Warlock Apprentice

The power of gravity concentrated around Angor quietly.

Angor didn't know much about such power, but Isabelle already sensed the solid and heavy pressure presented by a natural law. Angor's strength was still like a child's play to Isabelle, but there was no doubt that Angor could use such strength against powerful foes in the future.

Since there was no usable target in the palace, Angor simply unleashed the power on his own body.

As he increased power output, his body slowly left the ground.

He didn't sense any serious energy loss by doing so, but he wasn't sure how to check the capacity of his soul energy. All in all, he could now use such a trick as a pseudo flying skill or maybe even as a way to escape from imminent danger… if he could get the hang of it.

There were many different ways to utilize the sequence of gravity, and Toby had already shown him in some examples. Angor believed he only needed some practice.

Isabelle waited for Angor to finish and said, "Take caution when using Spirit Mantra. The first thing you should mind is to maintain the vitals of your body. You cannot leave your body for too long unless you have other methods to keep your body alive. Judging from your current physical condition… you can stay in soul form for ten minutes.

"Also, you cannot use magic as a soul. Instead, all you have is your soul energy. To protect your soul from harm, you better learn several Soul Manipulator spells."

Isabelle decided to end her "lesson" here.

"You don't have to use another spell to get back inside your body. Move closer to it and chant Spirit Mantra again. That will show you a way back into Soul Space."

With that, Isabelle showed Angor the exit of Spirit Realm.

Of course, Angor was very happy about acquiring a new skill that was similar to Soul Coupling.

But it was a pity that Isabelle didn't let him choose his destiny. Previously, he planned to seek help from Isabelle to help with Grand Priest's request. Now that Isabelle already decided how to return the favor, he couldn't raise another topic anymore.

Isabelle easily noticed Angor's faltering expression and pointed to a water pool that had been releasing white smoke. "Toby is inside that pool. You can take him with you. He's stabilized, and his damaged soul is repaired. However, there are still flaws inside him. Go ask Greya if you want to know more."

Which meant it was time for Angor to leave.

Angor moved to the pool and saw his little partner resting at the bottom.

It wasn't really a water pool either. The pool was filled by Soul Orbs, which had been releasing visible "vapor" into the environment.

He carefully picked Toby up from the pool without tarrying in front of Isabelle.

Next, he walked back to Isabelle, thanked her, and remained silent.

"Is there something else you need?"

Angor considered. Whether he could help the Grand Priest or not, he should at least know Isabelle's attitude toward Krakoks.

Isabelle was the one who brought the creatures into a sanctuary. If he planned to seek help from elsewhere, he should definitely speak with the owner of Soul Genesis Garden first.

Angor carefully arranged his words before he said, "Lady Isabelle, may I know your thoughts about Krakoks?"

"Nothing in particular. They're only mortals who have above-average soul quality. Why do you ask?"

Angor sighed and explained what Grand Priest asked of him.

Isabelle seemed lost in thought. "I see… Beyer asked you? In fact, I established the bloodline bond after gaining Beyer's consent."

Isabelle chuckled. "It's only a thousand years and he's already regretting it?

"Fine. His father helped me greatly. If he wishes to allow several members to leave, so be it." Isabelle waved a hand casually. "But you'll have to figure out how to remove the bond from them on your own. It's in their bloodline, and you shall find a solution within 'bloodline'."

Isabelle signaled Angor to leave the palace.

To Angor, it was obvious that Isabelle just gave him a hint.

Should he find a Bloodline Wizard for this?

He bid farewell to the great wizard and returned to the castle hall on the first floor.

Only Felicia was here. Angor approached her to ask the whereabouts of Greya.

Before he could though, Felicia shooed at him.

"Away with you. Get that Wine Thief out of my sight. If you're looking for Greya, find a mute servant. I think she's on the 4th floor watching animal shows," she said while giving Angor disgusted glances. Toby was sleeping right on Angor's hand.

Angor left while shaking his head. He wasn't sure what "animal show" meant. Did they keep animals in Dark Castle? Or some summoned monsters?

With a big question mark on his head, he followed behind a mute servant and headed to the 4th floor.

The climb took longer than he thought. Again, he had to walk through all sorts of traps and mechanisms to reach where Greya was at.

"Lady Greya?" Angor knocked on the door he was taken to.

"Oh, Angor? Do come in." Greya's voice sounded "normal" this time. Angor felt relieved that he could meet her in her usual state.

He opened the door and soon noticed that the walls of the room were transparent. He could easily see the mute servant that was standing outside.

Greya was sitting in front of a table that had a dish of Soul Orbs on it. She was randomly stuffing the orbs in her mouth in a bored manner.

Angor joined her while checking the room.

The room wasn't big. Greya's table and chairs were the only noticeable objects. There were more things to see in the adjacent rooms since they could look through the walls.

The room to the left had a giant fountain in it along with a number of monster statues. As for the one on the right… Angor felt speechless when he saw someone naked fighting against a blond-haired, blue-eyed lady.

He didn't know who the lady was, but that man who had his private part openly dangling in the air was, undeniably, Shadow.

"You've been to Spirit Realm?" Greya signaled Angor to take a seat.

Angor nodded and slowly took Toby out from his pocket with a smile.

He then handed the bird to Greya, albeit a little sadly.

Greya didn't question what he gained from Isabelle. She only put a finger on Toby's head and cast a simple spell. "It seems his wound is almost healed."

"Lady Isabelle said his soul is complete now but that there are 'flaws'? She said you can tell me the details."

"I'm glad his soul's better. As for flaws… yes, I can tell you about it. Toby's soul is flawed because it is an unavoidable challenge for him."

"Unavoidable challenge? You mean Toby is going to experience more of these conditions later?"

Greya nodded and began to describe Toby's nature.

The bird was born due to a mistake. By accident, Greya somehow created an intelligent life form, and she only succeeded once in her life.

Toby didn't seem special at all, yet Greya did use some extremely peculiar materials when creating him.

During a journey, Greya acquired five internal organs of a legendary monster. Later, she "cooked" the organs into five different spices—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty.

She spread the spices in the materials for creating Toby.

The spices did a great job in creating the bird, but for the same spices, Toby earned an abnormality.

"In Toby's soul, there are five wandering emotions that cannot leave him. Five extreme emotions: love, hatred, grief, wrath, sadness. As you guessed, they came from the five spices.

"The legendary beast is only a dead corpse, but its powerful emotions affected Toby's soul. Toby is now possessed by the beast's emotions. And only when he finally conquers the emotions will he regain his true self."

Angor nodded slowly. "So the 'wrath' emotion just showed up inside Toby. That emotion and his soul are fighting over the body?"

"Not exactly, but you can put it that way."

"Which means Toby still needs to fight with the other four extreme emotions later?"

"Correct." Greya saw Angor getting worried again and smiled to comfort him.

"It's his undeniable destiny to overcome the challenge in order to be free, and you don't have to worry about him. These fights aren't exactly bad things to Toby. You said that before he lost consciousness, he gained a higher level in gravity power which now works on something remote, no? Once he defeats 'wrath', he will enjoy even greater power. Who knows, maybe he can easily take you down when that happens," Greya joked.

Angor scratched his head. "The truth is, if he wants to, Toby can already beat me."

Greya chuckled. "Both men and beasts have to fight for their lives in our wizarding world. And these emotions are destined enemies for Toby. Do you not have your own challenges, Angor?"

Angor fell into silence. It was true. He could either face the challenges and approach his goal or waste his life away.

"Such is the price for growing stronger." Greya watched Toby's sleeping form with a gentle gaze. Back in Barbie's Restaurant, the bird lived a happy and carefree life under her protection, and back then, she never thought about Toby's future.

And he grew so rapidly when traveling with Angor…

Greya didn't know if she wanted this, but it was definitely something good for Toby.

She couldn't safeguard Toby forever. Someday, Toby would have to rely on himself.