Chapter 132 – Soul of the Fallen Hero
Silence.
Only the sound of dripping blood echoed through the stone corridors.
The boy's body — Azel Vernath — lay motionless on the cold dungeon floor. His teammates' laughter faded into whispers, their footsteps retreating into darkness.
But above him, the light of another soul flickered — Shen Karguro, the Drifter who had once defied gods and fate alike.
Shen drifted closer, his form wavering like blue flame. His hands trembled as he knelt beside the dying boy's spirit, his voice shaking.
> Shen (softly): "Why… why did it have to end like this…?"
The air shimmered — and then, before him, the faint golden outline of Azel's soul appeared. His face was pale but peaceful, his eyes dull yet gentle.
Azel looked at Shen, realization dawning even in his fading consciousness.
> Azel (weak smile): "…You… you were the one behind me, weren't you… all this time…"
"I thought I had courage… I thought it was mine."
Shen lowered his head, his voice breaking.
He couldn't speak. He didn't have to — his expression said everything: "Why? Why must this happen again?"
Azel continued, his form flickering.
> Azel: "I had… a dream. To protect my friends. To be strong enough that they'd never be hurt again."
"But they… they were the ones who killed me."
Tears of light fell from Shen's eyes, merging with the boy's fading soul.
> Shen (trembling): "Then let me give you strength… take my power. You can avenge yourself, you can—"
Azel gently shook his head, smiling faintly — a smile that broke the silence and pierced Shen's heart.
> Azel: "No. Vengeance doesn't heal anything."
"I don't want to kill them, Shen… I just want you to protect your honest friends… the ones still fighting out there."
"Protect them for me… Hero."
His body began to turn transparent, glowing softly as if the world itself was taking him away.
Shen reached out, but his hands passed through light.
> Shen (shouting): "Azel!! Don't—"
But the boy was already fading. His voice echoed like wind through the cracks of the world.
> Azel (faintly): "Thank you… my friend…"
Then, silence again. The glow vanished.
And in that instant — the soul of Azel drifted gently into Shen's essence, merging completely.
---
A sudden shockwave of blue energy burst through the dungeon.
Shen's eyes snapped open — but they were no longer his.
He was inside Azel's body, breathing, feeling, alive again.
Before him stood the same traitorous teammates — Dren and the others — laughing, unaware of what now inhabited their friend's flesh.
One of them turned and froze.
Azel's body was standing.
His eyes — glowing black and blue — burned like storms of rage.
> Shen (quietly): "You… killed him."
"Now… you face me."
His aura exploded — Dark Mage energy roaring out in waves, shattering the torches and crushing the dungeon walls. Shadows twisted around him like a living storm.
The traitors screamed.
Shen moved without hesitation — swift, brutal, precise. His twin blades of void flame tore through them in a blur, one after another.
No mercy. No words.
Only the storm of vengeance he wished Azel never had to feel.
When the final body fell, the dungeon was silent once more.
Only one figure remained — Shen, breathing heavily inside Azel's body, blood dripping from his hands.
He looked at his reflection in a pool of crimson water.
Azel's face stared back at him.
But the eyes… were his own.
> Shen (whispering): "…You trusted me with your body… with your dream."
"Then I swear, Azel — I'll live this life not for revenge…"
"…but for those who still believe in light."
He clenched his fist, and the Dark Mage aura settled, fading into calm blue flame.
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