The harsh sizzling sound continued to resound even as a white lid appeared from thin air to seal the mouth of the flask. "The essence of corruption is from a tier three creature, to say nothing of its destructive nature. A tier-one vessel was never going to hold the essence of corruption forever. I thought the flask would survive at least three months before we had to switch it out with a better vessel," She explained. "However, it was summoned into this realm by a tier zero mage. A mage that was in communion with a being from probably the deepest levels of the abyssal realm. These two facts seem to have empowered the dark crawlers in some aspects," Olivia offered a guess. Clearly, she too wasn't all that certain of this explanation. She was just offering her two cents on the matter. "Whatever the case may be, this essence of corruption is a lot more potent than it ought to be, and by a big margin," She said. "Forget three months, we'll be lucky if the flask holds out for three week

The answer to the question of why I brought you here is simple. You and I never had the chance to talk before I sent you into Roka's body," She informed him with a smile. Despite the fact that it had been a suspicion at the back of his mind, Greg still couldn't help the shock he felt when the entity before him outright revealed that she was the one responsible for his new lease on life. There were a thousand and one questions that he wanted to ask. Part of him, however, suspected that she wouldn't be willing to answer ninety nine percent of them. As such, he only settled for the only obvious question before him. "You just said that I am not powerful enough to know what you want from me," he said. "Why bring me into this realm then?" He posed. "Three reasons," she replied. "The first is to inform you, the second is to warn you, and the third is to reward you," She went on. Greg nodded for her to go on. "I gave you a second chance at life, Greg," She spoke calmly. "I didn't do it out

Roka's body had been in shambles for almost two weeks afterward. Even during this summon, when Greg's soul have been exposed to a weakened version of her aura for just a fraction of a second, he had suffered a serious soul fracture! Hard as it was to swallow, Roka's fate had indeed been sealed. Still, this didn't make it any easier to accept the fact that he was currently consuming someone else's soul. "If you wish to blame anyone for what has happened to Roka, Greg, feel free to blame me," She declared. "Whether it was your soul or some other individual's, I would still have used Roka's soul as nourishment for them. You didn't have any part in what happened to the boy. You are just a poor soul that was caught up in a game they weren't prepared for," She relayed. "And if it helps ease your guilt, know that my aura wouldn't have just affected the area immediately around the portal. That mountain and everything on it that couldn't withstand my aura would have perished," She informed h

An amused smile crossed the being's lips as she regarded him. None of his thoughts were hidden from her. "If I wanted to Kill you Greg, there are easier and far less wasteful ways to do it," She said, clearly having seen through his fears as to what the fragment of divinity would do to him. Greg calmed down a bit at her words as he realized that the being, so far, had no motive to kill him. "You are right though, as you currently are, that fragment would kill you a million times over," she went on to say, crushing what little relief Greg had just been feeling. "That's why the fragment is sealed," She informed him. "Until you reach the fourth or fifth tier, depending on how firm your foundations are, you shouldn't try and access what's sealed inside that fragment," she cautioned him. "And before you let your imagination run wild, the answer is no! The fragment won't grant you great power. At least, not directly. As the primordial warned you, you humans are not built to handle the kind

Had it been the real Greg there, he wouldn't have doubted the healer. Even if one didn't consider the fact that she had no reason to hurt them, even if she was a bad actor, the healer was powerful enough that she would have no reason to play elaborate games with him. She'd just kill him outright and be done with it. The clone, however, was ordered to ensure the safety of his family. Until that was done, he wouldn't be doing anything else. Leaving the house, the clone ran to the edge of the town where the infirmary stood. It didn't take long for the clone to find his mother and sister sleeping in adjacent rooms. It wasn't his uncle's place, but all the same, it was right at the edge of town. It was even further from his house than his uncle's place would be. So, in a way, they would be even safer there. When his clone came back to the house, the healer once again stood to welcome him. His clone once again bowed to show the respect his teacher was due before taking a seat. Greg was gl