to hold her own against Karlac, after all. This might be more challenging than he anticipated.

But he couldn’t lose to her… not to Celaine. He was the wizard here. He wasn’t sure his heart could take such a defeat. She would never let him live it down.

Don’t be childish, Hump, he told himself. This is your party member—your friend. Her strength is a good thing.

Yet, his desire to win was ignited. He was the one with experience. The test here wasn’t to simply beat Celaine, but to utilise his own power to its fullest and to avoid mistakes.

“You both ready?” Dylan asked. He’d placed himself between them and to the side where he was out of the way.

“Ready,” Celaine said, her voice steady, her eyes already locked on Hump.

Hump met her gaze, drawing in a breath to gather his focus. “Ready.”

“Begin.”

At once, their souls manifested. The air thrummed with energy as their auras came to life. Hump shut his eyes as he focused inward, letting his essence flow freely, expanding outward in a radiating wave. When he opened his eyes, the world around him had taken on a translucent violet sheen.

Across from him, Celaine unleashed her power—a wild dance of shifting shadow. It lacked refined control but Hump sensed the raw intensity to it. From a distance, it had been chilling, but up close he felt like he was staring down a blade.

“It’s not much different to the soul projection exercises that we did before,” Hump said. “Visualise your soul expanding beyond your body, and then rather than pressing your intent against mine, extend it to take over the essence around you. Bind it to your will.”

Celaine didn’t answer, but Hump could sense her actively shaping the essence around her. The shadow flickered less, becoming a cloud of darkness. She was barely visible within, but for the glow of her green eyes.

The clash began suddenly. Celaine struck out, her soul like a flurry of needles, precise and relentless, probing for weaknesses in Hump’s defences. The power contained in them was enough that Hump was forced to reinforce his soul’s walls to meet her effort head on. Despite her speed and precision, she lacked the sheer weight of power to break through. Yet each time, Hump sensed a little of his essence drained away, just as Dylan had said.

Hump spent some time studying the interaction, letting her tire herself out against his defences, while watching how his own essence responded. He had to actively resist the influence of her Embrace the Dark blessing, but it didn’t take long before he diminished its effects on his reserves. Studying the interaction, he noticed essence leaking from him even now. The Eclipse Brooch masked it well, but faint flickers of essence broke through, dissipating into the environment. He’d completed many cycles of Spirit Overflow since gaining the Tier 5 technique that furthered the River and Waves, and felt stronger for it, but he wondered if it made his aura easier to detect. This was what he needed to learn to control, though now was hardly the time.

Celaine was doing well. For her to put any pressure on him at all so soon after Soul Manifestation was impressive. He had crushed weaker wizards, but she was holding her own. It wouldn’t last however. Celaine’s focus was entirely on offence, leaving her own soul entirely open. Sweat glistened on her brow, her breaths coming harder now. She was tiring. Hump decided he didn’t want to win through attrition.

He bided his time, waiting for her next strike, then seized the moment. With a surge of intent, he unleashed the full power of his Spirit Well, pouring it into a wave of essence that swept across the lawn like a storm. The cloud of essence she’d gathered was added to it. The air around her went from shadow to darkness as the wave crashed through Celaine’s attacks, overwhelming her shadowy needles, and into her.

Hump grinned at Celaine as she glared at him with gritted teeth. She was better than he’d expected—far better.

But not good enough.

***

Hump’s power was vast, crushing, and unrelenting. Celaine had thought it was going well. She’d been probing at his essence as she had with Dylan, slowly searching for weakness, but she had found none. It was like poking at a stone wall. And then, she’d poked too hard, and a beast had risen up. She pushed back against the storm of power with everything she had, but every move felt like she were fighting a hurricane.

Then came the wave.

Celaine’s eyes widened as it bore down on her, the deep rumble of its power filling her ears. At its centre sat Hump, his grin sharp and confident, his eyes flaring with purple light.

It was as if a dragon sat before her.

But she was used to dragons. To turn away from their gaze was to admit defeat, and even if Hump won the battle, she would not be dominated. Not by anyone. She met his gaze, grinning back.

And then it was over. she felt her soul manifestation crushed. The sense of essence in the air around her was gone, replaced by a storm of enemy intent. She wasn’t even sure she could use her blessings under such a state, not without time to break the binding on her.

When Hump released, Celaine gasped for breath, not realising she’d been holding it. She wheezed, utterly exhausted, a penetrating, deep cold piercing her chest. She rolled onto her back, breathing, head aching, a stabbing pain in her chest.

A shadow loomed over her, and there stood Hump. He looked… slightly taller than when they’d first met. She wondered if that was the dragon blood or just that he was a little older.

Hump extended a hand, his hair falling into his eyes as he leaned down. “That was a good effort.”

Celaine glared at the offered hand, then at his infuriating smirk. She’d expected to lose, but it still stung. Hump might have been trying to be gracious, but she saw the satisfaction in his eyes.

With a huff, she took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet with surprising ease.

“You need a haircut,” she muttered.

Hump blinked, caught off guard. Then he grinned. “Noted.”

***

“I discovered something in that,” Hump said. “I think I know what I need to do to solve my aura issue entirely.”

“What’s that?”

“So far, everything I’ve done has been about adding to the essence reserves of my soul. But as I’ve grown stronger, more is escaping and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. At least, not yet. I need to find a way to condense the essence in my soul and lock it inside completely. No leaks, no trails.”

 “Is it dangerous?” Celaine asked.

“Possibly,” Hump said. “There are risks with strengthening the soul—at least, the way my techniques have me do it. If I move too quickly, I could rupture it like a balloon. Obviously, I’ll do my best to avoid that.”

Celaine rubbed her face with a hand. “I hate it when you phrase things like that.”

“Hey! My best has been enough so far.”

She smiled. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out, Hump. If anyone finds a way to break through the seventh rank, it’ll be you. This is just one more step toward that.”

Her confidence in him was touching. Hump found himself lost for words. The day had reignited his determination. They still had a few days before their expedition into the Remnant Realm, and Hump intended to use every moment.

He turned his thoughts inward, focusing on his River and Waves technique. He’d been making progress before, but the battle with Karlac had disrupted his rhythm. Now, with the Eclipse Brooch and Torvik’s warnings fresh in his mind, he knew what he needed to do.

It was time to refocus and push forward.

Being there, with his party and Nisha, he felt like he could face what was coming for him. Perhaps more importantly, he felt the burning desire to get better. For them, he would improve. He would master the River and Waves, continue to deepen his Spirit Well and strengthen his soul with Spirit Overflow, and figure out what in the world came next.