Rise Of The Dual Bound Sovereign

CHP 1: Dual Bound Existence

Consider this my final gift as your father."

Then Severin slowly clenched his outstretched hand.

Causing Azrael to release his final breath. The light in his eyes gradually faded as his body fell lifelessly to the ground.

Severin stared at Azrael's corpse for a few moments before taking out a communication talisman and sending a message to one of his most trusted guards.

After a short while, the door opened and a figure dressed in a dark hooded cloak entered the room. His face was mostly hidden beneath the hood, and his presence was so quiet that it was almost as if he had appeared out of nowhere. He bowed respectfully toward Severin.

"You called for me, My Lord?"

Severin didn't waste any words.

"Dispose of this body in the Ten Thousand Beast Forest, and do so discreetly. Leave no traces." He said while gesturing towards Azrael's corpse lying on the floor.

"Understood." The figure gave a firm nod before stepping forward. Bending down, he hoisted Azrael's body onto his shoulder and vanished into the shadows, leaving the room as quietly as he had entered.

The moment the figure left, Severin returned to the banquet as though nothing had happened.

—------

Two hours later…

A cloaked figure moved silently through the dark wilderness, carefully navigating the uneven ground beneath his feet. His movements were cautious and deliberate, avoiding any unnecessary sound.

"This spot should be far enough," he muttered quietly to himself.

He dropped Azrael's body onto the ground.

“Before dawn, his corpse will have been devoured by the beasts here, leaving no trace of his existence,” With that, the figure turned and disappeared into the darkness.

AWOOOO!

Not too long after he left, a pack of gray-furred wolves emerged from between the trees, drawn towards Azrael's corpse.

The alpha wolf, larger than the rest, stepped forward and lowered its head, sniffing his body as if confirming whether he was truly dead.

Just as it opened its jaws to take a bite, a terrifying wave of energy suddenly erupted from Azrael's body.

Boom!

The entire wolf pack was instantly annihilated. A deafening rumble echoed throughout the forest.

Then—

The heavens changed.

Dark clouds gathered from every direction, swallowing the light of the sun until the entire sky above Aetherion was plunged into darkness.

For several days, the world remained covered beneath the ominous clouds, while an invisible pressure descended upon the land, causing even the most powerful beings to feel a deep sense of unease.

Meanwhile, within the inner region of the Ten Thousand Beast Forest, a golden cocoon floated silently in the air, amidst the darkness.

The elemental essence within the forest had been thrown into chaos.

From every direction, countless streams of pure elemental essence surged toward the inner region of the forest, gathering around the golden cocoon, causing it to grow denser and denser with each passing moment.

As it continuously absorbed the elemental essence of the world, its original golden color gradually darkened as blood-red runes slowly formed and etched themselves across its surface.

After what seemed like eternity, the cocoon finally stopped absorbing elemental essence. Having become fully saturated.

CRACK!!

Just then a small crack appeared on the cocoon’s surface. At first, it was barely noticeable, but within seconds, it spread, branching out like a web across the entire cocoon before it shattered completely.

As it broke apart, two identical soul figures floated in the air. They were faint and translucent, yet clearly defined.

The remnant energy from the shattered cocoon did not disperse. Instead, it surged forward and entered both soul figures, wrapping around them as it began to rebuild what had been lost.

Slowly, their physical bodies began to reform from within. Bones formed first, forming a solid frameeork, followed by the gradual formation of organs, then muscles and flesh layered over them.

Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes into hours. Time seemed to lose all meaning within the cocoon. Eventually, two completely separate entities with identical souls emerged, floating silently in midair.

The moment their physical bodies were fully formed, they both stired and slowly opened their eyes.

Their gazes immediately met. The feeling was strange. The figure before each of them felt unfamiliar, yet deeply familiar in a way that could not be explained.

One of them was human. He had a devilishly handsome face with sharp, well-defined features. His white hair fell naturally around his face, while his emerald-green eyes held a calm yet profound depth.

The other was a small black snake. Its sleek body was covered in dark scales that seemed to absorb the surrounding light. Its blood-red slit pupils were cold and sharp, giving it an intimidating presence despite its small size.

They continued observing each other, trying to understand what they were seeing, but before either of them could process the situation, streams of information suddenly appeared directly in their minds.

[ The natural balance is collapsing ]

[ A dual-bound existence has been born ]

[ You will stand at the convergence of two paths… ]

[ NAME: Azrith ]

[ RACE: Black Scaled Serpent (Evolvable) ]

[ LEVEL: Rank 1 Demon Beast (1st stage) ]

ABILITY:

TWIN SOUL: [ You possess a second soul that is connected to you yet exists independently, allowing both to grow separately while remaining linked as one ]

LIMITLESS BLOODLINE EVOLUTION: [ Grants you the ability to devour creatures with purer bloodlines and rare treasures, assimilating their essence to evolve your own bloodline and gain certain species abilities when specific conditions are met. ]

STEALTH: [ Suppresses your presence and scent, making it difficult for other creatures to detect you. ]

VENOM: [ Gradually paralyzes the target, slowing movement and eventually rendering the body unresponsive. ]

SPECIAL CONSTITUTION: [ Twin Soul Physique—As your twin soul develops, your intelligence and mental capacity will increase at an accelerated rate, allowing you to gain human-level intellect far earlier than typical demon beasts. ]

SOUL-BOUND REBIRTH: [ Allows one half of a twin soul to be reborn after death, as long as the other half remains alive.

Requirements:

Origin Heart Fruit — Can be obtained from a creature born of the world that dies after completing its natural lifespan.

World Core Dew — Can be obtained from the World Tree.

Restriction:

Rebirth must be completed within a 10-year period after death. Once the time limit is exceeded, the deceased soul will completely fade, making rebirth impossible. ]

[ EVOLUTION PROGRESS: 0% ]

At the same time, another set of information appeared before the human figure.

[ NAME: Azrael Valcroy ]

[ RACE: Human ]

[ LEVEL: Adept Plane (1st stage) ]

[ ELEMENTAL AFFINITY: Darkness (Violet Grade), Wind (Blue Grade) ]

ABILITY:

TWIN SOUL: [ You possess a second soul that is connected to you yet exists independently, allowing both to grow separately while remaining linked as one ]

LIMITLESS ELEMENTAL EVOLUTION: [ By refining treasures related to an element you have an affinity with, you can increase the grade of that element. It also allows you to acquire new elements once you gain sufficient understanding of them. ]

SPECIAL CONSTITUTION: [ Twin Soul Physique—As your twin soul evolves, your physical strength will steadily increase, gradually granting you the enhanced physique and raw power characteristic of demon beasts. ]

SOUL-BOUND REBIRTH: [ Allows one half of a twin soul to be reborn after death, as long as the other half remains alive.

Requirements:

Origin Heart Fruit — Can be obtained from a creature born of the world that dies after completing its natural lifespan.

World Core Dew — Can be obtained from the World Tree.

Restriction:

Rebirth must be completed within a 10-year period after death. Once the time limit is exceeded, the deceased soul will completely fade, making rebirth impossible. ]

"Dual-bound existence... what does that mean?”

The two newly awakened beings exchanged confused glances. Neither of them understood the meaning behind those words.

Their minds were blank, unable to recall where they were, why they were there, or even what had happened before this moment.

Just then—

Countless fragments of memories suddenly flooded their minds.