As their backs came into direct contact with the hard ice surface, Victor and Calverd closed their eyes, anticipating a bone-piercing cold.
However, after a few seconds passed, the two youths slowly opened their eyes with furrowed brows. They did not feel any freezing cold on the lower halves of their bodies at all, as if the ice block was merely an ordinary mattress made of transparent crystal.
"Amazing!" Victor praised, breaking the silence, patting the surface of the ice block enthusiastically. "I don't feel cold at all while lying on this ice!"
"You're right!" Calverd replied from the ice block next to him, turning his head toward Victor with the same enthusiastic feeling, momentarily forgetting his fear. "I was thinking that I would be shivering and freezing up here."
Arvin, who was standing near them, looked at Victor and Calverd's faces alternately. Behind his faint smile, he was actually hiding an immense sense of nervousness.
Performing the Soul Seal ritual for just one person is enough to drain almost all of my mana. he thought worriedly. Doing it to two people simultaneously at once is a reckless action that I have never tested before. I'm afraid that the ritual will fail halfway through.
However, as he looked at the two faces radiating with full hope and absolute surrender to him, Arvin truly could not bring himself to refuse. His heart melted.
I hope I don't make even the slightest fatal mistake in my mana flow later. Arvin thought again, trying hard to strengthen himself. But, it's also impossible for me to back down now. I do not want to disappoint these two cute spouses of mine and lose the happy smiles on their faces.
Arvin took a deep breath, then exhaled it slowly to neutralize his heartbeat. His eyes looked straight ahead with a gaze full of determination.
There is no time for me to hesitate! Arvin decided in his heart, suppressing all his worries. I must do it for the sake of their smiles and futures! No matter what happens to my body later, I must not fail!
"Are the two of you ready?" Arvin asked in a very serious tone, ensuring the mental readiness of the two youths lying there.
Victor and Calverd looked into their husband's eyes, then nodded in unison full of conviction.
However, tension instead crept up among the other family members. For those who already knew how terrifying the side effects of the Soul Seal ritual were, that decision sounded like a suicide mission. They felt deeply worried about their husband's physical condition.
"My Husband?" Allen called out suddenly, breaking the silence. He looked at Arvin with eyes radiating deep concern. "Are you truly sure about your decision to perform the ritual on the two of them simultaneously at the same time?"
"Allen is right!" Ordion chimed in quickly, not wanting his husband to act too recklessly. "Do you not consider the impact on your own body, My Dear? The burden of binding just one soul already tortures you immensely, let alone two!"
Hearing the protests from Allen and Ordion, Arvin's other spouses nodded in agreement. Their facial expressions implied a plea for their husband to reconsider his decision and at least do it one by one.
Arvin turned to look at the faces of all his anxious-looking spouses. Instead of being angry because his decision was doubted, his chest actually felt warm. He smiled gently at them, a smile laden with gratitude for their care.
"I still have to do it right now!" he answered calmly but without the slightest hint of doubt. "We don't have much time. Just relax, I will drink a mana recovery potion to guard against reaching a critical point."
Hearing the absolute tone from Arvin, those who knew the dangers of the ritual could only let out a long sigh and nod in agreement with the plan. They were forced to suppress their worries, choosing to believe that the potion would at least enable their husband to maintain his consciousness until they returned to the carriage later.
On the ice blocks, Victor and Calverd, who truly knew nothing about the side effects of the ritual, could only listen to the brief debate without daring to speak a single word.
The two of them glanced at each other briefly with furrowed brows, but returned to looking at their husband with full obedience.
True to his words, Arvin opened his dimensional storage space and took out four crystal bottles containing mana recovery potions. The blue liquid inside them glowed softly, radiating pure magical energy. He lined the four bottles up neatly on the edge of the ice block.
Without wasting time, he took one of the bottles, pulled out the stopper, and drank its contents down to the last drop in one gulp to restore his mana, which had been significantly drained while fixing the mansion's interior condition and while making clothes for Victor, Kaydan, and Calverd.
After finishing drinking the potion, Arvin felt that his mana was now fully restored.
"Alvein..." Arvin called out, looking at the silver-haired fairy.
"Yes, Honey?" Alvein answered gently.
"Can you hover right above me while holding these three potion bottles? I will need a quick supply of mana in the middle of the ritual later, and my two hands will not be able to move freely." Arvin requested while taking and lifting the remaining three potion bottles from the surface of the ice block.
"Of course, Honey!" Alvein answered without the slightest hesitation.
Gracefully, the silver-haired fairy flapped the wings on his back and flew over to Arvin. Upon arriving in front of him, Alvein reached out his hand and took the three potion bottles from his husband's hands carefully.
Then, Alvein hovered slightly higher in the air but positioned himself in such a way that his hands could still easily and quickly reach his husband below if he needed the potion at any given moment.
Seeing his fourth spouse already on standby in his position, Arvin took a deep breath and was about to immediately begin the ritual.
"Victor, Calverd, close your eyes!" Arvin commanded with voice that echoed in the dining room. He extended his two hands forward, placing his palms right in the air above the chests of his two lying spouses. "I will perform the ritual right now!"
Hearing the command from the head of the household, the two youths without hesitation immediately squeezed their eyes shut, surrendering their fates and souls entirely to their husband.
After his two spouses ready, Arvin focused all his concentration, mana, and soul.
"O soul that I have chosen, from this moment on, I shall bind your soul to mine!" Arvin chanted in a very low tone that nonetheless vibrated the air around him. "You shall die as a mortal human, and shall rise again with a soul bound to mine!"
Along with the sacred words spoken, a very dark and ancient magical fluctuation exploded. Three magic circles formed from swirls of thick black smoke suddenly appeared simultaneously. Two were beneath the bodies of Victor and Calverd lying on the ice blocks, and the other one was right beneath Arvin's feet.
The thick black smoke slowly crept upwards, infiltrating the bodies of the two of them as well as Arvin's body. In the air, the thick black smoke began to elongate and thicken, forming a rope that connected the souls between the three of them.
The process should have proceeded as it was. However, something highly unexpected suddenly occurred.
At the same time the soul rope was formed, an anomaly appeared. A portion of the thick black smoke strand centered in Arvin's chest instead split itself. The smoke crawled upwards with unnatural speed, shooting straight toward Alvein who was hovering above him.
Everyone witnessing the ritual procession was incredibly shocked to see the direction of the black smoke's movement. Arvin, who was in a state of maintaining his magic control, was also taken entirely by surprise when his eyes caught the silhouette of the black smoke aiming sharply at his fourth spouse with lightning speed.
"Alvein, watch out! The black smoke is heading toward you!" Allen exclaimed in panic, his voice shrieking to give a warning so Alvein would immediately get away from the ritual area. "Quickly! Get out of there immediately!"
Hearing the warning shout, Alvein jolted in shock. His eyes widened as he saw the black tendril shooting toward him. He reflexively flapped his wings with all his might, trying to maneuver and dart out of the way to get far from the ritual area.
However, it was already too late.
The speed of the soul tendril far exceeded Alvein's flight speed. Before he had a chance to shift more than a single span, the thick black smoke immediately pierced squarely into Alvein's chest without the slightest resistance.