The sun was climbing toward its peak, and Aarav wiped sweat from his brow as he walked through the dense white forest, boots sinking lightly into the black sand. His eyes were sharp, focused, scanning the terrain for any sign of soul beasts. Yet despite hours of searching—from the forest to the rolling dunes of the distant desert—he found nothing.
No monsters. No traces. No movement.
"Damn," he muttered. "Where did they all go?"
The deeper he ventured, the more barren the world felt. Even the breeze was still.
Then, without warning, a flash of golden thread shimmered in the air before him—and in the next second, soft arms wrapped tightly around his back. A familiar warmth pressed against him.
"Aarav…" came her voice, trembling slightly. "You're here…"
Aarav turned, startled. "Soul Spider Queen?! What are you doing in this heat? It's boiling out here."
She clung to him tighter, burying her face into his chest. "I thought… I thought you left me forever. You disappeared."
He blinked, confusion fading as guilt crept into his chest. "I was only hunting soul beasts. I wanted to get stronger."
"Even then… You should've told me!" she scolded, her voice cracking. "If it wasn't for our wedding ring tracking your heartbeat... I—I was ready to burn the world to find you!"
Aarav stared at her. "Wait. Were you... tracking me?"
She stepped back and crossed her arms. "And what if I was? You're my husband. I have the same right over you as you do over me."
She pouted, then grabbed his hand tightly. "From now on, you're staying with me. Forever."
Before he could respond, her threads wrapped around them—and in a blink—they were gone.
They reappeared in their private bedroom in the heart of the Soul Spider Kingdom.
Warm, crimson silk hung over the bed's canopy, glowing slightly in the moonlight. Spider lilies perfumed the air. Before Aarav could speak, she pushed him backward onto the bed with surprising strength.
"Wait, what are you—"
She climbed on top of him, her long white hair brushing over his chest. Her golden eyes locked with his, fierce with emotion. "You made me worry... You're going to make up for it."
Her lips crashed into his—soft, hungry, desperate. A kiss that spoke of longing and possessiveness, as if she were proving he was truly there, that he hadn't vanished like a dream.
Aarav gasped softly into her mouth as she deepened the kiss, her hands cupping his face, fingers tangling in his hair. Her hips pressed into his, locking him down. Her skin was hot, her breath ragged.
Clothes slowly vanished between tangled limbs and golden threads. Her silken strands wrapped around his wrists—not to bind, but to hold—to feel his pulse. To feel him.
Their bodies moved together in rhythm, skin to skin, their connection raw and unfiltered. She clung to him like he was her anchor, and he embraced her like she was his fire.
Time blurred. Afternoon turned to dusk. Dusk melted into night.
She was tireless, insatiable, weaving her love through every kiss, every arch, every sigh. She whispered things into his ear—about their past, about their future, about the thousand lives they would live together.
Midnight.
The room was dim, lit only by a few flickering soulstones in the wall. Aarav lay on his back, eyes wide open, sweat still clinging to his chest. He turned his head and looked at her.
She slept beside him, a smile lingering on her lips, her body wrapped partially in golden silk. Her long lashes trembled with every breath, and her fingers still rested against his chest, right over the tattooed heart.
Aarav chuckled softly. "Thirteen hours... Damn. I only got four hours of sleep."
He stared at the ceiling for a while, replaying everything. "My darling's stamina really is something else. From noon till midnight… I couldn't rest at all until she was satisfied."
He looked over again. She was glowing slightly, even in sleep—her skin radiant, her form peaceful.
Leaning over slowly, he brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. Then he kissed her lips gently—just a feather-touch—like a silent promise.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Her lips curled, even in sleep. As if she heard him.
Aarav sat alone on the edge of the bed, the moonlight casting pale rays across the floor. His body ached, not from battle, but from the intense "affection" he'd endured since noon. The soul spider queen, now asleep beside him, looked peaceful — a stark contrast to the fierce passion she unleashed upon him hours ago.
He exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. "I can't sleep… might as well check on something."
With a simple whisper, he activated the ring.
"Come on out… Book of Stories."
A faint golden glow shimmered from the ring. The ancient tome materialized before him, hovering in the air like a silent ghost, its faded cover rippling as though alive.
Suddenly, words appeared in the air before him.
[BOOK OF STORIES WANTS TO EVOLVE INTO A SOUL WEAPON.]
Aarav blinked. "What do you mean evolve into a soul weapon?"
The book vibrated lightly, pages flipping open by themselves as a stream of thought-filled light emerged:
[The Book of Stories is a soul-bound artifact. Normally, when its wielder dies, it dies with them. But this world is… different. Souls here don't follow standard death. They linger, they evolve. I didn't die when you died because your soul persisted. And because of that—now, I too can evolve… if you let me.]
Aarav narrowed his eyes. "I still don't get it. Evolve how?"
The book hovered closer and opened to a glowing page.
[Originally, I was created by an advanced civilization in a distant star system. A place where life and death were absolute. When my planet fell to ruin, I drifted through space until I landed here, on Earth. In that world, I was never meant to grow or adapt. But this world—your world—follows soul-based logic. Here, everything is bound by the laws of soul evolution.]
A memory stirred in Aarav's mind. "Wait… like the Soul Knife? It turned into String Knife after I merged it with the spider queen's soul... and then Stringer Dagger when I added the soul of the soul python."
[Exactly. Weapons that consume souls become Soul Weapons. And artifacts like me… we're no exception. If I can devour 100 souls—just 100—I can begin my evolution.]
Aarav's eyes widened. "A hundred souls?! I can't even find 10 soul beasts out there right now."
The book laughed—if it could be called that.
[Relax. I don't need you to kill a hundred beasts. I need you to write.]
"…Huh?"
[All the characters you write in your stories… they have souls. Even if they're fiction, in this world, the written becomes real—at least on a soul level. That's why you can resurrect yourself using them. So, write a story with at least 100 characters, and then kill them off inside the story. I'll collect their soul remnants as I narrate their end.]
"Wait, you're telling me my own imagination is fuel for your evolution?"
[Yes. And once I evolve, I can help you evolve.]
"How?"
The pages glowed with anticipation.
[I'll give you Character Soul Cards. Every time you kill a character in the story, I generate a card. The stronger the character, the higher the card's rarity. For example—]
Legendary Card — If the character is a legend.
Heroic Card — For a hero or champion.
King Card — For rulers or emperors.
God Card — For divine beings.
EX Card — For extras or side characters.
Normal Card — For everyday people.
"These cards… they contain their soul essence?"
[Exactly. Their power level, ability type, and even their skillsets are recorded in the card. You can later fuse them with your existing weapons or allies. They're as good as real souls.]
"So more stories… more characters… more souls… and more power."
[Bingo.]
Aarav's fingers curled into a fist. "Can I still use the death-reversal function too?"
[Of course. That feature remains intact. You'll still be allowed to re-enter the story after death, with a fresh chance—thanks to the story rules I uphold.]
He grinned. "So? What the hell are we waiting for?"
The book lit up, a golden page shimmering like a gate.
[Resuming the previously paused story…]
Aarav's ring glowed again.
[Soul Revival Chance: 2]
"Two? Wait, why two?"
[You gained one from today's soul beast kill. The other is a daily reward.]
"I get soul chances daily too?"
[YES.]
"Ok. Then lets write the paused story."
[CONTINUING THE PUSED STORY....]