Chapter 20 — Harvest of Souls
Morning sunlight filtered softly through the cream curtains, painting warm streaks across Soma's room. Dust motes drifted lazily in the golden light. Somewhere downstairs, the faint clatter of pans mixed with the earthy smell of frying cumin seeds and fresh parathas.
A sharp knock broke the calm.
"Are you not planning to go to school today?"
Savitri's voice carried its usual firmness—the kind that could make even silence stand at attention.
Soma groaned, rolling out of bed. When he opened the door, Savitri stood there holding a spatula like a weapon, her gray hair tied neatly, her eyes sharp behind her glasses.
"Grandma," Soma said, rubbing his eyes, "school's closed today. They're preparing for Independence Day celebrations."
She frowned. "But today isn't the fifteenth of August."
"It's because some VIP guests are visiting," Soma explained quickly. "They started decorating early. You can call Dev if you don't believe me."
Savitri's brows arched higher. "So what if the school's closed? That doesn't mean you can sleep till eight in the morning."
Soma smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "...Right."
"Your breakfast is ready," she said, turning toward the stairs. "Wash up and come to the kitchen."
"Yes, Grandma."
---
The kitchen smelled of turmeric, toasted bread, and ghee. Sunlight shimmered on the steel utensils as Savitri flipped the last paratha onto a plate. Soma sat quietly, half awake, devouring his food while she watched from the counter with folded arms.
After eating, he helped clean the dishes—a silent ritual of balance between rebellion and obedience—and then slipped back to his room.
Inside, the hum of his computer filled the air.
On the screen, windows of data scrolled in rapid motion—maps, charts, and strange industrial reports.
"Alex?" Soma asked, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"
The orb floated above the keyboard, its voice calm and deliberate. "Researching the world's… largest slaughterhouses… and meat-processing… facilities."
Soma blinked. "Wait—how are you even online? Because of my upcoming exam, Grandma cut off the Wi-Fi yesterday."
"I hacked a nearby network," Alex replied matter-of-factly.
Soma sighed and chuckled, leaning against the desk. "You know, your ability doesn't even amaze me anymore. So what's the plan this time?"
Alex rotated once in the air, glowing faintly. "If we create a soul-capturing device… using your rune and install it near… those factories, we could harvest… thousands of souls daily—without interference… or effort."
Soma's tired eyes suddenly sharpened. "That's… actually brilliant. I never thought of that." He leaned closer to the monitor. "So? How many of these places did you find?"
"I identified eleven facilities capable of producing massive soul output," Alex said, pressing a key. "Would you like a detailed report?"
"Show me."
---
The screen filled with photographs and scrolling text.
> United States
Tar Heel, North Carolina — the world's largest pork plant, 32,000 pigs processed per day.
Dakota City, Nebraska — Tyson Foods beef plant, handling 5,000 cattle daily.
Akutan Island, Alaska — Trident Seafoods facility, over 1,000 tons of pollock daily.
Alex tapped again, and the map shifted south.
> Brazil
Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul — over 10,000 cattle processed daily.
Uberaba, Minas Gerais — 8,000 cattle per day.
Quellón, Chile — the world's largest salmon processor, nearly half a million fish daily.
Soma's eyes widened as Alex continued.
> China
Ezhou, Hubei Province — a 26-story automated pig farm, 14,000 pigs daily.
Fuyang, Anhui Province — 13,700 pigs daily.
Guangdong — dense pond clusters producing 1–2 million fish a day.
> India
Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh — 5,000 buffalo and cattle daily.
Mumbai, Maharashtra — Deonar Abattoir, 4,000 goats and sheep daily, plus poultry.
---
Soma leaned closer, his reflection flickering across the screen. "That's… unbelievable. So, in numbers—how many souls can we actually harvest from these?"
Alex paused, calculating. "Approximately one hundred thousand animal… souls daily from land facilities."
Her voice softened.
Off-season—around 1.7 million fish souls per day.
Peak season—over five and a half million.
Soma's jaw dropped slightly. "That's insane." Then, grinning, he said, "We've got a free day. Let's use it to the fullest."
He looked toward the glowing orb. "Alex—want to join me?"
Without a word, Alex transformed into a streak of silver light and entered his body.
---
Soma closed his eyes, steadying his breath. The air around him shimmered faintly.
Inside his mind, he visualized the rune—its seven rings turning in perfect harmony, silver symbols pulsing with quiet life. He focused on the fifth one.
Genesis: The Ring of Creation.
A silver glow rippled outward, filling the darkness with light. Letters appeared before him, luminous and alive.
---
SOUL STORAGE
1. Soul Fragments: 180,790
2. Awakened Souls: 271,869
3. Intelligent Souls: 0
4. Transcendental Souls: 0
5. Immortal Souls: 0
6. Divine Souls: 0
---
Soma's eyes moved downward, to the CREATION tab.
Alex's voice echoed softly inside his mind.
> "Creator… may I design the soul-collection device?"
"Go ahead," Soma replied.
In the void before him, text began to form, glowing brighter with each word.
> Soul Collector Unit
An autonomous machine capable of absorbing and teleporting souls directly into the Rune.
Material: Refined metal essence
Range: 1 kilometer
Ability: Invisibility
Mobility: Hypersonic flight capability
Required: 15,000 Awakened Souls
Yes / No
Alex's voice was almost childlike.
> "Creator… it's ready. But we'll need eleven of them."
Soma calculated the numbers quickly, then whispered, "Yes," eleven times.
---
From his chest, a surge of silver light burst outward. Eleven basketball-sized metallic spheres emerged, glowing softly as they hovered in midair. Each one was perfectly smooth and seamless—like droplets of condensed starlight suspended in the air.
When Soma touched one, it felt cool and weightless, as if it weren't made by human hands. There were no seams or joints—only a flawless surface engraved with three glowing rings: Anima, Aetherion, and Genesis.
The symbols shimmered faintly, alive with movement, like metal breathing light.
Soma stared in quiet awe. "It's… beautiful."
"Alex," he called softly.
The air rippled. Alex emerged again, her light swirling around the spheres like mist caught in a slow wind.
Soma smiled faintly. "Now, what's your plan? How will you install them?"
Alex's light shimmered with determination.
> "Like this," she said, entering one of the machines and circling around Soma's head. "I will possess each unit—control their flight… and guide them into… the target facilities."
Soma crossed his arms, impressed. "And how long will that take?"
> "More than twenty-four hours," Alex replied.
He walked to the window, pushed it open, and looked at the clear morning sky. "Then go on," he said softly.
Alex entered the nearest sphere, and the device glowed briefly—then shot into the sky with a soundless pulse of light. Within seconds, it vanished, leaving behind only a faint silver shimmer in the air.
Soma watched the empty sky for a long moment, wind brushing against his hair.
A quiet smile curved his lips.
---
For a long time, Soma stood by the window, staring at the pale blue sky.
The world outside looked quiet, ordinary—the wind brushed gently through the half-open curtains, carrying the faint scent of jasmine from the garden below.
Then Savitri's voice floated up from downstairs.
"Soma! You have a phone call!"
Soma blinked, pulled back from his thoughts, and turned. The ten silver orbs hovered faintly under the morning light, glinting like hidden stars beneath his bed. He crouched quickly, sliding the blanket over them until they disappeared from sight.
"Coming!" he called, his voice echoing down the stairwell.
He jogged down the steps, the floorboards creaking softly under his feet. The smell of fried dough and chai drifted from the kitchen. Warm, familiar, grounding—like nothing extraordinary had just happened.
He picked up the phone. "Hello, Soma speaking..."
"Hey, Soma! Want to study at my place?" came Dev's cheerful voice on the other end.
Soma glanced at his grandmother. Savitri stood by the stove, stirring something with quiet focus. When she noticed his look, she lifted her chin slightly and nodded in permission.
Soma smiled. "Okay, I'm coming."
He set the phone down and moved toward the door, slipping on his sneakers. The rubber soles squeaked faintly against the floor.
"Don't be late for lunch," Savitri said without turning from the stove, her tone gentle but firm.
"Okay, Grandma," Soma replied with a grin, waving one hand as he headed toward the door.
The morning sun followed him out, painting soft gold across the floor.
Behind him, the house settled back into its quiet rhythm—the ticking clock, the hum of the ceiling fan, and the distant chirp of sparrows.
And though everything looked perfectly ordinary, a faint silver glow still pulsed from beneath Soma's bed upstairs—ten quiet orbs waiting for their next command.