Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Chapter 918  New Confidence

There was an almost tangible, firm sort of silence after Skullius replied to Darwel's inquiry. It wasn't inspired by the Hybrid Luman to persist, after all, he felt as though he had been drowning in darkness and unwanted tranquility for years. He would have loved for the two arrivals to continue to speak, but they continued to gawk at him without a word instead.

Skullius tilted his head curiously.

He took steps forward, his intense presence melting as though it had never existed, and placed his hand on the innermost portion of the fourfold barrier trapping him.

"What's this all about? Mind removing it?" he said, his pristine white eyes facing Darwel and Sevill.

The two were stumped.

Darwel wanted to act at once, adhering to the natural request to free Skullius, but her guard grabbed a hold of her wrist, pulling her back.

The El Sif turned to Sevill with a stunned, slightly pale expression.

"What?" she said.

"Hold on, Lady Darwel..." Sevill said with visible strain.

Skullius raised a brow.

"Is there a problem?"

Sevill looked him square in the eye and gathered her previously molten wits.

"No, but I have to ask something first, Lord Luminant Festos," she said in a respectful, yet stern manner.

"Fire away," Skullius said with a light smile that was both cool and calm, different from the frenzied one from moments ago.

Sevill's eyes behind the veil could see things that she wasn't sure were as welcome, especially in such a circumstances... after what she had seen Skullius endure days ago, after the Premium Age Royale served its purpose.

For starters...

"Have you... reached the Incandescent Stage?" she asked in a harsh voice.

Darwel trembled.

From the massive pressure she had felt moments ago, she had wondered the same, just for a little while.

Skullius chuckled.

"Ah, so that's what's gotten you all tense..." he said casually. "Not quite. My soul has undergone several changes is all."

"Is that... right?" Sevill said. Her eyes peered into Skullius body and she saw a different kind of soul from the one she had witnessed get burned in that powerful Territory days ago. A foetus-like soul that looked terribly broken.

After taking on the Secondary attack of that Territory, Skullius' soul had gotten even more damaged but...

But now... it was large and whole, fitting his body perfectly while emitting a vibrance that only an Incandescent Stager's soul could exude!

Worse yet... Sevill saw two sparks of pretty light swimming in Skullius' soul and-

"You don't need to feel so wary. Just please... open this up for me, will you?" Skullius said again, a smile on his face.

This time, Sevill didn't stop Darwel from approaching the barrier. While the El Sif was quite determined, and hopeful, she did approach with caution. She stared at Skullius for a couple of second before stepping on something on the floor, just before where the fourfold barrier began.

Erlton had set up this barrier, but he had crested a mechanism which could be used to take it down by anyone with the right level of energy when Skullius awakened.

The barrier ruptured and disinterested into sand-like particles, leaving the Hybrid Luman free.

Darwel didn't know what exactly she expected to happen, but when Skullius approached her with an unusually alluring smile, she found herself blushing in a mix of fluster and bashfulness.

It was odd.

Since when...

Those white eyes staring blankly down at her own made her freeze.

"Hmm. Seeing how awkward you're both still being around, I presume you know about my secret, huh?" Skullius said. "My recovery would have made you both more happy than cautious. Lord Luminant and all."

Darwel opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

"It is as you say, Lord Luminant," Sevill was the one to carry Darwel's intent. "We know a lot about you now, but only because someone explained it in great deal and made us understand."

"Oh, is that so?" Skullius said with a hint of surprise. "Good then."

Without asking for clarity, he walked past Darwel and crouched to pick up the clothes she had dropped.

"Now please. I'm quite modest, could you please excuse me. I need to wear proper attire," he said.

Sevill and Darwel awkwardly nodded and exited the room, leaving the Hybrid Luman adorned in the luxurious robe alone.

Once he was alone, Skullius took a deep breath and looked at his body. He flexed his fingers, feeling the pulse of energy that ran through him.

There was a slight contradiction.

The strength of his soul contended against that of his body, but the latter still held. After all, Replicus' body wasn't natural. It had quite the capacity for unordinary proportions and soon, he would be able to elevate even that.

He grinned.

'You've outdone yourself, Sila.'

Indeed, he had.

Replicus grabbed the best clothes among those provided and began to wear them when he felt sharp throbs, remnants of sharp, blunt pangs of pain within his soul.

He grimaced a little.

"You look good. You picked the ones I hoped you would! Certainly matches your new... confidence," she said, attempting to restore a bit of her natural snark.

What had awakened him wasn't simple chance or choice. It was sharp blows of pain, like immaterial fists that struck only his soul.

Strange.

Still, the pain was reaching its end and he could endure that much.

*

Skullius exited the room under the gazes of the two beauties.

He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt of fine, white, linen that loosely hung over his torso and thick, leaf-patterned black pants that hugged his legs with passion.

Over this pair, the dark robe he had summoned could still be seen over shoulders, nearly reaching his ankles.

The colours of this getup made quite the attempt to match the two streaks of pitch black now visible among his locks of auburn hair, and the tone of his skin; they did quite well.

Darwel, who seemed to have composed herself smiled grandly.

"You look good. You picked the ones I hoped you would! Certainly matches your new... confidence," she said, attempting to restore a bit of her natural snark.

Skullius laughed.

"New confidence, huh? Glad to hear it." he said.

Sevill led the two back up the corridor as Darwel tried to start a casual conversation with the Hybrid Luman. She tried her best to not mention anything to do with Skullius' true form but...

"Do your parents know as well? About my true self, I mean," Skullius asked.

"Uh, yes. They know. I'm sure they'd want to see you right away, but with the current situation... I don't know if they have the time for it just yet."

Skullius narrowed his eyes.

"Current situation? What's going on?" he asked.

Darwel wore a serious visage as she looked at him.

"Everyone is tense. Hours ago, Maqi suddenly declared war of us. A force of 1,000 of their combatants is on the way, along with the Ode of the First Horn. The Prince."